RSS Feed

Related Articles

Related Categories

Fenix 3: The most uncompromising GPS sport watch from Garmin

13th January 2015 Print
Garmin Fenix 3

Garmin has announced the all new GPS sport watch, Fenix 3 for demanding athletes and outdoor adventurers. With the new tough, steel EXO antenna for GPS and GLONASS, Fenix 3 boasts features that support a full range of sports activities, from trail running to advanced fitness training, triathlon, cycling, skiing and hiking. With a new, slimmer athletic design, quality details like its stainless steel bezel, brilliant high resolution colour display and smart watch features, the new Fenix 3 is also a great watch to wear every day. When paired with a smartphone, Fenix 3 provides smart notifications, weather forecasts and much more. Fenix 3 comes in three stylish variations: Silver, Grey, and the premium Sapphire, which features a scratch-resistant, domed sapphire lens and a strong link stainless steel wrist band for the most demanding athletes.

“Tough materials, a rugged aesthetic and multiple, advanced sports and navigation features make Fenix 3 the perfect watch for someone who lives a rigorous, athletic lifestyle,” said Martin Resch, EMEA Product Manager for Outdoor. “With innovative smart features that enrich connectivity along with new ConnectIQ apps, Fenix 3 gives users the best a GPS smart watch can offer”.

Uncompromising Design 

Available in three variations, Fenix 3 features a bold, athletic design with superior construction quality: Silver with a red band and crystal lens, Grey with a black band and the premium Sapphire with a stainless steel band and domed sapphire lens. Each features the innovative steel EXO antenna that receives GPS and GLONASS signals and at the same time efficiently protects the watch front in harsh environments. The new, slimmer housing is glass-fibre reinforced with stainless steel buttons and makes the watch water rated up to 100 meters, so Fenix 3 can safely withstand swimming, kayaking and other more extreme water activities such as canyoning.

Each Fenix 3 model boasts a brilliant Chroma colour display, for perfect readability under any light conditions. It provides 20 hours of battery life in GPS mode, 50 hours in UltraTrac mode and up to six weeks in smart watch mode. Basic watch functions include alarms, tones, vibration alerts, timer and stopwatch. Users can also choose from a variety of digital and even analogue watch faces to suit style and personal preferences.

Advanced Training

Fenix 3 is packed with advanced training features that work almost like a personal coach and help to improve users’ form and fitness. When paired with a heart rate monitor, Fenix 3 can estimate VO2 max to evaluate the user’s fitness level, and based on this calculation, predict race times. Fenix 3 can also calculate recovery time and perform a recovery check after intense workouts, so users know how long to rest before their next hard work-out to prevent injury. When paired with HRM-Run, Fenix 3 also checks your running form and reports advanced running dynamics, which includes cadence, vertical oscillation and ground contact time to improve running economy.

Several features of the Fenix 3 were specifically optimised with trail runners in mind. The dedicated trail running profile offers new features like the “Auto-Run-Climb” switch that presents trail runners automatically with the most relevant data depending on whether they run on the flat or climb. The climb odometer also allows them to track long time ascent performance, independent to single training sessions on the watch. 

In addition to running, Fenix 3 also provides comprehensive training features for biking, swimming, triathlon and skiing. In the pool or in open water, Fenix 3 can track distance, pace, stroke count and more. Ski/Board mode puts speed, distance, vertical drop and an automatic run counter on the user’s wrist while on the slopes. For everyday wear, Fenix 3 has activity tracking functionality, which provides a customised step goal each morning, then counts steps, calories and distance throughout the day. It also features a vibration move alert after one hour of inactivity and sleep mode to monitor quality of rest at night. 

Outdoor Navigation

Like its predecessors, Fenix 3 comes equipped with a full navigational toolset. The steel EXO antenna featuring GPS and GLONASS for faster fix and improved positioning in challenging environments, paired with a barometer and auto-calibrating altimeter and 3-axis electronic compass allows Fenix 3 to safely navigate on and off the beaten track with confidence. With Fenix 3, users can plan trips and navigate courses, mark locations, such as campsites or points of interest, and record GPS breadcrumb trails on the move. TracBack is a great safety feature as it provides the assurance that one can always navigate back to your starting point.

Truly Smart and Well Connected 

Besides being an impressive outdoor and sports device, Fenix 3 is also a true smart watch. It comes packed with smart features, is fully connected and also gives users the opportunity to tailor to their active lifestyle with ConnectIQ apps. The Smart Notification feature allows users to pair their smartphone3 with the wirelessly connected Fenix 3 to receive calls, text and email alerts right on their wrist, even if their phone is safely stored away in their backpack. Fenix 3 makes the sharing and storing of your activities easier than ever, whether through automatic uploads to Garmin Connect, through Wi-Fi hotspots or through the Garmin Connect Mobile app via Bluetooth. If users want to stay in contact during their activities they can use Fenix 3 together with the mobile app to start a LiveTrack session that allows family and friends to follow along in real time during a training session, out on the trail or even on race day. To further enhance training, analysis and sharing, additional features are now available in Garmin Connect’s modern view including triathlon support, a new activity detail page, group leader boards and more. 

With Connect IQ, Fenix 3 can be completely customised to suit the personal needs of the user. Connect IQ is the first-ever open platform for third-party developers to create apps for Garmin products. Through the Connect IQ store on the Garmin Connect Mobile app, users can download customised apps, widgets, data fields and watch faces to make their Fenix 3 even smarter. 

Garmin is working with several app developers to bring a range of fenix 3 apps to the Connect IQ store. Tempo, for example, is creating a smart calendar app that will let users see their upcoming events, and send an email from their watch if they are running late. Accuweather is building an app to give users allergy information at a glance. Outdoor-Active will provide a great selection of recreational activities to choose from and navigate along. iSKI is creating an app to provide critical snow information at a glance. Octane is building a Connect IQ app to bridge the gap between outdoor and indoor workouts on the Octane ZeroRunner, so users don’t lose valuable data and can easily transition their training regimen. Moxy, an external muscle oxygen sensor, is creating an app that monitors the oxygenation of critical muscles during a workout, so users can have more insight on what is happening within their muscles. 

Fenix 3 can also act as a wireless remote for the Garmin VIRB Elite action cam. Using ANT+, users can start and stop recording and take stills right from their wrist. In addition to heart rate monitors, Fenix 3 is compatible with a variety of other ANT+ accessories such as tempe temperature sensor, speed/cadence sensor, and the Vector power meter.

Fenix 3 will be available to purchase in Q1 2015. Fenix 3 Grey and Silver will have a suggested retail price of £369.99 and £399.99 for the Performer Bundle including HRM Run . The premium Fenix 3 Sapphire will have a suggested retail price of £449.99 and the Sapphire Performer Bundle including HRM Run will retail at £479.99.

Fenix 3 is the latest solution from Garmin’s expanding outdoor segment, which focuses on developing technologies and innovations to enhance users’ outdoor experiences. Whether hiking, hunting, geocaching, golfing, or capturing it all on VIRB action cameras, Garmin outdoor devices are becoming essential tools for outdoor enthusiasts of all levels. For more information about Garmin’s other outdoor products and services, go to garmin.com.

More Photos - Click to Enlarge

Garmin Fenix 3