Garmin makes the Apple Watch look cheap (pricing)

[raqball]

I am a long time lover and user of Garmin Sport Watches. I've had the fenix 2, fenix 3, fenix 3 titanium and fenix 3 HR...

I also had the original Apple Watch but only for a week before it was returned due to it being painfully slow and no waterproofing for swimming.. I now have and really like the series 2 in Space Black..

I see Garmin has announced the new fenix 5 and as a Garmin watch lover I had to look into it.. WOW! Garmin has officially lost their freaking mind with this thing!

I will never have a watch without a Sapphire display nor one that is not SS because I use and abuse them. The newly announced fenix 5 with sapphire display is........ -------------> $699!

The Apple Watch, series 2 in SS is $599

Garmin and the fenix 5 has made the Apple Watch look very affordable! Now sure there are things the fenix can do that the AW can't but that goes both ways. The AW does a lot of things the fenix can't..

When I bought the AW I kind of thought it was overpriced and that I overpaid but now after seeing Garmin's price for the fenix 5, I feel like I got a bargain on the AW..

 

[jsmitty]

I am a long time lover and user of Garmin Sport Watches. I've had the fenix 2, fenix 3, fenix 3 titanium and fenix 3 HR...

I also had the original Apple Watch but only for a week before it was returned due to it being painfully slow and no waterproofing for swimming.. I now have and really like the series 2 in Space Black..

I see Garmin has announced the new fenix 5 and as a Garmin watch lover I had to look into it.. WOW! Garmin has officially lost their freaking mind with this thing!

I will never have a watch without a Sapphire display nor one that is not SS because I use and abuse them. The newly announced fenix 5 with sapphire display is........ -------------> $699!

The Apple Watch, series 2 in SS is $599

Garmin and the fenix 5 has made the Apple Watch look very affordable! Now sure there are things the fenix can do that the AW can't but that goes both ways. The AW does a lot of things the fenix can't..

When I bought the AW I kind of thought it was overpriced and that I overpaid but now after seeing Garmin's price for the fenix 5, I feel like I got a bargain on the AW..

They're all expensive if you ask me.

I have a Garmin 305 forerunner that I bought for marathon training almost 10 years ago (before my first iPhone even). Now that I'm way out of marathon shape I just upgraded from my SG S0 to a SB S2.

 

[raqball]

They're all expensive if you ask me.

I have a Garmin 305 forerunner that I bought for marathon training almost 10 years ago (before my first Iphone even). Now that I'm way out of marathon shape I just upgraded from my SG S0 to a SB S2.

They sure are but Garmin's price for the fenix 5 is insane!

I did pre-order it just to get in line but I am fairly positive I'll cancel it before I am charged and it ships end of March...

 

[44267547]

They sure are but Garmin's price for the fenix 5 is insane!

I did pre-order it just to get in line but I am fairly positive I'll cancel it before I am charged and it ships end of March...

I'm tempted to try a Garmin. Another forum member (Newtons Apple) purchased the Garmin Titanium Chronos, which is priced at $1500.00. Defintely not cheap, but gorgeous Watch.

 

[raqball]

The fenix line are very good watches.. They are much larger and heavier than the Apple Watch and they do far less Smart Watch type things but they flat out rock for activities... Far more metrics and data for workouts if that sort of thing interest anyone..

I am pretty tired of round watches and I am diggin' the smart watch functions on the Apple Watch.. The AW also feels much lighter to me especially for swimming. With the fenix I always notice it's there but so far with the AW I hardly even know I am wearing it...

Garmin did announce a 5S which is a smaller version but the problem with Garmin's are they do not allow font size adjustment. Even on my fenix 3, which is massive in size when compared to the AW, I have a hard time reading text from things like SMS notifications ect... On the AW it's no problem thanks to font size adjustment.

I did pre-order a 47mm fenix 5 sapphire so I'll keep it active and kick the idea around.. It won't ship until the end of March or beginning of April so I have plenty of time to decide..

 

[cmbauer]

I have bounced back and fourth from the Garmins and the Apple Watches. I am loving the Fenix 3 HR Sapphire. I had one for a few days but returned it. They were selling the $650 package for like $475 and I snagged one but returned now I am kicking myself. I do Crossfit and Run etc and I wore both watches for afew workouts and they both were close to the same caloric burn

Really the only thing I didnt like about the Fenix was the display, I am only 42 but have Glasses with bifocals and without my glasses I had a hard time reading the display but with the AppleWatch its not problem.

I am torn, love the beefy look of the Fenix, but also love the sleek look of the Apple

UGH!!!

 

[raqball]

I am only 42 but have Glasses with bifocals and without my glasses I had a hard time reading the display but with the AppleWatch its not problem.

I am torn, love the beefy look of the Fenix, but also love the sleek look of the Apple

That's my main gripe with the fenix line.. Font size and it does not look like Garmin is ever going to address it.. People have been asking for that for a long time...

For workout's I can read the display just fine but for everything else, no dice! I even struggle to read text message ect with contacts in..

Check eBay if you want another, brand new in box 3 HR's are selling for about $440'ish and the bundles are going for around $479'ish..

 

[the caveman]

I loved fenix 3 but the biggest problem is how easily bezel is scratched. Mine was pretty scratched up after a few weeks of use. There is a very long thread about this on garmin forums.

 

[raqball]

I loved fenix 3 but the biggest problem is how easily bezel is scratched. Mine was pretty scratched up after a few weeks of use. There is a very long thread about this on garmin forums.

Yeah, I don't think Garmin used a proper DLC coating on them.. I remember reading that thread last year or so and it was one of the reasons I snagged the 3 (non HR) titanium version..

I wonder if they resolved the issue on the fenix 5.. If not, and for that price, that's going to suck!

 

[44267547]

Aside from Garmins hardware, how is the software? Many seem to state it's glitchy and not very stable at times. Perhaps I'm wrong, but working off generalized comments I have read before.

 

[Newtons Apple]

I am a long time lover and user of Garmin Sport Watches. I've had the fenix 2, fenix 3, fenix 3 titanium and fenix 3 HR...

I also had the original Apple Watch but only for a week before it was returned due to it being painfully slow and no waterproofing for swimming.. I now have and really like the series 2 in Space Black..

I see Garmin has announced the new fenix 5 and as a Garmin watch lover I had to look into it.. WOW! Garmin has officially lost their freaking mind with this thing!

I will never have a watch without a Sapphire display nor one that is not SS because I use and abuse them. The newly announced fenix 5 with sapphire display is........ -------------> $699!

The Apple Watch, series 2 in SS is $599

Garmin and the fenix 5 has made the Apple Watch look very affordable! Now sure there are things the fenix can do that the AW can't but that goes both ways. The AW does a lot of things the fenix can't..

When I bought the AW I kind of thought it was overpriced and that I overpaid but now after seeing Garmin's price for the fenix 5, I feel like I got a bargain on the AW..

$699 IS cheapie. Try looking up the Garmin Chronos Titainium, over $1500. It is a nice watch for sure.

 

[cmbauer]

I loved fenix 3 but the biggest problem is how easily bezel is scratched. Mine was pretty scratched up after a few weeks of use. There is a very long thread about this on garmin forums.

I am guessing you are talking about the Non Sapphire edition one?
[doublepost=1484142481][/doublepost]

Aside from Garmins hardware, how is the software? Many seem to state it's glitchy and not very stable at times. Perhaps I'm wrong, but working off generalized comments I have read before.

That does seem to always be an issue. THey update things then break other things. I dont think any company is perfect with software updates

 

[Phil A.]

Aside from Garmins hardware, how is the software? Many seem to state it's glitchy and not very stable at times. Perhaps I'm wrong, but working off generalized comments I have read before.

I can only speak for the ForeRunner series but I've found it to be incredibly stable and had zero issues with mine (it's far better than my AW)

 

[raqball]

Aside from Garmins hardware, how is the software? Many seem to state it's glitchy and not very stable at times. Perhaps I'm wrong, but working off generalized comments I have read before.

I've had the fenix 2, a fenix 3 (non sapphire), a fenix 3 titanium and a fenix 3 HR and all have been pretty solid from a software / firmware point of view..

The fenix line is Garmin baby and gets special treatment. They are the only devices where Garmin's developers and engineers are active in their forum.

 

[44267547]

That does seem to always be an issue. THey update things then break other things. I dont think any company is perfect with software updates

No company is perfect with any software update. That includes Apple. But my question was the stability with Garmins software and the reports with crashing, etc.

 

[raqball]

No company is perfect with any software update. That includes Apple. But my question was the stability with Garmins software and the reports with crashing, etc.

Agree.. I've never had many issues with the Garmin watches. I do however reboot them every time it comes off the charger.. The fenix gets great battery life and with the 3 and 3 HR you can get 12-15 hours of GPS on time which is 3x more than with the AW.. I generally only charge my fenix once a a week and have gotten into the habit of rebooting it after every charge. I think reboots can solve and / or prevent a lot of issues..

Same goes for the AW but I've gotten in the habit of rebooting it every 4 or 5 days..

 

[Cycling Asia]

I had a look at the website. Interesting, to get maps support, you need the largest watch. The largest only coming is Sapphire display and comes in at $999 AUD. Add a heart rate monitor, and you're forced back to the 47mm watch (why can't the largest have a HR monitor?).

So if you want the maps support, you can't get the HR bundle. The only option you can get with the 42mm is the sapphire screen.

Oh, and the screen resolution of all of them: 240x240 which (IMO) puts them in the same class as these beauties: 240x240 resolution watch

 

[raqball]

I had a look at the website. Interesting, to get maps support, you need the largest watch. The largest only coming is Sapphire display and comes in at $999 AUD. Add a heart rate monitor, and you're forced back to the 47mm watch (why can't the largest have a HR monitor?).

So if you want the maps support, you can't get the HR bundle. The only option you can get with the 42mm is the sapphire screen.

Oh, and the screen resolution of all of them: 240x240 which (IMO) puts them in the same class as these beauties: 240x240 resolution watch

You must have misread.... The 5X has an optical HR and they all have mapping, sort of... The 5X has full routable maps whereas the others will display bread crumb mapping..

To compare with cycling computers, the 5X has Edge 1000 or Edge 820 type maps that are fully routable and the 5 has maps similar to say the Edge 520...

The display on the fenix 3 HR is stellar so the 5 and 5X having an increased screen resolution is a minor bonus..

Here is the screen on my fenix 3 titanium:



Here is the screen on my fenix 3 HR:

 

[satchmo]

No company is perfect with any software update. That includes Apple. But my question was the stability with Garmins software and the reports with crashing, etc.

I haven't read reports on crashing, but rather that it's somewhat confusing with busy.
But this may have to do with it's very detailed metrics.

 

[Cycling Asia]

You must have misread.... The 5X has an optical HR and they all have mapping, sort of... The 5X has full routable maps whereas the others will display bread crumb mapping..

To compare with cycling computers, the 5X has Edge 1000 or Edge 820 type maps that are fully routable and the 5 has maps similar to say the Edge 520...

The display on the fenix 3 HR is stellar so the 5 and 5X having an increased screen resolution is a minor bonus..

Here is the screen on my fenix 3 titanium:

View attachment 683158

Here is the screen on my fenix 3 HR:

View attachment 683159

Edit: the url = https://buy.garmin.com/en-AU/AU/p/552982/pn/010-01688-32

Here is the site I was looking at. My observations were based of the options available below the sample images of the currently selected watch.

Where I stated that only the 51mm watch has maps, this was determined by selected the maps option and having the 51mm option selected. Selecting any other watch set the maps option to No. This would imply that I am only able to purchase a watch with apps if I were to purchase the 51mm. This could be an error in the site, or it could be an interesting sales tactic.

 

[raqball]

What I am trying to tell you is that all have have mapping... The 5X has fully routable and complete maps where as the 5, 5S, 3, 3 HR have bread crumb type maps...

I think you are confused as Garmin's site is always a bit messy...

If you want a peek at what mapping will look like on the 5 and 5S then check this out

The 5X will have mapping similar to this:

 

[Cycling Asia]

What I am trying to tell you is that all have have mapping... The 5X has fully routable and complete maps where as the 5, 5S, 3, 3 HR have bread crumb type maps...

I think you are confused as Garmin's site is always a bit messy...

Snip..

Yep, I don't doubt that they all have maps (as you've pointed out), my response to you was that the initial impression I got from using garmin's site to "purchase" one with maps required me to purchase the largest and most expensive watch. (Note that I'm not intending to buy one)

Anyway, perhaps a head's up to anyone who does intend to purchase one, don't use their website to do so.