Fenix 5X - 8.99 Public Beta

GPS lock achieved with this build much faster than >7.XX; Tested with HRM-Run today. Before this build, GPS lock took unusually long time. Now works great. Good job Garmin! Oh, forgot to add. this is my 1-year anniversary with the 5X. Made my annual running goal 1609km (1000 miles)!

For information, I also installed the new beta and I made a reset of mine. The GPS is more accurate but I still have battery drain with custom watchface.

Are you able to post two tracks before and after upgrade? Is the track really better? Thanks!

Hi all,

sorry for the delay.

I am using the watchface called SUN which is not a built in one. My battery drain over night with activated fitness tracking is round about 3%. Pushing whatever button does not slow down my watch. For me it is all fine. Maybe there are other circumstances leading to that issue. My installed maps are the built in Garmin cycle map, the built in TopoActive Europe west, TOPO TransAlp Winter, Garmin Alpenvereinskarten and the omtb_alps map.

Widgets are all Garmin widgets

Apps/Datafields: Trainingpeaks Daily Workout, Combo Running Power (but not active in any activity), Zone Runner and Stryd Power

Sorry Derechteklinke that you were wrong...

Livetrack still doesn't autostart properly. Sometimes I must open livetrack at smartphone ir order to "autostart". Please review it!!!!!
Regards

Are you able to post two tracks before and after upgrade? Is the track really better? Thanks!

first run using 8.99, I was surprised how accurate gps tracked 7.5km run (with HRM-Run strap). Initial 30-seconds track was off by 15-20m, then settles down but on wrong side of street for 20 minutes, then correct side of street for remaining 25-minutes. Not a conclusive result but I recall previous versions with variances of 10-15m for most of the run on the same track. Using built-in r-data watch face (logo, steps, date, sunrise/sunset) i'm seeing 5% drain/12 hours overnight, 5% for the 45-50 minute run with heart strap. In last 24-hour battery is at 87%... that's with 45-minute run/gps tracking. Cheers

Hm, 5% overnight is a lot, isn't it? Also , 15-20% for the 45-50 minute run with heart strap seems quite a lot to me, but I have no experience to run with strap although i have one. Previous versions I used to charge once a week, I had like 5-6 hours of activities in average week. Now I still have 8.54, battery does not last as long, I am thinking to update to 8.99 but it looks there is no reason for it.

Sorry Derechteklinke that you were wrong...

Quite strange ... you seem to the only only one - all others have (the same) problems ...?!

I truly believe these guys at Garmin have released this version 8.99 beta just to make you think they are working at it. If you really try to work many functionalities the watch is suppose to do you most likely will be disappointed. The bugs are for real, I am not joking, no trolling, it is just a fact. Many times these dudes at Garmin have said "we got fix these bugs" the are just not telling the truth. I believe the watch software is even worst than before, yes many things work I know that, but there are many that doesn't work. If you are like me that bought this watch for it supposed functionalities then I suppose you got to be disappointed just like me, but if you bought the watch just to run once in a blue moon, and think you do sports most likely the watch works perfect.
Garmin is working this phone as a papa/mama store will do its customers, without care. I a sure many guys will stop buying your products do to this watch and the way you guys have been taken care of business. I am not better or worst than anyone else, but for sure I have a feeling I have been robbed with the acquisition of this watch.

Unfortunately your post reflects the truth.......well said........I also agree 100%

i installed the beta 8.99 on my fenix 5 (fw 8.0) three days ago and most of my experiences are quite ok. but i still think that there is a lot of work waiting for the firmware- and hardware-team to make the fenix 5 what it should be and what we thought we would get for the money we spent on it.

the only thing i experienced, which got way worse is SLEEP TRACKING. before it was mostly ok. the only thing which was disturbing, was, that when i got to bed and read a book, the watch counted this time as sleep.
with the new beta the sleep tracking stopped 6 hours to early (at about midnight) the first day, then startet 4 hours to late the second day and about 2 hours to late the third day.

for the other things discussed:
- with the third party watchface "digic watch" no slow downs or lags and about 5% for 24 hours (without or very short activities). no difference to fw 8.0.
- no freeze directly after the update.
- very quick gps fix.
- the stress over the day now seems much more realistic. before my stress was very high and i nearly never had any blue phases (which can't be true). now most of my day is blue (and this is not because of pills which make me relax :-)

regarding the gps discussion: i also felt that the gps could be more accurate, because the ways showed after an activity looked sometimes quite strange and off the real route. so yesterday i took a small walk, started the walk activity on the fenix and strava on my iphone 7. the fenix route was sometimes not very accurate (like on the other side of a road or through houses), but the strava route on my iphone was not any better. both routes were different... sometimes the fenix was correct, sometimes strava was correct.

I truly believe these guys at Garmin have released this version 8.99 beta just to make you think they are working at it. If you really try to work many functionalities the watch is suppose to do you most likely will be disappointed. The bugs are for real, I am not joking, no trolling, it is just a fact. Many times these dudes at Garmin have said "we got fix these bugs" the are just not telling the truth. I believe the watch software is even worst than before, yes many things work I know that, but there are many that doesn't work. If you are like me that bought this watch for it supposed functionalities then I suppose you got to be disappointed just like me, but if you bought the watch just to run once in a blue moon, and think you do sports most likely the watch works perfect.
Garmin is working this phone as a papa/mama store will do its customers, without care. I a sure many guys will stop buying your products do to this watch and the way you guys have been taken care of business. I am not better or worst than anyone else, but for sure I have a feeling I have been robbed with the acquisition of this watch.

I similarly agree, and think that Garmin has given up any real attempt to solve the bugs on this watch, and have now moved on to the next new device to be released, which I have decided I will not now purchase after the half baked way they have left both the 3HR and the 5X.
I can't believe I am now looking to my next purchase as an Apple watch when the 5 series had so much potential.