Finally, the Garmin Fenix 3 has arrived and I must say, I’m impressed by its appearance! It comes with an elegant, subtle grey, scratch-protected domed crystal and black band, chroma display with LED backlight and is housed in glass-fibre with large, stainless steel bezel buttons which appear easy to operate even when wearing gloves. This watch is crying out to be put to the test!
The features of the Garmin Fenix 3 leave no wish unfulfilled?
The list of features of the Garmin Fenix 3 reads like a Who’s Who of modern GPS sports watch technology. The integrated stainless steel EXO™ antenna with GPS and GLONASS ensures both fast satellite reception and high accuracy. The superior 1.2-inch colour Chroma™ display is direct-sunlight readable. Furthermore, the Fenix 3 delivers a barometric altimeter, is water-resistant to fifty meters and has a three-axis electronic compass with auto-calibration. Garmin was smart enough to match up the watch not only to mountaineers and hikers but also provides runners and recreational sportspeople a functional and coherent overall package with advanced features such as a fitness recovery adviser, running efficiency analysis and run forecast. Moreover, this multisport watch has features for swimming, biking, hiking, skiing, cross-country skiing and plenty more! This true all-rounder watch scores top points for just about any outdoor sporting activity – it even works indoors!
Set the Garmin Fenix 3 and start running!
Before you start, the usual basic data needs to be entered into the Garmin Fenix 3 such as body size, gender and weight, and then you can get started. After a few walks around the block pushing the pram, where I find it hard not to constantly stare in admiration at the large and easy to read display, I decided to really put the Garmin Fenix 3 to the test! The following day I decide to kick start the morning by hitting the start button and commuting to work on my bike. The link to the satellite has quickly been made, the uncomplicated heart rate monitor strapped on and I cycle off. The multisport watch is immediately impressing me via its sheer simplicity. Clear, concise menu structure and regular on-screen information about lap times (while biking, for example, in a five-kilometre cycle), rest phase and pulse rate.
In the evening after my ride and having arrived back home, I look forward to the ride evaluation. As with most of Garmin’s top products, the Fenix 3 can be wirelessly uploaded with all-new activities via wifi on the Garmin database “Garmin Connect”. The transmission of watch data via Bluetooth to your smartphone functions after an easy set-up – provided you have previously downloaded the Garmin Connect ™ app that can evaluate activities. The Garmin Connect online database recently added a fresher, more user-friendly appearance and is ideal to get a quick overview of your own activities, and enables you to also share those activities with friends (real-time) and at a glance!
60 days (and nights): The Garmin Fenix 3 put to an endurance test
I have used the Garmin Fenix 3 almost every day for approximately two months – for walking, hiking, trail running, cycling, ski touring and mountaineering. More than 50 individual activities have come together in the last 60 days. It turns out that Garmin has by no way promised too much. The Fenix 3 finds a satellite, on an average of about ten seconds – great value when you consider that my old Forerunner 610 and my smartphone have sometimes taken a good minute before the recording even began. The wide spectrum of use and target group of Garmin Fenix 3 are hardly narrowed down. This all-rounder watch certainly leaves no wish (almost) unfulfilled in terms of assisting you in a plethora of outdoor sports and fitness training sessions. Usability and readability move at a level at which direct competitors will need to step up to the mark in the future.
Unfortunately, one small drawback…
The only drawback, but I have to get it out: The casing isn’t monstrous, but for those runners who simply want to do nothing but run, it’s large enough to be discouraging. Even being within an acceptable weight class with its total weight being 82 grams, it’s possible that the high design will deter fans of more aerodynamic watches. However, Garmin was not thinking of a streamlined designed watch when they made this highly functional tool!
No more requests from the Fenix 3?
Finally, I must admit, that as an avid runner and fan of a rather more flat-designed watch, I haven’t included myself in recent years to the followers of larger versions of multisport watches. In 1996, I buried a quite expensive and bulky CASIO altimeter watch in deep snow after getting it caught on my backpack after I took a fall. A subsequently purchased Avocet altimeter led a similar fate after a similar incident. Years later I purchased a Suunto Explorer – after a few years, this began to gather dust on the shelf as it simply took up too much room on my wrist compared to a sleeker, flat model multisport watch. Since then, I’ve kept to the flatter versions of multi-sport watches and also kept a distance from overly expensive purchases beyond the 250-euro mark. That’s one part of the story.
However what Garmin offers multisport fans, such as myself, with the Fenix 3, is the second part of the story: Function suggests form, you might say. Although the watch will cost you money, the fun value that ultimately derives from this wrist talent soon justifies the price. As with all of Garmin’s usual top products, we can only assume that the Fenix 3 will also receive years of support and software updates in order to keep the “fun” at the highest possible level!
Review conclusion and details for the Garmin Fenix 3
The range of use is designed for passionate multisport athletes and technology fans who are looking for an extremely versatile outdoor multisport watch with an outstanding range of functions. The watch is less useful to hardcore minimalists seeking a flat and featherweight GPS running watch. Anyone else will enjoy the benefits of the extensive features that it offers:
- Stainless steel EXO™ antenna with GPS + GLONASS support for fast fix and accuracy
- 1.2-inch sunlight readable Chroma™ colour display
- Fitness training features like VO2 max and recovery advisor (when used with a heart rate monitor¹)
- Outdoor navigation features like 3-axis compass, altimeter and barometer, TracBack and Sight’n Go
- Connect IQ™ compatibility for customized apps, widgets, watch faces and data fields
- Water-resistant to 50 m
- Included in delivery: USB charging/data cable, power adapter, Quick Start Guide
- Compatible with heart rate chest strap Garmin HRM Run™ (included only with the Performance Bundle version)
- Weight: 82 g
- Dimensions: 51 x 51 x 16 mm
- Display resolution. 218 x 218 pixels