[Rem_]

As per today's annoncement of New Garmin Fenix3 / Epix, Hands-on with Garmin's new Fenix3 multisport GPS watch with color screen | DC Rainmaker
looks quite impressive, Look (and price) of Sunnto with all what you (ever) dream about Trail/Hiking watch ?

Now i'll keep my Ambit3 for a while and wait for full review (and bugs ? , but right now, those guys in Finnish country may feel the cold even harder .

 

[gaijin]

The fenix 3 Sapphire has all the goodies, plus a color display:

You can read all about it on the Garmin web site here: https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/on-...ix-3-sapphire-with-metal-band/prod516264.html

HTH

 

[wydim]

and the Ambit4 will be a fenix3 killer. And the fenix4 will be an Ambit4 killer and so on...

That being said. I really like the design and the complete set of features. If I didn't have a $600 A2 shapire, I'd go for it. Now it's Suunto's turn

 

[gaijin]

I agree. A robust, competitive market serves the user best.

 

[skinnie]

I don't know if the color screen is going to be an advantage for outdoor sports...
Also in this video it seems to be slow in some menus, but may be due to editing or just because it is a prototype.

I guess Suunto wasn't expecting a Fenix 3 so soon...
But this is nice, maybe Suunto can start moving faster not only to realize better watches, but better software, better apps, better website =)

 

[HIKESOLO]

I think I'm going to switch to Garmin for the Fenix 3 Sapphire. I really need the vibration alerts for run/walk and the Sapphire version with metal strap just looks darn awesome.

Not saying I won't switch back to Suunto in the future, but this new release from Garmin looks amazing and Suunto has had some Movescount issues lately that helped persuade me switch to the other side.

 

[skinnie]

I think I'm going to switch to Garmin for the Fenix 3 Sapphire. I really need the vibration alerts for run/walk and the Sapphire version with metal strap just looks darn awesome.

Not saying I won't switch back to Suunto in the future, but this new release from Garmin looks amazing and Suunto has had some Movescount issues lately that helped persuade me switch to the other side.

From what I've seen here in the forum some guys that switched from Ambit 2 to Fenix 2 came back, althought I am with you, with the Movescount issues lately (not that garmin is perfect, but at least I've heard you can modify the watch parameters offline) and Suunto not giving a word on this (only stupid excuses) I guess if I needed a new sports watch I would try Garmin too.
But, my Ambit2Sapphire keeps working and I like it a lot, so I will stay

 

[gaijin]

Here's a better pic showing the different fenix 3 models:

HTH

 

[calumr]

There were 2 reasons why I didn't go for a Fenix watch when I got my Ambit3:

* Reliability (Fenix users complain about crashing mid-workout more than Ambit users do)
* That ugly font they use on the Fenix 1 & 2

They've fixed the second problem. If there are good reviews 6 months from now about Fenix 3 (or maybe the Epix) I'll consider ebaying my Ambit 3 and making the switch.

 

[zaskarmen]

I think its all about reliability,i had the 3 gen of ambits and never got freeze,i would love the fenix 3 looks much more cooler(on the video) than the ambits but the big question is would it work???would it take gps signal as fast like ambits?i dont want to start my workout worrying about freezing troubles....if they fix that i will switch to it!


Enviado desde mi iPhone utilizando Tapatalk

 

[wydim]

There were 2 reasons why I didn't go for a Fenix watch when I got my Ambit3:

* Reliability (Fenix users complain about crashing mid-workout more than Ambit users do)
* That ugly font they use on the Fenix 1 & 2

They've fixed the second problem. If there are good reviews 6 months from now about Fenix 3 (or maybe the Epix) I'll consider ebaying my Ambit 3 and making the switch.

if you wait 6 months from now, you may as well wait 6-8 months and you can put your hands on the fenix3 killer : the Ambit4 !! the sport watch industry has gotten to the same point as the cell phones : new product cycle is now less than a year !

I would prefer 1.5 - 2 years product cycle but better products, ohh well... I guess it's the reason I'm not yet a CEO

 

[gus]

holy crap, very impressive.

 

[morey000]

With the Ambits- the display setting for each of your sport modes are managed via the web/phone app. Once you've got 10 different sports, each with 3 or 4 screens, each with 5 different variables to display, the thought of having to do a hard reset on a garmin is scary. Not sure how stable the new Fenix is, but the prior firmware versions certainly weren't. I've gotta' say, that my Ambit 2 has been 100% reliable. I'd give up quite a few features for that.

can someone answer my question on the Fenix's ability to store all of your settings off the phone, so that when you re-boot, you can restore? Is that possible?

 

[Artivis]

can someone answer my question on the Fenix's ability to store all of your settings off the phone, so that when you re-boot, you can restore? Is that possible?

Fenix 1 - the sport mode settings were in files seen on the watch when connected to the PC, you could back them up or even edit
Fenix 2 - the sport mode settings are in the encrypted part of the watch.. NO way to back them up, you need to reconfigure after each hard reset which was a horror.
Fenix 3 - not yet known how they solved it

The new Fenix looks very nice, especially the sapphire version with steel belt!
The new colour screen seems very clear and sharp (218 x 218 pixels; transflective MIP color where in Fenix 2 we had 72x72 monochrome), also it seems to cover bigger part of the watch face.
Then new antenna and Glonass might solve the biggest problem I had with Fenix watches - GPS accuracy. It has the vibrating alarm which I miss on Ambit 3.
The BT smart watch functions seem to be solved nicely - notifications and even Find my Phone! and Musci controls (on Ambit 3 reading the notifications is a pain). I hope they solved the BT battery drain problem which Fenix/Fenix2 suffered (I don't see much impact on battery when using BT on Ambit 3).

Of course it looks all great on advertisements, I would really advise to wait for final hand on reviews before stating that it is an Ambit 3 killer. I moved from Fenix to Fenix 2 right after it came out and was very dissapointed, then sold it, got Ambit 3.. and I am a happy user now (beside the last Movescount outage).

oh and the negative side I see in the early reviews:
- they probably took away the BASEMAP function... no longer you will be able to see even a simple map in background while navigating .. for me that it is a huge drawback!
- the memory is still very small

Will wait what forum users say about the watch when it is finally on sale, before thinking about buying it. I also hope that Suunto instead of making a new watch works on the software side and adds some functions for Ambit 3 (like breadcrumb trail in navigation)

 

[morey000]

Fenix 1 - the sport mode settings were in files seen on the watch when connected to the PC, you could back them up or even edit
Fenix 2 - the sport mode settings are in the encrypted part of the watch.. NO way to back them up, you need to reconfigure after each hard reset which was a horror.
Fenix 3 - not yet known how they solved it

...

According to DCRainmaker's preview of the Fenix 3. the answer is still 'no'. Settings are not uploadable.
For such a powerful watch which is known for its instability, that one is difficult to overcome.

 

[pjc3]

My preferred supplier has the fenix 3 Sapphire HR retailing for AUD$850 vis Ambit3 Peak Sapphire HR rrp $750 (current price $622). The 920XT has rrp of $600.

 

[martowl]

I have tried a number of Garmins 410, 310Xt, 220, 910XT but kept going back to my T6c because it always worked and gave me what it needed. When the Ambit came out, I was trying a 910XT and not particularly happy. Now it seems Garmin has redesigned the fenix to be an Ambit. I agree, the feature set looks good but.....if you look at the Garmin forums there are many complaints of the fenix 2 and 920XT using a lot of battery for BLE connection to phones. Syncing moves through the phone takes a long time.... I know the fenix3 has WiFi but when my Ambit3 syncs I rarely have WiFi nearby and often do not have cell service. The devil will be in the details. The Ambit can be charged while running and is fully functional, a great feature for me. Also, it is unclear how the UltraTrac will work. On the fenix2 you cannot get HR or footpod in Ultratrac mode.

Check this pre-review out on the fenix3, it is in German so you might have to translate. One significant issue is although the fenix3 can charge while exercising a fixed charging screen appears, not very useful. This may be changed in the final release. Fenix3 does not have maps, seems nearly identical to the Ambits in that regard. So, I agree it looks nice, the specs are good but no better than the Ambit3 IMHO. At least now it looks like an Ambit.

Now if we could only get Suunto to give us an offline option for Movescount........ I agree that the Achilles heel for the Ambit is one must be online to configure...this needs to change.

I am sticking with my Ambit, I have NEVER lost data even when Movescount goes out for a week. The watch just works

Let us know if you get a fenix3 and how it compares. at least now it looks like an Ambit

 

[Artivis]

Yeah you are right.. all of my friends think it look more like an Ambit

I agree with you that Ambit is more reliable.. if they just give us more functionality offline and a bit better navigation (breadcrumb actual trail pls!) then I won't look at Garmin for a long time!

But seriously, Fenix 3 looks very good.. if it lives up to the functional promises it might be a watch to consider.. after reading some hand on opinions!

BTW taking away the basemap functionality sucks.. that is the only reason I keep my old Fenix for kayaking/hiking trips, and for a moment I hoped that F3 would be my all purpose watch.

EDIT: morey000.. early reviews do say that you can't save the settings but they are still early reviews.. if they are right though it means Garmin didn't learn from its mistakes

 

[martowl]

Yeah you are right.. all of my friends think it look more like an Ambit

I agree with you that Ambit is more reliable.. if they just give us more functionality offline and a bit better navigation (breadcrumb actual trail pls!) then I won't look at Garmin for a long time!

But seriously, Fenix 3 looks very good.. if it lives up to the functional promises it might be a watch to consider.. after reading some hand on opinions!

BTW taking away the basemap functionality sucks.. that is the only reason I keep my old Fenix for kayaking/hiking trips, and for a moment I hoped that F3 would be my all purpose watch.

EDIT: morey000.. early reviews do say that you can't save the settings but they are still early reviews.. if they are right though it means Garmin didn't learn from its mistakes

I am more interested in the Epix, the maps would be a great feature....just don't know if it is too big to wear everyday. Seriously, I am glad that Garmin is pushing hard here. It makes for better devices for everyone. Suunto has no choice but to play, otherwise they lose the customer base.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[martowl]

Another addition to my comments earlier. Apparently there are some issues using Navigation on the fenix2 when exercising and I am not sure it is available in Ultratrac. May someone who owns one could comment. Suunto's implementation, works well, turn Mav on see the track and if needed turn it off again. I do this while in 60s GPS fix on long races if I need to check a turn at night and markings are minimal.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk