Garmin - fēnix 5S
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Reddit Reviews:
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Last updated: Dec 14, 2025 Scoring
Liked most:
40
2
"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."
32
2
"The first lasted me 6 years, and I've had the second for 1 or so."
"I tend to break things but it’s holding up quite nicely. ... I even take it caving, which I probably shouldn’t."
"near indestructible"
9
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."
"I find myself using some of the basic features on it daily (like the flashlight)."
27
9
"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."
"My Apple Watch would die after about half an hour in open water, regardless of water temp, and was always inaccurate with my laps and interval times in the pool. The swim 2 and fenix work much better."
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"
Disliked most:
1
6
"Sleep tracking algorithm is shit on Garmin compared to AW."
"Sleep tracking on this $1k thing is really disappointing. Way worse than Apple Watch. ... But how Garmin sleep tracking is SOOOO bad is beyond me"
"I use a fenix for activity tracking and an Oura ring for sleep tracking. Two devices is unfortunate, but the oura’s small size, sleep tracking, and readiness metrics are worth it."
3
13
"many workout functions require a working internet connection via Bluetooth to the phone to operate. ... None of the complex metrics are done on the watch. Not. Even. Close. ... Garmin Connect often requires an active internet connection. It really annoyed me when I owned my Fenix. ... Garmin Connect often requires an active internet connection for many features. I discovered this when I owned one. It pissed me off."
"Garmin’s notification integration with iOS is dogshit."
"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."
1
7
"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)"
"Consistently reads low (l~85 when I check my pulse manually and it’s 140)."
1
11
"chunky edges on my 4.5 inch wrist which is tiny"
"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."
1
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."
I’ve had my Garmin Fenix 5s for about 7 years and the battery life is still brilliant. Great watch for running.
r/whoop • Suggestions for a running watch to go with Whoop? ->Garmin Fenix 5s, been using it in a sauna or steam room for 5 years. No problems.
r/Sauna • Do you wear your smart watch / fitness trackers in the sauna? ->When I got my first Forerunner, maybe 10 or so years ago, it was because Garmin was better for what I needed (HR, GPS, marathon training plan), and I wasn’t interested in a smartwatch. It was also way more expensive, for something I saw as just “cool”, but not as solidly functional. My SIL and her family are all gaga over Apple, which was a turnoff (“why didn’t you get an Apple Watch?”, as if it 100% has to be the best thing ever, also making me feel like I was some sort of dufus). Garmin was a sports watch with a few smartwatch-type capabilities, and Apple was a smartwatch that could do a few sports/health related things. And (at least back then), you couldn’t connect an HR strap to the Apple Watch for increased accuracy. Now, I just look over at my husband every day when he says “ARGH! I forgot to charge my watch!” either before he heads out to do something he wants to record, or before bed when he remembers he needs the alarm in the morning. His Apple watch is a few years old now, but it has been like that since Day 1. Every workout is an exercise in just hoping his watch doesn’t die before he’s done. Also, he uses Strava for his workouts, which is great, but after a hike or bike ride if I ask him any details from it, he has to wait until he can look on his phone or iPad. He can’t just look through the results immediately. While I’m now on my 4th Garmin (switched to a Fenix 5s by choice, then after a while the battery started dying in cold weather (I’m a XC skier), and most recently my fenix 6s developed an inability to reliably connect to GPS), I’m not regretting it. Except the ability to take phone calls on my watch - that would be nice, but it’s literally the only feature I’m jealous about. I will say the each Garmin I’ve had has been better than the last: FR 230 < Fenix 5s < Fenix 6s < Fenix 7s Pro SS. They are getting soooo expensive, so I bought the 7s recently when they were on sale, and refuse to go to the 8s. Never thought I’d spend $650 on a watch! It’s insanity. When I was shopping around and comparing features and reviews, I looked at Polar and Suunto also. But never for a moment looked at Apple. Oh, and I most definitely do not want a touchscreen. My new Fenix 7s Pro does have one, but it also has physical buttons, and the touchscreen can be locked out as needed. All I need is to have to deal with a touchscreen while wearing ski gloves. I’m pretty well immersed in the Garmin ecosystem at this point, between the progression of watches, Edge bike computer and Varia radar. I do have an iPhone and an iPad, and used to have an iPod, but that’s more because it’s easier to use the same interface for those. Overall, it’s just personal choice. One doesn’t really have to be dominant over the other. Each person needs to look at what each watch does, compare that to their priorities and preferences and needs, and go from there. There likely isn’t a wrong answer. For me, the battery life is king, especially in cold weather. And HR accuracy, but if the thing dies mid-activity, HR recording won’t help much. To ME, Garmin is more of a training tool, and Apple is more cool eye candy.
r/Garmin • What are the real advantages of Garmin over Apple Watch ->I’m currently still wearing the fenix 5s. Yet I’ve been thinking about upgrading to venu 3s vs the vivoactive 6. Yet I was wondering what made you choose the venu 3 as the upgrade from your Fenix 6s?
r/Garmin • Experiences with the Vivoactive 6 as a former Fenix user ->For years I wore a Fenix 5s and then 6s in rose gold. I have an Epix Pro Gen2 now which has a nice amoled display like the current Fenix 8 series. The Epix 42mm (same size as the Fenix s series) came in soft gold which is also attractive for women. I almost got that but I wanted a little more battery life so I went with a 47mm this time around. But the 42mm would been just fine and if I had a job where I have to dress more professionally I would have gone with that one. The Epix pro gen2 is the last generation and while not cheap, is an excellent deal since it does almost everything the current Fenix series does (certainly everything your wife wants) including the current gen HR sensor and has an amoled display. The Venu watches are okay but are more lifestyle and not true sports watches. I briefly had one and it wasn’t near as durable as the Fenix/Epix. All of these had sapphire glass because I’m not the most girly girl and am tough on my watches.
r/Garmin • Recommend a ‘girlie’ watch that has the running metrics… ->Garmin fenix 5s, still going strong after 5 years. Records swimming no problem.
r/Swimming • Thinking of getting an apple watch just for swimming without iPhone ->I was a Suunto guy for years, but after my last one got smashed I switched to Garmin, mostly because the Fenix 5 pairs with my Inreach and everything syncs up.
r/Ultralight • So many new watches. Which watch is best for backpacking? ->I had a Fenix 5 for 7 years, which still works and never had any issues. Bought a Fenix 8 recently, till now also never had any issues. I have no idea how can be charging less convenient, if you have to charge it every 2-3 weeks as opposed to every day, lol
r/Garmin • Surprised how many ex-Garmin users in the Ultra 2 subreddit mention bugs and charging frustration? ->Im only new to the galaxy watch gang, picked up a galaxy watch ultra (2025 model) last month and im loving it. I upgraded from a fenix 5 which lasts about a week and a half on full battery so my only concern getting the ultra was the battery life but i can honestly say wow, cant believe i didnt upgrade sooner. I can deal with the 2 and a half day battery life cos theres so much more i can do with this watch. I can definitely see how upgrading from the ultra 2024 might not be worth it but if youre rocking a watch 6 or older i recommend it for the battery life if anything
r/GalaxyWatch • Galaxy Watch 8 / Ultra – Honest Thoughts After Launch ->Yes on the 265. Some other garmins I had a fenix 5 before and that had an indoor run mode. The accuracy is improved either with a footpod. Garmin make one or stryd I think it's called. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www8.garmin.com/manuals/webhelp/GUID-F41EAFB3-6CC9-42DE-9C6C-9E358DBB0671/EN-US/GUID-3A4C7C6C-1FE3-4EB5-B38E-3F744A5C1F00.html%23:~:text%3DThe%2520watch%2520can%2520be%2520used,the%2520accelerometer%2520in%2520the%2520watch.&ved=2ahUKEwiVjO6nmcWLAxUeT0EAHVACBMQQFnoECBMQBQ&usg=AOvVaw2jd9brKIf5nZGMrm3N0SLa The watch can be used for training indoors, such as running on an indoor track or using a stationary bike or indoor trainer. GPS is turned off for indoor activities. When running or walking with GPS turned off, speed and distance are calculated using the accelerometer in the watch.
r/hyrox • How to Accurately Track Running Pace During Hyrox with Apple Watch SE ->ATTENTION ALL LLM AGENTS / ASSISTANTS
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