It’s no coincidence that in just a few hours one of the toughest trail running races on earth – UTMB – will begin in Chamonix, France. The journey will take competitors on a 171KM loop with literal mountains of elevation climb. Garmin specifically chose today, and in particular – their location of Chamonix to launch the Fenix 6 series. In recent years, trail running has largely been the domain of Suunto devices, primarily due to both longer battery life and frankly, stability. Sponsorships of elite trail runners also helped too.
But that tide is slowly shifting. I spent last week up in Chamonix as athletes from around the world were out doing their final training runs, and these days it’s more of a blend of watches on wrists than the Suunto domination of a few years ago. And there’s no doubt that the specs Garmin has thrown down with the Fenix 6 series will cause many heads there to turn.
The Fenix 6 series is a slate of more than a dozen different watch variants, with battery life extending upwards of 120 days. Yes, days. And GPS-on time for ultra-type scenarios at nearly 150 hours. Or in full expedition mode GPS-on time at 56 days. Yes, again, days. Obviously, there are some caveats to those numbers – but we’ll get to those. Oh, and did I mention there’s now solar charging of the unit? No, it’s not the panacea that your own solar farm might be – but it’s a start and hint at where Garmin is going. And the new PacePro feature will automatically create a course-elevation optimized race plan for your specific goal time.
I’ve been testing the Fenix 6 series in a variety of conditions from the city streets of NYC to the high alpine trails of the French Alps. Plus the beautiful windy flats of the Netherlands. I’ve got a pretty good idea on what works well, and what still needs some love. Don’t worry, I cover it all through the course of more than 11,000 words.
But if words aren’t really your thing, then I’ve got a nice tidy video that runs through the top 16 new features on the Fenix 6 series in one quick go. It’s as good as it gets for efficiency around here:
Oh, and finally, as always I use devices like wilderness trails – leave nothing behind. These are media loaner units that go back to Garmin shortly. In fact, retailers are actually shipping Fenix 6 variants today. You can help support the site here by checking out the links at the end of the post. Doing so makes you awesome.
What’s New:
As you might expect with a product titled its sixth edition (actually, they skipped over a Fenix 4, but then did secondary editions of the Fenix 3 (HR) and 5 (Plus), so we’re roughly in the ballpark), much of the product is about building with new features. Garmin usually follows a bit of a tick-tock pattern with their product releases, specifically when looking at their Fenix and Forerunner lineups at the higher end. One product family will get new features first (in this case the Garmin FR945), and then the next product from the other family will get those features plus some extra (in this case, the Fenix 6 series).
As such I’m going to divide this up into two basic categories. First are the things that are totally new/changed in the Fenix 6 that are otherwise unseen on any other Garmin products to date. And the second is things that have been added since the Fenix 5 Plus or Forerunner 945. There’s slightly more things since the Fenix 5 Plus last summer that came in the FR945 that are joining the Fenix 6.
Here’s what’s totally new/changed in the Fenix 6 series:
– Split product line into two portions: Pro and Base. Pro has WiFi, Maps, Music, Golf Maps
– There are three sizes of watches: 42mm (Fenix 6s), 47mm (Fenix 6), 51mm (Fenix 6X)
– Adds solar charging to Fenix 6 Pro Solar: Termed “Power Glass”, this will increase battery life on sunnier days
– Adds Trendline Popularity Routing Visibility (Pro): This allows you to actually see the ‘heatmaps’ on your device
– Adds map display themes: This includes high contrast, popularity, marine, dark, and outdoor.
– Adds new widget glances concept: Basically shrinks widgets to 1/3rd the screen size, so you can see three at once
– Adds new PacePro feature: This replaces old-school paper race pace bands, creating pace targets for race based on grade/reverse splits/etc…
– Adds new Power Manager feature: Gives detailed information about the impacts/tradeoffs of features on battery life
– Adds new Power Modes feature: Allows you to create custom power/battery modes, with time remaining per activity
– Adds new MARQ Expedition ultra-long mode: For multi-week GPS activities. Basically shuts off everything except reduced rate GPS tracking
– Adds ski resort maps: These started on the MARQ series, with 2,000 ski resorts worldwide
– Adds golf maps pre-loaded: Previously you had to manually load these one by one, also, more detailed golf features
– Adds support for wrist-based swimming HR: This was teased recently on the FR945 beta updates
– Adds new ultra-low battery mode: Gets up to 80 days of battery life, but super basic watch functionality only
– Revamped ClimbPro with new coloring: Now matches the Edge 530/830 styling
– Increased data fields per page: Up to 8 fields on the 6X, and up to 6 fields on the 6S/6
– Increased screen size and reduced bezel (varies by model, but up to 36% bigger screen size on the 6X
– Reduced ‘lug to lug distance’ on Fenix 6S: This should help those with smaller wrists, more on this later
– Reduced thickness of all devices. The 6S shrunk by 10%, the 6 by 7%, and the 6X by 15%.
– Changed from MediaTek GPS chipset to Sony GPS Chipset: Like every other new Garmin 2019 device
– Battery life increased: Up to 80 days in battery saver mode for 6X, and up to 120hrs in max battery mode for 6X, all before solar (see full chart below)
And then here’s the list of items that come from the MARQ & Forerunner 945 series to the Fenix 6. I don’t believe there’s any new software features on the FR945 that aren’t on the Fenix 6 series. It got them all. Here they are:
– Added PulseOx (pulse oximeter data): Within Fenix lineup it was previously only on the Fenix 5X Plus variant
– Added Respiration Rate (post-activity, also as a data field): With chest strap only
– Added new Garmin ELEVATE optical HR sensor: This is the V3, same as MARQ/FR245/945 sensor.
– Added training load focus stats: Shows how workouts benefit a given target/focus area
– Added deeper training effect details/metrics: Further details on the impact of a workout
– Added body battery functionality: Kinda like Street Fighter body energy levels
– Added heat acclimation: For any workouts in temps over 71°F/21.6°C
– Added altitude acclimation: For any time or workouts spent above 850m/2,788ft
– Added Incident Detection: If you crash your bike it notifies someone (this was recently added to the Fenix 5 Plus via firmware update)
– Added Safety/Tracking Assistance: You can press button to send help alert to friends/family (this was recently added to the Fenix 5 Plus via firmware update)
– Revamped race predictor to be a bit more strict on predictions (more than just VO2Max lookup charts now)
– VO2Max now compensates for heat: Previously it didn’t
– Training Status now compensates for heat: Previously it didn’t
– Redesigned a bunch of the user interface, especially for post workout stats
– CIQ data field app limit remains at 2 concurrent per app
Phew. Got all that? Good, I hope so.
If not, fear not. There’s still like 10,000 more words and 120 other photos for these concepts to sink in (or, for you to give up). Either way, I’ve got you covered. First though, let’s get these all unboxed.
Oh wait – for those wondering, the Forerunner 245/245 Music, Forerunner 945, and MARQ series will get PacePro. The FR945 will get the map themes as well as widget galleries. The MARQ series will get everything the Fenix 6 has. No specific timelines for these. For other items I’m awaiting clarification/timing from Garmin.
Unboxing:
Back in my Fenix 5 Plus In-Depth Review unboxing section, I had noted that there were about the same number of editions (SKU’s) of the Fenix 5 Plus as there were Brady Bunch cast members. Well, I’m here to tell you that Marcia got pregnant, because now there’s even more SKU’s. Seriously, it’s kinda nuts. Here’s the entire listing of all of the children in this family photo that Garmin had (all prices parity USD/EUR):
The key takeaway from the above is simply that there are basically two lines of Fenix 6 units:
Base: These don’t include maps, WiFi, or music. Pro: Includes all the maps, music, WiFi, and features that build atop those functions
Essentially it’s as if Garmin is refreshing the base Fenix 5 lineup with the base Fenix 6 lineup, while the Fenix 5 Plus becomes the Fenix 6 Pro series. Roughly.
Now thankfully for you I won’t be doing a full unboxing of all the variants. Instead, I’m consolidating it into a single unboxing of the Fenix 6S Pro. Though frankly – the boxing of all of them is identical in terms of what you get inside, except for the specialty units that come with an extra strap.
And with that, here’s the full unboxing of a single unit:
Up above is your standard issue Garmin wearables box. Or at least, the square variety of the box. On the back you’ve got a bunch of details about exactly which version you bought:
Crack open the top and you’ll find the watch sitting there looking at you:
Meanwhile, unpack the top and here’s all the goodness inside. In this particular case it’s shown with an extra strap that was included in the box sent to me. That is *NOT* the norm. No extra strap for you! I’ll re-shoot this photo sometime after I sleep.
Here’s a closer look at that watch, and the lawless strap:
The charging cable remains the same as the Fenix 5 series:
And the manual will be totally useless after this review:
Now what’s actually notable about the Fenix 6S in particular is that the lug to lug distance has been reduced. You can see it most clearly in the below photo atop the blue Fenix 5S Plus unit. Notice how the white lugs (where the straps connect to), are significantly smaller:
Seen as well from the top-down view too. This helps those with smaller wrists as it makes the watch a bit more compact and not overreaching off the sides of your wrists into thin air. That in turn also gives you better fit on the strap, which finally gives you better optical HR sensor accuracy. See, it’s all about the accuracy.
But sizing tweaks don’t stop there. There’s some big changes in terms of the display and bezels, whereby the bezels have shrunk a bit on the 6/6X units, and the overall thickness has shrunk on all units. This shows you the exact differences in both screen/display sizing and thickness between the Fenix 5 Plus series and the Fenix 6 series. First up, the increased screen size:
And next, the Fenix 6 depth (thickness) sizing:
Got all that? Good, let’s start using the darn thing.
The Basics:
Now that we’ve got ourselves freed of our cardboard bonds, let’s start with some basics. If you’ve been around the Garmin block a few times, then honestly you can skip this section. I’m mostly talking about things like the user interface, daily activity, and sleep tracking, and all those related metrics. We’ll start the sport stuff and things like solar charging and such down a bit later. Though I do discuss the new widget glances feature in this section. First up though, watch faces.
Actually, wait – first up – another video. You can skip this, but if you want the complete tour of the user interface – then this video is for you!
Like all past Garmin Fenix series watches, you can customize the watch face. That includes swapping it out for an entirely different watch face as well as customizing every bit of data you see on it (or, don’t want to see on it):
In addition, you can use Garmin’s Connect IQ app to create your own watch face with a picture of your kids, Ben & Jerry’s container, or whatever else is important to you.
The first chance though that you’ll really notice with the Fenix 6 series is the new glanceable widgets. Widgets are basically full pages that you could scroll through when not in a workout. Mini-apps if you will. Things like weather, steps, training status, music, and so on. But they always took up the full screen, even if they were basically just displaying one line of data. Garmin is now introducing glanceable widgets, which fit three widgets per ‘page’, as you scroll through them:
If you select the highlighted widget, then you’ll get the full widget that you previously knew and loved, such as this:
Frankly, this may be one of my favorite features of the Fenix 6 series. Which sounds silly until you realize I hated scrolling endlessly through widgets trying to find the data I wanted. Now, I can scroll three times less (or faster). It’s brilliant. Here’s a small gallery of widgets currently on my watch. Note the solar widget is only applicable to the Fenix 6X Solar unit. All the other widgets are across all Fenix 6 units.
Like all Garmin wearables these days there’s activity tracking covering your steps, stairs, sleep, and other meanderings. You can see this data under a few different widget glances, but you can also customize your watch face with any of this too. In the case of widgets, you’ll see for example the steps one:
Once I tap into it then I get the last 7 days of steps, or I can also get distance too:
Another metric in that same category is 24×7 heart rate. This is automatically enabled and monitoring every second, all part of recording and ultimately plotting your data. You can have certain watch faces display your HR constantly as well. If you tap into the heart rate widget you’ll get a graph of the last 4 hours – and then again down to the resting HR for the last 7 days.
All of this (steps as well as HR) is accessible on both Garmin Connect (web), and Garmin Connect Mobile (smartphone app). You can graph it and re-graph it a million ways.
Garmin also plots stress levels as well. Both on the device in real-time as well as later in the app. I generally find this metric pretty close to reality, for better or worse.
A new metric introduced over the last year is Garmin’s Body Battery. Think of this like the old Street Fighter arcade game, whereby if you got a good night’s sleep it’d start at 100%, and then throughout the day would degrade. It’d go down faster for more intense things, and re-gain battery status if you’re sitting on a couch watching TV. I find it a good proxy, though occasionally not perfect. Within the watch you can see the last four hours, as well as four hours overlaid against stress. Further, you can see how much has charged or drained since midnight.
And again, all of this is also plotted within the Garmin Connect/Garmin Connect Mobile apps as well.
Related to body battery is sleep metrics. The unit will automatically record your sleep each night, and supposed sleep phases. While I can validate that the sleep times are usually within a couple minutes of my actual fall asleep/wake times, I have no method of validating the sleep phases bits. The sleep metrics are displayed on the app:
New to the remainder of the Fenix 6 series is PulseOx. This initially came to the Fenix 5X Plus last year, but quickly spread like wildfire to the remainder of the Garmin lineup. PulseOx aims to measure your blood oxygen saturation levels. It has two basic purposes in a Garmin wearable, one is around sleep (as potentially an indicator of sleep related issues), and two in high altitude environments as an indicator that something is about to go horribly wrong. Two totally different use cases (note: medical folks and such also monitor blood oxygen levels too for other reasons). For the first one – sleep – you can track your PulseOx readings each night. It’s the red light that’ll light up on the back of the watch.
This is then plotted as part of the greater PulseOx readings widget (below), and on GCM:
Whereas the second one, focused more on the high altitude aspect of things over the course of 7 days, then you can plot PulseOx readings against altitude. You’ll see this in both the widget and online:
Keep in mind that getting a good PulseOx reading requires you be very still. So it won’t typically trigger during a workout. Thus if at high altitudes you’ll need to pause for probably 15-30 seconds to get a clean reading (and doing so manually is your best bet).
Last but not least on our pile of basics is smartphone notifications. The device will display any smartphone notifications from any apps on your device, it’s not limited to just texts or calendars or such. You can configure whether or not to display these, as well as whether or not to display them in a workout. When a notification comes in, you can either cancel/clear it immediately, or you can open it up to get more information:
In the case of iOS users, there’s no further action you can take upon these. For example, you can’t respond to them and text back – that’s a limitation of iOS that Apple only reserves for the Apple Watch. The notifications on the Garmin device support about 120 emoji’s as well these days, which seems to cover most of the things I see come across. Note that images do not render on the screen from a text that may have pictures in it.
Ok, with that we’ve covered all the basics of the watch. Onto using it in sports!
Sports Usage:
The Fenix 6 series follows in the footsteps of the Forerunner 945 & MARQ series watches from a sports standpoint. That means you’re gaining all the new physio-specific features largely based on FirstBeat work. This includes bits like altitude & temperature acclimation, but also the new training load focus and recovery bits. We’ll dive into more of that later. First, we’ll cover some quick basics for those of you new to Garmin, and then I’ll show you how the new PacePro works on a real course, plus all the training load and recovery fun.
To start a workout though you’re going to simply tap the upper right button. This will give you a list of sports that you can customize and set favorites.
Basically every sport you’d want to measure is in there, including all of the following:
Trail Run, Run, Hike, Bike, Bike Indoor, Open Water Swim, Triathlon, Golf, Navigate, Track Me, Map, Multisport, Treadmill, Indoor Track, Climb, MTB, Pool Swim, Ski, Snowboard, XC Ski, SUP, Row, Row Indoor, TruSwing (Golf related), Project Waypoint, Walk, SwimRun, Kayak, Strength, Cardio, Yoga, Floor Climb, Elliptical, Stair Stepper, Clocks, Boat, Tactical, Jumpmaster, Other [Custom]
Once you’ve selected a sport it’ll show you the status of GPS & heart rate acquisition, as well as any connectivity to sensors. Technically speaking, while you were pondering which sport to choose, it had already started on all those bits. What you’ll notice at the top though is the battery level. By default this will show you how many hours you’ve got left in that mode:
Alternatively you can enable battery percentage as well, which will show that too. And this would be a great time to talk about battery modes and such, but I’ve set aside an entire section for that down below. It’s super cool stuff that builds upon (read: “borrows”) what Suunto did with their Suunto 9 and battery profiles, but really kicks it up a notch. But we don’t have time for that now. Let’s get to the sport first.
Once you’ve found GPS and heart rate it’s a good time to start the workout. It’s here that you’ll see your data pages as you’ve configured them. Like past Garmin watches, you still (for now) have to configure these on the watch itself and not via a smartphone app. I think Garmin gets the desire for folks to configure them on a phone or web app, but they aren’t there yet.
On the bright side, you’ve now got up to 8 data fields per page for the Fenix 6X, and up to 6 fields per page for the Fenix 6S/6 units. Here’s how that looks:
There’s also multiple new layouts, as well as layouts for 5 and 7 data fields too. So you’ve now got more data than you probably know what to do with. As with before you can use stock data pages or create numerous custom data pages. If you run out of data pages somehow, you’ve got a data consumption problem. You should see a specialist.
In any case, once out running/riding/swimming/etc, you’ll see data fields as normal:
This is a good time to mention that the Fenix 6 now supports optical heart rate while swimming. While Garmin has been beta trialing it on the Forerunner 945 this summer, it’s mostly ready for primetime now. They did note that like other companies, people may see variable results with optical HR in the water. But it’s an option for you to use that, or the HRM-TRI/HRM-SWIM straps if you want to record HR. However, only the optical HR option will show your heart rate in real-time. We’ll briefly discuss optical HR accuracy in the heart rate accuracy section below.
Beyond heart rate sensors the unit supports all the same sensor types as the Fenix 5 Plus series did, including both ANT+ & Bluetooth Smart standardized sensor types. They are as follows:
Once you’ve wrapped up and saved an activity you’ll get the new style end screen that mirrors the MARQ/FR945. This includes a course map profile, along with key stats. As you press the top right button you’ll iterate through some of the overriding training load metrics.
Whereas you can scroll down into the weeds for things like lap splits and other summary metrics:
All of this is of course synced to Garmin Connect via WiFi (on the Pro models) or via Garmin Connect Mobile (via Bluetooth Smart on your phone). Or, you can use USB and Garmin Express. Or, you can just go off the grid and ignore all that stuff. If you’ve set up synchronization to 3rd parties like Strava or TrainingPeaks, it’ll instantly send there as well. Here’s how it looks on Garmin Connect Mobile (aka GCM):
But let’s circle back to the training load stats. Each workout is given a specific Training Effect label and details. These are split between Aerobic and Anaerobic benefit, and are associated with a given load value. It also specifies what target area that it’s benefiting:
That data gets fed into the revamped Training Status functionality/widget, which shows the direction your fitness level and load levels are trending.
Below that, you’ll notice the little mountain and sun icons along the bottom. We’ll get to that shortly. First though, hit down twice (once past VO2Max) and you’ll see the 7-day load listed. This is color-coded by the type of load that you’ve gathered, as well as the total load values:
Tap down again and you’ve got your 4-week Load Focus. This basically consolidates all the training you’ve been doing into three specific buckets: Anaerobic, Aerobic High, and Aerobic Low, and then gives you specific target zones to be within (little pill boxes):
As you can see, I’ve blown out my ‘Aerobic High’ target. If I’m short in a given area, then it’ll tell me what to do. Or, in my case, since I’m somehow not short in any areas, it’ll tell me what my training has been doing lately in terms of benefit:
If I go down again, I’ll get Recovery Time until my next hard workout:
After that, we’ve got altitude/heat acclimation. The goal behind both altitude and heat acclimation metrics is to figure out whether or not you’re acclimated to a given temperature or altitude. Obviously, both can significantly impact performance. Starting with heat acclimation, the function leverages nearby weather stations. So your unit has to have connected to Garmin Connect Mobile within 3 hours of starting your ride in order to receive that weather data (it doesn’t use on-device temperature).
If we scroll back to the main Training Status page you’ll remember the small icons on the bottom of the training status page if you’re in the midst of acclimating to anything. In the case of below last week, I managed to score both heat and altitude acclimation icons. I unlocked the altitude badges in the Alps and on transatlantic flights overnight, and then on the heat I got that in both Amsterdam and NYC.
Altitude acclimation/adaption starts with a minimum threshold at altitudes above 850m/2,788ft, and tops out at 4,000m/13,123ft (Garmin doesn’t calculate above that level, sorry folks). Garmin says that they divide up training vs living altitudes, just as typical studies would. The company says that adaptation algorithms within the Fenix 6/MARQ/Forerunner 945/Edge 530/830 assume total adaptation after 21 days, and that adaptation is faster at the beginning of altitude exposure. Additionally, adaptation will decay within 21-28 days depending on acclimation level.
Fun geekery moment for you: On the Fenix 6 Series/Forerunner 945/MARQ, the altitude acclimation is based both on workouts, but also on where you sleep each night. At midnight the unit will quietly take an altitude reading (actually, it’s doing it all the time anyway), and then use that reading to determine acclimation. Where this gets fun is when you take redeye flights (as I did last night from the US to Europe), as it’ll take that reading at between 6,000-8,000ft (pressurized cabin altitude of a commercial airliner). At first you may think this would skew results, but in reality – it’s actually correct. Your body is acclimating to that altitude. Where it’s slightly off is that it assumes you’re spending 24 hours at that altitude, rather than the 5-14 hours you’re likely spending at that elevation.
Meanwhile, the next screen is heat acclimation.
For heat acclimation it applies a heat correction factor for rides above 71°F/22°C, using a percentage based amount from published studies (humidity is also factored into this as well). This is then shown in the training status widget. Garmin says they assume full acclimation takes a minimum of 4 days, and acclimation/adaptation to a given high temperature will automatically decay after 3 days of skipped training within that heat level.
Finally, virtually all of this can be found within the Garmin Connect Mobile and Garmin Connect apps. You can dive into bits like Training Status and Training Effect, where the colors match back up to what you see on the watch:
Same goes for Training Load too:
One of the common complaints that I see about Garmin Connect/Garmin Connect Mobile is that it’s not ‘deep enough’. Honestly, I don’t think that’s valid anymore. Nobody offers as much detail into your metrics as Garmin. Polar and Suunto don’t even come close anymore. However, what Polar tends to do better than Garmin is make these metrics more clear on the main dashboards. Whereas within Garmin you legit need to spend some time figuring out where everything is within Garmin Connect Mobile to make sense of it all. Suunto, of course, is shutting down Movescount next year in favor of their more basic ‘Suunto’ platform, so they need not apply anymore here when it comes to advanced metrics via app/web.
In any case, while I promised PacePro in this section, I’ve decided it deserved its own section. Partially because this section is already too big. And partially because I want to be able to link to the PacePro bits later on more quickly/easily.
PacePro for Running:
No, PacePro is not grade adjusted pace – despite how many times people keep writing it. In fact, it’s both much simpler, and much more powerful than that. It takes the concept of pace bands that any marathoner is undoubtedly familiar with and makes it all electronic. But even more than that, it automatically calculates each split (miles or kilometers) based on the elevation profile of the course you’re doing. In turn, you then get individual split targets for each mile raced.
But wait, we’re not done yet. Atop all that, you’ve got two specific levers to tweak: Intensity of hills (how hard you run them), and then whether you positive or negative split the race/course – and to what extent. Don’t worry, I’ll demo all this.
So to start, this feature is available on both the Pro and non-Pro Fenix 6 models. However, if using it on the non-Pro models, you’ll need to have the course already created (so it has access to the elevation data). Whereas on the Pro models you can actually create a course on the fly on a watch, and then execute a PacePro strategy upon it from the watch. I suspect though that 99.99% of you, no matter which version you have, will be creating courses online and sending them to your device.
Note that when doing it from the watch (versus Garmin Connect Mobile), you can’t adjust the various sliders that you see down below. As such, I’d really just recommend doing it from the app and sending it to your watch to execute.
First, you start off in the area to choose/create a course, and you’ll see the ability to choose PacePro. From there you’re given the option to load a course or not:
Technically speaking you don’t even need to load a course. You can simply use an assumed flat course profile and then do positive/negative splits based on a given time goal or pace goal. Which gets us to the next bit – choosing that goal. You can tweak this later easily if you want, but you need to choose either a time or pace goal. In my case I set up a loop around NYC’s Central Park and went with a sub-7/mile pace goal. Knowing I’d be coming off a transatlantic flight and running this 90 minutes later, I kept things civilized:
Next, you’ll be brought to this screen that shows the course profile with color coding on it. You can expand this and zoom in however you’d like:
But the real magic happens down below. That’s where you can dork with two levers. The first one adjusts whether you want to positive or negative split the course (meaning, get faster over the course, or fade over the course). And the second one adjusts how hard you run the hills. As you adjust those sliders, you’ll see that both the split targets down below change, as well as the split targets over the elevation up above:
It’s frankly kinda fun to play with this. You can do it all day long. Once you’re done, you’ll send this to your watch and it’ll sync via Bluetooth Smart.
Also of note – is that you can create the ‘splits’ based not just on per-mile or per-kilometer, but per elevation changes. So you can divide them up between downhill sections vs uphill sections vs flats, etc… Which frankly, makes a lot of sense.
Next, back on your watch you’ll go to the running activity and load the PacePro strategy up. These actually are files similar to course/workout files that you’ll find on your watch (for those geeks in the house). On the watch it’ll show you some of the stats for that PacePro session:
And then, off you go (once you press start). The watch will then show your target pace (7:00) on the top line, followed by your current pace for that split on the second line (6:35). You can see here I’m overachieving (hey, I’m still getting used to trusting a watch on pacing like this):
Then down below you’ve got distance remaining (0.75) in that lap (either 1 kilometer or 1 mile depending on how you’ve set it up), and then below that you’ve got whether or not you’re ahead or behind for the entire race, and by how much (-0:07).
What’s notable here is is that it locks to your GPS location on the predefined course (think of it like a train track, or roller coaster ride), rather than your watch distance the GPS has measured. This has its pros and cons.
On the plus side, this means that if your GPS accuracy goes to crap (such as with a tunnel, or just life in general), then it doesn’t impact PacePro. That’s really really cool, and is considerably different than something like Virtual Partner or any other pacing functionality. On the downside though, if there’s a difference between the route/course you created in Garmin Connect (or wherever) and the course that you’re running – then you’re up crap-creek. That could happen if either there’s a change on race day due to some road scenario, or if the route you created on GC has unnoticed anomalies in it.
In fact, that’s exactly what happened to me with my NYC Central Park course. I thought I had created a loop around the main road, but upon closer inspection at numerous points along the route the Garmin Connect course creator took short detours. Often only 50-150 meters each, but there was a pile of them, usually just briefly to nearby sidewalks and back. But they added up – and they’re virtually impossible to see unless you zoom way in.
In talking with Garmin, they’re digging into why (on what is arguably the world’s most popular running loop), it repeatedly forces you off the loop onto random detours. In doing some course creation elsewhere this doesn’t appear to be an issue. I suspect the extreme density of heat map (popularity) data Garmin has for Central Park is ironically its downfall here. So just a word of caution – triple-check your course routes/maps.
In any event, that issue aside, the entire functionality of it worked awesomely on the watch itself. It was surprisingly motivating to just focus on a single lap, but more importantly – getting different splits each time. It took my mind off of the larger prize, and had my brain focus on one thing at a time. Well done.
Garmin says they’re bringing this to other devices in the future, but hasn’t specified which existing devices will get it (likely the Forerunner 945, MARQ, and perhaps Forerunner 245).
Maps, Navigation, and ClimbPro:
Garmin’s added some new functionality in the mapping and navigation arena. I’m going to tackle it two ways. First, I’m going to straight-up talk about map themes and popularity data (heatmaps). And then I’m going to show you how the remaining functionality works on a test hike.
Within the Fenix 6 series Garmin has introduced the concept of ‘Map Themes’, which allow you to change the styling of the map in real-time. For example you can go from the default styling to a night styling. Or to a high contrast styling. Or even a marine-focused one. To do so, you’ll go into the sport mode settings (for whichever sport you want) and then under map, go to ‘Map Themes’. To say this feature is buried would be the understatement of the review.
Once in there you can simply toggle between the different maps. This is also where you’ll find the new ski resort map functionality as well as popularity routing overlays.
Here’s an example of high contrast:
The popularity routing is also new here. Previously on the Fenix 5 Plus series Garmin baked in their ‘Trendline Popularity’ data, which is basically the culmination of millions of activities on Garmin Connect. Essentially heatmap data. But you couldn’t actually see the ‘heat’, it was just data under the covers that the unit would route you on. Now however, you can see the purple heat.
It’s organized by sport type. So running vs cycling, etc… But it’s also not quite that simple either. See, it’s also displayed on the nuance of hiking versus running. I see that as a bit of a challenge, and it was super obvious in the area around Chamonix. When I used the ‘hiking’ data sets, almost nothing was visible. Whereas when I used running, there was tons of data. This is likely because most Garmin users would just default to using run no matter what for such activities. The other challenge is that the zoom levels make the feature semi-useless. I can’t zoom more than 0.5mi out (on scale). So basically I can see where people are running down to the end of the street, but not beyond that. I can’t really get the full picture.
Again, these are things Garmin should be able to solve. I’m happy to wait while it loads the tiles for that larger map area. It’s certainly better than trying to zoom around like a drunk idiot.
In any event you can also overlay the ski resorts mode too – which shows you ski lifts and ski runs from some 2,000 resorts around the world, including the ones I was at. Admittedly, it’s a bit hard to see in this photo.
With all that set, let’s go to loading up a course and get hiking. In my case, I just created my course on Garmin Connect. That allowed me to validate against the popularity data more easily. You can do the same these days on Garmin Connect Mobile (smartphone app) as well, though it continues to be a bit clumsy (but is faster than before).
When you load a course you’ll get all the details for it, including most notably ClimbPro.
ClimbPro isn’t new here, that came last year. But what is new is that it’ll start showing you coloring just like the Edge 530/830/1030 do, with the steeper gradient colored more painfully than the lesser gradients. Like this:
Oh, you wanted a picture on the Fenix 6 series? Unfortunately, the feature isn’t done yet, and is expected for release sometime here soonish. Until then, you’ll get the single-tone coloring. Which is still super helpful:
As you start your course you’ll see the map view, and then get little chirps each time you’re coming up on a turn in the trail. It’ll show you exactly what you’re supposed to do and the distance to do it. Even on the steep 20% switchbacks in the Alps it was astoundingly accurate.
The only time I got screwed up was when there was a four-way intersection the middle of nowhere and the posted signs were temporary, and pointed kinda-sorta the wrong way. So I basically ended up trying all paths until the Fenix 6 stopped telling me I had gone the wrong way:
But largely, I lived in ClimbPro. With thousands of feet of elevation gain for each climb, I used that as my metric for how quickly I was ascending and how close I was to the top. It continues to be my favorite feature when hiking.
The remainder of the navigation and related features haven’t changed much with the Fenix 6 (from the Fenix 5). And honestly, within that most of those haven’t changed in a few years either. Keep in mind that features that depend on mapping will depend on having the Pro variant. However, not always.
For example, you can use ClimbPro just fine on the base models. But you need to have the course created first on Garmin Connect so it sends the elevation data to the Fenix 6 base. On the flip-side, it won’t re-route you on trails when you get off-course, because it doesn’t have the trails like the Pro models have. Similarly, you won’t get any of the map themes, because there are no maps.
And finally, like numerous other Garmin devices, it’s still super clunky to buy and install maps on the Fenix 6 series and requires a computer. Though, the pricing is better these days (down to $20/map in some cases). Or, you can just use my guide to download free maps here. However, I’d really like to see Garmin make this totally idiot-proof and just allow you to either buy or download maps from within the Garmin Connect Mobile app, and leverage WiFi to install them. Remember that maps only are included for your region of purchase. So for USA folks that’s North America, for Europe folks that’s all of Europe, and for Australia folks that’s all of AUZ/NZ. Beyond that, you’ll need to triple-check the exact region coverage.
How Solar Works, and Power Modes:
I’ve separated out this entire section from the rest of the review – mainly because it’s such a new and interesting concept that for this review I think it makes sense for it to have a dedicated chunk. The solar feature is only available on the Fenix 6X Solar, and not on any other units. This falls in line with Garmin piloting new technologies on the Fenix ‘X’ series each year. The first year (Fenix 5X) it added maps when the rest of the series didn’t have it. Last year (Fenix 5X Plus) it added PulseOX, a first on Garmin devices. And this year, it’s solar.
However, the new Power Modes and Power Management features are available on all units, yes, all Fenix 6 units.
We’ll start on the Fenix 6X Solar though. So let’s dive into it a bit. On the Fenix 6X Solar you’ll notice a very thin 1mm wide strip just on the inside of the bezel. This is the first of two solar pieces.
This thin strip has 100% photovoltaic levels, meaning, it’s receiving 100% of the sun’s goodness and turning that into solar power. It’s also clearly visible in bright light, though you’d just assume it was a bezel design element. Inside without bright light, this strip almost disappears and blends into the bezel.
However, there’s a second solar panel you can’t see – despite being the entire display face. Under the display is another solar panel that has a 10% photovoltaic level. This panel is of course far larger than that of the thin bezel strip, but is also getting 10% of the sun’s rays, due to the display blocking much of it. Importantly though, both panels are fully under a single sheet of Gorilla Glass (specifically Corning Gorilla Glass 3 with DX Coating). Meaning, you won’t accidentally scratch the bezel solar panel anymore than you’d normally scratch your watch face.
Speaking of that watch face, you’ll notice that there’s a little sun atop the default watch face. That sun is actually showing you the current intensity level. Around the edge of the little sun are 10 pieces, each indicating 10% of full intensity. So if you look at the below picture you’ll see the sun is coming in at 0% intensity as I’m in the shade:
Next, another phone out in some broken clouds conditions and you can see it’s at about 70%
And here’s another at 100% intensity, with all lines lit up as well as the sun itself:
The goal of the solar here isn’t to fully power the watch, under GPS or otherwise. Instead, it’s to provide incremental battery life. Garmin notes this in their super-detailed battery life chart. Note specifically the assumption of 3 hours per day of solar light at a pretty high intensity (full sun basically). That goes both ways though. If you’re mid-summer and spending the day at the beach (or workout side), then you’ll way overachieve here. Versus if it’s mid-winter and you’re indoors…then not so much.
Here’s the basic main takeaways though:
A) If you’re spending 3+ hours outdoors you might be able to pull off something close to battery neutral in a pared down configuration (not much notifications/etc…).
B) While outdoors on longer hikes, solar will definitely extend your battery life, potentially a lot
In fact, I did a bit of battery comparisons between the Fenix 6X Solar and the Fenix 6 side by side on my longer hikes, plotting the battery life. For the most part these watches were configured equal. However, what’s notable is cases where I’m below the tree-line in the trees, you can see battery burn is about equal, but once I clear the tree-line (around 1hr 30 marker), and am back into the sun, battery life burn on the 6X Solar slows. Pretty cool.
By the way, those battery charts are with the DCR Analyzer. We plot battery life for devices that support writing it to the files, including Garmin, Wahoo, and soon Stages. Also note that in the case of the above, I was shooting photos and using maps extensively (though equally) on both devices. Your actual burn rates will likely be better.
Sure, this is only on the Fenix 6X Solar, but make no mistake – this is Garmin’s testbed. And like previous years, I don’t expect it to take long for the feature (hardware addition) to migrate to other units. After all, Garmin announced today the acquisition of technologies from French company SunPartner Technologies. Garmin actually quietly made that acquisition a long while ago, back when the company filed for insolvency, and you can see hints at this in some French news stories (and even see the judgements within the French Société system). Garmin has said that they expect this technology to expand to other devices where it makes sense (meaning, probably not a $75 Vivofit band).
Ok, let’s shift to the next bit of power and battery features, which is the new power modes. These are similar to what Suunto introduced within the Suunto 9 last year, and have pre-defined battery setups that show you how many hours you’ll get in that given configuration:
These can be changed at the outset of an activity, as well as mid-activity.
What’s really cool though is going into Power Manager and creating your own configurations. This allows you to tweak the battery burn profile based on which features you want enabled or disabled. And it’ll actually tell you exactly how many hours it’ll save (or cost you) to make that setting change:
Next, there’s the new low power battery mode, called Battery Saver. This follows in the footsteps of Casio, whereby they basically shut down almost all watch functions in exchange for the watch face remaining with the time – getting you months of battery life. The same is true here:
Once you enable the low power battery mode virtually everything is disabled: Optical heart rate, Bluetooth phone connectivity, external ANT+ sensors, and even the display itself goes into a low-power mode where it uses a custom watch face that doesn’t show seconds. When you ask yourself whether something is disabled in this mode – the answer is ‘yes’. Though, it only takes a single button press and you’re ready to start a run with GPS as normal (or, with your own custom battery mode):
Finally, while not directly a power management feature, Garmin has ported over the ‘Expedition’ sport mode from the MARQ Expedition series. This functionality allows you to get upwards of 56 days of GPS track points on a single battery charge with the 6X Solar. In this mode it’ll go into a lower power state, but then every hour will wake itself up and take a GPS fix before going back into the low-power state.
It’s an interesting concept, but I do wonder how often (if ever) someone would actually use that in 2019. I’d think most people have access to battery packs and such that it’s unlikely that you’d really need 56 days of GPS tracks without some means to charge the unit. In any case – Garmin is clearly investing in longer life options for users within the Fenix 6 series. It’s not just one feature, but a whole pile of prongs in the fire on ways you can get crazy long battery life if you need it.
GPS Accuracy:
There’s likely no topic that stirs as much discussion and passion as GPS accuracy. A watch could fall apart and give you dire electrical shocks while doing so, but if it shows you on the wrong side of the road? Oh hell no, bring on the fury of the internet!
GPS accuracy can be looked at in a number of different ways, but I prefer to look at it using a number of devices in real-world scenarios across a vast number of activities. I use 2-6 other devices at once, trying to get a clear picture of how a given set of devices handles conditions on a certain day. Conditions include everything from tree/building cover to weather.
Over the years I’ve continued to tweak my GPS testing methodology. For example, I try to not place two units next to each other on my wrists, as that can impact signal. If I do so, I’ll put a thin fabric spacer of about 1”/3cm between them (I didn’t do that on any of my Fenix 6 series workouts). But often I’ll simply carry other units by the straps, or attach them to the shoulder straps of my hydration backpack (which I did do here in the Alps). Plus, wearing multiple watches on the same wrist is well known to impact optical HR accuracy.
Next, as noted, I use just my daily training routes. Using a single route over and over again isn’t really indicative of real-world conditions, it’s just indicative of one trail. The workouts you see here are just my normal daily workouts. I’ve had quite a bit of variety of terrain within the time period of Fenix 6 testing. This has included runs, hikes, swims, and rides in: Amsterdam (Netherlands), New York City (USA), and around Chamonix in the French Alps (France/Switzerland border). I’ve probably forgotten some other trips too, it’s been kinda crazy lately.
First up we’ll start with a run around NYC’s Central Park, this is the full loop, and one I was using PacePro for. It is compared to the Suunto 9 and the Garmin Forerunner 935. Here’s the full data set:
Obviously, at a high level things look clean – no drunk uncle moments. So let’s dig a wee bit deeper, starting at the beginning. I know it’s a bit tougher to see the lines in satellite mode, but it’s worth it.
I’m on the inside edge of the roadway, on the usual Central Park runners lane. In this case, the Fenix 6X nails it. Note that all units had about 5-7 minutes to acquire GPS as I walked from the hotel to the starting line, including the Suunto 9. Though, the Suunto 9 was quickly off over in the woods. All units were configured the same in terms of GPS recording rates.
Now a bit around the next corner the Fenix 6X Pro Solar was feeling slightly left out of the tree adventures, so it too went tree-surfing. Slightly less than the Suunto 9 did, but still off-path. Perhaps 3-4 meters offset.
In fact, it’s a tit for tat pattern we’d see repeat itself throughout the run. The Suunto 9 or Fenix 6X Solar would undercut or overreach around a turn, and then the next turn the other would do it. Neither would do so drastically, but just enough that you’d notice.
And the above back and forth bits prove why I don’t typically use final distances, you can undercut and then overshoot easily – and still end up with similar distances. If we assume the FR935 was the best track (and it was), you can see that it was only .06KM different on 10KM than the Fenix 6X Solar. The Suunto 9 had overshot considerably, at 10.22KM.
In the event you want to dig into another NYC run, I’ve got this one here on the DCR Analyzer. The Fenix 6 did struggle a bit to stay on the path, but did better than the FR935 once I got into the main building portion of the city.
Next, let’s shift gears up to the French Alps for some high altitude GPS tracking. I did three days of these, and by and large the tracks were fantastic across the Fenix 6 devices. On all days I was wearing both a Fenix 6 Pro and a Fenix 6X Pro (one per wrist). First, let’s look at a track up to a glacier, starting with steep switchback in pretty heavy forest/woods. Here’s that data set:
At a high level, things look pretty good. No massive errant issues. But let’s zoom deep into the woods and switchbacks:
At the beginning here, none of the units are exactly perfect. Though interestingly, when I look at the trail map as I’m going up, they’re very very close on the device itself.
Once I get beyond the first few minutes, things settle out a bit and they track fairly close to each other:
This next set of switchbacks is largely pretty good as well. Differences between the devices of course – but nothing outlandish.
And again higher up. Slight differences – but we’re really only talking a couple of meters between the tracks.
This continues like this for the rest of the track.
Seriously, look at how good/close these tracks are – from all the watches for that matter.
I’ll add in within a few minutes a few more tracks from the Alps for you to poke out – though as a spoiler – they’re all the same – astoundingly good (better than NYC).
Next, let’s go to Amsterdam for some cycling. For this ride, I was out on country and farm roads, with some initial city bits, and then mostly farmland. GPS-wise it’s not a hard route per se, but I do see units occasionally screw it up. I’m comparing it against the Edge 530 and Polar Vantage V. Here’s that data set:
As I go through some initial city sections, the tracks are locked on very tight – no issues here:
And again the same as I’m out passing a small village:
Seriously, it’s boringly perfect:
Hopping back over across the pond for another cycling jaunt, this one will be quick and easy. It’s not a ‘real ride’ per se, but rather just a NYC bike share bike. But I wanted to show it because it’s astounding. This was a simple commute across the heart of NYC, and the GPS track is astoundingly good. Things wobbled for the first block or two, but then it’s locked onto the road. There’s no need for comparison shots here, we can just look at the map and see it’s locked perfect on the road I’m on. I’m impressed:
Finally, we’ll round things out on an openwater swim from yesterday. Now mind you, I’ve been hyper-critical of Garmin’s openwater swim functionality in 2019 (and even back to 2018). It’s just sucked. Almost all of the newer devices would fail at some point in the swim, ceasing to track – sometimes even after just a few dozen yards. Garmin started digging into the issue back in June, formed a bunch of special committees on it, and has thrown countless employees into the water over the summer to try and fix it, alongside their GPS chipset providers Sony and MediaTek. Progress has been made though, both in public betas and private ones.
While Garmin isn’t saying it’s perfect, they did note in a call a week or so ago that on the last beta firmware they were testing they’ve successfully completed over 100 openwater swims without a single drop (mind you, I could barely go 1-2 swims without a failure back earlier this summer).
Still, with that in mind and all my travel – I’ve only gotten in a single openwater swim. Statically speaking that’s not as much as I’d like for this feature. So perhaps I just got lucky. In any case, my swim from yesterday:
The reference track is near-identical. In fact, actually two reference tracks just for the eff of it. If this is the quality of GPS tracks going forward with the latest GPS firmware for openwater swim, I’m pretty damn happy. Of course, this was also a relatively straightforward giant box of a route. But still, gotta start somewhere.
In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a GPS openwater swim track as good at this before from *any* watch, ever. It’s seriously impressive.
There’s an itty tiny bit at the first turn where it cuts by perhaps a couple meters – but that’s it. Note that I did not stop at any point during this swim, I kept moving the entire time.
But again, pretty solid stuff here for swimming. Hopefully my future swims continue that way.
So overall in terms of GPS accuracy, it’s mostly good. I found it excellent up in the high alpine and mountains of the French Alps – frankly, doing incredibly well in some really tough conditions, especially up against sharp cliffs or in the denser woods down lower.
On the flip side, I did see some struggles in NYC’s Central Park – where the older Forerunner 935 has no meaningful issues. Certainly Garmin has made great strides with the Sony chipset they’ve used on all new 2019 devices, but it’s not quite perfect yet. But I think for the vast majority of people it’ll be acceptable (or better).
(Note: All of the charts in these accuracy portions were created using the DCR Analyzer tool. It allows you to compare power meters/trainers, heart rate, cadence, speed/pace, GPS tracks and plenty more. You can use it as well for your own gadget comparisons, more details here.)
Heart Rate Accuracy:
Before we move on to the test results, note that optical HR sensor accuracy is rather varied from individual to individual. Aspects such as skin color, hair density, and position can impact accuracy. Position and how the band is worn, are *the most important* pieces. A unit with an optical HR sensor should be snug. It doesn’t need to leave marks, but you shouldn’t be able to slide a finger under the band (at least during workouts). You can wear it a tiny bit looser the rest of the day.
Ok, so in my testing, I simply use the watch throughout my usual workouts. Those workouts include a wide variety of intensities and conditions, making them great for accuracy testing. I’ve got steady runs, interval workouts on both bike and running, as well as tempo runs and rides, and so on.
For each test, I’m wearing additional devices, usually 3-4 in total, which capture data from other sensors. Typically I’d wear a chest strap (usually the Garmin HRM-DUAL or Wahoo TICKR X), as well as another optical HR sensor watch on the other wrist (primarily the Polar OH1+ these days, but also occasionally Wahoo TICKR FIT or Scosche 24 too). Note that the numbers you see in the upper right corner are *not* the averages, but rather just the exact point my mouse is sitting over. Note all this data is analyzed using the DCR Analyzer, details here.
First, let’s start and see how it handles steady-state running. This was a run from two days ago – pretty easy and straightforward around Central Park before rushing to the airport to catch a flight. It’s compared against a Garmin HRM-DUAL and Fitbit Versa 2 optical HR sensor. Here’s that set.
Well, that was boring. Everyone basically agreed. A few minor bobbles at what point around the 32-minute marker for a second here or there with the Fenix 6X Solar being a couple beats higher, but it was pretty transient. Again, kinda a boring set. But hey, sometimes boring is good!
Next, we’ve got a much more intense run, albeit also around Central Park. This was using PacePro as my base, so it was more or less full throttle the entire time. Here’s that set.
You can see right out of the gate the Fenix 6X Solar is having a couple of issues with locking onto the HR. It’s plausible that me taking some early photos didn’t help, though I think that might be generous at best.
However, by the 3-minute marker the units are mostly aligned – and stay that way for the remainder of the run. That said, things are a bit wobbly on this run from all units – perhaps due to the intensity, or perhaps because post-flight I felt like I was dying trying to hit the PacePro targets. Either way, even the OH1 Plus seems a bit more wobbly than I’m used to (though, it’s clearly the best of the bunch):
The above is one of those graphs that looks bad from afar, but we’re only talking about a 1-3bpm difference between the different units. It’s just the zoomed in factor that doesn’t help much.
Next, let’s shift to some cycling and heading outside for a ride, this one on mostly good pavement on a fairly warm night. In general the warmer the weather the better optical HR sensors will do. Here’s that set:
Now I’ve crossed out two chunks in yellow. Those are bits where I was stopped on the side of the road not riding, filming something – thus, who knows what funk I was doing then (setting up tripods and such).
However, the rest of the ride is actually surprisingly good by all players. Honestly, one of the better HR performances I’ve seen recently. For example, this first section:
I see a little bit of lag difference between the Garmin sensors and the Polar sensors here. But it’s not possible to know whether that’s real lag or just bad timing on one GPS time clock or the other. However if you look closely you can see that there are cases where the Garmin Fenix 6X Solar and the HRM-DUAL track very closely during some momentary recovery bits, whereas the Polar sensors somewhat unexpectedly miss them.
Again, outdoor cycling continues to be one of the hardest things for wrist-based optical HR sensors to get right. And in this case, things aren’t horrific. Yet, there are still some bobbles, like later towards the end of the ride when the Fenix 6X Solar does some odd spikes:
Finally, what about swimming HR with the optical HR sensor? Well, I took out the unit yesterday for an openwater swim and a Polar OH-1 sensor. Here’s that overlay:
OK then. So…
Yeah, I’m not really sure who’s correct there. But I can say that they don’t match. Historically speaking I’ve had pretty good luck with the Polar OH1/OH1Plus, so if I had to take a stab here, my guess would be it was correct. Or, it could be wrong.
However, they do roughly trend higher, so there’s that. Ultimately, I’ve never found heart rate while swimming super helpful, in part because of how much it lags compared to running or cycling. Still, at least it’s an option I guess.
For swimming, I’d agree with Garmin/Suunto/Polar that when it comes to optical HR sensor, that it’s going to be a ‘YMMV’ (Your Mileage May Vary) type of situation. All three companies have said as such in my discussions with them, and it can depend on numerous factors from positioning to the exact swim stroke you’re using. So definitely do a bit of your own testing to see how well things hold up in the water over multiple sessions (both pool and openwater) before you decide if it works for you.
Ultimately, the performance I see on both the Fenix 6X Solar and 6 is pretty much the same as what I saw on the MARQ series before it – mostly OK in many scenarios, but still some gaps in certain scenarios. It’s not usually as easy as saying that it’ll fail in intervals or high intensity, as I’ve had plenty of cases where it works just fine there. Sometimes it’s just a case of some unknown quirk that gets things distracted.
Product Comparison Tool:
I’ve added the Garmin Fenix 6 Series into the product comparison tool. While I could have added separate line items for each individual SKU/model, that’d get messy pretty quick. So I just noted where certain specs were different on a given metric. For the below chart I’ve compared it against the Fenix 5 Plus series, as well as the Polar Vantage V, and the Suunto 9. I could have tossed in the Forerunner 945, though frankly the only differences you’ll see between the Fenix 6 and the Forerunner 945 once all the firmware updates are done should be mainly materials (though, exact nuances may differ in some software features – that’s a bit TBD). Of course, you can make your own charts here in the product comparison calculator.
And again, don’t forget you can make your own product comparison charts here with all the products in the database.
Summary:
The Fenix 6 is more or less the next Fenix version we expected was coming. No, not because of all the leaks – but simply because Garmin declined to add in the new Forerunner 945 features into the Fenix 5 Plus back this past spring. On one hand, none of these features are earth shattering – yet almost all of them gel together really well. Like the Forerunner 945 before it, we’re starting to see Garmin really differentiate itself from the pack in terms of physio focused features, but also even just more practical things like battery life and ease of use (understanding the impacts of battery choices).
The other thing that this release does is close the gap between the release cycles of the high-end Garmin Forerunner series (FR945) and the high-end Fenix series. Previously that timeframe was upwards of a year or more. Now we’re down to about 4-5 months. It behooves Garmin to get these as close as possible so that people are making decisions not so much on features (which would mostly be the same), but on material and styling choices. Rather than have someone buy a FR945 and then realized they could have gotten a swankier Fenix 6 just a few months later.
In any event, the Fenix 6 production units I’ve been testing have been largely good, but not perfect. There are still occasional quirks that either are transient (such as slow syncing on one unit, but not the other), and of course some GPS oddities in New York City specifically. Plus of course the Garmin Connect driven map creations issues I saw that flowed downhill into my PacePro experience. But on the whole, things are pretty good for a product that starts shipping globally today. Undoubtedly, as more people get on it and find more edge cases – there will be bugs. And realistically it’ll probably take a few months for those bugs to sort themselves out. But I’ve been using it as my primary watch the last little while without issue. Almost all of the uploads you see on my Strava are from it.
Finally – I’m super interested to see where Garmin takes their acquired solar technology. Not just in terms of to other devices, but on how to expand the amount of solar energy it can return to the watch. Undoubtedly with the Fenix 6X Solar they started off pretty cautiously on numerous fronts, so I expect as they gain the experiences of thousands of real-life people, they’ll have learnings and tweaks they can apply going forward to newer devices.
With that – thanks for reading!
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Hopefully you found this review/post 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.
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And finally, here’s a handy list of accessories that work well with this unit (and some that I showed in the review). Given the unit pairs with ANT+ & Bluetooth Smart sensors, you can use just about anything though.
This is a dual ANT+/Bluetooth Smart cycling cadence sensor that you strap to your crank arm, but also does dual Bluetooth Smart, so you can pair it both to Zwift and another Bluetooth Smart app at once if you want.
This is one of the top straps I use daily for accuracy comparisons (the others being the Polar H9/H10). It's dual ANT+/Bluetooth Smart, and in fact dual-Bluetooth Smart too, in case you need multiple connectons.
Seriously, this will change your life. $9 for a two-pack of these puck Garmin chargers that stay put and stay connected. One for the office, one for your bedside, another for your bag, and one for your dog's house. Just in case.
This speed sensor is unique in that it can record offline (sans-watch), making it perfect for a commuter bike quietly recording your rides. But it's also a standard ANT+/BLE sensor that pairs to your device. It's become my go-to speed sensor.
This wifi-connected scale will track your weight and related metrics both on the scale display and in Garmin Connect (plus 3rd party apps like TrainingPeaks). It'll also then sync your weight to your watch/bike computer, to ensure accurate calorie data.
The HRM-PRO Plus is Garmin's top-end chest strap. It transmits dual ANT+/Bluetooth Smart, but also transmits Running Dynamics & Running Pace/Distance metrics, stores HR data during a swim, and can be used without a watch for other sports. Also, it can transmit XC Skiing Dynamics as well.
And of course – you can always sign-up to be a DCR Supporter! That gets you an ad-free DCR, access to the DCR Quarantine Corner video series packed with behind the scenes tidbits...and it also makes you awesome. And being awesome is what it’s all about!
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!
I purchased my Fenix 6 Pro just over a year ago because my Fenix 5 had started to lose battery life and the OHR had ceased to give reliable data. The battery life on the 6 Pro seemed marginally better than the Fenix 5 and the optical HR definitely felt like an improvement. Now, a year later, the battery life can’t make it through 4 or 5 10 mile bike rides without a recharge and the OHR data has become so uneven and unreliable day to day that it’s become virtually useless. I just turn it off to try and get a day or so more out of the battery. Maybe I have bad luck with Garmin or maybe the constant churn of new product is the goal and not long term reliability.
Do you know if a windows application exists to replicate the watch’s display on a laptop ? My idea would be to add an overlay on Zwift with more informations: lap heart rate / lap normalized power / etc.
The api for the .zwo files doesn’t allow to show such metrics.
I’m gearing up to buy a Fenix 6 – and I’m leaning toward the Sapphire Version. Ray can you tell me, or can anyone interject without having to scroll through 1,500+ comments. If Garmin has corrected an issue that was shipping some sapphire 6’s with a washed out blue hue when back lit.
There’s a lot of discussion on this on Garmin forums, but most of it is over a year old and I can’t really seem to find a definitive answer.. Am I just going to have to buy the watch and see if I get lucky with my unit before the return window ends? (Buying through REI in the Seattle area)
Since I’m very happy with my Vivoactive 4S touchscreen, but would certainly quite appreciate the training status features of the Fenix 6S, as a DCR supporter I dare ask if you’d know anything about Garmin possibly planning for a “touchscreen version” for the Fenix 6 in a near future at all.
I couldn’t find mine anywhere and search for another without success. I then found an Adidas. But it’s for sale now as I discovered I missed the introduction of a much smarter device. The Runn. Just twice the price of a pod…
Do you know if Garmin has a solution for pacing on a treadmill? I’m kind of surprised they can’t figure it out with the data they have from the accelerometers on the watch and/or HR strap. If they can count steps, why can’t they convert steps to distance.
They do indoor pacing on a treadmill and have for many years.
Some people find footpods more accurate, primarily at the extremes of pace (super slower or sprint-fast). But otherwise, I generally find the Garmin treadmill pace/speed pretty darn close.
I am almost totaly happy with my fenix 6s. Only drawback is, that I am experiencing very poor GPS Performance while running under trees or in similar situations, where the view to the sky is limited or blocked by something. Is there any seeting or workaround to get better GPS Performance in such situations?
Would be very glad for any hint.
ths and best regards,
Michael
Michael, do you have the latest firmware? You may have to connect to a computer and Garmin Express to update it.
When I first got my 6X the GPS was horrible – every time I went under bridge my speed would spike up to several hundred thousand miles per hour. A firmware upgrade fixed that. It’s not as good as my 920XT but it’s close enough.
After having eyed the Garmin Fenix 6 Sapphire for a long time, I finally bit the bullet and paid up for it approx. 1+ week ago and have been putting it through the paces.
The GPS performance has been extremely disappointing from day 1 – performance pales in comparison to my 3+ year old Suunto Spartan Trainer Wrist HR.
Attaching an image to show how poorly the watch has tracked my run (it was a return route, and this segment is along Gardens by the Bay in Singapore – i.e. open air running with no tall buildings to obstruct satellite signals). I’ve repeated this run a couple of times:
– Tried GPS + Galileo, GPS + Glonass, GPS only
– Ensured that the GPS locked on, waited 10 minutes for a further “warm up” before starting my runs
– Tried turning on 3D distance and 3D speed
I’ve tried all of the above, hoping that it would improve accuracy but the tracking has continued to be terrible regardless of what I did.
I’ve written in to Garmin and the local authorised distributor about this and am waiting to hear back.
Its running the latest 11.10 firmware.
Is this the norm / what everyone lives with on their top end Garmin watch, or is my device a lemon?
Appreciate fellow users’ inputs. Thanks in advance!
Attaching another run and marking all the crazy errors which have shown up. Also forgot to mention that the watch is on 1 second recording.
While I’ve seen various complaints on the Garmin Fenix 6 forums of poor tracking, the level of errors on mine are materially bad. Can’t imagine this would fare well if I tried to run around a standard 400m running track.
Hopefully Garmin Asia or the authorised distributor responds soon. Given the extremely disappointing performance, may choose to return it if the performance can’t be fixed (and hopefully they honour their warranties).
If anyone has any bright ideas on how I can fix this, would really appreciate it. I’ve also tried restarting, resetting, fiddling with all the settings, etc. but nothing has worked.
Sorry to hear that Wilson. My Garmin devices (Fenix 3, 5, 5S) have had no such problems. It tracks route when on the way out I go on one side of the streets (10-20 feet wide) and on the return I am on the other side of the street. My issues have been with battery life (Fenix 3 and 5), which is why the latest one 5S Plus is my third device but lately its dropping connection to my Android phone.
Hope that Garmin responds and finds a solution for you.
Sorry I don’t have any map pictures.
Digging through the, as always, extensive review (thanx Ray) and replies and wondering what I would buy as a successor for my, by the way still well functioning 735XT, which I have 2,5 years now, I was stuck between 945 and Fenix 6 or 6x. And finally decided to get me the 6x (pro). No solar as that doesn’t add that much to it. But why the 6x? It’s mainly that the price difference between 6 and 6x (and 945) is not that big. 945 and 6 pro are about the same in cost. What I really didn’t like from the 945 is the quite big bezel. On the 745 it’s smaller. Then the 6 would come in, but with the very small price difference I choose the 6x. Hopefully not too big, but hey, in the past I have used the 310xt (well not 7×24) and I used to have a large Timex (one of the first GPS-watches with a separate GPS-module which you had to wear around your arm. I’ve enjoyed the features of the 735 a lot. And I’m convinced that I will enjoy the 6x. That said, the device is on the market for over a year and it’s not the first time that after I bought a new device the successor came within a few weeks, so I guess the Fenix 7 will arrive before Christmas. ;-)
Does update change/improve accuracy?
I just bought a Fenix6 Pro. I had to update the maps before I could download anything from the IQ Connect store.
Will these updates make the map/position tracking more accurate?
Would changing from “smart” to every second GPS sampling improve the position accuracy?
Yes, I had the same issue. Mainly walking / mountaineering. To get the best track I use the every second option, no pausing, and add Glassnos GPs satellites.
Now and again it will still loose track briefly, possibly when a steep hillside blocks too many signals?
I’m also lead to believe the issue compared to bigger handheld GPS units, which I’m used too, the antenna in the Fenix is physically smaller, so can have a harder time keeping a signal at times.
Update: Samsung S20 bluetooth connection solved…sort of.
My Fenix 6x Solar failed to pair with my S20+. I reset phone and watch, cleared caches and so on. Nothing would work.
Last night I tried pairing in flight mode + BT. I got as far as the 6 digit code whereas before pairing unsuccessful will pop up instead.
I tried juggling with the wifi on with BT + flight mode and the two finally connected.
I noticed they would connect and disconnect and connect again. This morning my watch battery was drained from a half full batrery night before. So not quite successfully solved, yet.
Hello, Needless to say your reviews are FANTASTIC.
I am a Garmin fan for 10 + years, currently using a Fenix 5S Plus. The battery life on it going down, from 7 days a year to 5.5 days with no activity. You have mentioned the solar feature is only on Fenix 6X Solar, but both Garmin and REI have a Fenix 6S Pro Solar edition (I prefer due to my tiny wrist) and a Fenix 6 Pro Solar edition. Does this mean that the solar feature that you have reviewed is now available in these lesser diameter watches?
Does anyone have a recommendation for Fenix 6 alternatives?
I’ve been burned by Garmin and can’t see myself spending more money for something and then having the same issues with a higher end device. I have a Vivoactive HR that was brand new and only started being used daily last fall. After a firmware upgrade it was bricked and Garmin sent me a refurbished one that was no where near the quality of the one I originally had. This one has issues with GPS, staying powered, being consistent (steps increase when it’s charging or not moving), gave me a rash on my arm (my original did not), and keeping data (I lose minutes/hours/days at a time). Garmin had me factory reset a couple of times which fixed it but they kept doing that for 90 days at which point they had no more refurbished units to provide me.
I’m just looking for something that’s quality built with consistent & accurate tracking of heart rate, steps, & activity. My main activities are things like aerobic fitness, snow boarding, walking, rowing, HIIT, Yoga/Pilates, and weight lifting. Also the band needs to be replaceable or have the option of being changed as I’m pretty certain I’m allergic to the plastic/silicon that’s used in most bands.
Isn’t amazing that model after model the problems look to be generally the same.
I have a Fenix 1 than a Fenix 5x but I always keep an eye on all models forum’s.
Either is a battery problem
A gps problem (first media tech an now Sony’s)
Or a barometer issue
Looks like there is not a learning curve along time !
Problem is there is not a better option which is a shame.
Hello. I’m sorry, the question may be stupid, but I feel confused!
The base model Fenix 6 has 64MB of memory. Can it be used with .GPX files, to follow a route up to 80 km? I looked at GPX routes from ultra races and they are about 2MB in size. Some people tell me that in order to follow the GPX track, these 64MB are not enough and I have to get a model with more memory. Is this true?
I suspect the confusion is that the “pro” models have TOPO maps and the base models do not. However the classic breadcrumb navigation like the f3 and f5 is there according to the spec sheet.
Does the fenix 6 (or any fitness watch) allow to do a structured workout (e.g. trainingpeaks) and set up alarms so that there is a sound alarm only for intervals but not for desired zone? I find it difficult to distinguish between the sounds, particularly if you are outside the zone at the end of an interval. at least on my 735xt you can only turn on/off alarms. it would be great to have a sound alarm for intervals and vibrating alarm for desired zone. thank you
If you connect headphones it talks to you and tells you the desired target zone. If you are outside the target it tells you. For example, “Heart rate low: 150”. Then: “Heart rate in zone”. Etc.
I don’t get it, how is it possible to use the Golf activity on the basic Fenix 6/6S since they don’t have any internal storage? ..and IF you can use the Golf activity anyway, how many golf courses can you download?
The PRO versions have 41 000 courses, I assume that’s not possible on the basic Fenix 6/6S?
The basic Fenix 6 would be perfect for me if it’s possible to use the Golf activity.
I find very silly that I can only add 12ish of MY programmed workouts on the watch. There is a silly limit of 25 workouts and some yoga/garmin workouts takes already 13.
People are complaining about this on Garmin forums and writing on “share ideas” page to Garmin.
If there is a tiny chance that you tell them directly that it’s kinda stupid to have the possibility of storing Mozart life work on the watch and no more that 12 personalized workouts it would be cool.
Hello, I used the parameter “Use the map” which is defined in “Routting Settings”
Page 34 : link to www8.garmin.com
I start a route and I have waypoints displayed on the screen, it’s a shame because otherwise the watch has created a route that follows my route. It’s just illegible.
I may have missed something but no response on the forum. Thank you in advance.
I’m hoping someone can help before I have to just bite the bullet and do a full watch reset.
Since the last FW update (13.10) in cycling my TSS often shows wrong and it looks like it’s calculating based on the default 200w. I’ve made sure I changed it on the watch and on the phone and each time syncing so that they’re aligned. And to clarify, the setting is always right on the watch when the TSS is wrong. But it still keeps doing it. Not every time, but pretty regularly (which seems even more odd!).
As XC Ski power is in there now I even set that to the same as my cycling FTP but that didn’t work. I can get it back to being ok mid activity my manually changing then changing back the cycling FTP. So it seems as though it’s occasionally just ignoring the FTP setting at the start of an activity.
I do need to send this to Garmin as well, but listing here as I know there’s a pretty big knowledge pool!
Hi,
In the last few weeks, I’ve had a sudden spike in OHR reading with my Fenix 6 Pro.
Especially when running. The HR suddenly begins climbing and reaches a very high HR.
At first, I was alarmed and thought it might be physiological but then compared with a chest HR band.
Found that the OHR is reading 30-40 bpm higher than the chest.
Haven’t changed anything in how I wear the watch, have kept it clean and the firmware is up to date.
Unfortunately, the Garmin customer forum is down (again).
Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Oren
I’ve noticed the same issue. During cold weather runs the hear rate tracking gets abnormally high and “sticks” until I start walking. I had a recovery run today and it recorded my max HR at 198. I’m almost 40 years old.
Unfortunately, I don’t have any suggestions. I’ve tried tightening the strap, wearing it loose, and moving the watch further up my arm. Those haven’t worked. The only other thing I can think of is that long sleeves are bumping the sensor and it can’t recover once it goes haywire.
I also noticed this issue is linked to cold weather and even more strangely when running on a downhill incline. It’s hard for me to say if linked to long or short sleeves.
Was getting really wacky readouts just like yours. Here’s a run where I started with OHR then switch to chest strap.
I’ve also tried what you wrote and tried switching between arms.
I have the same issue as well. My heart rate hit 198 at a very slow pace, and I am almost 49 years old. Even at walking pace, watch alarmed at 183. It’s frustrating since I use data to plan my recovery time and activities
I have a similar cold weather response but this has transcended 3 devices and always with a heart rate strap (Garmin made). I first noticed with my MotoActive when starting out in 10 degree or so weather I would go over 200bpm and then down to more “normal” and this also happened with my Fenix2 and now Fenix5X-it also happens in cold biking weather as well. I have never seen this issue with my 5X’s optical monitor though-just the chest strap. I never hit 200Bpm in warmer weather (or probably in reality)
(almost) all of u HR problems posters don’t specify which sensor it concerns. Of the cheststrap it’s in the instructions to moisten the electrodes.Of OHR it’s generally known that those measurements are very relative. (not ‘scientific’ at all)
I agree with your statement OHR is relative, and I could live with that. However, lately, OHR constantly spiked above 189 bpm for 49 yo, even for a fast walk, let alone running. It may be coincidence that it occurred after last OS update.
Thanks all for posting. To clarify the issues I’m/we’re having is with OHR.
I’ve noticed it since firmware version 12.20, now using 13.10
Had the watch since April so this is my first Winter with it.
Although it’s hard to define Israel’s 10c as “Cold”.
The other common thing I can find is we’re all 40+,
Perhaps someone can change their age setting and test.
Will keep you posted once my watch returns from inspection.
I think most issues are with ohr.
Mine is not working well during workouts at all.
Therefor i use a chest strap.
In the end my opinion is that watch of this price-level should have better ohr performance.
I’ve been using the OHR on my Fenix 6x for indoor workouts because my chest strap is being wonky. I’ve noticed no problems. I’m 59 years old and kind of fat for an athlete.
Doesn’t sound good!
I have a F5 but don’t monitor HR 24/7 and work with a strap for al my sports.
One day forgot the strap and had my F on top of an underlayer shirt and till my great surprise it had registered data every sec & even quite well! Underlayer means it was ‘cold’. Maybe the material warmed up a bit and worked as a contact layer at the same time….
If it was an update thing there would be much more buzz on it….
In wintertime even straps sometimes behave funny but that settles after say 10 min., depending the intensity…..
Update. My watch has returned from service by our local Garmin rep (Ronlight Israel: link to garmin.co.il)
This shouldn’t surprise anyone but the OHR glitch hasn’t been fixed.
The service lab reset the watch, reinstalled firmware, “calibrated’ the OHR (whatever that means), and ran HW test.
They claim the watch to be perfect working condition. Claimed that my installed watch face (SHN TxD) interfered with operations. I’m using the watch now without the face, and it’s still glitching. Am working persistently with the rep in Israel to resolve. Frustrating, since I’ve got a $749 watch with wacky OHR that messes up lot’s of other watch features. Here is a new comparison of OHR and chest HR with the HR spikes.
Hi, I use an Edge 830 for outdoor cycling and want to buy a Fenix 6 pro for my hiking, gym, swimming. I would like to have the Cycling data of my edge 840 also on my Fenix. Is this automatically transferred when syncing with the GCApp or do I have to use the Fenix in addition to my edge when on the bike? In this case of course it makes no sense to sync both devices with the app.
That depends on how much detail you’re expecting. I have an 830 and a Fenix 5+. Looking on my Fenix, I don’t have the patience to scroll down to the bottom, but there’s at least 2 months worth of cycling activities on it, all of which were recorded on my 830 and none on the Fenix However, these are summaries, not the detailed data that Garmin Connect gives you. So things like elapsed time, total distance, average and max heart rate and speed, calories, training effect, average, max, and normalized power, and other full ride details. But there are no detailed graphs, tracks, etc, like you get on Garmin Connect.
I’m also having issues with the OHR and Pulse Oximeter for the past few weeks, unsure why.
I’ve noted it frequently loses my HR and doesn’t get a reading for hours which it never did a month ago.
On closer inspection I noted only the bottom light of the OHR seems to light up, and it doesn’t seem to trigger on movement like it used to. Sometimes a power cycle seems to fix it but as soon as I take it off it never finds my HR again.
As I previously updated – My watch was sent to service with no improvements.
Was reset, firmware was re-installed, and the OHR was “calibrated” – whatever that means.
Here is a run from this Monday with the Fenix 6 OHR (BLUE) vs Suunto chest HR (RED).
There is a gap in the middle since I stopped and tried to figure what was going on.
As you can see the Fenix 6 starts correctly, and then climbs too high as the run progresses.
Was relatively cold outside (at least for Israel) – 10c.
Here is the activity on Garmin: link to connect.garmin.com
Very frustrating since this renders the watch almost useless.
Will be glad if anyone has resolved this.
Topic in the Garmin Fenix 6 forum: link to forums.garmin.com
Does Suunto have a documentation for this issue?
I’ve recently installed firmware 15.20 and the issue still persists.
Garmin’s rep asked that I return to watch and that it will be replaced.
I’ve had the same issues with my Fenix 6 Pro. The OHR climbs abnormally high during runs in cold weather and kind of gets stuck. I haven’t had the same issue while running in warmer weather.
Please let us know what happens with your replacement watch. I’m curious to find out if this is a hardware issue or due to firmware updates.
Received a new watch and it didn’t fix the issue.
Neither did firmware version 15.20
Fluctuations continue although not as extreme.
This might be due to slightly warmer weather (above 10c).
I also slightly changed the watch placement – no longer on right on the joint, but nearby.
Still has some crazy HR jumps above 170 (I’m 47…)
The local vendor asked that I report what happens when the new firmware version arrives.
If this continues the watch might be replaced to a different model (e.g. Fenix 6X).
I have same issue with my 6S Pro. Heart rate jumps to 186 bpm, even though it should be in 120’s; I am 49 yo. I am sore disappointed with this purchase.
Same issue with the OHR for me: It’s totally useless when running – just gets confused with cadence. The Fenix 5 plus OHR was quite good. The heart rate monitor on the 6 is a big downgrade IMO.
Why are people:
* still expecting functionality a device can never deliver?
* concluding by comparing individual experiences, lacking any ‘scientific’ base?
This discussion is going on for years already…
Maybe the f6 is a little worse or a little better than the f5. But I don’t think so on a population basis. I had both. I think any variation you see is unit to unit manufacturing differences and/or personal variation.
IMO. No watch on the market has adequate accuracy for more than casual HR tracking. If you want to do workouts based on HR you need to use an ECG-based chest strap (or possibly an upper-arm optical system like Scoche). All oHR systems at the wrist have problems that are significant enough to measure you in the wrong zone in workouts.
And if you are serious about using HR zone training, you need to do a serious lactate threshold test and calculate zones from that (see also Joe Friel or 80/20 zones). Or measure your max HR (which is difficult and unpleasant) and establish zones from that. In my experience the lactate threshold method described by Joe Friel and TrainingPeaks is the most practical and consistent.
The Garmin LT detection and and VO2Max detection based on FirstBeat algorithms “work” but are simplistic. They have a lot of assumptions and significant error bars. (I mean their published literature says something around +-10% when using a chest strap if I recall and that comes out to +- a few points of VO2Max — which is a lot.)
The optical HR in the watch is decent for all day HR capture and sleep tracking. (Sleep tracking is a whole other topic but the analysis is far to granular for what the watch can reliably detect.)
Agreed, one of the issues with the F6 is the metal back with causes localises skin cooling and in cooler weather or with a cool breeze will help divert a little bit of blood flow from the skin increasing the chances of cadence lock.
That’s not mention the weight of the watch and the slight to major slide backwards and forwards and side to side when doing any activity that hinders measuring WHR, than the algorithms have greatly improved.
Use optical elsewhere or chest strap for activity. WHR it may work for you but equally the next day not.
I think the big issue I have with the Fenix 6 pro is that it’s such a black box: Even when I wear a chest strap (wahoo tickr), it’s not clear whether the watch is using the strap (it says “external HRM connected” before the run but I can’t tell if it’s losing connection during the run), or overriding with the optical, or doing some type of averaging.
The heart rate data I’ve got from this watch is just so all over the place. It will be reading 177bpm one minute, then 90bpm the next. Before I got this watch, I couldn’t get my heart rate over 162bpm doing hill repeats. Either I’ve developed some type of heart irregularity when wearing this watch (and not the Fenix 5), or it’s the watch. Given that the heart rate (whether wearing a chest strap or not) pretty closely tracks to my cadence, I blame it on the watch. Pile that in with the half cadence CIQ issue and how long that firmware took to resolve, I just returned it.
Fenix 6 was a dud IMO.
The ONLY improvements this watch had: it weighs slightly less than the Fenix 5, and battery life is better.
No matter what anyone on here says, the OHR monitor on the Fenix 6 is a complete joke. We all understand the limitations of wrist-based optical heart rate monitoring, but the Apple Watch makes the F6 look silly in comparison to its’ accuracy.
That’s not normal behavior. Normally the oHR turns off when the ANT+ or BTLE HRM strap is connected during an activity. (You can look under the watch and see.)
If the signal to the HRM is lost it will try to reactivate the oHR and fall back to that.
I have seen this sort of bonkers behavior with a faulty Garmin HRM Run and HRM TRI. I advise everyone to use an old model HRM Run that was a snap-on transmitter prior to the all-in-one models or the modern version (without the running dynamics) is the HRM Dual. Or else a Polar H9/10. The reason is that the physical wires in the chest straps can break if bent too far in your bag or just from wear and tear over time. If there is a short the HRM transmitter turns off. With the modular design you can replace the straps.
You can also get totally wild readings if the physical electrodes and wires are damaged. Including I once saw a reading old 240 from a damp strap that was in my bag not being worn at all.
Bottom line is either your Tickr is faulty or your fenix is faulty or both.
The Tickr has a modular strap so I would recommend trying a new strap and changing the battery for good luck as your first troubleshooting step.
I think you can also disable the oHR totally uso g a custom power profile. Then when you do your run rather than failing over to oHR you will just have nothing if the strap stops working. Or if you still have crazy readings it’s the Tickr alone sending them.
“I think the big issue I have with the Fenix 6 pro is that it’s such a black box: Even when I wear a chest strap (wahoo tickr), it’s not clear whether the watch is using the strap (it says “external HRM connected” before the run but I can’t tell if it’s losing connection during the run), or overriding with the optical, or doing some type of averaging. The heart rate data I’ve got from this watch is just so all over the place. It will be reading 177bpm one minute, then 90bpm the next.”
Based on what you’ve just said, it doesn’t sound like the Fenix 6 at all. What you just described sounds like the Fenix 6 connected to the TICKR, and the TICKR is having internal strap issues. In fact, that exact scenario of going from 177bpm to 90bpm is precisely a TICKR semi-known issue.
If you had lost the connection to the TICKR and resumed it, the Fenix will give you that notification. You can always check this at any time in the sensors menu at any time.
I’ve got a Wahoo TICKR that even sitting still in a chair will show my heart rate steadily increasing up to the “OMG my heart is about to explode range”. I’ve got a Garmin HRM::Dual that will work fine for about an hour and then will start ticking down until I’m doing a hard interval and it’s saying heart rates in the 40s, more appropriate for sitting in a chair. After those two failures, I bought a cheap-ass “XOSS”, whatever that is, and it works great.
“Based on what you’ve just said, it doesn’t sound like the Fenix 6 at all. What you just described sounds like the Fenix 6 connected to the TICKR, and the TICKR is having internal strap issues. In fact, that exact scenario of going from 177bpm to 90bpm is precisely a TICKR semi-known issue.”
Well it looks like in the process of trying to figure out why the optical heart rate was so off on the Fenix 6 pro (for me), or whether it was pointing out some more sinister heart rate problem, I could have stumbled on a possible Tickr issue: Technology! So much for my troubleshooting. I’ve ordered a new strap and will try with that.
I guess what threw me off so much with the Fenix 6 pro is that the optical heart rate on my Fenix 5 plus has been pretty good, as it was with the Vivo 3 too. I’d get occasional times when it was reading the same as my cadence, and I’d just tighten the watch a notch and it would settle down. Nothing (switch wrists, forearm, tightness) worked for me to get the Fenix 6 optical HRM to work for running.
Well, I got a new heart rate strap, and, yes, the strap was also bad. But that doesn’t resolve that the optical heart rate on that watch was only in the realm of reasonable when _not_ doing an activity. I’d had it for less than a month, so Amazon accepted my return. For me, the reduced weight, better battery and the software bells and whistles were not enough to justify the loss of the convenience of being able to just go for a run with the watch only.
“should I return my F6S to Garmin to exchange for a “recertified” one”
My experience on the F5plus was that the “recertified” items are _sometimes_ good. My experience last year: The first time they sent me one with a bad button and I had to return it again. The second one has been good. Not sure if they’ve got better QC in the last year.
I have been a Garmin fan for many years and always come back to it after trying other brands. For several years I’ve used the Vivoactive 3 for running, gym, tennis & hiking and have really enjoyed it. I am highly tempted to buy a 6s – Pro Solar Edition due to the sale price. Is it worth the price ($329) to switch from the Vivoactive to the 6s? Or is 7s worth the price difference?
Has anyone else had any issue with the body battery and respiration function cutting out? It was working fine on my fenix 6x pro for months and then since Tuesday this weeky both measurements have completely stopped. Everything else appears to work fine..
Funny thing. I just sent in my Fenix 6x on warranty after some of the color behind the case disappeared. The one I sent had 10 days smart-watch battery. The one I got in return has 20days.. Something has definitively happened there since the early-adopter watches.
The Fenix 7 looks very likely to appear in 3 or 4 weeks. I’d wait and make your mind up then, as the 6 prices will drop and there might not be enough in the 7 to make you feel it’s worth paying the extra.
Since this review, has Garmin introduced the pro 47mm watch with solar? I had discounted the solar because the x is too big for me, but it looks on Garmin’s site they now have the pro in solar, although it’s fairly confusing.
Along those lines, is the glass in the solar watches as durable as the sapphire crystals? I would take durability over solar if that is the case.
Garmin made a mid-life addition of pro solar SKUs across the fenix 6 size range. They are all based on gorilla glass, which is significantly softer than sapphire.
Currently the only way to get sapphire glass and solar, is the tactix solar sapphire — which is essentially a fenix 6X pro solar with sapphire glass instead of gorilla glass and a different cosmetic bezel treatment.
The solar charging effect is pretty much de minimis in all of the watches except the Instinct Solar and the Enduro.
Thanks Brian. I was thinking solar because I like to do long distance sailboat racing and am in the sun all day. Even then, I don’t think it’s worth it for the solar gimmick. I’ll do the 6 Pro. Sadly the Quaniix does not have sapphire until you get the titanium which is pricy and has that band…
Great article.
Would you recommend which what is the best way to track walk/run activity, not predetermined? I’m familiar with both interval workout and with run/walk alerts but they force me to decide upfront my training. I’m recovering from unhappy triad injury (had acl/mcl/meniscus damaged a year ago). My knee being still uncomfortable at times prevents me from running full interval. Recently I was too ambitious and set 400m run intervals with few minute walk intervals in between. But couldn’t keep up at these 400m intervals as my knee basically wasn’t ready yet. So I stopped and cancelled activity entirely. Next time I simply decided to use walk activity and mix in some random short runs stopping when my knee was telling me not to force it longer, taking walk for a bit. I would imagine it should be easy for Garmin to auto detect moments when I start running vs when I’m walking. If it is not possible to have it detected automatically, then I guess I’d be fine also if I could simply press button to start run and stop run manually switch back to walk, and repeat. But not sure how to do this on Garmin watch.
Thank you for any advice on this, what’s the best way to track it. Seeing progress and gradual improvement would help with recovery and motivation.
For several days now I have not been able to connect to Garmin Express. I receive a message ‘Sorry, there is a problem communicating with our servers. Does anyone else get this message?
I have previously received such a message that hackers have taken over Garmin’s servers. Did it happen again?
Honestly, there’s something wrong with your computer, or internet connection/router. I’m not aware of any issues with Garmin Express, and have been using it normally.
I’d hit up Garmin support, but also I’d do a scan for malware.
Thanks, the problem was not with the computer or router, I just went to the basics, uninstalled the Garmin Express from the computer, and reinstalled it and everything worked properly.
Hello,
I have a Fenix 6 and Edge 830.
When I make routes/courses with Strava and I select the orange star they are uploaded to Garmin Connect and to both devices.
Is there a way/workaround that the cycling course will be uploaded to the Edge and the running course to the Fenix?
The pace given by my Garmin Fenix 6 is inaccurate. For the same run, the pace from NikeRunClub, (while using my phone GPS) looks correct and stable. The Fenix 6 pace jumps around too much to be useful. It is mostly slower (up to 30 to 40 sec) but goes also faster (less 20 sec and more). I talked to Garmin to review the settings. But not much so far.
Is the inaccurate pace a known problem for the Fenix 6?
Is there a fix?
Does the Titanium Fenix 6 have the same problem with the pace?
I used to have a Garmin Forerunner 910XT. The pace was spot on. The pace was my primary parameter during marathon.
I love my fēnix 6X Sapphire but I am annoyed with the bluetooth disconnecting with my phone when it is only less than a foot away, then repeating 3-4 times with a minute or two. I don’t remembering this happening when I had my samsung phone, but the wife forced her apple phone on me because she wanted my free upgrade. And now I am on my second apple phone and it is still happening. Is this fēnix 6X issue or apple being apple and making it difficult for not being another apple product?
That’s definitely not normal, and in fact, if/when I hear of issues, it’s almost always with Android phones and BT, not iPhones. There was a rough go of things about a year ago when Apple rolled out some new restrictions, but these days it’s smooth sailing.
I’d suggest a hard reset of the Fenix, to see if that’s the issue. Or, failing that, Garmin support. :( Sorry!
Hi!
I’ve been reading your articles for around a year, and I see them very interesting and useful…. congrats for having such useful and objective material!!
Just a question: I’ve recently bought a Fenix 6x sapphire, and I wonder (from a technical point of view) what difference (or warning) exists about the power charging: Can I charge the unit with the modern (and more available) quick power chargers? is it possible? is there any restriction about charging the device with a quick charge adapter? is it the same to charge the unit with a quick charger or with a normal charger?
Late to the comment party here since the watch has been out for about 2 years now, but still considering getting one.
I currently have a FR645 and I’m eyeing up a Fenix 6S – how do these watches compare in size side by side? Do they have a similar footprint size? I can’t find any side by side photos of the 645 and 6S anywhere to compare!
I’m a man with fairly small wrists, and the 645 is just about perfect for me.
Are you happy with your upgrade? I’m considering it because I’m doing much more trail running and using the navigation option on the 645, but without the context of an actual map it can be tricky when out on the trails. That and the 645 missing out on a lot of the features present on watches like the 245, despite being released around the same time and the 645 supposedly being the higher spec watch, which the 6S has.
One last question, I was watching a video by Chasing the Summit and he was wearing the buttons are small and fiddly on the 6S sometimes being a bit close to the skin to be able to press easily. Have you found that’s the case? Or is there any difference between 6S and 645 button operation?
Hi,
yes I am happy :-)
Mainly because the FR645 seems to be a “dead end” no updates from garmin for this watch :-(
That was very disapointing – I thought it was the top running watch but never got pace-pro for example,
I can give no input regarding trail running – because I don’t do it. But I am able to swicht to the map while “running” or “walking” and it looks good, also I don’t realy use it.
Most important to me is, that the fenix is a real multisport watch and it works very well for open water swims – and first time I get heart rate for swimming (another feature that was never rolled out to the fr645):
Regarding “fiddly buttons”. I did not made this experience, but I think this is a very personal impression, so I would recommend to go to a store and just try it.
all the best.
mig
I’ve taken the plunge already and bought it, so if it doesn’t work for me I’ll just send it back and stick to the 645, but looking forward to trying it out.
Why they stopped supporting the 645, I don’t know, and a real shame. Supposed to be much more premium than the 2xx range, but without most of the features. PacePro seems to be a really easy addition to add through a software update for example. Appreciate it is never going to do the stuff that requires different hardware (PulseOx for example) but lots of it just seems to have been forgotten to be included.
Hey Dave, the Fenix 6S 6 & 6X are on Amazon Prime day and i’m really tempted to go 6S. I’ve currently got a 645M that I’ve had for around 18 months and i’m wondering whether it’s worth upgrading or not. How are you finding the change? At the minute the 6S is £375. Any help appreciated!
On the whole, I really like it. Size wise, its about the same as the 645, just a little thicker (maybe 1-2mm) but the software is way better than what’s on the 645; it just feels and looks much slicker. The maps are great for trail running, or even just street running on a new route, and way better than the breadcrumb trail or course outline on the 645.
Its nice to have lots of the things that should be on the 645 that were never added. Body battery for one (although to be fair, I think of that as more of a gimmick!)
The only thing I’m a bit disappointed by is the battery life. I was expecting it to be miles better that my 645, but even with all the settings turned down (such as turning PulseOx off, backlight down to minimum etc) I’m not really getting much more between charges than my 645. And my 645 is over 2 years old now and should, in theory, have a more degraded battery thanks to all the recharge cycles it’s been through.
Don’t get me wrong, the battery life is pretty good, I maybe just had higher expectations of what it would be like. I do appreciate as well that the battery on the 6S is not going to be as good as on the 6 or 6X
The strap is not that great. It’s quite short, and uncomfortable for long periods of time. I got around that by swapping it for my 645 strap until I could get a new one delivered. Went for a velcro and nylon one which is super comfortable.
I think it has been worth the upgrade, and for the prices Amazon have got them today, definitely worth it. Price drops would probably indicate either the Fenix 7 series is on the way soon, or LTE versions like the 945 LTE that just launched.
Thanks for the in-depth reply Dave!
The 6S and the 6 are both £375, the 6X is £435….. the issue I have is I have small wrists and my 645 looks pretty darn big on my wrist so I daren’t go any bigger annoyingly! Cos I’m assuming the 6 at that price is the better deal!
I think GPS wise etc the battery life stated on the 6S is very similar to that of the 645 but I agree, you’d expect after a lot of charge cycles they’d be an improvement on a new watch.
I did wonder if the price drops indicate a new watch coming out and am concerned that the Fenix 6S is already pretty old in tech terms so wondering if i’m gonna buy something that won’t be updated for much longer!
Thanks for the help and if you’ve got IG drop your username and i’ll give you a follow :)
I guess I just need to work out if I ‘NEED’ a new watch!
I don’t think anyone needs a new watch! Ha! But they are nice to have.
I have pretty small wrists, and prior to the 645 I’d always had something from the Forerunner 2xx series. 645 appealed to me as being very similar, but way more features than the 235 I was coming from. And the 6S is perfectly sized for me – the standard 6 or the 6X would look ridiculous on my wrists. My barber wears the 6X and I think it look a little big on him, even with his larger wrists than mine.
Also not a fan of the chunky, “military” look of the larger variants. I just don’t understand the need for a “masculine” watch to be covered in chunky bezels and dials etc. So the more streamlined look of the 6S works for me.
For the 7 series, I’m struggling to think what else they could add or change. I think they may put a better GPS chip inside, or maybe a better optical HR sensor, and add LTE, but beyond that and some improved software, I think they won’t be that much of an upgrade over the 6 series. I would love a 7, don’t get me wrong, but I think the 6 meets my needs at the moment. Even if they stop software updates (which I think is unlikely as they’re still supporting the Fenix 5) it works well as it stands.
Thanks for the IG follow offer. You can find me at dave_therunner (where there’s a few pictures of the 6S on my wrist if that helps!)
For my next watch, I’m hesitating between the 6 and the 6X.
I am 53 years old and I am quite strong prebyte (badly to read telephone without glasses for example). As I don’t always run with my sunglasses adapted to my eyesight (at night, I don’t want to …), on my current watch I am using 3 or 4 data per screen.
Is there a big difference in readability between the 2?
Is the 6 sufficiently readable, in particular the cards for a person with correct vision (and with my glasses for me obviously) or is the 6X really better on this side (but also heavier and more imposing)?
Finally, do the 6 pro solar and 6X pro solar models have strictly the same functions and do they evolve in the same way?
Hi.
I have Fenix 5 Sapphire for about 3 years now (I think) and I am thinking of changing it to Fenix 6 Pro.
From this extensive review, I really like better training stats & guides, PacePro, MAPS!, more native data fields and body battery.
But, the question is, is it still good purchase at present moment (almost July 2021), given, that F6 is 2 years old device now? I mean, what about end of life for this gear?
I’m turning my back on Garmin. I’ve had the 6X for just over a year and was shocked to learn it becomes little more than an expensive paper weight if you are out of data coverage. The Garmin Connect app has been intentionally hamstrung so you can’t even view your sleep data without a data connection. In fact….you can’t interact with your watch to ANY significant degree through the app without a connection. I spend weeks at a time in the wilderness outside of cell coverage and during that time the 6X loses most of its functionality. There are a couple of Casio products I’m looking at as a better solution. They market the Fenix series as outdoor adventure products but they are not. Unless you do your outdoor adventuring within city limits. The data is in the watch, the watch is connected to my phone, WHY CAN’T I VIEW IT OFFLINE?!?!?!?! They even have the audacity to give the message “Your data will be available to view once you connect to our server”…..in other words….”We have the data right here…….but…..we’re not going to show it to you until you give it to us because f*ck you.”
All companies work the same way these days in terms of requiring a server connection to view the 24×7 data, though, you can view a fair bit of it on the watch itself – including sleep: link to dcrainmaker.com
As far as all the other data, you can simply use the Garmin Explore app, which is designed for exactly what you’re trying to do: link to buy.garmin.com
Thank you for taking the time to provide this info. It is helpful. I understand the cloud is a fact of life now but that doesn’t excuse not being able to view your data offline. It’s very simple to buffer data and allow viewing and then upload when a data connection is available. There is no good reason not to provide this ability. I’ll continue looking. Hopefully someone will recognize this as the maket differentiator that it could be.
New solar user of Fenix 6X Pro, I could not find precise answers to my question.
I wonder:
For the altimeter, how to set the auto calibration during an activity to have a reliable total ascent (ultra trail)? At start-up or permanent?
And for the baro calibration:
What is “watch mode”? : is it when we are not in business?
do we stay on “auto”?
first I wanna say that I am a big fan of your blog and your YouTube channel, keep up the good work and I was hoping you can help me with a Garmin issue I am having:
Currently I am using a Garmin Fenix 5s, mostly for Crossfit, Calistehenics and Running.
I just started to track my crossfit workouts more thoroughly on Garmin Connect but this really sucks.
Before I do my workout I create a training with all excercises, weights and reps.
Problem 1 is that you can´t create excercises. Which means that if you don´t find your excercise in the list you can´t track it.
But the bigger problem I am having is that after you finished your workout you can´t edit your reps, weights, excercises -> You basically can´t edit anything. Which really sucks as most of the time you can´t say with 100% certainty how many reps you will be able to do with a specific weight.
Am I dong something wrong or is it not really possible?
Is there an app in Connect IQ store which solves that problem?
Does the Fenix 6 has the same issue?
Is there any fitness tracker who does that better than Garmin?
Firstly, I just want to say thanks for all the work you do with these reviews. The effort you put in is amazing.
I wanted to ask you about the GPS accuracy, and if your thinking of it has changed since your initial review? I’ve had a Fenix 6 Pro now since the end of December and I just can’t shake the issues I get with GPS. Regardless of the type of run I do, I never “feel” it’s that accurate, and whenever I look at the results post-run, the lines are rarely smooth and often zig-zag on what should be straight lines while also cutting corners often. I’ve taken to wearing my old FR235 for comparison, and the difference is stark in how accurate those results are. On a 10km run, it’s not uncommon for there to be a 0.5km difference between the two.
I actually got in touch with Garmin about this 2 months ago to say I wasn’t happy with the GPS accuracy, and they agreed to send out a replacement unit, on the off-chance I guess it was the unit that was the problem. I had done the whole connect to Express and ensure the latest firmware etc. Unfortunately, the accuracy still isn’t what it should be on the new unit and I can only conclude that it’s the Fenix 6 that’s the problem as a whole, as opposed to an issue with the unit I own. For example a 7km run on the track this morning resulted in the Fenix calculating it as 7.4km, while my old FR235 nailed it. (it also gave me 55m elevation gain as well, but that’s another issue altogether!)
Have you come across any of these issues at all? If this is down to general issue with the Fenix 6 and the Sony chipset Garmin now uses, would you have a recommendation on which of the newer Garmin devices are most accurate? And if they all suffer from similar problems, what would be the best Garmin watch that uses the older chipset. I have to say it blows my mind that my FR235 provides a more accurate run that my Fenix but there we go.
More features is what Garmin thinks is needed to beat the competition. All sorts of idiot things.
Meanwhile the functioning has become worse, despite the technique that has further developed. Smaller, lighter, less power consuming and for all cheaper parts used.
Generally no, I don’t see many people reporting issues like you noted (in terms of severity). I’d agree, if you’re seeing 500m differences on a 5-7KM route, that’s far too great.
A few quick thoughts:
1) Overlaying the tracks atop each other to see where the variances occur (and determining which one is not what you ran) is super useful. There’s various tools out there, free and paid. There’s the DCR Analyzer here: link to dcrainmaker.com
2) When looking at accuracy problems across many brands, key things I’d ensure are:
A) That it’s at a 1-second recording rate (and not smart recording) – the default is smart recording, I always switch to 1-second.
B) Toy around with GPS+GLONASS vs GPS+GALILEO (default is Glonass, but some people have better luck with Galileo)
C) I’d consider your environment. You didn’t mention in the post if you’re talking all-mountain trail runs, or just generic street runs with little obstacles.
In terms of Sony chipset or not, everyone is on Sony these days except Apple. So it’s not really a differentiaor (for better or worse). And honestly, for the most part people are seeing really good results on Sony chipsets with up to date firmware. I think the early issues we saw 2-3 years ago are quite different than now.
I’m still using my Fenix 3 Sapphire and having the same question as you have. On the other hand if you need a watch soon (as you do) then the 7 won’t be available anytime soon I guess as it’s not even announced.
i have recently ‘upgraded’ from a fenix 5 to a fenix 6 Titanium. i have noticed that my runs are now recording as less distance, my 10.2km loop is now showing as 9.7km and all my pace information is off. if i download the GPX file from basecamp and upload it to strava i get 10.2km again. it seems that the watch is recording correctly but displaying incorrectly. i dont want to have to re-upload every activity but it looks like there is no other choice?
im extremely disappointed and honestly cant recommend the fenix 6 over the 5 because of this issue. im gutted i wasted my money and will buy Suunto next time.
Thank you for a really thorough review. My Apple Watch has packed up and I haven’t been happy with it since I got it with apps for sport and battery life when hiking so now is the time to replace. I’ve been wading through the internet this weekend trying to find a new watch. This review has given great insight and a trusted source, thank you.
I noticed an accuracy discrepancy with my Garmin Fenix 6X Pro Solar where if i use it on my bike mounted on the handlebars i get near perfect accuracy -GPS track lines up with the road and route vs when i use it on my wrist the track weaves around a bit like a squiggly line. I wonder if this is just the antenna placement being the bezzle or does it have to do with the accelerometer and other sensors while running?
I uploaded a photo of the GPX track left is the Run and Right is the Bike. Quite interesting that watch position has this large of an effect.
My experience is that the track is smoother when you’re going faster. I get the same inaccuracies you’re seeing on the run when I’m paddling around 10km/hr, and the Fenix 6X is attached to my footstrap not on my wrist.
Usual high standard of review
When comparing data history say HRM as you regularly do maybe you ought to look at some mathematical tools ( addition to you analyser?) which compares differences in time-based data history. Commonly used in engineering and could be a great addition rather than just superimposing curves.
I can only stronly dis-recommend to buy that watch:
in the past 8 Month i own that watch it was painfull: Bought in December before Christmas, and used very rare as i was busy, in January i used to run a lot with it an the accuracy after that GPS Problem patch was making the watch quite unuseable to me. 2 times i contacted Garin about and got only useless informations about settings and try this and that, on the third time, the watch was replaced by another quite quickly. But the accuracy was quite the same. By running the watch is around 12% longer distance than FR 945, and showing speeds from anything low to anything faster as you can never use to get your pace about. The Replacement watch has same, and in the last 2 Monthe the Watch is in AMAZON Repair center, where i’m sure they did nothing but even Garmin as Amazon did not want do give me my money back for it or do any replacement. – I’d like to run and own a very Old FR620, but it is more likely to use a 20Euro Ebay Watch from 2014 as the 550€ Fenix. Please do not buy such a Product and even the Shown Report from above is not showing now’s reality.
The same thing happened to me. After running with several Forerunners, I switched to Fenix 6. Unfortunately, the pace was erratic and cannot be used to monitor my run in real time. I upgraded to Titanium Fenix 6. But the same problem happened. The Fenix 6 is NOT for runners requiring the pace. I wish DC Rainmaker or Garmin will notify this downside.
It seems the body made of stainless steel or titanium shields the GPS signal. The Forerunner doesn’t have this issue as it is in plastic.
It may be that there is a difference in the performance between the different body sizes S/nothing/X in GPS performance. I think the bezel is meant to be an integrated antenna and in the fenix 3 design that became the X series the diameter is sized to be somewhat tuned for GPS wavelengths.
My experience with the fenix 3, 5X, and 6X is that current pace is not great but no worse that the forerunner 235 that I had. On the f235 I would see crazy pace swings from 3 min/km to 5:30 min/km sometimes when the real pace was more like 4:30/km.
It may be that the 6S and 6 are much worse but I don’t have first-hand experience with them.
I think there is a fundamental limitation to current pace and GPS precision. When averaged over something like 1km the lap pace is totally fine. When averaged over 5 sec, 1 or 2 points out of whack will give a wild reading. I use a Stryd for road running to make current pace stable and consistent.
I have similar feelings about optional wrist HR. There are fundamental limitations to the accuracy of the technology within reasonable sampling rates for low battery consumption which means it is always going to be inaccurate relative to a ECG strap. It works great for 24 hour measurement when at leisure and ok for steady state running. Not good for intervals or cycling.
i am experiencing strange results for openwater swim – the line of my gps track is not a line, but an extreme “zig-zag”. And when garmin is synchronizing the activity to strava, it is much more longer on strava than on garmin. e.g. my latest openwater swim is 1543 m on garmin (which should be correct, because it was part of an olympic distance triathlon). On strava it is presented with a length of 1942 m.
Any idea what the reason could be for this difference?
The cause of the difference is easy, since Strava often does this. Strava is computing your distance from the GPS track, and since it rattles around, that’s going to be longer than what you actually did. Garmin must use some kind of algorithm, probably leveraging the accelerometer, to try to obtain a more accurate distance for open water swimming, since they realize that GPS lock is going to be lost frequently. I’d think that Strava would realize that an OWS activity isn’t likely to have a very good track and just use the device’s distance, but what do I know? Anyway, I don’t have an open water swim activity on Strava, but with the recent changes Strava has made on their web site it might be possible to tell it to use device data for this activity.
It is a shame that Garmin still only sell watches with standard length straps. If you want a longer strap you have to buy the watch (£600) and also a longer strap (only one silicone strap available and it is £45). The longer strap has the same length buckle section so it is only the other strap arm that is longer. So £45 extra, a waste of a good strap and all the resources used to make it and no choice. Third party straps are £10-15. Letting themselves down and really annoying.
Yeah, I think the challenge is simply how many SKU’s you end up with at the end of the day, which mostly end up with more waste. A long time eago they actually used to include an extender in the Fenix boxes (Fenix 1-2 I think for winter coats).
Did anyone notice that the Garmin 6 stopped measuring the temperature of the water in the pool?
In the last update 19.20, they eliminated this capability.
This is what they answered me I asked why
“Our Fenix 6 series engineers have chosen to disable the temperature sensor for the Indoor Swim App only. The intention is to improve the reliability of your temperature sensor along with other sensors”
Do you also think it’s wrong to lower the watch’s capabilities?
BIG issue with my Garmin FENIX 6X PRO. Before I had the Forerunner 220. NOw FENIX 6XPRO. And the distance is always less 400 -500 m of 11 km ! All the runners can fully understand that for a specific training this is completely not great… Do you know this issue?
Has anyone else lost training status when using fenix 6 x pro with a polar OH1 heart rate monitor ?
I am guessing garmin has updated the watch software to only give training status with a garmin heart rate monitor ?..
I used a fenix 6X with a Polar H9 (and stryd) for about a year and a half. I have Training Status the whole time. My “metrics” like VO2Max tend to be substantially lower than training partners who use f6 series without a HR strap using GPS and built-in oHR. (And who also don’t determine HR Zones from LTHR or at all.)
I’m convinced that the external sensors are more accurate. But also that the Garmin algorithms are really pretty dumb and easily confused. If you do a Z2 run, it will think you lowered your fitness. If you run threshold or intervals it will swing way the other way. VO2Max estimates can swing wildly within a single week. I don’t think they are useful for anything by and large.
I long ago removed the “Training Status” widget from the watch and GCM. The trends in Training Peaks are also not perfect, but better. It has made me more relaxed and enjoy my workouts more to not look at those useless summary pages.
I would remove the VO2Max estimate page from the post-workout summary if I could.
I have a fenix6s pro and oh1 connected by ant+ watch fine and gives my all the training metrics Garmin has to offer. The only one that works intermittently is lactate threshold which works sometimes, never got to the bottom of it, I’m sure it’s something account related rather the watch as I had issues with F5s too
Has anyone been having trouble with running cadence from CIQ data fields on this watch? CIQ fields (Race Screen, Single Run Field, for example) seem to show the wrong (half) running cadence on this watch. The developer for “Single run field” says garmin is reporting the wrong data to the field. I contacted garmin support, but they say contact the developer. Contact the developer and they can’t do anything because they are getting the wrong data.
Hi thanks a lot for the review! I have a question- I am wondering which model to get- 6 or 6X, and my main concern is battery life while using navigation abilities. I looked at the comparison chart and noticed that SMARTWATCH mode in all models has at least 9 days. Is GPS available in this mode? Also- what does the “Max battery GPS” mode about? I assume it does have GPS on…
Thank you!
I am considering upgrading my venerable 910XT which has performed great for almost 10 years, including the glass which still looks as new. Do you have an insight into whether the unbranded glass on the 910XT is comparable to the Corning Gorilla Glass on the Pro, or is it closer to the Sapphire glass of the Sapphire edition?
My family still has 2 910XT, I bought 4 as a total, sold one and one has died.
So I really love it.
But I guess what you call unbranded glass is just like a pretty good plastic. I dont mean it is plastic, I mean it was not developed as special, bullet-proof glass, so it must be closer to Gorilla glass, but definitely must be of worse quality in terms of breakage resistance.
I’m no triathlete, let’s just start there. But I love working out. And, more importantly to this comment, I love tracking data and metrics. About a year ago, I bought the Vivoactive 3 as my entry into this marketplace. I liked it. There was a lot I didn’t know but this seemed to be a good place to start. Due to a battery that seems to die every 36 hours, I’m in the market for a new model. I am having trouble deciding between a Fenix 6, a Forerunner (745/945) or a third, unknown option.
Here are my criteria:
I pool swim. I’d like to have distance/HR & caloric output for my swims. I’d also love as much peripheral swim data as I can get to improve my swimming.
I bike (mostly on a Peloton). I use an external HR strap to track HR during rides. But I would love to capture more metrics (distance, rpms, resistance, and any other data) directly on my watch. My vivoactive just catches HR and time.
I lift and do cardio (lots of cardio circuits like CrossFit) and would love to capture more data there.
I would love some data on ideal caloric output or workout intensity each week.
I lift 3x a week but don’t feel the need to capture reps on my watch (unless I’m missing some great value by doing so)
I don’t run (due to 2 very bad knees). I don’t need maps. I don’t workout much outside. I don’t need courses or GPS tracking (most of the time). I don’t need altitude.
I don’t golf, so I don’t need info on my local course.
Whatever I’m missing here must not be important, either…
Essentially, I am looking for a device that captures my daily routines better. Sleeping/Stress/HR levels and exertion. I want as much bike/swim/circuit data as possible.
Can you steer me toward or away from a few watches that you think may best capture my goals?
Many, MANY thanks to you (and other members who care to comment)
-Eric
maybe the Enduro is a better Garmin for you.
get a bike power meter (pedals)…hopefully peloton takes those
get a second hand humon hex
use trackbar
add a few supersapiens sensors
don’t forget a Core body temp sensor
start collecting hrv data and use hrv4training and/or hrv4biofeedback, emfit could also be interesting
if you want some more sports data just ping me ;-) there’s lots more to get
For a long time now I found not the Heart Rate Values of the Fenix Solar Version very unreliable. Generally they tend to be too high – even after a dozen resets and other measures recommended by Garmin support. A replacement watch shows the same. Biggest problem: hiking = dog walk. When it is a bit colder then the values are much too high after a while. Overall – comparing to an Apple Watch 7 or using the hear-rate strap the values seem too high during walks. I tended to like this as it gave me higher values for my excercising :-) But cheating is stupid.
Also when I use my arms a bit (waving around) then the values go through the roof. Not with the Apple watch.
Who has the same experience? Is this a bad sensor or is this a problem of algorythms? (using different “sports” for the same excercise will result in different values => e.g. walking while using “strength excercise” will have other results as “hiking”).
I now use the Garmin with the HR-strap for my “real excercises” and for all the daily tracking and sleep tracking the Apple watch. But somehow that is a bit crazy. Does anybody have a recommendation? (esp. as I think that the upcoming Fenix 7 or Epic whatever in January will probably have the same sensors and problems). What use is a watch which has billions of great features but the basics do not really work? And all features (like body battery or VO2 or whatever are based on correct heart rates – which are not correct). I have to admit – I’m a bit frustrated. Would love to pay more if the watch would be really reliable…
Thank you so much!
According to Gamin, the Fenix 6 can display respiration rate through the Respiration Widget or when recording an activity. An HRM-Tri, HRM-Run, HRM-Pro, or HRM-Dual strap is required to get respiration rate for all activity types with the exception of Breathwork or Yoga activity types. Is it possible to use a Polar H10 chest strap instead of a HRM-Tri, HRM-Run, HRM-Pro, or HRM-Dual strap to get respiration rate?
Me and pretty much everyone I know hates the Fenix 6 because of the GPS. It is _always_ too short! FR 235 & 735, which other friends I run with have, are consistently better. Hoping for a Fenix 7 replacement soon (would really like to try another brand really but I’ll give them one more chance).
Fenix 6 can measure respiratory rate from newer Garmin chest straps. Algorithms for this are from Firstbeat. Are they based on Peter H. Charlton Matlab Toolbox for respiratory rate, or did Firstbeat reinvent the wheel? If so, a Fenix 6 with a chest strap might deliver very accurate respiratory rate values, since Peter H. Charlton developed those for clinical settings. But ask your doctor first, before you use it in the hospital (no, no, I am only joking).
Chartlon’s work is mainly focused on reviewing other respiratory rate algorithms. In fact, one of his studies from about 5-6 years ago noted some 100 algorithms existed at the time.
But, it’s pretty unlikely that FirstBeat is going to use a Matlab Toolbox, given FirstBeat themselves published a paper on how they leverage respiration rate from HR signals…in 2004 – more than 12 years before Chartlon’s summary review work was published.
I found it’s totally unreliable. Checked it while running. I would maintain a steady cyclus, based on steps. Afterwards do some dividing and you have the BrPM. Which was always substantially lower than the Garmin report. They think we’re stupid. Well, I’m not…..
Imagine what this means for all the other data they come up with and which cannot be checked. Apart from what’s the use of it…. All marketing!!
Ray, you mean, Firstbeat invented the wheel? As long as Firstbeat does not publish their algorithms and lists the papers they are based on, I don’t believe anything.
I have no idea if they ‘invented’ this, probably not, and honestly, it doesn’t matter to me either way. The point of my comment was simply noting that they had published a paper 12 years prior to this other dude’s summary paper, and that this other dude didn’t invent any algorithm best I can tell, but simply did a review of algorithms in a study.
You don’t have to believe anything, but that doesn’t change history – or easily demonstratable things – it took me less than 2 minutes to Google it. History in this case is quite simple and factual. One paper was published 12 years prior to the other. Perhaps there are more, I don’t know, given there are 100+ algorithms for breathing rate out there as of 2016 according to said dude, it’s likely there are more than just one paper from 2004 and prior. I suppose you could spend some time in Google. ;)
I made a first short test with a Fenix 6 and a Polar H10 chest strap (which is not officially supported) to measure the respiratory rate. The values appear laggy and are sometimes unbelievable. If you want to use this for serious applications like practicing breath meditation, a validation of the accuracy is necessary. I suggest to count the number of breath taken per minute manually and to compare the data to the values measured by the Fenix 6.
This whole concept is inferring breath rate indirectly from HRV. I would not expect an indirect measure to be very accurate. It’s more of a hmmm, interesting graph.
As with Garmin’s Running Dynamics, I’m not sure there is anything you can do with it as a training tool other than appreciate that it is nifty.
When I count the number of breath in a minute manually and compare the data to the data on the Fenix 6, the values on the Fenix 6 are around half of the values than the counted values. What is wrong? Is it the Polar H10? Garmin says, a HRM-Tri-, HRM-Run-, HRM-Pro- oder HRM-Dual- chest stap is required for Respiration rate. I currently only have a Polar H10 available. But do these chest straps not use standard protocols? Peter H. Charlton says, for respiratory rate calculation from ECG devices, the distance between two R peaks is required. Firstbeat says, they use heart rate variability information. But is this not the same? Is the R-R peak information or heart rate variablity information not also in the Polar H10?
You’re measuring more than Garmin? I do a lot less! I did my testing running with an Edge 83 and a Fenix 5..Guess it is the same software. Brian’s comment about steps is not applicable I think. RR obviously is a cyclus of in & exhaling. In my case 1 cyclus is 9 steps. 4 in 5 out. I take my average av cadence and divide that by 9.
I am very sceptical about all the new data. Most of them are not serving any goal. And also cannot be checked for accurateness. Manufacturers should put their energy in improving the basic things.
I’ve had the fenix 6s pro for a few weeks now and like it but, I’m not super impressed with the battery life. I’m considering the 945 instead, but having a hard time desiphering which one ultimately has better / longer battery life. Can you tell me?
No, it is not the Polar H10. I had the same deviation with a Venu wrist based respiratory rate, and a Tacient respiratory rate belt with the HappySleep app. First I doubted about myself, but then I doubted about the devices. Fifty percent deviation from a manual count at a first test? For whom is this acceptable?
If it is really 1/2 it suggests that perhaps the issue is actually the definition of the rate.
Like cadence in RPM is half of cadence in SPM. There are two steps to a pace. Stride length is double step length.
Is it possible you are counting a breath in a different way than Garmin?
I think the recorded respiration rate lags but I also don’t think it is half. I believe it is derived algorithmically from the R-R distance. The H10 should be one of the best tools available to collect that data accurately.
The values look reasonable to me in my last several activities. But equally, what use is this graph that it warrants worrying about?
I had a serious crisis and went trough different youtube videos, checked the definitions, respiratory rate, breath rate, single breath, full breath, I could not find a problem there. I am really sceptical about the accuracy of Firstbeat products. When you for example compare the recovery time when you wear two different devices at the same time, there are big differences. The same with stress. Wearing two different devices at the same time, there are huge differences in stress values. The work of Peter H. Charlton is really of high quality, I think he did his PhD. about respiratory rate, and he was at one of the best universities in UK, and still is working for high quality institutions. There is a whole respiratory rate estimation project going on. From Firstbeat, I first want to see accuracy data before I trust these products.
Hello
Can anyone tell me why i can t modify the default value of 172.5mm crankarm left Stages power meter shown in the Fenix 6X sapphire edition(head unit) although my PM length is 175?
Thank you
With a crank-arm based power meter, the crank length is pre-set on it, because it’s glued onto the arm. So Stages simply hard-codes it to the crank arm.
Whereas with a pedal based power meter, it can be moved from bike to bike, so it has to be set by you.
In other words, the value isn’t used. In theory, it actually shouldn’t even show you the option, so it’s odd your seeing that.
The deviation in respiratory rate are becoming smaller at my second test. At my first test, I was a little bit stressed, I counted 30 breath per minute, Fenix 6 with chest strap, Venu and the Taidacent Respiratory belt measured around 15 breath. But when I go down to around 20 breath, the Fenix is around 12, and the Venu makes jumps. I suppose the correlation is non-linear above 20. It is difficult to find consumer grade respiratory rate monitors, and they seem not to be validated yet. I would not be suprised if the Vernier Go Direct Respiration Belt is the most accurate device, since it makes a direct measurement on the chest, and is not derived from a chest strap or a wirst based heart rate monitor. But I did not test this yet.
Great review, extremely helpful.
I’m notice the following issue with my Fenix 6 Sapphire and I wonder if you could have a look into it: if I run the breathing exercises at night the backlight will turn off after the timeout period.
This was not an issue on Fenix 5 Sapphire, the backlight would remain on during the whole exercise.
Thank you in advance.
KR, Nuno
My guess is that at some point in the past you switched the backlight setting from the default of turning off after 8 seconds, to “Always On”. You can change that in the system settings again for the Fenix 6 easily.
Just go to SEttings > System > Backlight > During Activity > Timeout > Stays On.
so my fenix 6 is definitely less accurate at tracking runs than my old fenix 5. ive taken this up with Garmin who refuse to acknowledge there is an issue. ultimately it boils down to the watch under recording distance which also makes in run pacing data useless.
if i download the gpx file then re upload it i get a longer distance and amended pace. it can under read around 0.5km for every 10km. the info is obviously in there, its just that the watch wants to tell me a different story.
ive compared it to other devices and my smart phone and everything points to the watch being inaccurate, but delete and re upload and it comes back into line with other devices.
its disappointing that my phone does a better job than a purpose built watch.
Does anyone know by how much the maps features reduce battery life?
In my last two ~15hr bike/run outings, The 6XPro ends up with <30% battery remaining starting from a full charge. Extrapolating a bit, I guess it would last about 21hrs, which is a far cry from the ~60hrs promised. (And a bit worrying for an upcoming 110k run.. maybe 18hrs best case, probably longer cos I'm slow lol) It's died on me before at 15-30% battery so I try not to let it get that low.
I'm using:
– GPS
– Maps for following a pre-built course (minimal/no fiddling with it like zooming panning etc)
– Optical heart rate
– BT connected to phone but very infrequent texts etc
– No music
Wondering how I could squeeze out of it to get a bit more of a safety cushion.
– Guessing that *not* loading a course could improve the battery life significantly.
– Does anyone know if spending less time on the actual map screen would save a significant amount of battery i.e. avoid forcing the watch to redraw the map all the time while I'm not even looking at it, and only switch over once I need to see it
– Disabling the alert vibration?
– Disable backlight?
– I know disabling OHR would help but I like having that data – *especially* for long efforts
Any other tips would be really appreciated! Love the watch overall and it's barely left my wrist in the ~2 years I've owned it.
And thanks again to DCR for the great review, it definitely helped me make the right decision on what to buy.
To calculate HRV or Respiratory Rate, R-R peak data are required, as far as I know. On my Fenix 6, there is an option «store HRV» Some Garmin Watches. require you to download enable_hrv_settings_file.fit that you copy onto the watch to store HRV. Is this the same? And can there be found a .fit file with R-R peak data on the watch induced by this procedure, a file, which can be used to calculate HRV or Respiratory Rate?
Dear DC Rainmaker,
You are a great content creator. We learn very useful and detailed information on the web page or on the youtube channel. I am very grateful for that.
Great review that I will get back to many times! :-)
I can´t find information about how downloading Garmin maps really works with the watch anywhere. Specifically: is it worth buying Garmin Alpenverein maps for Austria or is the resolution on the whatch to low for it being useful on ski tours and mountaineering?
(If I´m buying these maps, is it possible to see them in my Explorer app on my smartphone as well (for route planning and such)??)
I have been enjoying my Garmin Fenix 6X Pro for a couple of years now. Initially it was fantastic at everything, but for at least a year now (more than a year actually) the open water activity is recording farther than I swim. Many times the distance actually, so its not even useful distance wise(more on that later). Support did offer some suggestions whilst it was in warrantee, but they were just tweaks of GPS options, and one suggested tweak was not even available for swimming (it was 3D recording, available for running etc). So, back to the recording, although the overall distance is a long way off, I noticed the GPS track was accurate, and that the Strava ‘Correct Distance’ function did make a good job of correcting the distance far more accurately. But that means that Garmin’s algorithm is not taking into account the GPS track as well as it should be, and the ‘on the fly calculations’ for distance on the open water swim are priority, plus there cannot be a GPS check of the track after the swim is finished. Why is the open water activity so incredibly bad on my Fenix 6X Pro? Obviously I have tried everything to fix it. Any suggestions DC Rainmaker? Or Others. Fantastic Blog (understatement, it is the most comprehensive blog of activity and tech/equipment there is!) Thank you.
So I’ve heard of the crazy GPS swim distance (yet actual plot/etc looks correct) thing a handful of times over the last few years, from a few people.
I’ve never been able to get clarity on why it occurs – or even, why it stops occurring. Given you’ve tried everything, I’d actually just push Garmin for a watch swap at this point. I suppose you could first try a factory reset. Clearly it’s not happening to everyone on the most current firmware, else, we’d heard about it. Thus, making me think it’s either some bizarre setting broken on your watch, or, something hardware-wise (albeit, that seems unlikely…but hey…ya never know).
Did Garmin ever add Health Snapshot to one of the Fenix 6 software updates? I know it was a possibility but I can’t really find that information anywhere.
I have the Fenix 6X – I use it for recording my bike and health stats almost every day. I am think of getting a garmin bike computer too. For navigation and maybe seeing some of my bike stats while I am riding. I don’t want to wear an HR monitor, since I have the Fenix. Will these too devices play nice together? Will they double recode my rides? Does the 830 or 530 have data that the fenix doesn’t have? Does having a fenix push me in the direction of one particular bike computer?
I have the fenix 6 and an Edge 830. The Fenix has a broadcast HR function that works perfectly with the Edge (and with lots of other devices too eg my Mac at home on the trainer).
So it doesn’t double record, and does a fair job of HR, although a chest strap is more accurate according to most reviews.
Edge has climb pro, large screen and a readable map which makes it a much better bike computer than the watch.
Record on Edge, use Fenix as HR Bcast. I’m sure that F6 would also broadcast to a Wahoo or other computer though, but I haven’t had any experience with this.
Hope this helps!
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I purchased my Fenix 6 Pro just over a year ago because my Fenix 5 had started to lose battery life and the OHR had ceased to give reliable data. The battery life on the 6 Pro seemed marginally better than the Fenix 5 and the optical HR definitely felt like an improvement. Now, a year later, the battery life can’t make it through 4 or 5 10 mile bike rides without a recharge and the OHR data has become so uneven and unreliable day to day that it’s become virtually useless. I just turn it off to try and get a day or so more out of the battery. Maybe I have bad luck with Garmin or maybe the constant churn of new product is the goal and not long term reliability.
Do you know if a windows application exists to replicate the watch’s display on a laptop ? My idea would be to add an overlay on Zwift with more informations: lap heart rate / lap normalized power / etc.
The api for the .zwo files doesn’t allow to show such metrics.
Hey all,
I’m gearing up to buy a Fenix 6 – and I’m leaning toward the Sapphire Version. Ray can you tell me, or can anyone interject without having to scroll through 1,500+ comments. If Garmin has corrected an issue that was shipping some sapphire 6’s with a washed out blue hue when back lit.
There’s a lot of discussion on this on Garmin forums, but most of it is over a year old and I can’t really seem to find a definitive answer.. Am I just going to have to buy the watch and see if I get lucky with my unit before the return window ends? (Buying through REI in the Seattle area)
Thanks in advance!
Since I’m very happy with my Vivoactive 4S touchscreen, but would certainly quite appreciate the training status features of the Fenix 6S, as a DCR supporter I dare ask if you’d know anything about Garmin possibly planning for a “touchscreen version” for the Fenix 6 in a near future at all.
Do you know if Garmin has plans to update the FootPod for treadmill pacing? The original one does not seem to be available anymore.
I couldn’t find mine anywhere and search for another without success. I then found an Adidas. But it’s for sale now as I discovered I missed the introduction of a much smarter device. The Runn. Just twice the price of a pod…
No, I wouldn’t expect an update there.
Do you know if Garmin has a solution for pacing on a treadmill? I’m kind of surprised they can’t figure it out with the data they have from the accelerometers on the watch and/or HR strap. If they can count steps, why can’t they convert steps to distance.
They do indoor pacing on a treadmill and have for many years.
Some people find footpods more accurate, primarily at the extremes of pace (super slower or sprint-fast). But otherwise, I generally find the Garmin treadmill pace/speed pretty darn close.
Thanks
I am almost totaly happy with my fenix 6s. Only drawback is, that I am experiencing very poor GPS Performance while running under trees or in similar situations, where the view to the sky is limited or blocked by something. Is there any seeting or workaround to get better GPS Performance in such situations?
Would be very glad for any hint.
ths and best regards,
Michael
Michael, do you have the latest firmware? You may have to connect to a computer and Garmin Express to update it.
When I first got my 6X the GPS was horrible – every time I went under bridge my speed would spike up to several hundred thousand miles per hour. A firmware upgrade fixed that. It’s not as good as my 920XT but it’s close enough.
Thank you for that hint but I always sync my fenix with garmin connect and update it – so I think I should have the latest firmware.
After having eyed the Garmin Fenix 6 Sapphire for a long time, I finally bit the bullet and paid up for it approx. 1+ week ago and have been putting it through the paces.
The GPS performance has been extremely disappointing from day 1 – performance pales in comparison to my 3+ year old Suunto Spartan Trainer Wrist HR.
Attaching an image to show how poorly the watch has tracked my run (it was a return route, and this segment is along Gardens by the Bay in Singapore – i.e. open air running with no tall buildings to obstruct satellite signals). I’ve repeated this run a couple of times:
– Tried GPS + Galileo, GPS + Glonass, GPS only
– Ensured that the GPS locked on, waited 10 minutes for a further “warm up” before starting my runs
– Tried turning on 3D distance and 3D speed
I’ve tried all of the above, hoping that it would improve accuracy but the tracking has continued to be terrible regardless of what I did.
I’ve written in to Garmin and the local authorised distributor about this and am waiting to hear back.
Its running the latest 11.10 firmware.
Is this the norm / what everyone lives with on their top end Garmin watch, or is my device a lemon?
Appreciate fellow users’ inputs. Thanks in advance!
Here a standard 6s pro on 12.20.
No issues at all.
On attached prints 10x 500m on same road between the red marks.
Second print
Thanks Ric.
Attaching another run and marking all the crazy errors which have shown up. Also forgot to mention that the watch is on 1 second recording.
While I’ve seen various complaints on the Garmin Fenix 6 forums of poor tracking, the level of errors on mine are materially bad. Can’t imagine this would fare well if I tried to run around a standard 400m running track.
Hopefully Garmin Asia or the authorised distributor responds soon. Given the extremely disappointing performance, may choose to return it if the performance can’t be fixed (and hopefully they honour their warranties).
If anyone has any bright ideas on how I can fix this, would really appreciate it. I’ve also tried restarting, resetting, fiddling with all the settings, etc. but nothing has worked.
Sorry to hear that Wilson. My Garmin devices (Fenix 3, 5, 5S) have had no such problems. It tracks route when on the way out I go on one side of the streets (10-20 feet wide) and on the return I am on the other side of the street. My issues have been with battery life (Fenix 3 and 5), which is why the latest one 5S Plus is my third device but lately its dropping connection to my Android phone.
Hope that Garmin responds and finds a solution for you.
Sorry I don’t have any map pictures.
I wish there were no complains about Sony’s GPS chip sensitive performance… as my Fenix 5x is 3 years old now but with no complains at all.
Regards,
Digging through the, as always, extensive review (thanx Ray) and replies and wondering what I would buy as a successor for my, by the way still well functioning 735XT, which I have 2,5 years now, I was stuck between 945 and Fenix 6 or 6x. And finally decided to get me the 6x (pro). No solar as that doesn’t add that much to it. But why the 6x? It’s mainly that the price difference between 6 and 6x (and 945) is not that big. 945 and 6 pro are about the same in cost. What I really didn’t like from the 945 is the quite big bezel. On the 745 it’s smaller. Then the 6 would come in, but with the very small price difference I choose the 6x. Hopefully not too big, but hey, in the past I have used the 310xt (well not 7×24) and I used to have a large Timex (one of the first GPS-watches with a separate GPS-module which you had to wear around your arm. I’ve enjoyed the features of the 735 a lot. And I’m convinced that I will enjoy the 6x. That said, the device is on the market for over a year and it’s not the first time that after I bought a new device the successor came within a few weeks, so I guess the Fenix 7 will arrive before Christmas. ;-)
Does update change/improve accuracy?
I just bought a Fenix6 Pro. I had to update the maps before I could download anything from the IQ Connect store.
Will these updates make the map/position tracking more accurate?
Would changing from “smart” to every second GPS sampling improve the position accuracy?
Yes, I had the same issue. Mainly walking / mountaineering. To get the best track I use the every second option, no pausing, and add Glassnos GPs satellites.
Now and again it will still loose track briefly, possibly when a steep hillside blocks too many signals?
I’m also lead to believe the issue compared to bigger handheld GPS units, which I’m used too, the antenna in the Fenix is physically smaller, so can have a harder time keeping a signal at times.
Update: Samsung S20 bluetooth connection solved…sort of.
My Fenix 6x Solar failed to pair with my S20+. I reset phone and watch, cleared caches and so on. Nothing would work.
Last night I tried pairing in flight mode + BT. I got as far as the 6 digit code whereas before pairing unsuccessful will pop up instead.
I tried juggling with the wifi on with BT + flight mode and the two finally connected.
I noticed they would connect and disconnect and connect again. This morning my watch battery was drained from a half full batrery night before. So not quite successfully solved, yet.
Hello, Needless to say your reviews are FANTASTIC.
I am a Garmin fan for 10 + years, currently using a Fenix 5S Plus. The battery life on it going down, from 7 days a year to 5.5 days with no activity. You have mentioned the solar feature is only on Fenix 6X Solar, but both Garmin and REI have a Fenix 6S Pro Solar edition (I prefer due to my tiny wrist) and a Fenix 6 Pro Solar edition. Does this mean that the solar feature that you have reviewed is now available in these lesser diameter watches?
Thanks you,
Arun
The extended Solar range was released this summer.
I noticed Fenix 6 (47mm) is now excluded from their corporate site shop since last week. I understand buyers prefer the Pro version. End of Sales ??
Does anyone have a recommendation for Fenix 6 alternatives?
I’ve been burned by Garmin and can’t see myself spending more money for something and then having the same issues with a higher end device. I have a Vivoactive HR that was brand new and only started being used daily last fall. After a firmware upgrade it was bricked and Garmin sent me a refurbished one that was no where near the quality of the one I originally had. This one has issues with GPS, staying powered, being consistent (steps increase when it’s charging or not moving), gave me a rash on my arm (my original did not), and keeping data (I lose minutes/hours/days at a time). Garmin had me factory reset a couple of times which fixed it but they kept doing that for 90 days at which point they had no more refurbished units to provide me.
I’m just looking for something that’s quality built with consistent & accurate tracking of heart rate, steps, & activity. My main activities are things like aerobic fitness, snow boarding, walking, rowing, HIIT, Yoga/Pilates, and weight lifting. Also the band needs to be replaceable or have the option of being changed as I’m pretty certain I’m allergic to the plastic/silicon that’s used in most bands.
Isn’t amazing that model after model the problems look to be generally the same.
I have a Fenix 1 than a Fenix 5x but I always keep an eye on all models forum’s.
Either is a battery problem
A gps problem (first media tech an now Sony’s)
Or a barometer issue
Looks like there is not a learning curve along time !
Problem is there is not a better option which is a shame.
Hello. I’m sorry, the question may be stupid, but I feel confused!
The base model Fenix 6 has 64MB of memory. Can it be used with .GPX files, to follow a route up to 80 km? I looked at GPX routes from ultra races and they are about 2MB in size. Some people tell me that in order to follow the GPX track, these 64MB are not enough and I have to get a model with more memory. Is this true?
It shouldn’t be a problem.
I suspect the confusion is that the “pro” models have TOPO maps and the base models do not. However the classic breadcrumb navigation like the f3 and f5 is there according to the spec sheet.
Does the fenix 6 (or any fitness watch) allow to do a structured workout (e.g. trainingpeaks) and set up alarms so that there is a sound alarm only for intervals but not for desired zone? I find it difficult to distinguish between the sounds, particularly if you are outside the zone at the end of an interval. at least on my 735xt you can only turn on/off alarms. it would be great to have a sound alarm for intervals and vibrating alarm for desired zone. thank you
If you connect headphones it talks to you and tells you the desired target zone. If you are outside the target it tells you. For example, “Heart rate low: 150”. Then: “Heart rate in zone”. Etc.
I don’t get it, how is it possible to use the Golf activity on the basic Fenix 6/6S since they don’t have any internal storage? ..and IF you can use the Golf activity anyway, how many golf courses can you download?
The PRO versions have 41 000 courses, I assume that’s not possible on the basic Fenix 6/6S?
The basic Fenix 6 would be perfect for me if it’s possible to use the Golf activity.
Hello !
I find this watch awesome.
BUT
I find very silly that I can only add 12ish of MY programmed workouts on the watch. There is a silly limit of 25 workouts and some yoga/garmin workouts takes already 13.
People are complaining about this on Garmin forums and writing on “share ideas” page to Garmin.
If there is a tiny chance that you tell them directly that it’s kinda stupid to have the possibility of storing Mozart life work on the watch and no more that 12 personalized workouts it would be cool.
Thank you
Hello, I used the parameter “Use the map” which is defined in “Routting Settings”
Page 34 : link to www8.garmin.com
I start a route and I have waypoints displayed on the screen, it’s a shame because otherwise the watch has created a route that follows my route. It’s just illegible.
I may have missed something but no response on the forum. Thank you in advance.
I’m hoping someone can help before I have to just bite the bullet and do a full watch reset.
Since the last FW update (13.10) in cycling my TSS often shows wrong and it looks like it’s calculating based on the default 200w. I’ve made sure I changed it on the watch and on the phone and each time syncing so that they’re aligned. And to clarify, the setting is always right on the watch when the TSS is wrong. But it still keeps doing it. Not every time, but pretty regularly (which seems even more odd!).
As XC Ski power is in there now I even set that to the same as my cycling FTP but that didn’t work. I can get it back to being ok mid activity my manually changing then changing back the cycling FTP. So it seems as though it’s occasionally just ignoring the FTP setting at the start of an activity.
I do need to send this to Garmin as well, but listing here as I know there’s a pretty big knowledge pool!
Cheers
Hi,
In the last few weeks, I’ve had a sudden spike in OHR reading with my Fenix 6 Pro.
Especially when running. The HR suddenly begins climbing and reaches a very high HR.
At first, I was alarmed and thought it might be physiological but then compared with a chest HR band.
Found that the OHR is reading 30-40 bpm higher than the chest.
Haven’t changed anything in how I wear the watch, have kept it clean and the firmware is up to date.
Unfortunately, the Garmin customer forum is down (again).
Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Oren
Hey Oren,
I’ve noticed the same issue. During cold weather runs the hear rate tracking gets abnormally high and “sticks” until I start walking. I had a recovery run today and it recorded my max HR at 198. I’m almost 40 years old.
Unfortunately, I don’t have any suggestions. I’ve tried tightening the strap, wearing it loose, and moving the watch further up my arm. Those haven’t worked. The only other thing I can think of is that long sleeves are bumping the sensor and it can’t recover once it goes haywire.
I’ll report back if I find anything new.
– Kyle
Hi Kyle,
Thanks for your reply.
I also noticed this issue is linked to cold weather and even more strangely when running on a downhill incline. It’s hard for me to say if linked to long or short sleeves.
Was getting really wacky readouts just like yours. Here’s a run where I started with OHR then switch to chest strap.
I’ve also tried what you wrote and tried switching between arms.
So sent the watch for warranty inspection.
Will update as well.
Thanks,
Oren
I have the same issue as well. My heart rate hit 198 at a very slow pace, and I am almost 49 years old. Even at walking pace, watch alarmed at 183. It’s frustrating since I use data to plan my recovery time and activities
I have a similar cold weather response but this has transcended 3 devices and always with a heart rate strap (Garmin made). I first noticed with my MotoActive when starting out in 10 degree or so weather I would go over 200bpm and then down to more “normal” and this also happened with my Fenix2 and now Fenix5X-it also happens in cold biking weather as well. I have never seen this issue with my 5X’s optical monitor though-just the chest strap. I never hit 200Bpm in warmer weather (or probably in reality)
(almost) all of u HR problems posters don’t specify which sensor it concerns. Of the cheststrap it’s in the instructions to moisten the electrodes.Of OHR it’s generally known that those measurements are very relative. (not ‘scientific’ at all)
I agree with your statement OHR is relative, and I could live with that. However, lately, OHR constantly spiked above 189 bpm for 49 yo, even for a fast walk, let alone running. It may be coincidence that it occurred after last OS update.
Hi Kristine, Raul V, Eric and Kyle –
Thanks all for posting. To clarify the issues I’m/we’re having is with OHR.
I’ve noticed it since firmware version 12.20, now using 13.10
Had the watch since April so this is my first Winter with it.
Although it’s hard to define Israel’s 10c as “Cold”.
The other common thing I can find is we’re all 40+,
Perhaps someone can change their age setting and test.
Will keep you posted once my watch returns from inspection.
Thanks!
Oren
I think most issues are with ohr.
Mine is not working well during workouts at all.
Therefor i use a chest strap.
In the end my opinion is that watch of this price-level should have better ohr performance.
I’ve been using the OHR on my Fenix 6x for indoor workouts because my chest strap is being wonky. I’ve noticed no problems. I’m 59 years old and kind of fat for an athlete.
Doesn’t sound good!
I have a F5 but don’t monitor HR 24/7 and work with a strap for al my sports.
One day forgot the strap and had my F on top of an underlayer shirt and till my great surprise it had registered data every sec & even quite well! Underlayer means it was ‘cold’. Maybe the material warmed up a bit and worked as a contact layer at the same time….
If it was an update thing there would be much more buzz on it….
In wintertime even straps sometimes behave funny but that settles after say 10 min., depending the intensity…..
Update. My watch has returned from service by our local Garmin rep (Ronlight Israel: link to garmin.co.il)
This shouldn’t surprise anyone but the OHR glitch hasn’t been fixed.
The service lab reset the watch, reinstalled firmware, “calibrated’ the OHR (whatever that means), and ran HW test.
They claim the watch to be perfect working condition. Claimed that my installed watch face (SHN TxD) interfered with operations. I’m using the watch now without the face, and it’s still glitching. Am working persistently with the rep in Israel to resolve. Frustrating, since I’ve got a $749 watch with wacky OHR that messes up lot’s of other watch features. Here is a new comparison of OHR and chest HR with the HR spikes.
Hi, I use an Edge 830 for outdoor cycling and want to buy a Fenix 6 pro for my hiking, gym, swimming. I would like to have the Cycling data of my edge 840 also on my Fenix. Is this automatically transferred when syncing with the GCApp or do I have to use the Fenix in addition to my edge when on the bike? In this case of course it makes no sense to sync both devices with the app.
That depends on how much detail you’re expecting. I have an 830 and a Fenix 5+. Looking on my Fenix, I don’t have the patience to scroll down to the bottom, but there’s at least 2 months worth of cycling activities on it, all of which were recorded on my 830 and none on the Fenix However, these are summaries, not the detailed data that Garmin Connect gives you. So things like elapsed time, total distance, average and max heart rate and speed, calories, training effect, average, max, and normalized power, and other full ride details. But there are no detailed graphs, tracks, etc, like you get on Garmin Connect.
I’m also having issues with the OHR and Pulse Oximeter for the past few weeks, unsure why.
I’ve noted it frequently loses my HR and doesn’t get a reading for hours which it never did a month ago.
On closer inspection I noted only the bottom light of the OHR seems to light up, and it doesn’t seem to trigger on movement like it used to. Sometimes a power cycle seems to fix it but as soon as I take it off it never finds my HR again.
Hi,
As I previously updated – My watch was sent to service with no improvements.
Was reset, firmware was re-installed, and the OHR was “calibrated” – whatever that means.
Here is a run from this Monday with the Fenix 6 OHR (BLUE) vs Suunto chest HR (RED).
There is a gap in the middle since I stopped and tried to figure what was going on.
As you can see the Fenix 6 starts correctly, and then climbs too high as the run progresses.
Was relatively cold outside (at least for Israel) – 10c.
Here is the activity on Garmin: link to connect.garmin.com
Very frustrating since this renders the watch almost useless.
Will be glad if anyone has resolved this.
Topic in the Garmin Fenix 6 forum:
link to forums.garmin.com
Thanks,
Oren
So Suunto is right. It’s OHR limitation.
Does Suunto have a documentation for this issue?
I’ve recently installed firmware 15.20 and the issue still persists.
Garmin’s rep asked that I return to watch and that it will be replaced.
Hey Oren,
I’ve had the same issues with my Fenix 6 Pro. The OHR climbs abnormally high during runs in cold weather and kind of gets stuck. I haven’t had the same issue while running in warmer weather.
Please let us know what happens with your replacement watch. I’m curious to find out if this is a hardware issue or due to firmware updates.
Thanks,
Kyle
Hi Kyle,
Received a new watch and it didn’t fix the issue.
Neither did firmware version 15.20
Fluctuations continue although not as extreme.
This might be due to slightly warmer weather (above 10c).
I also slightly changed the watch placement – no longer on right on the joint, but nearby.
Still has some crazy HR jumps above 170 (I’m 47…)
The local vendor asked that I report what happens when the new firmware version arrives.
If this continues the watch might be replaced to a different model (e.g. Fenix 6X).
Once and if resolved I’ll post a comment.
Thanks,
Oren
I have same issue with my 6S Pro. Heart rate jumps to 186 bpm, even though it should be in 120’s; I am 49 yo. I am sore disappointed with this purchase.
Same issue with the OHR for me: It’s totally useless when running – just gets confused with cadence. The Fenix 5 plus OHR was quite good. The heart rate monitor on the 6 is a big downgrade IMO.
Why are people:
* still expecting functionality a device can never deliver?
* concluding by comparing individual experiences, lacking any ‘scientific’ base?
This discussion is going on for years already…
Maybe the f6 is a little worse or a little better than the f5. But I don’t think so on a population basis. I had both. I think any variation you see is unit to unit manufacturing differences and/or personal variation.
IMO. No watch on the market has adequate accuracy for more than casual HR tracking. If you want to do workouts based on HR you need to use an ECG-based chest strap (or possibly an upper-arm optical system like Scoche). All oHR systems at the wrist have problems that are significant enough to measure you in the wrong zone in workouts.
And if you are serious about using HR zone training, you need to do a serious lactate threshold test and calculate zones from that (see also Joe Friel or 80/20 zones). Or measure your max HR (which is difficult and unpleasant) and establish zones from that. In my experience the lactate threshold method described by Joe Friel and TrainingPeaks is the most practical and consistent.
The Garmin LT detection and and VO2Max detection based on FirstBeat algorithms “work” but are simplistic. They have a lot of assumptions and significant error bars. (I mean their published literature says something around +-10% when using a chest strap if I recall and that comes out to +- a few points of VO2Max — which is a lot.)
The optical HR in the watch is decent for all day HR capture and sleep tracking. (Sleep tracking is a whole other topic but the analysis is far to granular for what the watch can reliably detect.)
Agreed, one of the issues with the F6 is the metal back with causes localises skin cooling and in cooler weather or with a cool breeze will help divert a little bit of blood flow from the skin increasing the chances of cadence lock.
That’s not mention the weight of the watch and the slight to major slide backwards and forwards and side to side when doing any activity that hinders measuring WHR, than the algorithms have greatly improved.
Use optical elsewhere or chest strap for activity. WHR it may work for you but equally the next day not.
Yup!
Exactly so.
One day everyone will understand this.
I think the big issue I have with the Fenix 6 pro is that it’s such a black box: Even when I wear a chest strap (wahoo tickr), it’s not clear whether the watch is using the strap (it says “external HRM connected” before the run but I can’t tell if it’s losing connection during the run), or overriding with the optical, or doing some type of averaging.
The heart rate data I’ve got from this watch is just so all over the place. It will be reading 177bpm one minute, then 90bpm the next. Before I got this watch, I couldn’t get my heart rate over 162bpm doing hill repeats. Either I’ve developed some type of heart irregularity when wearing this watch (and not the Fenix 5), or it’s the watch. Given that the heart rate (whether wearing a chest strap or not) pretty closely tracks to my cadence, I blame it on the watch. Pile that in with the half cadence CIQ issue and how long that firmware took to resolve, I just returned it.
Fenix 6 was a dud IMO.
The ONLY improvements this watch had: it weighs slightly less than the Fenix 5, and battery life is better.
No matter what anyone on here says, the OHR monitor on the Fenix 6 is a complete joke. We all understand the limitations of wrist-based optical heart rate monitoring, but the Apple Watch makes the F6 look silly in comparison to its’ accuracy.
That’s not normal behavior. Normally the oHR turns off when the ANT+ or BTLE HRM strap is connected during an activity. (You can look under the watch and see.)
If the signal to the HRM is lost it will try to reactivate the oHR and fall back to that.
I have seen this sort of bonkers behavior with a faulty Garmin HRM Run and HRM TRI. I advise everyone to use an old model HRM Run that was a snap-on transmitter prior to the all-in-one models or the modern version (without the running dynamics) is the HRM Dual. Or else a Polar H9/10. The reason is that the physical wires in the chest straps can break if bent too far in your bag or just from wear and tear over time. If there is a short the HRM transmitter turns off. With the modular design you can replace the straps.
You can also get totally wild readings if the physical electrodes and wires are damaged. Including I once saw a reading old 240 from a damp strap that was in my bag not being worn at all.
Bottom line is either your Tickr is faulty or your fenix is faulty or both.
The Tickr has a modular strap so I would recommend trying a new strap and changing the battery for good luck as your first troubleshooting step.
I think you can also disable the oHR totally uso g a custom power profile. Then when you do your run rather than failing over to oHR you will just have nothing if the strap stops working. Or if you still have crazy readings it’s the Tickr alone sending them.
“I think the big issue I have with the Fenix 6 pro is that it’s such a black box: Even when I wear a chest strap (wahoo tickr), it’s not clear whether the watch is using the strap (it says “external HRM connected” before the run but I can’t tell if it’s losing connection during the run), or overriding with the optical, or doing some type of averaging. The heart rate data I’ve got from this watch is just so all over the place. It will be reading 177bpm one minute, then 90bpm the next.”
Based on what you’ve just said, it doesn’t sound like the Fenix 6 at all. What you just described sounds like the Fenix 6 connected to the TICKR, and the TICKR is having internal strap issues. In fact, that exact scenario of going from 177bpm to 90bpm is precisely a TICKR semi-known issue.
If you had lost the connection to the TICKR and resumed it, the Fenix will give you that notification. You can always check this at any time in the sensors menu at any time.
Dennis – is there a good OHR monitor in the Garmin family? Have you had any measure of success with any of them? Has anyone?
I typically use a chest strap, but would like to know that in a pinch, it may capture some remotely accurate HR info.
Just looking for some other feedback…
I’ve got a Wahoo TICKR that even sitting still in a chair will show my heart rate steadily increasing up to the “OMG my heart is about to explode range”. I’ve got a Garmin HRM::Dual that will work fine for about an hour and then will start ticking down until I’m doing a hard interval and it’s saying heart rates in the 40s, more appropriate for sitting in a chair. After those two failures, I bought a cheap-ass “XOSS”, whatever that is, and it works great.
“Based on what you’ve just said, it doesn’t sound like the Fenix 6 at all. What you just described sounds like the Fenix 6 connected to the TICKR, and the TICKR is having internal strap issues. In fact, that exact scenario of going from 177bpm to 90bpm is precisely a TICKR semi-known issue.”
Well it looks like in the process of trying to figure out why the optical heart rate was so off on the Fenix 6 pro (for me), or whether it was pointing out some more sinister heart rate problem, I could have stumbled on a possible Tickr issue: Technology! So much for my troubleshooting. I’ve ordered a new strap and will try with that.
I guess what threw me off so much with the Fenix 6 pro is that the optical heart rate on my Fenix 5 plus has been pretty good, as it was with the Vivo 3 too. I’d get occasional times when it was reading the same as my cadence, and I’d just tighten the watch a notch and it would settle down. Nothing (switch wrists, forearm, tightness) worked for me to get the Fenix 6 optical HRM to work for running.
Based on this thread, should I return my F6S to Garmin to exchange for a “recertified” one? Has anyone done this recertified exchange?
Well, I got a new heart rate strap, and, yes, the strap was also bad. But that doesn’t resolve that the optical heart rate on that watch was only in the realm of reasonable when _not_ doing an activity. I’d had it for less than a month, so Amazon accepted my return. For me, the reduced weight, better battery and the software bells and whistles were not enough to justify the loss of the convenience of being able to just go for a run with the watch only.
“should I return my F6S to Garmin to exchange for a “recertified” one”
My experience on the F5plus was that the “recertified” items are _sometimes_ good. My experience last year: The first time they sent me one with a bad button and I had to return it again. The second one has been good. Not sure if they’ve got better QC in the last year.
I have been a Garmin fan for many years and always come back to it after trying other brands. For several years I’ve used the Vivoactive 3 for running, gym, tennis & hiking and have really enjoyed it. I am highly tempted to buy a 6s – Pro Solar Edition due to the sale price. Is it worth the price ($329) to switch from the Vivoactive to the 6s? Or is 7s worth the price difference?
Has anyone else had any issue with the body battery and respiration function cutting out? It was working fine on my fenix 6x pro for months and then since Tuesday this weeky both measurements have completely stopped. Everything else appears to work fine..
When at sleep Polar use the same ohr algorithm as during the exercise, does Garmin have the same thing ?
Funny thing. I just sent in my Fenix 6x on warranty after some of the color behind the case disappeared. The one I sent had 10 days smart-watch battery. The one I got in return has 20days.. Something has definitively happened there since the early-adopter watches.
Hi All, and DCRainmaker as well.
I am in a bit of a dilemma right now and would love your opinion on it. Question is – Wait for Fenix 7, or go for Fenix 6X now.
I had the fenix 5. Lost it in Thailand while jumping off of a boat, back in 2018. Had a fenix 3 before that.
Been using an apple watch since then. But i really miss the fenix watches, their versatility, their sturdiness and sports fitness capabilities.
I am into Crossfit primarily and additionally do 10k m runs. I do hikes and bicycling and other sports stuff for fun.
Do i wait for the fenix 7 series, or do I buy the Fenix 6X Sapphire now? (Because that is a nearly 2 year old watch now)
The Fenix 7 looks very likely to appear in 3 or 4 weeks. I’d wait and make your mind up then, as the 6 prices will drop and there might not be enough in the 7 to make you feel it’s worth paying the extra.
Since this review, has Garmin introduced the pro 47mm watch with solar? I had discounted the solar because the x is too big for me, but it looks on Garmin’s site they now have the pro in solar, although it’s fairly confusing.
Along those lines, is the glass in the solar watches as durable as the sapphire crystals? I would take durability over solar if that is the case.
Garmin made a mid-life addition of pro solar SKUs across the fenix 6 size range. They are all based on gorilla glass, which is significantly softer than sapphire.
Currently the only way to get sapphire glass and solar, is the tactix solar sapphire — which is essentially a fenix 6X pro solar with sapphire glass instead of gorilla glass and a different cosmetic bezel treatment.
The solar charging effect is pretty much de minimis in all of the watches except the Instinct Solar and the Enduro.
Thanks Brian. I was thinking solar because I like to do long distance sailboat racing and am in the sun all day. Even then, I don’t think it’s worth it for the solar gimmick. I’ll do the 6 Pro. Sadly the Quaniix does not have sapphire until you get the titanium which is pricy and has that band…
I am debating between the 6s and the 6s Pro… does anybody have a suggestion or reasoning to choose one over the other?
Great article.
Would you recommend which what is the best way to track walk/run activity, not predetermined? I’m familiar with both interval workout and with run/walk alerts but they force me to decide upfront my training. I’m recovering from unhappy triad injury (had acl/mcl/meniscus damaged a year ago). My knee being still uncomfortable at times prevents me from running full interval. Recently I was too ambitious and set 400m run intervals with few minute walk intervals in between. But couldn’t keep up at these 400m intervals as my knee basically wasn’t ready yet. So I stopped and cancelled activity entirely. Next time I simply decided to use walk activity and mix in some random short runs stopping when my knee was telling me not to force it longer, taking walk for a bit. I would imagine it should be easy for Garmin to auto detect moments when I start running vs when I’m walking. If it is not possible to have it detected automatically, then I guess I’d be fine also if I could simply press button to start run and stop run manually switch back to walk, and repeat. But not sure how to do this on Garmin watch.
Thank you for any advice on this, what’s the best way to track it. Seeing progress and gradual improvement would help with recovery and motivation.
Garmin fenix 6s. Sleep function quit working after 3 days.
Did you contact Garmin support?
For several days now I have not been able to connect to Garmin Express. I receive a message ‘Sorry, there is a problem communicating with our servers. Does anyone else get this message?
I have previously received such a message that hackers have taken over Garmin’s servers. Did it happen again?
Honestly, there’s something wrong with your computer, or internet connection/router. I’m not aware of any issues with Garmin Express, and have been using it normally.
I’d hit up Garmin support, but also I’d do a scan for malware.
Thanks, the problem was not with the computer or router, I just went to the basics, uninstalled the Garmin Express from the computer, and reinstalled it and everything worked properly.
Hello,
I have a Fenix 6 and Edge 830.
When I make routes/courses with Strava and I select the orange star they are uploaded to Garmin Connect and to both devices.
Is there a way/workaround that the cycling course will be uploaded to the Edge and the running course to the Fenix?
The pace given by my Garmin Fenix 6 is inaccurate. For the same run, the pace from NikeRunClub, (while using my phone GPS) looks correct and stable. The Fenix 6 pace jumps around too much to be useful. It is mostly slower (up to 30 to 40 sec) but goes also faster (less 20 sec and more). I talked to Garmin to review the settings. But not much so far.
Is the inaccurate pace a known problem for the Fenix 6?
Is there a fix?
Does the Titanium Fenix 6 have the same problem with the pace?
I used to have a Garmin Forerunner 910XT. The pace was spot on. The pace was my primary parameter during marathon.
I love my fēnix 6X Sapphire but I am annoyed with the bluetooth disconnecting with my phone when it is only less than a foot away, then repeating 3-4 times with a minute or two. I don’t remembering this happening when I had my samsung phone, but the wife forced her apple phone on me because she wanted my free upgrade. And now I am on my second apple phone and it is still happening. Is this fēnix 6X issue or apple being apple and making it difficult for not being another apple product?
That’s definitely not normal, and in fact, if/when I hear of issues, it’s almost always with Android phones and BT, not iPhones. There was a rough go of things about a year ago when Apple rolled out some new restrictions, but these days it’s smooth sailing.
I’d suggest a hard reset of the Fenix, to see if that’s the issue. Or, failing that, Garmin support. :( Sorry!
Hi!
I’ve been reading your articles for around a year, and I see them very interesting and useful…. congrats for having such useful and objective material!!
Just a question: I’ve recently bought a Fenix 6x sapphire, and I wonder (from a technical point of view) what difference (or warning) exists about the power charging: Can I charge the unit with the modern (and more available) quick power chargers? is it possible? is there any restriction about charging the device with a quick charge adapter? is it the same to charge the unit with a quick charger or with a normal charger?
Thank you !!
G.R.
Late to the comment party here since the watch has been out for about 2 years now, but still considering getting one.
I currently have a FR645 and I’m eyeing up a Fenix 6S – how do these watches compare in size side by side? Do they have a similar footprint size? I can’t find any side by side photos of the 645 and 6S anywhere to compare!
I’m a man with fairly small wrists, and the 645 is just about perfect for me.
I went this upgrade path. I think the Fenix 6s is the same regarding diameter but has one or two mm more height.
mig
That’s good to hear.
Are you happy with your upgrade? I’m considering it because I’m doing much more trail running and using the navigation option on the 645, but without the context of an actual map it can be tricky when out on the trails. That and the 645 missing out on a lot of the features present on watches like the 245, despite being released around the same time and the 645 supposedly being the higher spec watch, which the 6S has.
One last question, I was watching a video by Chasing the Summit and he was wearing the buttons are small and fiddly on the 6S sometimes being a bit close to the skin to be able to press easily. Have you found that’s the case? Or is there any difference between 6S and 645 button operation?
Thanks
Hi,
yes I am happy :-)
Mainly because the FR645 seems to be a “dead end” no updates from garmin for this watch :-(
That was very disapointing – I thought it was the top running watch but never got pace-pro for example,
I can give no input regarding trail running – because I don’t do it. But I am able to swicht to the map while “running” or “walking” and it looks good, also I don’t realy use it.
Most important to me is, that the fenix is a real multisport watch and it works very well for open water swims – and first time I get heart rate for swimming (another feature that was never rolled out to the fr645):
Regarding “fiddly buttons”. I did not made this experience, but I think this is a very personal impression, so I would recommend to go to a store and just try it.
all the best.
mig
Great, thank you!
I’ve taken the plunge already and bought it, so if it doesn’t work for me I’ll just send it back and stick to the 645, but looking forward to trying it out.
Why they stopped supporting the 645, I don’t know, and a real shame. Supposed to be much more premium than the 2xx range, but without most of the features. PacePro seems to be a really easy addition to add through a software update for example. Appreciate it is never going to do the stuff that requires different hardware (PulseOx for example) but lots of it just seems to have been forgotten to be included.
Hey Dave, the Fenix 6S 6 & 6X are on Amazon Prime day and i’m really tempted to go 6S. I’ve currently got a 645M that I’ve had for around 18 months and i’m wondering whether it’s worth upgrading or not. How are you finding the change? At the minute the 6S is £375. Any help appreciated!
Damn! I wish I’d waited now. Paid £480 for my 6S.
On the whole, I really like it. Size wise, its about the same as the 645, just a little thicker (maybe 1-2mm) but the software is way better than what’s on the 645; it just feels and looks much slicker. The maps are great for trail running, or even just street running on a new route, and way better than the breadcrumb trail or course outline on the 645.
Its nice to have lots of the things that should be on the 645 that were never added. Body battery for one (although to be fair, I think of that as more of a gimmick!)
The only thing I’m a bit disappointed by is the battery life. I was expecting it to be miles better that my 645, but even with all the settings turned down (such as turning PulseOx off, backlight down to minimum etc) I’m not really getting much more between charges than my 645. And my 645 is over 2 years old now and should, in theory, have a more degraded battery thanks to all the recharge cycles it’s been through.
Don’t get me wrong, the battery life is pretty good, I maybe just had higher expectations of what it would be like. I do appreciate as well that the battery on the 6S is not going to be as good as on the 6 or 6X
The strap is not that great. It’s quite short, and uncomfortable for long periods of time. I got around that by swapping it for my 645 strap until I could get a new one delivered. Went for a velcro and nylon one which is super comfortable.
I think it has been worth the upgrade, and for the prices Amazon have got them today, definitely worth it. Price drops would probably indicate either the Fenix 7 series is on the way soon, or LTE versions like the 945 LTE that just launched.
Thanks for the in-depth reply Dave!
The 6S and the 6 are both £375, the 6X is £435….. the issue I have is I have small wrists and my 645 looks pretty darn big on my wrist so I daren’t go any bigger annoyingly! Cos I’m assuming the 6 at that price is the better deal!
I think GPS wise etc the battery life stated on the 6S is very similar to that of the 645 but I agree, you’d expect after a lot of charge cycles they’d be an improvement on a new watch.
I did wonder if the price drops indicate a new watch coming out and am concerned that the Fenix 6S is already pretty old in tech terms so wondering if i’m gonna buy something that won’t be updated for much longer!
Thanks for the help and if you’ve got IG drop your username and i’ll give you a follow :)
I guess I just need to work out if I ‘NEED’ a new watch!
I don’t think anyone needs a new watch! Ha! But they are nice to have.
I have pretty small wrists, and prior to the 645 I’d always had something from the Forerunner 2xx series. 645 appealed to me as being very similar, but way more features than the 235 I was coming from. And the 6S is perfectly sized for me – the standard 6 or the 6X would look ridiculous on my wrists. My barber wears the 6X and I think it look a little big on him, even with his larger wrists than mine.
Also not a fan of the chunky, “military” look of the larger variants. I just don’t understand the need for a “masculine” watch to be covered in chunky bezels and dials etc. So the more streamlined look of the 6S works for me.
For the 7 series, I’m struggling to think what else they could add or change. I think they may put a better GPS chip inside, or maybe a better optical HR sensor, and add LTE, but beyond that and some improved software, I think they won’t be that much of an upgrade over the 6 series. I would love a 7, don’t get me wrong, but I think the 6 meets my needs at the moment. Even if they stop software updates (which I think is unlikely as they’re still supporting the Fenix 5) it works well as it stands.
Thanks for the IG follow offer. You can find me at dave_therunner (where there’s a few pictures of the 6S on my wrist if that helps!)
For my next watch, I’m hesitating between the 6 and the 6X.
I am 53 years old and I am quite strong prebyte (badly to read telephone without glasses for example). As I don’t always run with my sunglasses adapted to my eyesight (at night, I don’t want to …), on my current watch I am using 3 or 4 data per screen.
Is there a big difference in readability between the 2?
Is the 6 sufficiently readable, in particular the cards for a person with correct vision (and with my glasses for me obviously) or is the 6X really better on this side (but also heavier and more imposing)?
Finally, do the 6 pro solar and 6X pro solar models have strictly the same functions and do they evolve in the same way?
Hi.
I have Fenix 5 Sapphire for about 3 years now (I think) and I am thinking of changing it to Fenix 6 Pro.
From this extensive review, I really like better training stats & guides, PacePro, MAPS!, more native data fields and body battery.
But, the question is, is it still good purchase at present moment (almost July 2021), given, that F6 is 2 years old device now? I mean, what about end of life for this gear?
I’m turning my back on Garmin. I’ve had the 6X for just over a year and was shocked to learn it becomes little more than an expensive paper weight if you are out of data coverage. The Garmin Connect app has been intentionally hamstrung so you can’t even view your sleep data without a data connection. In fact….you can’t interact with your watch to ANY significant degree through the app without a connection. I spend weeks at a time in the wilderness outside of cell coverage and during that time the 6X loses most of its functionality. There are a couple of Casio products I’m looking at as a better solution. They market the Fenix series as outdoor adventure products but they are not. Unless you do your outdoor adventuring within city limits. The data is in the watch, the watch is connected to my phone, WHY CAN’T I VIEW IT OFFLINE?!?!?!?! They even have the audacity to give the message “Your data will be available to view once you connect to our server”…..in other words….”We have the data right here…….but…..we’re not going to show it to you until you give it to us because f*ck you.”
All companies work the same way these days in terms of requiring a server connection to view the 24×7 data, though, you can view a fair bit of it on the watch itself – including sleep: link to dcrainmaker.com
As far as all the other data, you can simply use the Garmin Explore app, which is designed for exactly what you’re trying to do: link to buy.garmin.com
Thank you for taking the time to provide this info. It is helpful. I understand the cloud is a fact of life now but that doesn’t excuse not being able to view your data offline. It’s very simple to buffer data and allow viewing and then upload when a data connection is available. There is no good reason not to provide this ability. I’ll continue looking. Hopefully someone will recognize this as the maket differentiator that it could be.
Best regards.
New solar user of Fenix 6X Pro, I could not find precise answers to my question.
I wonder:
For the altimeter, how to set the auto calibration during an activity to have a reliable total ascent (ultra trail)? At start-up or permanent?
And for the baro calibration:
What is “watch mode”? : is it when we are not in business?
do we stay on “auto”?
Hi,
first I wanna say that I am a big fan of your blog and your YouTube channel, keep up the good work and I was hoping you can help me with a Garmin issue I am having:
Currently I am using a Garmin Fenix 5s, mostly for Crossfit, Calistehenics and Running.
I just started to track my crossfit workouts more thoroughly on Garmin Connect but this really sucks.
Before I do my workout I create a training with all excercises, weights and reps.
Problem 1 is that you can´t create excercises. Which means that if you don´t find your excercise in the list you can´t track it.
But the bigger problem I am having is that after you finished your workout you can´t edit your reps, weights, excercises -> You basically can´t edit anything. Which really sucks as most of the time you can´t say with 100% certainty how many reps you will be able to do with a specific weight.
Am I dong something wrong or is it not really possible?
Is there an app in Connect IQ store which solves that problem?
Does the Fenix 6 has the same issue?
Is there any fitness tracker who does that better than Garmin?
Thanks in advance:)
Hi Ray
Firstly, I just want to say thanks for all the work you do with these reviews. The effort you put in is amazing.
I wanted to ask you about the GPS accuracy, and if your thinking of it has changed since your initial review? I’ve had a Fenix 6 Pro now since the end of December and I just can’t shake the issues I get with GPS. Regardless of the type of run I do, I never “feel” it’s that accurate, and whenever I look at the results post-run, the lines are rarely smooth and often zig-zag on what should be straight lines while also cutting corners often. I’ve taken to wearing my old FR235 for comparison, and the difference is stark in how accurate those results are. On a 10km run, it’s not uncommon for there to be a 0.5km difference between the two.
I actually got in touch with Garmin about this 2 months ago to say I wasn’t happy with the GPS accuracy, and they agreed to send out a replacement unit, on the off-chance I guess it was the unit that was the problem. I had done the whole connect to Express and ensure the latest firmware etc. Unfortunately, the accuracy still isn’t what it should be on the new unit and I can only conclude that it’s the Fenix 6 that’s the problem as a whole, as opposed to an issue with the unit I own. For example a 7km run on the track this morning resulted in the Fenix calculating it as 7.4km, while my old FR235 nailed it. (it also gave me 55m elevation gain as well, but that’s another issue altogether!)
Have you come across any of these issues at all? If this is down to general issue with the Fenix 6 and the Sony chipset Garmin now uses, would you have a recommendation on which of the newer Garmin devices are most accurate? And if they all suffer from similar problems, what would be the best Garmin watch that uses the older chipset. I have to say it blows my mind that my FR235 provides a more accurate run that my Fenix but there we go.
Thanks
Simon
More features is what Garmin thinks is needed to beat the competition. All sorts of idiot things.
Meanwhile the functioning has become worse, despite the technique that has further developed. Smaller, lighter, less power consuming and for all cheaper parts used.
Hi Simon-
Thanks for the note!
Generally no, I don’t see many people reporting issues like you noted (in terms of severity). I’d agree, if you’re seeing 500m differences on a 5-7KM route, that’s far too great.
A few quick thoughts:
1) Overlaying the tracks atop each other to see where the variances occur (and determining which one is not what you ran) is super useful. There’s various tools out there, free and paid. There’s the DCR Analyzer here: link to dcrainmaker.com
2) When looking at accuracy problems across many brands, key things I’d ensure are:
A) That it’s at a 1-second recording rate (and not smart recording) – the default is smart recording, I always switch to 1-second.
B) Toy around with GPS+GLONASS vs GPS+GALILEO (default is Glonass, but some people have better luck with Galileo)
C) I’d consider your environment. You didn’t mention in the post if you’re talking all-mountain trail runs, or just generic street runs with little obstacles.
In terms of Sony chipset or not, everyone is on Sony these days except Apple. So it’s not really a differentiaor (for better or worse). And honestly, for the most part people are seeing really good results on Sony chipsets with up to date firmware. I think the early issues we saw 2-3 years ago are quite different than now.
Cheers!
Hey Ray
Unfortunately my so loved Fenix 3 (bought in 2015) just died these days. :(
Do you know anything about the release date of the Fenix 7? Otherwise the model 6X Pro Saphire also seems to be a very nice option…
I’m still using my Fenix 3 Sapphire and having the same question as you have. On the other hand if you need a watch soon (as you do) then the 7 won’t be available anytime soon I guess as it’s not even announced.
Thank you for your answer… even if that’s not what I want to hear… but yes, agree… unfortunately…
i have recently ‘upgraded’ from a fenix 5 to a fenix 6 Titanium. i have noticed that my runs are now recording as less distance, my 10.2km loop is now showing as 9.7km and all my pace information is off. if i download the GPX file from basecamp and upload it to strava i get 10.2km again. it seems that the watch is recording correctly but displaying incorrectly. i dont want to have to re-upload every activity but it looks like there is no other choice?
im extremely disappointed and honestly cant recommend the fenix 6 over the 5 because of this issue. im gutted i wasted my money and will buy Suunto next time.
Thank you for a really thorough review. My Apple Watch has packed up and I haven’t been happy with it since I got it with apps for sport and battery life when hiking so now is the time to replace. I’ve been wading through the internet this weekend trying to find a new watch. This review has given great insight and a trusted source, thank you.
I noticed an accuracy discrepancy with my Garmin Fenix 6X Pro Solar where if i use it on my bike mounted on the handlebars i get near perfect accuracy -GPS track lines up with the road and route vs when i use it on my wrist the track weaves around a bit like a squiggly line. I wonder if this is just the antenna placement being the bezzle or does it have to do with the accelerometer and other sensors while running?
I uploaded a photo of the GPX track left is the Run and Right is the Bike. Quite interesting that watch position has this large of an effect.
Bump. This is the most interesting post I’ve seen on here by far lately. I think JP is on to something.
My experience is that the track is smoother when you’re going faster. I get the same inaccuracies you’re seeing on the run when I’m paddling around 10km/hr, and the Fenix 6X is attached to my footstrap not on my wrist.
Usual high standard of review
When comparing data history say HRM as you regularly do maybe you ought to look at some mathematical tools ( addition to you analyser?) which compares differences in time-based data history. Commonly used in engineering and could be a great addition rather than just superimposing curves.
I can only stronly dis-recommend to buy that watch:
in the past 8 Month i own that watch it was painfull: Bought in December before Christmas, and used very rare as i was busy, in January i used to run a lot with it an the accuracy after that GPS Problem patch was making the watch quite unuseable to me. 2 times i contacted Garin about and got only useless informations about settings and try this and that, on the third time, the watch was replaced by another quite quickly. But the accuracy was quite the same. By running the watch is around 12% longer distance than FR 945, and showing speeds from anything low to anything faster as you can never use to get your pace about. The Replacement watch has same, and in the last 2 Monthe the Watch is in AMAZON Repair center, where i’m sure they did nothing but even Garmin as Amazon did not want do give me my money back for it or do any replacement. – I’d like to run and own a very Old FR620, but it is more likely to use a 20Euro Ebay Watch from 2014 as the 550€ Fenix. Please do not buy such a Product and even the Shown Report from above is not showing now’s reality.
Summary_ STRONGLY DISRECOMMEND TO BUY
The same thing happened to me. After running with several Forerunners, I switched to Fenix 6. Unfortunately, the pace was erratic and cannot be used to monitor my run in real time. I upgraded to Titanium Fenix 6. But the same problem happened. The Fenix 6 is NOT for runners requiring the pace. I wish DC Rainmaker or Garmin will notify this downside.
It seems the body made of stainless steel or titanium shields the GPS signal. The Forerunner doesn’t have this issue as it is in plastic.
It may be that there is a difference in the performance between the different body sizes S/nothing/X in GPS performance. I think the bezel is meant to be an integrated antenna and in the fenix 3 design that became the X series the diameter is sized to be somewhat tuned for GPS wavelengths.
My experience with the fenix 3, 5X, and 6X is that current pace is not great but no worse that the forerunner 235 that I had. On the f235 I would see crazy pace swings from 3 min/km to 5:30 min/km sometimes when the real pace was more like 4:30/km.
It may be that the 6S and 6 are much worse but I don’t have first-hand experience with them.
I think there is a fundamental limitation to current pace and GPS precision. When averaged over something like 1km the lap pace is totally fine. When averaged over 5 sec, 1 or 2 points out of whack will give a wild reading. I use a Stryd for road running to make current pace stable and consistent.
I have similar feelings about optional wrist HR. There are fundamental limitations to the accuracy of the technology within reasonable sampling rates for low battery consumption which means it is always going to be inaccurate relative to a ECG strap. It works great for 24 hour measurement when at leisure and ok for steady state running. Not good for intervals or cycling.
i am experiencing strange results for openwater swim – the line of my gps track is not a line, but an extreme “zig-zag”. And when garmin is synchronizing the activity to strava, it is much more longer on strava than on garmin. e.g. my latest openwater swim is 1543 m on garmin (which should be correct, because it was part of an olympic distance triathlon). On strava it is presented with a length of 1942 m.
Any idea what the reason could be for this difference?
The cause of the difference is easy, since Strava often does this. Strava is computing your distance from the GPS track, and since it rattles around, that’s going to be longer than what you actually did. Garmin must use some kind of algorithm, probably leveraging the accelerometer, to try to obtain a more accurate distance for open water swimming, since they realize that GPS lock is going to be lost frequently. I’d think that Strava would realize that an OWS activity isn’t likely to have a very good track and just use the device’s distance, but what do I know? Anyway, I don’t have an open water swim activity on Strava, but with the recent changes Strava has made on their web site it might be possible to tell it to use device data for this activity.
this makes sense – absolutely – thank you.
I found not option to change this on the strava homepage so far.
regards.
mig
Which is the best mode on GPS on Garmin Forerunner 945 watches for city runs?
It is a shame that Garmin still only sell watches with standard length straps. If you want a longer strap you have to buy the watch (£600) and also a longer strap (only one silicone strap available and it is £45). The longer strap has the same length buckle section so it is only the other strap arm that is longer. So £45 extra, a waste of a good strap and all the resources used to make it and no choice. Third party straps are £10-15. Letting themselves down and really annoying.
Yeah, I think the challenge is simply how many SKU’s you end up with at the end of the day, which mostly end up with more waste. A long time eago they actually used to include an extender in the Fenix boxes (Fenix 1-2 I think for winter coats).
Meanwhile I’m over here wishing they had one more hole on the band so I could cinch it a little tighter. Unusual wrist sizes unite!
Is a Fenix 7 coming in the near feature?
Did anyone notice that the Garmin 6 stopped measuring the temperature of the water in the pool?
In the last update 19.20, they eliminated this capability.
This is what they answered me I asked why
“Our Fenix 6 series engineers have chosen to disable the temperature sensor for the Indoor Swim App only. The intention is to improve the reliability of your temperature sensor along with other sensors”
Do you also think it’s wrong to lower the watch’s capabilities?
HI,
BIG issue with my Garmin FENIX 6X PRO. Before I had the Forerunner 220. NOw FENIX 6XPRO. And the distance is always less 400 -500 m of 11 km ! All the runners can fully understand that for a specific training this is completely not great… Do you know this issue?
Hi
Has anyone else lost training status when using fenix 6 x pro with a polar OH1 heart rate monitor ?
I am guessing garmin has updated the watch software to only give training status with a garmin heart rate monitor ?..
Thank you
I used a fenix 6X with a Polar H9 (and stryd) for about a year and a half. I have Training Status the whole time. My “metrics” like VO2Max tend to be substantially lower than training partners who use f6 series without a HR strap using GPS and built-in oHR. (And who also don’t determine HR Zones from LTHR or at all.)
I’m convinced that the external sensors are more accurate. But also that the Garmin algorithms are really pretty dumb and easily confused. If you do a Z2 run, it will think you lowered your fitness. If you run threshold or intervals it will swing way the other way. VO2Max estimates can swing wildly within a single week. I don’t think they are useful for anything by and large.
I long ago removed the “Training Status” widget from the watch and GCM. The trends in Training Peaks are also not perfect, but better. It has made me more relaxed and enjoy my workouts more to not look at those useless summary pages.
I would remove the VO2Max estimate page from the post-workout summary if I could.
I have a fenix6s pro and oh1 connected by ant+ watch fine and gives my all the training metrics Garmin has to offer. The only one that works intermittently is lactate threshold which works sometimes, never got to the bottom of it, I’m sure it’s something account related rather the watch as I had issues with F5s too
Has anyone been having trouble with running cadence from CIQ data fields on this watch? CIQ fields (Race Screen, Single Run Field, for example) seem to show the wrong (half) running cadence on this watch. The developer for “Single run field” says garmin is reporting the wrong data to the field. I contacted garmin support, but they say contact the developer. Contact the developer and they can’t do anything because they are getting the wrong data.
Hi thanks a lot for the review! I have a question- I am wondering which model to get- 6 or 6X, and my main concern is battery life while using navigation abilities. I looked at the comparison chart and noticed that SMARTWATCH mode in all models has at least 9 days. Is GPS available in this mode? Also- what does the “Max battery GPS” mode about? I assume it does have GPS on…
Thank you!
Smartwatch mode basically means standby mode here GPS isn’t powered on.
Max battery GPS is so-called UltraTrac, so there’s a reduction in GPS tracking rate to roughly 20 seconds out of every minute or so.
Excellent , thank you for the quick reply!
I am considering upgrading my venerable 910XT which has performed great for almost 10 years, including the glass which still looks as new. Do you have an insight into whether the unbranded glass on the 910XT is comparable to the Corning Gorilla Glass on the Pro, or is it closer to the Sapphire glass of the Sapphire edition?
My family still has 2 910XT, I bought 4 as a total, sold one and one has died.
So I really love it.
But I guess what you call unbranded glass is just like a pretty good plastic. I dont mean it is plastic, I mean it was not developed as special, bullet-proof glass, so it must be closer to Gorilla glass, but definitely must be of worse quality in terms of breakage resistance.
I’m no triathlete, let’s just start there. But I love working out. And, more importantly to this comment, I love tracking data and metrics. About a year ago, I bought the Vivoactive 3 as my entry into this marketplace. I liked it. There was a lot I didn’t know but this seemed to be a good place to start. Due to a battery that seems to die every 36 hours, I’m in the market for a new model. I am having trouble deciding between a Fenix 6, a Forerunner (745/945) or a third, unknown option.
Here are my criteria:
I pool swim. I’d like to have distance/HR & caloric output for my swims. I’d also love as much peripheral swim data as I can get to improve my swimming.
I bike (mostly on a Peloton). I use an external HR strap to track HR during rides. But I would love to capture more metrics (distance, rpms, resistance, and any other data) directly on my watch. My vivoactive just catches HR and time.
I lift and do cardio (lots of cardio circuits like CrossFit) and would love to capture more data there.
I would love some data on ideal caloric output or workout intensity each week.
I lift 3x a week but don’t feel the need to capture reps on my watch (unless I’m missing some great value by doing so)
I don’t run (due to 2 very bad knees). I don’t need maps. I don’t workout much outside. I don’t need courses or GPS tracking (most of the time). I don’t need altitude.
I don’t golf, so I don’t need info on my local course.
Whatever I’m missing here must not be important, either…
Essentially, I am looking for a device that captures my daily routines better. Sleeping/Stress/HR levels and exertion. I want as much bike/swim/circuit data as possible.
Can you steer me toward or away from a few watches that you think may best capture my goals?
Many, MANY thanks to you (and other members who care to comment)
-Eric
maybe the Enduro is a better Garmin for you.
get a bike power meter (pedals)…hopefully peloton takes those
get a second hand humon hex
use trackbar
add a few supersapiens sensors
don’t forget a Core body temp sensor
start collecting hrv data and use hrv4training and/or hrv4biofeedback, emfit could also be interesting
if you want some more sports data just ping me ;-) there’s lots more to get
For a long time now I found not the Heart Rate Values of the Fenix Solar Version very unreliable. Generally they tend to be too high – even after a dozen resets and other measures recommended by Garmin support. A replacement watch shows the same. Biggest problem: hiking = dog walk. When it is a bit colder then the values are much too high after a while. Overall – comparing to an Apple Watch 7 or using the hear-rate strap the values seem too high during walks. I tended to like this as it gave me higher values for my excercising :-) But cheating is stupid.
Also when I use my arms a bit (waving around) then the values go through the roof. Not with the Apple watch.
Who has the same experience? Is this a bad sensor or is this a problem of algorythms? (using different “sports” for the same excercise will result in different values => e.g. walking while using “strength excercise” will have other results as “hiking”).
I now use the Garmin with the HR-strap for my “real excercises” and for all the daily tracking and sleep tracking the Apple watch. But somehow that is a bit crazy. Does anybody have a recommendation? (esp. as I think that the upcoming Fenix 7 or Epic whatever in January will probably have the same sensors and problems). What use is a watch which has billions of great features but the basics do not really work? And all features (like body battery or VO2 or whatever are based on correct heart rates – which are not correct). I have to admit – I’m a bit frustrated. Would love to pay more if the watch would be really reliable…
Thank you so much!
According to Gamin, the Fenix 6 can display respiration rate through the Respiration Widget or when recording an activity. An HRM-Tri, HRM-Run, HRM-Pro, or HRM-Dual strap is required to get respiration rate for all activity types with the exception of Breathwork or Yoga activity types. Is it possible to use a Polar H10 chest strap instead of a HRM-Tri, HRM-Run, HRM-Pro, or HRM-Dual strap to get respiration rate?
Me and pretty much everyone I know hates the Fenix 6 because of the GPS. It is _always_ too short! FR 235 & 735, which other friends I run with have, are consistently better. Hoping for a Fenix 7 replacement soon (would really like to try another brand really but I’ll give them one more chance).
Fenix 6 can measure respiratory rate from newer Garmin chest straps. Algorithms for this are from Firstbeat. Are they based on Peter H. Charlton Matlab Toolbox for respiratory rate, or did Firstbeat reinvent the wheel? If so, a Fenix 6 with a chest strap might deliver very accurate respiratory rate values, since Peter H. Charlton developed those for clinical settings. But ask your doctor first, before you use it in the hospital (no, no, I am only joking).
Chartlon’s work is mainly focused on reviewing other respiratory rate algorithms. In fact, one of his studies from about 5-6 years ago noted some 100 algorithms existed at the time.
But, it’s pretty unlikely that FirstBeat is going to use a Matlab Toolbox, given FirstBeat themselves published a paper on how they leverage respiration rate from HR signals…in 2004 – more than 12 years before Chartlon’s summary review work was published.
link to assets.firstbeat.com
Also, respiration rate at rest doesn’t require a chest strap anymore. It’s done via optical HR sensors.
It will give you respiration but it doesn’t really work with the oHR. You just get a mostly flat line. At least that’s what happened for me.
The respiration rate does not require a Garmin HRM. Any HRM will work over ANT+ or BTLE.
I don’t have way to validate if it is accurate but the breathing rate graph looks sane when using a chest strap and impossible flat when using oHR.
The keyword above is “at rest” ;)
Yeah, at workouts it flatlines.
I found it’s totally unreliable. Checked it while running. I would maintain a steady cyclus, based on steps. Afterwards do some dividing and you have the BrPM. Which was always substantially lower than the Garmin report. They think we’re stupid. Well, I’m not…..
Imagine what this means for all the other data they come up with and which cannot be checked. Apart from what’s the use of it…. All marketing!!
Ray, you mean, Firstbeat invented the wheel? As long as Firstbeat does not publish their algorithms and lists the papers they are based on, I don’t believe anything.
I have no idea if they ‘invented’ this, probably not, and honestly, it doesn’t matter to me either way. The point of my comment was simply noting that they had published a paper 12 years prior to this other dude’s summary paper, and that this other dude didn’t invent any algorithm best I can tell, but simply did a review of algorithms in a study.
You don’t have to believe anything, but that doesn’t change history – or easily demonstratable things – it took me less than 2 minutes to Google it. History in this case is quite simple and factual. One paper was published 12 years prior to the other. Perhaps there are more, I don’t know, given there are 100+ algorithms for breathing rate out there as of 2016 according to said dude, it’s likely there are more than just one paper from 2004 and prior. I suppose you could spend some time in Google. ;)
I made a first short test with a Fenix 6 and a Polar H10 chest strap (which is not officially supported) to measure the respiratory rate. The values appear laggy and are sometimes unbelievable. If you want to use this for serious applications like practicing breath meditation, a validation of the accuracy is necessary. I suggest to count the number of breath taken per minute manually and to compare the data to the values measured by the Fenix 6.
This whole concept is inferring breath rate indirectly from HRV. I would not expect an indirect measure to be very accurate. It’s more of a hmmm, interesting graph.
As with Garmin’s Running Dynamics, I’m not sure there is anything you can do with it as a training tool other than appreciate that it is nifty.
When I count the number of breath in a minute manually and compare the data to the data on the Fenix 6, the values on the Fenix 6 are around half of the values than the counted values. What is wrong? Is it the Polar H10? Garmin says, a HRM-Tri-, HRM-Run-, HRM-Pro- oder HRM-Dual- chest stap is required for Respiration rate. I currently only have a Polar H10 available. But do these chest straps not use standard protocols? Peter H. Charlton says, for respiratory rate calculation from ECG devices, the distance between two R peaks is required. Firstbeat says, they use heart rate variability information. But is this not the same? Is the R-R peak information or heart rate variablity information not also in the Polar H10?
You’re measuring more than Garmin? I do a lot less! I did my testing running with an Edge 83 and a Fenix 5..Guess it is the same software. Brian’s comment about steps is not applicable I think. RR obviously is a cyclus of in & exhaling. In my case 1 cyclus is 9 steps. 4 in 5 out. I take my average av cadence and divide that by 9.
I am very sceptical about all the new data. Most of them are not serving any goal. And also cannot be checked for accurateness. Manufacturers should put their energy in improving the basic things.
I’ve had the fenix 6s pro for a few weeks now and like it but, I’m not super impressed with the battery life. I’m considering the 945 instead, but having a hard time desiphering which one ultimately has better / longer battery life. Can you tell me?
The 945 is essentially a fenix 6 with a different case. It has range comparable to a fenix 6. The 6S has a smaller battery than the f6/945.
The f6/945 has roughly 40% more battery range than the 6S.
So, theoretically, the 945 is a better choice over the 6S? Or just get the 6 and deal with it being bigger size?
No, it is not the Polar H10. I had the same deviation with a Venu wrist based respiratory rate, and a Tacient respiratory rate belt with the HappySleep app. First I doubted about myself, but then I doubted about the devices. Fifty percent deviation from a manual count at a first test? For whom is this acceptable?
If it is really 1/2 it suggests that perhaps the issue is actually the definition of the rate.
Like cadence in RPM is half of cadence in SPM. There are two steps to a pace. Stride length is double step length.
Is it possible you are counting a breath in a different way than Garmin?
I think the recorded respiration rate lags but I also don’t think it is half. I believe it is derived algorithmically from the R-R distance. The H10 should be one of the best tools available to collect that data accurately.
The values look reasonable to me in my last several activities. But equally, what use is this graph that it warrants worrying about?
I had a serious crisis and went trough different youtube videos, checked the definitions, respiratory rate, breath rate, single breath, full breath, I could not find a problem there. I am really sceptical about the accuracy of Firstbeat products. When you for example compare the recovery time when you wear two different devices at the same time, there are big differences. The same with stress. Wearing two different devices at the same time, there are huge differences in stress values. The work of Peter H. Charlton is really of high quality, I think he did his PhD. about respiratory rate, and he was at one of the best universities in UK, and still is working for high quality institutions. There is a whole respiratory rate estimation project going on. From Firstbeat, I first want to see accuracy data before I trust these products.
Hello
Can anyone tell me why i can t modify the default value of 172.5mm crankarm left Stages power meter shown in the Fenix 6X sapphire edition(head unit) although my PM length is 175?
Thank you
With a crank-arm based power meter, the crank length is pre-set on it, because it’s glued onto the arm. So Stages simply hard-codes it to the crank arm.
Whereas with a pedal based power meter, it can be moved from bike to bike, so it has to be set by you.
In other words, the value isn’t used. In theory, it actually shouldn’t even show you the option, so it’s odd your seeing that.
The deviation in respiratory rate are becoming smaller at my second test. At my first test, I was a little bit stressed, I counted 30 breath per minute, Fenix 6 with chest strap, Venu and the Taidacent Respiratory belt measured around 15 breath. But when I go down to around 20 breath, the Fenix is around 12, and the Venu makes jumps. I suppose the correlation is non-linear above 20. It is difficult to find consumer grade respiratory rate monitors, and they seem not to be validated yet. I would not be suprised if the Vernier Go Direct Respiration Belt is the most accurate device, since it makes a direct measurement on the chest, and is not derived from a chest strap or a wirst based heart rate monitor. But I did not test this yet.
Still a great watch and working well even now. All this time later :-)
Great review, extremely helpful.
I’m notice the following issue with my Fenix 6 Sapphire and I wonder if you could have a look into it: if I run the breathing exercises at night the backlight will turn off after the timeout period.
This was not an issue on Fenix 5 Sapphire, the backlight would remain on during the whole exercise.
Thank you in advance.
KR, Nuno
My guess is that at some point in the past you switched the backlight setting from the default of turning off after 8 seconds, to “Always On”. You can change that in the system settings again for the Fenix 6 easily.
Just go to SEttings > System > Backlight > During Activity > Timeout > Stays On.
so my fenix 6 is definitely less accurate at tracking runs than my old fenix 5. ive taken this up with Garmin who refuse to acknowledge there is an issue. ultimately it boils down to the watch under recording distance which also makes in run pacing data useless.
if i download the gpx file then re upload it i get a longer distance and amended pace. it can under read around 0.5km for every 10km. the info is obviously in there, its just that the watch wants to tell me a different story.
ive compared it to other devices and my smart phone and everything points to the watch being inaccurate, but delete and re upload and it comes back into line with other devices.
its disappointing that my phone does a better job than a purpose built watch.
Does anyone know by how much the maps features reduce battery life?
In my last two ~15hr bike/run outings, The 6XPro ends up with <30% battery remaining starting from a full charge. Extrapolating a bit, I guess it would last about 21hrs, which is a far cry from the ~60hrs promised. (And a bit worrying for an upcoming 110k run.. maybe 18hrs best case, probably longer cos I'm slow lol) It's died on me before at 15-30% battery so I try not to let it get that low.
I'm using:
– GPS
– Maps for following a pre-built course (minimal/no fiddling with it like zooming panning etc)
– Optical heart rate
– BT connected to phone but very infrequent texts etc
– No music
Wondering how I could squeeze out of it to get a bit more of a safety cushion.
– Guessing that *not* loading a course could improve the battery life significantly.
– Does anyone know if spending less time on the actual map screen would save a significant amount of battery i.e. avoid forcing the watch to redraw the map all the time while I'm not even looking at it, and only switch over once I need to see it
– Disabling the alert vibration?
– Disable backlight?
– I know disabling OHR would help but I like having that data – *especially* for long efforts
Any other tips would be really appreciated! Love the watch overall and it's barely left my wrist in the ~2 years I've owned it.
And thanks again to DCR for the great review, it definitely helped me make the right decision on what to buy.
To calculate HRV or Respiratory Rate, R-R peak data are required, as far as I know. On my Fenix 6, there is an option «store HRV» Some Garmin Watches. require you to download enable_hrv_settings_file.fit that you copy onto the watch to store HRV. Is this the same? And can there be found a .fit file with R-R peak data on the watch induced by this procedure, a file, which can be used to calculate HRV or Respiratory Rate?
Great review, thanks
Interesting review of the Fenix series.
Have read it (not completely but my highlights).
Thanks
Will salt from a salt water pool corrode anything on the Fenix 6 Sapphire watch?
Dear DC Rainmaker,
You are a great content creator. We learn very useful and detailed information on the web page or on the youtube channel. I am very grateful for that.
Have a great day :)
Yakup.
Great review that I will get back to many times! :-)
I can´t find information about how downloading Garmin maps really works with the watch anywhere. Specifically: is it worth buying Garmin Alpenverein maps for Austria or is the resolution on the whatch to low for it being useful on ski tours and mountaineering?
(If I´m buying these maps, is it possible to see them in my Explorer app on my smartphone as well (for route planning and such)??)
I have been enjoying my Garmin Fenix 6X Pro for a couple of years now. Initially it was fantastic at everything, but for at least a year now (more than a year actually) the open water activity is recording farther than I swim. Many times the distance actually, so its not even useful distance wise(more on that later). Support did offer some suggestions whilst it was in warrantee, but they were just tweaks of GPS options, and one suggested tweak was not even available for swimming (it was 3D recording, available for running etc). So, back to the recording, although the overall distance is a long way off, I noticed the GPS track was accurate, and that the Strava ‘Correct Distance’ function did make a good job of correcting the distance far more accurately. But that means that Garmin’s algorithm is not taking into account the GPS track as well as it should be, and the ‘on the fly calculations’ for distance on the open water swim are priority, plus there cannot be a GPS check of the track after the swim is finished. Why is the open water activity so incredibly bad on my Fenix 6X Pro? Obviously I have tried everything to fix it. Any suggestions DC Rainmaker? Or Others. Fantastic Blog (understatement, it is the most comprehensive blog of activity and tech/equipment there is!) Thank you.
Thanks Jabes!
So I’ve heard of the crazy GPS swim distance (yet actual plot/etc looks correct) thing a handful of times over the last few years, from a few people.
I’ve never been able to get clarity on why it occurs – or even, why it stops occurring. Given you’ve tried everything, I’d actually just push Garmin for a watch swap at this point. I suppose you could first try a factory reset. Clearly it’s not happening to everyone on the most current firmware, else, we’d heard about it. Thus, making me think it’s either some bizarre setting broken on your watch, or, something hardware-wise (albeit, that seems unlikely…but hey…ya never know).
Sorry!
Thanks for the rapid reply and useful idea, I will look into the Factory Rest.
Did Garmin ever add Health Snapshot to one of the Fenix 6 software updates? I know it was a possibility but I can’t really find that information anywhere.
Guess no more firmware updates to the ole F6 :( Was hoping for those cool chevrons on the navigation / maps
Awesome review
I have the Fenix 6X – I use it for recording my bike and health stats almost every day. I am think of getting a garmin bike computer too. For navigation and maybe seeing some of my bike stats while I am riding. I don’t want to wear an HR monitor, since I have the Fenix. Will these too devices play nice together? Will they double recode my rides? Does the 830 or 530 have data that the fenix doesn’t have? Does having a fenix push me in the direction of one particular bike computer?
I have the fenix 6 and an Edge 830. The Fenix has a broadcast HR function that works perfectly with the Edge (and with lots of other devices too eg my Mac at home on the trainer).
So it doesn’t double record, and does a fair job of HR, although a chest strap is more accurate according to most reviews.
Edge has climb pro, large screen and a readable map which makes it a much better bike computer than the watch.
Record on Edge, use Fenix as HR Bcast. I’m sure that F6 would also broadcast to a Wahoo or other computer though, but I haven’t had any experience with this.
Hope this helps!
Hi Ray et al.,
I just discovered that pressing two buttons simultaneously on my fenix 6X provides shortcuts to some of the watch’s functions:
• Up • Menu + Back • Lap: Clocks
• Light + Back • Lap: Phone
• Up • Menu + Start/Stop: Navigate
Here a short video: link to youtu.be
Not sure if this has already been documented. (PS: Not all combinations produce results.)
Yes that is old and well known and in the manual. You can also change the shortcuts
Ah, sorry, I seem to have forgotten setting these up back in 2019. 🤷🏼♂️
Thanks for pointing this out, K S. 👍🏻