GPS Mode is about 10% per hour of use for me. So 30h is fairly impossible. It's at least twice the mentioned 5 hours though... and it has a compass indeed.
Nice Review! I picked up an Amazfit Stratos to compare to my Fenix 5x. Pretty shocking how good this little device is despite its huge price gap to the big brands. My only issue so far is variance in the optical HR sensor. One thing I will mention about your review is that you mention that the Amazfit Stratos has poor battery life in GPS mode. I've found that my Stratos actually has impressive battery life when tracking a run. Just as long as the Music function isn't being used I lose about 5% of battery per hour on long runs. This results in an estimated 20 hours of GPS tracking! I'll be putting this to the test on my next Ultra but so far it's quite encouraging. Thanks again for the review.
Thanks for the feedback, it’s always great to hear other peoples experience with a device. I think they have worked hard at improving the battery life and this has been delivered via software updates
I agree. Previously I had Garmin Vivoactive HR and now I bought Stratos. Garmin is better in measuring everything, but the looks and the value for money is on Stratos side. What bothers me is calorie values on Stratos are measured only in activity mode. Step counter is not very accurate. HR monitor shows less bpm than my ex Garmin while running (cca 20 bpm). I dont understand total distance value on Stratos. I liked the features from Garmin device but it is not worth for the money if youre dont want pro features. On the other hand Stratos works fine, with some measurement issues, but its a good value device. Plus it has the looks.
Stratos has a compass and the GPS will last for over 30 hours. Without GPS enabled and with continuous pulse measurement enabled, it can withstand 5 days without any problem. I have continuous pulse measurement, silent and airplane mode between 23-6.30, backlight automatically, I have been charging last 24 hours ago and I have 90% of battery, so the battery will last for a week. With GPS enabled shorter.
In the app, at the top right, click on the > symbol next to "Connected". Next, under "Watch Settings", click on Sports > Sport Order > then select the sport. In there, you can make adjustments to each sport and the associated data fields and their order. BTW, "Climb" is the entry for hiking. Go figure...
@@JRsReviews I was about to comment the same. Also the Amazfit Stratos presents thermometer and compass, different from what is in 8:42. And its does have auto-pause possibility.
I just swapped my Vivoactive 3 for an Amazfit Stratos. So far, it's head and shoulders better than the Garmin in every catagory. The only negative thing I have to say about it currently is the touch screen reponsiveness can be alittle spotty at times.
I bought an Amazfit Stratos. It is a very bad product. After only 7 months, the heart rate sensor glass has fallen. It is a manufacturing defect that is well known and that explains why many people have accuracy problems with this heart rate sensor: It is not always visible, but the glass is not well glued and moisture introduce into the sensor. Even if the led continues to flash, this gives completely fictitious frequency data. Beware, Huami / Amazfit sells its defective products via Aliexpress because their warranty does not include products sold in China, even on their "official store".
The subjected item is “Amazfit Stratos” which the issue had encountered approximately after 6 months of normal use. The issue was what I least expected since the product was especially known as a highly durable product. The back glass of the watch (under the Heart rate sensor) had dismounted from the watch without any impact. This has happened while I was wearing the watch & without my knowledge. Sametime the light rays (or light source) that are used to monitor HR, had wounded my wrist leaving a doubt that, "are these products safe to wear". The product seller & #Amazfit support team refused to claim the warranty saying that it is a physical damage, which is not. ultimately it leaves me a broken watch without heart rate sensing & with a broken airtight seal (which the specification says it can withstand 5 ATM underwater). Even the #Amazfit support team will not take responsibility for their faulty products. I presume that you should buy Amazfit products at your own risk.
Amazfit wearables suck. As you write, the hardware disintegrates after a while. BUT the software is even worse and so full of bugs they are basically absolutely useless fitness wise. They seem cheap, but they are WAY too expensive for what they really are.
If you ever plan to do serious cycling get the Fenix 5 or Forerunner 935. The 645 I think is a little overpriced unless you happen to fill that "yuppie runner" niche. But otherwise I'm sure it's OK. But it doesn't support Cycling Dynamics and neither does the Amazfit. Cycling Dynamics is now an open standard and without that support you're going to be limited in developing high levels of fitness in cycling cross training situations. It's very useful for overcoming injuries and deep fatigue if nothing else.
Nice balanced review. Amazfit would be a great choice, if only Fenix 5 didn't have seduciive 2 weeks of battery. Replaced Gear S3 junk with those and it serves purpose well. As per battery analysis: Gear S3 - 2.5% per hour, Fenix 5 - 0.3% per hour. Gear S3 - hidden notifications, lack of measured data, slow, lack of watchface configuration unless you pay, tons of useless functions which people do NOT use at all. Now manufacturers should learn from these models exactly, as this is the future. Garmin should remove "sporttester" sticker and present more and more watches for mainstream. Amazfit is more popular choice, since it is closer to Samsung/Apple in features. Garmin should go that way.
I don’t want to be rude but there are some errors in your otherwise nice and informative review. First of all, in the table shown around min 1:26 you state that the Fenix 5s has Gorilla glass which it doesn’t. Only the more expensive sapphire versions have hardened glass. Second you mix up several times the Fenix 5 and 5s versions. Third, although the Fenix 5s has the same bezel size as the FR 645 it doesn’t fit like wise . The lugs of the Fenix 5s are insane long making the watch much bigger, probably because of the quick release bands Garmin incorporated. Anyway keep up the good work, like to watch your reviews
Hi Thanks for the feedback. Yes another viewer pointed out the error on that graphic with the specs, it appears I used the wrong graphic. I did however point in the review when I used a Fenix 5 instead of the Fenix 5s in the video with a disclaimer. But thanks for watching and points taken onboard
Very odd the Stratos doesn't have the auto pause feature yet.. the previous model (PACE) had that. Probably it's just a matter of time, it will come with new updates for sure.
Specs are wrong. In the title, I see Fenix 5, but in the video, I see Fenix 5s. Also, for example, Fenix 5s has the size of screen = 1.1" but in the video, you tell about 1.2" screen.
I have already admitted some incorrect points in the video. The fenix 5 and 5s are more or less the same watch. I have the full range and other than sizes and screen materials the features are the same
Hi, thank you for the review. Which would you pick over another 245 music or Instinct? I’m a very active person with conventional sports and occasional hike/trail run. I usually have my phone on me. Being the same price I feel like Instinct is outdated with the sensors it has and probably will see a renewal in January? Thank you.
Ha, you called it the Amazon Stratos at one point. Thanks for the video, I won't be giving up on my 5x anytime soon it seems. Despite it's flaws, nothing out there comes close right now. Most of my activity is cycling or mountain bike related and I find the 5x works flawlessly with all Garmin ant+ sensors I use, namely hrm-tri, speed and cadence, vector 3 and they all connect simultaneously with my Garmin head unit too. Any plans for an Edge 130 review? thinking of taking the plunge for the ability to mirror the 5x data on the 130 (when they enable it) and no longer needing to delete the activity on the head unit to stop it synching twice and then having to delete from connect.
Ha ha ... yes made a few slip ups and had to edit it out.. must have missed this one. The edge 1030 review got put to one side due to other things happening. It sounds like you and I have the same Setup. I use a Fenix 5x with vector 3, HR try and a couple of other sensors and I find it works great. I don’t take my edge 1000 out anymore with me
I tried just using the watch but im such a data whore that I needed two screens to show everything I convinced myself I needed to see at all times. Namely, speed/avg speed, cad/avg cad, heart rate/avg heart rate/hr zone, distance and the aerobic/anaerobic load numbers. im not as anal about it all now but i did improve my vo2max from 31 to 46 over 6 months by taking decisions based on the data I was looking at live so it was justified I guess lol.
I'm gonna have to correct you on one thing. YOU DO NOT need a computer to upload music to the Stratos. You can upload via bluetooth directly from the app on your smartphone.
smol bean not a feature that was available when I did the review of these watches. Plus I can see all sorts of complications with that and i suspect it’s android only
@@JRsReviews Oh ok. I got ya. I didn't look at the date of your review. Good review by the way. And you're probably right cause I have an android phone. Works perfectly though with my samsung galaxy s9.
Thanks for the great review.. It really reflects the great effort you have made.. It is very deep, informative and fair.. As regards those silly mistakes (you already know about) , why didn't you put garmin fenix 5 instead of 5s from the beginning? 😂.. To my mind, stratos is product of a still growing company that needs some hardware improvements and a lot of software upgrade.. I think It is now more suitable for casual outdoor GPS based exercises specially running.. Casual fitness and entry level athletes allover the world will accept the trade of good price with some inaccuracy and inconsistency .. it still has a great potential in the coming years. Garmin on the other hand is already a mature company whose products are few steps from perfection.. It offers very sofisticated data, very accurate and consistent algorithms, based on more accurate and reliable sensors..clearly suitable for professional athletes.
I'm not sure about GPS battery lifetime on Stratos... Actually on Xiaomi Straros with the walking program ( GPS is active ) after 4.30 hours of walking I lost ONLY 20 % of the battery . So your opinion about the GPS ONLY 5 hours lifetime is not TRUE. Stratos also have COMPASS.
Well, I did a 75K ride on the Stratos and it was almost 10% battery when I got back. Also, remember my testing was done nearly 2 months ago, several updates have come since. Saying something is not true is your opinion, but this was not just one test like in YOUR case. I did over 15 GPS based activities with the Stratos thanks for watching though and glad you like the device
Active JR Thanks for replay . Is not only my opinion about the GPS ...I think you're right - after some update they just fixed GPS for the battery life. For instance ... Yesterday I was running 30 minutes and lost 2 % . If gps would works like you described I should get the battery drop around 10 % .
Does Stratos use South African measuring units such as meters instead of miles? Can it be used in South Africa without any limitations? if so where can I buy it?
Did you watch the video to the end. I clearly say the Stratos is a capable watch and it will suit most people. But you can’t say a 150 watch has anywhere near the capability
Would you say the 645 music and/or the Fenix 5s are too ugly to wear all day, everyday. I have a 645 but cannot decide if losing music is worth the design of the Fenix 5s.
Active JR I was considering buying the Stratos, but this video changed my mind, since you pointed out some strong pro’s on the Garmins. The FR645 is now on the top of my shortlist, but the stability of the watch’s current firmware is holding me back. On the Garmin forum I read a lot about ‘the blue triangle of death’, disconnecting headphones and incorrect altitude measurement (watch lacks manual callibration of the altitude sensor). One question about the Stratos, on the sensors you said it is missing a compass? I think I saw some screenshots of a compass on the Stratos on other online reviews?
Where would be best to buy the stratos in the UK? Doesn’t seem to be available in many places and would you say it is worth the money..looks really good for the price (£130-£170)
For the price its really good. It wont compare with a Gamrin, but twice the price. You can get them on Amazon and Ebay for a decent price. SOme links in the description
I said it is correct in my case... Coudl be wrong for you. Just like elevation might be wrong for me and correct for you. Unfortunatelly you did not test accuracy of activities, which would actually be benefitial in comparison like you did in this video. In this case you would notice that GPS in Sratos is far superior to Fenix. Anyhow, just want to say that if something doesn't work well for you it doesn't mean it doesn't work well ofr everyone else. And vice versa.
This is why I do these videos and welcome comments as different people have different views. I totally agree that each user has a different experience, hence why I always say buying a device should be down to a users option, rather than being told what to buy. However just one point, I have extensively tested the activity tracking on all 3 devices in previous review videos. Thanks for watching, I value every viewwer and input they give to the vidoes and expierences
I was comparing the Fenix 5s, but because the Fenix 5 and 5s have similar features I used a mixture of Fenix 5/5s pictures and videos. The weight at the beginning is for the Fenix 5s
Active JR ok thanks. Can you recommend a multi sport watch that does pool swimming , open water swimming and golf? The amazfit seemed to be great option as the fenix 5 That does those actions is quite expensive. Thanks
Very very nice review!, many of other people talking about Amazfit, dont even look like someone who practice sports, so they don"t give all proper information.
Amazfit Stratos has 8 Firstbeat features (training effect, training load, etc) while Garmin FR645 has 11 and Fenix5 has 12. www.firstbeat.com/en/consumer-products/features/
Hey JR. I ended up getting the same model as you(5plusTi) and am loving it however the battery drain after running is not ok. I have held light button until it switched off and have followed your top tips but post GPS it continues to drop a further 8 percent in 3 hours before it settles down. Today I used 80 mins of GPS with Bluetooth music and chest strap preceded by 40 mins of cardio with same set up minus gps. This burnt 15 percent. Powered down and a further 8 percent gone as explained before. It's like getting billed twice for the same workout almost. Don't want to return it but unless there is a solution to get this back to advertised drain as soon as workout is complete I won't have an option. Hopefully there is a trick to this you can suggest please. Thanks
Tbh, you would not go wrong with a Stratos for the things you will be using it for. However the fitness data is a lot more in-depth with a Garmin Fenix 5
The stratos is the best all u done is slag the stratos off For the price it does much more than u know Iv had many of smart watches and the stratos is the best ways u most probably never gave it a chance and for the steps I took my Samsung watch out and the stratos and there was 2 steps out between them so made my point
@@JRsReviews this is just your review if you watch other vids on this then people love the stratos more than the Garmin Plus if you can ot take a comment then you should not be on CZcams telling me to jog on not good for your channel
ASMR Food Lover I would like to see some of these videos. If you can come along and make a comment that is untrue, I am well with in my rights to comment back. I didn’t slag the stratos off and if you actually watched the video you will see I say this watch is ideal for a certain market! But it’s no Garmin comparison! It’s cheap and does the job and serves that area of the market well.
my videos would only be used as sedation in hospitals, id bore the life out of people. you had good info, just put a spring in your step a little...only my 2 cents, we're all different
With their vastly insufficient battery life, all of these fairly useless to completely useless for bicycle touring. The current battery technology in these devices is quite pathetic, really. A quantum leap in battery technology is what I'm hoping for.
Active JR Well, a few days' worth of battery life in constant active tracking mode would do for starters. Fast recharging and charging-on-the-go (i.e., with all the functions active, including recording a track, measuring and recording heart rate data, compass, navigation, etc.) are also important. Reliability (My Garmin Fenix 3 will occasionally crash and restart while recording a ride. The latest firmware appears to be especially unreliable). Music and navigation (steamed as well as on-screen) with a few tens of gigabytes of storage and support for proper maps (3rd party) would make a lot of sense, as well... I remember using a Garmin GPSmap 60Csx on My first bicycle tour to Southern Europe back in 2007. It recorded for 3 days, then stopped recording tracks altogether. I found it out upon arrival to the destination. A pity, as it was My very favourite bicycle tour to date (I've had some 4 thence) and the best 25 consecutive days in My entire life, on or off the saddle. Then, there's the Suunto Observer Ti that I wore for 13 years or thereabouts: I really wanted to love it (I'd ditch Garmin right now if there was a worthwhile alternative: Garmin's philosophy doesn't fit My ethical standards), but not only did it thoroughly lack in functions (compared to the Fenix 3 HR), but its compass was even less reliable than that in many smartphones (including last few generation iOS devices and most Android ones). So, it wasn't much use, either. What's curious, is that the Garmin Fenix 3 HR does appear, unlike the old Suunto, to have a fairly accurate compass. Do you know if it has anything to do with the GPS chip (triangulation) - or whether its the superior compass hardware compared to the Suunto?
Agreed! Amazfit unreliable at all. Used pace, bip & stratos. Every watch had annoying bugs, that Garmins didn't. Using Garmin 230 for about 2 years as running/cycling watch, it survived many drops, has cracks & scars, but working like a charm.
Amazfit manufacturing cheap, unreliable & buggy watches. I used amazfit bip, pace & stratos. Every week I had to reboot it, cause watches lost bluetooth & can't reconnect again. Also app on phone sometimes couldn't connect to watch so I resetting watch to factory settings & pairing it again. And last disappointing was that amazfit pace is not recognized by my mac and windows notebook at all, so i can't upload music to watch :( Not recommend amazfit product at all, it's chineese piece of shit.
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Hi! Nice video. Just for your info :) Amazfit stratos have about 30-35h in gps mode. Not 5 hours.. It also have a compass :)
GPS Mode is about 10% per hour of use for me. So 30h is fairly impossible. It's at least twice the mentioned 5 hours though... and it has a compass indeed.
Nice Review! I picked up an Amazfit Stratos to compare to my Fenix 5x. Pretty shocking how good this little device is despite its huge price gap to the big brands. My only issue so far is variance in the optical HR sensor.
One thing I will mention about your review is that you mention that the Amazfit Stratos has poor battery life in GPS mode. I've found that my Stratos actually has impressive battery life when tracking a run. Just as long as the Music function isn't being used I lose about 5% of battery per hour on long runs. This results in an estimated 20 hours of GPS tracking! I'll be putting this to the test on my next Ultra but so far it's quite encouraging.
Thanks again for the review.
Thanks for the feedback, it’s always great to hear other peoples experience with a device.
I think they have worked hard at improving the battery life and this has been delivered via software updates
I agree. Previously I had Garmin Vivoactive HR and now I bought Stratos. Garmin is better in measuring everything, but the looks and the value for money is on Stratos side. What bothers me is calorie values on Stratos are measured only in activity mode. Step counter is not very accurate. HR monitor shows less bpm than my ex Garmin while running (cca 20 bpm). I dont understand total distance value on Stratos. I liked the features from Garmin device but it is not worth for the money if youre dont want pro features. On the other hand Stratos works fine, with some measurement issues, but its a good value device. Plus it has the looks.
Stratos has a compass and the GPS will last for over 30 hours. Without GPS enabled and with continuous pulse measurement enabled, it can withstand 5 days without any problem. I have continuous pulse measurement, silent and airplane mode between 23-6.30, backlight automatically, I have been charging last 24 hours ago and I have 90% of battery, so the battery will last for a week. With GPS enabled shorter.
Wacik Cukrowy this was tested months ago and the latest updates have added improvements and new features
How is the stratos watch im planning to buy in terms of fitness activity
Point of correction on the Amazfit. You can change what fields are shown in an activity, and the order, via the phone app.
Where is this setting?
In the app, at the top right, click on the > symbol next to "Connected". Next, under "Watch Settings", click on Sports > Sport Order > then select the sport. In there, you can make adjustments to each sport and the associated data fields and their order.
BTW, "Climb" is the entry for hiking. Go figure...
This was not there a couple of weeks ago when I completed the review. But point taken and thanks for spotting it
@@JRsReviews I was about to comment the same. Also the Amazfit Stratos presents thermometer and compass, different from what is in 8:42. And its does have auto-pause possibility.
If you read the comments you will see this video was filmed before all of these firmware updates
You're comparing Stratos that's 170$ and Garmin Forerunner 645 that's around 400$. That's a great comparison.
Since when did cost define a products performance?
Great point
I just swapped my Vivoactive 3 for an Amazfit Stratos. So far, it's head and shoulders better than the Garmin in every catagory. The only negative thing I have to say about it currently is the touch screen reponsiveness can be alittle spotty at times.
I would have said the amazfit Stratos is on par if not better than the Vivoactive 3. The feature set is impressive for a price at this point
I bought an Amazfit Stratos. It is a very bad product. After only 7 months, the heart rate sensor glass has fallen.
It is a manufacturing defect that is well known and that explains why many people have accuracy problems with this heart rate sensor: It is not always visible, but the glass is not well glued and moisture introduce into the sensor. Even if the led continues to flash, this gives completely fictitious frequency data.
Beware, Huami / Amazfit sells its defective products via Aliexpress because their warranty does not include products sold in China, even on their "official store".
The subjected item is “Amazfit Stratos” which the issue had encountered approximately after 6 months of normal use. The issue was what I least expected since the product was especially known as a highly durable product.
The back glass of the watch (under the Heart rate sensor) had dismounted from the watch without any impact. This has happened while I was wearing the watch & without my knowledge. Sametime the light rays (or light source) that are used to monitor HR, had wounded my wrist leaving a doubt that, "are these products safe to wear".
The product seller & #Amazfit support team refused to claim the warranty saying that it is a physical damage, which is not. ultimately it leaves me a broken watch without heart
rate sensing & with a broken airtight seal (which the specification says it can withstand 5 ATM underwater).
Even the #Amazfit support team will not take responsibility for their faulty products. I presume that you should buy Amazfit products at your own risk.
Amazfit wearables suck. As you write, the hardware disintegrates after a while. BUT the software is even worse and so full of bugs they are basically absolutely useless fitness wise. They seem cheap, but they are WAY too expensive for what they really are.
Nice one Sir......have a 645 with the OS grid ref app loaded up. Was going to shell out on fenix 5......but I’ll hold off now👍👍👍 good review
If you ever plan to do serious cycling get the Fenix 5 or Forerunner 935. The 645 I think is a little overpriced unless you happen to fill that "yuppie runner" niche. But otherwise I'm sure it's OK. But it doesn't support Cycling Dynamics and neither does the Amazfit. Cycling Dynamics is now an open standard and without that support you're going to be limited in developing high levels of fitness in cycling cross training situations. It's very useful for overcoming injuries and deep fatigue if nothing else.
Agree with you
Ah, Jon! the review i have been waiting for. thank you!
Nice balanced review. Amazfit would be a great choice, if only Fenix 5 didn't have seduciive 2 weeks of battery. Replaced Gear S3 junk with those and it serves purpose well. As per battery analysis: Gear S3 - 2.5% per hour, Fenix 5 - 0.3% per hour. Gear S3 - hidden notifications, lack of measured data, slow, lack of watchface configuration unless you pay, tons of useless functions which people do NOT use at all. Now manufacturers should learn from these models exactly, as this is the future. Garmin should remove "sporttester" sticker and present more and more watches for mainstream. Amazfit is more popular choice, since it is closer to Samsung/Apple in features. Garmin should go that way.
I don’t want to be rude but there are some errors in your otherwise nice and informative review. First of all, in the table shown around min 1:26 you state that the Fenix 5s has Gorilla glass which it doesn’t. Only the more expensive sapphire versions have hardened glass.
Second you mix up several times the Fenix 5 and 5s versions.
Third, although the Fenix 5s has the same bezel size as the FR 645 it doesn’t fit like wise . The lugs of the Fenix 5s are insane long making the watch much bigger, probably because of the quick release bands Garmin incorporated.
Anyway keep up the good work, like to watch your reviews
Hi
Thanks for the feedback. Yes another viewer pointed out the error on that graphic with the specs, it appears I used the wrong graphic.
I did however point in the review when I used a Fenix 5 instead of the Fenix 5s in the video with a disclaimer.
But thanks for watching and points taken onboard
Great Review! .. really helpful!
You said Amazon Stratos @12:13.. :P
Very odd the Stratos doesn't have the auto pause feature yet.. the previous model (PACE) had that. Probably it's just a matter of time, it will come with new updates for sure.
Yes I was very surprised. Maybe it will come with a future update
Yes they do. I have Stratos
As I said it will come with a future update and it has, at the time of this review, it didn’t
Nice video. Thanks for your effort
Specs are wrong. In the title, I see Fenix 5, but in the video, I see Fenix 5s. Also, for example, Fenix 5s has the size of screen = 1.1" but in the video, you tell about 1.2" screen.
I have already admitted some incorrect points in the video. The fenix 5 and 5s are more or less the same watch. I have the full range and other than sizes and screen materials the features are the same
Taking that I put a protective glass on top of any sport watch I use would you skip the Stratos+ with more fancy design for Stratos?
I would not upgrade
You have wrong specs for Stratos. It tracks everything that Fenix tracks.
No it does not and not at the time of the review, check the date
Good comparison. This should be how future comparisons should be done. Similar devices + Benchmark against the top dog in the category. Great job 👍🏻
Thank you very much for the feedback
Hi, thank you for the review. Which would you pick over another 245 music or Instinct? I’m a very active person with conventional sports and occasional hike/trail run. I usually have my phone on me. Being the same price I feel like Instinct is outdated with the sensors it has and probably will see a renewal in January? Thank you.
Hi, amazing review, nonetheless i would like to know how much time did they smartwatch work properly
There is a misunderstanding- Stratos can work up to 5h with music and GPS. 34h without music. Please compare it to 14h od GPS time of garmin5s
Video is over a year old and improvements have been delivered since
Ha, you called it the Amazon Stratos at one point. Thanks for the video, I won't be giving up on my 5x anytime soon it seems. Despite it's flaws, nothing out there comes close right now.
Most of my activity is cycling or mountain bike related and I find the 5x works flawlessly with all Garmin ant+ sensors I use, namely hrm-tri, speed and cadence, vector 3 and they all connect simultaneously with my Garmin head unit too.
Any plans for an Edge 130 review? thinking of taking the plunge for the ability to mirror the 5x data on the 130 (when they enable it) and no longer needing to delete the activity on the head unit to stop it synching twice and then having to delete from connect.
Ha ha ... yes made a few slip ups and had to edit it out.. must have missed this one.
The edge 1030 review got put to one side due to other things happening.
It sounds like you and I have the same Setup. I use a Fenix 5x with vector 3, HR try and a couple of other sensors and I find it works great. I don’t take my edge 1000 out anymore with me
I tried just using the watch but im such a data whore that I needed two screens to show everything I convinced myself I needed to see at all times. Namely, speed/avg speed, cad/avg cad, heart rate/avg heart rate/hr zone, distance and the aerobic/anaerobic load numbers.
im not as anal about it all now but i did improve my vo2max from 31 to 46 over 6 months by taking decisions based on the data I was looking at live so it was justified I guess lol.
You need to tell me how you moved your VO2max that much! I need some improvement
I'm gonna have to correct you on one thing. YOU DO NOT need a computer to upload music to the Stratos. You can upload via bluetooth directly from the app on your smartphone.
smol bean not a feature that was available when I did the review of these watches. Plus I can see all sorts of complications with that and i suspect it’s android only
@@JRsReviews Oh ok. I got ya. I didn't look at the date of your review. Good review by the way. And you're probably right cause I have an android phone. Works perfectly though with my samsung galaxy s9.
Good to know this information as it will help others that read the comments
Fenix 5 has added bonus of golf gps.
Are u BIG SHOW???
Hi, could u pls tell me can I control my Sony MP3 player with amazfit stratos ?
Thanks for the great review.. It really reflects the great effort you have made.. It is very deep, informative and fair.. As regards those silly mistakes (you already know about) , why didn't you put garmin fenix 5 instead of 5s from the beginning? 😂.. To my mind, stratos is product of a still growing company that needs some hardware improvements and a lot of software upgrade.. I think It is now more suitable for casual outdoor GPS based exercises specially running.. Casual fitness and entry level athletes allover the world will accept the trade of good price with some inaccuracy and inconsistency .. it still has a great potential in the coming years. Garmin on the other hand is already a mature company whose products are few steps from perfection.. It offers very sofisticated data, very accurate and consistent algorithms, based on more accurate and reliable sensors..clearly suitable for professional athletes.
Thanks for nice feedback
I agree, the Stratos will get better with time, but it will be sometime before it could catch up with Garmin
I'm not sure about GPS battery lifetime on Stratos...
Actually on Xiaomi Straros with the walking program ( GPS is active ) after 4.30 hours of walking I lost ONLY 20 % of the battery .
So your opinion about the GPS ONLY 5 hours lifetime is not TRUE.
Stratos also have COMPASS.
Well, I did a 75K ride on the Stratos and it was almost 10% battery when I got back. Also, remember my testing was done nearly 2 months ago, several updates have come since.
Saying something is not true is your opinion, but this was not just one test like in YOUR case. I did over 15 GPS based activities with the Stratos
thanks for watching though and glad you like the device
Active JR Thanks for replay .
Is not only my opinion about the GPS ...I think you're right - after some update they just fixed GPS for the battery life.
For instance ... Yesterday I was running 30 minutes and lost 2 % .
If gps would works like you described I should get the battery drop around 10 % .
That’s really good to hear they have sorted it out. I might do a follow up shortly to see
Miroslaw Kocur does it come with Altitude and Barometer ?
mohd aimullah yep
after the 3rd. garmin watch failed on me on regular use, no abuse, I’m looking for an option. So I’m looking for comparisons, thanks for the video.
Glad I could help
What name of the theme with white background please??
Does Stratos use South African measuring units such as meters instead of miles? Can it be used in South Africa without any limitations? if so where can I buy it?
Hai
Ask...
Garmin forerunner 45 vs coros pace??
Would you buy Amazfit Stratos 3 for 150$ or Garmin 5x for 300$, for running, hiking and walkin
I feel that this guys video is "slightly" biased towards the other two watches as compared to the amazfit stratos.
Did you watch the video to the end. I clearly say the Stratos is a capable watch and it will suit most people. But you can’t say a 150 watch has anywhere near the capability
Hi, does Stratos have a heart rate display function in the form of HR MAX%? I use Timex and you can use two outputs, for example 75BPM or 45% HR MAX.
Not that I found... but I reviewed it months ago and the firmware may have been updated since
Active JR - Thanks
No problem, glad I could help
Would you say the 645 music and/or the Fenix 5s are too ugly to wear all day, everyday. I have a 645 but cannot decide if losing music is worth the design of the Fenix 5s.
I wear a Fenix 5x Plus everyday. All depends on your style I suppose
you could go for the Fenix 5s plus with music
As pacer right when you run?
Amazing!!! Amazing!!!
Thats stratos 2 right? What about stratos 3?
Since when does the FR645 have a touchscreen? I wish it would have! ;-)
It was a mistake in the graphic, but thanks for pointing it out
Active JR I was considering buying the Stratos, but this video changed my mind, since you pointed out some strong pro’s on the Garmins. The FR645 is now on the top of my shortlist, but the stability of the watch’s current firmware is holding me back. On the Garmin forum I read a lot about ‘the blue triangle of death’, disconnecting headphones and incorrect altitude measurement (watch lacks manual callibration of the altitude sensor). One question about the Stratos, on the sensors you said it is missing a compass? I think I saw some screenshots of a compass on the Stratos on other online reviews?
Another error! damn it, I need to look at these videos 4 times before I publish. It does have a compass.
Active JR No problem and don’t worry, it is still a great comparison video!👍
Where would be best to buy the stratos in the UK? Doesn’t seem to be available in many places and would you say it is worth the money..looks really good for the price (£130-£170)
For the price its really good. It wont compare with a Gamrin, but twice the price. You can get them on Amazon and Ebay for a decent price. SOme links in the description
Stratos has impressive steps count in my case... Can't complain there. I went to an extent to actually counting them :). No problems at all.
So you counted thousands of steps. I tested it against 3 devices and it was out
I said it is correct in my case... Coudl be wrong for you. Just like elevation might be wrong for me and correct for you. Unfortunatelly you did not test accuracy of activities, which would actually be benefitial in comparison like you did in this video. In this case you would notice that GPS in Sratos is far superior to Fenix. Anyhow, just want to say that if something doesn't work well for you it doesn't mean it doesn't work well ofr everyone else. And vice versa.
This is why I do these videos and welcome comments as different people have different views. I totally agree that each user has a different experience, hence why I always say buying a device should be down to a users option, rather than being told what to buy.
However just one point, I have extensively tested the activity tracking on all 3 devices in previous review videos.
Thanks for watching, I value every viewwer and input they give to the vidoes and expierences
The Fenix 5 watch you used, rather than in the graphics, in the video was a regular 5 right? That is bigger and heavier than the Stratos
I was comparing the Fenix 5s, but because the Fenix 5 and 5s have similar features I used a mixture of Fenix 5/5s pictures and videos. The weight at the beginning is for the Fenix 5s
Active JR Thanks for clarifying. It was a bit confusing that's all.
So at 4:47 the list had triathlon on it twice just being a perfection freak :)
Hello, does the stratos have save location so your able to find your way back ?
Not that I have found on the device unfortunately
Amazfit can Tracback like garmin!?
Please anwser that question, i spend lot of time in mountains and sometimes i dont know what was my path
That that I found when I tested it
Bad that"s very important for me
thank you! good review !
Thank you
Hi,
Does the Amazfit also do golf tracking?
Thanks
No it does not
Active JR ok thanks. Can you recommend a multi sport watch that does pool swimming , open water swimming and golf? The amazfit seemed to be great option as the fenix 5 That does those actions is quite expensive. Thanks
Then it’s going to be a fenix 5 if you want them options. You could go for the cheaper fenix 5 or the Fenix 3 HR?
Active JR thanks for your help. Will check it out
Glad I could help
What about virtual pacer?
Very very nice review!, many of other people talking about Amazfit, dont even look like someone who practice sports, so they don"t give all proper information.
can you do a video on the accessories available for the stratos ?
Sorry no
First!! Another great video. The Fenix and the forerunner look very similar
Yes they do. Thanks for watching Jason
Xiaomi is giving Garmin a run for its money. Yes it has shortcomings, but is it worth the extra 250 USD for a Garmin?
Totally agree, but you will find key differences that people will pay the extra for
Yes, it's worth. Used bip, pace & startos. Never back again to this garbage.
Amazfit Stratos has 8 Firstbeat features (training effect, training load, etc) while Garmin FR645 has 11 and Fenix5 has 12. www.firstbeat.com/en/consumer-products/features/
Hey JR. I ended up getting the same model as you(5plusTi) and am loving it however the battery drain after running is not ok. I have held light button until it switched off and have followed your top tips but post GPS it continues to drop a further 8 percent in 3 hours before it settles down. Today I used 80 mins of GPS with Bluetooth music and chest strap preceded by 40 mins of cardio with same set up minus gps. This burnt 15 percent. Powered down and a further 8 percent gone as explained before. It's like getting billed twice for the same workout almost. Don't want to return it but unless there is a solution to get this back to advertised drain as soon as workout is complete I won't have an option. Hopefully there is a trick to this you can suggest please. Thanks
Are you running latest firmware?
@@JRsReviews I'll check now. 6.0
I think 6.0 is the latest
Only other thing is trying the beta software
@@JRsReviews I might give that a go. Thanks for input. Cheers
Hi great video i want a watch budget is 200 ? what would you suggest thank you
This is a good option
Sorry the Stratos
Use code "getfit" upon checkout for the stratos on the amazfit website and get 40 dollars off.. just got mine for 160
Shame you didn’t put the prices for them
The prices change all the time, so I don’t bother now
Which one would you buy, amazfit stratos 2 or garmin 235?
All depends what you are going to using it for
@@JRsReviews principally for running (but also for checking my notifications and the weather)
@@JRsReviews and also for following tracks in the mountain (I suppose that there will be an app for that in both of them)
Then the stratos is more then good enough
amazfit or garmin fenix if you had to pick one ?
If I had to pick one personally it would be a fenix 5x as own one personally. But it all boils down to what you are going to be using it for
have the amazfit and my workouts are running , treadmill , elliptical but i have money to spend and i was wondering if the garmin is much better
Tbh, you would not go wrong with a Stratos for the things you will be using it for. However the fitness data is a lot more in-depth with a Garmin Fenix 5
The stratos is the best all u done is slag the stratos off
For the price it does much more than u know
Iv had many of smart watches and the stratos is the best ways u most probably never gave it a chance and for the steps I took my Samsung watch out and the stratos and there was 2 steps out between them so made my point
I tested it for 3 months, jog on
Oh yes I will jog on with the stratos as its spot on
If you actually watched the video, I praised the Stratos for its price point. But it cannot compete with the Garmin watches
@@JRsReviews this is just your review if you watch other vids on this then people love the stratos more than the Garmin
Plus if you can ot take a comment then you should not be on CZcams telling me to jog on not good for your channel
ASMR Food Lover I would like to see some of these videos. If you can come along and make a comment that is untrue, I am well with in my rights to comment back. I didn’t slag the stratos off and if you actually watched the video you will see I say this watch is ideal for a certain market! But it’s no Garmin comparison! It’s cheap and does the job and serves that area of the market well.
Autopause apparently now added to Amazfit
I understand that to be the case now
3:16 OMG, 255bpm? Are you ok, man?
It’s the default number when the watch is off the wrist ha ha
I think they should trying another default number :) not so scary one
Agree. It would be better at 0!
HI, I have Stratos and I believe HR is not showing right. I can't go over 140 bpm even when I am half dead. Did anybody have the same problem?
How tight do you wear the watch?
As tight as it gets for blood to run through :-)
Why you pay so much while Stratos can do everything.
You are right to some respect
sorry i know i shouldnt but wow, what a poor presentation, ps its not an amazon stratos, its an amazfit.
Thanks for your feedback... I called it amazon Stratos once, look forward to your videos
my videos would only be used as sedation in hospitals, id bore the life out of people. you had good info, just put a spring in your step a little...only my 2 cents, we're all different
It’s my style unfortunately and who I am, not everyone’s taste, but I appreciate the feedback anyway
@@JRsReviews don't say 'fortunately', as there is nothing wrong with your style. I enjoy the presentation.
Jason Peters thank you
when did Ricky Gervais lose his hair?
Recently 😂
Notice the pause he does before he says support at around 16:35 😬😬😬
What are you on about???
255bpm😳
That’s the default when it’s not on the wrist... certainly not my HR
@@JRsReviews I can think of a solo activity to get that beat 🥰
One That "Not Pretty Similar", Its Price, Amazfit Beat Them All
If price was the only deciding factor then yes, but you can say that about any watch
Strava segments :-( ........what's Strava? ;-)
A pain in my arse trying to get KOM’s!
please try showing the products you're reviewing more than your own face
Stratos Worst watch ever , it was broken down in water and 0 support from xiaomi after 10 emails
With their vastly insufficient battery life, all of these fairly useless to completely useless for bicycle touring.
The current battery technology in these devices is quite pathetic, really. A quantum leap in battery technology is what I'm hoping for.
I have not found many devices that will fully satisfy someone cycling touring
Active JR Well, a few days' worth of battery life in constant active tracking mode would do for starters. Fast recharging and charging-on-the-go (i.e., with all the functions active, including recording a track, measuring and recording heart rate data, compass, navigation, etc.) are also important. Reliability (My Garmin Fenix 3 will occasionally crash and restart while recording a ride. The latest firmware appears to be especially unreliable). Music and navigation (steamed as well as on-screen) with a few tens of gigabytes of storage and support for proper maps (3rd party) would make a lot of sense, as well...
I remember using a Garmin GPSmap 60Csx on My first bicycle tour to Southern Europe back in 2007. It recorded for 3 days, then stopped recording tracks altogether. I found it out upon arrival to the destination. A pity, as it was My very favourite bicycle tour to date (I've had some 4 thence) and the best 25 consecutive days in My entire life, on or off the saddle.
Then, there's the Suunto Observer Ti that I wore for 13 years or thereabouts: I really wanted to love it (I'd ditch Garmin right now if there was a worthwhile alternative: Garmin's philosophy doesn't fit My ethical standards), but not only did it thoroughly lack in functions (compared to the Fenix 3 HR), but its compass was even less reliable than that in many smartphones (including last few generation iOS devices and most Android ones). So, it wasn't much use, either.
What's curious, is that the Garmin Fenix 3 HR does appear, unlike the old Suunto, to have a fairly accurate compass. Do you know if it has anything to do with the GPS chip (triangulation) - or whether its the superior compass hardware compared to the Suunto?
Amazfit Stratos is unreadable indoors...absolutely awful
Agreed! Amazfit unreliable at all. Used pace, bip & stratos. Every watch had annoying bugs, that Garmins didn't. Using Garmin 230 for about 2 years as running/cycling watch, it survived many drops, has cracks & scars, but working like a charm.
100th comment!
Amazfit manufacturing cheap, unreliable & buggy watches. I used amazfit bip, pace & stratos. Every week I had to reboot it, cause watches lost bluetooth & can't reconnect again. Also app on phone sometimes couldn't connect to watch so I resetting watch to factory settings & pairing it again. And last disappointing was that amazfit pace is not recognized by my mac and windows notebook at all, so i can't upload music to watch :(
Not recommend amazfit product at all, it's chineese piece of shit.
Sergey...sore loser.