# Garmin Fenix 5 vs Samsung Gear S3 for mtn biking/hiking/skiing...



## cohenfive (Jan 12, 2004)

I have gone through two garmin edge 810's that have been defective, and now I'm looking for an alternative. I'm thinking about a fenix 5 or gear s3. In particular, how are both of these devices for mtn biking and hiking (and skiing), and is there a clear choice between them? The fenix costs about double what the s3 does, and I've heard battery life is better with the garmin, but can both suffice in terms of basic tracking info while on a ride (miles, avg speed, elevation and aggregate climbing, etc)?

Thanks.


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## NordieBoy (Sep 26, 2004)

Weird, I've got 2 Garmin 810's that work well.
For robustness, flexibility and interoperability, the Garmin wins.
The S3 runs the Tizen OS which is very responsive and smooth, but just doesn't have the 3rd party apps (yet). It should be able to do the basics very well though.

I wouldn't buy either new though. Should be no problem finding them slightly used.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

I won't buy any kind of computer like this with a touchscreen, full stop. Tactile buttons only for me. It's a major usability issue, IME, when any touchscreen registers a touch you didn't want because you bumped it, or when a capacitive touchscreen totally flips out because of sweat.

That eliminates any smartwatch I've ever seen from contention for anything other than basic day-to-day use, and they don't excite me enough for that.


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## cohenfive (Jan 12, 2004)

I have been pretty disappointed with the edge 810 as well, after using garmin devices for a very long time now, all of which have been flawless. I find that the 810's that I have had just don't hold a signal when climbing (slowly) in modest woods. I rode this past weekend with a few buddies of mine so we were all about the same speed on the climbs. My 810 would cut out so much it was a bit of a joke because it was beeping all the time. I registered a 19 mile ride while the other two garmin devices (one a fenix 5, the other an edge 520) registered 22 miles..as did the mobile phone app on another rider. In addition, at a rest stop, one of my buddies noticed that the screen on the 810 had cracked along the way somewhere..I never notice it, and while the ride was fairly rough, the device never impacted anything. 

So I can get another 810 refurb from garmin for $100 and get an s3 for everything else, or get the fenix 5 for everything. Unsure what I'll do. I really like the 810 except for the reception issues. I have it set to record all the time by the way with no min speed.


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## NordieBoy (Sep 26, 2004)

Just did a 57km ride and the 920XT with GLONASS+GPS and the 810 with GPS were within 30m of each other.
Not much riding under trees but was about 2km of the 57.


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## ingoor1968 (Jan 16, 2019)

*Good news for everybody looking for a hiking app for the Samsung Gear S3*



cohenfive said:


> I have gone through two garmin edge 810's that have been defective, and now I'm looking for an alternative. I'm thinking about a fenix 5 or gear s3. In particular, how are both of these devices for mtn biking and hiking (and skiing), and is there a clear choice between them? The fenix costs about double what the s3 does, and I've heard battery life is better with the garmin, but can both suffice in terms of basic tracking info while on a ride (miles, avg speed, elevation and aggregate climbing, etc)?
> 
> Thanks.


Finally - after 2 years of waiting - there is now a real hiking app available, that has all the features I always wanted: Locus Map Pro/Free Watch.
This works in conjunction with 
Locus Map Free/Pro - Hiking GPS navigation and maps phone app (for Android) - which is a feature and map rich app by itself.
The watch app support lots of different maps (not just Google...). It supports track recording, navigation, stats etc.
You can plan a hike on your phone and then follow it on the watch. 
I fully recommend it.
I used it now on several hikes and am fully satisfied - finally after trying so many other "hiking" apps.

More info here:
https://www.locusmap.eu/locus-map-w...t&utm_medium=blogpost_promo&utm_campaign=Gear


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