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build quality on $500 fenix two years later is upsetting - failing usb port, display out of alignment

rinserepeat
over 4 years ago

I don't even use this watch when not running, I take it off, power it down and carefully put it away because that expensive I needed it to last for at least five years.

Bought it January 2019, it's not even going to make it to January 2021

After several other garmins ended up in the watch graveyard I figured the more serious Fenix would last longer, nope.

USB port has been used once a day so less than 700 connections and now it wiggles in the port and windows won't see it half the time because bad connection.

Display has obviously shifted out of alignment somehow, the GPS green circle is off center when that wasn't the case months ago.

Very disappointed.

Is it just me or anyone else have these issues?

It's a 5s so I expect the smaller battery to give up soon, it's already dropping to 50% or less after a two hour run when it was off the charger to start with at 100% and I don't even use the optical HR anymore so that has to be saving power.

  • 0 over 4 years ago

    My forerunner 935 is almost 4 years old and I wear it 24/7 (which is technical quite similar to your fenix 5s)

    Yes, the connector on garmins is the worst I have ever seen on a watch. It loses connection easily. It’s even worse with a Mac. If my watch loses connection to my Macbook is either freezes or crashes. But!!! It’s the cable and not the watch. Buy a new (cheap) cable and the problem is fixed for a year or so.

    Batterylife is degenerated. I used to get 20+ hours gps battery life out of it. Now it’s 10 - 12 hours. I charge it about once a week (altough, lately it is more often). Thats about 200 charge cycles, A good battery should not degenerate that much with so few charge cycles. Eiither garmin uses very cheap batteries or they messed something up in their gpsfirmware (not unlikely)

    May I ask why you connect your watch daily to your laptop? When connected it also charges and charging is bad for your battery. Don’t you use a phone to sync data and only charge when needed?

    I hope, and expect to get an other 1 or 2 years out of my watch and then I try an other brand. Everyone loves garmin because it has the most features. Now I now most of these features are just gimmicks or don’t work very well. I used to live suunto, but don’t like google wearos. Polar misses navigation features, which I do use a lot. Maybe my next watch is a Coros.

  • 0 over 4 years ago

    I have to agree with this, build quality is definitely something Garmin engineers should work on. Mine 5x was exchanged in December 2018 after 21 months of use because charging was a nightmare and I couldn't find a position of cable to be able to charge it. New cable sent from support did not help, so Garmin exchanged for new unit for free within warranty. The new piece today after 2 years, guess what? Yes, again the same issue. I am still somehow able to charge it, rarely on first try. I hoped that it would last until Fenix 7 comes, looks it will not happen without repair/exchange again. Always wash it after each activity, not using any perfumes, nothing what could harm them, charge it usually once a week, so they got like 120 times charging and they are nearly gone. Metal band after 3 years started to lose pins, so I got them all exchanged for 40 eur at a watch repair service and it still stands so far. I must say that I wear them nearly 24/7 though and use them for all activities, not save them.

    Elbo, I did not know Coros, looks to be interesting new brand and pricing very good. It will be hard to leave Garmin world which I got used to, but this disappointment when you buy watch for 900 eur (including metal band) and it gets broken after short time. 

  • 0 over 4 years ago

    Going on 3 years with my Fenix 5X worn 24/7. I trail run with it daily. Battery life is 1 week and that's on 24/7 and 8-9 hours weekly activities with GPS. Recently have been keeping Bluetooth on and for long runs, the ant sensor for my InReach. That life may go down as I have been doing longer runs recently but I'm still impressed. Always seem to be charging my 5X on Monday morning. I don't connect mine to usb more than simply to charge as needed but I am careful attaching. I never liked chest straps and feel for my trail running, cycling and ocean paddling the ohr suits my needs well. 

  • 0 over 4 years ago

    I'm also disappointed with the 5 series. The accelerometer (counting steps/gestures etc.) on my fenix 5x plus stopped working after 2 years and 4 months of usage (warranty is 2 years in my country), and to make it worse the garmin service can not repair it as they are forbidden to open it so they have to send it to another country for repair (since it's out of warranty, at my cost). This is not acceptable for a watch that costs ~800-850 USD where I live.