I don't know what to choose... I like the stainless steel look but i'd like to have sapphire glass, so, the only choice should be titanium gray with sapphire glass but it costs 150€ more... In any case i always put a screen protector on, so, maybe, sapphire glass is not so much important... I read also that sapphire glass has less visibility... It is also true that i'm a kind of person that always buy a new version (i owned Fenix 2, 3, Epix, Fenix 5X...), so the screen it does not have to last forever, maybe next year i'll go for Fenix 6... However, what do you think about it?
I've had mineral glass versions of the Fenix 3, the Fenix 5 and now the Fenix 5+ Both my F3 and F5 saw a lot of rough use as daily wear watches that got smacked against bars at the gym and were used on obstacle course races. I've never had a scratch on the glass. The bezels are a different story, but at least the silver bezel on the mineral glass models hides scratches better than the other models.
I went for silver bezel as it will not show scratches nearly as much. Its easier/less obvious to fit a screen protector than a bezel protector. Also, even the base model is very expensive for tech that will be outdated in a couple of years, so I spent the least and got the same functionality. It's not like a mechanical watch that could hold value. That was my logic. One week in, not regretted my decision but don't get me wrong, if I had loads of spare cash I'd have the titanium DLC version!
I got a titanium DLC version (not much spare cash left :p) and i am very satisfied no scratches on the glass OR the bezel so far! From my experience if you are not buying the Ti DLC, then I would go for the silver bezel version. The coated non DLC bezel (steel or titanium) seems to scratch more easily then the glass ;) EDITED: the silver bezel also scratches but it is less noticable ;)
My F5 was non-sapphire slate gray which was a kind of brushed metal effect and had a harddened glass screen protector which you couldn't tell was on it.
When I got my F5+ sapphire I got a deal of £600 (after quidco) which made it the same price as the non-sapphire so now have the black case.
I am not too worried about screen damage but do worry about case scratches, I much preferred the old brushed metal effect but given the deal I got and the fact I think it looks nicer than the silver case (and I don't like the grey of the Titanium) I currently feel I made the right choice.
I much preferred the old brushed metal effect but given the deal I got and the fact I think it looks nicer than the silver case (and I don't like the grey of the Titanium) I currently feel I made the right choice.
I've found the brushed metal coating was easier to scratch than the newer black stainless steel. I think the flatter bezel on the 5+ helps with the scratches also.
It always seemed to me that the screen looked much better behind sapphire glass. I also had a FR935 (plastic screen?) and each time it would get dirty with sweat and human natural oil (after some accidental fingers on the screen) it just could not compare with a sapphire glass of the fenix 5. It seems that the plastic on the 935 gets dirty much easier and its a bit harder to clean than the sapphire. So I always go for the sapphire version now.
I've yet to hear someone with a non-saphire model complain about scratches on the lens. Typically, the people who go straight to saphire are the ones singing its praises. :P
I've yet to hear someone with a non-saphire model complain about scratches on the lens. Typically, the people who go straight to saphire are the ones singing its praises. :P
