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Garmin fēnix 5 vs Garmin fēnix E

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

Better figure, where one is clearly better

Garminfēnix 5Garminfēnix E
Overview
ReleasedMarch 2017August 2024
Display
Case sizes47 mm47 mm
PanelMemory-in-pixelOLED
Always-on displayYesYes
Display detail1.2-inch (30.5 mm) always-on transflective colour display, 240 x 240 pixels, with button controls.33 mm (1.3 inch) AMOLED touchscreen, 416 x 416 pixels, five physical buttons; always-on option and red-shift mode.
Screen protection–Corning Gorilla Glass; no Sapphire configuration in the exact current range.
Health and fitness
ECGNoNo
Blood oxygenNoYes
Skin temperatureNoNo
Sleep apnoea alertsNoNo
High blood pressure alertsNoNo
Body compositionNoNo
Fall detectionNoNo
Crash detectionNoNo
GPSSingle-bandSingle-band
Water resistance100 m100 m
SensorsGPS, GLONASS, Garmin Elevate wrist heart rate, barometric altimeter, three-axis compass, gyroscope, accelerometer and thermometer.GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS and BeiDou; Garmin Elevate wrist heart rate, Pulse Ox, barometric altimeter, compass, gyroscope, accelerometer, thermometer and ambient-light sensor. Single-frequency GNSS, with no multi-band/SatIQ (confirmed by exact Wareable and T3 tests); maker does not number the heart-rate sensor generation in its current table.
Health featuresWrist heart rate, steps, sleep and stress tracking.Continuous heart rate and high/low alerts, respiration, Body Battery, stress, advanced sleep tracking/coach/score/alignment, breathing variations, nap detection, HRV status, Health Snapshot/Status, jet lag adviser and lifestyle logging. Current table lists smart wake alarm. Hydration and menstrual-cycle/pregnancy features use Garmin Connect and optional Connect IQ widget. Pulse Ox is not available in every country. No ECG or skin-temperature feature is listed for this exact hardware; the ambient thermometer does not establish skin-temperature tracking.
Fitness featuresRunning, cycling, pool and open-water swimming, skiing, golf and paddle-sport profiles; training status, training effect, VO2 max, recovery advisor and course/track navigation. Running dynamics require a compatible heart-rate strap.Training readiness/status, training load/focus/effect, recovery time, endurance and hill scores, VO2 max, real-time stamina, running tolerance, running dynamics/power, PacePro and ClimbPro. Running economy, step speed loss and some sensor metrics require a compatible accessory. Garmin running, cycling, strength and triathlon coaching, suggested workouts and animated strength/cardio/yoga/Pilates workouts. Triathlon auto transitions, pool/open-water swimming, cycling, climbing, skiing, golf and many other profiles. Download free regional TopoActive maps over Wi-Fi for offline navigation; dynamic round-trip routing, turn-by-turn courses, NextFork, TracBack and back-to-start. Maker table calls road/trail maps “Yes (downloadable)”; do not treat them as preinstalled. Golf courses and ski-resort maps are listed as preloaded; premium map contents require optional Outdoor Maps+ subscription.
Safety features–Incident detection during selected activities, assistance, LiveTrack and live event sharing require a compatible paired phone/connectivity. Screen flashlight lights the display; no separate LED torch. Current web safety table marks hands-free voice control, but Garmin’s Japanese launch explicitly excludes fēnix E from speaker/microphone/voice commands; that ambiguous table entry does not establish those hardware features. No dive-rated inductive buttons, depth sensor, LTE or satellite messaging.
Battery and connections
Battery life (maker's claim)Up to 14 daysUp to 16 days
In low-power mode–Up to 21 days
Mobile data optionNoNo
Works withiPhone and AndroidiPhone and Android
Storage–16 GB
Battery life detailUp to 14 days in smartwatch mode, 21 hours in GPS mode or 44 hours in UltraTrac with wrist heart rate on, according to the Singapore product specification.Up to 16 days smartwatch with gesture wake, or 6 days always-on; battery-saver watch mode 21 days. GPS-only 42 h gesture/30 h always-on; all satellite systems 32/24 h; all satellites plus music 10 h in either mode; maximum-battery GPS 75 h; expedition GPS 14 days. Headline figures use gesture-wake smartwatch and battery saver. Actual life depends on enabled features and connected sensors; no solar charging.
ChargingRechargeable lithium-ion battery.Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery. Garmin proprietary charging/data cable to USB-C computer port or AC adaptor rated at least 5 W, per September 2026 owner guide; cable is supplied.
ConnectivityANT+ and Bluetooth smartphone pairing; smart notifications, Garmin Connect and Connect IQ; phone music controls.Bluetooth, ANT+ and Wi-Fi; Garmin Connect for iPhone/Android, Connect IQ apps/watch faces, Garmin Pay with supported banks, downloaded music and supported subscription services. Smart notifications, Garmin Share and Garmin Messenger with paired phone; notification text replies/images are Android-specific. No calls through the watch speaker or offline voice commands.
Design
Weight (lightest version)85 g76 g
SoftwareGarminGarmin
Case materialsStainless steel bezel, buttons and rear case with silicone band; 10 ATM water rating.Stainless-steel bezel (natural or Slate Grey), fibre-reinforced polymer case with metal rear cover, silicone band.
Size47 x 47 x 15.5 mm; 85 g with silicone band.47 x 47 x 14.5 mm. 76 g with supplied band, 53 g case only. Included 22 mm QuickFit silicone band fits 125–208 mm wrists. Maker separately lists optional UltraFit 125–215 mm, leather 132–210 mm and metal 132–215 mm bands.
Reference and release detail–First documented availability is Garmin forum’s “Now Available” announcement dated 27 August 2024 at 16:14 UTC. UK first shipping date is not independently established; Japanese launch announced mid-September 2024 availability separately. This is fēnix E hardware, not fēnix 8 AMOLED or Solar.
BandsQuickFit interchangeable band.–
ColoursGrey case with black silicone band.–

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