Garmin’s Fenix series of multisport GPS watches have always had the reputation of being rugged and functional; probably one of the few essential pieces of equipment you’ll need if you’re into outdoor sports. So how do you make something good better? By upgrading it with heart rate monitoring capabilities and running performance metrics of course. And you’ll find that in the yet to be released Garmin Fenix 3 HR.
The Fenix 3 HR retains all the goodness we’ve come to associate with a top notch outdoor activities essential watch and ups the ante further. Garmin has slapped on their in house Elevate heart rate monitoring technology, tried and tested on both the Forerunner 235 and the Vivosmart HR, to quantify activity intensity levels without the hassle of a chest strap.
Physiological measurements such as VO2 max, recovery advisor and race predictor coupled with running metrics provided by Garmin’s HRM-Run chest strap monitor puts the Fenix 3 HR on par with the most advanced of training watches on the market now.
Beyond outdoor and running features, the Fenix 3 HR is also equipped to make better sense of sports such as swimming, ski-boarding, rowing and golf. Users can track swim laps, board speed, distance per rowing stroke, and yardage to the front, middle and back of green of downloaded courses, just to name a few capabilities.
And like the bulk of Garmin’s high end watches, the Fenix 3 is capable of displaying smart notifications such as texts and emails. Lastly, compatibility with Garmin Connect IQ also means a plethora of apps, widgets and watch faces for endless customisation.
List of features:
- EXO antenna with GPS and GLONASS
- 24/7 activity tracker
- Elevate heart rate technology
- Multi sport mode includes swimming, ski-boarding, rowing and golf
- Physiological measurements such as VO2 max and recovery advisor
- Advanced running metrics with HRM-Run chest strap monitor
- Sunlight readable Chroma display with LED backlight
- ABC (Altimeter, barometer, compass) with TracBack feature
- Water resistant to 100m
- Battery life of 2 weeks in watch mode and up to 16 hours in GPS mode
- Connect IQ compatible
- Receive smart notifications such as emails and texts
While it’s not exactly the Fenix 4, it does give Fenix die-hards something to salivate over. The Garmin Fenix 3 will be available in Q1 2016 and is priced at $599.99 for the watch only and $649.99 for the performance bundle that includes Garmin’s HRM-Run chest strap.