WatchUSeek Watch Forums banner

Garmin fenix - An Ongoing Review in Several Parts

752K views 1K replies 231 participants last post by  KiwiWomble 
#1 · (Edited)
Suunto introduced the AMBIT GPS/ABC watch and now Garmin has introduced their version - the fenix.

What I would like to do is invite you to join me in exploring the various aspects of the Garmin fenix as I find out about its capabilities, features, drawbacks, surprises, etc.

Since I would like to wear the fenix as an everyday watch, the first question that comes up is just how well does it do as a simple digital watch - ignoring for the moment all the other features.

Here is how it arrived today:



The contents are the watch, an AC charger/USB adapter, USB to watch cable, product safety information booklet in 12 languages, and two quick start guides - one in English and one in Spanish:



Deciding to read the booklets later, I turned the watch on, selected English as my language and opted to automatically sync time and date info with the GPS signal:



I was in my office and expected to have to go closer to a window, or even outdoors, to successfully obtain my first cold sync, but before I could even stand up, the watch had sync'd and was displaying correct time and date info:



Honestly, I was amazed. Note in the picture above that the computer display actually reads 18:30 (I was a bit too quick on the trigger taking the picture) which is the same as 6:30 PM shown on the watch. My past experience with GPS units of all types has been that if a unit is a long way from its last sync location, it requires some time to gather satellite info thus making for a longer "Cold" start. Subsequent "Warm" and "Hot" starts take less time because the unit knows generally where it is.

My first Cold start was less than a minute and subsequent Hot starts were virtually instantaneous. All indoors. I am thoroughly impressed.

Before doing anything else, I thought it would be a good idea to fully charge the watch using the supplied AC adapter. So at 6:38 PM with the watch at 52% charge, I started charging:



One hour and 32 minutes later, the watch was fully charged:



Since I like 24-hour time, I then switched the watch over to a 24-hour display:



Then I plugged the fenix into a USB port on my computer and went to the Garmin site to register it and check for any software updates.

The watch looked like this when connected:



And the Garmin site advised me that updates were indeed available:



The updates were for System software and several language options in addition to the language options already in the watch:



Details of the system updates:



The watch updating:



After a couple of minutes:



And the watch was on my wrist:



The display is very easy to read and may get even better once I have a chance to adjust the display contrast.

The stock (Polyurethane?) band is soft, comfortable and is not a dust magnet. The keeper has a lug on its underside which engages the slots in the tail end of the strap so that the keeper stays in place. Lug width is 26mm. The strap is affixed to the watch with two T10 Torx screws which screw into a metal bar in place in the end of the strap. It is a very secure setup. It appears that the metal bar in the end of the strap can easily be removed thus allowing for the easy adaptation to a NATO/Zulu type of strap. Watch for that soon.

There are many main time display options, but note in the picture above that I have chosen continuous display of Hour, Minute, Seconds, Month, Day and Date. All automatically sync'd to the GPS signal.

Other display options include variations on this theme:



And constant display of battery charge and Sunrise data:



There are many more options available - too many to show here.

It's always problematic accurately representing a backlight in a photo, but here is my attempt with the watch in semi-darkness with the backlight off and on:



The watch caseback is pretty straightforward:



It is comfortable on the wrist with no protrusions or irregular surfaces which could cause discomfort.

There are multiple alarms which can be set for one time only or to repeat daily, to alert with a tone, vibration or both. Alerts which tie into the GPS. A programmable alarm based on time until sunset. Interval timers. A countdown timer settable to the second. A stopwatch.

I've only just scratched the surface of the WATCH capabilities of the fenix, and it has every conceivable timing/time feature I can think of.

One last note for those who live in an "odd" time zone - the watch can be set to sync time/date info with the GPS signal, but you can choose to set your time zone manually.

That's all for the first installment. Next I'll start exploring some of the ABC and Fitness/training features of the fenix.

Please feel free to ask any questions or request any pictures that I have not included.

Hope you all enjoy reading about the fenix as much as I enjoy learning and writing about it.

HTH
 
See less See more
18
#2 ·
Re: Garmin fenix - A Review in Several Parts

:-! Very nice and detailed review of the basic functions. I'm looking foward to read and learn more about that Garmin, how much did you pay for it?

cheers
 
  • Like
Reactions: bezgeo85
#3 ·
Re: Garmin fenix - A Review in Several Parts

:-! Very nice and detailed review of the basic functions. I'm looking foward to read and learn more about that Garmin, how much did you pay for it?

cheers
Thanks. US$399 delivered. Any particular feature you would like to hear about? The menus have seemingly endless depth and I'm uncovering "undocumented performance enhancements" all the time. ;-)
 
#5 ·
Re: Garmin fenix - A Review in Several Parts

Hi.
Great start. Sunrise time option for the Time of Day display.... nice!

Since you asked :)-)), I'll be a little greedy with my list of questions...

  • Did you order/get a Tempe????
  • Show us EVERYTHING about Navigation.
  • How are they 1000 Waypoints managed in the watch (by icon/type/distance/folder/?)
  • How many time of day alarms? And how convenient to turn an existing one on/off?
  • Any options for Training Intervals - distance/time/mix?
  • Can the backlight be continuously on?
  • Are their any virtual training partner/racer options?
  • Is accuracy/EHPE available during GPS start-up to know how good the signal is.
  • GPS on/off 'ultratrac' interval options
  • GPS track point and HR/temp recording interval options
  • Does the 10k track points really mean a limit of 2h45m at 1/sec?
  • Show us your tracks!!! (especially vs a handheld, in deep woods, and while caving)

OK, I got carried away there...so, it's time to stop.
 
#9 ·
Re: Garmin fenix - A Review in Several Parts

Hi.
Great start. Sunrise time option for the Time of Day display.... nice!

Since you asked :)-)), I'll be a little greedy with my list of questions...

  • Did you order/get a Tempe????
  • Show us EVERYTHING about Navigation.
  • How are they 1000 Waypoints managed in the watch (by icon/type/distance/folder/?)
  • How many time of day alarms? And how convenient to turn an existing one on/off?
  • Any options for Training Intervals - distance/time/mix?
  • Can the backlight be continuously on?
  • Are their any virtual training partner/racer options?
  • Is accuracy/EHPE available during GPS start-up to know how good the signal is.
  • GPS on/off 'ultratrac' interval options
  • GPS track point and HR/temp recording interval options
  • Does the 10k track points really mean a limit of 2h45m at 1/sec?
  • Show us your tracks!!! (especially vs a handheld, in deep woods, and while caving)

OK, I got carried away there...so, it's time to stop.
Let me give you what I know so far and I'll try to fill in the blanks going forward. If you notice I have missed any of your points when and if I cover that feature in the future, just give me a friendly reminder and I'll try to address it then.

- Yes, I ordered a Tempe, but it has not shipped yet. I have a spot all ready for it on the underside of the brim on my Tilly hat. ;-)

- The time of day alarms feature is really outstanding. I just entered 12 alarms and I could have kept going apparently indefinitely. Very easy to add an alarm. Each alarm can be set to alert only once or daily and can be individually configured to alert with a tone, with vibration or with both tone and vibration. Each alarm is also easily edited, turned on/off or deleted. I can easily see how someone could get totally carried away with this feature.

When any alarm is active it is indicated on the main time display at the top as a small alarm clock icon next to the day:



I need more time for the rest ... ;-)

HTH
 
#7 · (Edited)
Re: Garmin fenix - A Review in Several Parts

Before I get to members' requests, let me provide some additional basic information.

The standard strap is very comfortable and quite long:



It easily accommodates my 7 3/4" wrist and looks like an 8" or even a 9" wrist (or equivalent when worn over clothes) would be OK.

Here's a better picture showing the T10 Torx fasteners used to secure the strap and a good view of how the lugs are angled down toward the wrist making the watch rest comfortably on the wrist:



But what if you want to put on other straps?

Here's a picture of what the strap and fasteners look like partially disassembled with the metal hexagonal bar at the end of the strap removed from one side:



It's very easy to disassemble, just unscrew the two Torx fasteners and then push the metal bar out of the strap with a springbar tool or similar.

Reassemble the watch without the strap:



And you are ready for any 26mm NATO/Zulu type strap:



Plenty of room for my Burgundy 5-Ring Zulu type strap from our friends at Panatime (http://www.panatime.com/26bunabanypv.html). ;-)

The hexagonal bar measures 3.33mm at its widest point, so it will be a tight fit in most aftermarket leather or rubber straps - probably not working in some. However, I'm pretty sure that any strap which comes with a strap tube installed would fit if that tube were removed first.

Lug-to-lug dimension measured from outside of lug bars is 57mm.
Case diameter from 12H to 6H is 49.3mm.

More to come.
 
#14 · (Edited)
Re: Garmin fenix - A Review in Several Parts

Ah, stop it you're killing me! Mine won't be here until at least Monday. :-d

Thank's for posting the strap replacement - I've got a black Zulu awaiting and I was worried about the fit after seeing the weird tapped bar thing in the strap earlier, really glad it's a simple job.

I know it's only been a day but how is it as a wrist watch? Does it feel a bit off for day to day wear? What's the build quality of the case like? Feel sturdy or a bit cheap?

Oh and the Satellite info screens -- Awesome.
 
#15 ·
Re: Garmin fenix - A Review in Several Parts

Ah, stop it you're killing me! Mine won't be here until at least Monday. :-d

Thank's for posting the strap replacement - I've got a black Zulu awaiting and I was worried about the fit after seeing the weird tapped bar thing in the strap earlier, really glad it's a simple job.

I know it's only been a day but how is it as a wrist watch? Does it feel a bit off for day to day wear? What's the build quality of the case like? Feel sturdy or a bit cheap?

Oh and the Satellite info screens -- Awesome.
Monday will be there before you know it. ;-) I'm sure you'll enjoy your fenix.

Just make sure your Zulu strap is 26mm and you'll be fine.

My goal is to wear my fenix as an everyday watch and so far it is serving very well. My guess for the material of the case is glass filled Nylon, but that's only a guess. It is some kind of engineering plastic, though, and feels light but sturdy. The buttons have a very positive feel - hard to describe. Overall impression is one of quality and durability.

HTH
 
#16 ·
Re: Garmin fenix - A Review in Several Parts

Man, that looks like a fantastic instrument. If I could, I'd like to ask one question. Will the watch measure distance covered while walking? I've seen that several watches can count strides while running, but none seem to address distance covered while on a hike. Thanks in advance.
 
#17 ·
Re: Garmin fenix - A Review in Several Parts

Man, that looks like a fantastic instrument. If I could, I'd like to ask one question. Will the watch measure distance covered while walking? I've seen that several watches can count strides while running, but none seem to address distance covered while on a hike. Thanks in advance.
Yes. That's what this watch was built for! It uses the GPS satellite system to keep track of distance covered and speed. It uses the GPS system in conjunction with a Barometer to keep track of elevation. It also saves the exact path traveled on a hike as a "breadcrumb" trail that can be followed back to the origin. All these data are saved in the watch and can be downloaded to your computer later for analysis and sharing.

Stay tuned - I'm working up to covering all of that. ;-)

HTH
 
#18 · (Edited)
Re: Garmin fenix - A Review in Several Parts

Some more basic information:

There are five subscreens to the main Time Display screen which are accessed by pressing the Up or Down arrows on the right side of the watch.

The first (going Up) is the World Time screen:



Up to four world times can be selected for display in addition to Local time and date which are always displayed at the top and bottom of the screen. Interestingly, UTC (or GMT for those old schoolers among us) is NOT one of the choices. At first I thought this was exceedingly odd. After all, isn't UTC the most used/referenced time zone of them all? For me, UTC display is essential, so I really thought I had hit my first snag with the fenix.

But as you will note in the photo above, I do indeed have UTC displayed as one of the time zones? How did I do it? I chose the time zone for Iceland, which is one of the choices in the fenix and is the same time zone as UTC and does NOT observe DST. I then renamed the time zone - a great feature - from "Iceland" to "UTC." Any of the time zones you choose to display in the world time screen can be renamed to any combination of 10 alphanumeric characters.

The next screen available is Temp:



I should note that the Temp, Altimeter and Barometer sensors have the option of being "On Demand" or "Always On." The On Demand setting shows only the current value when selected, but saves battery life. The Always On setting shows an historical graph of values as well as the current value but uses slightly more battery life. I have these sensors configured to Always On.

I like the fact that the historical graph of values appears to exhibit a high granularity - i.e. it is easy to see small changes in the values. Also I like the fact that the time scale for the graph is clearly labeled on the bottom as well as the upper and lower observed values over that time. In this case it is a 4 hour graph with a lowest value of 80*F and a highest value of 85*F. You can also choose to display *C if you wish.

Next is the Barometer screen:



Here we can see the atmospheric pressure at Sea Level has been fairly constant over the recorded range as is evidenced by the flat graph. Local "official" pressure is currently 1022mb, so it is tracking pretty well. The pressure can be configured to read "Ambient Pressure" which is the local pressure NOT translated to pressure at Sea Level - sometimes called "Absolute Pressure." Units can be configured to display Inches (Hg), mmHg, Millibars, or Hectopascals.

There is also a setting for the Barometer which can be set to either "Fixed" or "Variable." Mine is currently set to Variable. I believe that when the Barometer is set to Fixed, the watch will interpret all changes in pressure as changes in Elevation. [CORRECTION: Looks like I had that one exactly backwards. According to the manual, "Variable records changes in elevation while you are moving. Fixed assumes the device is stationary at a fixed elevation." So being set to Variable can be considered as applicable to "Variable Elevation" situations and being set to Fixed would be applicable to "Fixed Elevation" situations.] However, there is also an "Auto Calibrate" setting for the Altimeter and I am not clear yet how all these work together. Obviously more to come later on this.

The next screen is the Altimeter:



I have mine set to "Auto Calibrate" with units in Feet. You can see it is constant within a few feet over the past 4 hours which is consistent with my activities over that same period of time. Topo elevation for my location is 4552 feet, so it looks good! I have not made any adjustments to either the Baro or Alti values. The Altimeter can also be configured to display in metres.

The last screen is the Compass, but I'll cover more on that later.

HTH
 
#19 ·
Re: Garmin fenix - A Review in Several Parts

Impressive indeed so far |>

cheers
 
#23 ·
Hi, thanks for such an intensive review. I'm a climber and a hiker and this seems like the perfect tool for me. As you can imagine I've also looked at the Suunto Ambit. At least on paper and from online reviews I like the fenix alot better but there is a major concern about it. The ambit is able to download tracks from the internet and guide you. Can this be done with the fenix?
 
#24 · (Edited)
Hi.
Good stuff.
On the watch mini-track, is that the magnetic declination up in the corner?

And I notice a big drop in the altitude in the first few seconds. Any idea whats going on with that? Almost looks like your baro altitude got hijacked by an Auto Cal from the GPS Alt, and then reported the rest of the profile based on pressure changes. Or something.
 
#29 ·
Not declination, but current heading:



The 013* indicates that the 12H position on the dial is facing 013* TRUE. I can choose TRUE which automatically corrects with declination based on GPS position, or MAGNETIC which does not factor declination into the heading.

I noticed the altitude drop as well. The last GPS fix I had before this test walk was at home which was a long distance and several thousand feet in elevation different than the start of the track. If you look closely at the bottom of the Google Earth pic you will see the Elevation cited as 2834 Feet. That's quite a bit different from my Home Elevation of 4552 where I had my last fix before the walk. After the first 15 seconds or so of data, the Elevation data is spot on and reflects the minor elevation changes I encountered during my walk.

In order to avoid this kind of erroneous data at the beginning of a track, it would be easy to start up GPS and let a track accumulate for 30 seconds or so until the Elevation stabilized. Then throw that track out and start a new one with the stable Elevation readings. This would only be necessary, however, if the new track was started at a significantly different Elevation than the last track.

HTH
 
#37 ·
Re: Garmin fenix - A Review in Several Parts

How thick is it on your wrist? It's interesting that it doesn't have the antenna lobe like the Ambit. Nice details, thanks!
The fenix measures 17.3mm thick. It doesn't feel at all unwieldy, I have several watches that are thicker. ;-)

One thing that helps it feel comfortable on the wrist is the angle of the lugs - they turn down quite dramatically and allow the fenix to hug the wrist.

HTH
 
#39 ·
Re: Garmin fenix - A Review in Several Parts

Hi,

First of all, thanks a lot for your review and for sharing your impression about the Fenix. I must admit, I was about to buy a Suunto Ambit but now, I am not that sure :)

Can't wait your following posts.

Regards,

PS : you seem to have forgotten to hide your coordinates... zombies will finally catch you ;)
 
#46 ·
Re: Garmin fenix - A Review in Several Parts

Hi,

First of all, thanks a lot for your review and for sharing your impression about the Fenix. I must admit, I was about to buy a Suunto Ambit but now, I am not that sure :)

Can't wait your following posts.

Regards,

PS : you seem to have forgotten to hide your coordinates... zombies will finally catch you ;)
Your welcome. Glad you're enjoying the review.

And BTW, they are not my coordinates. :) If the zombies go looking there, they'll find a nice public park, but no gaijin. ;-)
 
#40 ·
Re: Garmin fenix - A Review in Several Parts

Hi Gaijin !!

Thanks for the review. I'm really interested in buying this watch but I have a question related to the tracks that really worries me. Does the Fenix have the possibility to pause and resume tracks? This is an important feature for me since when I go hiking I sometimes stop to take some photos or just to take a short break and I'd like to pause the track saving. Do you know if this is possible or if there is some way to do it?

Thanks for the info.
 
#42 · (Edited)
Re: Garmin fenix - A Review in Several Parts

Hi Gaijin !!
Does the Fenix have the possibility to pause and resume tracks? This is an important feature for me since when I go hiking I sometimes stop to take some photos or just to take a short break and I'd like to pause the track saving. Do you know if this is possible or if there is some way to do it?
Sorry to Hijack Gaijins Q&A but I got mine today too, I haven't had a good chance to play but according to the manual you can stop and start the GPS tracking as well as the watch having an Auto Pause function when it detects you stopping (which can also be turned on and off).

To anyone reading Gaijin's review and thinking maybe, maybe not - I've got to say, I'm already amazed by mine - even simple stuff like the option to change the seconds pip is absolutely brilliant. I think it has made me smile more than any 'real' watch has in a long while of collecting. I think this one is going to live on my wrist for quite a while before I fancy a change. Although I think a 26mm Zulu is a must.
 
#43 ·
Re: Garmin fenix - A Review in Several Parts

+1 ! I've been playing with mine all weekend. Torn between a Zulu and waiting for the Garmin burnt orange strap - it's actually pretty comfy.

Loading the talkytoaster maps into Basecamp shows that the tracking is pretty good and makes it useable on whatever computer is in front of me. Need to play with the routing and see how that works in real life and I can't wait to get up to the lake district in december and give it a proper workout - hopefully have a tempe by then as well.
 
#49 ·
Re: Garmin fenix - A Review in Several Parts

+1 ! I've been playing with mine all weekend. Torn between a Zulu and waiting for the Garmin burnt orange strap - it's actually pretty comfy.

Loading the talkytoaster maps into Basecamp shows that the tracking is pretty good and makes it useable on whatever computer is in front of me. Need to play with the routing and see how that works in real life and I can't wait to get up to the lake district in december and give it a proper workout - hopefully have a tempe by then as well.
Welcome to the fenix club, munchyboy! Please feel free to contribute comments/questions freely - the more the merrier. ;-)

HTH
 
#50 ·
Re: Garmin fenix - A Review in Several Parts

I have a toss-up question to anyone interested enough in the fenix to be reading this thread:

The fenix hs Bluetooth, and Garmin says on their web site that track info can be uploaded to a smart phone from the fenix using Bluetooth. OK, so how, exactly, does one do that? I have an iPhone and suspect that a specific iPhone app is required, but I'm at a loss to figure out exactly how this can be done.

If indeed it is possible, it would be a tremendous feature to be able to upload data to my iPhone while still out in the field and analyze the data on my iPhone without having to wait until I got back in front of my computer.

TIA for any info.
 
#51 ·
Re: Garmin fenix - A Review in Several Parts

Hi Gaijin - This is my first post! I found this thread when it was just a few hours old and have been following it since, so felt it only right to join now to sincerely thank you for all the effort you're putting into this. It's great information, really well presented. I look forward to your updates.

Well, I did have another reason for joining when I did, but timing's everything. I was going to reply to your question about iPhone integration. Just by chance earlier this morning I found a video demonstrating the Fenix connected to a Basecamp app on the iPhone via bluetooth. However, when I went to grab the URL to share here I see that the video's now been pulled. I suspect it was released prematurely. In short though, it was a solid demonstration of the Fenix and iPhone paired via bluetooth. A few bits of functionality were shown, such as renaming a waypoint (which rename's it on the Fenix also) and viewing a track against a hybrid satellite map. It all looked great. I hope the app is released soon.

I hope I can help contribute to the thread and website here and there going forward. In the meantime, thanks again!
 
#52 ·
Re: Garmin fenix - A Review in Several Parts

Hi Gaijin - This is my first post! I found this thread when it was just a few hours old and have been following it since, so felt it only right to join now to sincerely thank you for all the effort you're putting into this. It's great information, really well presented. I look forward to your updates.

Well, I did have another reason for joining when I did, but timing's everything. I was going to reply to your question about iPhone integration. Just by chance earlier this morning I found a video demonstrating the Fenix connected to a Basecamp app on the iPhone via bluetooth. However, when I went to grab the URL to share here I see that the video's now been pulled. I suspect it was released prematurely. In short though, it was a solid demonstration of the Fenix and iPhone paired via bluetooth. A few bits of functionality were shown, such as renaming a waypoint (which rename's it on the Fenix also) and viewing a track against a hybrid satellite map. It all looked great. I hope the app is released soon.

I hope I can help contribute to the thread and website here and there going forward. In the meantime, thanks again!
You're very welcome - glad you're enjoying the thread. There's lots of other info on the forums as well, so poke around when you get the chance.

Thank you for the heads up about the fenix/Bluetooth/BaseCamp/iPhone video. Sorry to hear it's been pulled, but please keep us posted if you find any more info.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top