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Fed up with Apple Watch 4. Would I be happy with this?

Former Member
Former Member over 5 years ago

I've had 2 AW4's die from being in the water swimming.  I swim laps and do aqua-fitness, probably spend 10 hours a week in a heavily chlorinated gym pool.  I love the connectivity and flawless bluetooth of the Apple Watch.  I mean paired with my airpods and cellular, I rarely have my phone, and know if something happens on a run, I can easily call out for help as it makes a great wrist phone.  I'm 53 and eyes not so great,  the AW4 44mm screen is a no brainer.  So easy to read no matter what the conditions.

Given all of that, here are my complaints.

Daily Charging, if I miss a charge, I'm screwed come workout time.

Lack of deeper metrics such as recovery time, VO2, Pulse Ox for sleeping analysis, running power.

Won't hold up in water, even using water lock feature.

Not very rugged, feels cheap.  I like to wear my watch 24/7.

I do not like screen off and turn wrist to turn on.

Touch screen in water.   YEAH RIGHT.

My question for you, given the above information.

I had a Fenix 3HR and just couldn't live with the screen.  The numbers were too small no matter what screen face or options I tried. For my eyes, they were blurry a little.  I had to move the watch a little closer or farther to try to get a focus.  Is the 945 any better?

Screen felt too small for everything being displayed.  Just not "bright" or sharp enough.  Even with brightness 75-100%.  Is the 945 any better?

ANY issues with AirPods.  They are the best damn headphones I've ever used.  Loose fitting but don't fall out and the sound!!!   They allow me to hear the outside which is important.  Does the 945 work well with them?

Can I use my Rythm+ and AirPods together without issue?  No music cut outs?

Does the 945 count laps fairly accurate?  My AW was dead on, even with different strokes.

Thank you!

  • 0 over 5 years ago

    Can't compare with AW but my take:

    1. Can't call the FR945 screen sharp, might be a disappointment for you if the AW screen wasn;t good enough. The FR screen is about efficiency, not fanciness... It would be better the the F3 I guess, but not hugely so...

    2. From what I read, swimming is tricky. So if that's important for you, check it out thoroughly.

    No experience with airpods and all, but check out a 945 (or 935, F5, etc) in real life to judge the screen and 

  • Former Member
    0 Former Member over 5 years ago in reply to FlipStone

    I think i'll make a trip to REI, that would be the only sports store remotely close enough to look at it.   Thank you.  The AW4 screen is very good for me, no problems.  the F3 was OK at best.

  • 0 over 5 years ago in reply to Former Member

    You will love the buttons! They have an amazing feeling ( Sarcasm ) 

  • 0 over 5 years ago in reply to Former Member

    I'm not quite sure what you are expecting.

    If you are coming from an Apple Watch you might get disappointed. Currently there are a few loose ends that needs to be fixed by Garmin. Read the forum post about the buttons, the OHR resin, connection losses that needs a reboot...

    In my experience Apple products are great in build quality, haptics and stable software wise. Given the higher price of the 945 I think you expect more than from an Apple watch.

    Make sure to get a good return policy, in case you decide that it doesn't match your expectations.

    Speaking of AirPods: the best damn Headphones you have ever used? You should try some other ;)

  • 0 over 5 years ago

    Just an FYI. The water lock function doesn’t waterproof an Apple Watch. It just disables the touch screen. The screen on the F3 and 945 are similar pixel count resolution and color I believe.