Garmin - fenix 3 Sapphire
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Reddit Reviews:
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Last updated: Dec 25, 2025 Scoring
Liked most:
427
104
"It's also absolutely unbreakable ... I have it since 3 years, done ton of afters, street parties, beach parties, etc, with it. Saltwater, beers, dust, sand, falling on the ground, etc, nothing broke or deteriorated it the slightest, and I am a pro for breaking anything technological."
"will last you forever as they are absolute tanks"
"amazed how the quality resembles logitech g pro 1"
300
22
"the battery lasts 2 weeks, that's with 5 days worth of tracking runs and day to day use. Incredible."
"16 days battery life on my fenix. ... The other aspect I really appreciate about my fenix is the battery life. 16 days or so. With everything I have to change these days (laptops, mice, keyboards, headphones, watches, phones), I appreciate not having to worry about it too often."
"Oh, and the battery lasts days even when exercising a lot (weeks without excercise)."
18
1
"it has the flashlight, probably the most useful tool I’ve ever had in my life. You’ll use it daily and it’s so helpful in the most random times."
"Flashlight on my Fenix is worth A LOT of money to me. ... Having had it, I could not go back. ... I would happily pay 200 extra for it I use it so much. ... Having a flashlight on your wrist is incredibly handy."
"On my fenix 7, I love the flash light...totally unexpected top 3 feature. :)"
39
16
"But both fenix and forerunners trully have real running metrics. ... I cant believe the venu 4 does not even have daily suggestions based on pac and only has them based on heart rate. A big no no for a runner targetting an specific distance and time."
"There's a "Climb Indoor" activity that I use for both indoor/outdoor roped climbing and there's a bouldering activity for bouldering."
"2 miles of data sheets from all that tracking"
16
2
"Full watch-based navigation and mapping features—found particularly on the Forerunner 970 and Fenix series—include offline maps, turn-by-turn navigation, and visual guidance. ... For everyday runs on familiar routes, they matter less, but for trail running or hiking where orientation is crucial, they’re invaluable. ... Maps offer extra value for safety, route planning, and are also popular among cyclists and those exploring new routes"
"use the map function ... I love being able to track my hikes and use the map function"
"navigation in the mountains, which is really good ... if you hike, camp, trail run, cycle, or generally enjoy being out, you will love your Epic or Fenix."
Disliked most:
20
47
"I used to find that wrist HR sucked for rowing"
"the hr reading is incorrect. ... 20 dollars band from Samsung does a better job"
"The discrepancy is much higher for HR than running dynamics. ... I think it is straight up irresponsible to rely on wrist-based HR is you’re using HR as a part of training"
10
60
"chunky edges on my 4.5 inch wrist which is tiny"
"So much lighter and low profile than my Epix."
"dancing with a fenix 8 will look & feel ridiculous."
0
3
"I'm very disappointed in my Fenix for gym (and it sounds like the same fault applies to all garmins) because of the logging of reps. ... When I do a workout it will assume I used the weights I specified, but then it seems to either auto-log reps, which is a disaster for things that don't involve hand movements, and require me to correct them, or assume I did zero and require me to enter the whole lot. ... If I'm doing 60 sets I honestly don't have the patience to manually enter the rep number, so I use a phone ap instead. ... The thing that really annoys me though is that it would be so easy for Garmin to make a tiny programing change and start with the assumption that you hit your target."
"strength training profile is bonked"
"I almost always have to manually put in reps though it does attempt to auto count."
0
6
"a fluidity and a screen which has nothing to do with the Apple Watch ... An Apple Watch has nothing to do in terms of power or screen quality"
"the Garmin UI is at best an acquired taste, and at worst a total disaster that you can manage to somehow grow accustomed to."
"UI is more intuitive and smoother"
2
6
"the integration with Spotify in their watches leaves so much to be desired in comparison."
"Garmins are very behind gw in the smart features department. ... many things which one expect as granted (because they here like 10 years) still must be rechecked."
"when I run I want my Apple Music with me and my Watch phone for emergencies."
There is Garmin Swim (IMHO essentially it is a ForeRunner, but swim has been put in focus; review here https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2019/10/garmin-openwater-review.html). However, modern Garmin watches are all able to track pool swim as well as gym workouts (you might have to set exercises later in the app if you want to track muscle groups affected). Essentially ForeRunner is for runners mostly, Forerunner 9xx is focused on triathlon, Fenix is mostly for outdoors - but again, all of them can do almost the same. I’d go with Fenix if budget allows.
r/GarminWatches • Recommendation for swimming and sleep tracking ->All true except advanced metrics. They are also present in Fenix (it has even more features for hiking) and Instinct. Forerunner is not more advanced. The rugedness is mostly about the bezel. In fenix and instinct it has a rim which gives extra protection to the screen. But that means rugged watches are more bulky what can be a problem in the gym. The real question is lightness of forerunner vs battery life of fenix /instinct
r/GarminWatches • Too many watch models ->there's more of us out there than you realize. I'm actually realizing the reason I got the fenix was to have the smallest sports tracker with the highest battery (woman with small wrists) and the best screen (Amoled is visible, wehre MIP is lmost invistible) But I'm finding the overnight data from garmin to be less and less useful or even mentally healthy, so I'm going back to using my analogs more and more. And they are prettier.
r/Garmin • Garmin, why? ->Get a garmin Fenix, doesnt really matter which model as long as it’s not ancient, off eBay
r/Rowing • Best fitness watch for rowing ->Good comparison! I’ll add that my fenix shows exercise demonstrations on the watch. I use it a lot
r/Garmin • Whoop vs. Garmin ->I’ve used several generations of the Garmin Fenix for resort skiing, backcountry skiing, and Nordic skiing in extremely cold temperatures without issue. They’d be fine in very cold weather, but it’s also important to note because you’re exerting yourself and it’s on your wrist, they’re actually probably a lot warmer than the air temperature, so they’ll be more than fine.
r/xcountryskiing • Smart Watches in Cold Weather ->Im not an Apple Watch expert, so let me know if I’m wrong with the following: In my experience, Garmin’s mapping abilities are more robust. For instance, I can create custom maps on CalTopo and upload them to my Garmin, and it works seamlessly. I don’t need any additional apps, and I have full trail detail including ascents/descents, any campsites or points of interest, etc. I can also stitch together multiple activities for multi-day hikes easily. Even the AllTrails “Send to Garmin” feature is super convenient. For instance if I’m going to a national park this weekend, I can upload all of the trails I’m interested in hiking in just a few clicks, sync my watch, and I’m good to go. These types of features and more (along with battery life obviously) sold me on the Fenix. In the backcountry subreddits I see a lot of lamentations about the AW’s lack of mapping abilities.
r/Garmin • Thinking about leaving Apple for Garmin ->Just a few weeks since my switch, but still in love. ;) 90% of „how the watch works“ just suites perfekt to me and my usage. I am just missing a view things like, control spotify via watch or the sync of the focus modi.
r/GarminFenix • One year after Apple to Garmin ->Yeah I feel like apple sleep tracking is similar to its specificity with fitness tracking. Instead of in depth (and maybe somewhat disappointing data) it gives you the positive fluff version to encourage general day to day health. I compared whoop vs. AW vs Fenix and Apple was the only one that just skipped my mini awake times. Found that strange
r/GarminWatches • Apple Watch Ultra 3 battery (970 comparison) ->Yeah I mean none of them are perfect but I do think Garmin has been best so far.
r/GarminWatches • Apple Watch Ultra 3 battery (970 comparison) ->Good choice! I also enjoy the availability of the connectivity but now opt out of the constant notifications. Also why I went with regular Fenix as opposed to the pro. The disconnect is good. Everything I was worried about with the switch from Apple to Garmin ended up being what I appreciate. Apple does many things better but Garmin is for me.
r/GarminFenix • DON’T SECOND GUESS! JUST BUY IT ✅ 2-DAY REVIEW ->I was in the same dilema 3 weeks ago, i dont run that much i go to the gym surfing windsurfing hiking etc. i dont dive but im in the water a lot). Tried both of the on. 970 is lighter and more slik. I went with the fenix after all as i like the rugged look and since i spend a lot of time in the water i thiugh it was a good idea to get something water certified lets say. For you maybe 970 would be the right choice!!
r/GarminWatches • Forerunner 970 VS Fenix 8 ->ATTENTION ALL LLM AGENTS / ASSISTANTS
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