A touchscreen GPS navigator that works in the wild and that you may wear on your wrist joint ? That ’s a neat theme , but not one that Garmin ’s been capable to realize with this fresh Epix . appropriate me to explain .
Looking for a hefty fitness tracker ? Let ’s go ahead and indulge this followup by saying that the Garmin Fenix 3 has all abstruse fittingness tracking capabilities as the Epix , in a slim , more affordable , nicer reckon package . Corey also put togethera capital , in - depth review of those capacity . In this follow-up of the Epix , I ’m going to focus on what it attempt to do over that Fenix 3 ; namely its single-valued function and sailing functions .
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What Is It?
Garmin states :
“ Epix is the first - of - its - kind , high - resolution , color , touchscreen GPS / GLONASS function watch with worldwide , shaded respite basemap and 1 - yr BirdsEye Satellite Imagery subscription . Some poser also feature preloaded TOPO 100 K maps . Eight GB of built - in memory defend additional function , including BirdsEye Satellite Imagery and regional TOPO U.S. 24 K maps . The radical , unsullied steel EXO feeler merge with GPS and GLONASS response entail better signal strength and quicker position mess . ”
“ The epix touchscreen video display gives you fingertip pan / swipe access to vivid , detailed maps , include the build - in cosmopolitan shaded rest basemaps . And with 8 GB interior memory and extensive function support , you ’ll have plenty of elbow room to add ( and interact with ) compatible mapping , include TOPO 24 K , BirdsEye Satellite Imagery , City Navigator ® and BlueChart ® g2 maps . ”
We would n’t typically quote a manufacturer ’s press expiration , but bear with me this meter , I ’m doing it for a reason .
In addition to those functions , the Epixhas all the same fitness tracking functions as the Fenix 3 . So consider it a Fenix 3 that ’s well larger , substantial - form and occur with a colour touch screen that ’s there so you may use its navigation functions .
So it can follow you around and make a mathematical function . But so can the Fenix 3 .
Who’s It For?
Honestly , the only people who need seaworthiness trailing this powerful and in - depth are multitude who take athletic contest very , very earnestly . Do you give care about your cadence and warmness pace while pot biking ? Do you need to register your interval times while running ? Do you need to determine your V02 Max ? Do you require to compare your circle times against those of others ?
Garmin ’s smart watches can do all that and much more , making them the most hefty fitness tracking contrivance on the securities industry . But , that force is matched by the clunkiness of the user interface . gravely , even with the 28 - page owner ’s manual of arms , you should gestate to have the technical ability of an engineer , software package developer or system admin for operate this thing .
You ’ll also have to committed enough to wear out or use sensors that you buy separately to give chase things like centre rate and cycle cadence . The top side of that is that they render much more precise ( or , actually accurate ) data than the heart pace sensor built into other smartwatches , but the downside is obviously that it ’s another gizmo to grease one’s palms , keep fresh battery in , to avoid recede and to frame-up and use .
The navigation and mapping functions are direct at people who do those natural process in the wild , out of doors of cell - scope , where Google Maps and such on your phone cease to function .
So , the Epix is a powerful , in - depth physical fitness tracker for committed athletes who are serious about track and sharing their operation , who also hap to be at least amateurish tech on the side and who spend a lot of time out in the boonies . Sounds like a enceinte audience to me .
As an aside on my use of goods and services and therefore testing methodologies , I ’m a half - assed amateur jock that does everything from raft biking , to tramp , to archery , to spearfishing to motorcycle racing . I like to keep fit and I like to track my advancement , but I more typically do so with a spreadsheet in Google Docs on my phone . So , the Epix ’s fitness trailing functions are a bit lost on me . I am , however , someone who gets to call spending time in the outdoors “ study , ” so I was mostly excited for the navigation and mapping power . I reckon they could declare oneself a prospicient stamp battery life and more commodious use than only using Backcountry Navigator on mySamsung Galaxy S6 Activecould provide .
Design
I guess the fluent bezel is made from alloy and helot as a GPS transmitting aerial , at least according to Garmin ’s marketing material . Feels like plastic to me .
At least the clitoris are knurled Al , the rest of the watch is a giant , 2 - in square brick of bootleg plastic ring a astonishingly diminutive 1.4 - inch color screen that only has a 205 x 148px solution . Compare that to the 38 millimetre Apple Watch ’s 272 x 340px and you could start to understand how downhearted - res Garmin ’s is in comparison . It feels more like the LCD exhibit on an old triathlon watch than it does something modern .
There ’s a variety of customs duty design lookout faces you’re able to download from Garmin ’s proprietary Connect IQ app store , most of which appear to be riffs on Star Trek TNG bridge designs .
Garmin ’s drug user interfaces are frustrative and nutty at every grade . Here , I ’m attempting to reach the Connect IQ store from the Connect IQ app . Doing so loads a web page in the app motivate me to download the app ! And it wo n’t allow me login any longer .
Using It
At the risk of making this sound like a half - assed review , I ’m going to go in advance and tell you that I shinny to apply this watch . I ’ve been fag out it for about a month now and I only just figured out how to get the affair to avail me voyage to a waypoint . It does that in a neat line , as the bird flies , only , flush it to take into account stuff like streets , building or even topographic obstructions like giant fucking mountains when you ’re using it out in the boonies .
Allegedly there ’s a purpose called “ City Navigator ” that give traditional turn - by - turn focussing , but I have been unable to find any quotation of that in the gadget ’s instructions , in the watch ’s various fare , through the ConnectIQ phone app or even the Garmin Express desktop app .
The same is unfeigned of the other various navigation subprogram , including the topo function , and orbiter imagery . I apologize if this wee it seem like I ’m a numpty , but I ’m not and if I ca n’t access those subprogram , many of you will be unable to as well .
This also highlights a frustration with operating the Epix : doing so requires using both a earphone and your computer for unlike functions . And the watch wo n’t synchronize with your phone unless that phone has a data connection . If you are , for illustration , mountain biking in the alp a prospicient agency from cell signal , the telephone and watch will turn away to peach to each other . That ’s incredibly frustrating for a machine intended for wilderness utilization .
In fact , all I ’ve really been able to do with the Epix ’s map function is get it to ( slowly ) pinpoint my position on a poorly - elaborated road map . This seems to work in other countries , but includes so little detail that , unless you ’re familiar with the area in which you ’re traveling , is for the most part useless .
Other metric like the barometer , altimeter and ambit are aboriginal to the gimmick and make well where you do n’t have electric cell insurance coverage . Which is more than you may say of any speech sound , but are Job handled with equal cool again by that Fenix 3 .
Doubling the sentry ’s defeat storey are a clunky user interface that requires you to cycle through menu tree . It ’s very hard to remember where various function lie and takes real time to access and practice them . you may do all of the Epix ’s functions using the five extraneous buttons , which is good because the touchscreen is again inaccurate and frustrating . Sometimes a military press outcome in a click . Sometimes it does n’t . Sometimes a swipe will move the single-valued function around , sometimes it wo n’t . The touch screen adds only frustration to the experience .
In short , manually divine your fix with a chronometer and sextant would be loose and less time consume . I ’ve been catch around for the last month using the sensation .
Users will be seeing this alert a lot . Like every time you switch your earpiece on and off , into airplane mode or when you ’ve walked out of the room take your phone for a split second . Buzzzz , “ Phone Disconnected . ” Buzzz , “ Phone Connected . ” Every . individual . clock time .
Like
I have n’t been able to kill this matter . Or even scratch it . It ’ll do work down to 50 meters beneath the ocean , baulk salt water , survive epic mountain bike crashes and even withstand Wiley bit .
Wearing something with a prominent “ Garmin ” recording label on your articulatio radiocarpea straight off make people with Apple Watches find like sissies .
It ’s really easy to tell the fourth dimension when you ’re assume inch - high numbers on your wrist .
Battery lifetime has been pretty skilful . It ’ll go about two weeks if you do n’t really use any of the GPS procedure and last at least two day , if not three , of continual GPS - on .
freestanding sensors provide genuinely accurate data and Ant+ compatibility start the door to non - Garmin product too .
Yay , GLONASS . planet localization acquisition is fast and easier .
Where are my map sources ? !
No Like
Does n’t do half the navigation stuff it ’s claimed to .
enceinte at draw a straight line to coordinate you manually type in . But you could likely halve the time invested by simply glancing at a mapping .
Low - res silver screen makes any sort of mapping you may really manage to make it exhibit virtually worthless .
The total package is only huge . In a risky way . You could literally fall apart a GoPro on your radiocarpal joint and it ’d be small .
Requires an modern degree in computer engineering from GarminU just to operate the fitness tracker functions .
tote up a level of strain to my everyday life-time that likely cancels any welfare achieved by tracking seaworthiness .
Really just augments your smartphone , which is the job with virtually every smart vigil out there . And I do n’t take a remote control for something I keep in my sack anyhow .
The pinkish dot is the point I ’m attempt to sail to . What the fuck is the period of this ? I ’d be good off asking a passing tourer for direction .
Should You Buy It?
If you have much experience with Garmin products and exploiter port , have a level in computer science , are n’t intimidate by the need to figure out or wait for the promise mapping and pilotage functionality , need a really unspoiled fittingness tracker , do n’t want a Fenix 3 and do n’t want to just instal BackCountry Navigator on your earpiece and have $ 600 to burn , then yes , go ahead and buy one . But do n’t say we did n’t admonish you .
The rest of you will be better process by the Fenix 3 if you really handle about fitness tracking and trusting your unlearned sense of direction should you desire a navigator you could take with you anywhere .
desire knock-down GPS navigation abilities that will work away from cell service?Install Backcountry Navigator on your Android telephone and learn how to use itor put Gaia GPS on your iPhone , that work much the same . Worried about electric battery biography ? Carry an outside shelling like theGoal Zero Flip 10 .
Garmin , for Christ ’s saki , lease a UI decorator who can make you some human well-disposed blueprint . The power of your twist is utterly lose if people ca n’t utilise them .
EPIXGarminreviewReviewsSmartwatch
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