As you might have read previously, my Garmin Fenix 5S crapped out on me and it (together with other older Garmin tech) really pissed me off. I replaced it with the Forerunner 935 which was close to perfect. So why did I go back to the Fenix when the 5 Plus was launched? Main reason – looks. It has been more than a year and here is how the Fenix 5 Plus has performed.
The Good
- Looks. I wear this watch for formal occasions as well. The 5 Plus looks way better than the 935.
- Everything works. Unlike the 5S which plenty did not work, the 5 Plus corrected that. ANT+ and Bluetooth connection is spot on. All other signals (e.g. WiFi, etc) work well. It just works as it should. Whew.
- Well built. I have hammered the bezel hard including having it caught between elevator doors. Not a scratch. Same for the glass.
- Garmin Pay and Music. I no longer have to carry my wallet or phone out. Garmin Pay works with OCBC cards which works since I use OCBC’s 365 offering. Cafe stops are a non-issue. With SimplyGo, I can use Garmin Pay for public transport rides as well. On the music front, Garmin supports Spotify which works perfect for me.
The Bad
- Price. You can get the 945 which is cheaper and does what the 5 Plus does. (But it does not look as good.)
- Weight. A nice metal bezel means the 5 Plus weighs 86g compared to the 935’s 49g. That is coming close to double.
I would have recommended the 5 Plus easily if you were looking for a fully featured watch that would fit right in at work. But the Fenix 6 is out. While I have no experience using the 6, I would not recommend buying old tech. I bought my 5 Plus from Advance Lap as they were offering discounts via word of mouth.
