Garmin - fenix 3 Sapphire
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Reddit Reviews:
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Based on 1 year's data from Feb 24, 2026 How it works
Liked most:
31
2
"I bought the Fenix 3 probably 7 years ago (it was used then) and it still works very well! ... Very durable ... it still works so well."
"The first lasted me 6 years, and I've had the second for 1 or so."
"near indestructible"
26
1
"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."
"Battery life is super important to me. I do ultras so having 24+ hours of gps is necessary."
"My 43mm Fenix with Dual gps, Garmin live track, always on screen still had juice for up to 20-25 hours of running."
24
8
"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"
"Trail running so I can load the route onto my garmin and navigate without carrying phone for 50km"
"use the map function ... I love being able to track my hikes and use the map function"
8
0
"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."
"The red light on the Fenix line is AMAZING. ... I use it every single night multiple times as it makes walking around at night super easy and not at all straining on the eyes. ... Honestly, it might be my "I'm not giving up this watch for e.g. an Apple watch, ever" feature."
"My watch has a flashlight, which I also use daily."
Disliked most:
2
6
"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."
"the integration with Spotify in their watches leaves so much to be desired in comparison."
"when I run I want my Apple Music with me and my Watch phone for emergencies."
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
4
"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"
"HR inaccurate at times and often delayed (which sucked during interval workouts)"
"Wrist heart rate is nice and easy, but too inaccurate for training."
0
12
"watch is big, heavy etc and few times damaged my wrist also"
"It feels double the weight of my 965 and bulkier as well"
"it is heavier and chunkier ... my wife would never wear a fenix/epix due to the size."
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"
pasco356 1.0Fenix 3 (no HR) still gets some time on the wrist now and then when I feel nostalgic. Battery lasts about 5-7 days. https://preview.redd.it/advrns6bcekf1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fd8815430270b08c1211bfb2ed69c237f8164b57
Working-Letter7008 1.0Are you doing freestyle? I only ask because I got a Garmin Fenix 3 sapphire for $120 CAD on marketplace. It keeps track of laps very well if you're doing freestyle. But if you're doing other strokes it kinda messes it up. You can adjust the settings to 25m or 50m depending on the pool. I ended up keeping track of laps in my head because I wasn't swimming that far and using the stopwatch.
coachdad6676 0.4Garmins are amazing. I bought the Fenix 3 probably 7 years ago (it was used then) and it still works very well! Very durable and lots of options. I’d like to upgrade mine but it still works so well. They have other good options as well but I’ve just used the Fenix series
Some of us usually have our phone for all of the above and don’t use the watch for that. We are old dinosaurs. I’ve had a garmin Fenix 3 for 6+ years that can do those things and I have not ever used it for the things you mentioned that aren’t workout related.
DualPassions 0.4i had my fenix 3 since 2013: * battery life is so good. i can still get 10-15 days on a charge (no gps) or about 15 hours continuous outdoor cycling (with gps) * extremely tough (i had the fenix 3 since 2013, no scratches on the glass, just minor scratches and disoloration on the bezel) * does what it is supposed to do
herlzvohg 0.4I got a Felix 3 in 2018 that I replaced earlier this year and it was still only needing charges weekly, maybe twice a week if I did some real long bike rides
HV_Conditions 0.4I use a garmin fenix 3. Works great. Make sure to get the sapphire glass. It’s basically indestructible.
Illustrious-Ape 0.4I’m getting like ~36 hours charge out of mine. No it doesn’t have the battery life of the Fenix but I get basically a fully charge while I’m in the shower/changing so I don’t think it’s going to be issue.
I literally did the same thing with my fenix 3/6 and tactix but being able to run without a phone and still have access to emergency services or family through the watch is far superior than battery life during my 20-25 hours/week training.
You have to realize that the Garmin Reddit community is a bunch of fan boys and will fail to consider any rational argue ment against the product. Garmin has its pros and its cons. AWU has its pros and its cons. You need to choose what works best for you. I personally switched from Garmin Fenix (3 models over a decade) to AWU3 simply because the benefit of battery life doesn’t outweigh mobile capability. I no longer need to run or ride with a phone for emergencies. I get all the same training functionality that I find useful from the Garmin through apps which are imo better than Garmins. Only downside on AWU is the lack of buttons as it relies on touch screen. If someone’s says “battery” they’re probably idiots as they’re most likely desk warriors and not back packing the wilderness for weeks at a time.
--ipseDixit-- 0.48 years from my Fenix 3! Fenix 6 going strong now.
k4kobe 0.4All good. I think end of the day, different watch for different needs! There’s pro and con to both. I went from garmin fenix 3? To Apple watch n now forerunner 965. Fenix too bulky n I liked the Apple Watch enough but the battery was an issue for me. Note I’m in happy medium with the forerunner
mars_soup 0.4I went with the Garmin Fenix series. They are great for anything you can ever want to do activity wise, and they last. My coworker still has his Fenix 3 and uses it everyday. I’d get the latest and greatest so that it lasts the longest. Fenix 8 sapphire Solar in whichever size you like.
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