Garmin fenix 6S Pro, Ultimate Multisport GPS Watch, Smaller-Sized, Features Mapping, Music, Grade-Adjusted Pace Monitoring and Pulse Ox Sensors, Black with Black Band

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The buttons also allow you to control your music while you’re running. I thought this would be a big plus, since I wouldn’t have to whip out my phone if I wanted to skip a song in my playlist. The Fenix 6 Pro watches all have the same five-button design you’ll find on most Garmins, and the overall look hasn’t changed much from the Fenix 5 Plus series. The watches are chunky, and have exposed screws on the bezel. However, Garmin has increased the screen size on all of the watches besides the 6S versions, which still have the same 240 x 240 1.2in panel as the Fenix 5S. The 6 and 6 Pro watches have a 260 x 260 1.3in screen and the 6X Pro and 6X Pro Solar both have the same impressive 280 x 280 1.4in display.

Reduced ‘lug to lug distance’ on Fenix 6S: This should help those with smaller wrists, more on this later 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: I’ve been wearing my Fenix for over 2 months now, and it’s been great for daily use. The slim size means it doesn’t get caught on things or feel bulky on my wrist, and the white and rose gold color scheme goes with just about everything. 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).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. The overall size of the watch is designed specifically for smaller wrists from 4.25 to 7.16 inches (10.8 to 18.2 cm). Where Garmin focused on adding smart features with the Fenix 5 Plus, it’s all about sports performance with the Fenix 6. There are three new features I’m especially enamoured by – one small, one that’s new to the Fenix but has already been seen on other Garmin devices, and one new biggie.

The Sapphire editions have tough sapphire crystal lenses rather than regular toughened glass, making them more resistant to scratches. If you’re focused on data – or you’re doing HIIT and want accurate HR results – use a chest strap. The Fenix 6S is compatible with ANT+ sensors. While the Sapphire edition is supposed to have added scratch resistance, I can’t imagine needing it. I’d recommend skipping the upgrade and saving some cash for any accessories you might want. Colors, bands, and size 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. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, I used to walk a lot each day as part of my commute. But since I’ve been working from home over the past year and a half, my daily steps have decreased dramatically.According to Garmin, the stress level is calculated based on your heart rate variability in a given day. I was a little skeptical at first, but looking through the data changed my mind. I found that on days that had felt particularly harried, my stress score was higher. And on days that felt pretty low-key, I ended up with a low stress score. 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. The Garmin Fenix 6 comes in multiple flavors and price points, so we'll just break them down here first. Watches in the Fenix 7 line can also display a visual race pace predictor, which estimates your time for a 5k, 10k, half marathon, and marathon based on your current fitness, complete with a line graph showing how that prediction has changed as a result of your recent training.

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: 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. 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:

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.

You’ll probably also like the watch if you’re an avid runner, hiker, biker, swimmer, or triathloner, or if you’re the type that tends to get lost. 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: There’s an altimeter, barometer, and compass, which will offer elevation and climbing data during a host of activities including skiing, climbing, and hiking. I did some digging in online forums and found that other users reported similar results. I also had my wife test the watch and her results were pretty similar, saying she’d only gotten about 10 minutes of deep sleep. Steps With that information PacePro creates your race plan with target times for each kilometre based on the gradient and other information you’ve provided. During the run, you then get a simple data screen with your target split time, your actual split time, how much distance is left in the split, plus how far ahead or behind your target pace you are for the whole race.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. The first thing you notice about the Fenix 6 series is its small bezel and brilliant sunlight-readable display that is up to 36% larger than previous Fenix models. Though it has a bigger screen, the Fenix 6 is 10 to 15% slimmer than the existing Fenix 5 series. With a choice of either a silicone band or a new nylon band, the 6 series has a comfortable fit that'll make you forget you are wearing a rugged, multisport, adventure watch. Adds solar charging to Fenix 6 Pro Solar: Termed “Power Glass”, this will increase battery life on sunnier days Garmin has a long-standing reputation for longevity in its watches. Not only do the watches last seemingly forever, but Garmin continues to upgrade them well past their release. I expect the Fenix 6S Pro to last at least three to four years under normal usage. You’ll likely want to upgrade to a flashy new watch before the Fenix 6S Pro fails. Should you buy it? The Solar editions have Garmin's Power Glass, which increases battery life by harvesting energy from sunlight throughout the day.