Fenix 6...and up

I saw a YouTube video that posed the Q "Garmin Fenix 5x what would make you upgrade again?"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iQefy8G7j8

My response:

I haven't used a Garmin product in over 10 years. I ordered a 5x, it will arrive tomorrow (4/8/2017).

What features would get me to upgrade down the road? I'm the DIY type that will replace the battery when it eventually fails, so it would have to be a truly revolutionary feature to get me to replace the watch.

Integration with something like the QUARQ SHOCKWIZ? Which itself is a $400 toy that I don't ever see buying...but it's a super geeky gadget for tuning a Mountain Bike suspension. Doesn't seem like too far a reach as Quarq is on the leading edge of power meter technology as well.

A built in Tazer for repelling assailants, bears or Mountain Lions? (a bit cheeky there with that response)

Revolutionary battery/charging technology. There is a watch on the market that is powered by your body heat, there are many watches powered by a solar panel behind the display (Casio is the king of these). Or a battery that could last more than a month with a heavy schedule of daily workouts.

Connectivity. Built in cell phone technology. Drop in a SIM card, connect to your service provider and leave the cell phone behind. Streaming live tracking directly to your Garmin Connect account without your phone. Streaming music (Pandora, Spotify, etc) without having to carry your phone.

Automatic Activity Detection - Start/Stop. I had a Basis and a Basis Peak watch. That was the BEST wear it and forget it tech! 24x7 HR and activity monitoring, including in-depth sleep analysis. Basis had developed incredibly accurate algorithms to use the on-board 3d accelerator to determine if you were sitting still, walking, running or cycling. I'm a runner and a cyclist. It was really astonishing that I could just wear the watch, look at the on-line or mobile app and the watch knew within a few seconds when I was walking/cycling/running/sleeping. Didn't have to push a single button on the device. It just knew. Combine that tech with Garmin's GPS and fitness smarts and jeez. Unreal capabilities. Oh...you're on a golf course. This is a golfing activity. Oh...you're IN the ocean, you are open water swimming.

0 tickerguy over 8 years ago

The 5x allegedly can "auto-detect" activities. I haven't had it happen yet since I push the button, but some day I shall forget and then will find out how well that works... :)

0 ChevronLugs over 8 years ago

Lane dacca

The 5x allegedly can "auto-detect" activities. I haven't had it happen yet since I push the button, but some day I shall forget and then will find out how well that works... :)

The 5X, like any of the other Garmin wearables that have MoveIQ can detect activities. I had a vivoactive HR prior to the fenix 5 and in my experience MoveIQ seemed to work well. I do lots of trail running and I'd wear the VAHR along with my Suunto Ambit3, with the Ambit recording GPS, and VAHR doing it's MoveIQ thing. The VAHR would detect running when I ran and walking when I slowed down or hiked it up hills. Overall, it seemed pretty darned good.

edit: to be clear, a MoveIQ event is not the same a manually starting an activity. MoveIQ will not fire up the GPS, ever.

0 jim_m_58 over 8 years ago

edit: to be clear, a MoveIQ event is not the same a manually starting an activity. MoveIQ will not fire up the GPS, ever.

Also, last time I tried MoveIQ on a va-hr, it won't show up as an activity, but only in your calendar. (I don't think that has changed).

Also, it kind of "guesses" at what you are doing. Some have said that digging holes and planting plants showed up as "swimming" for example.

0 2goBeyond over 8 years ago

I've seen the moveIQ twice so far. Both only on the 5x, both were 12min walks with the 1st one actually based on me pacing back and forth in my home while on the phone with a client (we talked and walked longer than 12 minutes). As for the 2nd? I was watching iron fist and not moving... unless moving on my couch counts?

0 Former Member over 8 years ago

Where/How did you order your 5X?

I saw a YouTube video that posed the Q "Garmin Fenix 5x what would make you upgrade again?"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iQefy8G7j8

My response:

I haven't used a Garmin product in over 10 years. I ordered a 5x, it will arrive tomorrow (4/8/2017).

What features would get me to upgrade down the road? I'm the DIY type that will replace the battery when it eventually fails, so it would have to be a truly revolutionary feature to get me to replace the watch.

Integration with something like the QUARQ SHOCKWIZ? Which itself is a $400 toy that I don't ever see buying...but it's a super geeky gadget for tuning a Mountain Bike suspension. Doesn't seem like too far a reach as Quarq is on the leading edge of power meter technology as well.

A built in Tazer for repelling assailants, bears or Mountain Lions? (a bit cheeky there with that response)

Revolutionary battery/charging technology. There is a watch on the market that is powered by your body heat, there are many watches powered by a solar panel behind the display (Casio is the king of these). Or a battery that could last more than a month with a heavy schedule of daily workouts.

Connectivity. Built in cell phone technology. Drop in a SIM card, connect to your service provider and leave the cell phone behind. Streaming live tracking directly to your Garmin Connect account without your phone. Streaming music (Pandora, Spotify, etc) without having to carry your phone.

Automatic Activity Detection - Start/Stop. I had a Basis and a Basis Peak watch. That was the BEST wear it and forget it tech! 24x7 HR and activity monitoring, including in-depth sleep analysis. Basis had developed incredibly accurate algorithms to use the on-board 3d accelerator to determine if you were sitting still, walking, running or cycling. I'm a runner and a cyclist. It was really astonishing that I could just wear the watch, look at the on-line or mobile app and the watch knew within a few seconds when I was walking/cycling/running/sleeping. Didn't have to push a single button on the device. It just knew. Combine that tech with Garmin's GPS and fitness smarts and jeez. Unreal capabilities. Oh...you're on a golf course. This is a golfing activity. Oh...you're IN the ocean, you are open water swimming.

How/where did you order your 5X?

0 radpagoat over 8 years ago

R & A Cycles

Arrived today, fiddling around with it now.

0 Zodios over 7 years ago

it is interesting, will Garmin release new Fenix 6 at CES 2018 in January 8 at Las Vegas?

0 shandel23 over 7 years ago

Best reason to upgrade from a 5X would be if they built in cell phone connectivity just like the new Apple Watch. Otherwise the 5x is great.

0 sis651 over 7 years ago

it is interesting, will Garmin release new Fenix 6 at CES 2018 in January 8 at Las Vegas?

I don't think they'll release a Fenix 6 this year, but they'll proabably release an upgraded version of Fenix 5 series. For example, they released Fenix 3 HR with optical HR after a year later the original Fenix 3. Maybe they'll release sth. like Fenix 5 plus etc...

0 ikim1967 over 7 years ago

I wouldn't expect one for a while - gotta shift as much 5 stock as possible. I doubt we would see one until 2019! I think sis651 is right, maybe just some (more) different models!