Now a regular feature, here’s the round-up of recommendations so everything is in one place, and so we have a nice record of speculations updated for November 2016…
In alphabetical order of manufacturer.
| Manufacturer | Device | Current Speculation |
|---|---|---|
| Garmin | Fenix | Don’t buy – this is very old |
| Garmin | Fenix 2 | Don’t buy – Fenix 3 is now cheap and Fenix 4 is due imminently |
| Garmin | Fenix 3 Fenix 3 HR, Quatix 3, D2 Bravo, Tactix Bravo | Kind of tricky. The Fenix Chronos has sort of replaced this, but we still expect a Fenix 4. Good device so don’t hold off |
| Garmin | Fenix 4/HR | Kind of arrived as the Chronos. Expect cheaper models at CES 2017 |
| Garmin | Fenix Chronos | Brand New, buy if you wear solid gold underpants. This might/might not be replaced by a Fenix 4 so it’s not without risk, especially given the cost. Garmin have confused the market here so only have themselves to blame if people wait for a “real” Fenix 4 |
| Garmin | Forerunner 910XT | Don’t buy – this is very old |
| Garmin | Forerunner 920XT | Replacement imminent but this is a very capable and mature device |
| Garmin | Forerunner 930XT/935XT | Imminent |
| Garmin | Forerunner 25 | This has been out a while but nothing obvious seems planned in the near future. |
| Garmin | Forerunner 35 | Buy – this is still fairly new |
| Garmin | Forerunner 230 | Buy – this is still fairly new |
| Garmin | Forerunner 225 | Don’t buy. Garmin immediately replaced this with the 235 using their own sensor. |
| Garmin | Forerunner 235 | Buy – this is still fairly new |
| Garmin | Forerunner 630 | Buy – this is still fairly new |
| Garmin | Forerunner 735XT | Buy – this is brand new and seems to be running Fenix code so hopefully isn’t buggy |
| Garmin | Epix | Buy if you really, really need it – this probably won’t be updated until winter. It does appear abandoned by Garmin though with no new firmware for a very long time |
| Garmin | Epix 2 | Probably abandoned, the Epix has had no firmware updates for a very long time. Expect maps in the Fenix 4 instead |
| Garmin | Edge 510 | Don’t buy, this is very old |
| Garmin | Edge 520 | Buy, this is very new |
| Garmin | Edge 810 | Buy if very cheap, but it will feel dated fairly soon compared to the new lineup |
| Garmin | Edge 820 | Buy, just released |
| Garmin | Edge 1000 | Buy if you get a good deal, this is overdue for replacement |
| Garmin | Edge 1010 | Coming soon CES in January 2017 |
| Polar | v800 | Wait – update is probably imminent |
| Polar | v800.next | Overdue, expected announcement at Kona in October. H7i Sensor just leaked which is likely to be packaged with this watch |
| Polar | M200 | Buy, this is just released |
| Polar | m400 | Wait – update is probably imminent |
| Polar | m400.next | Possibly replaced by M600 so may not be updated. This also may be replaced by an M200 to differentiate with M600 |
| Polar | M600 | Buy, this is brand new |
| Suunto | Ambit 2 | Don’t buy unless you need Ant+ |
| Suunto | Ambit 3 | Replaced by Spartan Ultra – buy if you get a good deal and are not bothered by being a generation behind |
| Suunto | Ambit 4 | Officially not going to happen, Spartan Series has replaced Ambit |
| Suunto | Spartan Ultra | Buy, just released. Be aware there may be more models coming |
| Suunto | Spartan Sport | Buy, just released. Be aware there may be more models coming |
| Suunto | Spartan Trainer | Announcing shortly, just leaked. Be aware there may be more models coming |
| Suunto | Kailash | Buy if you can work out what it’s for or who it’s aimed at |
| Suunto | Traverse | Why Suunto, WHY!? |
Discovered your website/blog while I was looking for a Garmin GPS watch. I am a casual runner and Forerunner 25 or 230/235 should be OK for me however I dont know if it is wise to buy almost 1 year old model.
Anyways, I really like your text and find it very funny. I will for sure continue to visit your site after I bought a watch 🙂
Sorry I’ve added those models in now. They’ve been on the list for a while and I kept forgetting.
The FR25 is a non-optical HRM version of the FR35 and so is probably safe for a while.
The FR235 and FR230 have only been out for a year so there’s a good year of life left in them, possibly more.
All of these will do the job for a casual runner, although Ray at DCRainmaker.com has suggested the Polar M400 is better value for this use-case in the past. The M400 itself is two years old but still perfectly functional for this kind of training.
For running, there is nothing “missing” in any of these devices. They all do GPS tracking, all integrate with Strava for social, all support training workouts of various types. All of them support Heart rate with a strap, while the FR35 and FR235 also have optical HR. Optical HR is convenient but widely regarded as poor for running so may not be worth the extra money. That said, the FR235 does track your HR throughout the day which may be useful if you don’t find the bump on the back uncomfortable.
Hope that helps 🙂
I´m searching for a new watch since some months now, still hoping find the ideal watch for me.
I´m using a M400 now and the more i look at other watches, the more i see how good this watch is! What i really like is that you can add sport profiles (i build XC ski skating, classic, rollerski skating, classic whereas at garmin for example i only can choose xc ski) and custom watch faces. It´s stable, no gps worries (ok sometimes it could be more accurate but no gps loss or lockups), battery life is still ok after 2 years of use (>5h) and no problems with the usb jack (some report corodation).
I´d keep the M400 if it had bigger batterylife with at least 10-12h with GPS and barometric alt…
keep the watch and buy a $/£5 USB portable battery pack.
use some kind of elevation correction based on gps location (software) after you have finished.
i wanted to use my M400 and charge it while road biking with a powerpack and it is not charging while you have a recording running….
barometric isn´t that much important , its more a nice to have feature for my next watch but my main focus on my next watch.
Are you sure about the 1010?
3 years tends to be the cycle on Garmin lately
The Edge 1000 was announced in 2014, so 2017 will be three years.
Yup, but it was in April, so I think the 1010 might come in April instead of Jan. Well see 🙂
DC Rainmaker agrees with you, thinks it’s likely to be at the Sea Otter festival.
Hello there
what is this:
https://www.garmin.com/en-US/blog/aviation/announcement-d2-bravo-titanium-aviator-watch/
is that the garmin chronos? but with some software add on for the aviators, who actually are the only client group being able to afford that thing?
No not a Chronos that’s just a Ti D2 which has been out a while. I’m sure a Chronos version will come.
Would you buy a FX3 HR for $400 still?
Of course. If you need one, buy one. We expect the new range in January but that won’t make a Fenix 3 stop working. If you’re happy with a new watch coming out just after you bought it go for it. A lot of gadget fans get frustrated if they just invested and then a new one is out, and this site tries to help them not to buy too soon.
Thanks lusty for the feedback
I am also trying to decide whether to buy the Forerunner 230 or wait for the next model. Doesn’t Garmin release replacement models every year? They replaced the FR220 with the FR230 after only six months. I also note that the price on the FR230 is now $179.99 from $249.99. I know that the FR230 is a great watch, but the new one will be better, perhaps with music capabilities, etc.
I think you’re safe with the FR230 for another while yet
I am noticing that prices of most GPS watches, whether Garmin, Polar or TomTom, seem to be dropping significantly (25% or so). Wondering if this is a trend that will continue with the new models, or whether it is just clearing out old models. I think it may be permanent to keep prices below competing smartwatches, such as the Apple Watch, that offer more features.