Español To describe it quickly, the Fenix 3 is a Phoenix 2 Or to put it another way, it's a 920xt with better materials and aesthetics and with the navigation possibilities offered by the Phoenix 2.
News
But let's take a closer look at what's been added to the Fenix 3.
- Color screen: similar to the one we can see on the 920xt, but instead of square it's circular
- WiFi connectivity: Something that premiered in the Forerunner 620 It was to be expected and of course the Fenix 3 also features this option. Now you can synchronize the clock and update it directly via WiFi.
- ANT+ and Bluetooth connectivity simultaneously: The Fenix 2 used a communications chip that did not allow you to use Bluetooth and ANT+ simultaneously. As expected this has been solved in the Fenix 3, so now you can perform training sessions, streaming them on the Garmin website through LiveTrack, while you track your heart rate with the ANT+ sensor.
- New GPS antenna: The Fenix 3 introduces a new EXO antenna, and as in the 920xt, with support for GLONASS (the Russian satellite network).
- Connect IQ: The new platform to allow third party applications will also be present in the Fenix 3. This will allow you to download applications to the clock as well as settings or screen images.
- Activity monitor: It couldn't be less, as activity monitors will be the star product in 2015. It will monitor steps, sleep, and generally any activity you do (or don't do) throughout the day.
So the Fenix 3 is getting closer and closer to the Forerunner line, and I think it may even overshadow them. And of course it moves away from the military type aesthetic, to focus more on a perfect design for a daily use watch. Also with a lot of options that we find more often in Smart Watch, such as watch notification or customizable watch covers. And in fact, I think the Fenix 3 is what many 920xt buyers expected, at least in terms of aesthetics and materials.
Of course everything wasn't going to be pretty, and the Fenix 3 comes with a price increase, being more expensive than the Fenix 3 it replaces and of course the 920xt, which it upgrades. Whether Garmin will be able to sell many of these watches in this price range will depend not only on their own product, but on what other manufacturers are able to offer in the different smart watches that are being introduced right now.
Other partners for the Garmin Fenix 3
The Fenix 3 didn't just arrive in Las Vegas, Garmin took the opportunity to present other products: the Garmin EpixThe Fenix 3 is a GPS watch with the same features as the Fenix 3 and full colour maps for the more adventurous. Garmin VívoactiveA GPS smartwatch that is far from what we have seen so far, since its training programs will be through apps.
Availability and price
Garmin will have three different configurations. In silver with a red strap, or in grey with a black strap, priced at £449, or £499 with an HRM-Run sensor. In addition, Garmin will offer a third option with a sapphire crystal and metal strap, priced at £549 without a pulse sensor, or £599 if included.
As for its availability, it can already be purchased in stores. Fenix 3 test you have a specific section where I collect the best prices to buy it.
Garmin Fenix 3 on video
While you wait for me to complete the full test of the Garmin Fenix 3, I leave you with this video of the unpacking where I also tell you some of its features.
Good morning:
I would like to know if the fenix 3 has the capacity to visualize maps, (besides tracks, waypoints, etc), like the fenix 2.
Thank you and a greeting
Hello
We'll have to wait until the first units start arriving and I can try one out to find out. I don't think it's possible to load Garmin maps, even if we pay for them (That's why they've already launched the Epix) but we will have to check if we can put in maps created by the community.
On this platform we only know what's on the 920xt right now, which at the navigation level is very, very basic, so we'll see a major development in that direction.
In short, what Garmin will include is the ability to create routes and tracks through waypoints to which you can add specific locations, which is the same as what the Fenix 2 officially includes.
But the possibility of Connect IQ will always remain open, so if a company develops a program with maps... there would be no limits beyond those imposed by the screen size itself. And I'm sure that, if the development API for the clock is implemented well, these programs will come.
Good namesake,
Here's a regular follower of your articles.
I give a lot of credibility to tech geeks like me.
Ask yourself what is the livetrack? Is it to follow a track or to follow my route from home? Do you know any application that does the latter?
Greetings and thank you very much
Hello, namesake.
I appreciate the feedback.
The LiveTrack is precisely for that, so that they can follow you during a race. I recommend that you take a look at it to the Garmin Forerunner 620 testThe LiveTrack section explains this in some depth.
Hi, one question. It has the auto lap function that can be configured e.g. at 1000m.
Thank you
Hello
Yes, it has an auto-lap function. Also, the information it displays every time the lap is marked, is configurable.
Hey, congratulations on your job is really good. When can you get the full test?
It's very close now, I hope that by the end of this week or the beginning of the next one it will be published. I've gone a little bit out of my schedule, but it's been a month with a lot of work...
Thank you!
No idea if it's MediaTek or SiRF, right?
I can't confirm that for sure, since Garmin doesn't publish details about it. I suppose you have the same Mediatek that incorporates the 920xt.
But the chipset is only a small piece of information in the equation. In the end, the software that manages it, the antenna and its positioning are much more important.
With the 920xt they have done a very good job. I guess the Fenix 3 will be up and running in no time. However, as it stands today, it works very well. I have not found any major flaws in the recorded tracks, even on cloudy days and in wooded areas.
I can't find the promotional code for this watch, please someone could provide me with one, thank you very much
Hi, I'm trying to connect my Fenix 3 to my cell phone via Wifi but it says I need to configure the wifi via Garmin Express...
On the other hand I also wanted to connect via Bluetooth, he gave me a code to put it in the mobile, but then he stopped and tried again.
Can you help me?
Thank you very much.
The WiFi connection is not for connecting to the phone, it is for connecting to the home network.
The Bluetooth connection must be made from the Connect application, not from the phone's options.
Remember to vote for the Journal Awards!