[Closed] Garmin Fenix 4 - anyone know when (if) it'll be out?

Based on, (a) it only came out 6 months ago and, (b) was a big upgrade of the fenix 2 (not just an Apple style minor iteration), I'd guess you could be waiting a while.

Is it only that long!? Ah ok then, I thought I'd heard of a new version which was expected to be out this year and going on my previous luck where I seem to buy the latest phone or gadget only to find a new one comes out the following week I thought I'd check 😉

Thanks.

Don't know but my fenix 2 is fantastic bit of kit

Hopefully not until theyve managed to fix all the bugs in the fenix 3 firmwarr.

Its a great device,but garmims testing is woeful. Every release fixes a load of bugs, but also introduces a load of significant new ones

yeah I'm kind of just hoping and assuming they'll sort out the bugs.

I don't think I'd expect a V4 for a while yet.
There's a thread about it on the [url= https://forums.garmin.com/showthread.php?318748-Garmin-Fenix-4 ]Garmin Forum[/url], but it's kinda wandered off into a wish list now.

I got my F3 pretty much at release, and I've never had any problems with it at all. The current FW (5.00) feels pretty mature - there's also a rolling beta program alongside it for people who can live with potential issues vs getting the very latest FW - that seems to be working pretty well too.

Garmin have only just released a couple of new colours of the F3 too, a white carcass & kinda gold bezel version, and a grey and silver one on a heavy leather strap.

The current FW (5.00) feels pretty mature

You're joking right? I've had mine since launch too, and fw5.0 is the worst yet . absolutely massive battery drain at random times, ie can be working fine for a week (using something like 3% battery per 24 hours), then for no apparent reason suddenly starts using up battery at a rate of 5% per hour. a reboot fixes it for a while ,can be fine for a few hours or a few days, but it'll be back.

Not impressed , would think twice about buying another Garmin device in the future. The hardware is very nice, but the software development team/testers need some lessons in devloping robust software.

I'd wait for the Fenix 5. That'll be better. Or maybe the 6.........

Seriously though, my Fenix 3 seems to work well. It does everything I need it to do plus a ton of stuff I don't need. Can't really think of any additional features I'd need.

Suunto traverse?

I've had an ambit for a few years: 1 through to 3, and haven't had an issue with firmware or hardware. Heart belt snapped once, dodgy gluing but replaced straightaway at Cotswold Outdoor.

The online software isn't the best but it syncs neatly up to Strava etc so it's not an issue.

I love my F3, but the firmware is awful. They seem to have been given the brief to get more functions in, at the expense of making sure the current ones work correctly. I'd also argue that the user interface is dreadful, although that is subjective to some degree.

In one recent upgrade, the alarm clock just stopped alarming. As I use it as an alarm clock this annoyed me somewhat, so much so that I contacted Garmin!

It does look nice though, which can't be said about almost all of the competition.

Just wondering, what's the appeal of the Fenix and similar wrist-worn GPS devices? I get the convenience of having a GPS on your wrist, but which of the other myriad features do people actually use and is Garmin's user interface any more intuitive on their watches than on their hand-held GPS units?

I've been using a borrowed Suunto Traverse over the weekend and while the hardware is quite impressive, the usability side of it is driving me slightly nuts.

I use my Fenix if I just want to record where I go on a ride and get some stats on speed, distance etc. That's about it really. I probably use a very small percentage of the functionality available and I expect most people would be the same.

I used to use a Polar GPS watch for the same functionality and that also worked fine. I only switched to the Fenix because I also use a Garmin Edge 810. The 810 is used for navigation mainly on the road - to follow pre-planned routes. I wanted all my ride info in one place rather than having to use the Garmin and Polar websites.

@BWD, the main appeal is that it's just a watch. You can wear it every day & not look like a triathlete.
I mainly use mine to see where I've ridden, walked or even a helicopter flight over Uluru.

Cheers for that, was just wondering. I've used a Fenix 1 and quite liked it, even for following routes in fact, but all the sport profile options and add-ons seemed interesting but not something I ever really used or got my head round.

I've also used one of the Tomtom watches and that was easier to use than either the Garmin or the Suunto and a lot lower profile too, though I guess its capabilities are more limited as a result. It could also be set up to upload to Strava directly, though I guess most can.

Ii guess I'm just wondering aloud if these wrist-worn GPSs are caught up in a typically geek-driven wave of complexity, or if people really do use all those functions. I still find most GPS devices - the Satmap is an honourable exception - slightly user hostile, which probably doesn't help.

I like my Fenix 2, but I find it a bit too bulky for Mountain Biking, so I end up chucking it in a bag. Its good for road cycling where you don't have to worry having Garmin mounts on different bikes. Ultimately they are multisport watches, I find it a great running watch, and I like being able to concoct a workout (intervals etc) and send it to the watch and go out and do it.

If you just want it to record rides, its definitely overkill. The fenix 3 looks pretty cool though, so if you just want it because its a cool gadget, why not, people pay more for Apple watches.

[i]I'd wait for the Fenix 5. That'll be better. Or maybe the 6.........
[/i]

Only 'cos I thought there was one due out soon & the software might be improved, and I'm in no great rush tbh.

I'm a bit like BWD in that I'm not sure how much I really need it (I have a Garmin 800, SatMap, full mapping on my phone and a HRM watch). I just kinda fancy having it all in one big gadgetty lump on my wrist 😉

In terms of 'activities' use the running,cycling,skiing and swimming functionality. I also find the ability to display any texts/emails/missed calls your phone has received on the watch pretty useful, and the ability to control (next track,prev track, vol up/down) the music player on my phone from the watch is handy .

I guess I use quite a lot of the functionality, it has the makings of a good device, I just wish Garmin would fix all the existing bugs before introducing more functionality, it shouldnt have been released in the state its in,it'd be considered 'beta' by a lot of other firms.

julians - Member
"The current FW (5.00) feels pretty mature"
You're joking right? 've had mine since launch too, and fw5.0 is the worst yet . absolutely massive battery drain at random times

From the reading the Garmin forum, I'm seeing that lots of people are having this issue, but once again, my particular F3 seems to be the exception. I've not noticed any real difference in battery use since installing V5.00 - nothing odd happens, it just ticks along, apparently drawing the same kinda power it seems to always use. The biggest thing I noticed with 5.00 is that activities are saved *much* quicker then they were before.

I assume I'm not seeing some of the reported issues, due to the way I have mine set up - I don't run a BT or wifi connection from mine, only ANT+ sensors (HRM & Tempe), so there are no additional power-management issues for it to deal with, just the GPSr / data-logging side of things.

I've [almost] always found Garmin stuff to work ok, I've used their marine handhelds for years with no trouble, tho' the exception is the Nuvi in the truck, which locks up constantly to the point that it's pretty much useless...
😕