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Fenix3 HR vs Forerunner 735XT?

Former Member
Former Member over 8 years ago
Hi everyone - I'm super new to Garmin (was a Jawbone + Microsoft Band user) and recently got into running again after a month-long break. I generally trail-run and plan to get back to biking again (just moved to a new city).

Last week, I got a Fenix3 HR and am loving it (despite it being a little bit too big). However, my boss suggested that I get the Forerunner 735XT instead, since I'm planning to do triathlon in the near future and the 735XT is made specifically for triathlon. I decided to order it as well to A/B test both devices to see which one I like more.

I'm hoping you pros could help clarify a few things (that I may miss in my short A/B test) before the 735XT arrives.

1. Durability - the Fenix3 HR boasts sapphire lens and fiber composite body, while the 735XT seems to lack both. Do you find the screen and the body of the 735XT easily scratched/dented?
2. Battery life - has anyone been bothered by the 735XT battery life?
3. Trail running - the Fenix3 HR has barometer altitude, while the 735XT does not. I'm under the impression that the 735XT can still track your altitude using GPS. Does barometer altitude really make a difference for a typical trail run (+/- 200ft elevation)?
4. Everyday tracking - Is there any noticeable difference between the two?

Many thanks!
  • 0 over 8 years ago
    I haven't actually got a Fenix 3 HR but have read enough about it and with experience of many other devices to try and answer.

    1. No - well I haven't scratched mine and don't use a screen protector. Of course if you drop it or store it "badly" or just walk into something then it might but you could say that about anything.
    2. No but then I don't do Ironmans or any races/runs that take more than 3-4 hours
    3. Correct about GPS. A barometer is only really useful if you need to know your precise elevation when out running and/or you are particularly interested in having a detailed elevation profile for later analysis. That said GC does elevation corrections on your 735 track and so the elevation profile you see in GC is a lot smoother than the raw GPS data which is "noisy" for elevation. Personally a barometer is something that is a nice to have but for at least 95% of my training it matters not one bit. For the other 5% I could always use a different device.
    4. Not that heard of.

    I would think the choice for you is mainly around form factor offset by the fact that the Fenix 3 has a few more features although I would question whether it actually has any more useful ones for running other than perhaps the barometer and I don't think that is a huge factor for the reasons I mentioned.
  • 0 over 8 years ago
    Never had the HR, but had a fenix 3 for a year before switching to teh 735XT.

    1. I wear my 735 24/7 and no scratches or damage yet, but also my f3 was the same, pristine after 1 year of use, so I am probably not hard on watches.
    2. Not really, seems about the same as the f3 roughly for me. I get about 4 days of use and training with 90-120 minutes of training a day average on the 735 before I am at 20% or so, which is about what I got with my f3.
    3. Not a trail runner but for cycling I have seen differences in elevation with my 810 vs. my 735, but that is over 2000+ feet of climbing. Over 200 ft I cannot imagine it would matter much.
    4. Cannot comment as I never had the f3HR, but I will say the 735 seems a lot more stable than the f3 was day to day and features seem to generally just work.

    I will also say that track accuracy for GPS tracks is better with the 735, but distance accrual is near identical.
  • Former Member
    0 Former Member over 8 years ago
    Thank you TimGrose and Chimpware for your help!

    Based on your answers, I'll most likely go with the 735XT and return the Fenix 3 HR (unless there is something that I really dislike about the 735XT)
  • Former Member
    0 Former Member over 8 years ago
    If you are biking as well you might want to compare the data fields in the manuals. No quarter mount adapters for the HR models AFAIK.
  • 0 over 8 years ago
    If you're into really cool biking tech like the Varia radar, lights and heads-up display, the 735XT will work with it now. The f3 HR will most likely do so to at some point in the future. For me, this has no importance, but it's about the only difference that hasn't already been mentioned. Main difference for me is that the f3 HR is just big and heavy, maybe not as good for swimming, which I do a lot of.
  • Former Member
    0 Former Member over 8 years ago
    Weight

    Loved the design on the Fenix3 but not the weight. Altimeter wasn't a deal breaker for me. GPS based altitude is good enough for me.
    Fenix does have a better nav system for ETA on return time and return pace/distance. but in the end, weight won. For some it doesn't bother them. If I hold a water bottle in the other hand, then it weight really did not matter! :)
  • 0 over 8 years ago
    If you're into really cool biking tech like the Varia radar, lights and heads-up display, the 735XT will work with it now. The f3 HR will most likely do so to at some point in the future. For me, this has no importance, but it's about the only difference that hasn't already been mentioned. Main difference for me is that the f3 HR is just big and heavy, maybe not as good for swimming, which I do a lot of.


    Yeah I have the Varia Vision and Varia Radar and both work great with 735. Varia Vision makes mount for the watch unnecessary. I still prefer having an Edge also for cycling, but for multi-sport I use the Varia Vision for cycling and leave the 735 on my wrist.
  • 0 over 8 years ago
    I just returned a Fenix 3 HR for a 735 for the following reasons.

    1. The 735 is so much thinner and lighter for wearing 24x7 inc sleep
    2. 735 is more "future proof", Fenix HR won't have the latest Connect IQ support http://developer.garmin.com/index.php/blog/post/connect-iq-2-biker-monkey
    3. 735 seems to fit better so I am hoping that will lead to better HR results

    Things I will miss from the 3:

    Barometric readings when skiing (so once/twice a year!)
    HR when swimming (Which I hope they will enable on the 735)
    Hot keys
  • 0 over 8 years ago
    I just returned a Fenix 3 HR for a 735 for the following reasons.

    1. The 735 is so much thinner and lighter for wearing 24x7 inc sleep
    2. 735 is more "future proof", Fenix HR won't have the latest Connect IQ support http://developer.garmin.com/index.php/blog/post/connect-iq-2-biker-monkey
    3. 735 seems to fit better so I am hoping that will lead to better HR results

    Things I will miss from the 3:

    Barometric readings when skiing (so once/twice a year!)
    HR when swimming (Which I hope they will enable on the 735)
    [/B]Hot keys
    Does the fenix HR measure heart rate while swimming? I thought you could only do that with an added strap like the HRM-Swim, same as with the 735XT.
  • 0 over 8 years ago
    Does the fenix HR measure heart rate while swimming? I thought you could only do that with an added strap like the HRM-Swim, same as with the 735XT.


    I only swam once with my fenix HR, and it was disabled. However I did find I could enable it within the swim activity, unfortunately my return period was up before I could test it!