[Lambydude]

Originally Posted by Sheel

To cut a long story short, I need a watch which I can wear always with good tracker for all physical activities, I play badminton, walk a bit [especially in this weather]. Would prefer wearing one almost always, but I somehow do not like the heft of G-shock, plus, would want something which can alert me in case of basic mobile phone feature - alert on calls and if it can show me text [WhatsApp], the better. It is not a necessity, but would be good to have.
n.

Your requirements matches mine. My daily activities are badminton and cycling or walking. I wanted a watch which is excellent in tracking sports and fitness activities. Another important point for me was how quickly the GPS lock happens. For example, you don't want to be waiting for 5 mins to begin a walk because your GPS lock hasn't happened.

I bought Garmin Vivoactive 4 and am extremely happy with the decision. They screen may not be as good looking compared to samsung or apple ( while indoors) but when you are outdoors this watch excels in what it is meant for.
Accuracy and consistency is excellent. Battery life also is good ( 4 days with pulse ox and notifications ON)

[BaCkSeAtDrIVeR]

Hope this is not a FAQ. But how to figure out if a watch uses WearOS? Googling shows all watches with Smart OS work with the Google Fit app, but practically every device provides its own app, and I cant figure out Fit compatiblity.

How practically useful are the eSIM / LTE phones?

Any suggestions on brand / model suggestions for a phone with 8+ hrs back up for GPS (bicycling) and a blood pressure sensor? And Fit compatible. Data / SIM is not compulsory, ability to log and subsequently sync through ANT+ / BT will do. So, it should work with the phone NOT in proximity (leave the phone @ home while cycling).

[BaCkSeAtDrIVeR]

An update

I ended up buyingng Samsung's Galaxy Watch 42mm LTE version.

On my previous post. Found following info. Different brands use different OSes on their watches. Samsung has Tizen. Garmin has Watch OS. Fitbit has Google's WearOS. Others were not considered for lack of clarity or were Chinese. Each brand needs it's own app to connect to your phone, unless the watch runs on Google's wearOS. But data can be interchange between apps and Google Fit if a 3rd app (like Health Sync) is installed.

A steep discount on RDigital On a 2019 October manufactured piece made the decision. The eSIM feature too helped. I'm not sure about battery life with eSIM and GPS. Awaiting delivery. Also not sure if eSIM is enabled on the watch, same number can be used on a phone.

Let it come, we'll see.

[roamer]

Originally Posted by BaCkSeAtDrIVeR

An update

I ended up buyingng Samsung's Galaxy Watch 42mm LTE version.

Congratulations on the purchase. I have Gear Sport from Samsung and certainly you will like the interface of the same. E-sim, if I am not wrong works only If you have a samsung phone.

[BaCkSeAtDrIVeR]

Time for a review. I just finished repairing the watch and the phone for the nth time. This is needed every 2 or 3 days. The watch wont feed data to any app except Samsung health. And climbing stairs, my main activity, is off bt a -50%. Means, if I go up and down thec12 floors, I expect the watch to show 36 floors, it shows 18 or 17. It did not show route after cycling, till I realised that GPS location needs to be enabled specifically from settings in the watch. Simply enabling location means the watch will take location provided by the network.

It works ok for the main reason I got it - the eSIM. And yes, with Jio, tge physical SIM on the phone, tge watch can make calls, and the physical SIM too works.

It does auto detect walking, cycling and stair climbing. Settingng up phone - watch link frequently means you need to download apps and lose settings and eSIM each and every time phone-watch links needs to be set up. And that is every other day.

[warrioraks]

Does anyone know when would Versa 3 be available in India? Seems to have good reviews on Amazon.com.

[BaCkSeAtDrIVeR]

Originally Posted by warrioraks

Does anyone know when would Versa 3 be available in India? Seems to have good reviews on Amazon.com.

It is already here. Or am I missing something?
https://www.amazon.in/dp/B08DFPV5Y2/..._sjAbGbSJX31GR

The fitbit site lists it as coming soon.

[warrioraks]

Originally Posted by BaCkSeAtDrIVeR

It is already here. Or am I missing something?
https://www.amazon.in/dp/B08DFPV5Y2/..._sjAbGbSJX31GR

The fitbit site lists it as coming soon.

If you take a closer look at the sellers on this listing, it seems these guys are importing it from another country where it is being sold. None of the reputed sellers (CloudTail, Appario, Croma, etc) are selling it right now.

Moreover Fitbit website further re-enforces it hasn’t been launched yet. That is why I asked.

[StarrySky]

I recently bought the Garmin Forerunner 245 Music watch.

Background:
I have been using a TomTom Spark 3 Cardio watch for the past 2.5 years. When I bought that watch, I was just starting to be regular with my running, but I wasn't yet sure how long will I retain my interest in running So I didn't want to spend big money on a running watch and bought the TomTom at a steep discount. At that time, I knew I was making some compromises with respect to looks, smartwatch functionality, etc. Since TomTom had already announced the decision to exit the wearables market, I also knew that as far as updates are concerned it would be a dead end. But then, although I had bought the watch without much research, the TomTom surprised me with some features which some of the more expensive and modern competition does not yet provide - ability to add custom workouts to the watch and especially the ability to download and navigate custom courses. Having grown used to these features, I found the choices within my budget for an upgrade are limited.

The Garmin Forerunner 245 has been on my radar since it was released and I finally took the plunge when the watch was available at about 25% discount during Black Friday.

Other contenders:
- Garmin Fenix 6 Pro, Garmin Forerunner 945 and Garmin Forerunner 745: Even after discounts these were at least twice as expensive as the 245. My only sport is running, so the extra multisport features seemed redudant to me. Although the full maps/navigation on the 945 and Fenix 6 looked attractive, I didn't think I would greatly benefit from it (compared to basic navigation on the 245).

- Polar Vantage V/Grit X/Vantage V2: The choice was mainly between Garmin and Polar ecosystems and I chose to go with the bigger player. Many of the performance metrics/analytics available of many watches is licensed from Firstbeat and Garmin bought Firstbeat some time back. So I expect Garmin ecosystem to develop strongly. Another reason was the ability to install custom apps on Garmin.

- Coros Pace 2: I rejected it primarily because I cannot follow custom courses from the watch. There are many options for a run around my apartment, and I like to try new routes every now and then. So the ability to navigate custom courses is important for me.

Garmin Forerunner 245:
Looks: The 245 looks more like a smartwatch than a fitness-focussed watch. It has a color display, configurable watch faces and much smaller bezels than the TomTom. The 5 buttons kind of give it away that it's not intended to be a smartwatch. However, the buttons are much better to handle while running. For eg:, although th TomTom does not really have a touchscreen, the easiest way to enable the backlight is to cover the screen with the palm. It doesn't work so well, especially while running with sweaty palms or gloves. No such issue with the dedicated button on the 245. Of course, I can also enable gesture control on the 245 which would turn the screen on when I turn my arm.

Build Quality: The 245 body is plastic, but it appears quite well-built and looks premium compared to the TomTom (not a very high bar). The TomTom looks totally utilitarian, but apart from the strap I am quite happy with its build too. The strap though, does not last very long. I am already on my third strap and even that has developed a tear.

Smartwatch Features: The 245 supports notifications and I have enabled them. From my experience, it works for calls, SMS, WhatsApp and Outlook. It doesn't work for Teams. It is possible to sent some standard replies to WhatsApp chats. I haven't tried replying with Outlook as I have enabled Outlook notifications only for meetings. I have enabled the gesture control to turn on the backlight during activities and it works reliably. I also use a custom watchface, showing the information I want.

HR monitoring: The 245 supports HR monitoring during activities and also 24/7 HR. The values measured are quite comparable to what I see on the TomTom, which is a relief. Not that I consider either to be precise - just that comparable values mean I don't have to question which one is wrong and if I have been training too easy/hard with the TomTom. However, one issue I have had with the TomTom is very occassional dropping out of HR measurements while running. I would be 20-30 minutes into a run with HR above 140-145 or so, and suddenly the watch would show 50 or 55. It would take several minutes before it catches back up. No such issues with the 245 so far. It is also possible to broadcast the HR via bluetooth to other devices. I have tried a couple of times to broadcast HR to a 3rd party running app I use on the phone. It is quite easy to set up. But I have noticed that at times the bluetooth connection to the phone drops during the run and reconnects. I'm not sure how this is handled, but the HR graph in the app doesn't show any apparent flatlines.

SpO2 monitoring: The 245 supports SpO2 monitoring on-demand or during sleep. I have enabled SpO2 monitoring during sleep, just for fun. I might turn it off sometime later.

Sleep tracking: This is an area where I don't see too much improvements compared to the TomTom. The main issue is it doesn't always reliably detect when I go to sleep or when I wake up. I had the same issue with TomTom. However, the 245 displays phases of light/deep/REM sleep. Firmware updates to improve sleep tracking have been made for the higher end Garmin watches already. I hope similar improvements will come to the 245 also in future.

GPS accuracy: This is an area where I think the 245 is generally worse than the TomTom. By generally worse, I mean that if I overlay the GPX tracks of the same run from both wathches on the same map, the TomTom is closer to my actual running path than the 245. The 245 tends to be offet a bit. Also, each time I go through a pedestrian underpass or tunnel, the 245 track goes out of shape for a moment. I noticed from the GPX file that the 245 doesn't actually record any data for the length of time I spend in the tunnel. By the end of the run, the distance measured by both devices are different, but within about 1% of each other (for me, Garmin has always measured more). One day I compared it with my wife's Forerunner 235 as well and it came up quite close to the TomTom, unlike the 245. I thought when I upload the runs to Strava, I can use the "Correct Distance" function to correct it - but Strava consistently adds even more distance, whereas with the TomTom it has always deducted some distance whenever I tried "Correct Distance". What the..? I should also mention that during the runs with both watches, I have also seen the TomTom making some bad mistakes with the track on occassion (corner cutting etc), but other than being offset from the actual path for the most part, the 245 has not made any big errors.

Battery life: With about 5h of running, I could get about 5 days of battery life. Garmin claims 7 days of battery life in smartwatch mode. I am now taking some time off running as I have some niggles, and in my experirence the battery easily lasts 10 days without GPS activity. This is with notifications enabled, bluetooth always ON, 24/7 HR and SpO2 measurement during sleep. I have used a watchface that doesn't show seconds, so the screen doesn't need constant updating. I am not sure how much this helps.

Custom workouts: It is possible to create custom workouts on the Garmin connect app as well as the website. Creating one is much easier than with TomTom. The watch gives audible/visible alerts as well as vibrates at the beginning/end of each step in the workout.

Custom routes: It is possible to create custom routes in the Garmin connect app or import a route from elsewhere (as GPX for eg). Following the route from the watch is easy, but there are a couple of pros/cons compared to the same functionality on the TomTom. Con is that changing the zoom level of the map (just a breadcrumb trail) takes a couple of button presses more than in the TomTom. Pro is that the watch shows the next turn and how far it is, and also gives audible/vibration alert when the turn is to be made. But then, I have noticed that sometimes it doesn't prompt for some very obvious (even 90-degree) left/right turns. It's not a one-off, I have two points on my usual route where the 245 consistently fails to indicate a turn, although on the map I can see the turn. This means that I need to keep an eye on the watch and not just rely on the prompts. However, the 245 also has off-course detection and can prompt if I go off-course. So, ultimately, it helps you stay on course, but there is definite room for improvement. The second, smaller problem is that the prompt to make a turn comes up a 2-3 seconds after I have reached the point where I should turn.

Safety features: The 245 features incident detection, which can detect a fall and inform pre-defined emergency contacts. It is also possible to share live location during an activity with the LiveTrack feature. I haven't used either feature yet. I do share my location via Google maps with family during long runs on Saturday, so LiveTrack is a feature that I will definitely try in coming days.

Training tools: The 245 features Garmin's Training Load metric. It's good to see a tough session having positive effect on fitness and it also motivates us to push a bit. The same feature and the Body Battery feature can also tell if we are pushing too hard. Generally, I tend to vary my runs by how good/bad I feel on a particular day than relying to Body Battery. But still, it's a nice to have feature.

Connectivity: The watch can connect to the Garmin Connect app on my phone via Bluetooth. The connectivity is seamless. This is an area where the difference with my old TomTom is like night and day. TomTom had issues with bluetooth connection. Even if the connection was stable, uploading a run usually took upwards of 5 minutes. After a run, I often had to try a few times before the data could be transferred from the TomTom watch to its app. With the Garmin 245, data is uploaded without me manually initiating anything and usually even before I even enter my apartment after a run. The 245 can also sync directly via WiFi.

Running experience: I have already noted the GPS and HR accuracies above. Starting a run from the watch is easy. It takes just a couple of button presses. GPS aquisition takes a little while longer than in the TomTom. However, on the 245, I have enabled GPS+GLONASS, whereas TomTom has no such option. So more satellites probably takes more time. The TomTom showed 3 datafields during a run, which could be customized. The 245 by default shows 4 which are customizable and it is also possible to download 3rd party data fields that show more information. The watch face is very readable during runs. I haven't tried it yet in bright sunlight, though. Gesture control to turn on the watch face makes it easy to read during the run.

I have not finished exploring all the running-related features (eg: PacePro, Virtual Partner etc). I don't have a habit of listening to music during my runs. So I haven't tried the the music functionality at all. The main reason I got the music version of the watch is to have WiFi connectivity as well. The 245 can support a few other sports as well, but I bought it primarily as a running watch and for that purpose I am quite satisfied with it. I only wish that they keep improving the GPS accuracy, even at the cost of battery life, or maybe give the customer the opportunity to choose between better battery life and greater accuracy.

In summary:
Likes:
+ Battery life
+ Connectivity
+ Looks and build quality
+ Feature rich
+ Smartwatch functions

Not dislikes as such, but improvements needed:
- GPS accuracy (it's never enough ) I received an update just a couple of days back, but haven't tried it out yet
- Iron out chinks in turn-by-turn navigation alerts
- Sleep tracking

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by BaCkSeAtDrIVeR

Time for a review. I just finished repairing the watch and the phone for the nth time. This is needed every 2 or 3 days. The watch wont feed data to any app except Samsung health.

I think you do not recommend this, or do you?

Is this water proof?

A friend is using an older Galaxy smary watch and he said, he developed few rashes at the point. Any issues here?

I am torn between Forerunner 245, Vivoactive 4 and Samsung galaxy watch 3 lte.

[BaCkSeAtDrIVeR]

Originally Posted by Sheel

I think you do not recommend this, or do you?

Is this water proof?

A friend is using an older Galaxy smary watch and he said, he developed few rashes at the point. Any issues here?

I am torn between Forerunner 245, Vivoactive 4 and Samsung galaxy watch 3 lte.

First, decide the app you will use to monitor the activities. Make sure the watch supports the activities. Check Google play reviews for that app and make sure that things are fine. App stability/ performance may depend on phone OS version too. I wanted to use Google fit, but both my watches dont allow that. Galaxy watch at least allows my to install Strava, but watch - phone connectivity issue does not allow a proper review of Strava on a Galaxy watch performance.

I got the galaxy watch for its eSIM, for my son to use while cycling. It works as expected on that front. But I need to enable it everytime the watch gets reset.

I also got a Noise Fit NAV which has a built in GPS, but it does not measure stair climbing which is my main activity. I was thinking it is a WearOS device and was hoping to find Google Fit on it. Unlike the Galaxy watch, where some apps can be installed from the Samsung Play Store (Google fit is NOT there) the Noise Fit device does not allow installation of apps.

Both are water proof as in "specifications say so" and IPV68 or things like that. I wash my hands (and the dishes - but that is a secret) with the watches on.
Im not too worried about heart rate accuracy.

But when it comes to the app on the phone, both are a huge let down. The NoiseFit app at least works without much fuss provided its cache is cleared every few hours. Just for this reason, both are not recommended. I use a Galaxy A8+ phone running Android 9. The galaxy watch is now with my son, but it pairs to my phone, and the physical SIM is here.

Regarding rashes - I wear the watch only for 3 -4 hours. So no, cant comment. Both watches have difficulty reading my HR when I'm sweating. I leave the strap a bit lose. The NAV thinks my heart rate is slower than the galaxy watch, whose readings are more closer to a digital BP meter I have. Have not done a back to back test with all the three devices, so I may be wrong. The galaxy watch is with me for a few weeks, and the NAV is hardly 4 days.

The Galaxy watch 3 is different, right? It sti is 35k. Mine is Galaxy Smartwatch 42mm and was ₹ 16k. (Huh, what a nomenclature!!!) So things may not be same.

A hint to you - I regret not going for a FitBit which is more expensive than both, but less expensive than Garmin and is owned by Google. It does not have an LTE model though.

Only Jio and Airtel offer eSIM on all India basis. VI offers it only in some circles. (Not in Kerala). You need an LTE watch only if you want to leave the phone behind but still need a phone (like for emergency).

I only need to ensure that my HR stays above 120 BPM for 15 minutes, and noise fit does that, /though I'm disappointed with its inability to count stairs / floors climbed. The galaxy watch is just as inaccurate as the phone at that.

[united]

Background:
My sister bought a Fossil Gen4 smartwatch FTW4012 in Toronto, Canada with a purchase price of around 330 CAD in Feb 2019. She gifted the same to my dad in Delhi.

Current Situation:
In late 2020, my dad started facing some issues while charging the smartwatch. As the watch was covered under international warranty (2 years), he submitted the same with the Fossil showroom in Pacific Mall, Delhi for repair under warranty - though we don't have the invoice for the same as my sister lost it.

When he enquired about the status of the watch after a month, the showroom folks told him that the watch could not be repaired. Also as the model is currently out of stock, they are offering a Fossil gift card worth Rs.11K that he can use for any purchase from their showroom.

Doubt:
I feel that this is not the right deal and the company should offer the exact purchase price back to my dad in form of money (and not even a gift card) in case they are unable to replace the model. I would appreciate inputs from the other members here as I am not sure how the repair/replacement warranty works in such cases.

[BaCkSeAtDrIVeR]

Update on my NoiseFit. The app has been updated and things are bit faster now. About the gala'y watch 42mm, there was a pop asking for feed back. I wrote my opinion,and got a response from Samsung stating that it will take some time to fix.

Just for record- I installed Strava on it and will see if it will work with my son's strava account without having to pair the watch with a phone.

Originally Posted by united

I feel that this is not the right deal and the company should offer the exact purchase price back to my dad in form of money (and not even a gift card) in case they are unable to replace the model. I would appreciate inputs from the other members here as I am not sure how the repair/replacement warranty works in such cases.

I would be unhappy too. But if the model failed or the product is no longer manufactured, it is better to accept an alternative product. You have used this for some time and the depreciation is there. I'm not happy about it, but a replacement piece will get only remaining period of warranty. Instead, you are getting a new piece, with full warranty.

Hmmm .. you may have to pay more, since I'm not sure what you'll get for ₹ 11k. It is better than nothing, IMHO. But please do verify that what they say is indeed accurate.

[phamilyman]

Originally Posted by united

Doubt:
I feel that this is not the right deal and the company should offer the exact purchase price back to my dad in form of money (and not even a gift card) in case they are unable to replace the model. I would appreciate inputs from the other members here as I am not sure how the repair/replacement warranty works in such cases.

You bought a depreciating asset that lost part of its value when you used it happily. You invested ~19k of which they've offered 11k back

Ideal? no
Worth your time to contest further? NO!

The fact is that such international warranty is often problematic so while yes theoretically you can argue your case, practically this is not a bad deal given your case is not ironclad in an Indian consumer court in the absence of a clear bill.

If this was Canada - sure! But You do not have time to ship it back to Canada as well - else I would have suggested that!

We got a friend's iPhone 5s replaced in USA over the counter like that! Even Apple didn't honor the warranty in India.

[united]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

You bought a depreciating asset that lost part of its value when you used it happily. You invested ~19k of which they've offered 11k back

Ideal? no
Worth your time to contest further? NO!

The fact is that such international warranty is often problematic so while yes theoretically you can argue your case, practically this is not a bad deal given your case is not ironclad in an Indian consumer court in the absence of a clear bill.

If this was Canada - sure! But You do not have time to ship it back to Canada as well - else I would have suggested that!

We got a friend's iPhone 5s replaced in USA over the counter like that! Even Apple didn't honor the warranty in India.

I agree, definitely not worth the effort arguing with them.

Let's see what happens as we're trying to source the original invoice from the Canadian store. With that, they now are promising a store credit worth the purchase price that will help me purchase the Gen 5 model costing around Rs. 23K.