Garmin · fēnix

fēnix 2

Released March 2014

A 49 mm multisport GPS watch with outdoor navigation sensors, swimming profiles and phone notifications.

Type: Smart and sports
Sizes: 49 mm
Movement: –
Power reserve: –
Display: LCD
Battery: 35 days
Water: 50 m
GPS: Single-band
Weight: 90.6 g

3 days+

What reviewers say

Wareable and The Gadgeteer praised the GPS tracking, extensive training features, rugged construction and battery life. Wareable criticised the bulky design, price and dim screen in some conditions. The Gadgeteer found the controls straightforward but reported slow wireless uploads and difficulty connecting its Android phone.

From wareable.com and the-gadgeteer.com

Specifications

Report a wrong or missing spec

Display

Case sizes: 49 mm
Panel: LCD
Always-on display: Yes
Display detail: Transflective monochrome LCD, 31 mm diameter and 70 × 70 pixels; negative display with red LED backlight and physical buttons.

Health and fitness

ECG: No
Blood oxygen: No
Skin temperature: No
Sleep apnoea alerts: No
High blood pressure alerts: No
Body composition: No
Fall detection: No
Crash detection: No
GPS: Single-band
Water resistance: 50 m
Sensors: High-sensitivity GPS receiver, barometric altimeter, three-axis compass and accelerometer. Optional ANT+ heart-rate, HRM-Run, foot-pod, speed/cadence, power and tempe temperature sensors; no optical wrist heart-rate sensor.
Fitness features: Running, cycling, pool and open-water swimming, multisport, hiking and skiing profiles; advanced workouts, Virtual Partner, Training Effect, VO2 max estimates, race prediction and recovery advice. Running dynamics require an HRM-Run chest strap; indoor pace and distance use the accelerometer.
Safety features: Breadcrumb routes, waypoint navigation and TracBack to retrace the recorded route; no preloaded base maps.

Battery and connections

Battery life (maker's claim): Up to 35 days
Mobile data option: No
Works with: iPhone and Android
Battery life detail: Rechargeable 500 mAh lithium-ion battery; up to five weeks in watch mode, sixteen hours with normal GPS recording or fifty hours in UltraTrac with one-minute GPS polling, according to the owner's manual.
Charging: USB contact charging/data cradle and AC adapter.
Connectivity: Bluetooth Smart phone notifications, Garmin Connect uploads and LiveTrack; USB computer transfer and ANT+ sensor connections. Garmin's 2015 catalogue confirms iPhone 4S or later and most Bluetooth Smart Android devices running Android 4.3 or later. The manual says ANT+ sensors cannot connect while Bluetooth is enabled.
Storage: 20 MB internal memory; up to 1,000 waypoints, fifty routes, 10,000 track points and 100 saved tracks.

Design

Weight (lightest version): 90.6 g
Software: Garmin
Case materials: Curved mineral-glass lens, shock-resistant housing and polyurethane wristband; 5 ATM water rating.
Size: 49 × 49 × 17 mm; 90.6 g.
Bands: Polyurethane wristband; additional hook-and-loop fabric strap accommodates larger wrists or wearing over a jacket.
In the box: Watch, fabric wrist-strap kit, USB charging/data cable, AC adapter and quick-start manual; HRM-Run chest strap included in the Performer Bundle.

Pros and cons

Pros

Altimeter, barometer, compass and breadcrumb navigation
Running, cycling, swimming and skiing profiles
ANT+ sensors and Bluetooth phone connectivity

Cons

Heart-rate data requires an external sensor
Bluetooth and ANT+ sensors cannot operate together
90.6 g case and monochrome display

Closest rivals

Model	Type	Sizes	Movement	Power reserve	Display	Battery	Water	GPS	Weight	Released
Garminfēnix	Smart and sports	49 mm	–	–	LCD	42 days	50 m	Single-band	82 g	2012
Garminfēnix 3	Smart and sports	51 mm	–	–	Memory-in-pixel	42 days	100 m	Single-band	82 g	2015
GarminForerunner 230	Smart and sports	45 mm	–	–	Memory-in-pixel	35 days	50 m	Single-band	41 g	Nov 2015

Sources

Photo: garmin.com.sg

Spot a mistake? Tell us