A new gadget

 

Today I replaced my loved Garmin Vivoactive HR with the Garmin Instinct Solar. On the hiking tour in August to the Priel with around 12 hours on tour, the Vivoactive run out of battery, I started my plan for replacement. The requirement was clear for me - I want a watch with enough battery capacity and similar functionality as I already have.

I started to look on the market and as I already had a Garmin watch and I were satisfied with all Garmin devices I owned, I set the focus on Garmin watches. 

The first research brought two results, the Fenix 6 solar and the Instinct Solar. The Fenix series is the non plus ultra and also the most expensive series. The Instinct costs less than the half but uses button for navigation and has less smart functionality. It was clear that I will not buy a watch via Internet without trying a prototype, so I look for offers in a local store and today I found the offer at Conrad. Of course, I looked several videos on Youtube and these strengthen my decision.

I went there and used the buttons and my decision was broken because of the "old-fashion" usability. Additionally, a sales guy came around and asked if he can support me and I summarized my requirements. He favored the Fenix series because this series has an extended battery capacity with and also without Solar. 

After taking a breath, I recapitulate my requirements - extended battery capacity. I do not need maps on my watch, same for Garmin Pay, music and colors. There is some missing functionality on the Instinct which I also did not have on the Vivoactive, but is this the price difference worth it? Or is it gold plating for feature I rarely or never use? That tighten my decision again and I gave the button navigation a chance and bought it.

On an Agile perspective, this was an interesting lesson learned. I thought I had a requirement and I had enough knowledge about the button usability. Finally, I nearly trapped to "overengineering" by buying the Fenix.