If you love adventure, you will love the Garmin smartwatches. These watches don’t only track fitness metrics and sync to your mobile phone, they are a vital tool to use during outdoor sports activities.
How can we judge which one is best between two watches that share many similarities? Is the newer model always the best one to go for?
All of these questions will be answered as we take a closer look at these super smartwatches. The winner between the two will be determined by looking at each of their star features and deciding which is more valuable to the wearer while keeping in mind ease of use.
Table of Contents
Garmin Fenix 5 Smartwatch
- Battery Life
- Could you imagine your mobile phone lasting 14 whole days without being charged? Although there is no chance your phone will go that long without being plugged in, your Fenix 5 smartwatch can. No more stressing out on holiday if you have forgotten your charger, just put it on smartwatch mode.
- Notifications
You will no longer need to run around the house trying to find your phone to see who’s calling you. The Fenix 5 displays your mobile phone notifications. That means you can choose when it’s worth it – and when it isn’t – to reach for your phone to respond immediately.
- Music
Any music being played through your smartphone can be controlled through the smartwatch’s face. Changing songs and turning up the volume during your hike will be much quicker.
- Activity Tracker
This feature is super special and one that most high-end fitness smartwatch brands do not offer. Outdoor sports are notoriously hard for fitness watches to track and not many brands do it right. If you are more of an outdoor person this can be a big downside.
The Fenix 5 tracks up to 40 activities, outdoor and indoor sports. So now your metrics will be collected during rowing, skiing, hiking, and parachuting. Things like steps, calories burnt and heart rate is tracked for your assessment.
- The App
Most of your data can be viewed on the touch screen watch face. Anything you cannot find will be accessible on the Garmin app. The app isn’t complicated to use and provides you with useful additional information about how you slept and tips to improve your night’s sleep.
- Water Resistance
It doesn’t matter how filthy you get while you are out rock climbing or camping, your Fenix 5 can be washed. Not only that, but you can also actually go swimming with it to a depth of 100 meters. That’s not saying that deep-sea diving will be kind to your smartwatch, but 100 meters is enough depth for your morning swim or surf session.
- Display
The Fenix 5 combines bezel, touch screen, and buttons for easy navigation. Think about it, having sweaty or dirty fingers can make a touch screen on a smartwatch really difficult to use mid-workout. The screen itself adjusts its brightness automatically.
PROS
- Waterproof and durable
- Almost every activity is trackable
- Accurate monitoring
- Sporty appearance
CONS
- Can’t connect it to Wi-Fi
- Can’t store music directly on the device
Garmin Fenix 5X Smartwatch
- GPS Tracking
- Your running or hiking routes get mapped out and data gathered about average speed and calories burned. Now, more challenging environments can be mapped out as the Fenix 5X has colored mapping and information and can suggest the best cycling routes for you to go on.
You have a map of the US loaded on to the Fenix 5X. There is also the option of adding any other country you wish.
- Heart Rate Monitoring
Unlike a chest strap that can be really uncomfortable and even interfere during your workout, the Fenix 5X sits comfortably on your wrist while accurately monitoring your heart rate that can be seen in real-time throughout the workout, while assisting in giving you optimal results during your exercises.
- Buddy Monitoring
We all know that some outdoor sports are a little dangerous and best done in a group. For example, while skiing, you can lose track of friends which could be dangerous if they are injured. Now, if your friend is out of sight, follow the map to get to them.
- Training Advice
Be assured that all of the fitness data that the Fenix 5X collects about you will not go to waste. The 5X can aid in your training regime making it suitable for your fitness level and give you tips on how to improve.
- Notifications
You won’t miss a thing, even when you are busy. You will receive notifications for emails and texts as they come in. Phone calls show caller ID on the watch face too.
PROS
- Accurate navigation abilities
- Waterproof
- Durable
- Long battery life
CONS
- The screen can be a little pixilated
- Too many apps can slow it down
Winner – Garmin Fenix 5X
Have you made up your mind yet? The Garmin Fenix 5X is the best of the two. It comes down to the little details, the fact that the Garmin 5X can load maps of whole countries onto it is high end.
Those of you that are into more extreme sports know the importance of keeping an eye on your group members. The 5X lets you do this effortlessly without interfering with your own workout.
With all of that technical ability, the Fenix 5X stays super easy to use and isn’t overly techie. In other words, you get the best of both worlds – high tech and user-friendly -so that your fitness stays a top priority.
