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Arguments to buy an H1

empe

In spite of all concerns about the H1, all the bug, are there good reasons to buy one?

I own a Tactix 8 and will use it as primary device. The H1 I would use for better orientation, as a screen of a watch is rather small. For side seeing in urban areas with many POI and many saved waypoints, with an H1  it could be easier to navigate one by one to each of them just be scrolling and touching the POIs.  Entering approaching alarms seem to be easier to enter than on a watch. As an outdoor plus subscriber I expect to switch easier from one map style to another. 

I am thinking about the H1i Plus, because of the camera. For OSMapping the camera could be useful to take pictures of objects to update open street map data base. Sure, I could do it also with a mobil, but I don't want to fill up my library with pictures like road surfaces or picnic sites. And with an H1i Plus I expect to  have the more precise coordinates and through Explore easier access to them. I am wondering, if the locations of pictures are visible in Explore IOS too (?).

I recently was hiking on hard visible trails in heavy rain like a shower. All was wet, the Fenix, the iPhone and the underwear.  The touch screens did not responded properly and did what the raindrops wanted them to do. Under such condition it was difficult to navigate. I wish I would have had an H1.

Thank you in advance you comments.

  • 0 in reply to JungleJim

    Most importantly the never ending boots that needs a computer to reset, or, in the worst case: needing to have the unit replaced.

    A never ending boot sequence that can happen with a wide range of things you either do on the unit, settings you use, with and without a card, with some maps (area maps from garmin). 

    In other words, it seems that that boot loop that cannot be solved without a computer or a replacement is fatal in my book.

    That makes it even less dependable than my phone,  despite me hating my phone for a variety of reasons.

  • 0 in reply to Cargotourercommuter

    The boot loop is indeed something that Garmin needs to fix asap. Personally I have only encountered it with multiple maps for the same region on an SD card, and not by modifying settings on the device itself. But that doesn't mean others haven't encountered the issue.

  • 0 in reply to northland5

    My Hot-Take - I have an H1i and like it. This is my 4th Garmin handheld. I live in a very cold environment and carry this with me on rides, runs, and hikes; it has the same approximate dimensions and weight as a large-screen phone. Unlike a phone, which ceases to work effectively below 10F, this still works with the physical buttons. Since early December, I have run in temps as low as -20F and would never trust a phone to be my sole device. The H1i is my primary, and the phone is a backup. The H1i is a better package overall to rely on vs the phone and inReach combo.

    The interface is much more phone-like than in the past, with phone-like swipe actions, screen configurations, and general look and feel. I understand and begrudgingly accept my beta tester status as an early adopter. I have even recently accepted the demise of Basecamp and the lack of a real desktop/web app offering from Garmin. Doing the Gaia-CalTopo-Google Maps dance is tedious for sure, but they are better services, are maintained, and are hard to compete with. Garmin's almost full pivot to the wearables market is driving its business, which means handhelds are along for the ride, and this device wants to lean into that. The subscription services Connect+ and Maps+ are currently pretty weak overall, but I am adapting to a new workflow to wirelessly sync points and courses between the H1i and phone.

    The cons: the bugs are blatant and should never have passed basic UI testing. This was a rushed release. The screen brightness is marginal; it lacks modern contrast. It could turn out to be a cash grab from the old guard before the ultimate demise of the premium handheld. It has potential, but it is far from perfect. The next 12 months will be key.

  • 0 in reply to northland5

    The problem is, that while I wanted all those things, the bugs - some of them fatal in that they will brick the device, means that in order to be safe, say in those cold temps of yourrs, you will need to keep ypur phone watm and working for when the h1 fails spectacularly.

    Without a second device that doesn't refuse to read maps  or goes onto boot loops, it might be fatal for you (a general "you") too.

    I could even live with some bugs  but there are many, and there are  several ways you can end up with a bricked device while you are out 

    Sometimes you can use a computer to reset the H1 (good luck keeping that warm), but quite often the device is completely screwed ,and it has to be returned to Garmin.

  • 0 in reply to Cargotourercommuter
    • I’ll pass on the H1 plus I have the 67i  and can wait for the H2 plus or whatever  its name will be, once Garmin has  figured it all out.  Surely it will be an improved version so why buy this  test model. The H1plus will just be a door stop then. The poor screen quality alone makes it a deal breaker for me. But everyone is entitled to their own decision and I respect that.