Garmin 935, Fenix 5, Forerunner 920XT Comparison
For those of you looking to upgrade here is a Garmin 935, Fenix 5, Forerunner 920XT Comparison.
So tri-fans. It’s here.
You probably have either a Fenix 3, a 735XT or a 920XT and you want to know if it’s worth the upgrade to a shiny new Forerunner 935 or Fenix 5
Really you’re going to buy one anyway, you’re just trying to justify it 😉
Actually, maybe not. It’s a bit more complex as you might be thinking of a Fenix 5 rather than a Forerunner 935 (aka Fenix 5tri). That confuses the picture somewhat as they are essentially VERY, VERY similar.
Really I can see very little from a tri-perspective that warrants a minor upgrade from the 735XT, F3, 920XT. Those 3 are all competent devices
If you currently own a Fenix 2 or Forerunner 910XT then YES there is a lot to upgrade for.
For a new tri-watch purchase go for the 935 over the 920XT and over the 735XT; UNLESS you are concerned about the price, plastic shell or screen shape in which case you get the 920XT
FULL, DETAILED FENIX/935 REVIEW: HERE (link to: the5krunner.com) WARNING there are some issues with the 5X that you need to be aware of before buying. These seem to be glossed over elsewhere in other Garmin-biased reviews.
Also be wary that there are ANT+ sensor issues with the 5X and GPS accuracy issues with the 935 eg (here)
Feature Comparison Table – below…keep going!
If you are going to upgrade anyway then maybe the 935 represents a nice little saving over the Fenix 5? but if you could afford the 935 then what’s another £100, or so, more?
You might ask, “What might tempt the5krunner to move from a 920XT to the 935??”
A: VERY LITTLE.
If I didn’t do this the5krunner-thing then I would not upgrade. As it happens I’m probably going to end up with a 935 and a Fenix 5x but only because of this blog (Edit: I did!). Although I’m really not sure if I will use anything other than my 920XT for racing in all its rectangular greatness. Edit: I used a 935 for my Ironman purely because of battery considerations.
Training is a different matter entirely, I use loads of watches for that (discussed here) …just some more than others; I still like the Spartan Sport FWIW 😉 now with oHR but called ‘wHR’…nicey nice. Another reason that I would upgrade to the F5/935 is for the “techiness value” of the newer CIQ 2 apps as our 920XTs only support the older CIQ version (CIQ 1.X). But that still has ALL the apps working fine right now.
DIFFERENCES OF NEW MODELS
Here are my pro’s and cons.
- Better cost & Quick Release kit of 935 vs Fenix 5.
- Better battery & Prettier 935/F5 vs 920XT.
That’s it.
I appreciate there are many more subtle differences but, to me and my training, they are trivial eg weight of watch. You’re different of course – for example, I don’t use STRAVA that much and you could be segment-mad and want those segments on a fancy higher-res screen (Buy a Wahoo, Lezyne or Garmin Edge!). Go for it. You know what to do.
To me what is missing is something like WHOOP functionality. ie really integrated and actionable stuff that tells you to train less or sleep more. Stuff that makes you behave differently, behave better. A game-changer. Having ‘HotKey’ functionality, on the other hand, I can live without. But, to be fair, Firstbeat and Garmin are moving towards the type of actionable feedback provided by WHOOP.
Similarly we STILL have all these running cycling/dynamics but “so what?”. Other than “run faster” how exactly would you lower your ground contact time? So we still need integration with technique coaching (eg like SHFT). That will come. Or we need a better metric ie instead go and buy STRYD for it’s running power and super accurate running pace sensor. WAY more useful for training more accurately and maybe even getting faster.
I was hoping the Fenix 5/935 might have had something more revolutionary, hardware-wise. Like XPLOVA’s X5 built-in SIM card. Maybe that will come soon with the Garmin Edge 1030/1010?
What might make a more personal difference in a few months’ time is newer CIQ v2.2 ‘apps’. I was sceptical at first. But now there are some quite interesting and useful apps emerging. I always mention XERT at this point but there are many more now. Indeed the inbuilt Training Peaks” workout downloading app” could be useful too if your coach uses TP, for example. I don’t use TP.
The integration with turbo trainers is great but integration to some other peripherals is of ‘peripheral use’ at best (pun intended, as always) but some people love that sort of thing. Then again WIFI could be considered peripheral too but, for some people, it might save 5 minutes a day of manually syncing data and that adds up to a lot of quality time over the year.
So what does NOT add up for me; may well add up for you and your needs.
Go forth and spend!
The fenix5/935 is prettier than earlier watches 😉 Maybe the colour will be a clincher 🙂 But, the Suunto is prettier still. Just saying…if colour is your thing.
Recommendation: Don’t upgrade! Instead, for your 920XT/F3 buy a new front wheel or STRYD or a power meter for your bike. You’ll get faster with those! Maybe 😉 Although admittedly you might look slightly less cool.
Here’s a table showing very similar products for our Garmin 935, Fenix 5, Forerunner 920XT Comparison. Enjoy a very hard game of ‘Spot The Difference‘ 😉
| Fenix 5 | Forerunner 935 | Forerunner 920XT | |
| Some features require accessories | |||
| General | |||
| Lens Material | glass or sapphire crystal | glass | glass |
| Physical size | 47.0 x 47.0 x 15.5 mm | 47.0 x 47.0 x 13.9 mm | 48.0 x 55.0 x 12.7 mm |
| Weight | 85 g (silicone band) | 49 g | 61 g |
| 156 g (metal band) | |||
| Water rating | 10 ATM (100m) | 5 ATM (50m) | 5 ATM (50m) |
| Display size | 1.2” (30.4 mm) diameter | 1.2″ (30.4 mm) diameter | 1.1″ x 0.8″ (29.0 x 21.0 mm) |
| Display resolution | 240 x 240 pixels | 240 x 240 pixels | 205 x 148 pixels |
| Battery life | Smart mode: Up to 2 weesk | Smart Mode: Up to 2 weeks | Weeks as a watch |
| GPS/HR mode: Up to 24 hours | GPS/HR mode: Up to 24 hours | GPS/HRM mode: Up to 16 hours | |
| UltraTrac mode: Up to 50 (60?) hours – not tested! | UltraTrac mode: Up to 50 (60?) hours – not tested! | UltraTrac mode: Up to 40 hours | |
| WiFi | Selected models | Yes | Yes |
| ALERTS | Audio/Visual/Vibrate | Audio/Visual/Vibrate | Audio/Visual/Vibrate |
| Sensors | |||
| GPS | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| GLONASS | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Garmin Elevate™ wrist heart rate monitor | Yes | Yes | No |
| Barometric altimeter | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Compass | Yes | Yes | No |
| Gyroscope | Yes | Yes | No |
| Accelerometer | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Thermometer | Yes | Yes | No |
| Daily Smart Features | |||
| Connectivity | Bluetooth® Smart, ANT+™, Wi-Fi with sapphire editions | Bluetooth® Smart, ANT+™, Wi-Fi® | Bluetooth® Smart, ANT+™, Wi-Fi® |
| Connect IQ ‘Apps’ | Yes, V2 | Yes, V2 | Yes, V1 |
| Smart notifications | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Calendar | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Weather | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Music controls | Yes | Yes | No |
| Face It™ watch face creator | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Find my Phone feature | Yes | Yes | No |
| VIRB® remote | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Activity Tracking Features | |||
| Step counter | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Move bar (displays on device after a period of inactivity; walk for a couple of minutes to reset it) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Auto goal (learns your activity level and assigns a daily step goal) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Sleep monitoring (monitors total sleep and periods of movement or restful sleep) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Calories burned | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Floors climbed | Yes | Yes | No |
| Distance traveled | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Intensity minutes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| TrueUp™ | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Move IQ™ | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Training, Planning and Analysis Features | |||
| GPS speed and distance | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Customizable data pages | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Advanced workouts | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Downloadable training plans | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Auto Pause® | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Auto scroll | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Auto Lap® | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Manual lap | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Configurable lap alerts | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Customizable alerts | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Vibration alerts | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Audio prompts | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Finish time | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Virtual Partner | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Virtual Racer™ | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Training Status (lets you see if you’re training effectively by tracking training data, such as VO2 max and anaerobic threshold, and comparing it to recent data) | Yes | Yes | |
| V02 max | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Training Load (combines heart rate and VO2 max to score your intensity over 28 days’ time to help ensure you’re in the optimal range to meet your goal) | Yes | Yes | No |
| Training Effect (aerobic) | Yes | Yes | Yes (Total) |
| Training Effect (anaerobic) | Yes | Yes | No |
| Course guidance | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Activity history on watch | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Personal records (running, cycling, swimming) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Strava Segments (Live) | Yes | Yes | No |
| Auto multisport activities | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Manual multisport activities | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Customizable activity profiles | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Touch and/or button lock | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Hot keys | Yes | Yes | No |
| LiveTrack | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Group LiveTrack | Yes | Yes | No |
| Heart Rate Features | |||
| HR zones | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| HR alerts | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| HR calories | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| % HR max | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| % HRR | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Recovery time | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Auto max HR | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| HRV stress test (measures your heart rate variability while standing still, for 3 minutes, to provide you with an estimated stress level; the scale of this is 1 to 100; low scores indicate lower stress levels) | Yes | Yes | No |
| Records heart rate while swimming | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| HR Broadcast (broadcasts HR data over ANT+™ to paired devices) | Yes | Yes | No |
| Running Features | |||
| Preloaded run profiles | Running, Indoor Running, Trail Running | Running, Indoor Running, Trail Running | |
| GPS-based distance, time and pace | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Running dynamics | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Vertical oscillation and ratio (the degree of ‘bounce’ in your running motion and the benefit ration to stride length) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Ground contact time and balance (shows how much time, in the running motion, your foot is on the ground rather than in flight and lets you check your running symmetry) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Stride length (real time) | Yes | Yes | CIQ |
| Cadence (provides real-time number of steps per minute) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Physiological measurements | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Performance condition (after running for 6–20 minutes, compares your real-time condition to your average fitness levels) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Lactate threshold (through analysis of your pace and heart rate, estimates the point where your muscles start to rapidly fatigue) | Yes | Yes | No |
| Run workouts | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Personal records (running) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Race predictor | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Foot pod capable | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Recovery advisor | Yes | ||
| Outdoor Recreation Features | |||
| Point-to-point navigation | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Bread crumb trail in real time | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Back to start | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| TracBack® | Yes | Yes | No |
| Elevation profile | yes | yes | No |
| Distance to destination | yes | yes | yes |
| Barometric trend indicator | yes | yes | No |
| Trail run auto climb | yes | yes | No |
| Vertical speed | yes | yes | No |
| Total ascent/descent | yes | yes | No |
| Weather Data | yes | yes | yes |
| GPS coordinates | yes | yes | yes (partial) |
| Cycling Features | |||
| Courses (compete against previous activities) | yes | yes | yes |
| Bike lap and lap maximum power (with power sensor) | yes | yes | yes |
| Race an activity | yes | yes | yes |
| Time/distance alerts (triggers alarm when you reach goal) | yes | yes | yes |
| Interval training | yes | yes | yes |
| FTP (Functional Threshold Power) | yes | yes | yes |
| Strava features | yes | yes | yes |
| Power Meter Compatible | yes | yes | yes |
| Swimming Features | |||
| Pool swim metrics (lengths, distance, pace, stroke count/rate, calories) | yes | yes | yes |
| Stroke recognition | yes | yes | yes |
| Pool lap recognition | yes | yes | yes |
| Swim workouts | yes | yes | yes |
| Stroke efficiency (SWOLF) | yes | yes | yes |
| Automatic intervals | yes | yes | yes |
| Advanced swim (drill, rest timers) | yes | yes | yes |
| Open-water swim distance | yes | yes | yes |
| Multisport mode | yes | yes | yes |
There is 10% off most stuff at Power Meter City with the coupon / discount / promo code: the5krunner10. HOWEVER there is a 10% store credit for many Garmin items. Sorry. Garmin sternly frown upon discounting in any case while products are under MAP.
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Thank you – you have just saved me £500 that I can spend on new wheels instead !
I will for now be sticking with my Garmin 920XT – does everything i need and I can live with the square face 🙂
I’ll take a 10% commission :-).
What about GPS accuracy. I actually gave away my Fenix 3 HR because I was disappointed with GPS accuracy and bought a 735XT instead which I find a lot better. Is the Fenix 5 better GPS performance vice than the Fenix 3 HR and is the 935 even better then the Fenix 5 being made out of plastic?
They seem to be working on it 😉
The Fenix5[S;X] just got a beta package (v2.72) which contains a GPS update file as well.
As for which will be better, only time will tell. But I suspect plastic beats metal any day.
They both, most likely, use the same GPS chipset, which incidentally is the same one as in FR630/FR920XT/Fenix3 etc: The MediaTek 3333. But it seems to have an updated DSP (Digital Signal Processor), or it simply is a newer Digital Signal Processing software version…
Proof from the Fenix beta package file (using tools in linux):
strings GUPDATE.GCD | grep MT3
MT3333_DSP_A191_0000
MT3333
Proof from the FR920XT/Fenix3 etc latest GPS file:
strings GPSChipsetTypeM5_300.gcd | grep MT3
MT3333_DSP_A176_F008
MT3333
and you are a forensic detective in your day job right 😉 ?
nice work!
it’s not simply the quality of the chip that counts. although that is obviously important. I know someone at tomtom who has given me the lowdown on gps accuracy (well some of it). there are far more accurate chips out there but they are too expensive. then there are issues with the physical position of the antennae and quality of that. then there are issues of electrical shielding. then there are issue of the algorithms (eg how do you handle a swinging arm). and that’s just an overview. not sure about metal vs plastic but intuitively plastic would seem better
Just over the weekend I had a chance to try out the new 935, and there is another “little” thing that we might be missing (I mean those that had not had a chance to touch and feel the watch).
I have a 920XT and although it looks ugly (my personal opinion) it is a very robust and well made device – even the wrist strap is sold. I can used/wear it (and I do it very often in cold weather) over the shirt or even a jacket. The wrist strap is wide, solid and hold the watch while running, etc. well on hand without moving.
The new 935 wrist strap is out of stretchy rubber, feels not very solid, like it will have problems keeping the watch in place on hand, and it is quite narrow (very narrow). For me this is really a KO criterion for the watch – not to mention lack of “adding value” to my training/racing over 920XT
yep
Tank You. I have xt920 and thought exactly like that. I got my money and bought an edge 820 (maps and routes) and there’s still money left over for a used power meter. Thank you very much.