This product has been discontinued by the manufacturer. It's been replaced by the Garmin Forerunner 645/645 Music, you may want to check out that review instead.
The Garmin FR620 is Garmin’s newest and most advanced running GPS watch. The unit packs in everything from WiFi to ANT+ to Bluetooth Smart, and adds a slew of new metrics and functionality. But are these new metrics a fair trade for some of the older functionality that’s been removed?
And quite simply, is it worth the cash over the FR220 which costs roughly half as much? Especially once you consider needing the new FR620’s HRM-Run strap to take advantage of all the new features.
Because I want to be transparent about my reviews – Garmin provided both beta and final production FR620’s, with this review being written on the basis of the final production hardware + software (some photos were taken during the software beta period of course). As always, in the next little bit I’ll be sending them back to Garmin and then going out and getting my own (to be able to support y’all in the comments section down the road). Simple as that. Sorta like hiking in wilderness trails – leave only footprints. If you find my review useful, you can use any of the Amazon or Clever Training links from this page to help support future reviews.
Lastly, at the end of the day keep in mind I’m just like any other regular athlete out there. I write these reviews because I’m inherently a curious person with a technology background, and thus I try and be as complete as I can. But, if I’ve missed something or if you spot something that doesn’t quite jive – just let me know and I’ll be happy to get it all sorted out. Also, because the technology world constantly changes, I try and go back and update these reviews as new features and functionality are added – or if bugs are fixed.
So – with that intro, let’s get into things.
Unboxing:
Before we can use the thing, we’ve got to get it all unboxed.
There’s an outer shell which protects the inner stuff. Below the watch are all the accessories.
Here would be those accessories, or rather, the contents of the box. On the left we’ve got the power cable, in the middle we have the watch plus the HRM-Run pod, then the manual, and then finally the heart rate strap that connects to the HRM-Run transmitter pod.
With the plastic removed, you’ve got the below situation:
As you’ll see in later sections, the FR620 is much lighter than its predecessor – the FR610. It’s also just a touch bit slimmer than it as well, owing in part because the band goes completely flush with the unit when placed on a flat service – versus the FR610 having a portion of the GPS antenna in that area causing a bit more of a bump.
As you can see, the FR620’s charger is completely different than previous Garmin Forerunner chargers, and isn’t really compatible with any other devices in the lineup either. It’s a bit better than the FR610’s charger, but I find the FR220 charger much more secure in that it clips on and can be swung around without fear of the charger falling off.
Next we’ve got the new HRM-Run strap. This is perhaps one of the most important pieces to being able to take advantage of all the new FR620 functionality.
Inside the HRM-Run transmitter pod (which has the little running man icon) there’s an accelerometer which measures movement, enabling new Running Dynamics metrics which I cover in a later section. This is all in addition to traditional HR metrics such as beats per minute.
Also worth pointing out is that while the pod is new, Garmin has stated that they’ve continued to make minor tweaks to the strap itself – trying to further minimize HR spike/dropout issues. Additionally, more work has been done around that within the pod as well (above and beyond what the HRM3 offers).
Finally, the last item within the box is the Getting Started guide.
With that, let’s dive into some of the comparisons with other units on the market.
Size Comparisons & Weights:
Next up lets compare how the size of the Garmin FR620 is to that of other units in the same general price and functionality range.
First we’ve got the standard rolling pin side view. You’ll notice that for the most part the GPS units these days are all roughly in the same size arena. It’s only the ones to the far left that are a bit bigger – the Adidas Smart Run GPS and the Suunto Ambit 2s. And, at the far right side you’ve got the lightest and smallest of the bunch, the Magellan Echo. Except that doesn’t have GPS in it but rather depends on your phone’s GPS.
(From left to right: Adidas Smart Run GPS, Suunto Ambit 2s, Garmin FR610, Garmin FR620, Polar RC3, TomTom Runner/Multisport, Timex Run Trainer 2.0, Garmin FR220, Magellan Echo)
Next, we can turn them up a bit and see the height of each one. The pattern is pretty similar here. The TomTom is a bit of an optical illusion because while the height looks thin on the display side, the button wraps down around the front and pops up a bit. The thickest units overall are the Adidas, Suunto and then the Timex Run Trainer 2.0 (3rd from right).
If I look at the three other units the Garmin FR620 tends to be compared to the most, you can see this a bit more clearly.
The FR620 is of course the successor to the FR610. Below, we can see the two side by side. Display-size wise they’re virtually indistinguishable. The touch button placement has been swapped around a bit, and there’s now one additional button.
The most noticeable aspect (aside from weight) though is really thickness. In particular though towards the base of the unit. You can see how the first bit of the FR610 (silver) watch band as it leaves the display is still a portion of the unit and added bulk, whereas the FR620 doesn’t have any of that extra bulk.
Looking at wearing it, here’s what it looks like on my wrist, my wrist size is 17cm (or about 6.5 inches):
And, for all the smaller ladies in the house, here’s what it looks like on The Girl’s wrist, her wrist size is 14cm (or 5.5 inches) – and she’s tiny – 5’2” tall:
The Girl wishes to convey that she plans to steal my FR620 upon pressing publish on this review. Thus far, she’s been using it pretty much every time I’m not using it (she’s also been using the FR220 as well).
Last but not least, here’s the weight situation. The FR620 weighed in at 44g:
Whereas the older FR610 (metal backing) came in at 75g, and the updated plastic backing at 62g:
Running Functionality and Features:
After you’re ready to start running you’ll head outside and get GPS reception. Unlike past Garmin Fitness watches, the Garmin FR620 automatically caches the satellite locations for the next week, which means that it can find satellites much faster than before. This caching is updated via WiFi and Bluetooth Smart each time you connect the FR620.
To illustrate this in a short video, I’ve started with the FR620 turned off (entirely – which is sorta unusual) and then recorded the process to turn it on and until satellite reception. The red bar on the left side indicates the satellite reception, which turns green once nearing completion.
Typically the unit is already on, so it’s just a 2-second matter to switch into running mode and then enable GPS. So that first portion to turn on from being off took 18 seconds. Then, the satellite lock while sitting next to a tall stone wall/ground took 14 seconds. I’ve seen it even faster when not sitting next to a massive wall.
One pretty cool new feature on the FR620 (and the FR220) is the ability to change how long until the unit falls asleep. Previously it would fall asleep after 5 minutes if you weren’t actively recording an activity, or hadn’t touched the screen. This meant for folks waiting at the start line of a big race, the unit could fall asleep on you. Now though you can change to ‘Extended’ mode, which will in turn shut the unit off after 25 minutes.
So, with the unit on, we’re ready to start running. To do so you’ll press the upper right button, which starts the activity. You can press the same button again to resume it. The lower right button is the lap button. The upper left turns on the backlight. On the front bezel you’ll see a little ‘Back’ arrow and on the opposite side ‘Three lines’, which allow you to navigate through the menus.
Once we’ve started running the unit will display a multitude of metrics, based on what you’ve configured. By default this will be things like pace, distance, time and heart rate. Each page can have different metrics on them, and you can have different pages.
For example, below I’ve configured a four-metric lap page, which shows my current lap distance, lap time, lap pace, and heart rate.
In this case, below, I’ve setup a two-metric screen that just shows heart rate and the HR zone:
In total you can configure four data screens (+ a Virtual Partner and Running Dynamics screen). Each screen (page) can contain up to four pieces of data (or as little as one piece of data). You’ll change all of these within the Activity Settings area, and then Data Screens:
Here’s the full listing of data fields you can configure:
While running in order to change screens you simply tap the screen. The touchscreen can be navigated by swiping up and down, just like most phones. This is similar to the FR610 (but very different from the FR405/FR410 touch bezel). This touch screen has no problems with water droplets (rain), nor with gloves. For fun, here’s a quick little video I shot wandering through the menu with a few different gloves:
As you can see, even with the biggest mitten you can navigate it.
Many people ask about pace stability while using GPS. Below is a short video I took while running with the unit. I’m not wearing any footpod, this is pure GPS pace. I ran for a short distance and then abruptly stopped, so you could see the short delay until the unit shows zero (stopped). The pace number is shown in minutes/mile
The unit can be configured for both metric and statute displays (i.e. miles or kilometers), and in fact, there’s actually settings to change any of the different fields (such as elevation, pace, distance) individually and independently of each other. So you could have elevation in meters and distance in miles.
While running you can configure the unit to automatically create laps, called Auto Laps. These can be setup based on a preset time, such as 1 Mile. I tend to use this for longer runs, rather than shorter ones.
Additionally you can also configure Auto Pause, which will automatically pause the unit when you go slower than a certain threshold – such as stopping at a light for a crosswalk. You can customize the thresholds if they’re too high/low for you.
When it comes to alerting you’ve got a few options. You can create alerts on a number of metrics such as time, distance, calories, cadence, or pace. In the case of pace or cadence, these are typically defined as high/low alerts, where you set a high value and/or a low value (both or individual) and then the unit alerts based upon crossing that threshold:
You can also setup alerts such as the Run/Walk alert, which is common in a number of marathon training plans these days. In this case you setup a Run Time (i.e. 10 minutes), and then a walk time (i.e. 1 minute) and then the unit will simply repeat this duo forever until you tell it otherwise.
Lastly in alerting you have the Virtual Partner. Once enabled the Virtual Partner is set for a given pace (you can adjust it on the fly), such as 7:25/mile.
The unit will then tell you how far ahead or behind that virtual pacer you are, in both distance and time.
What’s unfortunate here is you can’t set a goal time for an event (i.e. 3:30 marathon), nor can you see the predicted finish time based on your current pace (for a given distance/event). I was really hoping to see this given some other units have implemented it lately (namely, the Magellan Switch/Switch Up).
Further, Garmin removed the ability to race against past results (at least temporarily), so you can’t race against yourself nor against any other runner.
Once your run is done you’ll go ahead and tap the pause button to pause it, which then brings you to this screen where you can save the run (or discard it I suppose):
After which it’ll list off any PR’s that you’ve hit for that run. PR’s (Personal Records) are listed for distances from 1KM upwards to Marathon, as well as for records such as longest run. Here’s a few of them:
The only problem is that while it’s supposed to pull your previous PR’s from Garmin Connect, it doesn’t appear to be doing so. So in reality my PR’s are kinda skewed.
All of this information then ends up in the history section if you’d like to review it later from the watch itself.
And of course it’ll get uploaded as I’ll cover in a bit.
Looking at GPS accuracy, I’ve seen good stuff with the FR620. It’s in line with a bunch of other GPS units I’ve paired it up against, always relatively close to each other. Given the accuracy of GPS technology in the consumer space, you’ll almost never get the same measurement from two units (even two like units), but in these cases you see very similar numbers across the board:
Sorry this last one’s a bit fuzzy, it was at night. 26.87km = 16.69 miles. So in this case we had a bit more variance (from 16.19mi to 16.69 miles with the Echo hanging out in the middle at 16.4 miles. Of course, it’s impossible to know which one is right.
I’ll likely be doing accuracy tests again with the large batch of new running watches on the block, since it now makes sense to do so.
New FR620 Running Dynamics Metrics:
The FR620 has introduced the ability to get new “Running Dynamics” metrics, which focus primarily on running efficiency areas. These metrics are only available if you have the (also new) HRM-Run heart rate strap. This is the strap that has the little runner symbol on the front of it, and contains an accelerometer in it (it otherwise looks like any previous Garmin HR strap).
There are two and a half new metrics that come from the HRM-Run. I say ‘and a half’, because one of them – cadence – was previously available via the footpod (and also available in the FR620 internally).
The other two metrics are Vertical Oscillation and Ground Contact Time. First let’s cover what these are:
Vertical Oscillation: This is simply how much you (specifically, your chest) goes up and down during each footstep. Basically defining how much vertical movement you generate, measured in centimeters. The less vertical oscillation the better, as it means you’re in theory spending less energy pushing your body up and down vertically (energy which could be used to move your body forward).
Ground Contact Time: This metric covers how long each footstep spends on the ground, measured in milliseconds. Remember that 1,000ms = 1 second. Typically speaking the less time you spend on the ground the faster your cadence. And most elite runners tend to have a fairly fast cadence. You’ll likely see this number fluctuate directly with that of cadence, which in many people’s situations tends to also correlate with speed.
Cadence: This is not a new metric. It’s just that Garmin has decided it was time to make you aware of it. This measures how many steps per minute you take, or, how many times per minute your feet touch the ground. Traditionally this has always been measured in Garmin products for just a single foot (i.e. 90SPM). However with the switch to the FR620 and FR220, all of these metrics across Garmin sites are now shown as both feet (i.e. 180SPM). You’ll note that any previous runs you did now show double what they did before (the change occurred last week updating all old runs).
As a side note, Garmin produced two YouTube videos which were actually surprisingly good. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever linked to a Garmin video in a review before – but this one on Running Dynamics explains it very well with cute graphics and animations.. And the same on VO2Max & Recovery Adviser (which I’ll cover in my next section).
Garmin includes this handy little chart in the manual to help you figure out whether or not your results are good. Of course, they don’t say good, rather, they just label them with non-descript colors so that everyone feels good about themselves.
So how is this information displayed for you? Well, let’s first start off with running. While running you can choose to enable a new display screen called, obviously, Running Dynamics. This screen looks like a small car dashboard:
The data is updated in real-time just like any other metric on your watch.
You can switch around any of these three metrics in the configuration of your data fields. Further, you can add these metrics to any of your other data pages/screens.
Next, post-run you’ll see a few new (and updated, in the case of cadence) display fields within Garmin Connect:
Looking more closely at the fields you can start to see clear trends between pace, cadence, vertical oscillation and ground contact time. Though, I think it’ll be some months until coaches and others can really start to make sense of what this data looks like en mass (sorta like left/right power data).
I say that because if you look at the charts above (from one run), and then compare it to the charts below (from a different run), you see different trends. For example, below you see an increase in vertical oscillation (more bounce) while there’s actually a decrease (faster) in ground contact time. Which is a bit of a strange correlation to have occur. Again, more over time here.
Here’s a close look at each of the graphs from a recent run.
Ground Contact Time:
Vertical Oscillation:
Cadence:
You’ll notice a few little blips here and there. For example that random spike about 80-90% of the way through my run is when a very old man partially fell off his bike a bit ahead of me. I stopped for a second to make sure he was OK, resulting in that short spike. Beyond that I’ve seen the data be incredibly clean while running on trails/routes uninterrupted. However, with city running and jumping on/off sidewalks and around people I see a fair bit more variance. So be sure you keep your running environment in context when looking at the data.
It should be noted that the HRM-Run continues to also grab standard heart rate data as well – so no changes there:
Note that only the Garmin FR620 today can take advantage of the new Running Dynamics metrics from the HRM-Run. The other units can still connect to the heart rate portion just fine, but not anything beyond that. Garmin does not have plans to add this to the now ‘older’ FR910XT, but I suspect you’ll see it in future higher-end fitness units from Garmin.
It’s probably worthwhile noting that the HRM-Run strap produces without question the ‘cleanest’ HR data I’ve seen to date on any strap, Garmin or otherwise. In fact, nearly all of my runs have been very good. This is notable especially because it’s the fall, which tends to be the worst time of year for HR spikes and dropouts due to the cool weather where people are still wearing t-shirts/shorts and thus you tend to produce less sweat than in either summer (hot), or winter (bundled up).
I’ve only seen a tiny bit of initial latency in the first 1-3 minutes, and only if the strap becomes more dry due to excessive waiting pre-run (you’re to wet the strap in three spots before running).
If you’re struggling with past HR straps, this may be the golden ticket from what I’ve seen. I’ve never seen any issues (spikes/dropouts/whatever) past the first couple of minutes with the HRM-Run and running with it the past 30-40 days.
Lastly, it should be noted that at this time Garmin has selected to make the transmission of the Running Dynamics data ‘private’, rather than open ANT+. This means that other companies can’t leverage this data real-time from the HRM-Run to the FR620. However, they can still read the data once the .FIT file is downloaded after the activity (that portion is open).
It should thus be pointed out that it’s a bit hypocritical for Garmin to keep this private-ANT rather than ANT+, especially since they own ANT+ (Dynastream technically), and the sheer success of ANT+ (and to a large extent, Garmin fitness devices – especially cycling) can be owed to the openness of ANT+ amongst member organizations and the willingness of those organizations to produce devices that are compliant with Garmin units (i.e. power meters).
Ironically, if Garmin were to open this up, it’d actually compliment other metrics that other companies are working on – potentially allowing for even greater metrics across the board. For example, the Scribe running kinematics pod I talked about last week.
The Garmin FR620 introduced four new features: VO2Max (to predict/determine your VO2Max), Recovery Check (to tell you the current state of recovery), and Race Predictor (to tell you how fast you can run your next race).
First we’ll start with VO2Max. Your VO2Max is a number that defines your body’s maximum ability to transport and utilize oxygen during exercise. Many consider it a way to identify elite athletes, though there’s certainly cases where elite marathoners may not have the highest VO2Max numbers and can still do well focusing on other areas (i.e. running efficiency).
Still, this number is nonetheless ‘interesting’. Though unfortunately, there’s very little you can do to change it beyond initial fitness. It’s more genetic than trained, and beyond a standard baseline level of fitness you won’t see dramatic (or even major) shifts in your individual VO2Max number. Most people get this number by performing a standard VO2Max test that lasts about 10-15 minutes on a treadmill. You can read about one of my past tests here.
The FR620 attempts to predict this number when using a heart rate strap by leveraging algorithms from FirstBeat Technologies. These algorithms can get you in the ballpark of your VO2Max, and do so in a way that’s much less painful than a VO2Max test (which hurts a lot).
After 10 minutes of running, the unit will calculate a VO2Max value, however, the entire run is considered for the final VO2Max number presented at the end of the run. Upon completion of the run the watch will display it to you:
You can go back and check your current value on the watch at any time from the menu:
This data is then tracked on a chart within Garmin Connect:
You’ll likely see slight variations in this day to day because of a lot of factors that the FR620 doesn’t know about (such as fatigue or sleep). Further, the type of workout you do may impact this number. For example, I have a rather difficult workout coming up on Tuesday and I’m interested to see if it shifts the number a bit (as my other recent workouts were more focused on length rather than aerobic pain).
In my case, the highest number the device has reported is 57, which is a bit below my actual measured VO2Max of 63.6 Though, that measurement was a few years ago – and things certainly may have changed.
So what good is the VO2Max data? Well, that data is directly turned around to give you predicted race times. These times are based on a simple lookup table against your VO2Max and age/gender. Meaning that it doesn’t take into account whether or not you’ve actually run 18-20mi before that 26.2 mile marathon – it just looks at your aerobic capacity. It also doesn’t take into account the realities of race day (i.e. hydration, nutrition, brain-farting, etc…).
Still, it’s somewhat interesting. In my case, it gives me the following estimations:
Which, is actually pretty much in-line for my current marathon PR at 2:54. And for that matter, the rest of my times are within 30s of my actual PR’s. However, that’s merely speaking to potential. In my case, I know I could have run faster that day (marathon). By the same token, I’m sure I was in better marathon shape that day than today.
Still, it gives you a ballpark, and in my case the greater ballpark is still somewhat accurate.
Next we look at two inter-related features: Recovery Check and Recovery Advisor.
Recovery Check is designed to assess your recovery level after the first 6 minutes of the run, and it’ll display a message to you shortly thereafter:
Whereas Recovery Advisor is a post-run message that tells you how long you should wait before attempting another hard run workout.
Further, the watch then counts this down and you can always access the current ‘clock’ to see where you stand:
The goal here with Recovery Advisor being to reduce injuries. Many runners (both new and not-so-new) tend to incorrectly schedule workouts to not give enough rest between hard running workouts. This in turn leads to injury – especially following long runs and the like.
Treadmill Running & Internal Accelerometer:
The Garmin FR620 includes an internal accelerometer (in the watch) which enables the unit to measure both pace and cadence without the need for an external footpod (as most watches previously required).
This internal accelerometer is automatically configured while running outdoors with the GPS enabled (there’s no additional manual configuration). My ability to test this particular feature has been somewhat limited, as only the final firmware enabled my unit the ability to record this data (as opposed to just viewing it). That said, one of the easiest ways to test this is by simply running it through a straight forward pyramid test on a treadmill after a run outdoors (to get the unit calibrated via GPS).
For this test I did a very straight forward treadmill test after completing a short warm-up. The recorded test includes the following:
1 Minute @ 12KPH (it took about 15-20s for the treadmill to get to full speed)
4 Minutes @ 13KPH (7:26/mi, 4:37/km)
1 Minute @ 14KPH (6:45/mi, 4:17/km)
1 Minute @ 15KPH (6:26/mi, 4:03/km)
1 Minute @ 16KPH (6:02/mi, 3:45/km)
1 Minute @ 17KPH (5:41/mi, 3:32/km)
1 Minute @ 18KPH (5:22/mi, 3:20/km)
1 Minute @ 15KPH (6:26/mi, 4:03/km)
2 Minutes @ 10KPH with letting treadmill stop last 10 seconds. (9:30/mi, 6:00/km)
After that first minute, the following 4-minutes at 13KPH provided a nice steady chunk of graph to look at. Further, that pace is just a nice average running speed for me – similar to a long-run pace. And, looking at the graph and paces in that section, it did exactly that. The paces there were within 3-5s/mile – perfectly suitable.
Then, I would increase the pace by 1KPH (metric treadmill) each minute. In theory this would provide a very clear step-ladder of sorts of paces. Here’s what it actually showed: Not much of anything.
In fact, it actually reported me going slower. Now, what’s really interesting here is that you can very clearly see my cadence increasing on the cadence graphs – incredibly clear step-ladder there:
As you see above, once I hit the 5-minute marker, and each minute thereafter my cadence naturally increases (this is common/normal as you speed up). But the pace accuracy drops outs. And, if you were to look at the final two minutes where I was at 10KPH (9:30/mile), the unit actually has me closer to 8:30/mile.
Now, what’s interesting here is that I saw this same sort of trend with the TomTom watch and its internal accelerometer. It was quite good at tracking paces right around my normal running range (i.e. 7:00-7:45/mile). However, as soon as I dropped below 7:00/mile it fell apart. It’ll be interesting to see data points from other users on this and see what patterns look like.
Now of course do keep in mind that calibration of treadmills across gyms and fitness centers is horribly bad (really, it’s rather ugly actually). So that could impact individual tests. However, in my case, we’re talking nearly 2:00 min/mile difference, and the fact that as I came closer to 5:00/mile in pace, it was actually reporting I was getting even slower than my baseline pace. I assure you, my little heart begs to differ.
I suspect what’s happening is some portion of my arm swing changes at these higher speeds and thus throws off the pace metrics. However interestingly, the cadence metrics (coming from the HRM-Run at this point) actually tracked quite well with a footpod I had streaming cadence to another device. Here’s the two right on top of each other:
You see a bit more noise in the footpod data, which is interesting in that it shows just how clean the HRM-Run data is for cadence.
If the accuracy of the internal accelerometer for pace though isn’t good enough for you, you can always pair any ANT+ enabled footpod to the unit. For example, one like the below:
You’ll dive into the sensor area and then pair the footpod:
Once that’s done you can go ahead and specify the calibration factor if you know it:
At that point you’re pretty much good to go. Likely when in indoors mode you’ll want to switch off GPS, which is again just a quick tap of the top GPS icon to set it to off. At this point it’ll provide pace, distance and cadence while indoors.
Workout Creation & Training Plans:
The FR620 supports the ability to create manual workouts that you’ll follow on your device and be prompted for each step of the workout. These workouts can have a variety of targets (such as pace, cadence, heart rate and speed), and can have preset durations such as time, distance or just simply pressing the lap button.
The workouts are created on Garmin Connect and then transferred to the device via Bluetooth or USB.
Below, you can see my creating one of my workouts. You can create a multiple of steps, and include embedded repeating steps (such as Work + Rest intervals). The Garmin Connect workout builder is pretty much the easiest and most complete interval builder out there. Incredibly simple to use.
Once you’re done with the workout, you’ll see all the steps listed.
Upon completion you can go ahead and send it to your device via USB or Bluetooth Smart (by pulling it from the Garmin Connect Mobile app):
Additionally, you can also add it to your Training Calendar. The Training Calendar on the device will then automatically show you your scheduled workouts on the day it’s scheduled.
On the unit these workouts will show up after tapping the little Trophy in the middle of the screen and going into the workouts area:
You can preview the steps for each workout as well there:
Garmin Connect also includes training plans for a variety of different goals (5K to Marathon) and sports (Bike/Run/Tri), as well as levels.
Each Training Plan has specific workouts in them which are automatically added to your calendar after you’ve clicked the ‘Schedule’ button. You can easily remove all workouts as well and change plans. The scheduler will allow you to specify either a start or finish date (i.e. race day) and all of the workouts then align to that date.
Here you can see the calendar view:
Finally, on your unit these will show up in your Training Calendar view right next to workouts, after tapping the little trophy:
Structured workouts like those included in the training plans (and via the workout builder) will walk you through each step of the workout, automatically counting down the time allocated for each step and letting you know what the goal is for each step:
If you exceed a threshold, it’ll alert you immediately, like the below. Though strangely, it doesn’t actually tell you whether you were high or low – just simply that you were out of bounds for that portion of the workout. (To clarify: It always shows you the view above, but when the pop-up alert happens as seen below, it doesn’t say “High/Low” there).
Lastly, you can cancel a workout at any time by just simply tapping the three lines on the right side and hitting cancel.
Cycling Functionality:
The Garmin FR620 does not contain a cycling function/mode, nor any way to connect to speed/cadence sensors while cycling. Which differs from the FR610 that both had a cycling mode as well as had the ability to connect to ANT+ speed/cadence sensors.
It does however contain the ability to switch the display metric from pace (usually displayed as minutes/mile or minutes/kilometer) to speed (i.e. MPH/KPH). You can do this via the the Settings > Activity Settings > Data Screens menu, and then within one of your data pages you can select the data field you want to change and change it to Speed.
At this point the unit will display speed (MPH or KPH depending on your preferences) as one of the data fields.
You can also just swap things over to show speed across the board:
The only challenge with this particular workaround though is that by default the workout will still be uploaded to Garmin Connect as a ‘Run’, rather than a ‘Bike’ workout, which means that it’ll incorrectly trigger both PR’s on the unit (i.e. fastest 5KM) as well as incorrectly triggering those on Garmin Connect. You can clear these on the unit itself by going into the PR section and manually removing them.
And on the Garmin Connect side you can go ahead and modify the workout type to be ‘Cycling’ which will then address the issue there.
(Update: Garmin has confirmed that in ‘Spring 2014’, the unit will receive a firmware update that enables a cycling mode with support for the ANT+ Speed/Cadence sensor. Remember that ‘spring’ does technically go well into June.)
Navigation Functionality:
Like the FR610, the FR620 does not contain any form of navigational/course routing. However, unlike the FR610, it doesn’t contain any ‘back to start’ type functionality that the FR610 had around getting back to the start of you run by providing basic compass style directional navigation. The FR610 also provided current GPS coordinates, which the FR620 doesn’t provide. Finally, it provided saved locations. Which also isn’t available on the FR620.
Garmin has stated that they may look to add back some of these features in a future software update, but that they aren’t going to be available for launch.
For users that need these functions, the better choice would be the Fenix/Tactix watch form-factor lineup, rather than the running-specific watches. The Fenix watches focus on navigation, running, and exceedingly long battery life (upwards of 55 hours). They do lack however areas such as training plans, interval, and workout functions. Though, they do contain a cycling mode with full support for ANT+ speed/cadence sensors. Alternatively, the Suunto Ambit 2/2s are good choices in the navigation department, though lack the same training plans and workout functions (and kinda-sorta-barely has an interval function). But, the Ambit 2/2s do make for much better triathlon watches than the FR220/FR620.
Use as a day to day watch, backlight:
(The FR220 at left, the FR620 at right)
The FR620 can hang out in non-GPS mode for 6 weeks, acting as a standard day to day watch. In this mode the screen is automatically locked, and unlike the FR610 simply having your shirt brush the touch screen won’t switch it back into GPS mode.
Instead, you’ll need to tap one of buttons and then you’ll have to touch the touchscreen center unlock button:
From an alarms standpoint you can create a single daily alarm. You are not able to configure it for specific days of the week and/or additional alarms:
In time mode, you can actually configure the background to be black (with white text), or white (with black text). The time will be automatically pulled from GPS, unless you use the manual mode to set it manually.
Finally, the unit has backlight which can be configured to turn on for a specified time, or configured to stay on at all times. For me running in the dark I just turn it on at the start of the run and utilize the ‘Stays On’ option so it’s always there for quick and easy glancing:
Additionally, you can also set the unit to automatically illuminate if/when you either press a button or if any alerts appear (i.e. lap notifications, pacing alerts, workout alerts, etc…)
ANT+ Weight Scale Connectivity:
While the majority of Garmin fitness devices used to support connecting to a small number of ANT+ enabled weight and body fat scales, the FR620 no longer continues that tradition. Based on my discussions with the product team, there are no current plans to enable that functionality on the FR620 (or, the FR220). That said, they noted they will continue to listen to consumer feedback on the issue.
I suspect the primary reason for this is simply the number of users using those weight scales today (unfortunately barely a rounding error on a tenth of a percent at best). Added to that the fact that most of the WiFi scales today far exceed the functionality provided by the ANT+ scales.
Of course, that doesn’t help users of past Garmin devices that have purchased those ANT+ scales solely for the purpose of connecting them to Garmin devices (the only company that truly ever lit up that scenario via ANT+ ). Given it would be Garmin’s goal to convert those users into FR620/FR220 users, I would think that it might benefit them to as a gesture of goodwill to look at an update down the road to connect to the scale (it’s just a firmware change).
As a side effect, this pretty much kills any ANT+ scales going forward. Which, shouldn’t really be a major surprise. Even Bluetooth scales aren’t really a great solution. Neither protocol really fits the bill for scales compared to WiFi, especially since virtually nobody would travel with their scale – meaning that it’s always going to be hanging out in a single place with easy WiFi access.
Waterproofing:
The Garmin FR620 is fully waterproofed to 50 meters (150ft). And, unlike most past Garmin running specific watches (usually minimal IPX7 waterproofing), the FR620 is more than fine on your wrist while swimming (though it won’t capture any metrics).
In my testing with the unit in various water-filled situations such as brief swimming bouts, running long runs in the rain, and showers, I’ve seen no issues. With the similar body designed FR220 I’ve spent even more time in the water, doing openwater swims in salt water as well (for up to two hours in the water), without any issues.
Going forward into December I’ll be bringing both the FR220 and the FR620 down to 33m (~100ft deep) in an indoor facility designed for exactly this sort of thing, to test out the waterproofing myself. Should be fun!
Live Tracking & Mobile Phone Upload Functionality:
The Garmin FR620 includes the ability to connect via Bluetooth Smart to your mobile phone to upload workouts immediately upon completion, as well as to provide streaming live tracking of your run to family and friends. You can share out the link automatically via e-mail or social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook. This of course does require your phone be present with you the entire run for live tracking during the run.
We first saw this technology in the Garmin Edge 510 and Edge 810 last January. In that case however, the units used older Bluetooth chips which meant compatibility with older phones. With Bluetooth Smart being used here in the FR620, you’ll need an iPhone 4s or newer in order to take advantage of the uploads and connectivity. At this time, Android is not supported. Again, Android is not supported today. This is largely because the Android Bluetooth Smart story/support has been a complete cluster until recently (notably, Android OS version 4.3). Thus, it’s really only been the last couple of months that we’ve see that hit handsets, and even now for example, Samsung users in the US on AT&T only got it last week. Remember that Bluetooth Smart is a subset of Bluetooth 4.0. So it’s not only a case of ensuring your phone physically contains a Bluetooth 4.0 chipset, but also that the handset is running Android 4.3. And of course, beyond that, getting the app to support it (which, it doesn’t today).
At any rate, Android aside, here’s how it works on the iPhone.
First up is the pairing. Unlike other Bluetooth devices, you won’t be doing this from the Bluetooth Control panel (beyond ensuring Bluetooth is simply enabled on your phone). Instead, you’ll do it from the Garmin Connect Mobile app (download it first, it’s free). Then, once you’ve got that installed and signed into your Garmin Connect app, you’ll start the wizard:
Meanwhile, on the phone you’ll go into the Bluetooth settings to get that all enabled and paired:
Once you’ve got those two pieces completed, you’ve got a few options. The primary use here is really on the Live Tracking side, which the FR620 does as long as your phone is within Bluetooth range of your FR620. In this mode you’ll create a Live Tracking session for your run. This can be named anything you’d like, or, if you leave it as the default it’ll just autogenerate a name based on the date.
Next, you’ll setup who you want to invite. In my case, I’ve configured it to always send a notification to my Coach, my wife, and myself (just for the heck of it). This is sent via e-mail and gives a link that they can click on (more on that in a second). Additionally, you can configure notifications to Facebook and Twitter. You’ll see an option to extend sharing. I always set this. This means that upon completion of the activity your friends/family will still be able to see that you’ve finished for up to 24 hours. Otherwise, it’ll kill the session as soon you press Stop/Save.
Once that’s all ready to go, you’ll go ahead and start the live tracking session. Note that you need not start it at the same time as pressing the watch start button. This allows you to start it on your phone, and then stash your phone away (armband, CamelBak, Spibelt, etc…). Think of this like starting your car. It doesn’t actually go and drive anywhere until you put it in ‘drive’ (in this case, pressing start on the FR620 for your activity).
Once you’ve started, you’ll see two little icons at the top indicating that Bluetooth is connected.
Meanwhile, your friends and family will receive an e-mail with tracking information:
When they click on said link, they’ll be brought to a simple tracking page:
This page also works just as well from a mobile device as well (screenshot courtesy my coach):
The page can be switched between MPH/KPH and Pace, as well as through the different formats such as kilometers or statute.
The live tracking updates every 30 or 60 seconds (I’ve seen both), and will graph your ANT+ data as well, including heart rate, cadence, and if you have the HRM-Run, that information too (vertical oscillation for example, added in the last few days). If you hover over any of the sections on the graphs you’ll get stats about that particular data point.
Additionally, you can swap between standard maps and satellite maps.
Along the way it’ll plot markers every mile. It doesn’t show any lap information you’ve set however, it just beats to its own drum:
Overall, the tracking seems to be working quite well. I’ve been tracking my wife’s runs, and my coach has been tracking all my runs the last 7-10 days or so without issue.
Upon completion of the activity a banner will display that the user has completed the run:
And, upon completion the activity will be uploaded to Garmin Connect via the Bluetooth Connection on the phone. This is accomplished when the ‘Auto Upload’ option is enabled. Note that it first uploads from the device to the phone, and then from the phone to Garmin Connect. Below, you see it uploading first from the FR620 to the phone. Then, once that’s complete (takes about 30 seconds), you’ll see a little ‘Up’ arrow icon, which then indicates it’ll move over to Garmin Connect online.
Now, I have noticed a few oddities/bugs with the app in my testing.
– I can’t get it to Tweet out my run for Live Tracking, no matter how hard I try. It says it’s going to, but it never does. In poking around Twitter, it appears other peoples are working fine, so perhaps it’s just me. I’ve tried deleting the app, deleting my Twitter account of the phone, and everything in between. Multiple times over. No love.Update: I got this fixed. It turned out I had to revoke the App from the Twitter.com Settings page (not my phone), and then re-set everything. Good to go there!
– I’m getting intermittent failures on the run actually uploading to Garmin Connect (post-run, live tracking is fine/separate). I’m reasonably sure this was working just fine the first few days, but now it seems to be failing to upload the workouts. Update: Now, this seems to be working just fine for me again as of Nov 19th, 2013.
– Added: Calibration of footpod: In my testing, I had calibration values shown when I used the footpod. However, in recent builds, it doesn’t seem to be updating the calibration value from outdoor GPS runs. Thus you have to manually calibrate (a pain, involves math, kinda stupid). If you use the footpod in the current firmware with GPS, you’ll get inaccurate data because the footpod will be set for 1000 (likely incorrect for you), and will override GPS.
Note: For Android support, according to this post from Garmin’s product support team, they are targeting “Q1 2014” (i.e. Jan-March 2014). As expected, it’ll require a Bluetooth 4.0 capable handset, along with Android Jelly Bean 4.3 OS installed on it.
WiFi Connectivity Functionality:
The FR620 is the first Garmin Fitness unit to include the ability to transmit data via standard WiFi connections. This allows you to upload completed activities, firmware updates, as well as download training plans and custom workouts.
In order to get everything cooking you’ll need to download the Garmin Express Fit app, which is how you configure your WiFi networks.
Once that’s completed and you’ve got your FR620 connected via USB, you can open the application to get started:
It’ll then have you sign-in to Garmin Connect to connect the watch to your account. Once that’s complete it’ll bring you here, ready to set things up, clicking ‘Yes’ would be the proper answer for a successful journey:
Next, you’ll be able to start adding WiFi networks:
You can see them listed out, or you can manually type one in:
Here’s what it looks like once you’ve added a few in:
After clicking OK, a few seconds later the unit will get the settings transmitted to it via USB.
It should be noted that you can also click the little dropdown box to access a setting to automatically clear transferred workouts from the device. I personally don’t do this. The device has approx 4MB of memory (aka 4,000KB). Each 1hr of workout is approximately 100KB, thus, you have 40 hours of workout time on the device. I like to grab those raw FIT files before they disappear. So I’d rather just clean them out manually later.
Next, go out and do a workout. When you return and finish the workout you’ll notice two little icons at the top of the screen:
These icons indicate the unit is uploading wirelessly. Note that WiFi isn’t enabled 24×7, only shortly after the workload completes. This is to prevent battery drain.
If you miss that ‘window’, you can simply tap the connect button on the unit itself (it’s the lower right button), which will then trigger connecting to WiFi to upload workouts and transfer data:
I found that the upload process doesn’t seem quite as fast as I would have expected – about a minute. But that’s fine. If you just do it when you first walk in the door it’s more than completed by time you get to your computer.
Computer (USB) Upload Functionality:
In addition to WiFi and Bluetooth Smart uploads (as discussed in previous sections), you can also just simply plug in the Garmin FR620 and upload the data manually (or, send the data to 3rd party sites).
The unit enumerates as a standard USB mass storage device – just like a USB thumb drive. This is ideal as it requires no special drivers, and works on practically any device in the world. The workouts all hang out in the ‘Activity’ folder.
Once you’ve got it plugged in you’ll go ahead and crack open Garmin Connect and then click on the ‘Upload’ button, which brings you to the below page. From there just click to ‘Upload all new activities’.
The upload process only takes a few seconds and then shows you which runs you’ve uploaded to click on.
At which point, your activities are online and ready to analyze. Simple tap the ‘View details’ link, which will conveniently move you into the next section.
Garmin Connect Online:
After you’ve completed uploading the data to Garmin Connect, you’ll be able to pull up the activity and drill into details. This includes maps, charts, and summary information.
By default you’ll start off at this page, within the ‘Details’ tab of the activity analysis section. Here you’ll see a full overview of your activity with maps that can be customized to use Bing, Google, and OpenStreetMap as providers, and then the satellite or standard map views depending on the locale and provider:
As you work your way down the page you’ll see the summary metrics along the left side. While on the right side you’ll get pods for each of the different metrics the FR620 recorded during the run. These metrics will vary slightly based on what ANT+ accessories you may have paired (such as the HRM-Run ANT+ strap, a regular ANT+ HR strap, or an ANT+ footpod).
You’ll see above that I have laps created every mile. This was because I had Auto Lap on, which I typically enable for long runs. For interval runs I generally control that manually and press lap as I iterate through each of my workout sections. In either scenario though, the laps show up here.
As I dive further down I get to the FR620 HRM-Run specific features, such as Vertical Oscillation and Ground Contact Time. On the left side you’ll see weather which is pulled from a local weather station after the fact via a data provider (it’s not from the unit itself). Also, you’ll notice that elevation correction is automatically enabled since the FR620 doesn’t include a barometric altimeter.
Beyond the detail page seen above, there’s also a laps page, which you can dive into more detail about each of the various laps that you’ve triggered:
And the last section being the ‘Player’ view, which allows you to replay back your run and see performance metrics such as pace and cadence at any point along the route.
If you’d like to poke around at one of my recent FR620 runs, you can use this Garmin Connect link here to do so.
3rd Party Site Compatibility:
The Garmin FR620 outputs files in the standard .FIT file format. This means that it’s fully compatible with just about any 3rd party site you’d want to use. Said differently, if your 3rd party site doesn’t accept .FIT files, it’s probably not worth using.
The better/more interesting news here is that the additional Running Dynamics data that’s added to the .FIT file doesn’t ‘break’ any 3rd party sites I tried. Those 3rd party sites haven’t yet been updated to read that data, but they don’t choke on it either. I’ve successfully uploaded to: Training Peaks, Strava, and Sport Tracks.
One item I will point out that’s fairly annoying is that Garmin has decided to produce the .FIT files with a completely useless name. Previously they had the date and timestamp on the name of each file, making it easy to figure out what was what.
Now, it’s just garbage. This is the same as the FR220, annoyingly.
Firmware Updating:
Like most units, the FR620 supports updates to the firmware over time as Garmin releases new bug fixes or additions to functionality.
The FR620 is however the first Garmin unit to be able to handle these updates over WiFi, as well as traditional USB. Further, it along with the FR220 also can receive the updates via Bluetooth Smart from your phone. During a discussion I had with them a month ago, Garmin noted that they really wanted to move towards a platform like the phone where updates are more visible, rather than the existing Garmin Connect system where you really have to know an update is available and go out of your way to apply it.
As you can see above, once an update is available it’ll show up on your unit when you switch into run mode. At which point you’ll have three options.
First, you can simply install it right then and there. Takes only a couple minutes and all your settings are saved.
The second option (seen below), is to defer the update until you’re ready. You might want to do this if you’re just about to head out on a run (Tip of the day: Never update anything – watch, nutrition clothes, etc… – the day before race). The unit will re-prompt you the next time you switch into run mode.
The third option is to simply dismiss the update, which tells it to not bother you again.
Once you’re in a good position to update, just press ‘Install Now’ and the update progress bar will show you how much of the installation has been completed.
Looking at historical firmware updates for Garmin devices, you tend to see more updates just after release, than a year or two down the road. Further, you don’t tend to see massive new feature sets (like an iPhone), but rather, smaller adds.
In the case of the FR620, they’ve previously talked about the potential to bring back things like the FR610 cycling mode – so I suspect we may see that as a good example of a firmware update. Also, you tend to see more functionality adds in the higher end products such as the FR620, than you do in the lower-end products like the FR220.
Bugs and Miscellaneous:
In recent reviews I’ve been adding a bugs section to cover things that I stumbled upon. Because I’ve had the watch for a bit now, I’m really only focusing on bugs that I’ve seen on the final firmware. Remember a ‘bug’ is different than ‘by design’. For example, the lack of a feature is something I highlight within a given section is considered ‘by design’, whereas something not really working right is listed below.
– The internal accelerometer pace data while on a treadmill seems suspect at faster than your norm paces, and slower than your norm paces.
– I’m having some issues with the Garmin Connect mobile app. It’s unclear how many of these are specific to me, or widespread.
– The pace alerts (high/low alerts) seem overly sensitive to trigger, though I need to re-validate this after the Saturday firmware update (no release notes) – [Update: Nov 6th – This appears to be fixed for me in the 2.30 FW release.]
– The PR’s don’t appear to take into account existing Garmin Connect PR’s, rather, are only device specific.
Now, this doesn’t mean this is all the bugs out there. This is just the ones I saw during my running and/or use. As a single person I can’t possible test every possible feature in every possible combination to reproduce every possible scenario. Sure, I’d love to – but companies have entire teams of testers and they still miss things. So I do the best I can to note what I’ve seen above.
Pros and Cons:
While there’s a lot of text here that covers a lot of fairly important details, here’s the super-duper slimmed down version of that:
Pros:
– GPS accuracy seems to be quite good, unit finds satellites very quickly with pre-caching
– Incredibly lightweight for a GPS watch (or any unit)
– Waterproof to 50m (finally!)
– WiFi uploads are awesome, with Bluetooth a good substitute when required
Cons:
– Not convinced the treadmill (internal accelerometer) paces are accurate at all pace ranges
– No cycling, navigation, weight scale functionality
– Some people dislike the color choices offered
Comparison Tables:
Before we wrap things up I’ve put together the comparison charts of all the features of the FR620, compared to the older FR210 and FR610 – as well as the new FR220. You can of course create your own comparison tables using this link with any of the products I’ve previously reviewed.
The tables are updated dynamically and thus if/when things change that’s represented automatically in this section.
Final Thoughts:
Overall I’m quite happy with the FR620, and it’ll quickly become my go-to GPS running watch (I’ve previously always used my FR610 as my GPS running watch). And, The Girl has also laid claim to a unit for her as well (she’s been using it as well). Though, she wants a purple one, just like the purple FR220. I love the WiFi upload functionality, and am looking forward to the integrated live tracking once the app is updated/released. The only challenge with the WiFi upload functionality is that I still need to plug in the FR620 to get the raw .FIT file up to TrainingPeaks (3rd party site).
The Running Dynamics pieces with the HRM-Run are ‘interesting’ right now to look at. I’m not sure what training decisions can be made based on them, but in the meantime it’s fascinating to start making correlations. More importantly however is that Garmin has finally made a heart rate strap that actually works without spikes or dropouts. Heck, that in and of itself is worthwhile.
There are some downsides though – the lack of cycling mode will be a problem for some (admittedly, not me). And the loss of the ANT+ weight scale support is also a Debbie Downer for many ANT+ scale owners. Further, lack of any navigational support (such as ‘Back to start’) is sorta odd for a GPS watch. Though again, I suspect use of these features is just very low overall.
For me though, it’s pretty much exactly what I want in a GPS running watch. A well waterproofed unit that just simply works, day in and day out – with little maintenance overhead and full integration with 3rd parties.
Found this review useful? Or just want to save a bundle? Here’s how!
Hopefully you found this review useful. At the end of the day, I’m an athlete just like you looking for the most detail possible on a new purchase – so my review is written from the standpoint of how I used the device. The reviews generally take a lot of hours to put together, so it’s a fair bit of work (and labor of love). As you probably noticed by looking below, I also take time to answer all the questions posted in the comments – and there’s quite a bit of detail in there as well.
I’ve partnered with Clever Training to offer all DC Rainmaker readers exclusive benefits on all products purchased. By joining the Clever Training VIP program you get a bunch of money-saving benefits, which you can read about here. By doing so, you not only support the site (and all the work I do here) – but you also get to enjoy the significant partnership benefits that are just for DC Rainmaker readers. And, since this item is more than $75, you get free 3-day US shipping as well.
Additionally, you can also use Amazon to purchase the unit (all colors shown after clicking through to the left) or accessories (though, no discount). Or, anything else you pickup on Amazon helps support the site as well (socks, laundry detergent, cowbells). If you’re outside the US, I’ve got links to all of the major individual country Amazon stores on the sidebar towards the top.
As you’ve seen throughout the review there are numerous compatible accessories for the unit. I’ve consolidated them all into the below chart, with additional information (full posts) available on some of the accessories to the far right. Also, everything here is verified by me – so if it’s on the list, you’ll know it’ll work. And as you can see, I mix and match accessories based on compatibility – so if a compatible accessory is available at a lower price below, you can grab that instead.
Product
Street Price
Amazon
2013 Recommendations: Running GPS Watches
2014 Summer Recommendations: Running Watches
2014 Winter Recommendations: Running Watches
Garmin 220 Replacement Band (Purple/White, Black/Red) - Compatible with FR220/FR620 $25
Thanks for reading! And as always, feel free to post comments or questions in the comments section below, I’ll be happy to try and answer them as quickly as possible. And lastly, if you felt this review was useful – I always appreciate feedback in the comments below. Thanks!
Finally, I’ve written up a ton of helpful guides around using most of the major fitness devices, which you may find useful in getting started with the devices. These guides are all listed on this page here.
Sending workouts to the 620 is a royal PITA with the current firmware – essentially it is broken. More details on this thread on the garmin forums: link to forums.garmin.com
Interesting. If I’m understanding this correctly – when trying to send running workouts from within a triathlon schedule via the Training Calendar, it’s failing as soon as it reaches the first non-running workout, correct?
(966) Yes that’s correct. In addition I have no success sending individual workouts to the watch using either the web site or the iOS app. It says it has done it but nothing appears on the watch.
I never tried this before the latest firmware upgrade, but some comments suggest it was fine before that last upgrade and that 2.3 has introduced these problems. If that’s the case then hopefully it is not too hard for them to rollback some of the functionality and sort it out quickly.
I do as like to see the numbers but entirely up to you of course. I see they even sell the 620 without the HRM-Run strap which means most of the new features like VO2 Max, Recovery Advisor and Running Dynamics won’t be available.
Ray,
I recently got the 310xt and the 620 the belts look exactly the same except the running man logo on the 620. I thought the belt was more advanced?
Interesting. The FR310XT ships with the premium soft strap. Sounds like they’re now including HRM3’s in there as opposed to HRM2’s, that’s good.
Any HRM3’s made after July are identical to that of the HRM-Run from a stability standpoint (same firmware), just lack the Running Dynamics functionality.
Great review!
Would you say that 620 is a good stopwatch you can use for shorter distances (If I wanna do 200m-intervalls for examples)? Does it show 1/100 or even 1/1000?
I do 200m intervals without too much issue and get usable pace data (on straight-aways).
In the views I use, I don’t get 1/100ths, though, I haven’t tried changing it to a full-screen for the timer. Online on Garmin Connect, you’ll get to 1/10.
1) I have found it to be spot on accurate compared to what I experience with my 210.
2) I have found it to be a little temperamental with losing signal in wooded trail areas, but a) it quickly reconnects and b) these are the same areas where I have 210 drop outs
All in all, very happy with the device (except for the blue outer color and the lower contrast screen, minor quibbles)
Interesting one today. Only my fourth run with my 620. Was a 36km loop. Got to 17.5km or so and glanced at watch a little while later and it still said 17.5km. It was still displaying pace and time, but was not adding to the distance. I stopped and saved the exercise and started a new one for the rest of the run without any issues. When I examined the file, it appears it got about 2 minutes into the 18th km and the remaining 5 minutes or so got recorded but not added to “moving time”. It didn’t lose GPS signal as the plotted end of the first saved file matches the plotted start of the second file. Hopefully just a one-off blip.
Thank you for the review, it was very useful to me, and now I have my own 620 unit, its fantastic!
I have a doubt, the 620 unit that I brought has come with an usb charger/cable only, but I have the old AC charger that has come with my previous FR110, so the question is can I use the AC charger that comes with the FR110 on my new FR620? My concerns are about the voltage and Amps, since the FR 100 charger has an USB port that fits the FR620 USB cable.
Any USB port or block in the world you can find will power up the FR620 without issue. USB is designed to only request the power it needs from the block/computer, so it can’t be overcharged.
There are cases where a device (iPad) draws more power than many ports, in which case you need a bigger block (more amps), but those higher amperage ones still only give the lower requested amperage of the device (your Garmin).
I couldn’t find this information in the comments or your article. When using the Garmin 620 with the Garmin Connect app for Live Tracking, does the Garmin Connect app still use the iPhone GPS and drain the battery more quickly? Can the GPS be disabled in Settings and not effect the app? Thanks for the great review!
I thought the above comments regarding accuracy were making a mountain out of a molehill. Apparently its not and i did 2 km swimming in my local river.
I have a question about Trail Running. We run lots of long trail runs in Colorado. Though there is often no cell service up there, I assume the GPS functions still work. I’m interested in the elevation gains and losses, both in real time (i.e. at the half way point of a run), and tracking elevation mile by mile vs. pace at the end on Garmin Connect. I’d also love to use the watch for long hikes, though many of them are over 10 hours in duration, so not sure the 220 or 620 would hold a charge long enough.
Which watch would you recommend for that? Do you know if the mapping data is downloadable to non-street map views (i.e. Google Earth or similar)? Thanks!!
620 recorded my run today fine but I couldn’t get it to upload either by bluetooth/IOS or by wifi. Turned watch off then on again. Restart took a long time and when it finally came back on all my history was gone (including the run I hadn’t uploaded). Watch had an error log .txt file on it when I connected to mac. The content was:-
1623 (Forerunner 620) SW ver: 230
12/08/13 16:33:23
Fatal
CD line #: 1494
Dir Sector: 2
FAT Sector: 1378
Doesn’t sound great……. It seems to record and upload again now, but not sure I can trust the watch for a long run. Support ticket requested at Garmin, will see what they say.
It appears that Garmin Express Fit is a Windows-only application–no Mac OS version. Please consider making that point in your review. And maybe you could ask Garmin if there’s any chance of a Mac version.
Although we’re a Mac-only household, I’ve been able to set up the wi-fi connection for my new Forerunner 620 (bought from CleverTraining using your link by the way) because I can run Windows on my Mac using VMWare Fusion. But without Windows, I would have been out of luck, right?
Sorry if it’s already been discussed again since my original post, but I want to put in another plug for a place to track your equipment used per activity on Garmin Connect. Specifically, the shoes you wore for a particular run. I feel like this is an area where the running dynamics data might actually be useful – seeing how your vertical oscillation and ground contact time vary, if at all, by the shoes you wear. It would be great to be able to sort data by footwear to see any running dynamics differences.
As an aside, I got my FR620 yesterday and I think it’s great. Not cheap feeling at all other than the plastic screen. That said, I think I prefer the durability of a plastic touch screen to a glass one. The weight is perfect and the strap fits a smaller sized wrist great.
I know its late BUT Garminn (in the UK at least) is offering a MASSIVE 30% discount on everything TODAY ONLY i.e. 620, Virb, Fenix etc just use the promo code “GARMIN30”
Sorry to add a question to this but have ordered a 620 and other bits anyway I think I’m correct in saying that you can’t configure the 620 to upload via (say) Starbucks free wifi even if you use the Garmin utility as theres no to click the connect button like you would via a browser….. is this correct? if so is this likely to change in future?
BTW Google can find a reference to Starbucks in your review but I can’t!
No, there’s no way to make it work at Starbucks. The reason is that Starbucks requires you to ‘Accept’ terms and conditions, and until you do that the FR620 won’t be able to get past that page, a page that it can’t display on the screen. Sorry!
If you set your laptop’s MAC address to the same as your watch you can accept the dialog on the laptop and then the watch should connect fine. Should be possible on a rooted android phone too. Well thats my theory, don’t have a 620 to test with
My unit has come with about 75% of factory charge, so I start to use it with the factory charge waiting for the low battery advise in order to charge it for the first time. When the unit was fully uncharged and auto-powered off, I proceed to connect it to the charger and surprise!! the screen shows 100% charged all the time but in fact the unit do not retain any charge at all. I tried several times to connect and disconnect the charger,I tried a hard reset, i waited for an hour with the unit connected to the charger, but nothing happens, the unit is still uncharged and the screen still showing full battery for a couple of seconds before it is auto-powered off again.
Finally after several tries to powered on and off the unit(more than 20, in fact) the screent shows the low baterry message!! I proceed to connect the charger inmediately to avoid a new auto power off, and . . . . . magic!!! the screen shows 1% baterry and now it is charging succesfully.
It was very annoying, and I hope that this was the first and last time with the issue.
Hope that this experience will be useful if any of you suffer the same setback.
And Ray, thanks again for all the fantastic job!!!
This is why under “Gatting started” in the manual it says the first thing to do is charge the watch. In fact basically all devices with rechargeable batteries in them say to do that. Sure the watch may have thought it had a 75% charge but it really didn’t and so may have allowed itself to get drained too far causing the problem you had. (batteries when drained past a certain point don’t charge normally, and too low the battery can be damaged)
Basically the device keeps track of the max voltage its ever seen from the battery and the current voltage of the battery to calculate the power left and as the watch was never fully charged before the max voltage wasn’t set to the correct value
I had the same battery problem as Jose yesterday. I did not initally charge my 620 as it came 100% charged.
The following instructions posted by Timgrose on the Garmin forums corrected the issue for me.
Connect to the charger for ~30 minutes
Disconnect the device from the Charger
Get to the RUN page on the device
Once on the RUN page, put the device into Low Power Mode (LPM – by pressing the back button – bottom right button)
Let the device sit in LPM for ~1 minutes
Take device out of LPM and to the RUN page
The device should now show a low battery icon
Reconnect watch to the computer and let it charge.
Have 620 on firmware 2.30 and have gone thru a couple charging cycles – but I went on vacation for a week, left the watch on my kitchen table in time mode (did not power it down) – used it at the gyme after returning from vacation, battery indicator before/after gym seemed fine, got up next day – figured I should charge the watch before going to gym again – put it on computer charger cable and in less than 10 seconds the watch said it was 100% charged…then got into the nasty loop of 100% charged but watch would fail after a couple minutes removing from charger.
Used the instructions offered above – finally showed 9% battery, – now after 7 minutes on the charger it’s gone from 9% to 30% charged – that seems awfully fast considering how long it took me to originally charge it when I first got it – going to let it on the charger for at least a couple hours to make sure it’s fully topped.
This is pretty crappy for a new device to have to jump thru these hoops – Garmin definitely needs to address this!!!!
Hi Ray,
Do you know how GPS sensitive the 620 is supposed to be? If I run in a straight line how far do I have to run before the watch is aware that I have moved? I have recently done 2 runs around the same course. On the first run GPS accuracy was spot on. During the second run accuracy was good except for a 2 mile section in the middle where it was about 50m out. It had me running across a lake and over several buildings! I know that the signal can drop out but surely not for 2 miles before it rectifies itself. I would post the 2 runs for comparison but I don’t know how.
No, Garmin doesn’t release GPS sensitivity details for their current chipsets.
That said, typically within about 2% of length. One thing to ensure when looking at tracks, is that if look at the maps ensure you’re looking at satellite maps and not street maps, since sometimes the street maps aren’t actually accurate, especially near lakes/ponds.
Being 50m off every once in a while is normal for any GPS unit, FR620, Timex, Polar, or otherwise. Generally you want a ‘reason’ for that though – such as a tall building, or dense trees, etc…
DC,
Are you still not seeing spiking on your HR monitor? I received my 620 last week, and I wet all three contact points, and I have seen a major HR spike on all of my runs using my 620, it returns to normal after the first mile. I’m in VA, so it’s been in the 30 – 40’s temperature wise with high humidity. Just curious if you still haven’t seen the spiking.
Generally no, definitely no spikes. As noted in the review, I see a bit of slowness in the first 1-2 minutes, and then it ‘catches up’ as I sweat a bit.
It also spikes here on every run until around 8-900 meter even though i wet it before. Maybe the cold weather here in Denmark doesn’t exactly help either…
For what it is worth, I have eliminated the spiking problem by fully submerging the HR belt (without the monitor attached) in a glass of room temperature water for 5-30 minutes (depends on how prepared I am) before each run. I haven’t had any spikes with my thoroughly soaked HR belt since.
Ray,
Do you follow the Garmin guidance for washing the HRM-Run strap after 7 uses?
It’s been working great for me (no spikes to speak of) for a few weeks now. I’m apprehensive to stick it in the washing machine. Just seems like the washing machine could cause more harm than good.
I typically rinse the strap under running water afterwards and then hang it out to dry until the next day. Thoughts?
I don’t get spikes, I just get lack of HR sometimes with tons of sweat (either due to overdressing or hot/humidity). In every scenario if I simply adjust the strap or wipe away the pooling sweat (such as the case here in Rio this week), it solves it immediately.
It would be SUPER nice if we could get the ability to Eject the Garmin from the Mac via Garmin Express Fit.
My problem with the 620 is that while wifi upload is nice, those of us who use Strava and/or Training Peaks (I happen to need both) or any other data gathering sites STILL have to either plug the thing in via USB -or- download the file from GC and then upload (yes, I know about GarminSync or whatever it turned into, but it rarely seems to work well and never supported TP anyway).
I’d rather just plug my charge cable into a USB power brick and use wireless to get the file where it needs to be, but if that means downloading from GC and then uploading then I’d rather just leave the cradle plugged into my Mac and get the file straight off the device. But the annoying part about that is every time I want to take the device back off the cradle I have to eject it, which means pulling up a Finder window. But since I leave GEF running on the desktop, it would be a SMALL shortcut to be able to eject from there, too. Especially since I could pre-eject it once I see that the last upload has happened (since even once ejected it will still charge).
Unless there’s something I’m missing, this seems to be the dance…
Unless I’m missing something in your post, can’t you eject the 620 by right clicking on thwe Garmin drive on the desktop and selecting EJECT without calling up Finder? I’m still using a desktop iMac with a non-Apple two button mouse. So I don’t know about all the new tablets.
Yes, the other option to using the finder is the desktop. But it’s actually easier for me with my normal window clutter to call up Finder than it is to dig under windows or switch to an empty desktop than it is to hit the GEF app, since I need that running anyway. It’s a minor convenience, I admit, but is pretty easy for them to add to the app, too. I’m surprised it isn’t there.
As for CopyMySports, that’s what GarminSync.com turned into. Trust me, if you try to use it for long you’ll find technical glitches happen pretty often and nothing gets copied. And for some reason they STILL don’t support Training Peaks, even though TP has an open API that’s not terribly hard to use.
Try tapiriik.com
I switched from copy my sports to tapiriik, it syncs with sporttracks/strava/garmin/Dropbox/runkeeper perfectly every hour. Very happy so far.
I’ve also been using tapiriik.com after unsuccessfully trying copymysports. Tapiriik has been great and the owner has been very responsive to answering questions. Best $2 spent in a while. If only it would also work for TrainerRoad, it would be perfect!
For anyone using Linux, specifically xubuntu 13.10, Saucy Salamander, I have the 620 uploading to Garmin Connect, MapMyRun, and Strava using garmin-plugin 0.3.17-1 from the Ubuntu Software Center. This is a Garmin Comunicator work-a-like. It allows ALL site to recognize the 620 as an upload device.
I’ve also found the Training Peaks Device Agent will work through WINE from the WINE ubuntu-wine ppa. I have not checked using the WINE version from the Ubuntu repository. I have to select the Garmin Edge 800/810 and navigate to the folder on the pugged in 620 because the 620 is not yet recognized by DA. On my computer the 620 is on H: and the FIT files are in the ACTIVITIES folder.
I can only claim that the above works for xubuntu 13.10. I use xubuntu because ubuntu and kubuntu have problems with some drivers and programs I use. Also the communicator work-a-like is not in the main repository in the LTS version (12-04?).
I’m just chiming in to say that I seem to be having some variety of accuracy issue as well. I picked up the FR620 yesterday and gave it a first spin today. I had a satellite lock for a bit over a minute before heading out. Recording was set to one second. The track had me all over the place for the first 4 km (+/- 30m); not jumping around per se, more like running diagonally across 6 lanes of traffic. The track my iPhone 5 recorded with Wahoo Fitness was spot on, like it has been for since I started using it in October. There are no buildings taller than 2 stories within 15 km and no overhead tree coverage.
I actually just bought the FR620 since my iPhone really doesn’t like it when I run and it’s -15 degC outside. I’ll try resetting FR620 and see what it’s like on Wednesday’s run. I agree that an EHPE field would be a nice addition.
I am angry at the 620 .. I noticed yesterday at a run, the GPS sensor probably has a few quirks and some is very inaccurate! At the end of my run also about 600 meters were “missing” (had parallel Runtastic running on the smartphone).
Previously, the values at 610 and runtastic always perfectly in tune and with the 620 no more. There seems probably really be something wrong. I’m already thinking about me, if I return the 620 again. Probably still appears to be very immature …. that’s too bad.
Actually, it very much can have an impact. In theory, the ‘smart’ part of smart record implies that in changes of speed/direction it’ll simply drop a new data point instead of waiting.
In reality, that’s not always the case, and sometimes you’ll see cases where it doesn’t, thus resulting in minor cut corners on sharp 90* turns.
For those having issues, again, I really encourage folks to try waiting 30-45 seconds after you’ve got reception and see if that improves things. At least until Garmin support gives a better answer.
I have already tried everything (master reset, smart x 1s recording, wait after fix) and nothing helped improving the GPS accuracy. Waiting some time after the first fix helps maybe in wide open areas but in my case when I start running in a town, it helped only until second turn. Then the position was again 50m off.
Depends what you mean by “accuracy”. If you want the best resolution of your GPS track for subsequent viewing then every second recording would be more “accurate”.
I had it confirmed by a contact at Garmin however (through being a moderator on the Garmin forums) that per second or smart recording makes no difference to the distance the device computes. Put simply smart recording just saves less of the data the device sees than in the per second recording mode.
As i understand how the smart recording works, it should record every second on turns and 7 seconds on straight lines. In reality it’s somewhere in between. Activity file analysis shows 2, 3 and sometimes even more second intervals on turns, resulting in serious corner cutting. And it always give at least 1% shorter distance compared to 1 second recording mode. On very curvy route difference can be even 5%.
Smart Recording has always been variable. Typically, it’s between 4-7s per drop. But as you noted, it can be as often as every 1s, but I’ve also seen it as sparse as every 30-40s in some situations.
Sorry if I missed this, but is there a way to manually upload a workout via Bluetooth? My runs don’t always automatically upload after I finish a run through my phone, is there a way to force this? (I would use mobile hotspot, but I haven’t been able to get my watch to connect to the hotspot yet)
I’ve found that if you don’t let it do it initially (for whatever reason), you can simply turn back on the watch, open the app up and let watch connect, and then refresh (pull down on activities). It’ll pull it over.
I currently have a FR110, and am struggling to decide between FR620, FR610, and FR220. My decision rests on pace functionalities, and hope you could help me with the following questions.
Average pace (for the entire run) is used in (a) Virtual Partner (b) Pace Alert (c) pace alert set in Advanced Workout.
(1) is this correct, OR does the pace used differ between FR620/610/220 (i.e. some uses average pace, but other uses instant pace, or perhaps lap pace)? If the latter, please help me state them.
(2) are the differences between (a), (b) and (c) as follows? If not, please help me correct them.
The only difference between (a) Virtual Partner and (b) Pace Alert is that (a) has graphics showing you and the virtual runner. Both (a) and (b) are for the entire run, and cannot be setup for each lap.
Instead (c) can be setup for each lap (e.g. first kilometer lap alert between 4:00 and 4:30, second kilometer lap alert between 4:10 and 4:20, etc).
(3) most websites say FR620 does not have virtual racer currently, but the following does. Is this true? You said earlier that virtual racer will be made available through one of the firmware updates, but Garmin has not specified any timeline yet. link to blog.run.com
Also, when you said due to poor implementation of virtual racer on 610, Garmin has currently removed it on FR620. What do you mean by poor implementation? Will it not work for a race over 20km, OR is there a bug not fixed?
RE: Types
1) Average whole-run pace is used for Virtual Partner.
2) Pace Alerts are based on ‘instant pace’, it seems it’s roughly smoothed to about 3-5 seconds.
3) Same with pace alerts within a workout (3-5s)
RE: Differences
1) Differences are screen for Virtual Partner showing you how far ahead/behind
2) The Pace Alert is a point in time alert that you’ve ‘done something wrong’
3) A workout pace alert is identical, except it also tells you what your pace should be within the workout page
RE: Virtual Race
No, it’s not there today, but could perhaps be there again in the future (Garmin has never committed to it, but has said they’re looking at it). Thus, in that case that post/site is incorrect.
Poor implementation was around ways it wasn’t always consistent, both with runs against yourself as well as runs downloaded.
I ordered and paid for it at Clever Training, but it wasn’t shipping/backordered. So I cancelled it, and was going to pick one up locally at an REI. Paid for the REI membership, then realized how long it takes to get the membership number and their credit card (for the extra 5% and currently a 100 dollar gift card). So I cancelled the membership order. Was thinking I might just head over to Road Runner Sports and finally just pick one up (not the best deal but whatever).
You know what, this product seems barely half-baked. I’m glad I’ve had all this trouble getting a deal one, because I have changed my mind.
I’m a software developer (mostly for software to analyze biological information/DNA sequencing). I understand today’s method of getting stuff out there and updating it. I no longer expect perfect stuff software-wise (even for 400 dollar products). But this is ridiculous. The whole early release of products thing started with software that was more open (like android). They’re not even making this all that open, and with some serious defects it seems.
Heck, I’ll stick with my 310XT – which has had it’s fair share of bugs/glitches (and actually continues to have problems, and they are probably not placing much effort into fixing them anymore). My 305 back in the day, was much more solid (and simple I guess). But come on Garmin. I’m about done with you.
As just a general reminder to you and others, anyone with any problem posts a problem here. In general, people not having problems don’t post it here (though, some do, as you can see above).
Not discounting those not having issues, but just keep in mind it’s not really representative of what everyone is seeing. It’s no different than any other product on the market where some people have some issues, and need help resolving said issues.
(Which, ultimately brings up another topic with how to deal with the comments section slowly transitioning into a troubleshooting forum rather than a place for people to ask questions about functionality/etc…, making it somewhat difficult for others to find information. Of course, that’s partly a problem just because it’s 1,000+ comments.)
The only problem I’ve had with the 620 is that the indoor/TM pace measurement is not accurate at all. However, I’m running on a stationary treadmill without a footpod using a GPS watch, I couldn’t imagine it being all that accurate in the first place.
It does have its moments upload/downloading to wifi/bluetooth (mine have been rare, I just walk into the house and click the Connect button on the watch and my runs are uploaded to GC). However, it’s such an upgrade from my 305 (and so far doesn’t have any of those quirky problems I encountered with the 610) I like it.
Also, my watch likes me and has confidence in me. I know this because in a week it had my vo2Max go from 52 to 58. 😉
I’d echo what Ray said and also add my own experience. My time with the 620 is fairly limited as of yet, but I also own a 310XT and a 910XT. I need to get off my butt and sell the 910XT because I’ve NEVER been happy with it. I feel like to this day it *still* shorts a fair amount of distance when trail running (1 second recording turned on) and the pace function is terrible. I don’t use pace much, but I think the distance being off is what affects pace, honestly. And I have another friend who came from a 305 who HATES his 910XT, too.
So far I’ve found the 620 to be much better than the 910XT and at least as good as the 310XT in terms of overall software quality. That makes me happy, not because I think the 310XT is good…it’s not. I’m fully aware of it’s problems that you mention. But what makes me happy is that it’s pretty much “as good” in its initial version. My hope is that it gets a lot better in a new version or two and life will be grand.
Yes, I know it’s running only and I lose multisport capability, but I don’t swim and I have an 810 as well as an 800 as a backup for it for my biking, so I don’t need multisport anyway. Now if Garmin will add the smartphone notification stuff like the Fenix *and* fix the few little problems with the 620 I’ll wear the thing every day!
I’m sure I’ll get one after the new year (I can’t help it – I’m a gadget nerd and a scientist so I love to record and analyze data)
I have had an unreasonable amount of problems with my 310XT which is why hearing all the problems probably has more of an impact on me than it should – since I agree with your point about ‘people post problems’. I do love the data I get though (when it works), and would love to get the dynamics data – so I might not be able to hold back. But maybe the Adidas or something else will win out if I can hang on long enough 🙂
Rainmaker wrote (#1064):
“(Which, ultimately brings up another topic with how to deal with the comments section slowly transitioning into a troubleshooting forum rather than a place for people to ask questions about functionality/etc…, making it somewhat difficult for others to find information. Of course, that’s partly a problem just because it’s 1,000+ comments.)”
I don’t know if your blogging software supports this, but it may be handy to add a comment category tag. It would also help future visitors to filter comments that they’re interested in. Alternatively, maybe an up-vote feature like reddit would help. Users could basically say “me too!” without taking up a comment entry.
Thanks for taking the time to not only write your reviews and travel posts, but follow up with them as well!
Went running today with my 620 in 18°F weather. Right before the run, I had connected the 620 and it had a 44% charge. Shortly after being outside, it seemed like the functions froze up and the screen also seemed “frozen” with a mix of two different screens. The specs show operating range of -4°–140°F, so it seems there shouldn’t be a problem. Once the 620 finally “unfroze” it seemed to be dead, so I put it on the charger and indeed, it was at 0-1%. Tomorrow promises to be another cold one, so I’ll get a full charge and try again.
On the bright side, I ran on the treadmill yesterday for the first time with the 620 (no footpod) — and pace/distance were virtually spot on between 620 and treadmill.
I have just started using my FR620, and it is awsome! There is just one thing I miss, and that is an easy way to see how much time I spent in the different HR zones during the training session. With the FR405 this was really simple, using the ANT upload to Garmin Training Center. This has become a bit difficult with FR620. Do you have a solution? 🙂
Great review, as usual!
The watch is ok but… how can I set a fartlek workout? such as 3x 6’+4’+2′?
I have to create them on garmin connect?
thanks a lot!
Hi Ray,
There is a symbol appearing on my watch that is driving me nuts trying to discover what it means. At seemingly random times during a run an alert goes off and a large triangle pointing to the right appears. It is a pale green colour. I’ve searched the manual and your review but cannot see a reference to it. Please can you put me put of my misery.
That large triangle is basically the screen telling you to start your watch again if you want to continue recording (by pressing the start button). I suspect, a second later it’ll show a large red square as well (indicating it’s moving).
It probably occurs when you either slow down (or, when the GPS believes you’ve slowed down).
Hi Ray,
Thanks for the rapid reply. Yes, I have auto pause switched on but it happens when I’m running at a steady pace. When I stop at lights there is no alert. Perhaps I don’t stop long enough. Anyway, whatever the cause it’s no big deal. I was just curious.
I still have not seen VO2MAX and recovery estimations given. I have not done a run outdoors, are these metrics only given when GPS is enabled? I expect this to work on treadmill, but there is no VO2MAX upload done to GC. And when I call the VO2MAX on the watch (from menu), I get the message “run with HR strap for 10 minutes”.
Interesting. It does depend on distance, but I would have expected it to populate from indoors. The one thing I could potentially see being a red herring indoors though is that if it uses elevation as any part of the calculation, that could be problematic indoors (since it doesn’t know it).
I started using the watch in early november, I did one run outside to calibrate the internal accelerometer, the outside run gave me VO2 max, and recovery, then i didn’t pair my footpad because of all the talk about it exaggerating the run. The internal accelerometer was able to report accurate distance when at my normal pace only, and like Ray’s treadmill work got wonky with interval training, it also itstopped tracking VO2 and recovery. I put my footpad back on the indoor shoes, set the calibration to what I was using on my 610, and ran. VO2 max and recovery is back, and accuracy is good, it is able to do intervals very well. Distance was spot on. It looks like, at least on mine, it needs satellite or footpad for VO@ and recovery.
Thanks for the great review! Do you know if there is any difference in the accuracy of cadence taken from the HRM strap versus the internal accelerometer? Thanks!
I saw both did quite well, at least from what I could tell. It’s a bit tricky in that my understanding is that HRM-Run overrides the internal unit. But it’s a really hard thing to prove (though I was thinking about it a little bit actually yesterday with how with two people I could prove it).
But in event, if I look at cadence information from internal (such as with the FR220) and overlay it onto footpod cadence (I did it with a FR610 running concurrently), they were very solid. On average within 1SPM across the board, and usually within just 1-2SPM at any point in time.
Looking at the FR620 data (from whichever source it’s really grabbing), it’s the same.
I finally got my 620 and it worked great the first run, already paired to the HR Run strap. After my run I played with bluetooth and wifi connections. The rest of the day it had an up and down arrow blinking on/off at the top of the time screen. Next morning the watch was dead. After charging it, I took it for another run and couldn’t get HR or other running dynamics. I then noticed my 310 I also was wearing was getting HR. So somehow with the battery being drained, it lost pairing to the HR Run strap. I turned it back on and immediately things worked great again.
So it was paired out of the box but lost that pairing when the battery drained to zero. I know many people mentioned theirs weren’t paired at all out of the box. I’m still not sure why it got stuck in some kind of transfer mode that caused the battery to completely drain overnight. And what exactly do those flashing arrows mean?
The track was pretty good, probably within 30′ of my actual route the whole time even in windy tree covered trails, but it did seem to be a little more jagged than the track from my 310, both in 1 second recording. So is the 620 a little less accurate or is the 310 track being smoothed? I suspect it is the 310 being smoothed as the 620 track for me fit within current GPS accuracy specs.
I have the garmin 610 forerunner but the heart rate monitor/strap no longer works. If I buy the new HRM run strap from the 620 will it pair with my (now) ‘old’ forerunner 610? The reason I ask is that I might upgrade to the 620 next year if all the bugs etc are ironed out..
I finally did buy the Garmin 620.
But it starts already falsely…
I can’t change the system language… the only choice I have is English…
Can anyone help please?
1) Press the button on right side with three lines
2) Scroll down to: Settings
3) Scroll down to: System
4) Select: Language
5) Select the language of your choice.
That’s weird. In any case, easy to fix. Download the Garmin Webupdater and then after it searches for a firmware update (it may or may not find any), it’ll ask you if you want to add any languages.
Strange though, mine has a ton of languages on it.
Does anyone know how to adjust the backlight brightness and change the contrast on the screen? I find the display a little dim and would like to crank it up a notch!
Hi Mr. Ray.what do you think about the working principle of the internal acceloremeter in fr 620-HRM-Run. Shortly,How does it work scientifically. Especially vertical oscillation and ground contact time. Thanks…
Thank you for your review. My son has never owned a GPS running watch before. He does 5k time trials and needs to set a certain lap time for each 400m over the 5k with an alert. Does both the 220 and 620 have this function. We have been told different things by various stores. Not sure which one would be best for him. Thank you.
They’ve acknowledged a problem and stated they have a few fixes. That sounds like more than damage control to me – sounds like the kind of customer service people expect from Garmin.
In any case, I encourage any assessments of accuracy to be statistically valid (lots of samples, tight control of relevant variables, etc). Anything short of that is just anecdotal for better or worse. Doing a proper assessment is tricky and a lot of work. Perhaps someone here with a good statistics background can define a good test and get people to submit results for sufficient data points. Crowdsourcing the data is probably the only doable way to get a sufficient number of samples.
I finally did buy the forerunner 620.
I must say I am impressed!
I ran two different tracks of 2 km (exact distance!) and the watch gave me two times two kilometers as distance!
That is great!
The running dynamics work without any problem. Same with the wifi.
Real top watch so far.
The watch is going back in the box and I will start using it intensively on the first of January!
I am really looking forward to it!
I’m glad I made the decision to buy it!
First real problems encountered with the watch:
First, it’s lost all pairing to the HRM and footpad I’ve been happily using for the last month.
Second, it won’t repair the sensors.
Third, the watch won’t turn off to see if rebooting it addresses the pairing issues.
Fourth, the watch is no longer recognised with Garmin Fit Express over a USB connection.
It’s also displaying a couple of other less important things such as thinking it’s connected to my iPhone over Bluetooth when Bluetooth’s turned off on the phone.
But the pièce de résistance, because I can’t power down the watch I can’t perform a master reset.
Have you tried holding down the power/backlight button for ~15 seconds? I had a similar issue, and that was the ticket to shutting down the watch.
Oddly, when I turned it back on the battery life remaining had dropped ~50%. I think the watch was stuck in failed but endless bluetooth transfer.
Thanks Chris – that seems to have jolted it back into action. I think it was exactly the same problem you faced as yesterday evening was the first time I’d completed an upload using Bluetooth!
Thanks again for all the help, info, and the amazing reviews Ray!
Have you heard anything new about if/when a cycling mode might be added to the 620?
Am I correct in assuming at present the 620 will not be able to record or understand data from a garmin bike speed/cadence sensor?
Also, if/when this functionality is added, is it likely that the 620 will be able to connect to only ant+ bike speed/cadence sensors or is there a chance it will be able to handle bluetooth smart versions as well?
Any info or updates you can provide are greatly appreciated! 🙂
Noting new, beyond what I posted a week or two which basically stated it’s still being looked at – but doesn’t expect a near term (next few weeks) type add.
Correct, if you have a sensor, the FR620 won’t see it and thus won’t record it.
I would expect if added, it would only connect to ANT+ sensors.
in short.. the unit can not access channels >11 and it does NOT work on 802.11n so if your router has the facility to drop protocols (my Netgear doesn’t) you need to drop it to 802.11g. Lets hope it’s a software issue and not hardware!
Just as a (probably final) heads up on availability of the FR220/FR620 from Clever Training:
All FR220’s are in stock except for the Red/Black base (non-bundle)
All FR620’s are in stock except for the Orange/White HRM-Run bundle
As usual, first in, first out for orders. But if ordering one of the above non-in-stock units, they expect to have everyone caught up and delivered in time for Christmas.
Does anyone else get constant disconnect/connect messages when livetracking? I did another run today and the watch disconnect from the phone a minute into the run, then didn’t connect again until I unlocked the phone. another 30s later it disconnected again. Before it would at least reconnect, but now it won’t unless I do something on the phone. Very annoying and not helpful now that i’m transitioning to 5am runs in the dark. (btw iphone 5 on ios 6)
Aside from calling support to troubleshoot, a few things to do:
1) Try putting the phone right next to the unit just sitting outside and do a test live-track. If the two are disconnecting/reconnecting, then you might have an issue with Bluetooth on either unit
2) If that works, then try doing the same, but bouncing both phone and watch, and then again both individually.
It may sound silly, but I’ve seen cases in the past with other BT-connected sports devices where iPhone’s have Bluetooth issues, either sitting still or with vibrations/bounces. By going through those steps most folks can figure out where the issue lies.
I am interested in buying a watch for myself, but I’d also like to using for keeping splits for my cross country and track runners. Would the watch be ideal for keeping splits for multiple runners? Thanks.
If you mean can you use it as a basic stopwatch for timing other people while you are watching them run then yes you could do this but it would be far from “ideal” for that purpose I would think.
Any idea if there is something similar to the startup.txt file on the Edge that displays a custom message on startup (like name/phone number in case lost). Now that it is just a memory drive, this could work, but doesn’t with startup.txt.
2nd, any idea why they decided to use the name “Activity” for the .fit sub-folder on the 620 rather than “Activities” as on the Edge 800?
Overall, I’m loving the 620 for running over the 310 and 910, other than the occasional GPS inaccuracies as others are seeing. Hopefully they really have found and fixed these problems. I had gotten used to the size/weight of the 310/910. But after the 620, those suddenly feel heavy and awkward on my wrist.
After my run today an update was installed on the watch. I have not yet been able to find out what it was but I hope that it is an improvement of the GPS accuracy as per their announcement on the Garmin forum. I must say that the GPS track was pretty ok during my 26km run today. Just during a 1 km stretch I had some issues which was after the first time that I took a gel from my waiste band (as if the acccelometer in the watch was determining the pace rather than GPS)
Anyway, does anyone know what the new update is supposed to do?
I updated to 2.30 about a month ago so that wasn’t it. When I looked in settings it now says version 2.30, GPS version 2.8. Anyway, really like the watch a lot and today GPS even seemed spot on, not more that 3-5 meters off the actual track.
After a few runs with the 620, I am rally satisfied with the product.
Wifi needs to be fixed ASAP. Very disappointing that this does not work out of the box better than it is. I have only succeeded in connecting to the watch by creating a guest network without any security.
But: my real question is if anyone know of a compatible wrist-band extender strap?
Anyone care to guess as to why my orange/white bundle suggests I’m capable of running a pace of 01:40/mi when I’m chugging along at a nice 07:30/mi pace?
Not good! That said all the Forerunners i have ever had over nearly 10 years now sometimes get “speed spikes”. Did this period of super human running last long? Was the overall pace and mile splits etc about right?
Tim, it lasted roughly half mile, then I slowed down to a blistering 02:00/mi pace. What was even more disappointing is that when it was close to accurate it paced me at 06:50. I know what sub 07:00 feels like, and I definitely was not sub 07:00. Also interesting to note was that my first two treadmill runs were almost spot on, yet the outdoor run has the issue?!?!
This is making me lean towards bringing the flawless 305 out of retirement, and searching for a simple HRM for the gym. Just very disappointing cause I love the feel of this watch.
Josh, were you using an external foot pod I wonder? Was this half mile period in a particularly challenging environment for GPS devices – e..g near tall buildings or heavy tree cover?
Not sure what’s going on… Last run I did on the TM, I disabled the GPS through Settings -> System and simply hit the button to start the run, and it worked just fine. Today, I did the same thing, and it says “Acquire a GPS fix to start the timer.” Doesn’t seem to recognize that I turned the GPS off, even though it says Off still in settings. HRM is still picking up, though. Frustrating!
Tim, we live in an older part of town with very tall trees but not tall buildings. That being said, my garmin fr10 has zero issues, my 305 has zero issues, and I’ve run with a suunto ambit 2s with zero issues. That’s what makes this so perplexing. Before I return it I’m wondering if there isn’t another solution to try. No way to avoid the heavily tree lined streets. Its a very pretty area, especially after this mornings 5 inches of snowfall.
I’d wait until the next firmware update before returning it. Garmin has actually acknowledged some issues with GPS abnormalities and is working on a fix.
Out of 5 runs now, I had one that was way short on distance (track actually looked decent, but not as good as my 310) but the other 4 were spot on.
Only Garmin knows but this seems like a pretty serious issue and could get bad for PR if they don’t fix it quickly. I’d agree that you don’t want to miss out on a return, but I would consider what you saw a defect and would hope any retailer would be willing to take it back.
I haven’t heard of any timelines for an update (which, could mean it comes out Monday, or a month from now – don’t know).
Ultimately, I can’t emphasis enough that if you have a problem with the unit (true of any device) to open up a ticket with support (phone is best, fwiw). Otherwise, it’s basically a case of a tree falling in the forest and whether people hear it…
I can’t imagine there would be any issue with the watch as it should be similar to the 310 and 910 which are designed to be warn in the pool. As for the strap, there really would be no point as you won’t get HR or any other details. The Ant+ signal doesn’t work in water, fresh or pool. The only reason to wear the strap in water is during a race where you want it on for the bike and run.
What a great review. A bunch of details. Really great and helpful. I am a fan of Garmin (moving from Polar to that brand 3 years ago, for my running gears as well as my bicycles GPS/HRM).
I already own the 610, and for sure will move quickly to the 620 for the new features.
Ray and others thank you for the advice on opening the support ticket. I will give Garmin a call Monday and see what they have to say before rushing to return it. CT return policy of 60 days gives a cushion for me for waiting on a firmware fix as well if that is in fact what is needed.
After using the 620 for a couple of weeks I find the firmware to be extremely flimsy. On an handful of occasions I have had to force a shutdown by holding down the power button for a while to recover from various weird states.
Just now the watch was unable to charge the battery until a restart and on several occasions a restart was needed in order to bring the networking to life again. Also on runs the watch tends to loose bluetooth connection to the phone now and then (seen with two different iPhone 5) and uploading the finished workout via bluetooth seems to fail 2 out of 3 times and leave the watch in a state that it is unable to recover from without a restart.
Could this be a hardware problem with my watch or are these common problems with firmware 2.30 ?
Assuming you’ve tried a hard reset (complete), then I’d likely look at the physical unit rather than firmware. Also, given those issues, have you rang up support?
I have not tried a hard reset if that means restoring factory settings and deleting all user data. I will try that and call support if the problems continues. Thanks.
Just last night mine was in a nearly hung state. Could get to some menus but not all. Pushed the power button for a couple seconds which brought up the shutdown yes/no menu but clicking yes did nothing. Connecting it to the charger also had no impact, it didn’t put it into charging mode.
I forced a shutdown by holding the power button down for 15 seconds and now all is working well again.
Think I’ll try the full reset as well but I have a strong suspicion it is bluetooth related. I have had live tracking work with my iPhone 5 but I don’t think I have successfully had it upload a data file over bluetooth.
After full reset, bluetooth upload worked without a hitch. This makes me think there was some corruption or something before interfering with bluetooth upload. Hopefully that will also prevent any further hangs.
After doing a master reset and re-pairing the watch to my iPhone i went out for another run with live tracking. The bluetooth connection was broken 2-3 times even before I started running and one time during the run. I noticed that the connection was also broken at the exact same location during my last attempt – a place out in the country where I seriously doubt that there is an external radio transmitter which could jam the bluetooth connection. What makes this place special is that I often take a short walk break as I did the two times when the bluetooth connection was broken.
This could just be a weird coincidence – but there seems to be a pattern that the bluetooth connection breaks only when I’m not moving at running pace. Can anyone else confirm this pattern?
When I got back and save the workout on the watch, the live track was properly ended and the iPhone started waiting to receive the data. That transfer never completed and eventually the watch went into power save mode. After waking up the watch again, the transfer completed in no time.
I still think this smells like a software bug in either the watch, the iPhone app or both and I am somewhat reluctant to return the watch to Garmin as I suspect that I might very well get a new one with the same problems.
Garmin here in Denmark was quick to replace my 910xt when I first complained about the crappy barometer and apparently unaware that this was (and still is to the best of my knowledge) a problem with every single unit. So, I think I’ll wait to see if the next update(s) solves the problem.
After a few more runs with Live Track and reading the reviews for the iPhone app on the App Store and other places I think it is most likely that the problems is caused by a problematic iPhone App.
The current version of the app has obvious bugs and shouldn’t have made it past Q&A in my opinion.
Looking forward to an update soon.
Ray I don’t know how you keep up with all of these questions….not to mention write as detailed of a review as you do 🙂
Does running with the HR monitor bother you or irritate your skin during long runs….marathon distance? Is chaffing a concern? I don’t want to spend the extra money on the 620 if wearing a strap on my chest is going to bother me. I have never used a HR monitor.
It doesn’t bother me, though, it does bother some people. You can do a bit to prevent that here, it works on most people: link to dcrainmaker.com
For most people, there isn’t chaffing issues, but for those that do see it, you can try the above (which solve it for most). And variations in the comments section seem to solve it for the rest.
I must be missing something. Is CT offering a discount to Rainmaker readers or not? I don’t see a discount code in the review. When I clicked on the link for the GFR 620 w/o HRM, the price shown on CT was the same as going straight to the CT site and finding the watch. If there is a code, what is it?
Yup, the discount code is in the image. Currently it’s DCR10TXS (like the number 10). Also on the sidebar near the Amazon logo for easy finding as well.
Eli – The heart rate max was differed by 1 (with the FR 620 at 181 and FR 610 at 182, as it was purchased 1 year ago, and was not updated). As mentioned above, I also added a resting HR on FR 620 where as FR 610 had that field blank.
What is interesting is that Training Effect on the FR 620 was 5.0, the TE on FR 610 was 4.6. I would think all else equal, the 5.0 should result in higher caloric burned! But nevertheless, I will set all the setting the same and test the watch tomorrow in a boot camp class and another in-door treadmill run on Thursday and report back.
By sunday afternoon much of the snow and ice had melted, allowing for a nice run outside. I restored my 620 to factory settings, turned the unit off and then back on, charged it up, let it sit outside this time for 20 mins after it gained a satellite signal. Next to it was my Garmin FR10 which would be the perfect watch if it had a very simple HRM and stopwatch. For point of reference, we moved into this part of town with tall trees about 8 months ago, and my FR10 has been seamless every run, literally no problems, spikes, losses of data, etc.
Before I began my run, I allowed both units (strapped to my left forearm) to obtain a satellite signal, then waited about 45 seconds as was recommended somewhere along in the forum.
Results as follows:
FR10: 3.08mi, Time 27:08.2, Pace 08:49/mi, Cals 391
FR620: 3.11mi, Time 27:08:1, Pace 08:43/mi, Cals 315
What I have learned in the last few days is that despite my previous displayed data of 01:40/mile, I am not only incapable of this pace but that also my 620 has now made me aware of this. I believe waiting the extra time after obtaining the signal may have helped. The 620 has a great scrolling feature while running which allows all the screens to display the data I want without having to press anything. The form factor, size and weight are perfect, and the HRM strap is Uber comfortable. I’m leaning towards the calorie data on the 620 as more accurate due to the fact you can also input height, and you have the HRM data.
Remaining questions because I want to use this watch for everything:
1) Is there a stopwatch function and if so how do I use it?
2) Can anyone explain if my satellites are now preloaded and if all that means is that I will obtain a quicker satellite lock when going outside?
3) For treadmill runs do I need to disable the GPS or simply press the start button and the internal accelerometer will take over?
1) Not a straight stopwatch function, but you can just turn the satellites off and pretty much get the same thing (it’s what I do)
2) They’re pre-loaded via GPS, USB (if you use Garmin Connect and/or Garmin Express FIT), and Bluetooth, for a period of 7 days. It will improve pickup times, though it appears for some that you may still want to wait that 30-60 seconds anyway afterwards.
3) Yes, you should disable GPS, otherwise you could get issues where it find GPS signal randomly and then plots a point a hundred meters away, hosing everything up.
Ray- the satellites don’t preload over wifi? Also, how do we “know” that they get preloaded, or is it just supposed to happen. I travelled this weekend and was disappointed with the time it took to lock on. I was hoping for no more than 15 seconds or so, but it took up to a minute or 2. My phone has been connected via bluetooth to the 620, so it should’ve loaded quickly, right?
Sorry, above I typed “via GPS” an meand “via WiFi”.
In any case, no visible way to see today. Kinda annoying, I agree. I like for example on I think it was Sony Action cam that it actually shows you how much pre-load/cache data you have. Really handy.
Sound like the watch didn’t properly cache the ephemeris. Either not downloading it or using expired data. Probably worth contacting garmin support. I wonder if that extra 30-60 sec wait that helps with accuracy is because the GPS unit still needs to download a fresh ephemeris to get a good lock as the data it used to get the first fast lock was too old.
Josh – I had similar results on a recent treadmill run where by I used the same foot pod, Garmin Run HRM, Polar chest strap (more comfortable, and less costly than Garmin’s) had similar heart rate, distance and pace, but VASTLY different calories expended. While I can accept that there may be slight differences in picking up the reading, I am a bit surprised at the way Garmin changed its calculation of calories burned.
Here’s the summary. I will include link to the Garmin workout afterwards.
FR610 – 1:04:38, avg pace 10:17min/mile, avg HR 151, max HR 165. Calories 757C
FR620 – 1:04:39, avg pace 10:18min/mile, avg HR 151, max HR 165. Calories 653C
Ray, would you be able to shed some light on the differences? I have also done the exercises with the HRM-SS3 and also see lower calories burned on the FR620 when I am spinning compared to FR610.
I forgot to mention, I am 5’6″, 150lb, 39 years old, and the same data is entered into both the FR610 and FR620. I would really love to hear what you guys’ experiences are on the caloric count.
It uses an algorithm from Firstbeat for the calculation. Did the algorithm change? (don’t know) Are you sure max heart rate is set the same? Know what the training effect was between the watches?
Hi Ray – Thank you for the quick response. Yes, I did verify that the gender, age, height were all set correctly. Upon a closer examination, I noticed that the HRR Max was set at 181 (620) and 182 (610). I also noticed that I entered the resting heart rate of 52 in the 620 but left the resting heart rate blank in 610. Is it possible to register completely different caloric burn with a blank resting heart rate and a 52 resting heart rate?? (I realize the 1bpm HRR max will result in slight difference as most watches uses heart bpm to guesstimate the caloric burns).
I will test out both watches tomorrow in a boot camp class with the settings set to all identical specs.
Eli – The heart rate max was differed by 1 (with the FR 620 at 181 and FR 610 at 182, as it was purchased 1 year ago, and was not updated). As mentioned above, I also added a resting HR on FR 620 where as FR 610 had that field blank.
What is interesting is that Training Effect on the FR 620 was 5.0, the TE on FR 610 was 4.6. I would think all else equal, the 5.0 should result in higher caloric burned! But nevertheless, I will set all the setting the same and test the watch tomorrow in a boot camp class and another in-door treadmill run on Thursday and report back.
So I did the boot camp class this morning and made sure both FR610 and FR620 had the same settings (1974, 150lb, 5’6″ male, 181 Max HR, 48 Resting HR).
I used Garmin HRM3-SS with Polar Soft Strap (updated version with the black tabbed sensor vs. the silver mesh in the old ones).
So I guess Garmin really did change the methodology in which it calculates caloric burns. I know it’s an approximation and I use it as a relative scale from class to class or between each runs to determine my efforts but it is somewhat frustrating that it differs by that much (12-14%, depending on which one you use as the correct base).
I will have the FR610 uploaded into the Garmin website this evening. In the meantime, I will send an email to Garmin support to confirm if the watches are registering different caloric intakes with the same heart rate information and same statistic profile.
After 2 email exchanges, I have to say that I am disappointed at the responses of Garmin’s support staff. They provided a canned answer of:
The calorie count is an estimation. As far as I know there have been no updates to the Firstbeat technology. That being said, every watch can and will report different.
Then they go on quoting Firstbeat and how they are all trying to improve the accuracy of caloric burn. I do see that some watches may receive slightly different signals from each other (i.e. some signal drop outs or missed by one of the two watches). But having the caloric burns being different by 15+% with the exact same user profile is just strange.
If anyone has similar experience, please email Garmin, hopefully we can get them to address the accuracy of the watch as we all spent quite a large amount of money for the latest technology. The last thing we would want is a poorly calibrated device.
They almost certainly have been tweaking it. I assume you never uploaded a New Leaf User Profile (.NLF) to your FR10? Not sure if the FR10 even supported that. But basically, the NLF file is something you would get from having a New Leaf VO2 max test done and then it would set the parameters for calorie burn rate based on your specific calorie burn rate / heart rate zone, bypassing their standard tables. So if you had uploaded such a file to one device, that would clearly cause a difference between devices.
I have a file that worked great on the 310/910 and Edge 800. Now when I try to use Training Center to upload my NLF file to my 620, it says the device doesn’t support New Leaf user profiles.
I also would say don’t put too much faith in their stock calorie counts. All the Garmin devices underestimate my calorie burn rate by 1/3 compared to multiple full VO2 Max tests I have done. Yes, I have all user settings set appropriately.
Ray, is TC basically dead? It still worked to upload my activities for the 620 but doesn’t look like there has been an update since 2011.
Ah, just noticed that your pre-review of the 620 pointed out that the new leaf profiles had been cut. So now there is no way to manually configure the calorie burn rate. Bummer.
Here is Ray’s old calorie article which probably could be updated with the newer devices: link to dcrainmaker.com
there could easily be a third generation firstbeat algorithm.
Also newleaf was bought by life time fitness who doesn’t seem to offer testing anymore so guessing Garmin doesn’t care about that functionality anymore. link to lifetimefitness.com
Eli / ekutter – Thank you for your responses, after reading the thorough explanation from Ray’s post in 2010, it’s a lot more clear in terms of why the numbers differ as the unit does indeed “learn” and adapt a user’s workout habit.
ekutter – you are correct I never uploaded the Leaf profile. It sounds like an extremely interesting option and it is slightly disappointing that the test centers are no longer available.
Thanks to everyone chiming in and helping me understand how the Garmin watch calculates the caloric burns. Now I want to go get a VO2Max run test to find out what mine is 🙂
Ray,I am now a Permanent Fan/Follower of dcrainmaker and you do a great service giving an unbiased review of products you test. After patiently waiting, I finally have my FR620. I entered all my data and I have ran twice with the watch and watch performed perfectly wth cadence/heart rate/GCT/VO (the only issue is there is about a 3-4 foot error when using the satellite map and seeing where I actually ran versus where the watch said I was). I use the USB cable to send my data to Garmin connect so any wifi or bluetooth bugs will not be an issue for me. The auto pause gave me a headache (the watch was staying at auto pause) until I finally figured out that I had set the watch to pause at 2 min/mi speed not 2 mph (like the FR610 auto pause).
I’m considering getting this for my wife for Christmas. The Garmin Connect Mobile app looks very nice. We both have Windows phones though and I’m trying to find out if there’s an app available for it. Do you know if there is one or any plans to make one?
Thanks for the excellent review by the way.
I believe the app is only available for android and iphone. If you’re looking at connecting the watch to your phone, I don’t believe the watch can connect to any phone outside the iphone 4s and later.
The app is available for iPhone 4S and later right now and for Android phones running 4.3 and having BLE compatibility from Q1 2014. Not heard of any plans for a Windows version am afraid.
Great Review. Just bought an white/orange. Had no GPS problems, and averything is working. The only thing is a cannot connect to Wireless network, maybe it’s my office network.
You’ll probably want to confer with this post for the WiFi side. I suspect your work WiFi network may fall under some of the WiFi channels and/or types not currently supported: link to forums.garmin.com
can anyone confirm the following:
When creating a training on connect.garmin.com and transferring it to the 620 (no matter if doing so via usb or bluetooth), only the last transferred training appears in the “my trainings”-section of the watch. I thought that there will be a list of the transferred trainings. It seems as if the existing training is replaced by the actual training being transferred.
If I transfer a custom trainings plan I see different workouts in the plan but not in the “my trainings” section.
Perhaps it is my fault, or it works as designed and my expectations are wrong. 🙂
Workouts from either your calendar, or ones that you’ve specifically tagged to send from your created workouts will transfer. But ones that you’ve created but not set a date for, nor tagged, won’t transfer automatically.
thanks for the super high speed answer :). What I mean (sorry for my english) is: if I create a training A and choose “Send to device” it is transferred and it shows in “my trainings” on the watch as training A. When I then create a second training B and send it to my device, only training B can be found under “my trainings” section of the watch. Training A is not there anymore. I would have expected, that I would find something like:
My Trainings
-> Training A -> Start Training
-> Training B -> Start Training
Ahh, I see. No, that sounds odd. For me, I’ve got a list of all the workouts I’ve created and sent thus far. As long as I’ve named them differently, they’ll show up (if named the same, it overwrites).
For fun, if you have an iDevice, try sending them from the phone instead, and see if it shows up. Can’t imagine why it’d be any different, but worth a whirl.
That’s really odd. I’ve already tried and sent a training (which was differently named) via the iPhone to the watch – same thing. Only the last sent training shows up. Really strange. But you did help me by confirming that your watch behaves in another way.
But anyway, this doesn’t feel like a hardware fault. Perhaps it is an issue with the firmware.
Thanks again, this helped me :)!
P.S.: Last weekend we went to Paris. Your recommandations on where to run where very helpful!
Ray – Amazing job on the website btw, you are really thorough on all the details!
On a side note, I experienced similar inaccuracies you mentioned in your review on the accelerometer, especially when I used the FR 620 without footpod when compared to the FR 610 with the footpod. The FR 620 registered a 4.61 miles on a treadmill run where as FR 610 registered 4.23 miles (done last Friday), with the treadmill registering 4.28 miles. It’s interesting to see the pace on FR 620 “slowed down” on each instance when I looked at the watch (as the arms were not swinging, so I was theoretically “slowing down”).
As you can see from the previous link, when FR 620 is hooked up to the same footpod, the registered distances between FR 620 and FR 610 are essentially identical.
Do you think it would be possible for Garmin to update the FR 620’s firmware to “learn and account” for a particular runner’s variability in a his/her arm swing (and registering the distance in the watch’s gyroscope/accelerometer) to the GPS when one’s running outside so that the watch will “self-calibrate” and become more accurate over time to track in-door treadmill distances?
Ray – since you are much more influential in your opinion, would it be possible to make the suggestion for them to make this product even better for the running enthusiast community? 🙂
End of the day, I think I will end up keeping my footpod as it is much more accurate at measuring distance than the accelerometer in the watch (e.g. if the foot is swinging that wide, chances are you are covering longer distances, whereas you can theoretically swing your arms really long while standing to simulate distance traveled).
Most of my issues with accuracy have improved with waiting a few minutes after satellite look before running but garmin has posted the following to prove we aren’t all crazy:
“Thanks to everyone who has reported the issue where some customers are seeing that their GPS track is not accurate and for the examples provided. We’ve identified a couple of improvements needed in the current software and will be soon releasing a new version that should improve GPS trace accuracy. We are very sorry for the inconvenience and we appreciate your patience. Of course, high quality GPS is our number one priority and we are continuously working on fixing all problems and making the products work as perfectly as possible for our customers.”
I submitted a customer service request to Garmin but I figured I could also ask here in the meantime. I had trouble with the wifi sync tonight so I tried a soft reset (simple power off). When I went to turn back on, I got stuck in this endless blinking “Garmin” screen. So then I tried a factory reset but I never get the “beep” after holding down the three buttons as described in the instructions. Anyone else not able to factory reset and have any tricks?
So my watch is officially a brick and Garmin’s e-mail customer support has not been helpful at all. I’m hoping a phone call later today will yield better results but it shouldn’t be this hard to get help.
First of all, thank you for the great review of the fr620 and fr220.
I had a question. I am new to Garmin. I have always trained with a Polar watch.
First the RS200 (only with heart rate) for three years and I have the Polar RCX 5 with footpod for more than two years. Although I am happy with the watch, the footpod is not what I expected it to be. So I am looking for GPS at the moment. I know I can buy the GPS unit for the Polar RCX5, but then I have to put it somewhere during my runs and in the summer that will be a problem. That is why I am looking for a built-in GPS. Because my coach has a Garmin (first fr610, but already upgraded to the fr620) I looked into the watches they had. When I saw the new fr620 and fr220 I really got expected. My question is what watch will be the most similar to the polar rcx5 (I only use it for running, not cycling or swimming). Also because the new models are released the old one, fr610, is reduced in price. I live in Europe and the difference between the FR620 and FR610 is about 165 euros, which is about 225 dollars. And the difference between the FR610 and FR220 is only about 15 euros, which is about 20 dollars. Is the FR620 worth it? It is a lot more I have to spend for the FR620. With that in mind, I was wondering how often do you use the features the FR220 misses, but the FR620 has. And if you use it, is the information really useful.
Dear Naomi – Welcome to finding the most comprehensive training gadget enthusiast website! I have never used the RCX 5, but I can share my experience with the RS300X. I upgraded from RS300X to the FR610 and really appreciated the additional screens that the FR610 had in terms of customizing the number of statistics that can be shown on the watch while training (e.g. lap pace, HRM%, and most importantly the GPS distance tracked). Most importantly, Garmin makes uploading data from your watch to their website really easy, so it’s a nice way to log your workout without much additional effort.
I have the footpod for FR610, and I have to say it is quite accurate in terms of measuring the distance when compared to the GPS and definitely great addition if you run on treadmill frequently. I find the added features of FR620 to be nice, but not really too useful, or haven’t figured out how to use the data (VO2Max, race predictor, recovery advisor, ground contact, vertical oscillation, etc.) Race predictor was relatively accurate (est. 1:46:29 for 1/2 marathon, I ran Staten Island Half in 1:44:59, and full marathon est. 3:41:03 vs act NYC 3:50:21).
Anyway, I think if you were to get a watch, I would personally recommend the FR220 as it has the new GPS chip which locks in MUCH FASTER, and also have an accelerometer (not as accurate as the footpod) if you don’t want to spend more money. It will also allow you to track your runs live so your friends can see you on their phone if they are coming to cheer you on in a 1/2 or full marathon.
Overall, if you don’t need additional customization features, I think FR220 is a great addition. You should also use DCRainmaker’s comparison sheet to line up the two watches and compare to see if the features you care about are on the watch.
Wi-Fi sync, Bluetooth sync, Bluetooth LiveTrack (with modern iPhone) during run.
Minor advantages of 620 vs 610…
Lighter and smaller, much more customizable display pages that also allow for 4 fields to be showed at one time, running dynamics (with HRM-Run strap) that shows cadence, vertical bounce, and ground contact time, recovery advisor, training effort estimate.
Advantages of the 620 vs. 220…
wi-fi sync, more customizable display pages that also allow for 4 fields to be showed at one time (vs. 3 on the 220), running dynamics, recovery advisor, training effort estimate.
I have been using RCX5 for a while and have just bought the FR620. I think the RCX5 has a much better screen, more data pages and I really like hearttouch where you can scroll through screens without pressing a button (just put watch near the heartbelt). I actually really like the separate GPS unit, it means I don’t have to charge the watch (which I liked as a day to day watch). The one thing I don’t like about the RCX5 is the lack of vibration feature. Now that I am graduating from simple runs to more complex goals I want vibration alert to keep me in boundaries (I don’t hear beeps when running fast).
Since I am upgrading I decided to go for the best which is the 620 and hope the additional data will benefit my runs.
I suggest you buy a G5 GPS sensor used on ebay (you can probably sell your footpod) try it for a while and if doesn’t fit your needs sell the watch+G5 when u buy a 220/620, GPS adds a whole new world of information beyond footpod (tracks!)
The FR620 is most similar to the RCX5, but, in many ways it won’t be a complete overlap. For running, the FR620 blows away the RCX5, but keep in mind the RCX5 also does cycling, though it doesn’t sound like that matters.
That said, I’d honestly save the cash and go with the FR220 over the FR620, unless you need some of the additional FR620 metrics.
questions:
1. Is it possible to setup a wifi connection on the unit itself?
2. Can I download a training plan via wifi (I tried and could only do it via USB. I could do a single interval plan via wifi but not a 4 month training plan)
3. Have they come out with an android app
Frankly, I’m quite disappointed that Garmin has chosen to forgo adding Geo Location (coordinates) and a Battery Life meter into the FR620. This is a serious regression from the FR610.
I’m suspecting that the Product Teams are ensuring the Fenix and FR620 have zero overlap from a sales perspective however I think their judgement is wrong here. There will be very few people who purchase the FR620, then say “Oh, I go hiking too” and actually purchase the Fenix for $400 USD + tax. This is essentially purchasing the same watch twice at a very high cost. For that amount of money, a consumer purchasing a real outdoors GPS like the GPSMAP62s is more likely. In the reverse direction, similar holds true. Overall, I suspect it’s highly unlikely that many sole individuals would own both FR620 and Fenix as they are today.
Given this, I’m strongly feel Garmin should add Geo Location coordinates and battery life into the FR620. I would have purchased one if those features were in there. I’m not purchasing simply on principle because the watch has GPS and it should allow access to the coordinates. From a feature perspective these coordinates help one find their way home in a foreign city (often travelers encounter this) and ditched water bottles for caching.
I hope Garmin Product Management wakes up here and can get realistic about consumer purchasing habits.
Nick – I too am quite disappointed at the way Garmin is trying to segregate its product lines. If you take a look at the watches, you can see FR610 and Approach S3, FR620 and Approach S4 are essentially the same outer casing. I understand there are probably differences in the internal parts, as a multi-billion dollar consumer product company, it’s not hard for them to combine the units.
As a golfer and runner, I would have loved it if they combine the two products and I have provided them feedbacks (in CES and in emails) to release a product with both features and indicated that I am willing to pay more for the convenience of not having to own multiple products. Unfortunately, I think it has fallen on deaf ears and it appears that Garmin is taking the approach of segregating its product lines into specific products addressing only a particular use.
It’s quite disappointing to see that the features of geo-tracking and biking options removed from FR620.
I ran with my 620 on a track an indoor track at my local gym a few times. The track is stated as being 1/10 of a mile. The track is also marked with flags every quarter of the lap. Last week, I ran 3 miles according to my 620 and it took me 30 full laps plus one flag so 3.025 miles according to the stated distance of the track so for me it was pretty accurate on the indoor track.
I take it you just turn off the GPS like you would with the older model watches?
Its good to hear the accuracy is better that the foodpod. I could never dial in a good calibration. Any change to pace or cadence and the calibration value wouldn’t be accurate.
Here’s to hope that the 620 and HRM-Run will be better.
Hi there! As my first comment, I want to say thanks for all the thorough work you’ve put into this site. Wish there were more sites, with other product types, like this!
I really like the weight, size and looks of the 220/620. It’s a great watch from a runner’s point of view. Beside running I also row quite a lot, I’m wondering:
– Would it be possible to set fixed lap distances on a map? (like, record every time I pass a 250m line on the rowing course?)
– Would it be able to measure my stroke rate while in the boat?
You can set auto lap in 0.05 km and 0.05 mi increments. so you could do 0.25km and it will auto lap every time.
as for rowing, it measures running cadence with arm swing, so it might capture that data. it doubles the number though (one arm swing x2 = steps per minute), so you’d have to divide by 2 then since you’d be rowing with both arms at the same time.
I agree that segmenting products is not smart on Garmins part. Once you get an iWatch and all the other brands along those lines that can combine many different apps with GPS capabilities, hopefully along with better software and interfaces for getting training plans onto them all in one device Garmin better watch out. If not they could end up dead in the water if not careful. I for one would like something where the software all worked seamlessly and I did not have multiple devices for different requirements as well as the problems with getting workouts and training plans onto the Garmin devices which always make it far harder than it should be.
Al – I am in complete agreement. They should definitely create and develop the best product as one of the market leaders (Garmin/Sunnto/Polar) instead of sitting on their laurels.
I can totally see your scenario playing out with iWatch or equivalent (Pebble anyone) adding features and eventually overtaking task-specific watches like Forerunner or Approach series.
If you look at something like the Adidas watch (albeit bulky), it is looking to innovate and is certainly a welcoming change. I would definitely love to see Garmin license Mio Alpha’s technology to eliminate the chest strap! (I am sure they can figure out how to compensate for the arm swing to account for vertical oscillation).
So my 620 basically bricked out on me. All it would do is get stuck on the startup screen and turn off, nothing else. Computer wouldn’t recognize it and factory reset wouldn’t work. E-mails to Garmin didn’t get me far so I called them. Tried some more “fixes”and finally the rep authorized an RMA.
I was told by the rep that I would need to ship the watch to them (at my cost) and wait 10-14 days after thy received it to hopefully get a working watch back. Then the rep checked their stock and informed me it would ship out in a few weeks whenever it was no longer backordered. At this point I was slightly agitated as I had always heard before that Garmin had great customer service and to me being without a watch for an undefined amount of time and on my shipping cost is not great customer service. Thankfully before getting off the phone and resigning myself to my run keeper app for who knows how long, I asked if there was ANY other option. The rep then choose to inform me that I could just go to my local running store and exchange it there.
I went down to my local store and exchanged it for a new one and was out within a minute or two. I’m not sure why Garmin didn’t present this as an option in the first place especially if they are dealing with such a backorder. Overall I ended up impressed with my local running store and disappointed with Garmin. The rep seemed annoyed that my watch was not responding instead of trying to help resolve the problem as quickly as possible.
Odd. In the US anyway, you can always provide a credit card and do a ‘cross-ship’ with Garmin, which is where they hold your credit card info but immediately send you a replacement. If you don’t eventually return the broken one, they charge you (usually a reduced rate).
Reposting. I seem to have messed up with links in the previous post.
Thanks rainmaker for such a nice blog. I have been following it for few months now and I eagerly wait for new ones. I received 620 a week or so back from CT (Used your code and it compensated my shipping). The watch works like a charm. Simple to set up and simple to sync. I did couple of runs on treadmill and got all the data. The accuracy was not bad and something I can live with. I did my first few runs using GPS yesterday. The first (Run1) and last(Run3) run were simple jogging in which all the running dynamics were recorded. But in the second one (Run2) , Vertical oscillation and GCT seem to be missing. Nothing was changed in the watch settings. So I am not sure if this is because I am not using the HRM correctly or some settings I forgot to enable or some firmware issue.
Very odd that you have the HR data and not the running dynamics. I assume you did buy the bundle that has the HRM-Run (not just using an older strap)? Also, if you enable the running dynamics screen in settings, do you see anything then while running?
I experienced a similar dropout of running dynamics for one of my runs a few weeks ago. The Garmin forum has discussed this in some length. It seems to be a firmware issue, but you can fix the issue mid run (if you happen to notice the RD is missing) by re-pairing the HR strap with the watch. I haven’t lost RD again, but hopefully Garmin will address it in firmware.
Which is why everyone needs to report issues to Garmin support: link to garmin.com
Even if you see that someone else already reported the problem you should report problems you see (simple email form at link to support.garmin.com) if only one person calls in then they may just think the bug doesn’t impact that many people so no need to prioritize fixing it.
Ray this is the issue that I reported… Garmin is now confirming it and there is a Garmin moderator sticky thread on it on the Garmin Forums as well as a “fix” if you happen to notice a particular run isn’t recording Ground Contact / Vert Occ. during the actual run (you can’t fix the missing data post-run.) They are working on a firmware fix.
Sorry if this has been asked but can I charge my 620 using the cable from Garmin but plugged in to my iPhone or iPad wall plug. Or will that fry my 620? These days I don’t always have a computer up and running to plug the cable in to. Thanks.
Can you setup the screens on the watch (e.g. which data to show, how many data fields per screen) on a PC or on GC and download to the watch? Loved that feature on my RCX5
No, there’s no way to do that today unfortunately. One of the things I really like about the Timex and Polar platforms (amongst a few others). Though, I like the flexibility of being able to do it in both places – not just one place.
Hi there,
I am thinking in buying the 620, but i have a query.. I do a lot of indoor spinning, and for what a see, how is the 620, going to record my practice..?? Pace, distance?
It’ll record your HR data, but that’s it. If perhaps down the road they add speed/cadence sensors and your spinning bike supports that (virtually none do), then you would potentially be able to get that data. But for now, it’ll just be HR data (and calories).
Ray, just did my first run with the 620 and as it was heart rate based I noticed you get feedback if you’re above or below your set range. If your heart rate’s too high, the heart symbol is filled with red (see your screenshot in the article), if you’re below it’s green.
Probably I just noticed it because it was a base training, don’t know if you’ll notice the subtle colour difference when doing some hard intervals …
I ha my first 620 run today. With footpod. 1s recording. The range I got on the watch is 9.53mi. There is no way I ran that much. The gpx file says 6.4mi which makes sense. Pace seemed all over the place while running.
I read the comments here and see that footpod could be a cause. my next run will be with out it.
As noted at the end of the review, and in other comments, Garmin has an issue with the 2.30 firmware and the footpod being active. There’s also a Garmin Forum thread on the topic. I’d definitely encourage you to ring up Garmin support so they can understand the importance of getting a fix out for it.
In the meantime, disable the footpod when outdoors.
I just switched to the 620 from a FR10. I use the run/walk method. When I was reviewing my stats I noticed that the moving time was 9 minutes shorter then the elapsed time. I would like the stats to count my walking time in my moving time. I listed the example below. Any suggestions?
Moving Time: 48:39
Elapsed Time: 57:13
Avg Speed: 5.3 mph
Avg Moving Speed: 6.2 mph
Max Speed: 8.0 mph
Avg Pace: 11:25 min/mi
Avg Moving Pace: 9:43 min/mi
Best Pace: 7:32 min/mi
cancel auto-pause . maybe for some reason your walking registers as too slow (and unless you are stopping often at red lights and don’t want that part of the stats no need for auto-pause)
Thanks for all your great reviews. I just bought the 620 last week and I couldn’t be more pleased. The watch is amazing and is working perfectly. I was wondering if it is possible to upload data wirelessly to third part sites such as Strava? The Wifi upload works great to the garmin site but I was just curious if I could somehow upload to Strava without physically plugging in the 620 to the USB port. Thanks for all your hard work.
Have you compared accuracy inside with and without the foot pod?
So far, the watch alone seems to be more accurate on the treadmill. The foot pod is showing a much faster pace.
Within the testing above, it shows that it’s not terribly accurate on a treadmill outside of ‘normal’ pace ranges. With a footpod and proper calibration settings in the FR620 (manually set), I have no issues in getting accurate pace data across all pace ranges.
Apologies if this has already been covered. I can pair the garmin 620 with my ipad but my iphone 4 app only gives the option of edge 510 and edge 810 ? Help ??
Its a 16gb and i think its a 4 but it doesnt say anywhere what model on the back it says a1430 , but now its paired it uploads it automatically when you are within 10 ft , bloody amazing i love it so far
As for the spikes. I have found that the old HR strap from the Garmin 305 gives the clearest spike free data. I have followed the triathlon watch upgrade path from 305 to 310xt to 910xt but still use the 305 HR strap. I will be anxious to see if some of the new features from the 620 will be included in a new triathlon watch with the large easy to read screen.
I really like the 620 but do you recommend to buy one even if I have already a Polar RCX5 with GPS. I´m totally satisfied with the Polar and i can´t find a really good argument to buy a 620. Is there any advantage beside Bluetooth and WiFi, anything else I think is quite similar. Colored Display, ok but not worth 400€. Best regards form Germany !
I’m a long time RCX5+G5 guy just moved to 620 (RCX5 already ebayed off). If you are happy with RCX5 I suggest stay with it (it is for sure an awesome watch that changed my life)
was not satisfied with the lack of vibration alerts (I don’t hear beeps while running, with or without ipod) and not great interval abilities. I am now trying to expand my running envelope and so went for the best simple as that.
Color is not important at all (and not really implemented in the 620). New metrics are very interesting but still early to tell (cadence is I think a problem of mine and will focus on that but RCX5 has that with foorpod)
suggest waiting few months till Garmin improves the firmware and you can get great used ones on ebay
Thank you for your reply.. i think i´ll wait until Garmin or Polar will release new Firmware or watch. I really want to know what polar is planning to release next!
awesome review thank you. I’m confused – why wouldn’t it capture distance when swimming – surely if you hit start and then move 500m it would show up??? thanks for your help in advance…
The challenge is that since the watch is on your wrist, when it goes underwater it loses satellite reception. When it goes back above water it (sometimes) gains it. If/when it gains it, the accuracy takes a few seconds to increase, so for the first second above water it may be accurate +/- 500ft, which means that in one second it could be 500ft away, and the next 232ft away, and then the next 12ft away. Thus, if it does this every single stroke – you can see how accuracy is challenging.
This is different from watches that support openwater swimming and have algorithms to try and figure out where you’re going and plot a line through the ‘noise’. Even though, they tend to be educated guesses, usually within about 5-10% (these days), and not always spot on.
I have a 405cx and I just got the 620 for Xmas! I think I will miss the cycling mode as I bike as part of my cross training but the rest will compensate for that. 🙂
I have had the 620 for almost a month now. While I love it there have been some issues with GPS accuracy. Today seemed to be particularly bad. Is anyone aware of GPS accuracy issues with the 620 and if so is Garmin is aware and working on a fix?
This is an example.. link to connect.garmin.com. I started and stopped at the same point. Also the middle of the run was a loop run twice. Thoughts??
Garmin seems to be aware of the issue. I wonder how long until a fix.
From Garmin Support”
“Thanks to everyone who has reported the issue where some customers are seeing that their GPS track is not accurate and for the examples provided. We’ve identified a couple of improvements needed in the current software and will be soon releasing a new version that should improve GPS trace accuracy. We are very sorry for the inconvenience and we appreciate your patience. Of course, high quality GPS is our number one priority and we are continuously working on fixing all problems and making the products work as perfectly as possible for our customers.”
Correct. Some folks who had issues have reported higher levels of success by waiting an extra 30-45 seconds after initial signal reception before starting. Fwiw..
Has anyone successfully gotten the 620/garmin fit app to find and link up with a mobile hotspot on an iphone 5? The hotspot never shows up in the app for me and even after manually adding it, the watch can’t find it.
While not an iPhone 5, I do have an iPhone 4s and have had no problems with it in hotspot mode with the FR620. It’s on iOS7, so I’d be surprised if there’s any differences at all from a WiFi hotspot connectivity standpoint between the iPhone 4s and 5 on the same iOS version.
I would like to have 4 different data displayed in ONE screen, so when I run I dont have to switch between the data, these data are: Distance, Time, Avg Pace & Current Pace.
Do you know if it is possible to have these 4 data displayed in one screen ? thx
Just got my new 620 for Christmas. So far so good. Only small issue is that I find the display/contrast to be quite dark indoors – compared it to my 610 and it definitely is dimmer – so peeps relying on this as a watch may find themselves hitting the light button more often than they would like……if Garmin could address this in a firmware update – would be great.
this is one of my primary gripes coming from an FR210. I don’t think a software change will fix this, it’s probably a function of the new color display.
Since 2/3 years, i am using the 610HRM, with no issues except few minor ones that happened (mainly software bugs), but were solved with small upgrades.
I bought the 620HRM kit last week, and here is my personal feedback:
– WIFI sounds interesting, but need to be configured using Garmin Express Fit, which is not given with the watch and need to be downloaded from the Website
– i have enabled bluetooth, but the watch cannot be seen by my MacBookPro or my iPad or iPhone. I was thinking it is a Bluetooth issue, when i discovered that the watch is identified when you launch the GarminConnect software. I don’t know if it is a normal behavior, but sounds bad, because in that case, to download your races, you need to have garmin software enabled.
– MAJOR Issue : With my 610, i am running, going back home or close to my “ANT” enabled device, and the data is automatically downloaded by the ANT+ Agent. Then, i switch off the 610, to be ready for next race, and avoid charging the watch everyday.
With the 620, yesterday, i tried the same, and suddenly, the Bluetooth between the 620 and the iPhone stopped working for an unknown reason (but i tested with other devices like Jawbone and it is not iPhone issue, so i assume it can be an issue with Garmin Connect). But THE BIG PROBLEM IS THAT the 620 was locked in the position of trying to transfer. I tried to stop it, i has the screen to switch off the watch, and when clicking in the YES, nothing happened. I tried different ways, but no luck (even stopping GPS/Bluetooth/Wifi was not solving the issue).
THE WORST thing, is that i did what i am used to do with the 610, by switching on/off the watch when needed, and i am out of my house for 2 weeks, with no 620 USB Cable (normally i charge the watch every month more or less). And my watch stopped this morning due to low battery.
I also don’t really like the feeling i have with that watch in regards to the 610. That one looks really like plastic 🙁
Anyhow, let’s wait next week after a full charge, if i will have a different feeling.
Most companies these days don’t include software inbox, because it changes frequently and would be out of date anyway.
RE: Bluetooth
Because the unit uses Bluetooth Smart, you won’t see it in the general Bluetooth Control panel. This is true of virtually all Bluetooth Smart devices on the market, which are instead paired through various applications (exceptions are ones that show up in the notification control panel, and those do tend to show up through the BT control panel).
RE: Bluetooth & iPhone
If the iPhone itself froze (which is what it sounds like), that’s likely more an iPhone issue. If the Garmin app froze, then that’s likely a Garmin issue. In either case, I’d encourage you to open a ticket with Garmin support if you think it’s an iPhone
RE: Powering off unit
You can still power off the FR620, simply hold the upper left button off. Note that the unit in standby gets many weeks of battery though, so unless the light is left on, it’ll be fine.
We have a 620 and 220 in the house. I’m noticing that the contrast on the 220 is quite a bit better than on the 620. Has anyone else compared the two watches and noticed a similar difference?
Quick question: You mentioned “the Girl” borrowed the watch. Today I let my wife use mine and I noticed my VO2max dropped a little and it added time to my race prediction times (Marathon from 3:00 to 3:03). Although I deleted her run, the VO2 max data didn’t update. Did you notice variations or did you clear “the Girls” info and have it read only your runs?
Yes, when she borrows it it’ll hose up my VO2Max timeline a bit. Thus, I had two choices: Don’t let her borrow it, or she gets her own watch. I selected the second. 😉
There isn’t any way to remove those VO2Max estimates that I’m aware of.
Hi, Any plans to add display of GPS co-ordinates, latitude and longitude. I have the 210 and that is the one feature it is missing. I can’t believe they dropped that from the 610.
Yes, it’s a USB mass storage device (like a USB thumb drive), so no problems with the Surface RT (or Pro). It won’t be via wireless, but just USB upload.
The FR610/620 are runners watches, and neither are triathlete watches. Instead, I’d look at the FR910XT or the Suunto Ambit 2/2s. They do cycling, swimming (indoor/outdoor), and running as well. It’s likely that the FR910XT will be replaced in the upcoming year, though when and with what features is still in question.
That said, if you’re still set on those two, then I’d go FR620 over FR610 purely for the waterproofing. The FR620 is properly waterproofed to 50m, whereas the FR610 isn’t. It’s only to 1m deep (3ft) for up to 30 minutes, and definitely not for being worn on your wrist while swimming (it’ll die).
I am new to running and currently I am planning to run a couple of races in the next few months. I cannot decide what watch, the 220 or 620,I should go with. I am interested in distance, pace, etc. I do not think I will get to technical into other features, as of yet. Any recommendations?
If you’re new to running, I’d start with the FR220. It will likely cover everything you’d want, and definitely does all the basics like pace/distance/etc… Enjoy!
As for uploading to TP, I always go with FIT. The reason is that the Garmin Connect TCX isn’t ‘whole’ in some cases, with some information not original, but rather re-parsed. For example, the TCX from GC doesn’t include any Running Dynamics data. So down the road once Training Peaks adds in running dynamics, if you use the .FIT File the system will automatically see that data. But if you uploaded the TCX file, then it’s got ‘stripped’ data to begin with.
Hi, thanks for the great review, convinced me to get the 620 and I’m happy that I did. I have two questions though that I hope you can help with:
1. Is it possible to have the watch auto lap by position rather than distance?
2. Is it possible to configure the display shown when laps are recorded?
I can’t find options to do either on the watch, could you point me in the right direction?
1) No, no Auto Lap by position currently in there.
2) The display will automatically note when a lap is completed (either auto lap or manual lap). At present, the display banner is not customizable. It will also automatically light-up when a lap occurs (as well as beep/vibrate/etc…). Is that what you mean?
Not the same Paul as the last Paul 🙂 I have been running with my 620 for over a month and have never had problems with it keeping the pace on the treadmill using the HR strap (foot pod was just way off as previously noted). Got my wife a 620 for Christmas and she ran with it today. Pace was WAY off. She knows her pace very well and it was really close to what the treadmill was reading which was 8:30 or so. Garmin was reading between 10:30 and 11:00. Not sure what to do to try and correct that, if possible :(. Feel bad, I had built it all up for her!
Paul — I believe your wife needs a few runs outside with GPS so the watch can sync the GPS readings to the accelerometers. That’s what I did, and when I did use a treadmill, it was spot on. I’m assuming you did some outside runs before using the treadmill?
I’m having similar issues/concerns. Due to an injury and the weather, I have not run outside with the 620. I will be doing some runs inside, should I use the foot pod or just the internal accelerometer? Once I get outside, will the GPS calibrate the accelerometer? Also hoping For a firmware update so I can use the foot pod with the GPS.
In general, if you have a footpod, I would run indoors with the footpod (just manually calibrate it). That way you’ll have a known good until a firmware update is released.
Thanks! If the watch/foot pod had my pace :15 seconds faster than the treadmill (9:44 vs 10:00), what would be the best calibration ? Final distance on the watch was .15 further than the treadmill.
don’t forget that calibrations on treadmills can be off quite a bit. there’s a good chance the pace on the watch/footpod is more correct than the treadmill. just b/c it’s set to 10min/mile, doesn’t mean it’s right.
Yeah. Very good point. Although my typical pace is 9:50-10:00. I may just leave it until I can get outside and get GPS calibration (and they update the formware to work with the foot pod properly)
Hi Ray, thanks and great review as always. I have an android phone (Galaxy S4) so will be eagerly awaiting a Garmin update for live tracking and downloads. I also have a Ipad 2 mini (BT 4.0 enabled) which I though I would use for Bluetooth downloads in the interim, only problem is although I have updated Garmin Connect Mobile it still only shows the edge 810 and 510 as options for pairing. I rang Garmin who were not able to give me much other than to check I have the latest version of the app. Have you come across this somewhere else? Is it normal for Ipads?
I am now up and running (double entendre) and constantly referring back to this review as guidance. It’s just great.
I have a question about autolap. feature, if it is set for say every mile but as I input manual lap presses how does it work. In my RCX5 you had two layers of laps, the autolap was separate from the manual lap (very useful, you would get a notification every mile and see it on the map afterwards and still got to input manual laps as needed)
So if I put a manual lap in does it reset the autolap and I will only see an autolap one mile from that point?
No, it’s not like the Polar devices, but like the Garmin ones, where if you have autolap set and then manually lap half-way through a lap, it’ll next auto-lap one-mile from that point (if using 1-mile as the reference distance).
Nice review, do you know if Garmin planned a SW update to get back the navigate back to start option. I realy miss this feature in the 620 (I’ve the same feeling wrt the virtual partner, but less strong). And do you know when the firmware update is coming to solve the issues with GPS, footpod and wifi?
I’ve the feeling Garmin launched too fast the 620…do you agree?
They haven’t noted any software updates for the immediate future that will add those back. From some recent discussions, it sounded like the earliest we’d see major feature changes would be the spring. But again, plans change, so it’s something I’ll touch base on at CES in 10 days to get a feel for where things are.
As for launching too early, it’s always hard to say. Ultimately, I’d take a stab that 95-98% of runners are happy with the feature-set as-is. Obviously, some folks want more features like historical models, which is certainly a valid request. If I were in Garmin’s shoes I still would have released as-is, but I would have been more clear on the futures timetables (what/if/when/etc…).
Sorry if this has already been mentioned above. I don’t get good cadence data using the watch rather than the foot pod. My normal cadence is between 186 and 201 but I also get a lot of readings that are pretty consistently 120. I did a 23 minute run today with the longest time between 120 readings being 2 minutes. When the 120 readings do occur they tend to occur in clusters/groups with about 6 seconds between each 120 reading and with my normal cadence of 186 to 190 mixed in as well.
The summary data for today’s run was
Avg Run Cadence: 171 spm
Max Run Cadence: 201 spm
Avg Stride Length: 1.24 m
Do you know what the 120 drops are caused by? I can’t go back to my footpad because it takes over from the GPS.
With or without HRM-RUN? In any case, I’d look at cases where the cadences drops down and see if you can align that to a specific event (for example, if without HRM-Run, did you scratch your head, drink from a water bottle, do the chicken dance, etc…) – which could all impact cadence from the wrist.
If with the HRM-Run, then it’s a bit more complex to troubleshoot, but I’d look at things like briefly quick-stepping around people, pausing to cross a street for that extra split second, etc…
In virtually every case, when I look at cadence ‘abnormalities’ with or without the HRM-Run in my files, I can usually pinpoint the reason where I did something wonky briefly (or at least, to the Garmin, unexpected – like those above).
Without the HRM-RUN. I looked back on a few of my runs where I have used the 620 (I still use the 405CX most of the time) and I think the drops are only happening on my fast runs. I feel they are too frequent to align with a specific event. They are fairly consistent rather than abnormalities. Could it be caused by pumping your arms high?
Got it finally. But still don’t know how to transfer data from my watch to my iphone 4 via wifi. I downloaded the software garmin express fit and did the settings. Still can’t search the iphone wifi from my watch. Limited to iphone 4? I know Bluetooth with the Garmin apps has this limitation but not sure about the wifi. Help please. Thanks.
I did try hotspot but still the watch couldnt find a wifi network. Not sure if the watch got problem. Will try if it can transfer from home wifi today. Poor
I did an outdoor run with the watch and got a VO2 max value and a recovery time as well. I took a week off and have done a few treadmill runs since then and noticed that I get no change in VO2max and no value for recovery time at all. The last run I did was a 10 mile run on the treadmill and I got not recovery time value just two dashes.
Does anyone know if Recovery Advisor does not work for treadmill runs? I always run with the HR strap that came with the watch and did get HR data for the run.
Recovery Advisor does not work on the treadmill at present.
See link to forums.garmin.com
You will see I posted:
I asked about the fact that we seem to be seeing zero recovery time for indoor runs and was told “it is a bug that will be changed in a future release.”
Nice review, thanks. I have a 620 (after just about every other model FR) and only have a couple of points… I couldn’t see a way to provide feedback to Garmin, so thought this avenue may well get a viewing 🙂
As the 620 has the “everyday use” mode, then the option for an hourly chime would be great, but more importantly, an easier way to access the alarm! Surely when in watch mode it could be only one or two button pushes away rather than the 12 presses needed now?
I am actually using it to swim with, and having the lap count front and centre is great, but when you stop there is no place to view total laps. Perhaps that on the activity summary screen as it already scrolls to a second page?
Navigation – just a basic “back to start” pointer would be useful. My 310xt saved me more than once pointing me back to home when I have got lost in a foreign city or piece of countryside 🙂
And finally (not specifically 620 related) please invert the timing graph in Garminconnect! Mins per km is de rigeur for runners, and having zero pace at the bottom just makes sense (and matches all other running software displays).
Keep up the marvellous work, and The Girl is right, my wife will only get a 620 when it is in purple – is purple the new pink?
Stephen
If you are not moving (or going very slowly) then the GC pace graph shows this at the bottom. I assume that is what you mean by “zero pace”. I think the scale is slightly confusing as 00:00 pace is at the top but that really means infinite pace.
In History on the 620, the Laps are numbered so if you want to see how many you did, just scroll through them to the end.
Hi Tim
I should have phrased it better! By “zero pace” I meant zero minutes per km, so that the left hand minute scale goes from 0 at the bottom to a good pace of 4 min per km in the middle, to 10 min per km and beyond as the scale goes up.
Yes, I agree you can scroll through the laps, but if you are doing, say, 2k in a 50m pool, then scrolling through 40 laps to see if you did do 40 or 41 or (heaven forbid) 39 is a bit tedious. Under “details” it lists everything under the sun over 2 pages, so one more item (total laps) should do the trick nicely 🙂
Received FR620 for Christmas and have enjoyed it for the last few days. Ran into some issues over the last 30 hours. First GCT and Vertical O did not work during my last run. Was gonna give it a try this morning but my FR won’t stay on. I left it on the charger last night and the screen indicates 100%. Went to the forum but didn’t see any really solution. Not sure if I have a defective unit or what I need to do at this point. Really enjoy the watch but doesn’t do me much good if it doesn’t stay on or if I can’t get the full functionality.
Anyone else experienced these issues? Any advice? Or is it better to just return it? Thanks for your help in advance.
Found these steps by Tim Grose (thanks Tim) in the Garmin Forum and helped resolved my charging issues:
1) Connect to the charger for ~30 minutes
2) Disconnect the device from the Charger
3) Get to the RUN page on the device
4) Once on the RUN page, put the device into Low Power Mode (LPM – by pressing the back button – bottom right button)
5) Let the device sit in LPM for ~1 minutes
6) Take device out of LPM and to the RUN page
7) The device should now show a low battery icon
8) Reconnect watch to the computer and let it charge
I currently use my Forerunner 610 for running and other cardio workouts. I purchased the 620 as an upgrade to the 610. To me it seems that Garmin has forgotten that running is not the only activity people use there watches for. Am I missing something here? I feel now I need a watch for all my different workouts (ie Crossfit etc).
I agree with Doug in the following way: there is no way to disable the internal accelerometer, and there is no “other” mode, so the watch always thinks I’m running, even if I’m on a stationary bike or doing a strength workout indoors. In this example, GPS is off, but the workout still results in bogus cadence and distance data, all from the internal accelerometer. I would love Garmin to roll out a cycling mode (a la 610) and allow the user to disable the onboard accelerometer for other activities.
I would suggest you don’t need anything more for crossfit, but less. A way to disable the accelerometer would prevent bogus cadence and distance data when strength training.
Can I suggest taking the 620 off your wrist if you are on a “stationary” bike (or similar) and just put it on the handlebars or somewhere where you can see it.
If the 620 itself is not moving then the accelerometer would then effectively be off.
Going by the comments on the 620 watch people make it seem like only the 620 has to stabilize after the watch locks on when starting up. The 610 watch has the same issue: link to connect.garmin.com link to connect.garmin.com
In both those runs the start and stop were done at around the same location but obviously the 610 got confused. (never seen this issue on any of my Edge units on the bike, but then I think I usually turn on my bike computers way earlier then when I press start and wait outside for the ride to start vs runs that wait inside)
I love all these improvements but I don’t understand why don’t make it compatible with Tanita BC-1000.
I am seriously disappointed with Garmin for that matter.
Or they solve it with a simple firmware upgrade or buy a Garmin Forerunner 620.
Ray – great review. Just purchased the bundle 620 package with the Garmin HRM strap.
Question – Like you, I compete in Ironman events but don’t want to wear two different HR straps. I have the Garmin 510. Will the Garmin 510 pick up my HR data (recognizing the other unique data is only captured on the 620)? I didn’t see any reference to strap compatibility in your review. Thanks in advance and Happy New Year you!
I now have the 620 and love it, BUT having used a Forerunner 305 for several years and being able to easily pause a given run, I miss that in the 620. As I understand it, I can only use auto-pause with the 620 OR end a run each time I stop and save that segment of the run. I WISH I could pause with a button and resume w/same when I want to. Anything I am missing with this device that would enable easy pause? Is there any chance a button could be re-purposed to accommodate that? Thanks ….
It works just like your 305. Just press the start/stop button again to continue. But don’t press the “save” button on the screen until you are really done.
Great! I assumed that if I didn’t “save” I would lose the data – all good then – very easy, but is not clear in the manual or anywhere else that this works this way. Thanks for quick answer and good info —
Just received my 620 bundle purchased through your affiliate link recently. First run was outside with hrm. The data (average pace, distance, etc) was really wonky. I’m assuming this is a first run calibration issue and will stabilize. I hope?
Got the 620 the other week. Love it! A huge change from the 305. Love the lightning quick satellite pick up. Some things I do miss though. Frustrating you can’t make a quick workout like you could on the 305 and have to do it via GC. Also the lap banner could be clearer. The mile/km marker is a tiny number above the time. Did my first programmed workout today. A 15km run but when I finished the clock didn’t automatically stop or tell me if I had beat the VP. I wonder why Garmin dropped this?
I love your review, very detail, very awesome job! As new runner, I just got 620 as Christmas Gift, and I would like to know if I can create a running course use Garmin Connect plan, and send the course to my 620? Right now, after I created the course and click ” send to device”, it showed “No device found that supports Courses” – (even my 620 already USB into my computer). But I can send the work out plan to my 620 and no problem there. Did I do something wrong? Is that do able? Thank you for your time.
Love the reviews, Ray. Moved from a 410 to a 620 and thought I’d post some observations and gripes, in case they’re helpful to others:
The backlight on the 620 is not as bright as the 410. Doesn’t totally kill it, but I loved how bright the 410 was – making for easy HR checks on low-light runs.
When pausing an activity manually, the 620 jumps almost immediately to the “save” screen. I liked pausing and being able to see my heart rate come down as I was resting. You can do that with the 620 by pushing the “back” arrow, but it’s one extra touch. Be careful, though, as a slip of the glove there ends the activity (with no way to jump back in). Haven’t checked out the auto-pause on this aspect yet.
The old ANT wireless upload happened automatically as soon as I came home, even if the watch was off. Sounds like that happens with the 620 via wifi or bluetooth to a phone, but only if you stopped just a few minutes ago. Pushing the “connect” button (and tapping the screen) makes it happen, but again just another inconvenient button combo in the day.
That said, I’m mostly happier. Goodbye touch bezel. Hello vibrating alerts, live tracking, and additional data points to geek out on.
Just wondering if there is a screen lock that I can activate while the GPS is going and I’m exercising. I’m finding that I’m hitting the “Stop” button with my wrist/forearm while I am doing certain activities (today I knocked it while climbing a small fence on a hike). I then have to save the workout I’ve done so far and then begin a new workout…
Thanks!
Megan.
If I understand correctly, you would like to use auto lap by position. The 620 does not currently support auto lap by position. But if you know the exact distance of your lap/round, you could set auto lap by that exact distance.
I have just one question regarding the FR220 vs. FR620:
The primary metric I care about is pace. I wish to tell my watch the pace at which I wish to run, say 7.30 mile/minute, and have it keep me on track. This means that if I run too fast, or too slow, it lets me know that I need to adjust.
A nice-to-have feature would be to be able to tell the watch that I’m running a particular distance, such 13.1 miles, and have it keep me at pace for the distance.
Can the FR220 do this, or do I need the more costly FR620?
The FR220 will do this with ‘Pace Alerts’, which gives you a high/low watermark for pace and beeps at you if you go above/below it. So you’d see a high mark at 7:40/mile, a low at 7:20/mile and keep between.
Meanwhile, the FR620 does that, as well as Virtual Partner, which shows you how far ahead/behind you are (in feet/time) based on your current pace/distance. In this case, you’d set it at 7:30/mile, and the unit would show you if you were within a few feet of the Virtual Partner, or if you were too slow, it might say you’re 200ft behind it.
Personally I find the Virtual Partner best for trying to dial into pace for a long time. The “problem” I find with alerts is that can become too anal – you are never going to run exactly at a given pace all the timee because of varying gradients, surface, wind and of course just GPS “noise” etc etc so if you lose or gain a few secs here or there I never get too bothered but with alerts they can be going off too much and making you worried when you probably don’t need to be.
At the end of the day, you are the one running not the watch. If you can’t keep up, it probably means the pace was too ambitious on that particular day.
You mention the lack of the prediction for a given distance, which I was hoping for, and mention the
Magellan Switch/Switch Up for this.
Do you know any other models or even phone apps that can do this?
Supposedly easily enough that it can be used during an actual race?
i do think the lack of a prediction for a given distance in the Virtual Partner is more of a minor annoyance than a real issue. For instance if your target for a marathon is a certain time, presume you would have long ago worked out what it equates to in pace per mile (or K) terms and been doing your tempos at it. If not work it out pronto and have it etched on your mind for your future training 🙂
of course it is easy to calculate the needed pace for a certain target.
but what happens if I slow down to eat/drink? or need to go to the bathroom.
Then its gets complicated on how much I would need to pick up the pace
to make up for lost time, its of course not that complex of a calculation,
but definitely not something I want to calculate while I am running.
Virtual Partner takes care of all of that. Enter in the pace you need to achieve the goal race time. As you are running it will consistently show you how far behind or ahead of that pace you are. For example, If you need to run a 9:30 pace to acheive your goal, but you have been running slightly faster than that, it will show you how far ahead of your goal you are. You will be able to see that you have 1,2,3 maybe 4 minutes to burn on water stations and port o potty breaks. If you have much more time than that in the bank you are probably running a little too fast. On the other hand if you are 1,2 or 3 minutes behind your pace you will know that you don’t have any time to make these stops if you want to reach your goal. Virtual Partner is the best part of Garmin watches in my opinion. It has helped me consistently reach goals without going out too fast at the beginning and pushing me to run harder at the end.
yeah I guess it works out better in the case if I am too fast, like you say, it would kinda of show me how much time I have to take a break.
I was more worried if I have to catch up, see, in the case of I am behind of like 4 min, if there was 4 miles left on the race, then it’s easy, I know I would need to be at 8:30 in terms of pace (considering the 9:30 pace example you gave and that I was spot on until now)
but that is the simple case, if I am behind of 3min46 sec and there is 6.3 miles left, its not that easy to know at which pace I should be in order to catch up then.
You are right, that would be hard to figure out. When I get behind I don’t as much try to figure out exactly how fast I need to go, I just know I need to go faster and as I do I see that number (the number of minutes and seconds I am behind) go down. But usually I always try to have a little “time in the bank”. You never know when you might need it and its good to have at least a couple minutes because the GPS almost always reads long so when you hit the “finish” but realize you still have .2 miles to go you have a couple minutes to finish strong and hopefully make your time.
So I guess my best advice is… don’t get behind! 🙂 and I think that’s usually doable as long as you’ve picked a realistic finishing time goal.
Hi,
I had a quick question on the wireless uploads, once uploaded via wireless will this be visible on the Garmin Connect website in the usual regular way with all the usual data such as maps, splits etc, essentially I’m wondering if the wireless upload is no different to the normal USB upload method via the PC.
Ray in your 2nd paragraph of this 620 review you stated;
“And quite simply, is it worth the cash over the FR220 which costs roughly half as much? Especially once you consider needing the new FR620’s HRM-Run strap to take advantage of all the new features”.
I’ve re-read thru all of your very extensive review, and I don’t believe you answered that question. You have the Comparison Tables, Pro/Cons, and Final Thoughts, but no real analysis on whether the extra bells & whistle are worth the extra $150-200 (if you do/don’t need a HRM). As someone has mention, that leftover cash buys some more running gear.
Of course maybe I missed something. Since you have experience and feedback with both watches, maybe you could throw in some more 2-cents. I’m still trying to wrap my head around what I would do what all the new running metrics. The touch screen is that worth much more? Wi-fi etc. Is the 620 more geared towards the pros/elite type runners (and data geeks).
I just wish I had a store I could go to and see for myself. Kinda like going to a Best Buy to buy a big screen TV, see most all them side-by-side and pick the one I like the best (and we’re done).
I do think these sort of “value for money” questions are best directed back at the buyer and ask yourself what is important to you and what is not. Also what are you using now, what do you wish it could do differently/better etc etc. Some people appear to have bought an 620 for little things like an extended timeout on the data screens. Others may have gone for a 220 because they prefer the colour. The 620 definitely isn’t just for “pro/elite” athletes. Garmin would soon go out of business if they focused on such a small set of runners and anyway pros largely wear what they are paid to! Ultimately if you want a GPS watch that does the basics of saying how far, how fast and how long and leaves lots of cash for other things get a FR10. The 220 and 620 both do that of course plus some more with the 220 and a lot more with the 620 as Ray explains at length in his reviews.
Tim– I agree with you that the choice of fitness watch, lies squarely on the shoulders of the buyer no doubt. But the question was, bang for the buck is the 620 worth almost double that of the 220? If one has lots of cash, its not really a big deal.
I have a 305, which I bought back in 2006, which didn’t get fully used much until I got back to running more full time in 2013. So my first replacement goal is something that is not so brick like, and both the 220 & 620 meet that requirement. As far as the rest of my wants & needs that is what I’m trying to sort out. What I really want doesn’t exist yet.
Well further thought about what I do personally – that is generally to buy the highest spec thing I can afford as then I can’t be disappointed about missing features that the lower spec product does not have. I help moderate the Garmin forums and one example there and recent one here was that the 220 does not have every second recording nor virtual partner. I like to use both but for very many people this might be incidental. If you asked if I buy a 620 over a 220 will I be a better runner then my personal answer is almost certainly no. If you asked if it would help enjoy my running that little bit more then I would say yes.
Oh and since you have a 305 – if you really like breadcrumb trails and basic navigation then don’t go near either! But for sure the 220/620 will feel feather weight in comparison.
So in summary if you are on a budget and/or the additional features are of limited interest then the 220 is probably the answer you want and vice versa for the 620 to win.
I think it depends on what kind of runner you are and if you’re willing to analyze the telemetry correctly and then make any needed corrections. For me, a 42 year old age group runner, it makes sense. I bought the 620 bundle (since the 620 is basically an expensive 220 without the HRM-Run) and did a few baseline runs over a few days. I then looked at the information. What I learned is that my normal cadence was too low and my vertical oscillation was too high (although I’m 6’3″, so 10cm bounce wasn’t too high). I then started trying to increase my cadence (was ~163spm in my baseline runs) and am now over 170spm consistenly. As exected, my vertical oscillationwent down and is now in the high-8s. What I have noticed from this is that my “base” pace – the pace at which I’m working comfortably went from 7:45 to 7:30 with the same perceived effort and average heart rate. I realize that this is a VERY small sample and a lot of outside factors could be involved, but at the very least, for someone who is interested in the data and is willing to experiment wih changes, this is the watch for them. For the person who runs for fitness or who doesn’t want to think about running outside of the actual run, get the 220 or the 10 (which is a fantastic watch if you don’t want/need an HRM).
i do think the lack of a prediction for a given pace/distance in the Virtual Partner is more of a minor annoyance than a real issue. For instance if your target for a marathon is a certain time, presume you would have long ago worked out what it equates to in pace per mile (or K) terms and been doing your tempos at it. If not work it out pronto and have it etched on your mind for your future training 🙂
Thanks again for your sound advice. Tonight I purchased the FR220, based on your review and advice. Cheers!
Having opened my watch I see that the only way to charge it is via USB to a computer, which seems quite presumptuous. My question, therefore, is can I safely charge my watch using an iPhone-style USB-to-Power adapter “brick”, or does it always have to be via a low-voltage computer USB port? More to that point, can I safely charge it on both 120v and 240v?
ok, the spec allows to negotiate for higher voltage but don’t think anything does that yet and should only do that after a device says it wants a higher voltage: link to usb.org
Just as a pure housekeeping item, if you have technical issues (problems), I’d really ask to please try and resolve the issues through Garmin support (via phone or e-mail, though I’d recommend phone). Or, additionally, through the Garmin Forums (http://forums.garmin.com).
The reason is relatively simple: Back and forth comments just aren’t an effective way to troubleshoot, and more importantly, at nearly 1,400 comments – it’s really tough for new folks to find answers to questions when there’s lots of troubleshooting going on for an individual issue.
Now, to be clear, I have no problems with questions around feature sets, or how a product works, or which-watch type questions. I’m also totally good with people posting their thoughts/mini-reviews of the watch (good/bad/etc…). But this just isn’t the best place to try and troubleshoot your current issues. Typically speaking, Garmin and/or the support forums can get answers much quicker. And more importantly, they can track issues and then prioritize fixes. If a tree falls in the forest and nobody is there to hear it, then Garmin doesn’t know about it.
After using the 620 for one month, I think the major improvement over 610 are:
– faster satellite location time;
– lighter weight;
– wifi for uploading workout data to garmin connect;
The negative apart from higher price tag, is:
– battery time: not true if I got a faulty one, but mine failed to power up successfully after a full charge and wearing as a normal watch for one day. Certainly disappointing to me as the manual says it can last 6 weeks in watch mode. This is surely diappointing to me as I bought for use for Hong Kong Marathon (held in Feb 2014) . Now I have to use my older 610 which has a rusted back and charging issue!
Running dynamics (cadence, vertical oscillation, ground contact time) might be a positive if you find uses for these data. After all, I can only relate faster ground contract time to longer stride length and a faster pace. But this is something you can definitely feel when you go out for a run. All in all, I think 220 may be a better deal for a experienced runner. So far the battery issue of two Garmin products has been haunting me. I might rethink my purchase since in Hong Kong, getting repair services is lengthy process (by shipping back and forth between Taiwan and Hong Kong). I think 310XT has been more stable product to me but unfortunately I have sold it as I hated its bigger size.
Hi Tony Lo,
Sorry to say what you probably have a faulty one regarding yr battery life 🙁
I have got mine since 1 month too.
Last full charge on 31/12/2013, since i have made 4 runs (for approx 50kms total). I never shut down it and battery charge is now to 51% !
In top of that, clearly, it is a very great model.
Patrice
Just a quick comment from me to say a huge thanks for all your work on this and other reviews, I skimmed your first thoughts before buying the unit and read your full review to quickly learn how to use the new features.
Great review and I love my 620. I just can’t get my battery percentage as an actual number e.g. 67% I know I’m missing something blindingly obvious….. Please help 🙂
As mentionned in another post, I am looking at a HRM strap to pair with my wahoo ANT+ Dongle, would the HRM-Run work? If yes would I get access to VO2Max data (in the future? or with another Iphone App?)
Cheers
I started using the FR620 during mid December and everything has been working pretty good. GPS has been very accurate but Calories calculation is way too low from my perspective. I also own an Ambit 2S and both have the same profile information, but the FR620 is underestimating my calorie burn by 20/25% (3 runs I did with both units).
I know that Garmin and Suunto are in fact using different algorithms but shouldn’t it be a correlation between them? I mean, 5/7% could be understandable, but this makes me wonder if Garmin is no underestimating my burn too much! (and Suunto overestimating, perhaps).
Anyone else with the same issue/experience?
Thanks
I had the same issues – the thread discussion is in post 1172-1184. As Eli suggested in #1183, it’s also helpful to read the original article written by DC Rainmaker on this topic.
Anyone else notice that if you have the watch set to measure distance in km and then run on a treadmill with GPS off that it shows the distance in miles but reports it as being km? I ran 7 miles according to the treadmill and the watch showed that I ran 7km.
Returned from 1st run. After 8.5km (of 11km run) trail run GC website shows no elevation and the run is ended on the map there. Yet, the time and distance (and other data) were recorded properly and show correct total distance and time (I used also Nike+ to compare). Any idea what it can be? I hope it would not repeat …
Your watch lost GPS signal and thus there are no data from that time. When the GPS is not available, the watch uses internal accelerometer to measure the distance from arm swings, that’s why you have the distance recorded. I think your problem is related to “GPS inaccuracy” problem discussed here and already confirmed by Garmin at their forum pages. It still not clear, what is the reason for the GPS inaccuracies, but due to such GPS losses, which I also have experienced once, I assume that the watch has problem with GPS sensitivity. However, not everybody is experiencing the GPS inaccuracy, so may be only some production batch is affected.
Hi,
I bought it one month ago without HR strap because i already have one ANT+ HR strap from another older model.
It works fine for HR field.
I was surprised to find cadence field and vo2max estimation as i do not have the last HRM strap.
So my question is simple : can i trust the data given ?
is the cadence field & vo2max field works fine without the lastest HRM strap ?
Tks
Patrice
The cadence comes from the unit itself (cadence can also come from the HRM-Run too). The VO2Max doesn’t require the latest strap, any ANT+ strap will work.
Has anyone managed to fully test the battery life with the GPS off?
I saw some posts earlier saying that folks were going to check but I never saw a final result. I’m interested in this as I run the occasional ultra and would like to use the watch, but it takes me longer than 10 hours – I’m happy to forgo the GPS accuracy and rely on the internal accelerometer.
Can someone tell me that I won’t screw anything up by deleting some of the runs off my watch (since I’ve gotten the memory almost full warning) and it is taking longer to upload to RunningAhead and Strava? It won’t screw up stuff like Vo2Max, Recovery, etc? And will it still keep the Weekly and Monthly totals?
Delete All Activities should have no impact on totals or other long term settings like VO2 Max.
With the uploads slowing down, I assume you are connected via USB? Are you just telling it to upload all new workouts? I would have hoped they’d be smart enough to just list the files for upload rather than have to copy all the workouts. But sounds like they are copying everything. At least with Strava, you can specify the file and just upload the most recent one.
But this brings up an interesting question. Does anybody know what happens when the memory is full? does it start overwriting your oldest workout or just stop recording?
Just tested what happens when the memory is full up…
It deletes the oldest activities to give enough room for a new one. Seemed to clear at least 500 KB so it actually deleted about 4 activities from a 620 that had 4K left before I stated another “run”
Did this seamlessly – i.e no warnings etc.
Thanks Tim, just what I had hoped. With it being so easy to upload, no real excuse to lose important files with this implementation. So other than slow uploads for software that grabs all the current files, no need to ever manually delete.
I understand that the 620 is not currently able to be used as an activity tracker, but is there a chance that Garmin will enable this feature in the future? I really wish that the Garmin worked like my FitBit Flex when it came to tracking steps. I noticed yesterday on my run that it measured cadence with out the HRM. There is an accelerometer in there so it should be possible. My only concern would be the impact on battery life, but I’d be willing to sacrifice it for activity tracking.
No, there is not. In discussing this point with them, the FR620 was not designed for a low-power activity tracker mode, so from a hardware standpoint it’s tough to ‘get there from here’.
I just got mine and am curious about the new strap design. The diagram on the inside of the strap seems to indicate that in addition to the normal left and right sensor for the heart rate, there is a third spot to the left of them that needs to be moistened as well. Any idea what this spot is for? I was initially thinking about getting a Polar strap per your recommendation from 2010 but A- depending on what this third sensor is for, that may no longer work, and B- based on your review, that may not be necessary anymore. Thoughts?
Thanks for the thorough review!
Ah, interesting. Maybe the static was causing the monitor issues on previous Garmin straps. So, in your opinion, would you still upgrade to the Polar strap or do you feel this new iteration does just as good?
I generally find the new strap pretty solid assuming I wet it. Outside of 2-3 times since September, it’s usually pretty good within a couple of minutes for the duration of the run. Which, isn’t too bad considering I’m running at least every other day.
Hi! does anyone can help me? my 620 is frozen on the “garmin” screen…
I have already tried to reset it by holding 15 sec the start button and then restart but nothing… the watch restarts but is still froze on the same screen again and again…
thanks a lot
Hi Lionel. It sounds like I had the same problem. The watch would only load up, get stuck at the Garmin screen, and then occasionally blink the screen. Here’s what I had posted before about my problem and what my resolution was.
I submitted a customer service request to Garmin but I figured I could also ask here in the meantime. I had trouble with the wifi sync tonight so I tried a soft reset (simple power off). When I went to turn back on, I got stuck in this endless blinking “Garmin” screen. So then I tried a factory reset but I never get the “beep” after holding down the three buttons as described in the instructions. Anyone else not able to factory reset and have any tricks?
So my 620 basically bricked out on me. All it would do is get stuck on the startup screen and turn off, nothing else. Computer wouldn’t recognize it and factory reset wouldn’t work. E-mails to Garmin didn’t get me far so I called them. Tried some more “fixes”and finally the rep authorized an RMA.
I was told by the rep that I would need to ship the watch to them (at my cost) and wait 10-14 days after thy received it to hopefully get a working watch back. Then the rep checked their stock and informed me it would ship out in a few weeks whenever it was no longer backordered. At this point I was slightly agitated as I had always heard before that Garmin had great customer service and to me being without a watch for an undefined amount of time and on my shipping cost is not great customer service. Thankfully before getting off the phone and resigning myself to my run keeper app for who knows how long, I asked if there was ANY other option. The rep then choose to inform me that I could just go to my local running store and exchange it there.
I went down to my local store and exchanged it for a new one and was out within a minute or two. I’m not sure why Garmin didn’t present this as an option in the first place especially if they are dealing with such a backorder. Overall I ended up impressed with my local running store and disappointed with Garmin. The rep seemed annoyed that my watch was not responding instead of trying to help resolve the problem as quickly as possible.
Hi Candy! many thanks for your answer.
Yes it’s the same problem… so I have to call the garmin service or a dealer right? but before can you tell me the procedure that you told? about holding three buttons,which are they?
thank you very much!
Hi,about my frozen screen problem I have solved following this procedure:
Power off watch (press and hold Light, Yes on prompt)†
Press and hold Start/Stop and Lap/Reset
Press and hold Light (three buttons should now be pressed in)
After first beep, release Start/Stop
After second beep, release Lap/Reset
Release Light
Is it possible to create the following activity in garmin connect:
1. 10 min warm up – NO Virtual Partner
2. 10 km with Virtual Partner (Pace 4:45 min/km)
3. manual cool down – NO VP
Or is this the only way:
Switch off VP and run 10 min.
Then stop the activity.
Turn on VP.
Start a new activity.
Run 10 km.
Stop the activity.
Turn off VP.
Start a new activity.
Run 10 min.
Stop the activity.
Thanks for the excellent review. Have been using the 620 for a week now. Only issue to date is that I have been unable to work out how to get pace in 0.01 mins per km increments. It only displays in 0.05 increments. Ie. 4:30 or 4:25 pace, not 4:27 etc. is this a limitation of the device or do I simply need to modify a setting? Thanks.
I’m looking for it myself. I was told it went out on Sunday, but I don’t actually see it via the WebUpdater (nor has it been offered to me via WiFi updates). I’ll do some poking.
Ray,
Today I learned that with 610 it is possible to enable saving of HRV (Heart Rate Variability) file, and by licensing Firstbeat license (~60euro), one can analyze HRV metrics in more detail (e.g. EPOC dynamics). Is this feature available for 620, and if so where can I find information to enable the HRV file storage?
Reason for asking is that I find single TE (Training Effect) number to limited. Want to study more details, as for example is default available in Suunto Ambit.
Thanks.
I just received my 620 and I was immediately shocked by the dim display. My 610’s had much more contrast and so does my girlfriend’s 110.
Depending on the angle and with fingerprints on it you can barel yread it even in perfect light. The colour feature is more a theoretical thing, they are so pale that it’s almost useless.
Is anybody really “happy” with this? I read you DC are using the 620 as your favourite running device. Don’t you care about this?
To me it appears like this display technology is just one or two generations too young for real life use.
Got the Garmin 620 last December, and have been using it ever since.
I got it, partially, thanks to DC reviews and can’t say much more than what was already said on this site.
I’m pleased with my purchase, especially with the new features of the various aspects relating to cadence; which are helping me improve my running.
Another positive aspect; I can read the information while running, something non-glass users often take for granted.
DC Rainmaker, thank you very much for your honest reviews. Please keep it up.
Hi everybody, can you confirm me there is a firmware update for the Forerunner 620? Do you know if it enable the watch to connect with the Tanita BC1000?
One thing I dont like, is that when I pause my running on the button, it get’s readyto save the workout. If I accidently hits the screen i Pause-mode, my workout is saved, and I have to start a new one. Perhaps this is only a problem when using manual pause? Should I choose to set-up auto-pause, or is there another workaround?
VO2max feature is only available with the new heart rate strap for some reason? I can’t get it working with the old HRM strap I have from my old FR610. If it is true, is there some reason except forcing me to buy the new one? 🙂 I thought it is enough just to run more than 10 minutes with my heart rate monitor and VO2max will be avaialable, but nothing happened. Am I doing something wrong? Do you think that it need something else from HRM for VO2max estimation than the heart rate data? I like the new FR620 very much, but I thought the new HR strap has advantage only in accelerometer and that’s something I don’t need right now.
OK, I have VO2max estimation now. Previously I was running about 20 minutes with no result. Today I ran 59 minutes and also I updated my firmware before the run. I don’t know what of those two was the right reason but VO2max and recovery time are available now.
Font Size Compared To 910XT
Does anybody know how the font size of the 910XT (2 data fields on screen) compares with the 620 2 data fields on screen? I’m a bit worried that I can not read the 620 as easy as the 910XT.
Can I remind readers here of Ray’s post #1365 where he suggests those with problems are better off firing questions into Garmin’s 620 forum link to forums.garmin.com and/or raising a support ticket. I help to moderate that forum and, if I can, will be happy to answer questions as will of course many other 620 users. Ray often pops up there himself.
This watch is a complete fail. Here were my notes as I unboxed and set it up.
* screen is dim; WAAY harder to read than the Garmin FR610. WAY harder.
* charged it to 100% and took it off charger and it hung there
* had to do a hard reset
* tried to set up Garmin connect.
* watch crashed again on frozen screen
* rebooted. dropped from 100% to 93% power
* turn off GPS
* try to turn on timer and get “acquire the gps fix to start the timer” WTF?
* basically you can not use it inside. It won’t start.
* screen is really muddy and hard to read; not really usable;
* paired quickly on USB
* set up wifi
* think this thing sucks
* Update attempt 1: Wifi download failed
* Update attempt 2: Wifi download succeeded but “Update installation failed. Press Connect key to try again.”
* Update attempt 3: Wifi download succeeded but “Update installation failed. Press Connect key to try again.”
* and the Garmin Support Forum is a tale of woe: Inaccurate GPS, Express fit crashes, pairing issues, USB connection issues, GPS, Bluetooth issues, charging issues.
That was the worst 60 minutes of product testing I’ve had this week.
I’m not going to bother talking to Garmin support because this product is terrible. Like Richard Goiser above, I don’t know how you can like this screen at all.
And Garmin’s support home feed at link to forums.garmin.com is filled with spam. Seriously? Garmin, get your act together. Forum spam is a solved problem, 10 years ago.
Troy – I help to moderate those forums and do have to delete some spam threads from time to time but, that aside, like to think there is some good dialogue going on there amongst fellow users. Ray himself pops up there a lot too.
The troubles you have related are frustrating I agree. The time is set from GPS so the 620, like any GPS device, really needs to acquire a fix before you can use it properly which I guess is why they have done that.
Before you send it back, wouldn’t be worth to actually try a run with it.
Out of the box, the watch crashed 4 times in the first hour. The screen is so muddy it’s nearly unreadable. And frankly I don’t want to “have good dialogue with fellow users” – I just want the product to work out of the box. I don’t ever want to talk to fellow users or have to visit your forum or call your support. Also, forum spam is a solved problem with tools like Akismet and has been for 10 years. It should never hit your forums and be the first thing a user sees when they hit your forum home page post-feed.
I have other Garmin products (FR610, and Tactix) and they’re solid. This product is not.
Keep in mind, Tim is just a volunteer and doesn’t work for Garmin.
That said, all products can have a bad day – be it a iPhone, Dishwasher or FR620. If all products were perfect, you’d never see ‘Support’ listed on any companies website – yet, it’s on every companies website. If you’re having a problem with it, troubleshooting it would seem like a logical thing to either ring up support to try and either get a unit that works (since it works for the vast majority of people), or fix it with a support person.
Just my two cents in dealing with plenty of technology, good and bad, on a daily basis.
Ray, like I said (and meant) to Tim, “all due respect” to the position he is in. Moderating forums is tough and the issues I’m raising about the product are system/organizational/technology related and beyond the scope of an individual so I’m certainly not intending any of this to be personal.
I suppose the key issue is that while we all expect kickstarter, indie-gogo style projects to have rough edges and be nowhere close to launch readiness, it seems that from my experience as well as from the sheer volume of communication in the “good dialogue” Tim mentioned that this product may have been released a bit early.
You (Ray) continue to strongly recommend this particular model so I was surprised to run into so many issues in such a short time.
As I said in the prior post, I have other Garmin products that are much more solid that feel that they are complete, I just wanted to share with others here that this may not be the case with this particular one. Like all technology with the ability to do firmware updates, I’m sure the Garmin team will collect all of the support items, do some re-coding and ship fixes in the future firmware updates.
By the way, I also have a few product notes for you (Ray) on other things on your site – you’ll be happy to know that my reviews of those are much more positive. 🙂 One is the Garmin Tactix. I’ll post that update on the appropriate page. Thanks for continuing to host such a great party.
Tim, thanks for the work you do at Garmin and for engaging here on DCR. In my books, that counts for a lot that you’re willing to get out and “engage”. That’s good business.
I don’t mean to jump in the middle here, but I will say you very well could have a bum unit. My first 620 had several issues notably:
*screen issues – mine would scramble and display a bunch of blocks or black bars on top and bottom after sitting for a few hours
*power issues – wouldn’t hold a charge (at least the indication would show 100% then 20%)
*gps required for timer (get a fix) – same thing happened to me, and I had already run outside
*wifi upload/download issues – wouldn’t connect reliably to wifi at all – basically had to manually sync via usb
*unlock issues – couldn’t unlock from time mode to run mode without resetting everytime
I went back and forth with Garmin Support to try trouble shooting – power off, full reboot, reload firmware, etc. After that they indicated it was a defective unit, I called up REI where I purchased and they sent me a new one right away.
Since the new one arrived, I’ve had no issues. You do need to run outside (at least once I think) to calibrate the watch’s internal accelerometer for the treadmill and get a GPS fix for time. Now that I have done that I can go 5 days in a row on the treadmill with the GPS off and don’t have any problems. No wifi issues, connects reliably everytime. No power issues, I haven’t specifically tested the battery life, but I run through the week (30-35 miles) and only charge once which is about what I expect.
This was a long post to say that I felt very frustrated when I had all those issues but a simple replacement of the unit rectified all the discrepancies. May be worth your time to troubleshoot a little bit if you are interested in the functionality that the 620 adds over the 610 you already have. I agree it should work out of the box, unfortunately sometimes it doesn’t. From a very unscientific perusal of the forums and here it does seem that there were a large number of defective units.
Thanks Troy
Don’t forget the forums aren’t just for users to post issues.
We also talk about how best to actually use the watch and how to interpret things like V02 Max and stuff which is what I really meant by “good dialogue”.
Zach could well be right about your unit. Re the screen I do like to use the backlight “always on” in less than ideal daylight.
Anyway hope it works out for you.
There will never/rarely be products with no issues. But the real question is what is the percentage/ratio of good & bad units, and what is an acceptable rate?
In my experience you can tend to gain a feel on whether a company, and its product perform as advertised. Some companies just do it right & better than others.
Just seems that a $400-500 price-point watch should work fairly flawlessly.
Great review! On the 620 are missing 4 things:
1 – Tanita BC1000 support (i was using it with my 610);
2 – Samsung Galaxy S4 support;
3 – Virtual racer
4 – back to start (very useful wheel running on new places)
Since you have a direct link with Garmin, any improvement ?
In short, Android support is coming within Q1 (so anytime through March). And the remainder aren’t currently on the plans to be added, though, that could change.
Just ran a half marathon today, and when I was looking at my track on Garmin Connect I noticed something really weird.
I have heart rate and cadence (from the HRM) the entire race, but vertical oscillation and ground contact stopped recording at ~33 minutes.
This has never happened before…thoughts?
Known bug. There is a temporary fix if you notice it during the run, see the Garmin Forum for the 620, it’s a sticky post from Garmin. They are working on a fix.
Hello again! Got my forerunner 620 a few weeks ago. Amazing running watch, quite accurate and easy to use. Sadly mine got a problem. Whatever I do, I always get the message ‘Acquire a GPS fix to start the timer’ (even when I turned GPS off). So I decided to soft reset, hard reset etc. Nothing works so far. When I try to set the clock to manual it says ‘Acquire a GPS fix to access menu’. Even though the sattelite bars are full..
Double-check that you’re on the latest firmware and that you’ve gone outside at least once to get GPS time. Failing that, please contact Garmin support (phone is most successful).
Ray, simply put… your efforts are a valued resource for thousands. Thank you for helping us all out with such real-world product information and usage…
With the announcement that Garmin will soon be adding a cycling mode to the 620, do you believe that the data collected in the cycling mode will contribute to the calculated functions like VO2Max, Recovery Check and Recovery Advisor?
The real answer IMHO is to make Garmin Connect the one pace to find VO2Max, Recovery Check and Recovery Advisor. Let GC sync ITS calculations back to all Garmin devices. GC is the one central place that will know your athletic life, running, cycling, swimming, gym work, and now with the Vivofit even everything in between walking, sleep etc.
As Ray says hard to say but given it is so much harder to assess the true worth of a cycle effort over running (due to differing surface, wind, temperature, drafting, equipment, clothing, etc etc) then I would have thought that it would not be possible to give a meaningful value for V02 Max.
Training effect is already there for cycling in Garmin Connect and recovery advisor is related so they could be possible.
Thanks Ray, Garmin is owing ant+, i really wish they will add support for ant+ scale like TANITA in future firmware update, since i got that scale with the 610 2 years ago, and now having the 620 is getting useless
Just purchased a 620. Went for my first run and the distance was out by 100m consistently for each km. I was using foot pod and have read some forums stating that version 2.30 has a bug and uses foot pod to calculate distance. Have you experienced this and do you know if a new update will be made by Garmin to ensure their product works as it should??
Hi Ray, thank you for the great work you are doing here, it really helped me.
I’ve been using my Garmin 620 for almost a month and I’m really happy with it.
The only problem I see is that the screen is really dim and colors are almost
indistinguishable and I often have to power the light on in order to read the information on the screen, even in “not so poor” light conditions.
I undestood that some users have the same problem. I also understood that some users (and Ray) don’t have this problem.
Do you know if there is any know issue about faulty screens in Garmin?
I haven’t seen Garmin indicate there’s any sort of widespread (or even small-spread) problem with screens. Obviously, if you’re talking tens of thousands of units, and just as many people visiting this post here, then even just 2-3 mentions might seem like more than it is.
Now, the colors, as I noted, I think are kinda useless and hard to see either way. So I’m mostly concerned with general screen readability (black/white).
That said, if it doesn’t look like the photos above, then I’d ring up the support folks and have them swap it out.
Thank you for your quick answer Ray. To be honest also in some of the photos above the 620 has a screen that is quite dim (or dark, I don’t know which word is more correct for this situation), like mine.
For example you can see it in the first of the photos where the 620 is compared with other GPSs (at the beginning of “Size Comparisons & Weights” section). Also in other pictures the screen is quite dark, but I cannot say if it’s darker (or dimmer) than mine
It’s a problem that at the beginning surprised me, now I got used to it and I simply turn the light on when necessary.
Garmin, for some reason, removed some functionalities from the 620 when compared with the 610. Do you think they’ll ever add back those functionalities or they are gone for good?
but if I pairnat ANT+ foot pod and I’m outside running on GPS signal, does the watch take GPS as preferred distance source or not?
In my old 310XT you could choose that option, here I’m not able to find it…
I’d like to keep the GPS data for distance and pace, but the cadence from the external foot pod.
Thanks!
In the autolap screen there are 3 pieces of information: The large middle one is the time of the lap, a small number on top is the number of the lap.
What is the small number on the right of the time? I had the autolap set for 1 mile, the number on the top was displaying the mile I am on, but the number on the right kept fluctuating up and down.
If you transfer activities to garmin connect and delete them from the device, then you have only .tcx and .gpx files on garmin connect site, but no .fit files. So, if you want to transfer again your activities to the 620, there is only one way: To convert the .gpx/.tcx files to /fit files. I have discovered a tool (Fit File Repair Tool) which can do this kind of conversion. Is there maybe an easier/quicker way to do this?
This kind of transfer is often needed because sometimes a master reset needs to be done (and everything including activities is lost). There is a bug on the 2.30 firmware: The battery percentage is not accurately displayed. For example you might see 100% but your battery could be at 3%. If this happens, the 620 might go off and not restart in any way. In this case, a master reset is needed. According to Garmin customer service, this is something that will be corrected/fixed in the next firmware update (hopefully 🙂 ) . Let’s see…
Just as a semi-related note and point of interest for some….
If you plug your FR620 into your computer every once in a while, and that computer happens to have Garmin FIT Express on it, then it’ll actually backup the .FIT files to a directory for safe keeping. On Windows, that directory is:
Thank you ray for the fast reply. The problem is, what happens if you only use wifi/BT to transfer activities to Garmin Connect? Is thery any solution in that case?
If I need to use the cable, then I can simply copy the activites folder to my hard disk.
At this point there is no way to get the .FIT file if you don’t connect the USB cable since the only place the file can be uploaded to is Garmin Connect when using WIFI and BT.. Ray has harped on Garmin for not making the original .FIT file available for download. The real downside of downloading the TCX or GPX file is that they don’t have all the original data of the .FIT file. So even with a conversion tool, you don’t get a complete .FIT file.
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Sending workouts to the 620 is a royal PITA with the current firmware – essentially it is broken. More details on this thread on the garmin forums: link to forums.garmin.com
Any inside news on when this is getting fixed?
Interesting. If I’m understanding this correctly – when trying to send running workouts from within a triathlon schedule via the Training Calendar, it’s failing as soon as it reaches the first non-running workout, correct?
(966) Yes that’s correct. In addition I have no success sending individual workouts to the watch using either the web site or the iOS app. It says it has done it but nothing appears on the watch.
I never tried this before the latest firmware upgrade, but some comments suggest it was fine before that last upgrade and that 2.3 has introduced these problems. If that’s the case then hopefully it is not too hard for them to rollback some of the functionality and sort it out quickly.
Hello DCR. Could this GPS watch set to Chinese language?
No, no Chinese or any other Asian languages.
Are you guys/gals plan on wearing your HRM on every run, including recovery & long term? I’m not sure I would want or need that much info/data.
I do as like to see the numbers but entirely up to you of course. I see they even sell the 620 without the HRM-Run strap which means most of the new features like VO2 Max, Recovery Advisor and Running Dynamics won’t be available.
Ray,
I recently got the 310xt and the 620 the belts look exactly the same except the running man logo on the 620. I thought the belt was more advanced?
Interesting. The FR310XT ships with the premium soft strap. Sounds like they’re now including HRM3’s in there as opposed to HRM2’s, that’s good.
Any HRM3’s made after July are identical to that of the HRM-Run from a stability standpoint (same firmware), just lack the Running Dynamics functionality.
Great review!
Would you say that 620 is a good stopwatch you can use for shorter distances (If I wanna do 200m-intervalls for examples)? Does it show 1/100 or even 1/1000?
I do 200m intervals without too much issue and get usable pace data (on straight-aways).
In the views I use, I don’t get 1/100ths, though, I haven’t tried changing it to a full-screen for the timer. Online on Garmin Connect, you’ll get to 1/10.
Two comments on GPS accuracy
1) I have found it to be spot on accurate compared to what I experience with my 210.
2) I have found it to be a little temperamental with losing signal in wooded trail areas, but a) it quickly reconnects and b) these are the same areas where I have 210 drop outs
All in all, very happy with the device (except for the blue outer color and the lower contrast screen, minor quibbles)
Interesting one today. Only my fourth run with my 620. Was a 36km loop. Got to 17.5km or so and glanced at watch a little while later and it still said 17.5km. It was still displaying pace and time, but was not adding to the distance. I stopped and saved the exercise and started a new one for the rest of the run without any issues. When I examined the file, it appears it got about 2 minutes into the 18th km and the remaining 5 minutes or so got recorded but not added to “moving time”. It didn’t lose GPS signal as the plotted end of the first saved file matches the plotted start of the second file. Hopefully just a one-off blip.
Dear Ray:
Thank you for the review, it was very useful to me, and now I have my own 620 unit, its fantastic!
I have a doubt, the 620 unit that I brought has come with an usb charger/cable only, but I have the old AC charger that has come with my previous FR110, so the question is can I use the AC charger that comes with the FR110 on my new FR620? My concerns are about the voltage and Amps, since the FR 100 charger has an USB port that fits the FR620 USB cable.
Thanks in advance and sorry about my english!
Jose
Any USB port or block in the world you can find will power up the FR620 without issue. USB is designed to only request the power it needs from the block/computer, so it can’t be overcharged.
There are cases where a device (iPad) draws more power than many ports, in which case you need a bigger block (more amps), but those higher amperage ones still only give the lower requested amperage of the device (your Garmin).
Thank You!!
I couldn’t find this information in the comments or your article. When using the Garmin 620 with the Garmin Connect app for Live Tracking, does the Garmin Connect app still use the iPhone GPS and drain the battery more quickly? Can the GPS be disabled in Settings and not effect the app? Thanks for the great review!
No, it does not use the iPhone’s GPS.
I thought the above comments regarding accuracy were making a mountain out of a molehill. Apparently its not and i did 2 km swimming in my local river.
link to connect.garmin.com (Hopefully it shows)
Slightly worrying although saying the remainder of my run seemed fine. I’m assuming the distance follows the gps line not the Cadence monitor
False Alarm, Bing maps is very different to google maps.
Google follows the actual path and includes marsh land. Bing does not include marsh land and just thinks its part of the river.
Your reviews are awesome. Thanks so much!
I have a question about Trail Running. We run lots of long trail runs in Colorado. Though there is often no cell service up there, I assume the GPS functions still work. I’m interested in the elevation gains and losses, both in real time (i.e. at the half way point of a run), and tracking elevation mile by mile vs. pace at the end on Garmin Connect. I’d also love to use the watch for long hikes, though many of them are over 10 hours in duration, so not sure the 220 or 620 would hold a charge long enough.
Which watch would you recommend for that? Do you know if the mapping data is downloadable to non-street map views (i.e. Google Earth or similar)? Thanks!!
Check out Ray’s latest on the new Fenix/Tactix beta software update from the home page — sounds like exactly what you need.
620 recorded my run today fine but I couldn’t get it to upload either by bluetooth/IOS or by wifi. Turned watch off then on again. Restart took a long time and when it finally came back on all my history was gone (including the run I hadn’t uploaded). Watch had an error log .txt file on it when I connected to mac. The content was:-
1623 (Forerunner 620) SW ver: 230
12/08/13 16:33:23
Fatal
CD line #: 1494
Dir Sector: 2
FAT Sector: 1378
Doesn’t sound great……. It seems to record and upload again now, but not sure I can trust the watch for a long run. Support ticket requested at Garmin, will see what they say.
It appears that Garmin Express Fit is a Windows-only application–no Mac OS version. Please consider making that point in your review. And maybe you could ask Garmin if there’s any chance of a Mac version.
Although we’re a Mac-only household, I’ve been able to set up the wi-fi connection for my new Forerunner 620 (bought from CleverTraining using your link by the way) because I can run Windows on my Mac using VMWare Fusion. But without Windows, I would have been out of luck, right?
See “Download for Mac” on link to connect.garmin.com
Sorry if it’s already been discussed again since my original post, but I want to put in another plug for a place to track your equipment used per activity on Garmin Connect. Specifically, the shoes you wore for a particular run. I feel like this is an area where the running dynamics data might actually be useful – seeing how your vertical oscillation and ground contact time vary, if at all, by the shoes you wear. It would be great to be able to sort data by footwear to see any running dynamics differences.
As an aside, I got my FR620 yesterday and I think it’s great. Not cheap feeling at all other than the plastic screen. That said, I think I prefer the durability of a plastic touch screen to a glass one. The weight is perfect and the strap fits a smaller sized wrist great.
Hey people,
I know its late BUT Garminn (in the UK at least) is offering a MASSIVE 30% discount on everything TODAY ONLY i.e. 620, Virb, Fenix etc just use the promo code “GARMIN30”
Sorry to add a question to this but have ordered a 620 and other bits anyway I think I’m correct in saying that you can’t configure the 620 to upload via (say) Starbucks free wifi even if you use the Garmin utility as theres no to click the connect button like you would via a browser….. is this correct? if so is this likely to change in future?
BTW Google can find a reference to Starbucks in your review but I can’t!
I totally got that discount on a white/orange 620 – absolutely delighted. I only found out about it by accident too.
No, there’s no way to make it work at Starbucks. The reason is that Starbucks requires you to ‘Accept’ terms and conditions, and until you do that the FR620 won’t be able to get past that page, a page that it can’t display on the screen. Sorry!
If you set your laptop’s MAC address to the same as your watch you can accept the dialog on the laptop and then the watch should connect fine. Should be possible on a rooted android phone too. Well thats my theory, don’t have a 620 to test with
Dear All:
My first issue with my FR620:
My unit has come with about 75% of factory charge, so I start to use it with the factory charge waiting for the low battery advise in order to charge it for the first time. When the unit was fully uncharged and auto-powered off, I proceed to connect it to the charger and surprise!! the screen shows 100% charged all the time but in fact the unit do not retain any charge at all. I tried several times to connect and disconnect the charger,I tried a hard reset, i waited for an hour with the unit connected to the charger, but nothing happens, the unit is still uncharged and the screen still showing full battery for a couple of seconds before it is auto-powered off again.
Finally after several tries to powered on and off the unit(more than 20, in fact) the screent shows the low baterry message!! I proceed to connect the charger inmediately to avoid a new auto power off, and . . . . . magic!!! the screen shows 1% baterry and now it is charging succesfully.
It was very annoying, and I hope that this was the first and last time with the issue.
Hope that this experience will be useful if any of you suffer the same setback.
And Ray, thanks again for all the fantastic job!!!
Jose
(and again my appologies for mi english)
This is why under “Gatting started” in the manual it says the first thing to do is charge the watch. In fact basically all devices with rechargeable batteries in them say to do that. Sure the watch may have thought it had a 75% charge but it really didn’t and so may have allowed itself to get drained too far causing the problem you had. (batteries when drained past a certain point don’t charge normally, and too low the battery can be damaged)
Basically the device keeps track of the max voltage its ever seen from the battery and the current voltage of the battery to calculate the power left and as the watch was never fully charged before the max voltage wasn’t set to the correct value
I had the same battery problem as Jose yesterday. I did not initally charge my 620 as it came 100% charged.
The following instructions posted by Timgrose on the Garmin forums corrected the issue for me.
Connect to the charger for ~30 minutes
Disconnect the device from the Charger
Get to the RUN page on the device
Once on the RUN page, put the device into Low Power Mode (LPM – by pressing the back button – bottom right button)
Let the device sit in LPM for ~1 minutes
Take device out of LPM and to the RUN page
The device should now show a low battery icon
Reconnect watch to the computer and let it charge.
Dear Eli and Fenitua:
Thanks for your comments. Finally I got a full charged device,
Jose
Have 620 on firmware 2.30 and have gone thru a couple charging cycles – but I went on vacation for a week, left the watch on my kitchen table in time mode (did not power it down) – used it at the gyme after returning from vacation, battery indicator before/after gym seemed fine, got up next day – figured I should charge the watch before going to gym again – put it on computer charger cable and in less than 10 seconds the watch said it was 100% charged…then got into the nasty loop of 100% charged but watch would fail after a couple minutes removing from charger.
Used the instructions offered above – finally showed 9% battery, – now after 7 minutes on the charger it’s gone from 9% to 30% charged – that seems awfully fast considering how long it took me to originally charge it when I first got it – going to let it on the charger for at least a couple hours to make sure it’s fully topped.
This is pretty crappy for a new device to have to jump thru these hoops – Garmin definitely needs to address this!!!!
Hi Ray,
Do you know how GPS sensitive the 620 is supposed to be? If I run in a straight line how far do I have to run before the watch is aware that I have moved? I have recently done 2 runs around the same course. On the first run GPS accuracy was spot on. During the second run accuracy was good except for a 2 mile section in the middle where it was about 50m out. It had me running across a lake and over several buildings! I know that the signal can drop out but surely not for 2 miles before it rectifies itself. I would post the 2 runs for comparison but I don’t know how.
No, Garmin doesn’t release GPS sensitivity details for their current chipsets.
That said, typically within about 2% of length. One thing to ensure when looking at tracks, is that if look at the maps ensure you’re looking at satellite maps and not street maps, since sometimes the street maps aren’t actually accurate, especially near lakes/ponds.
Being 50m off every once in a while is normal for any GPS unit, FR620, Timex, Polar, or otherwise. Generally you want a ‘reason’ for that though – such as a tall building, or dense trees, etc…
DC,
Are you still not seeing spiking on your HR monitor? I received my 620 last week, and I wet all three contact points, and I have seen a major HR spike on all of my runs using my 620, it returns to normal after the first mile. I’m in VA, so it’s been in the 30 – 40’s temperature wise with high humidity. Just curious if you still haven’t seen the spiking.
-Matt
Generally no, definitely no spikes. As noted in the review, I see a bit of slowness in the first 1-2 minutes, and then it ‘catches up’ as I sweat a bit.
It also spikes here on every run until around 8-900 meter even though i wet it before. Maybe the cold weather here in Denmark doesn’t exactly help either…
For what it is worth, I have eliminated the spiking problem by fully submerging the HR belt (without the monitor attached) in a glass of room temperature water for 5-30 minutes (depends on how prepared I am) before each run. I haven’t had any spikes with my thoroughly soaked HR belt since.
Ray,
Do you follow the Garmin guidance for washing the HRM-Run strap after 7 uses?
It’s been working great for me (no spikes to speak of) for a few weeks now. I’m apprehensive to stick it in the washing machine. Just seems like the washing machine could cause more harm than good.
I typically rinse the strap under running water afterwards and then hang it out to dry until the next day. Thoughts?
Roughly, but I’m probably more like 10-15 uses. I’m much more a stickler on follow the guidance of wetting the correct sections.
Washing machine and all, huh?
I don’t get spikes, I just get lack of HR sometimes with tons of sweat (either due to overdressing or hot/humidity). In every scenario if I simply adjust the strap or wipe away the pooling sweat (such as the case here in Rio this week), it solves it immediately.
It would be SUPER nice if we could get the ability to Eject the Garmin from the Mac via Garmin Express Fit.
My problem with the 620 is that while wifi upload is nice, those of us who use Strava and/or Training Peaks (I happen to need both) or any other data gathering sites STILL have to either plug the thing in via USB -or- download the file from GC and then upload (yes, I know about GarminSync or whatever it turned into, but it rarely seems to work well and never supported TP anyway).
I’d rather just plug my charge cable into a USB power brick and use wireless to get the file where it needs to be, but if that means downloading from GC and then uploading then I’d rather just leave the cradle plugged into my Mac and get the file straight off the device. But the annoying part about that is every time I want to take the device back off the cradle I have to eject it, which means pulling up a Finder window. But since I leave GEF running on the desktop, it would be a SMALL shortcut to be able to eject from there, too. Especially since I could pre-eject it once I see that the last upload has happened (since even once ejected it will still charge).
Unless there’s something I’m missing, this seems to be the dance…
–Donnie
Unless I’m missing something in your post, can’t you eject the 620 by right clicking on thwe Garmin drive on the desktop and selecting EJECT without calling up Finder? I’m still using a desktop iMac with a non-Apple two button mouse. So I don’t know about all the new tablets.
For those of you wanting to wirelessly sync to strava or run keeper I tried this the other day and seems to work well
http://www.copymysports.com
Ian
Yes, the other option to using the finder is the desktop. But it’s actually easier for me with my normal window clutter to call up Finder than it is to dig under windows or switch to an empty desktop than it is to hit the GEF app, since I need that running anyway. It’s a minor convenience, I admit, but is pretty easy for them to add to the app, too. I’m surprised it isn’t there.
As for CopyMySports, that’s what GarminSync.com turned into. Trust me, if you try to use it for long you’ll find technical glitches happen pretty often and nothing gets copied. And for some reason they STILL don’t support Training Peaks, even though TP has an open API that’s not terribly hard to use.
–Donnie
Try tapiriik.com
I switched from copy my sports to tapiriik, it syncs with sporttracks/strava/garmin/Dropbox/runkeeper perfectly every hour. Very happy so far.
I’ve also been using tapiriik.com after unsuccessfully trying copymysports. Tapiriik has been great and the owner has been very responsive to answering questions. Best $2 spent in a while. If only it would also work for TrainerRoad, it would be perfect!
For anyone using Linux, specifically xubuntu 13.10, Saucy Salamander, I have the 620 uploading to Garmin Connect, MapMyRun, and Strava using garmin-plugin 0.3.17-1 from the Ubuntu Software Center. This is a Garmin Comunicator work-a-like. It allows ALL site to recognize the 620 as an upload device.
I’ve also found the Training Peaks Device Agent will work through WINE from the WINE ubuntu-wine ppa. I have not checked using the WINE version from the Ubuntu repository. I have to select the Garmin Edge 800/810 and navigate to the folder on the pugged in 620 because the 620 is not yet recognized by DA. On my computer the 620 is on H: and the FIT files are in the ACTIVITIES folder.
I can only claim that the above works for xubuntu 13.10. I use xubuntu because ubuntu and kubuntu have problems with some drivers and programs I use. Also the communicator work-a-like is not in the main repository in the LTS version (12-04?).
I’m just chiming in to say that I seem to be having some variety of accuracy issue as well. I picked up the FR620 yesterday and gave it a first spin today. I had a satellite lock for a bit over a minute before heading out. Recording was set to one second. The track had me all over the place for the first 4 km (+/- 30m); not jumping around per se, more like running diagonally across 6 lanes of traffic. The track my iPhone 5 recorded with Wahoo Fitness was spot on, like it has been for since I started using it in October. There are no buildings taller than 2 stories within 15 km and no overhead tree coverage.
I actually just bought the FR620 since my iPhone really doesn’t like it when I run and it’s -15 degC outside. I’ll try resetting FR620 and see what it’s like on Wednesday’s run. I agree that an EHPE field would be a nice addition.
I am angry at the 620 .. I noticed yesterday at a run, the GPS sensor probably has a few quirks and some is very inaccurate! At the end of my run also about 600 meters were “missing” (had parallel Runtastic running on the smartphone).
Previously, the values at 610 and runtastic always perfectly in tune and with the 620 no more. There seems probably really be something wrong. I’m already thinking about me, if I return the 620 again. Probably still appears to be very immature …. that’s too bad.
Does anyone have a comparison, if the GPS accuracy is improved when you change the setting for the data recording on “smart” to “every second”?
No. there is no change in accuracy between smart and every second recording.
Actually, it very much can have an impact. In theory, the ‘smart’ part of smart record implies that in changes of speed/direction it’ll simply drop a new data point instead of waiting.
In reality, that’s not always the case, and sometimes you’ll see cases where it doesn’t, thus resulting in minor cut corners on sharp 90* turns.
For those having issues, again, I really encourage folks to try waiting 30-45 seconds after you’ve got reception and see if that improves things. At least until Garmin support gives a better answer.
I have already tried everything (master reset, smart x 1s recording, wait after fix) and nothing helped improving the GPS accuracy. Waiting some time after the first fix helps maybe in wide open areas but in my case when I start running in a town, it helped only until second turn. Then the position was again 50m off.
Depends what you mean by “accuracy”. If you want the best resolution of your GPS track for subsequent viewing then every second recording would be more “accurate”.
I had it confirmed by a contact at Garmin however (through being a moderator on the Garmin forums) that per second or smart recording makes no difference to the distance the device computes. Put simply smart recording just saves less of the data the device sees than in the per second recording mode.
As i understand how the smart recording works, it should record every second on turns and 7 seconds on straight lines. In reality it’s somewhere in between. Activity file analysis shows 2, 3 and sometimes even more second intervals on turns, resulting in serious corner cutting. And it always give at least 1% shorter distance compared to 1 second recording mode. On very curvy route difference can be even 5%.
Smart Recording has always been variable. Typically, it’s between 4-7s per drop. But as you noted, it can be as often as every 1s, but I’ve also seen it as sparse as every 30-40s in some situations.
Thanks for the answer…I hope Garmin solves the GPS problem and with the next update all is well….
Sorry if I missed this, but is there a way to manually upload a workout via Bluetooth? My runs don’t always automatically upload after I finish a run through my phone, is there a way to force this? (I would use mobile hotspot, but I haven’t been able to get my watch to connect to the hotspot yet)
I’ve found that if you don’t let it do it initially (for whatever reason), you can simply turn back on the watch, open the app up and let watch connect, and then refresh (pull down on activities). It’ll pull it over.
Thanks for the info, I kept trying that to no avail. Ended up powering down the watch, then powering back on and tried again and it worked.
Dear Ray
Thank you for the great review.
I currently have a FR110, and am struggling to decide between FR620, FR610, and FR220. My decision rests on pace functionalities, and hope you could help me with the following questions.
Average pace (for the entire run) is used in (a) Virtual Partner (b) Pace Alert (c) pace alert set in Advanced Workout.
(1) is this correct, OR does the pace used differ between FR620/610/220 (i.e. some uses average pace, but other uses instant pace, or perhaps lap pace)? If the latter, please help me state them.
(2) are the differences between (a), (b) and (c) as follows? If not, please help me correct them.
The only difference between (a) Virtual Partner and (b) Pace Alert is that (a) has graphics showing you and the virtual runner. Both (a) and (b) are for the entire run, and cannot be setup for each lap.
Instead (c) can be setup for each lap (e.g. first kilometer lap alert between 4:00 and 4:30, second kilometer lap alert between 4:10 and 4:20, etc).
(3) most websites say FR620 does not have virtual racer currently, but the following does. Is this true? You said earlier that virtual racer will be made available through one of the firmware updates, but Garmin has not specified any timeline yet.
link to blog.run.com
Also, when you said due to poor implementation of virtual racer on 610, Garmin has currently removed it on FR620. What do you mean by poor implementation? Will it not work for a race over 20km, OR is there a bug not fixed?
Many thanks.
RE: Types
1) Average whole-run pace is used for Virtual Partner.
2) Pace Alerts are based on ‘instant pace’, it seems it’s roughly smoothed to about 3-5 seconds.
3) Same with pace alerts within a workout (3-5s)
RE: Differences
1) Differences are screen for Virtual Partner showing you how far ahead/behind
2) The Pace Alert is a point in time alert that you’ve ‘done something wrong’
3) A workout pace alert is identical, except it also tells you what your pace should be within the workout page
RE: Virtual Race
No, it’s not there today, but could perhaps be there again in the future (Garmin has never committed to it, but has said they’re looking at it). Thus, in that case that post/site is incorrect.
Poor implementation was around ways it wasn’t always consistent, both with runs against yourself as well as runs downloaded.
I have been so close to buying the 620 🙂
I ordered and paid for it at Clever Training, but it wasn’t shipping/backordered. So I cancelled it, and was going to pick one up locally at an REI. Paid for the REI membership, then realized how long it takes to get the membership number and their credit card (for the extra 5% and currently a 100 dollar gift card). So I cancelled the membership order. Was thinking I might just head over to Road Runner Sports and finally just pick one up (not the best deal but whatever).
You know what, this product seems barely half-baked. I’m glad I’ve had all this trouble getting a deal one, because I have changed my mind.
I’m a software developer (mostly for software to analyze biological information/DNA sequencing). I understand today’s method of getting stuff out there and updating it. I no longer expect perfect stuff software-wise (even for 400 dollar products). But this is ridiculous. The whole early release of products thing started with software that was more open (like android). They’re not even making this all that open, and with some serious defects it seems.
Heck, I’ll stick with my 310XT – which has had it’s fair share of bugs/glitches (and actually continues to have problems, and they are probably not placing much effort into fixing them anymore). My 305 back in the day, was much more solid (and simple I guess). But come on Garmin. I’m about done with you.
As just a general reminder to you and others, anyone with any problem posts a problem here. In general, people not having problems don’t post it here (though, some do, as you can see above).
Not discounting those not having issues, but just keep in mind it’s not really representative of what everyone is seeing. It’s no different than any other product on the market where some people have some issues, and need help resolving said issues.
(Which, ultimately brings up another topic with how to deal with the comments section slowly transitioning into a troubleshooting forum rather than a place for people to ask questions about functionality/etc…, making it somewhat difficult for others to find information. Of course, that’s partly a problem just because it’s 1,000+ comments.)
The only problem I’ve had with the 620 is that the indoor/TM pace measurement is not accurate at all. However, I’m running on a stationary treadmill without a footpod using a GPS watch, I couldn’t imagine it being all that accurate in the first place.
It does have its moments upload/downloading to wifi/bluetooth (mine have been rare, I just walk into the house and click the Connect button on the watch and my runs are uploaded to GC). However, it’s such an upgrade from my 305 (and so far doesn’t have any of those quirky problems I encountered with the 610) I like it.
Also, my watch likes me and has confidence in me. I know this because in a week it had my vo2Max go from 52 to 58. 😉
I’d echo what Ray said and also add my own experience. My time with the 620 is fairly limited as of yet, but I also own a 310XT and a 910XT. I need to get off my butt and sell the 910XT because I’ve NEVER been happy with it. I feel like to this day it *still* shorts a fair amount of distance when trail running (1 second recording turned on) and the pace function is terrible. I don’t use pace much, but I think the distance being off is what affects pace, honestly. And I have another friend who came from a 305 who HATES his 910XT, too.
So far I’ve found the 620 to be much better than the 910XT and at least as good as the 310XT in terms of overall software quality. That makes me happy, not because I think the 310XT is good…it’s not. I’m fully aware of it’s problems that you mention. But what makes me happy is that it’s pretty much “as good” in its initial version. My hope is that it gets a lot better in a new version or two and life will be grand.
Yes, I know it’s running only and I lose multisport capability, but I don’t swim and I have an 810 as well as an 800 as a backup for it for my biking, so I don’t need multisport anyway. Now if Garmin will add the smartphone notification stuff like the Fenix *and* fix the few little problems with the 620 I’ll wear the thing every day!
–Donnie
True, and thanks for the review 🙂
I’m sure I’ll get one after the new year (I can’t help it – I’m a gadget nerd and a scientist so I love to record and analyze data)
I have had an unreasonable amount of problems with my 310XT which is why hearing all the problems probably has more of an impact on me than it should – since I agree with your point about ‘people post problems’. I do love the data I get though (when it works), and would love to get the dynamics data – so I might not be able to hold back. But maybe the Adidas or something else will win out if I can hang on long enough 🙂
Thanks for the in-depth reviews.
Rainmaker wrote (#1064):
“(Which, ultimately brings up another topic with how to deal with the comments section slowly transitioning into a troubleshooting forum rather than a place for people to ask questions about functionality/etc…, making it somewhat difficult for others to find information. Of course, that’s partly a problem just because it’s 1,000+ comments.)”
I don’t know if your blogging software supports this, but it may be handy to add a comment category tag. It would also help future visitors to filter comments that they’re interested in. Alternatively, maybe an up-vote feature like reddit would help. Users could basically say “me too!” without taking up a comment entry.
Thanks for taking the time to not only write your reviews and travel posts, but follow up with them as well!
Went running today with my 620 in 18°F weather. Right before the run, I had connected the 620 and it had a 44% charge. Shortly after being outside, it seemed like the functions froze up and the screen also seemed “frozen” with a mix of two different screens. The specs show operating range of -4°–140°F, so it seems there shouldn’t be a problem. Once the 620 finally “unfroze” it seemed to be dead, so I put it on the charger and indeed, it was at 0-1%. Tomorrow promises to be another cold one, so I’ll get a full charge and try again.
On the bright side, I ran on the treadmill yesterday for the first time with the 620 (no footpod) — and pace/distance were virtually spot on between 620 and treadmill.
it was -13 the other day on my run and it worked just fine. it must be how much you charged it.
Yep — with a full charge it was fine.
I have just started using my FR620, and it is awsome! There is just one thing I miss, and that is an easy way to see how much time I spent in the different HR zones during the training session. With the FR405 this was really simple, using the ANT upload to Garmin Training Center. This has become a bit difficult with FR620. Do you have a solution? 🙂
No, there’s no time in zone on Garmin Connect. It’s a frequently asked for feature, but one they’ve never added.
Great review, as usual!
The watch is ok but… how can I set a fartlek workout? such as 3x 6’+4’+2′?
I have to create them on garmin connect?
thanks a lot!
You’ll want to do it on Garmin Connect and create the workout there and transfer it to the watch. (Plan > Workouts).
Enjoy!
Hi Ray,
There is a symbol appearing on my watch that is driving me nuts trying to discover what it means. At seemingly random times during a run an alert goes off and a large triangle pointing to the right appears. It is a pale green colour. I’ve searched the manual and your review but cannot see a reference to it. Please can you put me put of my misery.
It sounds like Auto Pause is configured.
That large triangle is basically the screen telling you to start your watch again if you want to continue recording (by pressing the start button). I suspect, a second later it’ll show a large red square as well (indicating it’s moving).
It probably occurs when you either slow down (or, when the GPS believes you’ve slowed down).
Quick and easy fix!
Hi Ray,
Thanks for the rapid reply. Yes, I have auto pause switched on but it happens when I’m running at a steady pace. When I stop at lights there is no alert. Perhaps I don’t stop long enough. Anyway, whatever the cause it’s no big deal. I was just curious.
I still have not seen VO2MAX and recovery estimations given. I have not done a run outdoors, are these metrics only given when GPS is enabled? I expect this to work on treadmill, but there is no VO2MAX upload done to GC. And when I call the VO2MAX on the watch (from menu), I get the message “run with HR strap for 10 minutes”.
Interesting. It does depend on distance, but I would have expected it to populate from indoors. The one thing I could potentially see being a red herring indoors though is that if it uses elevation as any part of the calculation, that could be problematic indoors (since it doesn’t know it).
I started using the watch in early november, I did one run outside to calibrate the internal accelerometer, the outside run gave me VO2 max, and recovery, then i didn’t pair my footpad because of all the talk about it exaggerating the run. The internal accelerometer was able to report accurate distance when at my normal pace only, and like Ray’s treadmill work got wonky with interval training, it also itstopped tracking VO2 and recovery. I put my footpad back on the indoor shoes, set the calibration to what I was using on my 610, and ran. VO2 max and recovery is back, and accuracy is good, it is able to do intervals very well. Distance was spot on. It looks like, at least on mine, it needs satellite or footpad for VO@ and recovery.
Thanks for the great review! Do you know if there is any difference in the accuracy of cadence taken from the HRM strap versus the internal accelerometer? Thanks!
I saw both did quite well, at least from what I could tell. It’s a bit tricky in that my understanding is that HRM-Run overrides the internal unit. But it’s a really hard thing to prove (though I was thinking about it a little bit actually yesterday with how with two people I could prove it).
But in event, if I look at cadence information from internal (such as with the FR220) and overlay it onto footpod cadence (I did it with a FR610 running concurrently), they were very solid. On average within 1SPM across the board, and usually within just 1-2SPM at any point in time.
Looking at the FR620 data (from whichever source it’s really grabbing), it’s the same.
I finally got my 620 and it worked great the first run, already paired to the HR Run strap. After my run I played with bluetooth and wifi connections. The rest of the day it had an up and down arrow blinking on/off at the top of the time screen. Next morning the watch was dead. After charging it, I took it for another run and couldn’t get HR or other running dynamics. I then noticed my 310 I also was wearing was getting HR. So somehow with the battery being drained, it lost pairing to the HR Run strap. I turned it back on and immediately things worked great again.
So it was paired out of the box but lost that pairing when the battery drained to zero. I know many people mentioned theirs weren’t paired at all out of the box. I’m still not sure why it got stuck in some kind of transfer mode that caused the battery to completely drain overnight. And what exactly do those flashing arrows mean?
The track was pretty good, probably within 30′ of my actual route the whole time even in windy tree covered trails, but it did seem to be a little more jagged than the track from my 310, both in 1 second recording. So is the 620 a little less accurate or is the 310 track being smoothed? I suspect it is the 310 being smoothed as the 620 track for me fit within current GPS accuracy specs.
I have the garmin 610 forerunner but the heart rate monitor/strap no longer works. If I buy the new HRM run strap from the 620 will it pair with my (now) ‘old’ forerunner 610? The reason I ask is that I might upgrade to the 620 next year if all the bugs etc are ironed out..
Yup, no problems using new HRM-Run with FR610 (you can see I did that in some of my tests as well). Enjoy!
Hi,
I finally did buy the Garmin 620.
But it starts already falsely…
I can’t change the system language… the only choice I have is English…
Can anyone help please?
To change the language, after unlocking:
1) Press the button on right side with three lines
2) Scroll down to: Settings
3) Scroll down to: System
4) Select: Language
5) Select the language of your choice.
Enjoy!
yes I know… only… I can only choose English because there are no other options…
That’s weird. In any case, easy to fix. Download the Garmin Webupdater and then after it searches for a firmware update (it may or may not find any), it’ll ask you if you want to add any languages.
Strange though, mine has a ton of languages on it.
ok, there was an update between the watch and Garmin and now I also have plenty of choice…
thanks for the help!
Does anyone know how to adjust the backlight brightness and change the contrast on the screen? I find the display a little dim and would like to crank it up a notch!
Hi Mr. Ray.what do you think about the working principle of the internal acceloremeter in fr 620-HRM-Run. Shortly,How does it work scientifically. Especially vertical oscillation and ground contact time. Thanks…
Thank you for your review. My son has never owned a GPS running watch before. He does 5k time trials and needs to set a certain lap time for each 400m over the 5k with an alert. Does both the 220 and 620 have this function. We have been told different things by various stores. Not sure which one would be best for him. Thank you.
Garmin has posted something regarding GPS accuracy:
link to forums.garmin.com
Finally they’ve (Garmin) spoken up!! Nice for a change, sounds like a little damage control in the works.
They’ve acknowledged a problem and stated they have a few fixes. That sounds like more than damage control to me – sounds like the kind of customer service people expect from Garmin.
In any case, I encourage any assessments of accuracy to be statistically valid (lots of samples, tight control of relevant variables, etc). Anything short of that is just anecdotal for better or worse. Doing a proper assessment is tricky and a lot of work. Perhaps someone here with a good statistics background can define a good test and get people to submit results for sufficient data points. Crowdsourcing the data is probably the only doable way to get a sufficient number of samples.
I finally did buy the forerunner 620.
I must say I am impressed!
I ran two different tracks of 2 km (exact distance!) and the watch gave me two times two kilometers as distance!
That is great!
The running dynamics work without any problem. Same with the wifi.
Real top watch so far.
The watch is going back in the box and I will start using it intensively on the first of January!
I am really looking forward to it!
I’m glad I made the decision to buy it!
First real problems encountered with the watch:
First, it’s lost all pairing to the HRM and footpad I’ve been happily using for the last month.
Second, it won’t repair the sensors.
Third, the watch won’t turn off to see if rebooting it addresses the pairing issues.
Fourth, the watch is no longer recognised with Garmin Fit Express over a USB connection.
It’s also displaying a couple of other less important things such as thinking it’s connected to my iPhone over Bluetooth when Bluetooth’s turned off on the phone.
But the pièce de résistance, because I can’t power down the watch I can’t perform a master reset.
Help!
Have you tried holding down the power/backlight button for ~15 seconds? I had a similar issue, and that was the ticket to shutting down the watch.
Oddly, when I turned it back on the battery life remaining had dropped ~50%. I think the watch was stuck in failed but endless bluetooth transfer.
Thanks Chris – that seems to have jolted it back into action. I think it was exactly the same problem you faced as yesterday evening was the first time I’d completed an upload using Bluetooth!
Thanks a lot Ray about the workouts on garmin connect
now everything go smooth…
Happy Xmas and Happy new Year!
Thanks again for all the help, info, and the amazing reviews Ray!
Have you heard anything new about if/when a cycling mode might be added to the 620?
Am I correct in assuming at present the 620 will not be able to record or understand data from a garmin bike speed/cadence sensor?
Also, if/when this functionality is added, is it likely that the 620 will be able to connect to only ant+ bike speed/cadence sensors or is there a chance it will be able to handle bluetooth smart versions as well?
Any info or updates you can provide are greatly appreciated! 🙂
Noting new, beyond what I posted a week or two which basically stated it’s still being looked at – but doesn’t expect a near term (next few weeks) type add.
Correct, if you have a sensor, the FR620 won’t see it and thus won’t record it.
I would expect if added, it would only connect to ANT+ sensors.
Thanks so much for the super quick update! I’ll definitely be looking forward to whenever garmin adds the functionality.
Now I just have to figure out if my samsung phone + ant+ dongle + garmin fit or some other app can work as a temporary stand-in.
There is definately an issue with WIFI.. The full Garmin response is here.
link to forums.garmin.com
in short.. the unit can not access channels >11 and it does NOT work on 802.11n so if your router has the facility to drop protocols (my Netgear doesn’t) you need to drop it to 802.11g. Lets hope it’s a software issue and not hardware!
Hi All-
Just as a (probably final) heads up on availability of the FR220/FR620 from Clever Training:
All FR220’s are in stock except for the Red/Black base (non-bundle)
All FR620’s are in stock except for the Orange/White HRM-Run bundle
As usual, first in, first out for orders. But if ordering one of the above non-in-stock units, they expect to have everyone caught up and delivered in time for Christmas.
Thanks for the support all!
Does anyone else get constant disconnect/connect messages when livetracking? I did another run today and the watch disconnect from the phone a minute into the run, then didn’t connect again until I unlocked the phone. another 30s later it disconnected again. Before it would at least reconnect, but now it won’t unless I do something on the phone. Very annoying and not helpful now that i’m transitioning to 5am runs in the dark. (btw iphone 5 on ios 6)
Aside from calling support to troubleshoot, a few things to do:
1) Try putting the phone right next to the unit just sitting outside and do a test live-track. If the two are disconnecting/reconnecting, then you might have an issue with Bluetooth on either unit
2) If that works, then try doing the same, but bouncing both phone and watch, and then again both individually.
It may sound silly, but I’ve seen cases in the past with other BT-connected sports devices where iPhone’s have Bluetooth issues, either sitting still or with vibrations/bounces. By going through those steps most folks can figure out where the issue lies.
I am interested in buying a watch for myself, but I’d also like to using for keeping splits for my cross country and track runners. Would the watch be ideal for keeping splits for multiple runners? Thanks.
If you mean can you use it as a basic stopwatch for timing other people while you are watching them run then yes you could do this but it would be far from “ideal” for that purpose I would think.
Any idea if there is something similar to the startup.txt file on the Edge that displays a custom message on startup (like name/phone number in case lost). Now that it is just a memory drive, this could work, but doesn’t with startup.txt.
2nd, any idea why they decided to use the name “Activity” for the .fit sub-folder on the 620 rather than “Activities” as on the Edge 800?
Overall, I’m loving the 620 for running over the 310 and 910, other than the occasional GPS inaccuracies as others are seeing. Hopefully they really have found and fixed these problems. I had gotten used to the size/weight of the 310/910. But after the 620, those suddenly feel heavy and awkward on my wrist.
The startup thing only works on Edge devices so I understand…
Got mine today. Like the new technology. Don’t like the small screen, hard to read for me.
You can have 1, 2, 3 or 4 data fields per screen. Have you tried this?
A screen with 2 fields is a lot easier to quickly glance at than 4 in my experience…
After my run today an update was installed on the watch. I have not yet been able to find out what it was but I hope that it is an improvement of the GPS accuracy as per their announcement on the Garmin forum. I must say that the GPS track was pretty ok during my 26km run today. Just during a 1 km stretch I had some issues which was after the first time that I took a gel from my waiste band (as if the acccelometer in the watch was determining the pace rather than GPS)
Anyway, does anyone know what the new update is supposed to do?
Could be language file updates or maybe just the satellites cache file.
Firmware 2.30 has been out for some weeks now and no update has yet been announced. Look in Settings, System, About to check you have 2.30.
You just got the initial update, not any new update. It’s simply getting you to 2.30.
I updated to 2.30 about a month ago so that wasn’t it. When I looked in settings it now says version 2.30, GPS version 2.8. Anyway, really like the watch a lot and today GPS even seemed spot on, not more that 3-5 meters off the actual track.
Hi,
After a few runs with the 620, I am rally satisfied with the product.
Wifi needs to be fixed ASAP. Very disappointing that this does not work out of the box better than it is. I have only succeeded in connecting to the watch by creating a guest network without any security.
But: my real question is if anyone know of a compatible wrist-band extender strap?
For the 910xt this one exis:
link to buy.garmin.com
/Henrik
Anyone care to guess as to why my orange/white bundle suggests I’m capable of running a pace of 01:40/mi when I’m chugging along at a nice 07:30/mi pace?
Not good! That said all the Forerunners i have ever had over nearly 10 years now sometimes get “speed spikes”. Did this period of super human running last long? Was the overall pace and mile splits etc about right?
Tim, it lasted roughly half mile, then I slowed down to a blistering 02:00/mi pace. What was even more disappointing is that when it was close to accurate it paced me at 06:50. I know what sub 07:00 feels like, and I definitely was not sub 07:00. Also interesting to note was that my first two treadmill runs were almost spot on, yet the outdoor run has the issue?!?!
This is making me lean towards bringing the flawless 305 out of retirement, and searching for a simple HRM for the gym. Just very disappointing cause I love the feel of this watch.
Josh, were you using an external foot pod I wonder? Was this half mile period in a particularly challenging environment for GPS devices – e..g near tall buildings or heavy tree cover?
Have you noticed if exposure to kryptonite has any negative effects on your performance?
Not sure what’s going on… Last run I did on the TM, I disabled the GPS through Settings -> System and simply hit the button to start the run, and it worked just fine. Today, I did the same thing, and it says “Acquire a GPS fix to start the timer.” Doesn’t seem to recognize that I turned the GPS off, even though it says Off still in settings. HRM is still picking up, though. Frustrating!
Tim, we live in an older part of town with very tall trees but not tall buildings. That being said, my garmin fr10 has zero issues, my 305 has zero issues, and I’ve run with a suunto ambit 2s with zero issues. That’s what makes this so perplexing. Before I return it I’m wondering if there isn’t another solution to try. No way to avoid the heavily tree lined streets. Its a very pretty area, especially after this mornings 5 inches of snowfall.
I’d wait until the next firmware update before returning it. Garmin has actually acknowledged some issues with GPS abnormalities and is working on a fix.
Out of 5 runs now, I had one that was way short on distance (track actually looked decent, but not as good as my 310) but the other 4 were spot on.
Question is WHEN will that firmware update be out? I don’t want to be stuck with the unit past the allowable return date if this is a chronic issue.
Only Garmin knows but this seems like a pretty serious issue and could get bad for PR if they don’t fix it quickly. I’d agree that you don’t want to miss out on a return, but I would consider what you saw a defect and would hope any retailer would be willing to take it back.
Ray, have you heard anything more on this?
I haven’t heard of any timelines for an update (which, could mean it comes out Monday, or a month from now – don’t know).
Ultimately, I can’t emphasis enough that if you have a problem with the unit (true of any device) to open up a ticket with support (phone is best, fwiw). Otherwise, it’s basically a case of a tree falling in the forest and whether people hear it…
Are both the 620 and the HRM strap ok to swim with in a pool ? Sounds like open water is definitely ok, but will the chlorine ruin it at all?
I can’t imagine there would be any issue with the watch as it should be similar to the 310 and 910 which are designed to be warn in the pool. As for the strap, there really would be no point as you won’t get HR or any other details. The Ant+ signal doesn’t work in water, fresh or pool. The only reason to wear the strap in water is during a race where you want it on for the bike and run.
Yes it was confirmed on the Garmin forums that you can swim with the strap on but, as has been pointed out, won’t work in the water.
As Tim noted, zero problems in pool use (obviously, no HR data while underwater).
What a great review. A bunch of details. Really great and helpful. I am a fan of Garmin (moving from Polar to that brand 3 years ago, for my running gears as well as my bicycles GPS/HRM).
I already own the 610, and for sure will move quickly to the 620 for the new features.
Once again, great review.
Ray and others thank you for the advice on opening the support ticket. I will give Garmin a call Monday and see what they have to say before rushing to return it. CT return policy of 60 days gives a cushion for me for waiting on a firmware fix as well if that is in fact what is needed.
After using the 620 for a couple of weeks I find the firmware to be extremely flimsy. On an handful of occasions I have had to force a shutdown by holding down the power button for a while to recover from various weird states.
Just now the watch was unable to charge the battery until a restart and on several occasions a restart was needed in order to bring the networking to life again. Also on runs the watch tends to loose bluetooth connection to the phone now and then (seen with two different iPhone 5) and uploading the finished workout via bluetooth seems to fail 2 out of 3 times and leave the watch in a state that it is unable to recover from without a restart.
Could this be a hardware problem with my watch or are these common problems with firmware 2.30 ?
Assuming you’ve tried a hard reset (complete), then I’d likely look at the physical unit rather than firmware. Also, given those issues, have you rang up support?
I have not tried a hard reset if that means restoring factory settings and deleting all user data. I will try that and call support if the problems continues. Thanks.
Just last night mine was in a nearly hung state. Could get to some menus but not all. Pushed the power button for a couple seconds which brought up the shutdown yes/no menu but clicking yes did nothing. Connecting it to the charger also had no impact, it didn’t put it into charging mode.
I forced a shutdown by holding the power button down for 15 seconds and now all is working well again.
Think I’ll try the full reset as well but I have a strong suspicion it is bluetooth related. I have had live tracking work with my iPhone 5 but I don’t think I have successfully had it upload a data file over bluetooth.
After full reset, bluetooth upload worked without a hitch. This makes me think there was some corruption or something before interfering with bluetooth upload. Hopefully that will also prevent any further hangs.
After doing a master reset and re-pairing the watch to my iPhone i went out for another run with live tracking. The bluetooth connection was broken 2-3 times even before I started running and one time during the run. I noticed that the connection was also broken at the exact same location during my last attempt – a place out in the country where I seriously doubt that there is an external radio transmitter which could jam the bluetooth connection. What makes this place special is that I often take a short walk break as I did the two times when the bluetooth connection was broken.
This could just be a weird coincidence – but there seems to be a pattern that the bluetooth connection breaks only when I’m not moving at running pace. Can anyone else confirm this pattern?
When I got back and save the workout on the watch, the live track was properly ended and the iPhone started waiting to receive the data. That transfer never completed and eventually the watch went into power save mode. After waking up the watch again, the transfer completed in no time.
I still think this smells like a software bug in either the watch, the iPhone app or both and I am somewhat reluctant to return the watch to Garmin as I suspect that I might very well get a new one with the same problems.
Garmin here in Denmark was quick to replace my 910xt when I first complained about the crappy barometer and apparently unaware that this was (and still is to the best of my knowledge) a problem with every single unit. So, I think I’ll wait to see if the next update(s) solves the problem.
After a few more runs with Live Track and reading the reviews for the iPhone app on the App Store and other places I think it is most likely that the problems is caused by a problematic iPhone App.
The current version of the app has obvious bugs and shouldn’t have made it past Q&A in my opinion.
Looking forward to an update soon.
Same thing happened to me yesterday. The ‘soft’ reset seems to have resolved the issue, for now.
Ray I don’t know how you keep up with all of these questions….not to mention write as detailed of a review as you do 🙂
Does running with the HR monitor bother you or irritate your skin during long runs….marathon distance? Is chaffing a concern? I don’t want to spend the extra money on the 620 if wearing a strap on my chest is going to bother me. I have never used a HR monitor.
Thanks in advanced
Michael
Thanks!
It doesn’t bother me, though, it does bother some people. You can do a bit to prevent that here, it works on most people: link to dcrainmaker.com
For most people, there isn’t chaffing issues, but for those that do see it, you can try the above (which solve it for most). And variations in the comments section seem to solve it for the rest.
Cheers!
I must be missing something. Is CT offering a discount to Rainmaker readers or not? I don’t see a discount code in the review. When I clicked on the link for the GFR 620 w/o HRM, the price shown on CT was the same as going straight to the CT site and finding the watch. If there is a code, what is it?
Hi Bob-
Yup, the discount code is in the image. Currently it’s DCR10TXS (like the number 10). Also on the sidebar near the Amazon logo for easy finding as well.
Thanks for the support!
Eli – The heart rate max was differed by 1 (with the FR 620 at 181 and FR 610 at 182, as it was purchased 1 year ago, and was not updated). As mentioned above, I also added a resting HR on FR 620 where as FR 610 had that field blank.
What is interesting is that Training Effect on the FR 620 was 5.0, the TE on FR 610 was 4.6. I would think all else equal, the 5.0 should result in higher caloric burned! But nevertheless, I will set all the setting the same and test the watch tomorrow in a boot camp class and another in-door treadmill run on Thursday and report back.
By sunday afternoon much of the snow and ice had melted, allowing for a nice run outside. I restored my 620 to factory settings, turned the unit off and then back on, charged it up, let it sit outside this time for 20 mins after it gained a satellite signal. Next to it was my Garmin FR10 which would be the perfect watch if it had a very simple HRM and stopwatch. For point of reference, we moved into this part of town with tall trees about 8 months ago, and my FR10 has been seamless every run, literally no problems, spikes, losses of data, etc.
Before I began my run, I allowed both units (strapped to my left forearm) to obtain a satellite signal, then waited about 45 seconds as was recommended somewhere along in the forum.
Results as follows:
FR10: 3.08mi, Time 27:08.2, Pace 08:49/mi, Cals 391
FR620: 3.11mi, Time 27:08:1, Pace 08:43/mi, Cals 315
What I have learned in the last few days is that despite my previous displayed data of 01:40/mile, I am not only incapable of this pace but that also my 620 has now made me aware of this. I believe waiting the extra time after obtaining the signal may have helped. The 620 has a great scrolling feature while running which allows all the screens to display the data I want without having to press anything. The form factor, size and weight are perfect, and the HRM strap is Uber comfortable. I’m leaning towards the calorie data on the 620 as more accurate due to the fact you can also input height, and you have the HRM data.
Remaining questions because I want to use this watch for everything:
1) Is there a stopwatch function and if so how do I use it?
2) Can anyone explain if my satellites are now preloaded and if all that means is that I will obtain a quicker satellite lock when going outside?
3) For treadmill runs do I need to disable the GPS or simply press the start button and the internal accelerometer will take over?
Thanks
Hi Josh-
Good to see things improved there.
1) Not a straight stopwatch function, but you can just turn the satellites off and pretty much get the same thing (it’s what I do)
2) They’re pre-loaded via GPS, USB (if you use Garmin Connect and/or Garmin Express FIT), and Bluetooth, for a period of 7 days. It will improve pickup times, though it appears for some that you may still want to wait that 30-60 seconds anyway afterwards.
3) Yes, you should disable GPS, otherwise you could get issues where it find GPS signal randomly and then plots a point a hundred meters away, hosing everything up.
Enjoy!
Ray- the satellites don’t preload over wifi? Also, how do we “know” that they get preloaded, or is it just supposed to happen. I travelled this weekend and was disappointed with the time it took to lock on. I was hoping for no more than 15 seconds or so, but it took up to a minute or 2. My phone has been connected via bluetooth to the 620, so it should’ve loaded quickly, right?
Sorry, above I typed “via GPS” an meand “via WiFi”.
In any case, no visible way to see today. Kinda annoying, I agree. I like for example on I think it was Sony Action cam that it actually shows you how much pre-load/cache data you have. Really handy.
In theory, yes, yours should have loaded quickly.
Sound like the watch didn’t properly cache the ephemeris. Either not downloading it or using expired data. Probably worth contacting garmin support. I wonder if that extra 30-60 sec wait that helps with accuracy is because the GPS unit still needs to download a fresh ephemeris to get a good lock as the data it used to get the first fast lock was too old.
Josh – I had similar results on a recent treadmill run where by I used the same foot pod, Garmin Run HRM, Polar chest strap (more comfortable, and less costly than Garmin’s) had similar heart rate, distance and pace, but VASTLY different calories expended. While I can accept that there may be slight differences in picking up the reading, I am a bit surprised at the way Garmin changed its calculation of calories burned.
Here’s the summary. I will include link to the Garmin workout afterwards.
FR610 – 1:04:38, avg pace 10:17min/mile, avg HR 151, max HR 165. Calories 757C
FR620 – 1:04:39, avg pace 10:18min/mile, avg HR 151, max HR 165. Calories 653C
FR 610 – link to connect.garmin.com
FR 620 – link to connect.garmin.com
Ray, would you be able to shed some light on the differences? I have also done the exercises with the HRM-SS3 and also see lower calories burned on the FR620 when I am spinning compared to FR610.
Have you validated that your user profile settings (age, gender, etc…) are identical between the two watches?
I forgot to mention, I am 5’6″, 150lb, 39 years old, and the same data is entered into both the FR610 and FR620. I would really love to hear what you guys’ experiences are on the caloric count.
Thanks,
Albert
It uses an algorithm from Firstbeat for the calculation. Did the algorithm change? (don’t know) Are you sure max heart rate is set the same? Know what the training effect was between the watches?
Hi Ray – Thank you for the quick response. Yes, I did verify that the gender, age, height were all set correctly. Upon a closer examination, I noticed that the HRR Max was set at 181 (620) and 182 (610). I also noticed that I entered the resting heart rate of 52 in the 620 but left the resting heart rate blank in 610. Is it possible to register completely different caloric burn with a blank resting heart rate and a 52 resting heart rate?? (I realize the 1bpm HRR max will result in slight difference as most watches uses heart bpm to guesstimate the caloric burns).
I will test out both watches tomorrow in a boot camp class with the settings set to all identical specs.
Eli – The heart rate max was differed by 1 (with the FR 620 at 181 and FR 610 at 182, as it was purchased 1 year ago, and was not updated). As mentioned above, I also added a resting HR on FR 620 where as FR 610 had that field blank.
What is interesting is that Training Effect on the FR 620 was 5.0, the TE on FR 610 was 4.6. I would think all else equal, the 5.0 should result in higher caloric burned! But nevertheless, I will set all the setting the same and test the watch tomorrow in a boot camp class and another in-door treadmill run on Thursday and report back.
So I did the boot camp class this morning and made sure both FR610 and FR620 had the same settings (1974, 150lb, 5’6″ male, 181 Max HR, 48 Resting HR).
I used Garmin HRM3-SS with Polar Soft Strap (updated version with the black tabbed sensor vs. the silver mesh in the old ones).
FR610
Time: 1:03:27
Calories: 535c
Avg/Max HR: 131/161
TE: 3.2
FR620
Time: 1:03:28
Calories: 469c
Avg/Max HR: 131/161
TE: 3.3
So I guess Garmin really did change the methodology in which it calculates caloric burns. I know it’s an approximation and I use it as a relative scale from class to class or between each runs to determine my efforts but it is somewhat frustrating that it differs by that much (12-14%, depending on which one you use as the correct base).
I will have the FR610 uploaded into the Garmin website this evening. In the meantime, I will send an email to Garmin support to confirm if the watches are registering different caloric intakes with the same heart rate information and same statistic profile.
After 2 email exchanges, I have to say that I am disappointed at the responses of Garmin’s support staff. They provided a canned answer of:
The calorie count is an estimation. As far as I know there have been no updates to the Firstbeat technology. That being said, every watch can and will report different.
Then they go on quoting Firstbeat and how they are all trying to improve the accuracy of caloric burn. I do see that some watches may receive slightly different signals from each other (i.e. some signal drop outs or missed by one of the two watches). But having the caloric burns being different by 15+% with the exact same user profile is just strange.
If anyone has similar experience, please email Garmin, hopefully we can get them to address the accuracy of the watch as we all spent quite a large amount of money for the latest technology. The last thing we would want is a poorly calibrated device.
You aren’t going to get to talk to the development team who would know and guessing the support staff never gets to that level of detail.
Anyone have a Samsung Note3 or S4 w/ 4.3? The S Health app also uses Firstbeat algorithms to calculate calories so could see the numbers it produces
They almost certainly have been tweaking it. I assume you never uploaded a New Leaf User Profile (.NLF) to your FR10? Not sure if the FR10 even supported that. But basically, the NLF file is something you would get from having a New Leaf VO2 max test done and then it would set the parameters for calorie burn rate based on your specific calorie burn rate / heart rate zone, bypassing their standard tables. So if you had uploaded such a file to one device, that would clearly cause a difference between devices.
I have a file that worked great on the 310/910 and Edge 800. Now when I try to use Training Center to upload my NLF file to my 620, it says the device doesn’t support New Leaf user profiles.
I also would say don’t put too much faith in their stock calorie counts. All the Garmin devices underestimate my calorie burn rate by 1/3 compared to multiple full VO2 Max tests I have done. Yes, I have all user settings set appropriately.
Ray, is TC basically dead? It still worked to upload my activities for the 620 but doesn’t look like there has been an update since 2011.
Ah, just noticed that your pre-review of the 620 pointed out that the new leaf profiles had been cut. So now there is no way to manually configure the calorie burn rate. Bummer.
Here is Ray’s old calorie article which probably could be updated with the newer devices:
link to dcrainmaker.com
there could easily be a third generation firstbeat algorithm.
Also newleaf was bought by life time fitness who doesn’t seem to offer testing anymore so guessing Garmin doesn’t care about that functionality anymore. link to lifetimefitness.com
Eli / ekutter – Thank you for your responses, after reading the thorough explanation from Ray’s post in 2010, it’s a lot more clear in terms of why the numbers differ as the unit does indeed “learn” and adapt a user’s workout habit.
ekutter – you are correct I never uploaded the Leaf profile. It sounds like an extremely interesting option and it is slightly disappointing that the test centers are no longer available.
Thanks to everyone chiming in and helping me understand how the Garmin watch calculates the caloric burns. Now I want to go get a VO2Max run test to find out what mine is 🙂
Ray,I am now a Permanent Fan/Follower of dcrainmaker and you do a great service giving an unbiased review of products you test. After patiently waiting, I finally have my FR620. I entered all my data and I have ran twice with the watch and watch performed perfectly wth cadence/heart rate/GCT/VO (the only issue is there is about a 3-4 foot error when using the satellite map and seeing where I actually ran versus where the watch said I was). I use the USB cable to send my data to Garmin connect so any wifi or bluetooth bugs will not be an issue for me. The auto pause gave me a headache (the watch was staying at auto pause) until I finally figured out that I had set the watch to pause at 2 min/mi speed not 2 mph (like the FR610 auto pause).
Thanks Russell – glad you could enjoy!
For consumer grade GPS units, within 3-4 feet is about as good as it gets (compared to military and/or commercial systems with higher accuracy).
Enjoy!
I’m considering getting this for my wife for Christmas. The Garmin Connect Mobile app looks very nice. We both have Windows phones though and I’m trying to find out if there’s an app available for it. Do you know if there is one or any plans to make one?
Thanks for the excellent review by the way.
I believe the app is only available for android and iphone. If you’re looking at connecting the watch to your phone, I don’t believe the watch can connect to any phone outside the iphone 4s and later.
The app is available for iPhone 4S and later right now and for Android phones running 4.3 and having BLE compatibility from Q1 2014. Not heard of any plans for a Windows version am afraid.
Great Review. Just bought an white/orange. Had no GPS problems, and averything is working. The only thing is a cannot connect to Wireless network, maybe it’s my office network.
You’ll probably want to confer with this post for the WiFi side. I suspect your work WiFi network may fall under some of the WiFi channels and/or types not currently supported: link to forums.garmin.com
Hi,
can anyone confirm the following:
When creating a training on connect.garmin.com and transferring it to the 620 (no matter if doing so via usb or bluetooth), only the last transferred training appears in the “my trainings”-section of the watch. I thought that there will be a list of the transferred trainings. It seems as if the existing training is replaced by the actual training being transferred.
If I transfer a custom trainings plan I see different workouts in the plan but not in the “my trainings” section.
Perhaps it is my fault, or it works as designed and my expectations are wrong. 🙂
Thanks in advance for any comments on this!
Regards,
Thomas
Workouts from either your calendar, or ones that you’ve specifically tagged to send from your created workouts will transfer. But ones that you’ve created but not set a date for, nor tagged, won’t transfer automatically.
Hey Ray,
thanks for the super high speed answer :). What I mean (sorry for my english) is: if I create a training A and choose “Send to device” it is transferred and it shows in “my trainings” on the watch as training A. When I then create a second training B and send it to my device, only training B can be found under “my trainings” section of the watch. Training A is not there anymore. I would have expected, that I would find something like:
My Trainings
-> Training A -> Start Training
-> Training B -> Start Training
Thanks again!
Ahh, I see. No, that sounds odd. For me, I’ve got a list of all the workouts I’ve created and sent thus far. As long as I’ve named them differently, they’ll show up (if named the same, it overwrites).
For fun, if you have an iDevice, try sending them from the phone instead, and see if it shows up. Can’t imagine why it’d be any different, but worth a whirl.
Wish I had a better suggestion, sorry!
That’s really odd. I’ve already tried and sent a training (which was differently named) via the iPhone to the watch – same thing. Only the last sent training shows up. Really strange. But you did help me by confirming that your watch behaves in another way.
But anyway, this doesn’t feel like a hardware fault. Perhaps it is an issue with the firmware.
Thanks again, this helped me :)!
P.S.: Last weekend we went to Paris. Your recommandations on where to run where very helpful!
I have the same problem with my Garmin 410. The workaround that I devised is available on the Garmin forums here:
https://forums.garmin.com/showthread.php?25502-Upload-Multiple-Workouts&p=122009#post122009
Ray – Amazing job on the website btw, you are really thorough on all the details!
On a side note, I experienced similar inaccuracies you mentioned in your review on the accelerometer, especially when I used the FR 620 without footpod when compared to the FR 610 with the footpod. The FR 620 registered a 4.61 miles on a treadmill run where as FR 610 registered 4.23 miles (done last Friday), with the treadmill registering 4.28 miles. It’s interesting to see the pace on FR 620 “slowed down” on each instance when I looked at the watch (as the arms were not swinging, so I was theoretically “slowing down”).
As you can see from the previous link, when FR 620 is hooked up to the same footpod, the registered distances between FR 620 and FR 610 are essentially identical.
Do you think it would be possible for Garmin to update the FR 620’s firmware to “learn and account” for a particular runner’s variability in a his/her arm swing (and registering the distance in the watch’s gyroscope/accelerometer) to the GPS when one’s running outside so that the watch will “self-calibrate” and become more accurate over time to track in-door treadmill distances?
Ray – since you are much more influential in your opinion, would it be possible to make the suggestion for them to make this product even better for the running enthusiast community? 🙂
End of the day, I think I will end up keeping my footpod as it is much more accurate at measuring distance than the accelerometer in the watch (e.g. if the foot is swinging that wide, chances are you are covering longer distances, whereas you can theoretically swing your arms really long while standing to simulate distance traveled).
Most of my issues with accuracy have improved with waiting a few minutes after satellite look before running but garmin has posted the following to prove we aren’t all crazy:
“Thanks to everyone who has reported the issue where some customers are seeing that their GPS track is not accurate and for the examples provided. We’ve identified a couple of improvements needed in the current software and will be soon releasing a new version that should improve GPS trace accuracy. We are very sorry for the inconvenience and we appreciate your patience. Of course, high quality GPS is our number one priority and we are continuously working on fixing all problems and making the products work as perfectly as possible for our customers.”
I submitted a customer service request to Garmin but I figured I could also ask here in the meantime. I had trouble with the wifi sync tonight so I tried a soft reset (simple power off). When I went to turn back on, I got stuck in this endless blinking “Garmin” screen. So then I tried a factory reset but I never get the “beep” after holding down the three buttons as described in the instructions. Anyone else not able to factory reset and have any tricks?
So my watch is officially a brick and Garmin’s e-mail customer support has not been helpful at all. I’m hoping a phone call later today will yield better results but it shouldn’t be this hard to get help.
First of all, thank you for the great review of the fr620 and fr220.
I had a question. I am new to Garmin. I have always trained with a Polar watch.
First the RS200 (only with heart rate) for three years and I have the Polar RCX 5 with footpod for more than two years. Although I am happy with the watch, the footpod is not what I expected it to be. So I am looking for GPS at the moment. I know I can buy the GPS unit for the Polar RCX5, but then I have to put it somewhere during my runs and in the summer that will be a problem. That is why I am looking for a built-in GPS. Because my coach has a Garmin (first fr610, but already upgraded to the fr620) I looked into the watches they had. When I saw the new fr620 and fr220 I really got expected. My question is what watch will be the most similar to the polar rcx5 (I only use it for running, not cycling or swimming). Also because the new models are released the old one, fr610, is reduced in price. I live in Europe and the difference between the FR620 and FR610 is about 165 euros, which is about 225 dollars. And the difference between the FR610 and FR220 is only about 15 euros, which is about 20 dollars. Is the FR620 worth it? It is a lot more I have to spend for the FR620. With that in mind, I was wondering how often do you use the features the FR220 misses, but the FR620 has. And if you use it, is the information really useful.
Again, thank you for the great review.
Dear Naomi – Welcome to finding the most comprehensive training gadget enthusiast website! I have never used the RCX 5, but I can share my experience with the RS300X. I upgraded from RS300X to the FR610 and really appreciated the additional screens that the FR610 had in terms of customizing the number of statistics that can be shown on the watch while training (e.g. lap pace, HRM%, and most importantly the GPS distance tracked). Most importantly, Garmin makes uploading data from your watch to their website really easy, so it’s a nice way to log your workout without much additional effort.
I have the footpod for FR610, and I have to say it is quite accurate in terms of measuring the distance when compared to the GPS and definitely great addition if you run on treadmill frequently. I find the added features of FR620 to be nice, but not really too useful, or haven’t figured out how to use the data (VO2Max, race predictor, recovery advisor, ground contact, vertical oscillation, etc.) Race predictor was relatively accurate (est. 1:46:29 for 1/2 marathon, I ran Staten Island Half in 1:44:59, and full marathon est. 3:41:03 vs act NYC 3:50:21).
Anyway, I think if you were to get a watch, I would personally recommend the FR220 as it has the new GPS chip which locks in MUCH FASTER, and also have an accelerometer (not as accurate as the footpod) if you don’t want to spend more money. It will also allow you to track your runs live so your friends can see you on their phone if they are coming to cheer you on in a 1/2 or full marathon.
Overall, if you don’t need additional customization features, I think FR220 is a great addition. You should also use DCRainmaker’s comparison sheet to line up the two watches and compare to see if the features you care about are on the watch.
Major advantages of 620 vs. 610…
Wi-Fi sync, Bluetooth sync, Bluetooth LiveTrack (with modern iPhone) during run.
Minor advantages of 620 vs 610…
Lighter and smaller, much more customizable display pages that also allow for 4 fields to be showed at one time, running dynamics (with HRM-Run strap) that shows cadence, vertical bounce, and ground contact time, recovery advisor, training effort estimate.
Advantages of the 620 vs. 220…
wi-fi sync, more customizable display pages that also allow for 4 fields to be showed at one time (vs. 3 on the 220), running dynamics, recovery advisor, training effort estimate.
Naomi,
I have been using RCX5 for a while and have just bought the FR620. I think the RCX5 has a much better screen, more data pages and I really like hearttouch where you can scroll through screens without pressing a button (just put watch near the heartbelt). I actually really like the separate GPS unit, it means I don’t have to charge the watch (which I liked as a day to day watch). The one thing I don’t like about the RCX5 is the lack of vibration feature. Now that I am graduating from simple runs to more complex goals I want vibration alert to keep me in boundaries (I don’t hear beeps when running fast).
Since I am upgrading I decided to go for the best which is the 620 and hope the additional data will benefit my runs.
I suggest you buy a G5 GPS sensor used on ebay (you can probably sell your footpod) try it for a while and if doesn’t fit your needs sell the watch+G5 when u buy a 220/620, GPS adds a whole new world of information beyond footpod (tracks!)
The FR620 is most similar to the RCX5, but, in many ways it won’t be a complete overlap. For running, the FR620 blows away the RCX5, but keep in mind the RCX5 also does cycling, though it doesn’t sound like that matters.
That said, I’d honestly save the cash and go with the FR220 over the FR620, unless you need some of the additional FR620 metrics.
I finally got my 620.
questions:
1. Is it possible to setup a wifi connection on the unit itself?
2. Can I download a training plan via wifi (I tried and could only do it via USB. I could do a single interval plan via wifi but not a 4 month training plan)
3. Have they come out with an android app
1. No.
2. No — only by USB at this point.
3. No.
Amazing review!
Frankly, I’m quite disappointed that Garmin has chosen to forgo adding Geo Location (coordinates) and a Battery Life meter into the FR620. This is a serious regression from the FR610.
I’m suspecting that the Product Teams are ensuring the Fenix and FR620 have zero overlap from a sales perspective however I think their judgement is wrong here. There will be very few people who purchase the FR620, then say “Oh, I go hiking too” and actually purchase the Fenix for $400 USD + tax. This is essentially purchasing the same watch twice at a very high cost. For that amount of money, a consumer purchasing a real outdoors GPS like the GPSMAP62s is more likely. In the reverse direction, similar holds true. Overall, I suspect it’s highly unlikely that many sole individuals would own both FR620 and Fenix as they are today.
Given this, I’m strongly feel Garmin should add Geo Location coordinates and battery life into the FR620. I would have purchased one if those features were in there. I’m not purchasing simply on principle because the watch has GPS and it should allow access to the coordinates. From a feature perspective these coordinates help one find their way home in a foreign city (often travelers encounter this) and ditched water bottles for caching.
I hope Garmin Product Management wakes up here and can get realistic about consumer purchasing habits.
Nick
New York, NY USA
Nick – I too am quite disappointed at the way Garmin is trying to segregate its product lines. If you take a look at the watches, you can see FR610 and Approach S3, FR620 and Approach S4 are essentially the same outer casing. I understand there are probably differences in the internal parts, as a multi-billion dollar consumer product company, it’s not hard for them to combine the units.
As a golfer and runner, I would have loved it if they combine the two products and I have provided them feedbacks (in CES and in emails) to release a product with both features and indicated that I am willing to pay more for the convenience of not having to own multiple products. Unfortunately, I think it has fallen on deaf ears and it appears that Garmin is taking the approach of segregating its product lines into specific products addressing only a particular use.
It’s quite disappointing to see that the features of geo-tracking and biking options removed from FR620.
Albert
Has anyone tested the 620 and HRM Run using an indoor track w/o the footpod? I wonder if the accuracy would be better than using it on a treadmill.
I ran with my 620 on a track an indoor track at my local gym a few times. The track is stated as being 1/10 of a mile. The track is also marked with flags every quarter of the lap. Last week, I ran 3 miles according to my 620 and it took me 30 full laps plus one flag so 3.025 miles according to the stated distance of the track so for me it was pretty accurate on the indoor track.
I take it you just turn off the GPS like you would with the older model watches?
Its good to hear the accuracy is better that the foodpod. I could never dial in a good calibration. Any change to pace or cadence and the calibration value wouldn’t be accurate.
Here’s to hope that the 620 and HRM-Run will be better.
Hi there! As my first comment, I want to say thanks for all the thorough work you’ve put into this site. Wish there were more sites, with other product types, like this!
I really like the weight, size and looks of the 220/620. It’s a great watch from a runner’s point of view. Beside running I also row quite a lot, I’m wondering:
– Would it be possible to set fixed lap distances on a map? (like, record every time I pass a 250m line on the rowing course?)
– Would it be able to measure my stroke rate while in the boat?
Jack
You can set auto lap in 0.05 km and 0.05 mi increments. so you could do 0.25km and it will auto lap every time.
as for rowing, it measures running cadence with arm swing, so it might capture that data. it doubles the number though (one arm swing x2 = steps per minute), so you’d have to divide by 2 then since you’d be rowing with both arms at the same time.
I agree that segmenting products is not smart on Garmins part. Once you get an iWatch and all the other brands along those lines that can combine many different apps with GPS capabilities, hopefully along with better software and interfaces for getting training plans onto them all in one device Garmin better watch out. If not they could end up dead in the water if not careful. I for one would like something where the software all worked seamlessly and I did not have multiple devices for different requirements as well as the problems with getting workouts and training plans onto the Garmin devices which always make it far harder than it should be.
Al – I am in complete agreement. They should definitely create and develop the best product as one of the market leaders (Garmin/Sunnto/Polar) instead of sitting on their laurels.
I can totally see your scenario playing out with iWatch or equivalent (Pebble anyone) adding features and eventually overtaking task-specific watches like Forerunner or Approach series.
If you look at something like the Adidas watch (albeit bulky), it is looking to innovate and is certainly a welcoming change. I would definitely love to see Garmin license Mio Alpha’s technology to eliminate the chest strap! (I am sure they can figure out how to compensate for the arm swing to account for vertical oscillation).
So my 620 basically bricked out on me. All it would do is get stuck on the startup screen and turn off, nothing else. Computer wouldn’t recognize it and factory reset wouldn’t work. E-mails to Garmin didn’t get me far so I called them. Tried some more “fixes”and finally the rep authorized an RMA.
I was told by the rep that I would need to ship the watch to them (at my cost) and wait 10-14 days after thy received it to hopefully get a working watch back. Then the rep checked their stock and informed me it would ship out in a few weeks whenever it was no longer backordered. At this point I was slightly agitated as I had always heard before that Garmin had great customer service and to me being without a watch for an undefined amount of time and on my shipping cost is not great customer service. Thankfully before getting off the phone and resigning myself to my run keeper app for who knows how long, I asked if there was ANY other option. The rep then choose to inform me that I could just go to my local running store and exchange it there.
I went down to my local store and exchanged it for a new one and was out within a minute or two. I’m not sure why Garmin didn’t present this as an option in the first place especially if they are dealing with such a backorder. Overall I ended up impressed with my local running store and disappointed with Garmin. The rep seemed annoyed that my watch was not responding instead of trying to help resolve the problem as quickly as possible.
Odd. In the US anyway, you can always provide a credit card and do a ‘cross-ship’ with Garmin, which is where they hold your credit card info but immediately send you a replacement. If you don’t eventually return the broken one, they charge you (usually a reduced rate).
Reposting. I seem to have messed up with links in the previous post.
Thanks rainmaker for such a nice blog. I have been following it for few months now and I eagerly wait for new ones. I received 620 a week or so back from CT (Used your code and it compensated my shipping). The watch works like a charm. Simple to set up and simple to sync. I did couple of runs on treadmill and got all the data. The accuracy was not bad and something I can live with. I did my first few runs using GPS yesterday. The first (Run1) and last(Run3) run were simple jogging in which all the running dynamics were recorded. But in the second one (Run2) , Vertical oscillation and GCT seem to be missing. Nothing was changed in the watch settings. So I am not sure if this is because I am not using the HRM correctly or some settings I forgot to enable or some firmware issue.
Run1: link to connect.garmin.com
Run2: link to connect.garmin.com
Run3: link to connect.garmin.com
Very odd that you have the HR data and not the running dynamics. I assume you did buy the bundle that has the HRM-Run (not just using an older strap)? Also, if you enable the running dynamics screen in settings, do you see anything then while running?
I experienced a similar dropout of running dynamics for one of my runs a few weeks ago. The Garmin forum has discussed this in some length. It seems to be a firmware issue, but you can fix the issue mid run (if you happen to notice the RD is missing) by re-pairing the HR strap with the watch. I haven’t lost RD again, but hopefully Garmin will address it in firmware.
Which is why everyone needs to report issues to Garmin support:
link to garmin.com
Even if you see that someone else already reported the problem you should report problems you see (simple email form at link to support.garmin.com) if only one person calls in then they may just think the bug doesn’t impact that many people so no need to prioritize fixing it.
Ray this is the issue that I reported… Garmin is now confirming it and there is a Garmin moderator sticky thread on it on the Garmin Forums as well as a “fix” if you happen to notice a particular run isn’t recording Ground Contact / Vert Occ. during the actual run (you can’t fix the missing data post-run.) They are working on a firmware fix.
Sorry if this has been asked but can I charge my 620 using the cable from Garmin but plugged in to my iPhone or iPad wall plug. Or will that fry my 620? These days I don’t always have a computer up and running to plug the cable in to. Thanks.
Yep, any charger should work. Definitely your iPhone or iPad one.
Can you setup the screens on the watch (e.g. which data to show, how many data fields per screen) on a PC or on GC and download to the watch? Loved that feature on my RCX5
No, there’s no way to do that today unfortunately. One of the things I really like about the Timex and Polar platforms (amongst a few others). Though, I like the flexibility of being able to do it in both places – not just one place.
You would think someone would reverse engineer the config files on the watch
Hi there,
I am thinking in buying the 620, but i have a query.. I do a lot of indoor spinning, and for what a see, how is the 620, going to record my practice..?? Pace, distance?
It’ll record your HR data, but that’s it. If perhaps down the road they add speed/cadence sensors and your spinning bike supports that (virtually none do), then you would potentially be able to get that data. But for now, it’ll just be HR data (and calories).
Ray, just did my first run with the 620 and as it was heart rate based I noticed you get feedback if you’re above or below your set range. If your heart rate’s too high, the heart symbol is filled with red (see your screenshot in the article), if you’re below it’s green.
Probably I just noticed it because it was a base training, don’t know if you’ll notice the subtle colour difference when doing some hard intervals …
Best holiday wishes,
Stefan
Thanks Stefan. Nice catch on that. It also changes the trim color too. I still maintain I want a bit more clarity though. 😉 Enjoy!
-Huge range/speed discrepancy-
I ha my first 620 run today. With footpod. 1s recording. The range I got on the watch is 9.53mi. There is no way I ran that much. The gpx file says 6.4mi which makes sense. Pace seemed all over the place while running.
I read the comments here and see that footpod could be a cause. my next run will be with out it.
Any other ideas?
As noted at the end of the review, and in other comments, Garmin has an issue with the 2.30 firmware and the footpod being active. There’s also a Garmin Forum thread on the topic. I’d definitely encourage you to ring up Garmin support so they can understand the importance of getting a fix out for it.
In the meantime, disable the footpod when outdoors.
What does using the footpod with the 620 get you? As I understand it, the HRM-Run and the watch does the same thing…
I just switched to the 620 from a FR10. I use the run/walk method. When I was reviewing my stats I noticed that the moving time was 9 minutes shorter then the elapsed time. I would like the stats to count my walking time in my moving time. I listed the example below. Any suggestions?
Moving Time: 48:39
Elapsed Time: 57:13
Avg Speed: 5.3 mph
Avg Moving Speed: 6.2 mph
Max Speed: 8.0 mph
Avg Pace: 11:25 min/mi
Avg Moving Pace: 9:43 min/mi
Best Pace: 7:32 min/mi
cancel auto-pause . maybe for some reason your walking registers as too slow (and unless you are stopping often at red lights and don’t want that part of the stats no need for auto-pause)
saying that, walking should not pause the watch
I’d agree, disabling auto pause should address it. Walking often does trigger auto pause, depending on how slow one is walking.
Hello,
Thanks for all your great reviews. I just bought the 620 last week and I couldn’t be more pleased. The watch is amazing and is working perfectly. I was wondering if it is possible to upload data wirelessly to third part sites such as Strava? The Wifi upload works great to the garmin site but I was just curious if I could somehow upload to Strava without physically plugging in the 620 to the USB port. Thanks for all your hard work.
Not via WiFi, but you can use sites like CopyMySports and Tapiriik to do it automatically as soon as it’s uploaded via WiFi to Garmin Connect.
Have you compared accuracy inside with and without the foot pod?
So far, the watch alone seems to be more accurate on the treadmill. The foot pod is showing a much faster pace.
Within the testing above, it shows that it’s not terribly accurate on a treadmill outside of ‘normal’ pace ranges. With a footpod and proper calibration settings in the FR620 (manually set), I have no issues in getting accurate pace data across all pace ranges.
Apologies if this has already been covered. I can pair the garmin 620 with my ipad but my iphone 4 app only gives the option of edge 510 and edge 810 ? Help ??
What sort of iPad is it?
link to support.garmin.com
Must be iPad 3 or later.
Its a 16gb and i think its a 4 but it doesnt say anywhere what model on the back it says a1430 , but now its paired it uploads it automatically when you are within 10 ft , bloody amazing i love it so far
As for the spikes. I have found that the old HR strap from the Garmin 305 gives the clearest spike free data. I have followed the triathlon watch upgrade path from 305 to 310xt to 910xt but still use the 305 HR strap. I will be anxious to see if some of the new features from the 620 will be included in a new triathlon watch with the large easy to read screen.
Amazing Product reviews, thank you very much!
I really like the 620 but do you recommend to buy one even if I have already a Polar RCX5 with GPS. I´m totally satisfied with the Polar and i can´t find a really good argument to buy a 620. Is there any advantage beside Bluetooth and WiFi, anything else I think is quite similar. Colored Display, ok but not worth 400€. Best regards form Germany !
I’m a long time RCX5+G5 guy just moved to 620 (RCX5 already ebayed off). If you are happy with RCX5 I suggest stay with it (it is for sure an awesome watch that changed my life)
was not satisfied with the lack of vibration alerts (I don’t hear beeps while running, with or without ipod) and not great interval abilities. I am now trying to expand my running envelope and so went for the best simple as that.
Color is not important at all (and not really implemented in the 620). New metrics are very interesting but still early to tell (cadence is I think a problem of mine and will focus on that but RCX5 has that with foorpod)
suggest waiting few months till Garmin improves the firmware and you can get great used ones on ebay
Thank you for your reply.. i think i´ll wait until Garmin or Polar will release new Firmware or watch. I really want to know what polar is planning to release next!
awesome review thank you. I’m confused – why wouldn’t it capture distance when swimming – surely if you hit start and then move 500m it would show up??? thanks for your help in advance…
The challenge is that since the watch is on your wrist, when it goes underwater it loses satellite reception. When it goes back above water it (sometimes) gains it. If/when it gains it, the accuracy takes a few seconds to increase, so for the first second above water it may be accurate +/- 500ft, which means that in one second it could be 500ft away, and the next 232ft away, and then the next 12ft away. Thus, if it does this every single stroke – you can see how accuracy is challenging.
This is different from watches that support openwater swimming and have algorithms to try and figure out where you’re going and plot a line through the ‘noise’. Even though, they tend to be educated guesses, usually within about 5-10% (these days), and not always spot on.
I have a 405cx and I just got the 620 for Xmas! I think I will miss the cycling mode as I bike as part of my cross training but the rest will compensate for that. 🙂
I have had the 620 for almost a month now. While I love it there have been some issues with GPS accuracy. Today seemed to be particularly bad. Is anyone aware of GPS accuracy issues with the 620 and if so is Garmin is aware and working on a fix?
This is an example.. link to connect.garmin.com. I started and stopped at the same point. Also the middle of the run was a loop run twice. Thoughts??
Hi Michael-
See this post here for GPS accuracy issues: link to forums.garmin.com
Also, I’d HIGHLY encourage you to open a support ticket so they understand the scope of the problem.
Thanks DCR! I entered a ticket as well.
Garmin seems to be aware of the issue. I wonder how long until a fix.
From Garmin Support”
“Thanks to everyone who has reported the issue where some customers are seeing that their GPS track is not accurate and for the examples provided. We’ve identified a couple of improvements needed in the current software and will be soon releasing a new version that should improve GPS trace accuracy. We are very sorry for the inconvenience and we appreciate your patience. Of course, high quality GPS is our number one priority and we are continuously working on fixing all problems and making the products work as perfectly as possible for our customers.”
Correct. Some folks who had issues have reported higher levels of success by waiting an extra 30-45 seconds after initial signal reception before starting. Fwiw..
Has anyone successfully gotten the 620/garmin fit app to find and link up with a mobile hotspot on an iphone 5? The hotspot never shows up in the app for me and even after manually adding it, the watch can’t find it.
While not an iPhone 5, I do have an iPhone 4s and have had no problems with it in hotspot mode with the FR620. It’s on iOS7, so I’d be surprised if there’s any differences at all from a WiFi hotspot connectivity standpoint between the iPhone 4s and 5 on the same iOS version.
Was on ios 6 and no luck. updated to ios 7, and still no luck. thanks for the info though.
I would like to have 4 different data displayed in ONE screen, so when I run I dont have to switch between the data, these data are: Distance, Time, Avg Pace & Current Pace.
Do you know if it is possible to have these 4 data displayed in one screen ? thx
Yes, you can have those all one one screen. You’ll change it through data fields.
Just got my new 620 for Christmas. So far so good. Only small issue is that I find the display/contrast to be quite dark indoors – compared it to my 610 and it definitely is dimmer – so peeps relying on this as a watch may find themselves hitting the light button more often than they would like……if Garmin could address this in a firmware update – would be great.
this is one of my primary gripes coming from an FR210. I don’t think a software change will fix this, it’s probably a function of the new color display.
Since 2/3 years, i am using the 610HRM, with no issues except few minor ones that happened (mainly software bugs), but were solved with small upgrades.
I bought the 620HRM kit last week, and here is my personal feedback:
– WIFI sounds interesting, but need to be configured using Garmin Express Fit, which is not given with the watch and need to be downloaded from the Website
– i have enabled bluetooth, but the watch cannot be seen by my MacBookPro or my iPad or iPhone. I was thinking it is a Bluetooth issue, when i discovered that the watch is identified when you launch the GarminConnect software. I don’t know if it is a normal behavior, but sounds bad, because in that case, to download your races, you need to have garmin software enabled.
– MAJOR Issue : With my 610, i am running, going back home or close to my “ANT” enabled device, and the data is automatically downloaded by the ANT+ Agent. Then, i switch off the 610, to be ready for next race, and avoid charging the watch everyday.
With the 620, yesterday, i tried the same, and suddenly, the Bluetooth between the 620 and the iPhone stopped working for an unknown reason (but i tested with other devices like Jawbone and it is not iPhone issue, so i assume it can be an issue with Garmin Connect). But THE BIG PROBLEM IS THAT the 620 was locked in the position of trying to transfer. I tried to stop it, i has the screen to switch off the watch, and when clicking in the YES, nothing happened. I tried different ways, but no luck (even stopping GPS/Bluetooth/Wifi was not solving the issue).
THE WORST thing, is that i did what i am used to do with the 610, by switching on/off the watch when needed, and i am out of my house for 2 weeks, with no 620 USB Cable (normally i charge the watch every month more or less). And my watch stopped this morning due to low battery.
I also don’t really like the feeling i have with that watch in regards to the 610. That one looks really like plastic 🙁
Anyhow, let’s wait next week after a full charge, if i will have a different feeling.
Tomorrow, i will go with the 610, then 😉
Hi Phil-
RE: Software not included
Most companies these days don’t include software inbox, because it changes frequently and would be out of date anyway.
RE: Bluetooth
Because the unit uses Bluetooth Smart, you won’t see it in the general Bluetooth Control panel. This is true of virtually all Bluetooth Smart devices on the market, which are instead paired through various applications (exceptions are ones that show up in the notification control panel, and those do tend to show up through the BT control panel).
RE: Bluetooth & iPhone
If the iPhone itself froze (which is what it sounds like), that’s likely more an iPhone issue. If the Garmin app froze, then that’s likely a Garmin issue. In either case, I’d encourage you to open a ticket with Garmin support if you think it’s an iPhone
RE: Powering off unit
You can still power off the FR620, simply hold the upper left button off. Note that the unit in standby gets many weeks of battery though, so unless the light is left on, it’ll be fine.
We have a 620 and 220 in the house. I’m noticing that the contrast on the 220 is quite a bit better than on the 620. Has anyone else compared the two watches and noticed a similar difference?
Howdy,
Great review!
Quick question: You mentioned “the Girl” borrowed the watch. Today I let my wife use mine and I noticed my VO2max dropped a little and it added time to my race prediction times (Marathon from 3:00 to 3:03). Although I deleted her run, the VO2 max data didn’t update. Did you notice variations or did you clear “the Girls” info and have it read only your runs?
Thanks,
Brian
Yes, when she borrows it it’ll hose up my VO2Max timeline a bit. Thus, I had two choices: Don’t let her borrow it, or she gets her own watch. I selected the second. 😉
There isn’t any way to remove those VO2Max estimates that I’m aware of.
Hi, Any plans to add display of GPS co-ordinates, latitude and longitude. I have the 210 and that is the one feature it is missing. I can’t believe they dropped that from the 610.
Can I get my runs from the Garmin 620 to Garmin Connect with the MS Surface RT ?
You may have already answered this (sorry), I can not find the answer…
Thanks,
Yes, it’s a USB mass storage device (like a USB thumb drive), so no problems with the Surface RT (or Pro). It won’t be via wireless, but just USB upload.
For Triathletes which is the better watch? FR610 or FR620?
Honestly? Neither.
The FR610/620 are runners watches, and neither are triathlete watches. Instead, I’d look at the FR910XT or the Suunto Ambit 2/2s. They do cycling, swimming (indoor/outdoor), and running as well. It’s likely that the FR910XT will be replaced in the upcoming year, though when and with what features is still in question.
That said, if you’re still set on those two, then I’d go FR620 over FR610 purely for the waterproofing. The FR620 is properly waterproofed to 50m, whereas the FR610 isn’t. It’s only to 1m deep (3ft) for up to 30 minutes, and definitely not for being worn on your wrist while swimming (it’ll die).
I am new to running and currently I am planning to run a couple of races in the next few months. I cannot decide what watch, the 220 or 620,I should go with. I am interested in distance, pace, etc. I do not think I will get to technical into other features, as of yet. Any recommendations?
If you’re new to running, I’d start with the FR220. It will likely cover everything you’d want, and definitely does all the basics like pace/distance/etc… Enjoy!
Hi Ray and everyone,
i’ve just added a small review of my use during the last month on my blog. it’s for french reading people (or google translate users 🙂 )
link to nfkb0.com
i’m especially disappointed with the BT and Garmin Connect App and i’m wondering if the Firstbeat gadgets could provide new insights in the training…
Question : is it better to upload FIT files instead of TCX files to Training Peaks ?
Thanks for this amazing work you’re doing. You must be exhausted doing all of this (and working, and running, and chatting with parisians 🙂 )
Hi NFKB-
Nicely done! I appreciate the kind words.
As for uploading to TP, I always go with FIT. The reason is that the Garmin Connect TCX isn’t ‘whole’ in some cases, with some information not original, but rather re-parsed. For example, the TCX from GC doesn’t include any Running Dynamics data. So down the road once Training Peaks adds in running dynamics, if you use the .FIT File the system will automatically see that data. But if you uploaded the TCX file, then it’s got ‘stripped’ data to begin with.
Enjoy!
Hi, thanks for the great review, convinced me to get the 620 and I’m happy that I did. I have two questions though that I hope you can help with:
1. Is it possible to have the watch auto lap by position rather than distance?
2. Is it possible to configure the display shown when laps are recorded?
I can’t find options to do either on the watch, could you point me in the right direction?
Any help greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Hi Paul-
1) No, no Auto Lap by position currently in there.
2) The display will automatically note when a lap is completed (either auto lap or manual lap). At present, the display banner is not customizable. It will also automatically light-up when a lap occurs (as well as beep/vibrate/etc…). Is that what you mean?
Not the same Paul as the last Paul 🙂 I have been running with my 620 for over a month and have never had problems with it keeping the pace on the treadmill using the HR strap (foot pod was just way off as previously noted). Got my wife a 620 for Christmas and she ran with it today. Pace was WAY off. She knows her pace very well and it was really close to what the treadmill was reading which was 8:30 or so. Garmin was reading between 10:30 and 11:00. Not sure what to do to try and correct that, if possible :(. Feel bad, I had built it all up for her!
Paul — I believe your wife needs a few runs outside with GPS so the watch can sync the GPS readings to the accelerometers. That’s what I did, and when I did use a treadmill, it was spot on. I’m assuming you did some outside runs before using the treadmill?
Ahhh… excellent point. I never thought about that 🙂 I am sure I did as well for my first few.
I’m having similar issues/concerns. Due to an injury and the weather, I have not run outside with the 620. I will be doing some runs inside, should I use the foot pod or just the internal accelerometer? Once I get outside, will the GPS calibrate the accelerometer? Also hoping For a firmware update so I can use the foot pod with the GPS.
In general, if you have a footpod, I would run indoors with the footpod (just manually calibrate it). That way you’ll have a known good until a firmware update is released.
Thanks! If the watch/foot pod had my pace :15 seconds faster than the treadmill (9:44 vs 10:00), what would be the best calibration ? Final distance on the watch was .15 further than the treadmill.
don’t forget that calibrations on treadmills can be off quite a bit. there’s a good chance the pace on the watch/footpod is more correct than the treadmill. just b/c it’s set to 10min/mile, doesn’t mean it’s right.
Yeah. Very good point. Although my typical pace is 9:50-10:00. I may just leave it until I can get outside and get GPS calibration (and they update the formware to work with the foot pod properly)
Hi Ray, thanks and great review as always. I have an android phone (Galaxy S4) so will be eagerly awaiting a Garmin update for live tracking and downloads. I also have a Ipad 2 mini (BT 4.0 enabled) which I though I would use for Bluetooth downloads in the interim, only problem is although I have updated Garmin Connect Mobile it still only shows the edge 810 and 510 as options for pairing. I rang Garmin who were not able to give me much other than to check I have the latest version of the app. Have you come across this somewhere else? Is it normal for Ipads?
Thanks and hope you had a good Christmas.
No, it’s not normal assuming you have an iPad with BT4 (which, you do).
I think there was a thread in the Garmin Forums where someone had a similar issue, so I’d swing over there: http://forums.garmin.com
It shows the same on my iPad2, even though it has Bluetooth the the latest IOS. Don’t know why I can’t see the 620.
An iPad 2 Mini has BT4, but the iPad 2 normal does not.
I am now up and running (double entendre) and constantly referring back to this review as guidance. It’s just great.
I have a question about autolap. feature, if it is set for say every mile but as I input manual lap presses how does it work. In my RCX5 you had two layers of laps, the autolap was separate from the manual lap (very useful, you would get a notification every mile and see it on the map afterwards and still got to input manual laps as needed)
So if I put a manual lap in does it reset the autolap and I will only see an autolap one mile from that point?
No, it’s not like the Polar devices, but like the Garmin ones, where if you have autolap set and then manually lap half-way through a lap, it’ll next auto-lap one-mile from that point (if using 1-mile as the reference distance).
Hello Ray,
Nice review, do you know if Garmin planned a SW update to get back the navigate back to start option. I realy miss this feature in the 620 (I’ve the same feeling wrt the virtual partner, but less strong). And do you know when the firmware update is coming to solve the issues with GPS, footpod and wifi?
I’ve the feeling Garmin launched too fast the 620…do you agree?
They haven’t noted any software updates for the immediate future that will add those back. From some recent discussions, it sounded like the earliest we’d see major feature changes would be the spring. But again, plans change, so it’s something I’ll touch base on at CES in 10 days to get a feel for where things are.
As for launching too early, it’s always hard to say. Ultimately, I’d take a stab that 95-98% of runners are happy with the feature-set as-is. Obviously, some folks want more features like historical models, which is certainly a valid request. If I were in Garmin’s shoes I still would have released as-is, but I would have been more clear on the futures timetables (what/if/when/etc…).
@Ray
thank you for your answer.
I’ve just subscribe a Tapiriik account so i think i’ll forget the running pattern data in TP…
Sorry if this has already been mentioned above. I don’t get good cadence data using the watch rather than the foot pod. My normal cadence is between 186 and 201 but I also get a lot of readings that are pretty consistently 120. I did a 23 minute run today with the longest time between 120 readings being 2 minutes. When the 120 readings do occur they tend to occur in clusters/groups with about 6 seconds between each 120 reading and with my normal cadence of 186 to 190 mixed in as well.
The summary data for today’s run was
Avg Run Cadence: 171 spm
Max Run Cadence: 201 spm
Avg Stride Length: 1.24 m
Do you know what the 120 drops are caused by? I can’t go back to my footpad because it takes over from the GPS.
With or without HRM-RUN? In any case, I’d look at cases where the cadences drops down and see if you can align that to a specific event (for example, if without HRM-Run, did you scratch your head, drink from a water bottle, do the chicken dance, etc…) – which could all impact cadence from the wrist.
If with the HRM-Run, then it’s a bit more complex to troubleshoot, but I’d look at things like briefly quick-stepping around people, pausing to cross a street for that extra split second, etc…
In virtually every case, when I look at cadence ‘abnormalities’ with or without the HRM-Run in my files, I can usually pinpoint the reason where I did something wonky briefly (or at least, to the Garmin, unexpected – like those above).
Without the HRM-RUN. I looked back on a few of my runs where I have used the 620 (I still use the 405CX most of the time) and I think the drops are only happening on my fast runs. I feel they are too frequent to align with a specific event. They are fairly consistent rather than abnormalities. Could it be caused by pumping your arms high?
Correction. Found some slower runs with just as many drops of the cadence down to 120.
Got it finally. But still don’t know how to transfer data from my watch to my iphone 4 via wifi. I downloaded the software garmin express fit and did the settings. Still can’t search the iphone wifi from my watch. Limited to iphone 4? I know Bluetooth with the Garmin apps has this limitation but not sure about the wifi. Help please. Thanks.
Do you have mobile hotspot on your iphone 4?
I did try hotspot but still the watch couldnt find a wifi network. Not sure if the watch got problem. Will try if it can transfer from home wifi today. Poor
yeah i can’t get it to connect to my mobile hotspot either. but my home wifi works fine
I did an outdoor run with the watch and got a VO2 max value and a recovery time as well. I took a week off and have done a few treadmill runs since then and noticed that I get no change in VO2max and no value for recovery time at all. The last run I did was a 10 mile run on the treadmill and I got not recovery time value just two dashes.
Does anyone know if Recovery Advisor does not work for treadmill runs? I always run with the HR strap that came with the watch and did get HR data for the run.
Thank you!
Recovery Advisor does not work on the treadmill at present.
See link to forums.garmin.com
You will see I posted:
I asked about the fact that we seem to be seeing zero recovery time for indoor runs and was told “it is a bug that will be changed in a future release.”
Nice review, thanks. I have a 620 (after just about every other model FR) and only have a couple of points… I couldn’t see a way to provide feedback to Garmin, so thought this avenue may well get a viewing 🙂
As the 620 has the “everyday use” mode, then the option for an hourly chime would be great, but more importantly, an easier way to access the alarm! Surely when in watch mode it could be only one or two button pushes away rather than the 12 presses needed now?
I am actually using it to swim with, and having the lap count front and centre is great, but when you stop there is no place to view total laps. Perhaps that on the activity summary screen as it already scrolls to a second page?
Navigation – just a basic “back to start” pointer would be useful. My 310xt saved me more than once pointing me back to home when I have got lost in a foreign city or piece of countryside 🙂
And finally (not specifically 620 related) please invert the timing graph in Garminconnect! Mins per km is de rigeur for runners, and having zero pace at the bottom just makes sense (and matches all other running software displays).
Keep up the marvellous work, and The Girl is right, my wife will only get a 620 when it is in purple – is purple the new pink?
cheers
Stephen
Billywillinga, Australia
Stephen
If you are not moving (or going very slowly) then the GC pace graph shows this at the bottom. I assume that is what you mean by “zero pace”. I think the scale is slightly confusing as 00:00 pace is at the top but that really means infinite pace.
In History on the 620, the Laps are numbered so if you want to see how many you did, just scroll through them to the end.
Hi Tim
I should have phrased it better! By “zero pace” I meant zero minutes per km, so that the left hand minute scale goes from 0 at the bottom to a good pace of 4 min per km in the middle, to 10 min per km and beyond as the scale goes up.
Yes, I agree you can scroll through the laps, but if you are doing, say, 2k in a 50m pool, then scrolling through 40 laps to see if you did do 40 or 41 or (heaven forbid) 39 is a bit tedious. Under “details” it lists everything under the sun over 2 pages, so one more item (total laps) should do the trick nicely 🙂
Still a great product. Love it.
cheers
Stephen
Billywillinga, Australia
Received FR620 for Christmas and have enjoyed it for the last few days. Ran into some issues over the last 30 hours. First GCT and Vertical O did not work during my last run. Was gonna give it a try this morning but my FR won’t stay on. I left it on the charger last night and the screen indicates 100%. Went to the forum but didn’t see any really solution. Not sure if I have a defective unit or what I need to do at this point. Really enjoy the watch but doesn’t do me much good if it doesn’t stay on or if I can’t get the full functionality.
Anyone else experienced these issues? Any advice? Or is it better to just return it? Thanks for your help in advance.
Quick update to my issues:
Found these steps by Tim Grose (thanks Tim) in the Garmin Forum and helped resolved my charging issues:
1) Connect to the charger for ~30 minutes
2) Disconnect the device from the Charger
3) Get to the RUN page on the device
4) Once on the RUN page, put the device into Low Power Mode (LPM – by pressing the back button – bottom right button)
5) Let the device sit in LPM for ~1 minutes
6) Take device out of LPM and to the RUN page
7) The device should now show a low battery icon
8) Reconnect watch to the computer and let it charge
Hope it’s a one time problem.
I currently use my Forerunner 610 for running and other cardio workouts. I purchased the 620 as an upgrade to the 610. To me it seems that Garmin has forgotten that running is not the only activity people use there watches for. Am I missing something here? I feel now I need a watch for all my different workouts (ie Crossfit etc).
Crossfit calories would be recorded in the same way as the FR610 from a HR based standpoint.
I agree with Doug in the following way: there is no way to disable the internal accelerometer, and there is no “other” mode, so the watch always thinks I’m running, even if I’m on a stationary bike or doing a strength workout indoors. In this example, GPS is off, but the workout still results in bogus cadence and distance data, all from the internal accelerometer. I would love Garmin to roll out a cycling mode (a la 610) and allow the user to disable the onboard accelerometer for other activities.
Why can’t you use the 620? It records HR and time – what else do you need for a CF WOD?
I would suggest you don’t need anything more for crossfit, but less. A way to disable the accelerometer would prevent bogus cadence and distance data when strength training.
Can I suggest taking the 620 off your wrist if you are on a “stationary” bike (or similar) and just put it on the handlebars or somewhere where you can see it.
If the 620 itself is not moving then the accelerometer would then effectively be off.
Going by the comments on the 620 watch people make it seem like only the 620 has to stabilize after the watch locks on when starting up. The 610 watch has the same issue:
link to connect.garmin.com
link to connect.garmin.com
In both those runs the start and stop were done at around the same location but obviously the 610 got confused. (never seen this issue on any of my Edge units on the bike, but then I think I usually turn on my bike computers way earlier then when I press start and wait outside for the ride to start vs runs that wait inside)
I love all these improvements but I don’t understand why don’t make it compatible with Tanita BC-1000.
I am seriously disappointed with Garmin for that matter.
Or they solve it with a simple firmware upgrade or buy a Garmin Forerunner 620.
Obsolescence! No, Garmin, no!
Ray – great review. Just purchased the bundle 620 package with the Garmin HRM strap.
Question – Like you, I compete in Ironman events but don’t want to wear two different HR straps. I have the Garmin 510. Will the Garmin 510 pick up my HR data (recognizing the other unique data is only captured on the 620)? I didn’t see any reference to strap compatibility in your review. Thanks in advance and Happy New Year you!
Yup, totally compatible. Use the HRM-Run strap from the FR620, as you noted, and the Edge 510 will have no problems seeing the regular HR data. Enjoy!
I now have the 620 and love it, BUT having used a Forerunner 305 for several years and being able to easily pause a given run, I miss that in the 620. As I understand it, I can only use auto-pause with the 620 OR end a run each time I stop and save that segment of the run. I WISH I could pause with a button and resume w/same when I want to. Anything I am missing with this device that would enable easy pause? Is there any chance a button could be re-purposed to accommodate that? Thanks ….
It works just like your 305. Just press the start/stop button again to continue. But don’t press the “save” button on the screen until you are really done.
Great! I assumed that if I didn’t “save” I would lose the data – all good then – very easy, but is not clear in the manual or anywhere else that this works this way. Thanks for quick answer and good info —
Just received my 620 bundle purchased through your affiliate link recently. First run was outside with hrm. The data (average pace, distance, etc) was really wonky. I’m assuming this is a first run calibration issue and will stabilize. I hope?
Got the 620 the other week. Love it! A huge change from the 305. Love the lightning quick satellite pick up. Some things I do miss though. Frustrating you can’t make a quick workout like you could on the 305 and have to do it via GC. Also the lap banner could be clearer. The mile/km marker is a tiny number above the time. Did my first programmed workout today. A 15km run but when I finished the clock didn’t automatically stop or tell me if I had beat the VP. I wonder why Garmin dropped this?
Re “Quick workout” you can setup an Interval Session on the watch. What did you have in mind?
I just want to run a standard distance, same speed. 5 miles/10K etc. So not an interval run.
In your case, you can just go for a run and setup pace alerts and/or virtual partner to keep you on pace.
I love your review, very detail, very awesome job! As new runner, I just got 620 as Christmas Gift, and I would like to know if I can create a running course use Garmin Connect plan, and send the course to my 620? Right now, after I created the course and click ” send to device”, it showed “No device found that supports Courses” – (even my 620 already USB into my computer). But I can send the work out plan to my 620 and no problem there. Did I do something wrong? Is that do able? Thank you for your time.
Am afraid the 620 does not support courses.
Thx for the excellent review Rainmaker!! Yesterday I bought a Forerunner 620! I like the recovery time feature!
Happy Newyear and may all your wishes come true!
Love the reviews, Ray. Moved from a 410 to a 620 and thought I’d post some observations and gripes, in case they’re helpful to others:
The backlight on the 620 is not as bright as the 410. Doesn’t totally kill it, but I loved how bright the 410 was – making for easy HR checks on low-light runs.
When pausing an activity manually, the 620 jumps almost immediately to the “save” screen. I liked pausing and being able to see my heart rate come down as I was resting. You can do that with the 620 by pushing the “back” arrow, but it’s one extra touch. Be careful, though, as a slip of the glove there ends the activity (with no way to jump back in). Haven’t checked out the auto-pause on this aspect yet.
The old ANT wireless upload happened automatically as soon as I came home, even if the watch was off. Sounds like that happens with the 620 via wifi or bluetooth to a phone, but only if you stopped just a few minutes ago. Pushing the “connect” button (and tapping the screen) makes it happen, but again just another inconvenient button combo in the day.
That said, I’m mostly happier. Goodbye touch bezel. Hello vibrating alerts, live tracking, and additional data points to geek out on.
Just wondering if there is a screen lock that I can activate while the GPS is going and I’m exercising. I’m finding that I’m hitting the “Stop” button with my wrist/forearm while I am doing certain activities (today I knocked it while climbing a small fence on a hike). I then have to save the workout I’ve done so far and then begin a new workout…
Thanks!
Megan.
Swap the wrist you wear it on?
You don’t have to start a new workout when you see the save screen. Just press the start/stop button again.
Hello,
I make 3 same rounds with the fr620,
Is it possible to make auto the time every round? Now y recieve every km the time.
Thanks
If I understand correctly, you would like to use auto lap by position. The 620 does not currently support auto lap by position. But if you know the exact distance of your lap/round, you could set auto lap by that exact distance.
Or I’m way off.
Hello Ray…
I have just one question regarding the FR220 vs. FR620:
The primary metric I care about is pace. I wish to tell my watch the pace at which I wish to run, say 7.30 mile/minute, and have it keep me on track. This means that if I run too fast, or too slow, it lets me know that I need to adjust.
A nice-to-have feature would be to be able to tell the watch that I’m running a particular distance, such 13.1 miles, and have it keep me at pace for the distance.
Can the FR220 do this, or do I need the more costly FR620?
Thanks
Simon
The FR220 will do this with ‘Pace Alerts’, which gives you a high/low watermark for pace and beeps at you if you go above/below it. So you’d see a high mark at 7:40/mile, a low at 7:20/mile and keep between.
Meanwhile, the FR620 does that, as well as Virtual Partner, which shows you how far ahead/behind you are (in feet/time) based on your current pace/distance. In this case, you’d set it at 7:30/mile, and the unit would show you if you were within a few feet of the Virtual Partner, or if you were too slow, it might say you’re 200ft behind it.
Personally I find the Virtual Partner best for trying to dial into pace for a long time. The “problem” I find with alerts is that can become too anal – you are never going to run exactly at a given pace all the timee because of varying gradients, surface, wind and of course just GPS “noise” etc etc so if you lose or gain a few secs here or there I never get too bothered but with alerts they can be going off too much and making you worried when you probably don’t need to be.
At the end of the day, you are the one running not the watch. If you can’t keep up, it probably means the pace was too ambitious on that particular day.
You mention the lack of the prediction for a given distance, which I was hoping for, and mention the
Magellan Switch/Switch Up for this.
Do you know any other models or even phone apps that can do this?
Supposedly easily enough that it can be used during an actual race?
Thanks!
i do think the lack of a prediction for a given distance in the Virtual Partner is more of a minor annoyance than a real issue. For instance if your target for a marathon is a certain time, presume you would have long ago worked out what it equates to in pace per mile (or K) terms and been doing your tempos at it. If not work it out pronto and have it etched on your mind for your future training 🙂
of course it is easy to calculate the needed pace for a certain target.
but what happens if I slow down to eat/drink? or need to go to the bathroom.
Then its gets complicated on how much I would need to pick up the pace
to make up for lost time, its of course not that complex of a calculation,
but definitely not something I want to calculate while I am running.
sassda-
Virtual Partner takes care of all of that. Enter in the pace you need to achieve the goal race time. As you are running it will consistently show you how far behind or ahead of that pace you are. For example, If you need to run a 9:30 pace to acheive your goal, but you have been running slightly faster than that, it will show you how far ahead of your goal you are. You will be able to see that you have 1,2,3 maybe 4 minutes to burn on water stations and port o potty breaks. If you have much more time than that in the bank you are probably running a little too fast. On the other hand if you are 1,2 or 3 minutes behind your pace you will know that you don’t have any time to make these stops if you want to reach your goal. Virtual Partner is the best part of Garmin watches in my opinion. It has helped me consistently reach goals without going out too fast at the beginning and pushing me to run harder at the end.
yeah I guess it works out better in the case if I am too fast, like you say, it would kinda of show me how much time I have to take a break.
I was more worried if I have to catch up, see, in the case of I am behind of like 4 min, if there was 4 miles left on the race, then it’s easy, I know I would need to be at 8:30 in terms of pace (considering the 9:30 pace example you gave and that I was spot on until now)
but that is the simple case, if I am behind of 3min46 sec and there is 6.3 miles left, its not that easy to know at which pace I should be in order to catch up then.
But thanks for that!
You are right, that would be hard to figure out. When I get behind I don’t as much try to figure out exactly how fast I need to go, I just know I need to go faster and as I do I see that number (the number of minutes and seconds I am behind) go down. But usually I always try to have a little “time in the bank”. You never know when you might need it and its good to have at least a couple minutes because the GPS almost always reads long so when you hit the “finish” but realize you still have .2 miles to go you have a couple minutes to finish strong and hopefully make your time.
So I guess my best advice is… don’t get behind! 🙂 and I think that’s usually doable as long as you’ve picked a realistic finishing time goal.
Hi,
I had a quick question on the wireless uploads, once uploaded via wireless will this be visible on the Garmin Connect website in the usual regular way with all the usual data such as maps, splits etc, essentially I’m wondering if the wireless upload is no different to the normal USB upload method via the PC.
Regards
Steve
Yes correct Steve – will just look same as any other activity.
Ray in your 2nd paragraph of this 620 review you stated;
“And quite simply, is it worth the cash over the FR220 which costs roughly half as much? Especially once you consider needing the new FR620’s HRM-Run strap to take advantage of all the new features”.
I’ve re-read thru all of your very extensive review, and I don’t believe you answered that question. You have the Comparison Tables, Pro/Cons, and Final Thoughts, but no real analysis on whether the extra bells & whistle are worth the extra $150-200 (if you do/don’t need a HRM). As someone has mention, that leftover cash buys some more running gear.
Of course maybe I missed something. Since you have experience and feedback with both watches, maybe you could throw in some more 2-cents. I’m still trying to wrap my head around what I would do what all the new running metrics. The touch screen is that worth much more? Wi-fi etc. Is the 620 more geared towards the pros/elite type runners (and data geeks).
I just wish I had a store I could go to and see for myself. Kinda like going to a Best Buy to buy a big screen TV, see most all them side-by-side and pick the one I like the best (and we’re done).
I do think these sort of “value for money” questions are best directed back at the buyer and ask yourself what is important to you and what is not. Also what are you using now, what do you wish it could do differently/better etc etc. Some people appear to have bought an 620 for little things like an extended timeout on the data screens. Others may have gone for a 220 because they prefer the colour. The 620 definitely isn’t just for “pro/elite” athletes. Garmin would soon go out of business if they focused on such a small set of runners and anyway pros largely wear what they are paid to! Ultimately if you want a GPS watch that does the basics of saying how far, how fast and how long and leaves lots of cash for other things get a FR10. The 220 and 620 both do that of course plus some more with the 220 and a lot more with the 620 as Ray explains at length in his reviews.
Tim– I agree with you that the choice of fitness watch, lies squarely on the shoulders of the buyer no doubt. But the question was, bang for the buck is the 620 worth almost double that of the 220? If one has lots of cash, its not really a big deal.
I have a 305, which I bought back in 2006, which didn’t get fully used much until I got back to running more full time in 2013. So my first replacement goal is something that is not so brick like, and both the 220 & 620 meet that requirement. As far as the rest of my wants & needs that is what I’m trying to sort out. What I really want doesn’t exist yet.
Well further thought about what I do personally – that is generally to buy the highest spec thing I can afford as then I can’t be disappointed about missing features that the lower spec product does not have. I help moderate the Garmin forums and one example there and recent one here was that the 220 does not have every second recording nor virtual partner. I like to use both but for very many people this might be incidental. If you asked if I buy a 620 over a 220 will I be a better runner then my personal answer is almost certainly no. If you asked if it would help enjoy my running that little bit more then I would say yes.
Oh and since you have a 305 – if you really like breadcrumb trails and basic navigation then don’t go near either! But for sure the 220/620 will feel feather weight in comparison.
So in summary if you are on a budget and/or the additional features are of limited interest then the 220 is probably the answer you want and vice versa for the 620 to win.
I think it depends on what kind of runner you are and if you’re willing to analyze the telemetry correctly and then make any needed corrections. For me, a 42 year old age group runner, it makes sense. I bought the 620 bundle (since the 620 is basically an expensive 220 without the HRM-Run) and did a few baseline runs over a few days. I then looked at the information. What I learned is that my normal cadence was too low and my vertical oscillation was too high (although I’m 6’3″, so 10cm bounce wasn’t too high). I then started trying to increase my cadence (was ~163spm in my baseline runs) and am now over 170spm consistenly. As exected, my vertical oscillationwent down and is now in the high-8s. What I have noticed from this is that my “base” pace – the pace at which I’m working comfortably went from 7:45 to 7:30 with the same perceived effort and average heart rate. I realize that this is a VERY small sample and a lot of outside factors could be involved, but at the very least, for someone who is interested in the data and is willing to experiment wih changes, this is the watch for them. For the person who runs for fitness or who doesn’t want to think about running outside of the actual run, get the 220 or the 10 (which is a fantastic watch if you don’t want/need an HRM).
i do think the lack of a prediction for a given pace/distance in the Virtual Partner is more of a minor annoyance than a real issue. For instance if your target for a marathon is a certain time, presume you would have long ago worked out what it equates to in pace per mile (or K) terms and been doing your tempos at it. If not work it out pronto and have it etched on your mind for your future training 🙂
Hello Ray,
Thanks again for your sound advice. Tonight I purchased the FR220, based on your review and advice. Cheers!
Having opened my watch I see that the only way to charge it is via USB to a computer, which seems quite presumptuous. My question, therefore, is can I safely charge my watch using an iPhone-style USB-to-Power adapter “brick”, or does it always have to be via a low-voltage computer USB port? More to that point, can I safely charge it on both 120v and 240v?
Thanks
Simon
Any iPhone/iPad style “wall” charger is fine.
All USB is 5 volts. (Well technically 5.00±0.25 V (pre-3.0); 5.00+0.25-0.55 V (USB 3.0))
ok, the spec allows to negotiate for higher voltage but don’t think anything does that yet and should only do that after a device says it wants a higher voltage: link to usb.org
Thanks for the USB charging reassurance. I now know that the AC adapter, and particularly the pricy Euro AC adapter, is unnecessary. Cheers.
Thanks for the USB charging reassurance. I now know that the AC adapter, and particularly the pricy Euro AC adapter, is unnecessary.
Thanks
Hi All-
Just as a pure housekeeping item, if you have technical issues (problems), I’d really ask to please try and resolve the issues through Garmin support (via phone or e-mail, though I’d recommend phone). Or, additionally, through the Garmin Forums (http://forums.garmin.com).
The reason is relatively simple: Back and forth comments just aren’t an effective way to troubleshoot, and more importantly, at nearly 1,400 comments – it’s really tough for new folks to find answers to questions when there’s lots of troubleshooting going on for an individual issue.
Now, to be clear, I have no problems with questions around feature sets, or how a product works, or which-watch type questions. I’m also totally good with people posting their thoughts/mini-reviews of the watch (good/bad/etc…). But this just isn’t the best place to try and troubleshoot your current issues. Typically speaking, Garmin and/or the support forums can get answers much quicker. And more importantly, they can track issues and then prioritize fixes. If a tree falls in the forest and nobody is there to hear it, then Garmin doesn’t know about it.
Thanks!
After using the 620 for one month, I think the major improvement over 610 are:
– faster satellite location time;
– lighter weight;
– wifi for uploading workout data to garmin connect;
The negative apart from higher price tag, is:
– battery time: not true if I got a faulty one, but mine failed to power up successfully after a full charge and wearing as a normal watch for one day. Certainly disappointing to me as the manual says it can last 6 weeks in watch mode. This is surely diappointing to me as I bought for use for Hong Kong Marathon (held in Feb 2014) . Now I have to use my older 610 which has a rusted back and charging issue!
Running dynamics (cadence, vertical oscillation, ground contact time) might be a positive if you find uses for these data. After all, I can only relate faster ground contract time to longer stride length and a faster pace. But this is something you can definitely feel when you go out for a run. All in all, I think 220 may be a better deal for a experienced runner. So far the battery issue of two Garmin products has been haunting me. I might rethink my purchase since in Hong Kong, getting repair services is lengthy process (by shipping back and forth between Taiwan and Hong Kong). I think 310XT has been more stable product to me but unfortunately I have sold it as I hated its bigger size.
Hi Tony Lo,
Sorry to say what you probably have a faulty one regarding yr battery life 🙁
I have got mine since 1 month too.
Last full charge on 31/12/2013, since i have made 4 runs (for approx 50kms total). I never shut down it and battery charge is now to 51% !
In top of that, clearly, it is a very great model.
Patrice
Just a quick comment from me to say a huge thanks for all your work on this and other reviews, I skimmed your first thoughts before buying the unit and read your full review to quickly learn how to use the new features.
Great effort and thanks again.
Jason
Sheffield – UK
Great review and I love my 620. I just can’t get my battery percentage as an actual number e.g. 67% I know I’m missing something blindingly obvious….. Please help 🙂
The percentage shows up when you connect to a charger or a usb port.
Cheers Stephen!! It’s a shame you can’t see the number on the run. I also seem to have lost the warning alerts for battery low.
Hi Ray,
As mentionned in another post, I am looking at a HRM strap to pair with my wahoo ANT+ Dongle, would the HRM-Run work? If yes would I get access to VO2Max data (in the future? or with another Iphone App?)
Cheers
Yes it will work, but no, you won’t get any of the Running Dynamics features. Nor, would you get VO2Max data, since the Wahoo App doesn’t do that.
I started using the FR620 during mid December and everything has been working pretty good. GPS has been very accurate but Calories calculation is way too low from my perspective. I also own an Ambit 2S and both have the same profile information, but the FR620 is underestimating my calorie burn by 20/25% (3 runs I did with both units).
I know that Garmin and Suunto are in fact using different algorithms but shouldn’t it be a correlation between them? I mean, 5/7% could be understandable, but this makes me wonder if Garmin is no underestimating my burn too much! (and Suunto overestimating, perhaps).
Anyone else with the same issue/experience?
Thanks
I had the same issues – the thread discussion is in post 1172-1184. As Eli suggested in #1183, it’s also helpful to read the original article written by DC Rainmaker on this topic.
Anyone else notice that if you have the watch set to measure distance in km and then run on a treadmill with GPS off that it shows the distance in miles but reports it as being km? I ran 7 miles according to the treadmill and the watch showed that I ran 7km.
Returned from 1st run. After 8.5km (of 11km run) trail run GC website shows no elevation and the run is ended on the map there. Yet, the time and distance (and other data) were recorded properly and show correct total distance and time (I used also Nike+ to compare). Any idea what it can be? I hope it would not repeat …
Your watch lost GPS signal and thus there are no data from that time. When the GPS is not available, the watch uses internal accelerometer to measure the distance from arm swings, that’s why you have the distance recorded. I think your problem is related to “GPS inaccuracy” problem discussed here and already confirmed by Garmin at their forum pages. It still not clear, what is the reason for the GPS inaccuracies, but due to such GPS losses, which I also have experienced once, I assume that the watch has problem with GPS sensitivity. However, not everybody is experiencing the GPS inaccuracy, so may be only some production batch is affected.
Thanks, Radim.
Hi,
I bought it one month ago without HR strap because i already have one ANT+ HR strap from another older model.
It works fine for HR field.
I was surprised to find cadence field and vo2max estimation as i do not have the last HRM strap.
So my question is simple : can i trust the data given ?
is the cadence field & vo2max field works fine without the lastest HRM strap ?
Tks
Patrice
The cadence comes from the unit itself (cadence can also come from the HRM-Run too). The VO2Max doesn’t require the latest strap, any ANT+ strap will work.
Hi,
Has anyone managed to fully test the battery life with the GPS off?
I saw some posts earlier saying that folks were going to check but I never saw a final result. I’m interested in this as I run the occasional ultra and would like to use the watch, but it takes me longer than 10 hours – I’m happy to forgo the GPS accuracy and rely on the internal accelerometer.
Thanks
Richard
Can someone tell me that I won’t screw anything up by deleting some of the runs off my watch (since I’ve gotten the memory almost full warning) and it is taking longer to upload to RunningAhead and Strava? It won’t screw up stuff like Vo2Max, Recovery, etc? And will it still keep the Weekly and Monthly totals?
Delete All Activities should have no impact on totals or other long term settings like VO2 Max.
With the uploads slowing down, I assume you are connected via USB? Are you just telling it to upload all new workouts? I would have hoped they’d be smart enough to just list the files for upload rather than have to copy all the workouts. But sounds like they are copying everything. At least with Strava, you can specify the file and just upload the most recent one.
But this brings up an interesting question. Does anybody know what happens when the memory is full? does it start overwriting your oldest workout or just stop recording?
Just tested what happens when the memory is full up…
It deletes the oldest activities to give enough room for a new one. Seemed to clear at least 500 KB so it actually deleted about 4 activities from a 620 that had 4K left before I stated another “run”
Did this seamlessly – i.e no warnings etc.
Thanks Tim, just what I had hoped. With it being so easy to upload, no real excuse to lose important files with this implementation. So other than slow uploads for software that grabs all the current files, no need to ever manually delete.
I understand that the 620 is not currently able to be used as an activity tracker, but is there a chance that Garmin will enable this feature in the future? I really wish that the Garmin worked like my FitBit Flex when it came to tracking steps. I noticed yesterday on my run that it measured cadence with out the HRM. There is an accelerometer in there so it should be possible. My only concern would be the impact on battery life, but I’d be willing to sacrifice it for activity tracking.
No, there is not. In discussing this point with them, the FR620 was not designed for a low-power activity tracker mode, so from a hardware standpoint it’s tough to ‘get there from here’.
I just got mine and am curious about the new strap design. The diagram on the inside of the strap seems to indicate that in addition to the normal left and right sensor for the heart rate, there is a third spot to the left of them that needs to be moistened as well. Any idea what this spot is for? I was initially thinking about getting a Polar strap per your recommendation from 2010 but A- depending on what this third sensor is for, that may no longer work, and B- based on your review, that may not be necessary anymore. Thoughts?
Thanks for the thorough review!
It reduces electrostatic buildup.
Ah, interesting. Maybe the static was causing the monitor issues on previous Garmin straps. So, in your opinion, would you still upgrade to the Polar strap or do you feel this new iteration does just as good?
I generally find the new strap pretty solid assuming I wet it. Outside of 2-3 times since September, it’s usually pretty good within a couple of minutes for the duration of the run. Which, isn’t too bad considering I’m running at least every other day.
Hi! does anyone can help me? my 620 is frozen on the “garmin” screen…
I have already tried to reset it by holding 15 sec the start button and then restart but nothing… the watch restarts but is still froze on the same screen again and again…
thanks a lot
Hi Lionel. It sounds like I had the same problem. The watch would only load up, get stuck at the Garmin screen, and then occasionally blink the screen. Here’s what I had posted before about my problem and what my resolution was.
I submitted a customer service request to Garmin but I figured I could also ask here in the meantime. I had trouble with the wifi sync tonight so I tried a soft reset (simple power off). When I went to turn back on, I got stuck in this endless blinking “Garmin” screen. So then I tried a factory reset but I never get the “beep” after holding down the three buttons as described in the instructions. Anyone else not able to factory reset and have any tricks?
So my 620 basically bricked out on me. All it would do is get stuck on the startup screen and turn off, nothing else. Computer wouldn’t recognize it and factory reset wouldn’t work. E-mails to Garmin didn’t get me far so I called them. Tried some more “fixes”and finally the rep authorized an RMA.
I was told by the rep that I would need to ship the watch to them (at my cost) and wait 10-14 days after thy received it to hopefully get a working watch back. Then the rep checked their stock and informed me it would ship out in a few weeks whenever it was no longer backordered. At this point I was slightly agitated as I had always heard before that Garmin had great customer service and to me being without a watch for an undefined amount of time and on my shipping cost is not great customer service. Thankfully before getting off the phone and resigning myself to my run keeper app for who knows how long, I asked if there was ANY other option. The rep then choose to inform me that I could just go to my local running store and exchange it there.
I went down to my local store and exchanged it for a new one and was out within a minute or two. I’m not sure why Garmin didn’t present this as an option in the first place especially if they are dealing with such a backorder. Overall I ended up impressed with my local running store and disappointed with Garmin. The rep seemed annoyed that my watch was not responding instead of trying to help resolve the problem as quickly as possible.
Hi Candy! many thanks for your answer.
Yes it’s the same problem… so I have to call the garmin service or a dealer right? but before can you tell me the procedure that you told? about holding three buttons,which are they?
thank you very much!
When I share my run’s on Facebook the distance is in miles, mph and ft… how can I change this into km, km/h,…
Thx!
Hi,about my frozen screen problem I have solved following this procedure:
Power off watch (press and hold Light, Yes on prompt)†
Press and hold Start/Stop and Lap/Reset
Press and hold Light (three buttons should now be pressed in)
After first beep, release Start/Stop
After second beep, release Lap/Reset
Release Light
thanks to all!
Hi!
Is it possible to create the following activity in garmin connect:
1. 10 min warm up – NO Virtual Partner
2. 10 km with Virtual Partner (Pace 4:45 min/km)
3. manual cool down – NO VP
Or is this the only way:
Switch off VP and run 10 min.
Then stop the activity.
Turn on VP.
Start a new activity.
Run 10 km.
Stop the activity.
Turn off VP.
Start a new activity.
Run 10 min.
Stop the activity.
Thank you very much!
You can disable/enable VP manually, but not via the workout function.
Thanks for the excellent review. Have been using the 620 for a week now. Only issue to date is that I have been unable to work out how to get pace in 0.01 mins per km increments. It only displays in 0.05 increments. Ie. 4:30 or 4:25 pace, not 4:27 etc. is this a limitation of the device or do I simply need to modify a setting? Thanks.
Correct, a limitation.
Do you know how it rounds up/down then? Is it down if 2.5? Or does it always round up or down?
I read on the Garmin forum that you had mentioned a GPS chipset update 3 days ago. Where can this be found?
I’m looking for it myself. I was told it went out on Sunday, but I don’t actually see it via the WebUpdater (nor has it been offered to me via WiFi updates). I’ll do some poking.
Could this be related to the mysterious recent appearance of TWN in the device name?
I just plugged mine in and it says:
Firmware update:
Forerunner 620/220, ANT v2.0
Forerunner 620 v2.3
I’ve never really paid attention to this before, is this an update of is this what came installed?
Ray,
Today I learned that with 610 it is possible to enable saving of HRV (Heart Rate Variability) file, and by licensing Firstbeat license (~60euro), one can analyze HRV metrics in more detail (e.g. EPOC dynamics). Is this feature available for 620, and if so where can I find information to enable the HRV file storage?
Reason for asking is that I find single TE (Training Effect) number to limited. Want to study more details, as for example is default available in Suunto Ambit.
Thanks.
Got it: link to firstbeat.com
No further action required.-) Thanks.
I just received my 620 and I was immediately shocked by the dim display. My 610’s had much more contrast and so does my girlfriend’s 110.
Depending on the angle and with fingerprints on it you can barel yread it even in perfect light. The colour feature is more a theoretical thing, they are so pale that it’s almost useless.
Is anybody really “happy” with this? I read you DC are using the 620 as your favourite running device. Don’t you care about this?
To me it appears like this display technology is just one or two generations too young for real life use.
Hi Richard-
I guess I just don’t see it as dim. Perhaps there’s something with yours? Have you tried contacting support?
Cheers.
Are they planning to add ANT+ scale support finally during the next update?
They have not specified if they will add it.
Got the Garmin 620 last December, and have been using it ever since.
I got it, partially, thanks to DC reviews and can’t say much more than what was already said on this site.
I’m pleased with my purchase, especially with the new features of the various aspects relating to cadence; which are helping me improve my running.
Another positive aspect; I can read the information while running, something non-glass users often take for granted.
DC Rainmaker, thank you very much for your honest reviews. Please keep it up.
Hi everybody, can you confirm me there is a firmware update for the Forerunner 620? Do you know if it enable the watch to connect with the Tanita BC1000?
Garmin has not released any update to enable ANT+ scales (such as the BC1000).
One thing I dont like, is that when I pause my running on the button, it get’s readyto save the workout. If I accidently hits the screen i Pause-mode, my workout is saved, and I have to start a new one. Perhaps this is only a problem when using manual pause? Should I choose to set-up auto-pause, or is there another workaround?
Simply tap the little arrow thingy on the left, that brings you back to the regular data screens (workout is still paused).
VO2max feature is only available with the new heart rate strap for some reason? I can’t get it working with the old HRM strap I have from my old FR610. If it is true, is there some reason except forcing me to buy the new one? 🙂 I thought it is enough just to run more than 10 minutes with my heart rate monitor and VO2max will be avaialable, but nothing happened. Am I doing something wrong? Do you think that it need something else from HRM for VO2max estimation than the heart rate data? I like the new FR620 very much, but I thought the new HR strap has advantage only in accelerometer and that’s something I don’t need right now.
OK, I have VO2max estimation now. Previously I was running about 20 minutes with no result. Today I ran 59 minutes and also I updated my firmware before the run. I don’t know what of those two was the right reason but VO2max and recovery time are available now.
Font Size Compared To 910XT
Does anybody know how the font size of the 910XT (2 data fields on screen) compares with the 620 2 data fields on screen? I’m a bit worried that I can not read the 620 as easy as the 910XT.
best regards and thanks for all the help.
Huub
Just upgraded mine – GPS chipset upgrade
Changes from version 2.80 to version 2.90:
Improved GPS performance.
Changes from version 2.60 to version 2.80:
Improved SBAS(WAAS) performance.
Improved GPS altitude performance.
Changes from version 2.50 to version 2.60:
Improved SBAS(WAAS) satellite tracking.
Changes from version 2.00 to version 2.50:
Improved GPS performance
Where do you get the update? Can you do it over wireless?
Seems to be Web Updater
Confirmed. It’s in WebUpdater.
Just got mine over wifi
Weird… mine isn’t seeing anything for an update 🙁 I haven’t plugged it in to the PC yet though maybe that will do it.
Can I remind readers here of Ray’s post #1365 where he suggests those with problems are better off firing questions into Garmin’s 620 forum link to forums.garmin.com and/or raising a support ticket. I help to moderate that forum and, if I can, will be happy to answer questions as will of course many other 620 users. Ray often pops up there himself.
This watch is a complete fail. Here were my notes as I unboxed and set it up.
* screen is dim; WAAY harder to read than the Garmin FR610. WAY harder.
* charged it to 100% and took it off charger and it hung there
* had to do a hard reset
* tried to set up Garmin connect.
* watch crashed again on frozen screen
* rebooted. dropped from 100% to 93% power
* turn off GPS
* try to turn on timer and get “acquire the gps fix to start the timer” WTF?
* basically you can not use it inside. It won’t start.
* screen is really muddy and hard to read; not really usable;
* paired quickly on USB
* set up wifi
* think this thing sucks
* Update attempt 1: Wifi download failed
* Update attempt 2: Wifi download succeeded but “Update installation failed. Press Connect key to try again.”
* Update attempt 3: Wifi download succeeded but “Update installation failed. Press Connect key to try again.”
* and the Garmin Support Forum is a tale of woe: Inaccurate GPS, Express fit crashes, pairing issues, USB connection issues, GPS, Bluetooth issues, charging issues.
That was the worst 60 minutes of product testing I’ve had this week.
I’m not going to bother talking to Garmin support because this product is terrible. Like Richard Goiser above, I don’t know how you can like this screen at all.
Off it goes back to the reseller.
And Garmin’s support home feed at link to forums.garmin.com is filled with spam. Seriously? Garmin, get your act together. Forum spam is a solved problem, 10 years ago.
Troy – I help to moderate those forums and do have to delete some spam threads from time to time but, that aside, like to think there is some good dialogue going on there amongst fellow users. Ray himself pops up there a lot too.
The troubles you have related are frustrating I agree. The time is set from GPS so the 620, like any GPS device, really needs to acquire a fix before you can use it properly which I guess is why they have done that.
Before you send it back, wouldn’t be worth to actually try a run with it.
With all due respect Tim, here is my response.
Out of the box, the watch crashed 4 times in the first hour. The screen is so muddy it’s nearly unreadable. And frankly I don’t want to “have good dialogue with fellow users” – I just want the product to work out of the box. I don’t ever want to talk to fellow users or have to visit your forum or call your support. Also, forum spam is a solved problem with tools like Akismet and has been for 10 years. It should never hit your forums and be the first thing a user sees when they hit your forum home page post-feed.
I have other Garmin products (FR610, and Tactix) and they’re solid. This product is not.
Keep in mind, Tim is just a volunteer and doesn’t work for Garmin.
That said, all products can have a bad day – be it a iPhone, Dishwasher or FR620. If all products were perfect, you’d never see ‘Support’ listed on any companies website – yet, it’s on every companies website. If you’re having a problem with it, troubleshooting it would seem like a logical thing to either ring up support to try and either get a unit that works (since it works for the vast majority of people), or fix it with a support person.
Just my two cents in dealing with plenty of technology, good and bad, on a daily basis.
Ray, like I said (and meant) to Tim, “all due respect” to the position he is in. Moderating forums is tough and the issues I’m raising about the product are system/organizational/technology related and beyond the scope of an individual so I’m certainly not intending any of this to be personal.
I suppose the key issue is that while we all expect kickstarter, indie-gogo style projects to have rough edges and be nowhere close to launch readiness, it seems that from my experience as well as from the sheer volume of communication in the “good dialogue” Tim mentioned that this product may have been released a bit early.
You (Ray) continue to strongly recommend this particular model so I was surprised to run into so many issues in such a short time.
As I said in the prior post, I have other Garmin products that are much more solid that feel that they are complete, I just wanted to share with others here that this may not be the case with this particular one. Like all technology with the ability to do firmware updates, I’m sure the Garmin team will collect all of the support items, do some re-coding and ship fixes in the future firmware updates.
By the way, I also have a few product notes for you (Ray) on other things on your site – you’ll be happy to know that my reviews of those are much more positive. 🙂 One is the Garmin Tactix. I’ll post that update on the appropriate page. Thanks for continuing to host such a great party.
Tim, thanks for the work you do at Garmin and for engaging here on DCR. In my books, that counts for a lot that you’re willing to get out and “engage”. That’s good business.
Troy,
I don’t mean to jump in the middle here, but I will say you very well could have a bum unit. My first 620 had several issues notably:
*screen issues – mine would scramble and display a bunch of blocks or black bars on top and bottom after sitting for a few hours
*power issues – wouldn’t hold a charge (at least the indication would show 100% then 20%)
*gps required for timer (get a fix) – same thing happened to me, and I had already run outside
*wifi upload/download issues – wouldn’t connect reliably to wifi at all – basically had to manually sync via usb
*unlock issues – couldn’t unlock from time mode to run mode without resetting everytime
I went back and forth with Garmin Support to try trouble shooting – power off, full reboot, reload firmware, etc. After that they indicated it was a defective unit, I called up REI where I purchased and they sent me a new one right away.
Since the new one arrived, I’ve had no issues. You do need to run outside (at least once I think) to calibrate the watch’s internal accelerometer for the treadmill and get a GPS fix for time. Now that I have done that I can go 5 days in a row on the treadmill with the GPS off and don’t have any problems. No wifi issues, connects reliably everytime. No power issues, I haven’t specifically tested the battery life, but I run through the week (30-35 miles) and only charge once which is about what I expect.
This was a long post to say that I felt very frustrated when I had all those issues but a simple replacement of the unit rectified all the discrepancies. May be worth your time to troubleshoot a little bit if you are interested in the functionality that the 620 adds over the 610 you already have. I agree it should work out of the box, unfortunately sometimes it doesn’t. From a very unscientific perusal of the forums and here it does seem that there were a large number of defective units.
Thanks Troy
Don’t forget the forums aren’t just for users to post issues.
We also talk about how best to actually use the watch and how to interpret things like V02 Max and stuff which is what I really meant by “good dialogue”.
Zach could well be right about your unit. Re the screen I do like to use the backlight “always on” in less than ideal daylight.
Anyway hope it works out for you.
There will never/rarely be products with no issues. But the real question is what is the percentage/ratio of good & bad units, and what is an acceptable rate?
In my experience you can tend to gain a feel on whether a company, and its product perform as advertised. Some companies just do it right & better than others.
Just seems that a $400-500 price-point watch should work fairly flawlessly.
Great review! On the 620 are missing 4 things:
1 – Tanita BC1000 support (i was using it with my 610);
2 – Samsung Galaxy S4 support;
3 – Virtual racer
4 – back to start (very useful wheel running on new places)
Since you have a direct link with Garmin, any improvement ?
Ciao
Tonia
I cover those non-included features in more depth here: link to dcrainmaker.com
In short, Android support is coming within Q1 (so anytime through March). And the remainder aren’t currently on the plans to be added, though, that could change.
Just ran a half marathon today, and when I was looking at my track on Garmin Connect I noticed something really weird.
I have heart rate and cadence (from the HRM) the entire race, but vertical oscillation and ground contact stopped recording at ~33 minutes.
This has never happened before…thoughts?
Known bug. There is a temporary fix if you notice it during the run, see the Garmin Forum for the 620, it’s a sticky post from Garmin. They are working on a fix.
Hello again! Got my forerunner 620 a few weeks ago. Amazing running watch, quite accurate and easy to use. Sadly mine got a problem. Whatever I do, I always get the message ‘Acquire a GPS fix to start the timer’ (even when I turned GPS off). So I decided to soft reset, hard reset etc. Nothing works so far. When I try to set the clock to manual it says ‘Acquire a GPS fix to access menu’. Even though the sattelite bars are full..
Any thoughts?
Hi Jack-
Double-check that you’re on the latest firmware and that you’ve gone outside at least once to get GPS time. Failing that, please contact Garmin support (phone is most successful).
Cheers.
Ray, simply put… your efforts are a valued resource for thousands. Thank you for helping us all out with such real-world product information and usage…
With the announcement that Garmin will soon be adding a cycling mode to the 620, do you believe that the data collected in the cycling mode will contribute to the calculated functions like VO2Max, Recovery Check and Recovery Advisor?
Really hard to say at this point.
The real answer IMHO is to make Garmin Connect the one pace to find VO2Max, Recovery Check and Recovery Advisor. Let GC sync ITS calculations back to all Garmin devices. GC is the one central place that will know your athletic life, running, cycling, swimming, gym work, and now with the Vivofit even everything in between walking, sleep etc.
As Ray says hard to say but given it is so much harder to assess the true worth of a cycle effort over running (due to differing surface, wind, temperature, drafting, equipment, clothing, etc etc) then I would have thought that it would not be possible to give a meaningful value for V02 Max.
Training effect is already there for cycling in Garmin Connect and recovery advisor is related so they could be possible.
Thanks Ray, Garmin is owing ant+, i really wish they will add support for ant+ scale like TANITA in future firmware update, since i got that scale with the 610 2 years ago, and now having the 620 is getting useless
Hi Ray,
Just purchased a 620. Went for my first run and the distance was out by 100m consistently for each km. I was using foot pod and have read some forums stating that version 2.30 has a bug and uses foot pod to calculate distance. Have you experienced this and do you know if a new update will be made by Garmin to ensure their product works as it should??
Thanks as always,
Ricky
Correct, it’s noted in the bugs section at the end of this review.
Garmin is working on an update for that issue., but doesn’t have a timeframe for release.
Hi Ray, thank you for the great work you are doing here, it really helped me.
I’ve been using my Garmin 620 for almost a month and I’m really happy with it.
The only problem I see is that the screen is really dim and colors are almost
indistinguishable and I often have to power the light on in order to read the information on the screen, even in “not so poor” light conditions.
I undestood that some users have the same problem. I also understood that some users (and Ray) don’t have this problem.
Do you know if there is any know issue about faulty screens in Garmin?
I haven’t seen Garmin indicate there’s any sort of widespread (or even small-spread) problem with screens. Obviously, if you’re talking tens of thousands of units, and just as many people visiting this post here, then even just 2-3 mentions might seem like more than it is.
Now, the colors, as I noted, I think are kinda useless and hard to see either way. So I’m mostly concerned with general screen readability (black/white).
That said, if it doesn’t look like the photos above, then I’d ring up the support folks and have them swap it out.
Thank you for your quick answer Ray. To be honest also in some of the photos above the 620 has a screen that is quite dim (or dark, I don’t know which word is more correct for this situation), like mine.
For example you can see it in the first of the photos where the 620 is compared with other GPSs (at the beginning of “Size Comparisons & Weights” section). Also in other pictures the screen is quite dark, but I cannot say if it’s darker (or dimmer) than mine
It’s a problem that at the beginning surprised me, now I got used to it and I simply turn the light on when necessary.
Hi Rainmaker,
Garmin, for some reason, removed some functionalities from the 620 when compared with the 610. Do you think they’ll ever add back those functionalities or they are gone for good?
Thanks for the awesome work.
Hugo
How long the battery can last??
Is this the best GPS running watch over Suunto, Adidas and Polar?
Hi,
but if I pairnat ANT+ foot pod and I’m outside running on GPS signal, does the watch take GPS as preferred distance source or not?
In my old 310XT you could choose that option, here I’m not able to find it…
I’d like to keep the GPS data for distance and pace, but the cadence from the external foot pod.
Thanks!
You don’t need a footpod to get cadence. You get it either with the HRM-Run strap or simply the watch.
There is a bug, that using the footpod outdoors overrides the GPS/.
In the autolap screen there are 3 pieces of information: The large middle one is the time of the lap, a small number on top is the number of the lap.
What is the small number on the right of the time? I had the autolap set for 1 mile, the number on the top was displaying the mile I am on, but the number on the right kept fluctuating up and down.
If you transfer activities to garmin connect and delete them from the device, then you have only .tcx and .gpx files on garmin connect site, but no .fit files. So, if you want to transfer again your activities to the 620, there is only one way: To convert the .gpx/.tcx files to /fit files. I have discovered a tool (Fit File Repair Tool) which can do this kind of conversion. Is there maybe an easier/quicker way to do this?
This kind of transfer is often needed because sometimes a master reset needs to be done (and everything including activities is lost). There is a bug on the 2.30 firmware: The battery percentage is not accurately displayed. For example you might see 100% but your battery could be at 3%. If this happens, the 620 might go off and not restart in any way. In this case, a master reset is needed. According to Garmin customer service, this is something that will be corrected/fixed in the next firmware update (hopefully 🙂 ) . Let’s see…
Just as a semi-related note and point of interest for some….
If you plug your FR620 into your computer every once in a while, and that computer happens to have Garmin FIT Express on it, then it’ll actually backup the .FIT files to a directory for safe keeping. On Windows, that directory is:
C:\Users\rmaker\AppData\Roaming\Garmin\Devices-Usb\3874760785\ACTIVITY
Where, you replace ‘rmaker’ with your Windows login name, and the ###### number above is simply my device ID.
Thank you ray for the fast reply. The problem is, what happens if you only use wifi/BT to transfer activities to Garmin Connect? Is thery any solution in that case?
If I need to use the cable, then I can simply copy the activites folder to my hard disk.
At this point there is no way to get the .FIT file if you don’t connect the USB cable since the only place the file can be uploaded to is Garmin Connect when using WIFI and BT.. Ray has harped on Garmin for not making the original .FIT file available for download. The real downside of downloading the TCX or GPX file is that they don’t have all the original data of the .FIT file. So even with a conversion tool, you don’t get a complete .FIT file.