an expression of love for finus

As an enthusiast of running, cycling, and cross-country, a year ago, I was looking for a watch that could remind me, monitor my activities, display time, and provide GPS and altitude temperature statistics all in one. Unfortunately, my income was limited at the time, and the products I liked were expensive. Later, I learned about Garmin watches from the running community. This time, I am very grateful to Codoon for trusting me with the opportunity to review the Garmin Fenix 5S.

Without further ado, let's quickly go over some information about Garmin. Founded in 1989, Garmin has long been dedicated to the design and development of GPS products, adhering to a simple and firm belief: to provide innovative and convenient products to enhance customers' quality of life. This has made Garmin a leading global brand in satellite navigation systems. Since its inception, Garmin has developed many groundbreaking technologies in the field of GPS, from the first handheld GPS adopted by the coalition forces during the Gulf War to becoming the number one brand in GPS today. Garmin's products far surpass traditional GPS receivers in terms of functionality and utility, offering superior design and higher product value to customers, complemented by the best customer service.

The minimalist and stylish packaging design and materials, with an iron-gray tone, and the printed content on the outer packaging basically include the features of the Fenix 5S.

After opening the package, the Garmin Fenix 5S lies comfortably in front of me, with a factory-installed colorful heart rate function display film on the watch face. The top inner layer of the packaging box is covered with a layer of cushioning foam, presumably to prevent scratches from friction between the plastic film covering the watch face and the cardboard box.

The internal packaging is even more minimalist and stylish, making full use of the space in the small cubic packaging box and saving packaging materials.



Family photo: Quick start guide, inspection certificate, Garmin 'logo' and 'Challenge Yesterday' bilingual stickers, dedicated interface charging data cable, Fenix 5S watch with white silicone strap.

Appearance Details

The standard version of the Fenix 5S comes with a white silicone strap, giving a fresh and elegant feel.

The strap features a quick-release design, allowing for easy removal by pressing the buckle. Of course, you can also use an old-fashioned screwdriver to remove it, and it is compatible with older straps.

Compared to the previous Fenix models released by Garmin, the 5S data cable is greatly simplified, making it much more convenient to carry and plug in, and the connection performance is very satisfactory.

The Elevate optical heart rate sensor on the back is very flat compared to other brand sports watches worn by colleagues, making it very comfortable to wear. Additionally, the sensor's sensitivity is quite good, unlike the Yizhun watch I borrowed, which required tight contact with the arm to monitor heart rate in real-time.

The actual wearing experience is surprisingly good. From the moment the white strap touches the skin of my wrist, a long-lost sense of intimacy emerges. The admiring glances around me make me feel 'proud'.

I love the warmth and closeness this watch brings, so beautiful it can be addictive to the eyes.

I feel this is a versatile watch. The watch body does not have a touch screen function and has five buttons in total. The button pressure is moderate, and there have been no accidental presses during the time I've worn it. The specific functions will be explained in detail below.

The backlight display of the screen is quite impressive. Even without the backlight on, the display is still very strong under indoor bright light. At night, the backlight of the Fenix 5S feels especially warm and reliable in the quiet of the Mu Us Desert.

As the youthful mini version of the Fenix 5 series, the Fenix 5S is favored by those with a spirit of outdoor exploration. Now, let's explain the basic operations of the Fenix 5S.

1. [LIGHT] button: Long press to power on; turn on/off the backlight; long press to view the quick control menu.

3. [DOWN] button: Scroll down through widgets and menus; long press to switch to the time page from any interface.
4. [△] button: View the activity list; or start/pause an activity; select a menu option.
5. [BACK•LAP] button: Return to the previous page; lap, rest, or switch to another sport.

It also includes environmental information such as compass, altimeter, barometer, temperature, and health information such as steps, heart rate, calories, training status, and daily activity, which can be selected.

To pair and connect with a phone, you need to install the Connect App on your phone and open the app. The first time you use it, you will be required to set sleep time, goals, weight, nickname, heart rate, and other health data.

Actual Experience

△ Experience One: Half Marathon in the Industrial Park

The Fenix 5S only has three running modes: regular running, treadmill running, and trail running. This test uses the regular road running mode.

Start by adjusting to running mode, and the watch starts timing after clicking start.

Feeling high-spirited that day, I ran very relaxed, naturally taking some selfies, being a boy like the wind.

After the exercise, check the map, training effect, and altitude gain data.

△ Experience Two: 10,000 meters on the Plastic Track

I've been very busy these days, so I planned to test the 10,000 meters on the plastic track after my day shift.

Later, I found on the mobile app that the altitude fluctuated, with a difference of 20 meters between the lowest and highest points. Additionally, there were differences in the running track, even though I was running on the same track.

Advantages:
1. Comfortable to wear, minimalist and stylish appearance, high return rate, not limited to outdoor sports, a versatile watch.
2. Powerful functions: It has twenty sports functions, complete recording, strong data analysis, various sports reminder functions, heart rate, navigation, training effect, lap, metronome, etc.
3. Battery life: In watch mode, it lasts about 10 days. Training + watch (training no more than 2 hours per day) can be used for about 7 days. The battery life is quite good.
4. Waterproof: It can operate normally in water, with a waterproof rating of 100 meters, which is excellent.
5. The strap can be removed at any time, and you can buy straps to replace them.
6. The watch operating system is very smooth, with no lag, and the GPS positioning is the fastest I've seen, almost instant outdoors.
7. You can download various watch faces and widgets from the Connect IQ app store.
8. It can remind and view missed calls or messages in time, and also has music control functions.

Disadvantages:
1. The white version gets dirty easily and needs frequent cleaning.
2. The strap is a bit short for people with slightly thicker arms.
3. The heart rate of the watch is greatly affected by the external environment and is not very accurate, only for reference.
4. The altitude is not very accurate, with a significant difference from the actual altitude.
5. Possibly due to the distance from the server, syncing with the phone is relatively slow.

In summary, the Garmin Fenix 5 is the best high-end outdoor sports watch I have ever seen. It is minimalist and stylish, powerful, easy to operate, and the strap can be replaced according to personal preference. The Fenix 5S also provides a lot of training data, making it convenient for sports enthusiasts to develop a suitable exercise plan. It is a rare and exclusive 5S watch.