My Forerunner 945 vs Fenix 5X Plus comments

I just got my Forerunner 945 so I can get rid of my cursed APAC Fenix 5X Plus

Here are my comments on first few hours vs Fenix 5X+ (Partly cross posted from 945 section - sorry but I think it has interest in both places)

Initial Positive : GPS seems a LOT better than 5x+ (only tested with 2.4 firmware on 2.5 km walk)

Better: Screen is more clear than 5X Plus (probably just sapphire vs not on 945 - so maybe more accident prone) - much better contrast as well - back-light at 20% on 945 is brighter than 5x+ at 50%.

Good - screens are a bit more "funky" designed - and have not decided if I like it or not
Good: WiFi seems to have gotten a speed boost at least in my environment (Spotify sync) Now if just Spotify had my podcasts.. :( (ohh - Spotify has updated so now it seems all my podcasts are available...)

Funky: Some fonts look like someone stood on them and slightly deformed them. (Walk default screen - mid data field)

Bad : Buttons does not "feel" as high quality as the 5X+ - buttons are very "plasticky"

Hmm: strap has a strange feel to it. Not the super soft material as the 5X+ (Which wears down quickly) - so maybe an improvement

Bug: Weather Widget - shows current wind-speed of 236 km/h (146mph) - that is a tad on the wrong side - about 10 times to much.

Bug2: Software update via iOS Connect - when screen blanks out on iOS data transfer stopped? But at least it tries to update. Never happened on the 5X+ for me via Wi-Fi.

Bug3: No Sight'N'Go - feature is MIA

Bug4?/Difference : Gesture feature for Backlight is very temperamental so far.

My normal app's:
Stryd apps are updated and compatible.
Datarun - hopefully soon :)
trainasone - hmm - they will probably wait to interface direct with Garmin Training Calendar? Don't know.
ActiFace - not there yet. Might try something new.

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0 Gr4z over 4 years ago

This is really useful thanks.

Any chance you can take some pictures of the screen differences between the sapphire 5x+ and the 945? Keen to see what the difference is. Thanks

0 kaz911 over 4 years ago

It is really hard to show/capture on a picture

But blacks are blacker (A LOT) and less of a washed out feeling when looking at it - colours are more saturated etc (when not illuminated by sunlight - sunlight boosts the screens contrast)

Difference is night and day between them. So if you do a lot of indoor or shaded training like trail running - then you will notice the difference. We have not had enough sun for me to judge in how they differ in sunlight.

App updates:
Datarun - hopefully soon :)
trainasone - Installed and working
ActiFace - Installed and working
MagicDust - (not beta) installed and working but main time font overlaps status bars on right hand side.

And for Spotify - I keep forgetting that stupid thing (spotify) can't auto-download podcasts. So you have to manually download each episode to the watch.

Battery: Seems like it can chew through a battery quite a bit faster than my 5x+ - but I have also "played" with it a lot. So no final judgement on that yet.

0 marcossaad_ over 4 years ago

Hi Guys,

My doubts:

1) 945 memory? it says in hours... while the 5x+ is Gb
2) is there any limitation on the numbers of simultaneous apps, widgets, fieds, etc.

Thank you,

0 kaz911 over 4 years ago

Hi Guys,

My doubts:

1) 945 memory? it says in hours... while the 5x+ is Gb
2) is there any limitation on the numbers of simultaneous apps, widgets, fieds, etc.

Thank you,

I think app’s is still the same so max 2 CIQ data fields on an activity
Memory - 16GB base I think where mine had (by memory between 6 & 7 GB free - before I started putting on music etc)

0 marcossaad_ over 4 years ago

Have you got a 945 already?

0 kaz911 over 4 years ago

Have you got a 945 already?

Yes - Fenix 5x+ has been put aside and replaced with 945.

0 marcossaad_ over 4 years ago

16Gb. Same as the 5x+ "Memory/History 16 GB"

Thank you.

I wonder why Garmin specs 945 differently "Memory/History 200 hours of activity data".

Regards,

0 tigamilla over 4 years ago

Ouch - I just got a fenix 5 plus to get better GPS than my Forerunner 645M, should have waited for the 945? How much better is the GPS? - Thanks. Very interested as I can still return my fenix at this point having owned it for less than 24 hours (not too impressed with the screen vs. 645M - the huge borders, compared to the slick 645 take away from it).

Thanks

0 Heidstocker over 4 years ago in reply to tigamilla

I own both a Fenix 5+ and a 945. My colleague in my office owns a 645M. The following is just my observation, isn't scientific or anything, so please keep that in mind :-) (SW Germany; trails in forests; no big city)

We sometimes run together and his 645M always recorded better tracks than my Fenix 5+. Not too much of a difference but he was not caught so often by the offsetting which the Fenix 5+ is doing (e.g. you are 10-20m to the left if wearing the watch at your left arm; or the opposite- I guess you get the idea).

After several runs with my 945 (including one trail race) I can say that it overall performs better than my F5+ because it also shows less offsetting and sometimes even manages to nail tracks below trees.

Especial when doing out/in runs at the same stretch, the Fenix 5+ draws a rectangle around the track, the 945 actually hits the "middle" up and down. That's pretty easy to spot when looking at my tracks.

Distance wise I also came to the point that it equals my Stryd's distance. I'm currently really happy with the 945 and keep using my Fenix 5+ for non-running (e.g. at work etc.)

I expected something worse to be honest because I also own a Suunto 9 with the same Sony GPS but luckily things turned out different (yes, I'm a running-watch geek; anyway the S9 will go on sale now ;-) )

Fenix 5+ and 645M are GPS+Galileo / 945 is GPS+GLONASS as currently being recommended by Garmin

Anyway I'd go with the device that you like the most. GPS in what ever flavor can never be perfect in the sense that it redraws the tracks that you see on a map. Sometimes it looks like people expect that but it won't happen.

0 tigamilla over 4 years ago in reply to Heidstocker

Perfect - many thanks for that.

I have initiated an Amazon return for the fenix 5+ (something about it I just can't love, especially next to the very well proportioned looks of the 645M). I have a 945 on order arriving tomorrow - looking forward to the improved performance stats and the newer GPS chipset, battery life isnt really a concern. I guess Ill also keep the 645M.