Build quality differences between 5S and 5 ?

Pretty impressed with the 5 overall but to be honest it's still too bulky to fit comfortably under a shirt so...well the 5S might be of interest. Hopefully I can get to see one soon but in the meantime there was a post on DCR yesterday https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2017/01/hands-on-garmins-new-fenix-5-multisport-gps-serieswith-mapping.html/comment-page-1#comment-2025623 that mentions build quality differences, something I wasn't expecting. Has anyone here been able to compare both and can confirm what was posted ? I'll say that the Slate F 5 has a feels GREAT in terms of perceived quality !

I've got both the fenix 5 and 5S for testing and choosing between them was initially difficult.

The 5 glass version is too big for my small wrist. However in slate grey it looks high quality. The buttons are also fantastic and feel high quality.

The 5S glass version is cheapened by the silver bezel. But the buttons really are poor quality and don't provide the definitive feedback - they feel 'cheap', sadly.

However, given the size of the 5S I will be keeping this one instead of the 5.

The design of the 5 is better overall, which is to be expected, as it's the main seller in the range. The 5s being the same price is scandalous, as it's nowhere near as high quality in buttons, materials, etc.

0 Former Member over 8 years ago

Cant speak for the 5s but the 5 is built like a tank, rock solid, and buttons are solid, superb quality and feel awesome to use/press. Wont have to worry about breaking this one lol :)

0 chong67 over 8 years ago

Will pay attention to the 5S remarks above when I see one. Now I got the 5.

0 NeilJonesOnline over 8 years ago

The 5S doesn't have the weight of the 5 which might make it feel 'cheaper', but I don't see any real difference in build quality. The feel of the buttons is certainly different between the watches, but both have a positive click and I wouldn't say the 5S is in any way poorer, it's just a lighter action and tactile feedback from the buttons.

0 Former Member over 8 years ago

I considered getting the 5S - my wrist is on the smaller side, but ultimately the battery life and the "industrial chic" bezel of the grey 5 is what convinced me, even if being a tad large for my wrist.

Not a fan of the 5S's bezel with the indentations.

0 HeliosJim over 8 years ago

I considered getting the 5S - my wrist is on the smaller side, but ultimately the battery life and the "industrial chic" bezel of the grey 5 is what convinced me, even if being a tad large for my wrist.

Not a fan of the 5S's bezel with the indentations.

This is exactly the analysis I made, so I am wearing my F5 now. Very happy so far.

0 Former Member over 8 years ago

This is exactly the analysis I made, so I am wearing my F5 now. Very happy so far.

I think the 5 and 5x are more manly too. lol ;)

...only joking! :)

0 Former Member over 8 years ago

The 5S doesn't have the weight of the 5 which might make it feel 'cheaper', but I don't see any real difference in build quality. The feel of the buttons is certainly different between the watches, but both have a positive click and I wouldn't say the 5S is in any way poorer, it's just a lighter action and tactile feedback from the buttons.

I have both watches and disagree with the above.

The 5 feels like very high quality - not just due to weight: the buttons click satisfyingly and feel engineered to last.

The 5S buttons do not give the same quality feedback. If you compare both watches side by side, and in daily use, the 5S is farrrrrr below the 5.

However due to my smaller wrists, I sadly have to stick with the 5S. But honestly, if you can wear either of these and have large enough wrists, the 5 is far superior in quality, look, feel and buttons. The 5S does not 'feel' as if it is built to last in the same manner.

My 2cents.

0 Former Member over 8 years ago

I have both watches and disagree with the above.

Did you notice any difference in GPS accuracy? Maybe due to different antenna layout because of different bezel design?

0 Former Member over 8 years ago

Did you notice any difference in GPS accuracy? Maybe due to different antenna layout because of different bezel design?

I haven't used the 5 for this, as I am selling it onwards instead.

The 5S seems as good as the 735XT was for me. I returned the 735XT as I realised after a few days that it wouldn't live up to being abused by me during open water swims and general daily life. However, it can be found on sale in the UK for £300 and is 'almost' a 5S in most other respects. I would recommend it to those on more of a budget. I wanted the 10ATM waterproofness and smaller package and so opted for the 5S instead.

I would prefer the 5S sapphire for the darker bezel colour - but have found the sapphire screens impair visibility of the screen in many conditions, so instead will use a brotect 35mm high quality thick screen protector instead and just cope with the cheaper 'smart watchy' look of the 5S.

If you have the wrists, the 5 is a great buy and screams 'quality'. If you can do without the battery life and don't mind the Samsungy smart-watch cheaper look of the 5S, with it's lesser-feedback buttons, then go for the 5S. From a price perspective, for those who can wear the 5, I would go with the 5 personally and add a screen protector.

The reason why I don't bother with the sapphire is mentioned above. The reason why the wifi is unnecessary: the bluetooth standard is good these days and fast at transferring. In addition - given you require Garmin Connect to set up new wifi, you can't simply connect using the watch to new wifi at a hotel (etc) without using a smartphone, so I can't just take a dumbphone and the watch abroad, which is very sad. I'm not paying extra therefore for these two features, as mentioned.

0 webvan over 8 years ago

Thanks for the detailed feedback. It's too bad they couldn't apply the same level of quality to the 5S especially given its identical price !

The F5 has style and my wrist can pull off the F5 (the F1/2/3 looked silly) but the thickness problem remains, fitting it comfortably under a shirt is really a struggle unlike the FR235 that I can wear if need be instead of my "normal" watch. I'm not sure the F5S is that much better thickness wise at an official 14.5mm vs 15.5mm. It's too bad the FR735 doesn't have a barometer...maybe the FR935 will!