GARMIN fēnix 3 HR

Ultimate all-rounder

I’VE BEEN A sportswatch fanboy for more than a decade now, since a Garmin Forerunner 301 completely sold me on the idea of GPS tracking combined with heart rate monitoring. With its latest flagship wearable, though, the company has managed to cram so many more functions into a device still capable of being worn on the wrist that it constitutes a minor miracle.

The fēnix 3 was introduced at this year's CES. It's the latest in the line of watches aimed, initially, at Gps-focused outdoorsy types like hikers and climbers. Now, while retaining those outdoors features, the fēnix is more of a genuine sports watch, albeit that it's listed on Garmin's website under “Outdoors”.

Dedicated activity profiles include indoor and outdoor options for running, golf (40 000 courses worldwide pre-programmed!), biking, swimming, plus triathlon, golf and even standup paddling (track your stroke rate). There are two options available, the fēnix 3 Sapphire HR with high-strength sapphire lens and the fēnix 3 Silver HR with glass lens.

What makes the fēnix 3 a significant improvement on previous models is that it does away with the need for a separate heart rate monitor strap. It uses Garmin's own Elevate optical HR sensor, which features in some devices in the Forerunner and Vivo ranges. Straight away, that eliminates a bugbear with conventional sport watches: the need to wear an HR sensor strap, as well as premature failure of that sensor.

Whether the replacement technology does any better remains to be seen. What's not in doubt is that the Elevate sensor, located on the back of the watch, does an acceptable job. On several runs with the fēnix 3 I didn't experience any HRM dropouts of note. What's worth bearing in mind is the need, before you set off, to ensure that the HRM is actually registering. It's a bit like ensuring that your device is locked on to GPS satellites, only a lot quicker – it takes just seconds. Once locked on to your heart rate, it will indicate this via the display.

The sensor doesn't pick up HR data while swimming, though – you'll need a strap. And if you use it on a bike mount, you will need to pick up heart rate wirelessly using an ANT+ HRM strap. However, the fēnix allows you to rebroadcast your HR using ANT+, to compatible devices – if you're riding your bike while using a Garmin Edge bike computer at the same time as you are wearing your fēnix 3 HR, you should be able to read HR data on the Edge.

A clever touch is that it is able to monitor heart rate throughout the day. Not constantly,

though: accelerometers to detect how active you are and HR check frequency increases or decreases accordingly. There's also an Intensity Minutes feature based on the activity goal of half an hour of elevated heart-rate exercise daily – the kind of metric increasingly required by wellness programmes.

Although at first a little bulky on the wrist, and at 90 grams not super-light, for short runs under 10 kilometres the fēnix 3 feels comfortable. It's styled like a traditional wristwatch, with a flat back and so it's perhaps not ergonomically ideal for the, er, smallboned. The stretchy rubber strap does offer good grip on the skin, but after a while I find a clamminess builds up that feels uncomfortable. The profile of the back of the watch has a distinct bulge where the HR sensor protrudes, though there's no pressure as such where the sensor rests on the skin.

In addition to being used as a sportswatch, the fēnix 3 HR can be worn all day long as a timepiece. But it's a lot more than that. Smartwatch functionality means that it can connect to your mobile device using Bluetooth to provide alerts and, relay notifications from popular apps including Facebook and Tapatalk. It can pull in weather data, for instance, and display this graphically and in detail. It's possible to customise the watch by downloading free watch faces, apps and widgets, too.

Activity tracking is also built in: you can monitor everything from sleep patterns to the amount of steps you take in day, as the popular fitbands do. Download the Garmin Connect app and you then integrate into a world of data analysis, social networking and even competitive activity comparisons with a community of like-minded individuals.

Having managed to get initial set-up accomplished without recourse to the manual (including setting up a profile and selecting an activity) I realised that there were some actions, such as synching, that needed at least the quick start pamphlet. There's an online manual for those whose patience with incorrect button-pushing runs out. And, of course, there are so many features on the fēnix 3 that this is one manual you will need to read eventually, anyway.

Among the more in-depth metrics available on the fēnix is Running Dynamics, for instance. That tracks your style and efficiency of running, as well as VO2 Max, Recovery Advisor and Race Predictor.

The fēnix 3 HR will run for up to two weeks on a charge if you limit GPS and HRM use, which brings me to another gripe: yet another dedicated fiddly Garmin charging cradle for one specific device. In the (sigh) good old days you could get by with a mini-usb plug for just about everything. – Anthony Doman

TEST NOTES

Multisport enthusiasts who take part in a variety of pursuits will certainly find the fēnix 3 just what the doctor ordered. If they're at the elite level in specific sports they may want something more focused or dedicated, at a more affordable price.

However, if you're an all-rounder who demands the finest sports watch that money can buy and want it all in one device, then look no further. The best all-round activity watch in the world? As of now, that's the Garmin fēnix 3.