Garmin Fenix 6, 6s or 6x – which one to choose? Battle of incredible sports watches
Garmin
Garmin Fenix 6, 6s or 6x – which one to choose? Battle of incredible sports watches
The American Garmin brand offers reliable watches that support both daily training and extreme sports. They perform well in difficult conditions and extreme temperatures, and their GPS sensors work flawlessly in hard-to-reach places around the world. The iconic Garmin fenix 6 series is definitely a good choice, but which sports watch should you choose? Read our guide to the Garmin 6, 6S, and 6X series and their variants. Find out which Garmin model will work best for you.
Garmin fenix 6, 6S or 6X – how do they differ?
At first glance, you will notice that they differ in terms of size. The Garmin fenix 6, 6S and 6X watches feature cases of different width, and thus their weight varies. In general, the Fenix 6 collection offers lots of editions, including Standard, Sapphire and Solar (e.g. Solar PRO is made of high-quality components). First off, let’s have a look at the variants:
- 6S – 42mm cases with metal rear cover, display resolution: 240 × 240 pixels
- 6 – 47mm cases with metal rear cover, display resolution: 260 × 260 pixels
- 6X – 51 mm cases with metal rear cover, display resolution: 280 × 280 pixels
- 6S, 6, 6X Solar – solar-powered Garmin watches
- 6S, 6, 6X Sapphire – watches fitted with sapphire crystal. For versions without "Sapphire", this is Corning® Gorilla® Glass DX
- 6S, 6, 6X Pro „Pro” means that the case is reinforced with superior components such as titanium or titanium with diamond like carbon coating (DLC)
- Obviously, Garmin offers various combinations, e.g. fēnix® 6 Pro and Sapphire or fenix® 6X – Pro Solar Edition. In such cases, it is best to follow the indications in the name – „Pro”, „Solar”, „Sapphire” and link them together.
Battery life of the Garmin Fenix 6
The battery life depends on the size and version. Since Garmin Solar watches are powered by light, their operating time is extended. Garmin gives a detailed description of the battery life and specific modes. In reality, however, it’s difficult to clearly determine the exact battery life, especially of Solar watches (it depends on the time of exposure to light). Below we’ve listed the minimum and maximum battery life of the Garmin Fenix 6S, 6, 6X watches, providing details of the solar version.
- Smartwatch mode with activity tracking and 24/7 wrist-based heart rate monitoring: from 9 to 21 days + extra 3 days for a solar-powered watch
- GPS mode: from 25 to 60 hr. + extra 6 hours for a solar-powered watch
- GPS mode with music: from 6 to 15 hr. + extra 1 hour for a solar-powered watch
- Battery saver watch mode: from 34 to 80 days + extra 40 days for a solar-powered watch
- Max. battery GPS mode: from 50 to 120 hr. + extra 28 hours for a solar-powered watch
- Expedition GPS mode: from 20 to 46 days + extra 10 days for a solar-powered watch
People who engage in demanding activities such as mountain climbing or multi-day wilderness trips will require a Garmin watch with a large battery capacity to support their long excursions. Given that such expeditions will be accompanied by strong exposure to light, it’s worth choosing solar watches. In fact, Garmin Solar devices will effectively support battery life, regardless of the size. Both Garmin Fenix 6 and 6S will sufficiently support workouts. Before making a purchase decision, it's best to consider what role the Garmin will play in our sports activities.
Feature differences in the Garmin 6, 6S and 6X
The Fenix 6 collection provides a broad range of functionality. And it is no different for other series. There are, however, a few key features that other collections may lack. These include:
- Map support: not available in 6, 6S, 6S Solar, available in all other versions
- Music control: not available in 6, 6S, 6S Solar, available in all other versions
- WI-FI: not available in 6, 6 Solar, 6S, 6S Solar, available in all other versions
- Preloaded ski maps: you can check the slope names and difficulty ratings of 2,000 ski resorts around the world - available in PRO version
- Surf features: available in fenix 6X - Pro Solar
What features are included in the Garmin fenix 6, 6S, 6X series?
The Garmin Fenix 6 is powerful enough to track a wide variety of sports and activities. Its rich functionality allows progress tracking, route planning, health monitoring and access to GPS-based data. Its parameters are really top-notch. Thus, the user of the Garmin 6 can be certain of its accurate navigation. Some of the features you may like include:
- Health monitoring: heart rate, heart rate alerts, pulse oximeter, Body Battery™, breathing exercises, sleep, stress
- Sensors: GPS, Glonass, Galileo, barometer, compass, gyroscope, accelerometer, thermometer, acclimatisation
- Features useful for everyday use: Bluetooth® Smart, ANT+®, phone notifications, calendar, weather forecast, Garmin Pay™ contactless payments
- Sports apps and modes, including cross-country and indoor running, swimming, running, cycling, hiking, rowing, skiing, golf and climbing
- Suggested workouts
Summary – which Garmin to choose?
If we consider only the 6S, 6 and 6X models, the choice depends on the user's needs. The fenix 6S variants are good for women with small wrists because the 42mm case size will ensure comfort during use. They are great for everyday workouts. If, however, you do extreme sports go for watches with a superior battery and titanium bezel. The same applies to watches for men. Garmin Fenix 6 models are designed for beginners. If you consider yourself a professional athlete, go for more advanced devices. Keep in mind that the Garmin Fenix 6 series doesn’t have a touchscreen. Operating the side buttons has a real impact on the choice of watch size, especially for men.
Garmin watches at Watchard
At Watchard you buy only original products of the highest quality. Check out our Garmin watches! We offer Forerunner, fenix 7, Vivoactive (loved by women) and many other popular series. Get motivated, improve your performance and keep your workout safe with a Garmin watch!
