Garmin fenix 5s, Premium and Rugged Smaller-Sized Multisport GPS Smartwatch, Sapphire Glass, Black, (Renewed)

8 reviews for Garmin fenix 5s, Premium and Rugged Smaller-Sized Multisport GPS Smartwatch, Sapphire Glass, Black, (Renewed)

1. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Great for a while – January 17, 2024

   I purchased the Fenix 5S Sapphire – Champagne. The watch is solid and well built. Setup if you take a little time and read the instructions is easy. I spent about 15 min with the instructions and had it all set up on WiFi, connected to Garmin Connect and Note5 phone. That also included the Screen protector, and most of the screen setups. My technical level is above average but setup is easy if you follow the instructions.

   Battery life is good. With GPS used about 4-6hrs/week and wearing it 24/7 battery will last about 1 week. I have found that I can charge it a couple days a week while driving to and from work (~30min each way) will keep it charged or about 2hrs once a week. A typically 2hr long run with GPS will drain battery about 10%. Typically day without GPS 3-4%.

   Data from watch is great. Especially if you have the HRM to pair with it. I have used it for Running, Treadmill Running, Biking, and Pool Swimming. Running tracks the same as my Garmin 310XT did but with a lot more data., Treadmill Running after 6mi was .09mi off of treadmill. I had to run 6.09mi on treadmill to reach 6mi. on watch. Biking is same as 310XT. Pool swimming is nice as you tell it what length of pool you are swimming in and it will keep track of how many laps you do and how far you swim.

   Automatically connects with WiFi when I come in to range of home network and same with Bluetooth for phone. Watch bands swap easily and stay firmly attached. I like the metal band for dress and silicone band for work and exercise. Both very comfortable to wear.

   For smaller wrists the 5S fits very nicely and is slightly larger than my Citizen watch and lighter.

   Counting Steps is not always very accurate. If exercise app is running it seems very accurate, however, if you are just walking around depending on if you are pushing something, swinging your arms, carrying something or standing and moving your arms then may or may not be very accurate. One area I have noticed accuracy to be low is in the shower. Typical shower will yield about 400 steps that I do not take. I have not measured how many extra or missed steps with other activities yet. It does seem to track similar to most other step counting devices like fitbit, Jawbone, and other smart watches.

   The more you use it the more it starts to give better information on VO2, Lactate Threshold, Training Effect, and Training status. Some of them require the chest strap HRV Stress does require Chest Strap as does Lactate Threshold. Step goal adjusts based on how many steps a day you take. It will adjust it up or down accordingly.

   Bottom line if you are looking for a sports watch that you can also wear as a smart watch and have it look like a nice watch then this is for you. Yes it is expensive, and it does lack some smart functionality that Apple and Samsung have but for sports it is top notch. I believe that garmin will add more functionality to smart notifications over time. This watch is a sports watch first and smart watch second. Hands down it is the best sports watch on the market and paired with the HRM it will give you more than enough data to help you improve in just about any sport.

2. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Derek Curtis – February 1, 2024

   I love this watch – though my review is based on only three days of use and I’ve sadly had to return it. The seller I purchased from (OE USA) sent me the version with EU topo maps and not the US topo maps as advertised in the description. I called them and they said the EU version was sent by mistake. I have returned it to them, they received it today, and they are sending me the US version of the watch. They were very helpful fixing the situation. There is no marking on the box to indicate that you have an EU version – you won’t know until you go in and check the watch settings and see which TOPO maps were loaded. Make sure to check the map version right away just in case there is a limited return window on the product.

   I have been a Microsoft Band user since the first generation and I loved all of the data the band collected as well as the integration with my phone (yeah, I’m in the minority as a Windows Phone user). I love the look and feel of the watch, but I miss seeing all of the data on the inside of my wrist while I am running instead of having to turn my arm over and look at the top of my wrist. I was concerned that the heart rate data wouldn’t be as good if I wore it on the inside of my wrist so I wore it on the outside. When I get the replacement I will experiment with it on the inside of my wrist and update my review. I also really like that it doesn’t have a touchscreen. I live in Georgia and after a run on a humid day, the condensation on the glass of my Microsoft Band made it VERY difficult to navigate any of the functions, and I usually didn’t have a dry spot on my sweat-soaked shirt to wipe it off so I would struggle with it for a few minutes. With the buttons on the Fenix 5x, I can easily start/stop a workout with no issues in the humidity.

   I was very pleased with how customizable the screens are on the Fenix 5x watch as well as the data that is pushed to Garmin Connect. During the three runs I took while I had it, I also used the Endomondo app on my phone just to compare distances and they were fairly similar, though the watch always showed less mileage than the Endomondo app on my phone showed. The difference was negligible to me so it wasn’t a big deal.

   I was able to get everything (mostly) working with my Windows Phone. The only functionality that was really lacking was the ability to switch songs from the watch – the only thing I could do was start and stop the music. If you are having issues getting things working with your Windows Phone (I’m using a Lumia 950XL) I highly recommend downloading Garmin Express to your PC/Mac and syncing once through the computer. I think some firmware updates were installed to the watch when I used Garmin Express that then got everything working as expected with my phone (with the exception of the music widget) on both the watch and the phone. I did (briefly) also pair my watch with Garmin Connect on my iPhone 7 and my Surface Book and it worked fine with both of those devices, too.

   I really wanted to test out the mapping functionality, but if you get the watch that is not preloaded with the TOPO maps for your region, you only get some pretty high-level maps. I couldn’t even see any of the streets near me on the maps – it was just the major state and interstate highways in the Atlanta area. I considered just keeping the watch and buying the US TOPO maps from the Garmin store separately, but the cost of the maps was too prohibitive, and they should have come with the watch anyway because that is what I was paying for when I bought the watch.

   I also like the haptic feedback for notifications and alarms. Having a vibrating alarm allows me to wake up in the early mornings without waking up my spouse.

   I used the metronome feature on two of my runs and my feelings are mixed. The first time, it really helped me pick up the pace and I ran a faster time compared to the previous day. The second run with the metronome I completely ignored it because I was running a really tough course and there was no way I could keep up. I think this is a feature that I’ll use based on the course and what I’m trying to accomplish. You can set the tempo, how you want it to alert you (tone, vibration, or both), and how frequently it should alert you (every beat, once every 4 beats, etc.).

   I can’t wait for the exchange to be processed so I can start using it again.

3. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Josh Frechem – February 16, 2024

   I went from a Galaxy watch to this watch and at first I hated the lack of smartness to it. But in reality, I like it more now because I don’t get bugged by constant alerts about my life on my wrist. I got it as a training watch but I wear it every day and all night.

   I love that it tracks sleep, it lasts at least a week unless you work out hours a day, it is integrated with the Connect environment, and is really one of the best adventure watches you could ask for. I wanted it for hiking, but it turned out being a big factor in me getting back into fairly decent running shape and it became my cycling computer. It works so well, that it convinced me to upgrade my Edge 800 to the 830 for the advanced metrics the new devices give and I am every trying to convince myself to get the 6X.

   It is huge, but I am 6’1″ and it fits well on my wrist. It doesn’t play music and music control for your phone isn’t great… but the 6X has it haha. The GPS isn’t all that great for serious running and the barometric altimeter has a pretty serious drift too large for reliable data in flat terrain. I live at sea level and in flat terrain and the drift is 100 ft or so throughout a bike ride or longer run. Sure, it is within the GPS accuracy but I demand a lot from my altimeter. For hiking, the altimeter can work like a charm if you properly calibrate it and such. Sometimes it was a few hundred ft off and when I pay attention to calibration it was within 50ft – closest you will really get.

   Overall… I love this watch and it hurts my wallet to say that I don’t see getting a watch outside of the Fenix line until some other company targets this line specifically. I know there is Suunto… but they are similar enough for me to stick with the Connect ecosystem since I do multiple sports that are in the Garmin environment.

4. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Rogério – February 22, 2024

   Garmin Fênix é pelo menos pra mim o melhor relógio que já tive, esse é o meu segundo e o custo benefício do produto é incrível!
   Recomendo!

5. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Colleen DeVeyrac – March 4, 2024

   Die Fenix5s ist eine tolle Smartwatch mit vielen Funktionen und guter Qualität.

6. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Adam Nassef – March 5, 2024

   This is my intro product into the Garmin eco system, had this watch a little while now. I know I will probably never go back to an Apple Watch now.

7. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Rogério – March 12, 2024

   Shipped and arrived on time. The watch is awesome and looks completely brand new. Excellent for a refurbished watch.

8. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Luis Alberto Nicolás Ramírez – March 28, 2024

   Ha servido de maravilla a pesar de ser re acondicionado todo funciona perfectamente