Looking at purchasing Fenix 5. Currently have Vivoactive HR, but the screen is terrible - so little contrast and dark. Can anyone comment on the quality of the Fenix screen?
I have both. Not sure why you find the VAHR screen terrible, i think it is fine. Are you sure your screen is working properly? What are you comparing it with?
Garmin screens are designed with priority in outdoor visibility and battery saving and not fancy graphics. In sunlight, the screens are much brighter than any other smartwatch (apple, samsung, etc.).
The F5 screen is slightly brighter and has a noticeable better resolution but don't expect any huge difference.
I also have both and i can say that for indoor it depends on the brightness settings. The Fenix 5 on max brightness is way better then the VAHR on max, but it takes a lot of battery, meaning that it will last for about 1 week with 3-4 hours of gps. If you are happy with that, considering that the VAHR in terms of battery is also about one week then you will notice a big difference.
Not sure what the previous responses are talking about, but the screen on my Fenix 5s is about 40 billion times better than the screen on my VAHR. OP, you're okay to go on purchasing the Fenix.
Thank you all for taking time to respond. I have an Apple Watch and realised that the Vivoactive HR would not be as clear - 1 day battery life vs 8 days, but find reading screen difficult indoors/gym. Only way is to put backlight on for anything more than the large font fields.
I'm pretty sure I'll buy the Fenix - might see if I can find a bricks and mortar shop to make a final decision.
Managed to find shop stocking Fenix. Only 5s but the display is sooooo much better than Vivoactive HR. Ordered a 5 Saphire - should be delivered on Wednesday.
