Hello people. I live in the APAC region (Aus) and I completely get the differences between the aforementioned models (size, weight, battery life etc). I'm looking for some guidance on which is less buggy and more reliable between the 2 (gps accuracy, hr accuracy, bluetooth consistency etc). For clarity, I have GarminConnect on iOS (iPhone8+), GarminExpress on MacOS, a Rhythm+ armband for HR, Treblab BT sports in-ear headphones and speed/cadence sensors on my bike. Some advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in anticipation.
Garmin have made some descriptions of improved antenna design in the 5+ which could be interpreted as an admission that the hardware design in the 5 was not really optimal. I have also seen some user reports of BT or ANT+ hardware working better with the 5+. For example, a lot of people had problems with Stryd and F5, but those problems seem to have disappeared with the F5+.
So I would choose the 5+ (and actually did a few days ago). The firmware of the 5+ is probably more buggy right now, but that is solvable. Bad hardware is not solvable.
Regarding the Stryd: I have a Stryd. It was somewhat reliable with my old F3. I sometimes had to force a connection between the Stryd foot pod and the watch, even though I had followed the recommendations of how to set up the power field so it knew the ANT+ ID. After forcing the connection, it would stay stable during a run activity. Recently, I replaced the F3 with an F5X+, and so far my connection to the Stryd has been rock stable. I have not yet had to force a connection. So to me, the F5X+ is more stable than the F3. And according to other people's experiences, the F5 is less stable than the F3. Actually,Stryd did not have the F5 on their list of recommended watches.
So the ranking for Stryd connectivity seems to be F5+ > F3 > F5.
Hello people. I live in the APAC region (Aus) and I completely get the differences between the aforementioned models (size, weight, battery life etc). I'm looking for some guidance on which is less buggy and more reliable between the 2 (gps accuracy, hr accuracy, bluetooth consistency etc). For clarity, I have GarminConnect on iOS (iPhone8+), GarminExpress on MacOS, a Rhythm+ armband for HR, Treblab BT sports in-ear headphones and speed/cadence sensors on my bike. Some advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in anticipation.
I have a 5S Plus, and BT music connectivity has worked well despite using Apple AirPods which are not recommended by Garmin. I listen to both music and podcasts while running, and only have the occasional dropout. GPS accuracy has been good for all activities I do - running, hiking, kayaking. HR has also been accurate, but I am experiencing an issue with dropout during runs. In the Garmin Connect app, heart rate is captured without dropouts in each Activity under My Day, but a dropout shows in the Heart Rate section under My Day. I am talking to Garmin about this issue.
