Garmin and Koli
Garmin Fenix 3 HR Sapphire Review
Look and feel
Garmin Fenix 3 feels premium and the black metal colour looks tactical and stealth. I really like the looks of the watch. It is as much a dress watch as Suunto Spartan, but Fenix looks more rugged and sporty. The buttons have nice tactile feel and the screen is easy to read even in sunny conditions. The charging of the watch happens with included cradle that you pinch around the back of the watch. This system is more secure than Suuntos old pinch system but little bit cumbersome to use.
Garmin on the far right
UI & Garmin Connect
The Garmin app is one of the most versatile in the market, you can tinker everything and view the data from multiple inputs. With the Connect IQ you can add new apps to your phone. Downsize of the versatility is that it can be hard to find the thing you are looking for or if you just want to check simple activity. With all communication features you can challenge your friends
Sports & Hiking
This watch shines when you want to tweak everything and see all the data you want to see. The wrist HR-is nice bonus and I found it accurate enough so I found myself preferring the optical sensor over wearing the belt. The color display is handy when running and you can see your heart rate zones represented by different colors. The battery life is good and you can go for about 18 hours on with the best accuracy. In everyday use with short exercise you can do whole week without charging the watch.
Conclusions
The Garmin Fenix 3 HR is one of the most versatile watches on the market. You lots of features and you get new ones with the Connect IQ. The smart features like notifications and music control are nice bonus when compared to Suunto. This watch is for the geeks who want to get most out of their tech gear.
Pros
- Good looks
- Nice tactile feel
- Lots of features
- Wrist HR is accurate enough for sports activities
Cons
- The watch and the app can be confusing to use