[HIKESOLO]

Said I wasn't going to, but ended up flirting a bit with a Fenix 3. It's a really nice looking watch with great features...

I had returned my Ambit 3 Sport to make the purchase and kind of regretted it right away. Luckily last night I logged on to Amazon and was able to pick up a brand new Ambit 3 Peak (black) for only $323.00. Seemed like an amazing deal. So while I did briefly flirt with the competitor and returned my trusty Ambit, I ended up with a better version of the Ambit 3 for less money than I paid on my original one. I'll call it a win for now, haha. Now I just have to return this Fenix 3, which is a shame, because it really is a nice looking watch. I just don't know how much I can trust it.

 

[johnyx]

Any photos with them side by side?

 

[raducanmihai]

Did you have a chance to use the Fenix? Any problems with it? Can you make a short review/comparison between the two?

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[Artivis]

Now I just have to return this Fenix 3, which is a shame, because it really is a nice looking watch. I just don't know how much I can trust it.

I am curious what made you give up on Fenix 3 so fast?

I am also playing with Fenix 3 Sapphire for a week now and comparing it to my Ambit 3 Peak, but I am not ready to state my full opinion yet.
I agree it is a very nice looking watch (better looking then Ambit imho) and has some great features: ultra sharp color display, vibrating alarm, much better BT notifications and smartphone integration, maping/navigating features (at least it can show your traveled path in activity). I still can't say much about GPS accuracy, but I will test it soon (that was one of the biggest drawback of the fenix series, Ambit was always much more accurate).

Of course it still suffers from childhood diseases, the FW is to be updated to version 3.0 soon and I hope it will solve some of the problems (the 2.9 firmware was pulled back by Garmin with no explanation).

But well, Ambit also suffers from problems Suunto has hard time to solve like the Christmas Movescount outage or incompatibilities with ios 8.2 atm (my Ambit 3 sometimes syncs and sometimes it doesn't).

I will give F3 a chance and decide later which one to keep b-)

 

[HIKESOLO]

I haven't FULLY made up my mind yet. So for now I will have a Fenix 3 and a Ambit 3 Peak. I have to decide between a watch experiencing some growing pains (Fenix 3) but with a better feature set and better looking, or the Ambit 3 Peak that I was able to get for $200 less, with MOST of the features and reliable GPS accuracy. To be honest that price I paid might win me over. Cheaper and more reliable is a deadly combo. Like I said, I haven't fully made up my mind but it's leaning towards Suunto.

 

[Artivis]

For those who want to see them side by side

 

[raducanmihai]

Fenix 3 looks better, it's obviously smaller and probably more comfortable. And I'm saying all of this with an Ambit 3 Peak Sapphire on my wrist.

I'm was just browsing (again) Garmin forum and the number of problems people have there is astonishing for a 450-550 euros device. It looks like they are beta testers for Garmin on their own money. I really, really hope that Garmin fixes those issues for all those people and for raising the bar for Ambit 4.
.

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[Artivis]

Well, we seem to be beta testers, all right (I truly don't mind it, as long as they listen and fix the issues) but on the other side WE as a society are the ones that put great pressure on the companies to release very fast.
Garmin showed the watch early this year and stated that the shipment's will start 1 quarter 2015... now read at all the posts on Garmin forums concerning: "why! o why! they don't deliver it yet! they don't keep their promises, I just can't stand it any longer, I want it now, now, NOW! etc, etc"... and we still have couple of days till end of Q1, and the deliveries have started.. so you can't say they didn't keep their promise.

So... most of us are behaving in a same pattern.. we want to get the new toy asap and then can happily start to complain about it

There are problems, yes, but they are working hard atm and trying to set them straight. The 2.90 version of firmware behaves way better then 2.30 (although it has been pulled from the servers, no body knows why, you can still get it if you look around.. if someone has a problem with it pm me). And I keep my fingers crossed that the 3.0 version of fw which is supposed to come soon will make everyone smile.

One the other side Suunto.. well we have a problem with notifications in iOS 8.2 and Suunto says it is a problem on Apple's side and they are waiting for Apple to fix it.. ********.. my Fenix 3 notifications work with iOS 8.2 like a charm.. so, why can't Ambit's?.. and they are working on Android app for.. like ages now?... And when the Movescount cloud dies (like it did on Christmas) not only I can't sync my activities I also can't change anything in my 500 euros Ambit 3 Peak!

Cutting things short, both watches have problems, but I will surely give Garmin's Fenix 3 a chance and wait a bit before giving my final opinion... if anyone wants to hear it

 

[kris-o]

I have a feeling that Garmin users are very understanding - they dont let the complaining grow in threads too much.
Being beta tester is alright…if you were notified beforehand about it - like "You can buy this product for 550 Euros but, bear in mind that it is far from being polished and ready".
If you skip this disclaimer, then you are simply shipping unfinished thing because… you can allow yourself to do it (people do dig Garmin stuff…).

I am on and off the Fenix 3 wagon - right now leaning myself towards "wait" position In my opinion, most of the issues are sw related, but this "lost GPS" thing is kinda scary.

For now i will probably stick with Ambit 3 and see what brings the future. Finland is a nice country - they do play good hockey, drink a lot of beer, have nice girls and many good tech companies I think it is better to support Finnish brand

 

[SavageSS]

I've just posted cons / pros here https://www.watchuseek.com/f233/fenix3-epix-ambitx-killer-1400642-8.html#post14324442

from my experience.. I feel like a beta tester.

There's one thing I never considered before switching and I should have is Garmin Connect site sucks. The features that MovesCount has and number of sporting activities far outweigh that of Garmin Connect..
I mean c'mon you can;t even view the maps on Garmin Connect as full screen!....

 

[cadguy]

Beautiful huge digits on the Fenix. So tempted to jump ship.

 

[Julius Khan]

Do me a favor... Please keep your "trust" to yourself. It's just a watch. You don't have to trust it with your soul. Most of the time it works and it works better than that ambit 3. I had it, junk watch. Returned it when it stopped working and stop receiving any notifications from my iPhone6. Fenix 3 has way better features (which works), way better design than any ambits and beautiful UI. Try that with your $323 ambit. I had to replace a band on my last ambit and paid whopping $70. Seriously??? Fenix band cost $23. For a long run ambit cost more than fenix 3. So that decision you made was pretty stupid. I can assure you that I'm not falling for that.

 

[raducanmihai]

Take it easy. It's not Garmin vs Suunto fanboy battle here.

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[HIKESOLO]

Do me a favor... Please keep your "trust" to yourself. It's just a watch. You don't have to trust it with your soul. Most of the time it works and it works better than that ambit 3. I had it, junk watch. Returned it when it stopped working and stop receiving any notifications from my iPhone6. Fenix 3 has way better features (which works), way better design than any ambits and beautiful UI. Try that with your $323 ambit. I had to replace a band on my last ambit and paid whopping $70. Seriously??? Fenix band cost $23. For a long run ambit cost more than fenix 3. So that decision you made was pretty stupid. I can assure you that I'm not falling for that.

First of all you need to calm down. You are on a Suunto forum, where most people will prefer a Suunto. I still own both the Ambit 3 and the Fenix 3. The only thing the Fenix 3 has going for it is its looks and vibration alerts. Outside of that, sporadic battery drainage, questionable GPS accuracy, and random freezing renders a watch with better features worthless. Go back to your Garmin forums if you are going to be butt hurt by someone on a Suunto forum saying they prefer Suunto.

 

[OSUMBA2003]

Do me a favor... Please keep your "trust" to yourself. It's just a watch. You don't have to trust it with your soul. Most of the time it works and it works better than that ambit 3. I had it, junk watch. Returned it when it stopped working and stop receiving any notifications from my iPhone6. Fenix 3 has way better features (which works), way better design than any ambits and beautiful UI. Try that with your $323 ambit. I had to replace a band on my last ambit and paid whopping $70. Seriously??? Fenix band cost $23. For a long run ambit cost more than fenix 3. So that decision you made was pretty stupid. I can assure you that I'm not falling for that.

You seem upset. Unnecessarily so.

 

[SavageSS]

After latest update on the F3 it's still "average" with the altimeter and not much better anywhere else, some good apps they promoted have been pulled, and one I used (sunrise / sunset) when selecting it now has a delay while it shows you a connect iq image before the app, even the dev can't understand why they would do this, and looks like you can't turn it off..
Even if the watch was stable it doesn't excuse their Garmin Connect website being so poor.
It seems the answer with using Garmin Connect is not use it, and use alternative sites like Endomondo or Strava.



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[HIKESOLO]

https://forums.garmin.com/showthrea...-comparison-Here-is-5-of-them!-Fenix-3-sucks!

Go ahead and give this thread a read. The guy tested the Fenix 3 against like 4 other Garmins. It was the absolute WORST performer under tree cover, which essentially what the watch is made for. How can their hiking/mountaineering/outdoors watch be decent in perfect conditions but terrible in tree cover? This pretty much sold me, I'm sticking to Suunto. Ambit 3 might not be perfect either but it does the job it's supposed to do most of the time. I keep trying to give Garmin another chance but they just don't have it together right now. Keeping my Ambit 3 and will purchase the Ambit 4 when it comes out. At least I've finally made a decision.

 

[raducanmihai]

Oops. It seems like Garmin dropped the ball here. The guy who posted that thread also posted another one a few days earlier with a 7 devices test and he was defending Garmin saying that GPS accuracy is were it should be. But it seems like he reached a different conclusion after all.

I really hope that it's something that can be fixed by a firmware update. But if it's a design flaw.... (I doubt it, but who knows).

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[pjc3]

But if it's a design flaw.... (I doubt it, but who knows).

Suunto gets bagged for it's styling with the antenna bulge.....but sometimes function over aesthetics is best.

 

[raducanmihai]

Yeah, you are right. I was/am in love with Fenix 3's looks and functions (on paper at least) but what's the point if it's so inaccurate and unstable?!

I feel sorry for all those people who paid $500 and believed Garmin's marketing claims and I hope they'll be able to fix it via firmware updates.

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