Garmin Fenix 5X
The Garmin Fenix 5X Sapphire is a multi-sport GPS watch that features full-color topographic maps and a staggering number of analytics and sensors.
If you spend any amount of time hiking, running, skiing, swimming, biking or do any other type of activity that would benefit from the Fenix 5’s host of sensors, GPS, and mapping.
Who Should Buy The Garmin Fenix 5X?
Anyone that’s looking for a full-featured, outdoor watch with GPS, mapping and a full range of sport-related features should jump on the Garmin Fenix 5X. If the Fenix 5X is too large for you, then I’d go for the Fenix 5s.
Overall, I was timid about dropping so much money on the Garmin Fenix 5X, but now that I have, I don’t regret it at all.
Features
The Garmin Fenix 5X is the largest of the new Fenix series. Coming in at 51mm in diameter and 17.5mm thick, it certainly isn’t small.
It has a round watch face with a five button layout that you can see in the picture above. Two buttons are on the right side and three are on the left. The entire bezel is stainless steel as well as the rear of the watch. The sides of the watch are a composite material, however.
I bought the watch with the metal and silicone bands included and have since not even touched the metal band. I’d recommend saving $150 (yes it’s $150 more!) and just getting the watch with the silicon band. If you need to customize your watch they come in a wide array of colors.
Changing the bands out is a snap thanks to the quick disconnect Garmin designed. There’s no need for tools of any kind to remove or change bands.
The 240x240 pixel display is a little grainy, but not bad, and is covered with the familiar sapphire crystal display that Garmin is known for.
The watch connects to your phone via Bluetooth and is also wifi enabled. (We should note that if you’re buying a non-Sapphire version of the 5 or 5s then you won’t have wifi.)
I was switching from an iWatch and was a little hesitant to lose all the notification features. I didn’t realize that I would still get all of the same notifications on the Fenix 5X! You can do everything short of reply to text messages and answer calls.
The watch also connects to a wide array of ANT+ enabled devices to track just about anything you could want about your stride, pace, stoke, etc. It’s actually pretty incredible.
If you do a lot of swimming, you’ll really love the Garmin Fenix 5X. It’s rate to 10ATM which means it’s good for all kinds of watersports short of full-blown diving.
Runtime is great! You should get around 20 hours of active GPS tracking out of a full charge. If you’re just using it as a watch then you won’t have to recharge it for around two weeks. I found that using the Fenix 5X in a variety of modes (active tracking of workouts, GPS, and regular watch mode) meant that I would have 20-30% battery life after about 7 days.
GPS tracking comes in the form of traditional GPS as well as GLONASS capability to help keep track of your position better in rough terrain. It also has as three direction compass, barometric altimeter, and a gyroscope. I found the compass to be remarkably accurate.
There’s also a heart rate monitor on the rear of the watch.
Watch faces can be downloaded from the Garmin Connect IQ store for free. This lets you change the appearance as well as the information displayed on the watch face. You can go from minimal all the way to over the top information overload and everything in between.
The feature that sets the 5X apart from the rest of the 5 series is its mapping feature. You get full-color mapping on your watch without the need to connect to a smartphone or other outside GPS. I love having it right there when I need it!
Pros
The main thing the Garmin Fenix 5X has going for it over the smaller versions of the 5 series is the mapping feature. Having a full-color map on demand where ever you are is incredible for a whole host of activities. Now that I’ve grown used to having it, I’m not sure I’ll ever go back.
I also really like the construction of the watch. It’s solidly built, and the quick connect watch band is something that stands out to me. Even though it’s something that I’ve only used a couple times it’s nice to not have to pull out any tools when you do want to swap out bands. If you’re going to have a couple different colored bands then this could become pretty important.
Battery life is just fantastic. I got used to having to charge my iWatch every night so only having to charge the Fenix 5X every 7-10 days is great.
Being able to download new watch faces can completely change the look and feel of the watch.
Cons
There are two things that will put people off with the Fenix 5X. The cost and the size.
The cost was initially hard for me to justify. I had a watch that I liked and it did everything that I thought I wanted it to do. Once I finally decided to take the plunge and got my hands on the 5X I was wishing I ditched the old iWatch sooner.
The size will be an issue for some people. The good thing is if you don’t want the mapping capabilities of the 5X, then you can choose either the 5 or 5s.
I wish the watch had a higher resolution display. It doesn’t need one, but it would look a lot better if it was just a little higher.
Garmin Fenix 5s vs Fenix 5 vs Fenix 5X
This chart shows the differences between the various models of the Garmin Fenix 5. The main differences are size, resolution and mapping capability.
The Fenix 5s is the smallest version and only has a 218x218 pixel display and lacks the mapping features of the 5X.
The Fenix 5 is the middle ground for size. It has the higher resolution display of 240x240 but it lacks the mapping features of the 5X.
The Fenix 5X is the largest model with all of the capabilities that the Fenix 5 series has to offer.
Conclusion
I think the Garmin Fenix 5X is the most capable sports watch out there! I highly recommend it and think anyone that decides to grab one will be more than pleased with it.
If you’re looking for something to track all of your biometrics, routes, daily routine, and any sport you can think of, then the Garmin Fenix 5X is pretty much the only watch out there for you.
Did this Garmin Fenix 5X review help you determine if it was right for you? Let us know in the comments!
Are you interested in putting together a bug out bag? Make sure you read our article before you start! We also have more gear reviews on our gear review page.
The blog post Garmin Fenix 5s vs Fenix 5 vs Fenix 5X Review – The Outdoor/Multi-Sport Watch You’re Going to Want is available on: http://www.readylifestyle.com/
Garmin Fenix 5s vs Fenix 5 vs Fenix 5X Review – The Outdoor/Multi-Sport Watch You’re Going to Want published first on https://readylifesytle.tumblr.com
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