The Garmin Forerunner 620 (FR620) is a GPS watch for
runners. The watch is one of the handiest GPS going for walks watches on the
market with a shade show and contact display. At $370, the FR620 (and the like
minded HRM-Run coronary heart-charge strap) is wealthy in features however
falls at the excessive stop of the fee range for GPS strolling watches. The
TomTom Runner aerobic, a GPS watch with a built-in coronary heart-price sensor,
retails for $270 on Amazon. And Garmin's Forerunner 220 tracks fewer metrics
than the FR620 but will set you returned simplest about $235.
I wore the FR620 for 2 weeks, bringing it with me on runs
and even taking it for a dip in the pool to test its water
The Forerunner 620 tracks advanced metrics that extreme
runners will locate useful. The tool's stay-monitoring characteristic also
presents a super way to keep your pals and family in the loop during a race.
but, the watch lacks the every day activity-tracking
functions and cellphone notifications (including texts and calls) that now come
fashionable on many GPS running watches.
The FR620 is a relaxed watch, and even though I wouldn't
remember it elegant, it's miles attractive sufficient to put on all day like a
everyday wristwatch. It has a huge, circular face this is clean to read at the
same time as running, and the display is fairly shiny, so that you don't need
to preserve urgent the backlight button. I had no hassle studying the watch on
out of doors runs or whilst in the residence. The watch additionally has a color
display, which is meant to make the screen even less complicated to examine,
but I didn't assume this feature did much to improve the visibility of the
display.
The FR620 is one of the few GPS running watches with a hint
display screen, but it additionally has four traditional buttons. This
particular aggregate of bodily buttons and contact-screen buttons did now not
appear intuitive to me. I needed to read (and re-examine) the consumer manual
to get the cling of navigating through the watch's many features. different GPS
watches — just like the Fitbit Surge and the Garmin Vivoactive — additionally
have touch monitors and physical buttons, however i discovered them easier to
use.
in step with Garmin, you can use the FR620 for about 10
hours whilst GPSis enabled, and the battery will remaining for about six weeks
in standby mode (i.e., while GPS is switched off). I needed to price the watch
simplest as soon as all through my two weeks of testing, which leads me to
trust that Garmin's battery-life claims are real. I appreciated that you could
see how much battery you had left just with the aid of searching on the little
battery icon on the home display screen. some watches make you scroll thru
menus to discover in case you nevertheless have a rate.
The FR620 is available in
coloration mixtures: black with blue accents, and white with orange
accents. I don't mainly like either of these options, and i want the watch came
in stable black or white. however, i used to be impressed that the watch is
absolutely water resistant. I wore it for a whole swim exercising with out
experiencing any troubles. And if all you actually need to do is time your
exercising inside the pool, you could truely do so with the FR620 (though each
Garmin and Swimovate make inexpensive watches constructed only for tracking
swimming metrics). [Best Fitness Trackers for Swimmers]
To get started with the FR620, you'll want to download
Garmin's software onto your pc and then plug the watch in the usage of the
USB-related charging port. in case you don't have a Garmin account already,
you'll be triggered to create one. as soon as you have an account, you could
examine all the records you gather with the watch at the Garmin connect
internet site or cell app. you may either add information thru Bluetooth out of
your device to the mobile app or plug the watch into your laptop to switch
statistics.
I attempted syncing facts both approaches (wirelessly and
via the USB charging twine) and by no means had any issues. however, the FR620
additionally lets you ship facts via a wi-fi community, that is incredible for
individuals who don't have Bluetooth-enabled smartphones. but, I could not get
the wi-fi records transfers to work. I attempted to set up several special
networks through Garmin explicit, but I constantly got an mistakes message once
I attempted to transfer facts that way. it is possible that i used to be doing
something wrong, but severa Amazon reviewers have encountered similar wireless
connectivity problems with the FR620.
The Garmin connect cellular app is fine for viewing a top
level view of your workout and presenting graphs of your cadence, tempo or
elevation over the years. however, I preferred viewing my stats on the Garmin
join website, which turned into simpler to navigate and had a less-cluttered
sense than the cellular app.
if you buy Garmin's HRM-Run heart-rate strap to put on for
the duration of your runs, you will be able to accumulate metrics (like
vertical oscillation and ground touch time) that other coronary heart-price
straps don't measure. but the watch is also compatible with non-Garmin
heart-price straps that use ANT+ (a wi-fi generation that permits for
information to be sent among the strap and your watch). before you begin the
usage of any coronary heart-price strap or other sensor, you may want to
manually pair it with the FR620 by getting into the Settings menu and deciding
on the sensors web page. This pairing procedure wasn't hard, however different
watches i've tested can mechanically pair with heart-rate video display
The primary metrics that the FR620 tracks are distance and
pace. whilst you pair the watch with Garmin's HRM-Run heart-fee strap, you
could also track your coronary heart charge, cadence (strides in step with
minute), floor contact time (the quantity of time your foot stays at the ground
with each step) and vertical oscillation (your movement up and down, or
"jump"). As an beginner runner, i found these superior metrics to be
a touch over my head. but, the Garmin connect web site does an amazing task of explaining
what those measurements mean and also offers records that allow you to compare
your stats to those of different runners.
carrying a coronary heart-fee strap with the FR620 will even
permit you to gather different statistics approximately your runs, along with
healing time, or the amount of rest you ought to take before attempting some
other strenuous exercising; and envisioned VO2 max, or cardio ability, which is
a great measure of endurance. each of these metrics are treasured for critical
runners or all and sundry who wants to see how their patience is constructing
over the years.
The FR620 automatically is going into GPS mode when you
begin a brand new run, however you may flip off the GPS by means of tapping at
the icon on the top of the screen. the use of the GPS mode drains the watch's
battery pretty fast, so that you ought to flip off the GPS while you're walking
interior. I by no means had problem selecting up a GPS sign with the FR620. It
took longer for the watch to acquire a sign when i was standing in Midtown big
apple, surrounded by way of tall homes. but out in the suburbs, the watch
continuously picked up a satellite sign in much less than 30 seconds.
I did come across one extraordinary incident when the watch
tracked simplest a tiny part of my run using GPS data. (when I uploaded the
run, the map most effective confirmed me crossing the street in front of my
residence, when I had absolutely run three miles, or about 5 kilometers). but
despite the fact that the GPS cut out in this instance, the watch continued to
music my different information appropriately, and i didn't revel in the trouble
once more.
even though the FR620 was at the start launched as a
runners-handiest GPS watch, Garmin up to date its software program to consist
of cycling capability last year. you may placed the watch in trip mode to track
distance whilst biking, and you may additionally pair the watch with outside
sensors to get greater in-depth cycling information, such as velocity and
cadence.
The FR620 is missing the each day pastime-monitoring talents
you will find on more moderen Garmin GPS watches, like the Vivoactive and the
Forerunner 920XT. this indicates you cannot use the watch to song your steps.
And not like Garmin's more recent fashions, you cannot acquire notifications
out of your telephone on the FR620 thru Bluetooth. however, the watch does have
a live-tracking characteristic that helps you to share your GPS data in actual
time with people who might be fascinated (e.g., own family individuals who are cheering
you on at some stage in a race). you can also invite fb and Twitter friends to
look your stay-tracking information.
The FR620 saves files in a .fit layout, which makes it
smooth to switch the statistics that the watch collects to 1/3-celebration web
sites, like Strava or MyFitnessPal. Garmin join additionally seconds as a
social networking website for athletes who want to share their stats. through
the app, you may share information approximately your runs with buddies, be a
part of fitness-related businesses and connect with other Garmin-toting
athletes on your place.
common, my time with the FR620 was fantastic. however, this
running watch is simply a tool for extreme athletes, and it might be overkill
for informal or amateur runners. if your goal is to song your standard pastime
and some information approximately your workouts, a GPS watch with
interest-tracking features, plus some distinctive recreation modes (including
walking, biking or strolling) may fit your needs higher. If it truly is greater
in line with your hobbies, then the Fitbit Surge and Garmin Vivoactive are each
pinnacle contenders in that category.
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