Hi there...
I ordered the Garmin 735XT tri bundle Wednesday evening around 4pm. I ordered from Amazon as I have Amazon Prime and it only cost me $3.99 for next day shipping. My 735XT arrived around noon on Thursday (yesterday). It was 48% charged when it arrived and took 1-2 hours to charge to 100%. I connected to Garmin Express, installed the updates and linked to my iPhone 6s with no problems, everything was quick and simple. I wore the watch for the remainder of the day, and took it for a lil 3 mile trail run yesterday evening. I slept in it last night and it basically hasn't been off my wrist since I first put it on.
Initially I did not like the strap. It’s made of a material similar to my RoadId. It has some give to it, an elastic property. The ridges in the strap for the buckle make it feel like a bit of a task to get it strapped onto the wrist. Not a big deal, probably something I'll get use to as I become more familiar with the feel. The watch face itself is flat and has a defined almost 90 degree edge to it. The watch face seems exposed. I worry about scratches and damage if I knock my wrist against something during every day wear and activities. Perhaps its more durable than it looks!! The watch face, whilst always perfectly visible, seems dim when indoors or in poorly lit areas. It reflects light and is highly visible outside. I have read that others report it is too dim but I don’t believe this to be the case. I don’t see the illumination as ever being anything of a problem or concern for me.
Navigating through the watch and its functions is relatively simple and user friendly. I was initially baffled at the lack of WIFI available with the 735XT but it syncs with my phone before I can even get to a WIFI area. My phone is always with me wherever I go, if it isn't on my person when I run it’s in the car or it’s at home, either way the watch syncing with it sort of makes WIFI worries a mute subject. Notifications from my phone and Bluetooth sync are smooth, no problems there. However... whenever I open up the connect app on my phone (which I did a lot yesterday evening to check out everything going on with my new watch) the watch syncs. If it synced a minute ago, 30 seconds ago, 5 minutes ago... it doesn’t matter. Opening and browsing through different features of the app seems to trigger syncing. It sucked the battery out of my iPhone. I haven't figured out how to prevent that, yet, I will look into it later today.
Before I got ready to run yesterday I had a notification on the 735XT that said new software 4.2 was ready to be installed??... 4.2?? Did it sync this from my phone? I'm not sure. I was outdoors and getting ready to go run so I instructed it to remind me later. I haven't seen anything RE this since and Garmin express says my watch is up to date with 3.2. No idea what that was about.
Now to my run. I Live in S. WV and sometimes find myself in remote places. I decided to go for a run in the state forest, on a trail I frequently run. I chose to run here because I have had some problems connecting to GPS and the accuracy of data around this area in the past. It took about a minute or more for the 735XT to find satellites and be GPS ready. The HRM tri and HRM swim were already paired and it recognized the HRM tri after it found satellites. I started my run and made a 3 mile/ 30 minute loop of the lake. I cannot tell if the GPS has me on the trail in the woods during the first 20 minutes I haven't been able to thoroughly compare it to my other devices, yet. Looking at the data, when I came to a road section of the trail (last 10 mins or so) the GPS had me running in the woods above the road. Its always hit and miss with Garmin GPS devices and running in this location. Perhaps its a lil premature but on the first run the 735XT doesn't seem to be any different to any other device I have used. It took a while to be GPS ready and GPS data not exactly on point. On the surface, based on past runs with other devices it does appear to be more accurate on the parts of the trail that run alongside the lake.
I love the running dynamics the 735XT provides. My pace seemed to be slower than usual and it felt like I was putting in a decent effort. BUT I had already ran in the morning and been to the gym for leg day :D I don’t have much to benchmark against so I will be able to comment more about accuracy over time as I run with this device. Out of the gate there does not seem to be any major glitches or inaccuracy. I haven't had a chance to look yet but I do have a question about trail running and road running and how the difference in terrain affects how the 735XT learns and calculates my average stats. I understand HR plays a role here but stride and cadence so on so forth are different on trail V road. Are these stats shown only for each individual run or will the 735XT use prior runs to calculate current stats? Not sure if I can articulate what I am thinking here lol
One thing I know for sure could possibly present a problem for me was the chest strap on the HRM tri. It was not comfy. The seams where the sensors are rubbed on my skin and could be a problem on a long run. I started out with the strap a bit lose and had to tighten it up. It did not feel too tight. I have an old soft strap Garmin HRM I used with a 410 years ago… it is much softer and feels better than the new HRM– tri.
I slept in the watch. I have my sleep times on connect set to 10pm to 5:30am. I went to bed around 9:30 last night but I checked some things on my phone and sent a few text before I fell asleep. The sleep data the watch provided shows me falling asleep at 10:08 and waking at 7:08. That is pretty much an accurate account of when I fell asleep and when I woke up. Not sure if the exact 9 hour increment is just a coincidence or if Garmin rounded up the time somehow. It shows times I awoke during the night, they appear to be correct. The time I actually awoke is shown as being a few minutes before 7:08. This I assume is based on HR and makes sense since I laid around for a minute or two before I actually got out of bed and on my feet.
Overall initial impressions leave me pleased with the watch. I do believe that it is going to be everything I need in a multisport watch. I hope to be at the pool and out cycling this weekend… weather permitting I may even go to the lake for an open water swim.
One thing I have to comment on is a lack of an AC adapter coming standard with the watch. You would think for the price you pay Garmin would include this small often necessary piece of equipment. I think it is necessary enough to not be considered an "additional accessory" you have to purchase separately.
Below is a link to my first run with the 735X and the HRM tri. I will post my second run this evening.
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1205745009
Happy Running!!
