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GPS Accuracy

Former Member
Former Member
So it begins.

I will have mine Fenix 5 on Saturday and will start doing comparisons to an Ambit 3 Peak. I don't have an F3 to directly compare to as of now.

Anyone have an F3 and F5 to compare?
  • I have got the opportunity from Garmin to switch my F5 t a new, but will it help the GPS issues? Anyone who got replacement trued to ask for a 935. Is the GPS better at 935 although it use the same chip?
  • I have got the opportunity from Garmin to switch my F5 t a new, but will it help the GPS issues? Anyone who got replacement trued to ask for a 935. Is the GPS better at 935 although it use the same chip?


    I don't know if the GPS is better (I switched from the F5 to 935 after a bike accident), but the altimeter is much better IMO. Not quite as good as the 920, but still better than the F5.
  • The GPS accuracy on my Fenix 5 appears to be quite poor, & nothing I change in the settings seems to improves it. I've changed the update rate to every second & switched on GPS+GLONASS, but the traces are still really zig-zaggy. I know GPS accuracy can be a little off around tall buildings, but it doesn't seem to be that great in the parks where there aren't any. If I look back at some of the activities I tracked half a year ago they don't seem anywhere near this bad. The GPS traces my girlfriend's new 645 Music produces look immaculate by comparison.

    Is my watch faulty?ciq.forums.garmin.com/.../1350251.jpg
  • I got recently (two weeks ago) a replacement; old F5 -> new F5 and both the gps and altitude reading are a lot better. Bought the F5 last summer in june and now wearing the replacement. Don't know if it is the same components in this new version of F5. But, if you are unhappy, do as I did, complain and require a replacement!


    I think that's what I'm going to do. However, I bought mine just over a year ago, so I might be too late.
  • Sees that the GPS “issues” nonsense continues. Simply there are no real GPS inaccuracy issues, I have had many GPS running watches, all have issues from time to time especially running in built up areas. The 5s performs as well as any. For example a couple of weeks ago I ran a marathon, my 5s gave me a distance of 42.6km, pretty accurate and certainly good enough for the task and about line-ball for what I have seen in other marathons and half run with various other watches.
  • Former Member
    0 Former Member over 7 years ago
    Sees that the GPS “issues” nonsense continues. Simply there are no real GPS inaccuracy issues, I have had many GPS running watches, all have issues from time to time especially running in built up areas. The 5s performs as well as any. For example a couple of weeks ago I ran a marathon, my 5s gave me a distance of 42.6km, pretty accurate and certainly good enough for the task and about line-ball for what I have seen in other marathons and half run with various other watches.


    I uploaded the latest GPS firmware to my F5 and where I had pretty good tracking I now have very bad dodgy tracking.
    My wife's Apple watch 3 was more accurate....?

    See attached where the blue is actual

  • OK, so the Fenix 5 Plus series is out, with what appears to be fixed GPS accuracy (due to Galileo).
    So, we're stuck with the faulty model / beta version for good?

  • Pretty sure that will be the case. Not sure the accuracy improvement is just down to hooking into Galileo. Reports are that the improvements might be due to better antennae development than anything else. Galileo is yet to be fully deployed.
  • Seems that somehow they were able to add GALILEO support to the Fenix 5 (Not Plus) series as well!
    https://forums.garmin.com/forum/on-the-trail/wrist-worn/fenix-5x/1365879-fenix-5x-9-53-beta-release
  • Sees that the GPS “issues” nonsense continues. Simply there are no real GPS inaccuracy issues, I have had many GPS running watches, all have issues from time to time especially running in built up areas. The 5s performs as well as any. For example a couple of weeks ago I ran a marathon, my 5s gave me a distance of 42.6km, pretty accurate and certainly good enough for the task and about line-ball for what I have seen in other marathons and half run with various other watches.


    "I have no issues so nobody has issues..."

    I happened to stumble upon this thread after changing the F5 for a 935 a year ago (haven't regretted it a single second) only to see nothing much has changed, apart from the design which they changed for the F5+... apparently there was something going on afterall.

    Anyway, good to hear you are happy with it but to call these issues 'nonsense' and claiming there are no real inaccuracy issues it the real 'nonsense'. I've owned quite a few GPS watches now, the TomTomCardio, Garmin 235, 735XT, F5 and currently the 935 and none performed as badly as the F5.

    Overall distance might have not been ok, but in between it wasn't... Kinda sucks when you're doing a HM or M and the km-markers are way off.

    Anyway, I guess all the ppl having issues with the F5 and F3 before that are just seeing things that aren't here right, also explains all the massive GPS-issue threads for the other gps models... oh, wait...