Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Let me start by saying I am a Garmin fan. I have been running for over 40 years and still log almost 80 miles per week. I use these devices daily and am very familiar with them from a usability point of view. I gave rave reviews for the 620 when people were trashing it because of the plastic screen and poor color on the display. The 620 is almost a flawless running watch and I use it daily. Enter the 630... I purchased the 630 simply because it exists and I love having the newest devices. I am not having an issue with my 620 so I am not trying to solve a problem. I just figured the new running dynamics, larger screen and better color may make my daily runs with my 620 even better. The bottom line with this watch is it has some great features, a couple of upgrades from the previous version and much I feel is actually the same as the previous model. My initial review of this watch was very critical based on the 2 cons listed below. Initially I was going to return this watch. I have since had the opportunity to use this on multiple runs and I have decided to keep the watch. So I am posting this updated review. I think the pros outweigh the cons and I have to say I really like this device. Cons (sort of) 1. The backlight on this device is very poor compared to the 620. It is so dim compared to the 620, I really have to wonder how this got by Garmin’s QA. The 620 has an excellent very bright even backlight. The 630 has what looks like a single LED at the bottom of the screen that is not only dim it also illuminates very unevenly similar to watches of the early 90's. To me it’s a big step backwards. Having said that it is certainly usable when it is dark out and I have not really had issue seeing the device while running. The one feature I really like is the setting to activate the backlight when turning your wrist. This turns on the backlight when you raise the watch to view the display and this works extremely well. Unfortunately this works this way all the time. I think they should have added a light sensor so that this would be disabled during the day as it probably will effect battery life for users who wear this all day as an activity sensor. This is not an issue for me as I only use this for running and charge the watch daily after my run. 2. The new HRM4 Run strap has the transmitter integrated into the strap. As of now you will no longer be able to replace just the strap when necessary. Garmin states that this new strap will not require replacement as often as the older models. I am not sure this is accurate. This strap is also not machine washable so it will need to be hand washed. I have owned almost every forerunner since the beginning. Since I use them daily I usually wash the strap once a week in the washer and them hang them to dry. I find a strap lasts 6 months at best. While this new transmitter has additional running dynamics I think replacement is going to be an issue. Again having said that, this strap is by far the most comfortable HRM strap I have ever worn from any manufacturer. This strap is covered with a soft cloth fabric on the front portion of the strap that have the electrodes and the transmitter. The older straps tended to chafe and cut into my skin where the transmitter mounted. I use a band aid daily to prevent this chafing. This transmitter on the new strap is thinner than the replaceable one and I believe that combined with the fabric will mitigate the chafing. I have been using both straps for a while now and one interesting thing I find is I no longer get any chafing with the new strap. There is a loose fabric covering on the new strap that has mitigated this for me. I find it much more comfortable. There is also a slight gripper material around the electrodes which helps keep the strap in place. Another thing that is interesting is that the transmitter actually is removable from the strap after you open the battery compartment so it is possible Garmin will make replacement straps available without the transmitter. I asked support about this but they were unable to confirm. I think there are pros and cons to both but all in all I like the new strap better. Now for the good… Settings – While I would not say setting up Garmin devices is intuitive they are all pretty consistent. If you have experience with one device others are pretty similar. The menus and buttons on the 620, my Edge device and this 630 are pretty much the same. Navigating and setting up the device is reasonably simple. Display – The display as much larger and much easier to read while running. Touch Screen – The touch screen is different than the 620. The screen appears to be glass and is capacitive. It is reasonable responsive but it requires contact with the back of the case in order to function properly. Initially I thought this was going to be an issue for winter running because I wear my watch on the outside of gloves and I was worried the lack of skin contact would be an issue. What I found is this works perfectly well as long as the glove has a capacitive patch on the finger. I am not sure why this works without the back of the case touching the skin but it does work fine. The one caveat is when I use mittens without a capacitive patch the touch screen does not work. The reality to extremely cold winter running for me is since I can start and stop the watch fine with the physical buttons and I have the data I need on the primary data screen it really is not that important that I use the touch screen in subzero temperatures so for me this is fine. Someone more competitive who really wants the different metrics and the ability to switch data screens might find this unacceptable. Activity Profiles – The profiles are very easy to setup and the data screens are very easy to customize. I personally only like two data fields displayed and this is easy to accomplish. Running Dynamics – There are additional running dynamics that are well executed. I love the Vertical Ratio and the Ground Contact Time Balance. While this detail is really cool I am not sure it will be of value to most people. GLONASS – When I enabled GLONASS I notice much faster satellite acquisition. All of the runs I have done with this device have been extremely accurate. Charger clip – The new charger clips on the watch rather than the magnetic clip on the 620. To me this is neither a pro or a con. The old clip was sometimes a little finicky to get seated. The new clip has a small spring so I suppose there is the potential for the clip to break. It seems pretty sturdy and is very easy to attach. It is much smaller than the old clip and I like it better. Garmin Connect Sync – This works flawlessly as soon as you save your run. From the connect app you can then add your gear and you have a complete log of the event. I used to upload my 620 run via WiFi (which was very quirky on the 620). I switched to Bluetooth and the Connect App about a year ago and never looked back. I never even need to use a computer anymore. The 630 works the exact same way. It also supports WiFi if you wanted that connection modality. The two features I like the most are 1. Smart Notifications – This is very helpful for me. I carry my phone with me when I run. When I get a text at 5AM there is a good chance I need to deal with an issue. In the past I would need to fish out my phone and view the text. This can get complicated in the winter when I have three pairs of gloves on and it’s 10 degrees out. This watch will display the text message so I can easily see if I need to deal with something or if I can ignore it. It is a real time saver and will prevent me from unnecessarily removing layers to check an alert when it is very cold. 2. The band on this watch is about ½” longer than the 620. This may not seem like a big deal but to a winter runner this is huge. This extra length is just enough to make it easier to fasten the watch over gloves. While I was always able to get the 620 on it was always a thought, “I wish this strap was longer”. So to wrap this up, if you already have a 620 and are considering upgrading the compelling reasons would be the larger capacitive screen, the updated HRM4 Strap, the larger band, and the new running dynamics. The sacrifice will be the poor backlight which may or may not be an issue. After running with this daily I have decided I like it and I am compelled to keep it just for the display if nothing else, it is much easier to see while moving that the 620. So in contrast to my original review (which I prematurely posted) I think this is a great device. I give it 4 stars, I would have given it 5 if the backlight was better.