fenix 5 vs fenix 5s vs forerunner 935

Asking on the Forerunner 935 forum whether we prefer the Forerunner 935 perhaps could give you some bias opinions!

The Fenix 5S might be "smaller" but believe still heavier.

One of the most popular threads we had here was people who originally had a Fenix 5 variant saying how pleased they were with a decision to move to the 935.

Personally I prefer the relative lightness of the 935 over something that does pretty much the same thing but heavier.

Yes the 935 is basically the F5 in a plastic case. Lighter than the F5, although some would say it doesn't look as good.

While Garmin does test that its own sensors play nicely with its watches, the F5 does have some well documented issues with SOME 3rd party ANT+ or BLE sensors - generally footpods (eg. Stryd) or cycling power meters (eg. Stages) - it should be noted that these are generally located further away from the watch. HRM chest straps (much closer to the watch) don't seem to have these problems. I have an F5, and haven't found any problems with connectivity with a range of ANT+ sensors (including PM's and speed sensors on my bike) - but then again I don't have the sensor brands that are the most notorious for being problematic with the F5.

The F5S has a smaller screen and reduced battery life (14 hrs GPS v 24 hrs GPS). This may matter if you are an ultramarathon runner, but is still in excess of most other sports/fitness watches. Many like the appearance of the stainless steel and smaller size on their wrist.

In terms of GPS, I do notice slightly more track 'wobble' than my previous Ambit 3 (whose ugly antenna stub is widely acknowledged to offer the best GPS performance of any sports watch), but I haven't seen any major GPS problems. My personal guess is that most claimed GPS problems are either unrealistic expectations in marginal GPS conditions (eg. tall buildings, heavy foliage, narrow valleys), or a failure to wait for the GPS to get a solid lock before starting their workout.

That said, if you can live with the aesthetics, the 935 is probably the better performing watch.

935XT = Fenix 5P (P for plastic)

As a former Fenix 3 silver user, I do miss the looks of the F3 sometimes. However the 935 has so much to offer that the optics are insignificant.

It basically is yeah... I'd say about 98%.

The Fenix5 usually gets a bit faster software support, I think the 935 is a more 'stable release' watch meaning betas arrive a bit later and not all betas might arrive on it. There can also be some very minor sw differences between the watches (can't think of an example but remember something with lock key or lap key or something).

But all in all the 935 indeed is a 'plastic' (doesn't feel like plastic actually) F5 but that makes it the better performing one regarding gps/bluetooth (and yeah, I owned the F5 before I got the 935... gps/bluetooth was the reason for the switch). Looks are subjective, I originally liked the F5 looks better but now I actually prefer the 935. Has a more casual and 'quiet' look which I now prefer...

I moved to 935 from F5s and couldn't be happier. 935 gives me a bit better GPS track & performance as well as its OHR works a lot better on my wrist than F5s. The latter might be related both to F5s being heavier (and thus it might have sat a bit more unstable on my wrist compared to 935) as well as the strap construction and the way watch fits on my wrist (Fenix series quick release straps have a thicker and less elastic ends where they attach to the watch compared to 935 non-quick strap).

Yes, F5s was a bit sexier, but for non-sporting outgoing events I've bought 3rd party leather strap for ~13 EUR that I can put on in 3 minutes. And that totally changes the look of my 935 to very classy watch :)

Plastic is king...light...less prone to scratches...better gps...

And I do own a F5S, so not biased at all ;)
One thing I dislike about the f5s is the protruding lugs. Something just doesn't look so great there.

Plastic is king...light...less prone to scratches...better gps...

And I do own a F5S, so not biased at all ;)
One thing I dislike about the f5s is the protruding lugs. Something just doesn't look so great there.

Is the gps on the fenix 5s bad? i'm not planning on running marathons(maybe a half marathon at most) just want good gps

And well discussed in these threads too - https://forums.garmin.com/search?searchJSON=%7B%22keywords%22%3A%22Fenix%22%2C%22title_only%22%3A1%2C%22channel%22%3A%5B%22542%22%5D%2C%22sort%22%3A%7B%22null%22%3Anull%7D%2C%22view%22%3A%22%22%2C%22exclude_type%22%3A%5B%22vBForum_PrivateMessage%22%5D%7D&btnSubmit=

As for the GPS issues there's a very long thread in the Fenix 5 forum about GPS. GO have a look over there.

Is the gps on the fenix 5s bad? i'm not planning on running marathons(maybe a half marathon at most) just want good gps

It is not as bad that I have noticed, but the general perception has become that the GPS on metal watches don't perform as well as the plastic forerunners.
I remember this was a huge issue with the Fenix 3 watches, and to me seems to have improved with the 5, but you do still see reports of disgruntled users about bad GPS on the 5 series.

My personal opinion is that the GPS on the 5 series should be good enough for 95% people. Like I said, it is just the general perception and I cannot really say if my F5S is worse. I just don't have to constantly worry that it is not good enough because I can trust and train with my plastic forerunner.

Hope this helps.