Garmin Fenix 6X Sapphire

16 Reviews for Garmin Fenix 6X Sapphire

1. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   JP – September 5, 2019

   Changed my rating from 4 to 5 stars because I have been able to make actionable tweaks on my daily life based on the new information collected by the F6x during activities and sleeping. Plus, the GPS gets a lock super fast when outside. It is truly a great watch and while I do miss some things from the F3 HR, they are minor and the F6x is an all around improvement from the older model. Coming from a Fenix 3 HR, was hoping the Fenix to Fenix upgrade/migration process would be super smooth. Like custom activities would just carry over or even the default watch face would be the same. Neither are true and while I figured out how to create a custom activity, within Connect it does not list the custom name like it did with the F3. There are no watch faces that are similar to the simple but perfect digital face of the F3 HR. My biggest issue with the F6x default digital face is the way the minutes are not inline with the hour. Yet, the digital face for the F6 Solar looks exactly what is expected, minus the sun gauge in the middle. My ask of Garmin is to make the F6x Solar default digital (with the hours and minutes inline and the other data fields around it) face shown available to other F6x users, of course without the solar. Let’s move onto appearance and the Fenix 3 HR has a matte grey bezel that can be worn with anything (business suits to shorts) while the F6x Sapphire grey bezel is quite shiny for almost a blued finish… yuk. The shipping watch band of the F6x sapphire has notches while the older style band has a nicer feel, thankfully was able to quickly swap. If you are purchasing for the pulse ox (assuming the battery is at 100%) turning it on will take the battery from 21 to 15 days. Changing the other pulse ox setting to continuous will further tax the battery from 15 to 10 days. Not a fan of the F6 charging cable and strongly prefer the old style F3 cradle due to cable length and the new cable places the watch in an awkward angle that feels like it will break off or weaken the connection. Compared to my F3, doing the same cardio activity (MMA) with the same HRM strap used with the F3 HR, the F6x is reading about 50-80 more calories burned. Not sure if the F6x is accounting for temperature (the gym is always same temp) and other biometrics including pulse ox. Did my usual run (without HRM) in identical conditions and there was a 38 calorie reduction from F3 to F6. Based on feedback from other 6x users, tested the heart rate against Precor gym equipment and it was exactly the same and across all ranges. The watch screen is extremely clear and readable. During the same MMA activity, because of the screen size and clarity, can see HR from a distance. It is also less bulky on my wrist versus the F3 HR, but would prefer to have a larger battery versus reduced size. The F6x alarm clock vibration strength and tones wake me up much better than the F3. Did not purchase the solar model due to the purplish tint on the face and concern that it was not as scratch/break resistant compared to the Sapphire models as my F3 HR Sapphire never had any scratches or cracks during 3+ years of continuous use. Hoping Garmin reads these comments and makes improvements. The F3 HR was life changing for me back in March 2016, but with this F6x Sapphire in Carbon Grey with black band, want to see the F6x Sapphire in Black in person that comes with the leather strap (assuming the black is a matte finish) for cosmetic reasons. To build on the life changing comment, the ability to track sleep is not fully appreciated. Attached two screenshots of my sleep while using the 6x. Very accurate (even with pulse ox) and something the Apple Watch CANNOT do, even with the gen 5. Any physical exertion must have recovery time. After having this watch for more than two weeks now (since Sept 5th), my only gripes with it is the shiny carbon grey (to me its light grey) bezel and the default digital face need Garmin’s attention from an otherwise great product.Update: Originally had issues with iOS 13.0 with Connect locking up and not snycing, but since 13.1 it corrected both. Have since updated my phone to iOS 13.1.2 (9/30/19), Garmin 6x firmware 4.10 update, and the latest version of Connect 4.23.2. Have been using the 6x completely problem free.

2. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   James C – September 10, 2019

   While I haven’t had too much time with the watch, what time I have spent with it has been pretty good so far. Unboxing it and getting everything synced up has been what you would expect with most smart watch and phone pairing, with the addition in being able to connect the watch to a local wifi.I’m really impressed with the nylon strap that came with it, glad I went with this choice! There is an additional rubber/silicone watch strap included which is neat but I’m set on the feel and toughness of the nylon strap for the foreseeable future.Since it had a decent charge right out of the box I went ahead and took it on a routine 3 mile run to see how well it recorded. It was right on point for distance traveled and was able to get the entire path synced to the phone once it was close enough. I am really impressed in the amount of insight provided from the run data, everything from pace, speed, timing, heart rate, cadence, and a slew of graphs on both the phone app and the website.Also found the Pulse OX (blood/oxygen level) measuring, health stats, and V02 Max to be pretty great addition and functioning with no issues so far. Notifications, phone call management, text responses, etc is pretty much on the same level you would expect from any smart watch.Tested the NFC Garmin Wallet and found that while USAA’s debit cards didn’t work, Amazon Prime’s credit card worked without issue. It’s likely any Chase card to that extent would also work without issue. One thing to note- in order to pay from the watch you have to engage the wallet app on the watch which activates the NFC payment function. Tested payments from both at a store and a vending machine without any issues.Tested the music function, I was able to hook it up to my Ubuntu laptop and transfer some MP3’s on over without issue. Thought that was pretty neat that I could just plug it right up and it was recognized as a music device without any additional driver downloads. Syncing to a pair of bluetooth 4.1 headphones didn’t have any issues, sound is good, and music controls is about what you expect when it comes to managing playback. I haven’t had the chance to test and see how well it will work once I’m out on a run, or even in situations where I would have the watch covered under a sleeve or coat. I’ll make sure to update if there’s any issues.I haven’t had as much time with the mapping or navigation features, but plan on getting some planned routes tested soon. I did test out the workout tracking features and found it was hit or miss on picking up reps. It was quicker to count big ranged motions like squats and situps, but not pull-ups, benching, or curling. Since it still let you progress along a workout without needing to hit a certain number I didn’t have any issues with the lack of tracked reps. Almost forgot to mention, you can build your workout plans both on the phone app and from the website which is pretty cool and useful.Haven’t really tested the watch submerged in water yet, but for what its worth there was no issues running it through the shower. Once I have a few hikes and other features tested I’ll update the review.Tested with:Pixel 3aThinkpad X1 Carbon (Ubuntu)ISOtunes bluetooth earbuds

3. 

   Rated 2 out of 5

   Lilz – September 12, 2019

   [Update] I returned the item and received refund from Amazon. If you’re interested in buying fenix 6 version, I suggest you should do your research in Garmin Forum. I found the same complaints about HR and PulseOx. I wanted to upgrade my 5s to 6s pro for my high attitude training, but I’ll wait and continue to use my 5s (fenix 5s is a pretty stable reliable watch).[Original review] I bought fenix 6s pro Sapphire version. The watch arrived on 8/31. In a day or so, I noticed the watch was not recording my heart rates. I re-started it and syned with GarminExpress/GarminConnect, and it started to record heart rates again. This kept happaening and it got worse on 9/8, and finally I shipped it back to Amaon. I have used 5s sapphire version for a few years and known how to use and take care of Garmin multi-sports watch. This type of problems never happened with fenix 5s. Heat rate monitoring is a basic funtion. It shouldn’t be diffficult to make the watch to record my heart rates. As I saw good customer reviews here, I thought I maybe got a defective one in a bad batch. I requested a replacement. I’m waiting for a response from Amaon. I attached the photo of my hear rate record of September 8 that shows the line is cut off multiple times of the day and the watch didn’t record my heart rates for hours from midnight.

4. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   LiberatedMonkey – September 12, 2019

   Update 2/11/2021: I was able to repurchase this watch at a very, very reasonable price – all things considered. Given that I got it for under $500 I must say it’s incredibly impressive, even without a great HR sensor. I have grown used to using my HR strap for workouts at this point and the training suggestions this watch makes based on that information is truly amazing. I am a strength and conditioning coach and I am extremely impressed that under the calendar widget they added a new feature of recommended workouts for running and cycling for each day based on previous workouts and the HR data. I’d say it’s spot on with how I’m feeling. It’s very, VERY good. The battery life is still excellent. I get about 11 days with 1hr of training each day. I do not sleep with it on. I love it at this point and am pleased that I found it at a lesser price. It’s worth it. 4 stars for the mediocre HR sensor and high price.UPDATE: 5/11/2020: So, I have given up on this watches HR tracking ability. This one issue is significant and it really is an inconvenience to always have to look for and use a chest strap. I have extensively, over the course of 8 months tested and re-tested this device in hopes that the HR accuracy would improve with time. It really hasn’t. In short, so you don’t have to read everything else I posted her, it straight up sucks when compared to the apple watch 4 or 5. This watch cannot accurately display your HR when ascending hills on a walk. On a hike, they finally got something to register. Up until the last update, it would never crack 89bpm. Now, if you’re working hard ascending a hill, it will eventually catch up and display a HR that is accurate but the lag time to get there is insanely long. Usually 30 seconds or more so you’ll be done with a hill and on flat ground before it catches up to, and displays it correctly. It will not measure HR correctly on bike rides on anything but flat, smooth terrain. It only works when steady state running or steady state bike riding indoors. All of the training effects/suggestions are based on HR data. This does not record HR data accurately or at all in most cases so that stuff is useless in practice. I would not buy this. It is way to expensive. You could buy it and use a chest strap for all activities which is up to you to decide if spending this much and having to use that is reasonable. The apple watch 4 or 5 are still far superior. I thought I’d use the maps feature more and I do find it incredibly useful, but because I train the way I do, having solid HR tracking is more important to me than the map features which I could probably find a solution for via my phone. I train everyday with lifting, running, cycling, swimming or some variation of HIIT training. Keep track of the HR data is a great way to see how my fitness is progressing. Don’t waste your money on this unless you don’t care about HR data. Other than that it’s dope, but it does not work as advertised in a hugely important way. I can’t overstate that enough. This is supposed to be a fitness tracker, after all.TL;DR as of 2/10/20 I would not recommend buying this watch. There has been a persistent issue with the HR monitor either lagging behind excessively or not properly reflecting your HR during several activties including hiking, stair workouts and others. Garmin knows of this issue but hasn’t fixed it and I’ve been waiting months for that to occur. I am returning this watch and waiting for a fix at which point I will repurchase it or waiting for the 7.I’m an Ironman triathlete and outdoorsman. I’ve been seeking a fitness tracking watch for the past year to replace my Apple Watch Series 4 since it is inadequate is some areas: in particular, battery life and the lack of an always on display. This review has been ongoing and I keep updating it with more experiences. I am definitely disappointed with a few very specific and important features. I will elaborate in an update section.I had previously tried three Fenix 5x models. All 3 had an optical HR sensor that was atrocious and I thought it could be due to a faulty unit, but it’s just their inherent design. You can google this independently and conclude the same. The sensor was always delayed during cycling workouts and failed to reflect my heart rate as it dropped when I rested from intervals.The Fenix 6 is a substantial upgrade in every category compared to the 5X. However, my focus of this review is on the heart rate accuracy and if it is better than the 5x. I tried this unit out because Garmin redesigned the sensor for the new Fenix 6 models. I can tell you from personal experience that it is better at locking into a HR when compared to the 5X. It is still delayed when compared to the apple watch series 4 and 5 or a wahoo tickr chest strap. It usually takes about 10 seconds after a 5-10 minute warm up to properly lock onto a HR. All is good once it locks in and it’s usually only 2-10 seconds behind a chest strap and at most, 2-3 beats off from the chest strap but it actually matches it most of the time. It’s excellent at steady state activity like longer runs and indoor cycling on a trainer but that seems to be about it. The biggest problem that persists which was present in the 5x, is the inability for this device to accurately display your heart rate as it ascends or descends if you quickly change intensity, or come to a stop to rest from any type of interval workout – or any workout for that matter. Especially outdoor cycling because of the vibration in the road. In other words, if say, you were to do a quarter mile hill sprint on a bike, there is never a time when I stopped that the watch was able to reflect the descending heart rate properly. It would usually hit 165 then, it would slowly drop and get stuck at 110-120bpm, when in reality compared to the chest strap or apple watch series 4, my heart rate was at 75-90bpm or less. I sometimes would wait up to seven minutes before the watch would reflect the lower heart rate. This renders any short duration activity useless. It distorts the displayed training effects (if the workout was primarily aerobic or anerobic once you hit stop) and turns your workouts and post workout training effects that are displayed into garbage because your average heart rates are entirely thrown off usually 20-30 beats too high. This renders the device useless for anyone who weighs interval training heart rate data heavily in their training program. Unless you spend another 75-100 for an external strap which should not be necessary at this price point.I want to make this very clear: the Apple watch 3 and beyond have been scientifically researched in a few medical journals and have been shown to be the most accurate wrist based optical heart rate sensors when compared to Garmin, fitbit and one other brand I cannot recall. This is extremely troubling to me because Garmin advertises itself as being the gold standard for fitness enthusiasts. This is a major shortcoming that cannot be overlooked in a nearly one thousand dollar time piece geared to help you train more efficiently. For that reason, and that reason alone, I would not recommend it. Garmin’s main competitor in this space (Apple) can make a product that yields accurate data for 50% the cost.However, I will say that the watch has many other features that are outstanding including its display which is remarkably easy to see in the light and 60hrs of GPS tracking for long overnight backpacking trips or endurance races/workouts. Based on my current experiences, the navigation ability is good and its usually about 50 feet off from my target destination which is impressive. It’s tough to swallow buying a watch this expensive and it not being at least as good as a year or older Apple watch heart rate sensor. It just isn’t. It is terrible for elliptical and hiking workouts and takes 5-10 minutes to lock in and usually fails to at all because of the arm movement, it is just terrible during hikes. I think it is because when you select the hike activity, some power saving features are occurring in the background which affect HR. I tested this by doing hill runs where my HR would hit 140-150bpm. The watch never showed above 120bpm.It works best when on a stationary bike or jogging. It’s proven to be useless in every other category. This was never an issue with my series 4 apple watch. Garmin engineers, you guys have got to step it up with the HR tech or HR algorithms in the software because everything else is built on the heart rate results you collect. I’d rather have less features in this watch and have the ones you do have be on point over anything extra. ESPECIALLY HR accuracy.As I said, you can spend another hundred dollars and get their triathlon heart rate strap but oh my, you’re now spending over a thousand dollars to make up for a fault in the product which at this point, shouldn’t exist to this extent. A little faltering is bound to happen with PPG technology, but this problem existed in the 5x and continues to exist in the 6. I would not recommend this product if you want it for accurate heart rate data to help you train more efficiently unless you only do steady state activity. In reality, it is not for the hardcore HIIT athlete and even outside of those hardcore training sessions, it can’t hold its own against the Apple Watch 4 or 5. Truly disappointing.UPDATE 10/22/19: I wanted to be fair here and say that I did end up returning this watch, but the other features of it are so good, that I eventually sold my Apple Watch 4 and bought another 6x saphire pre-owned. I’d say even though the HR sensor is bad for most workouts, it’s quite good at steady state stuff like running and indoor cycling on a trainer. The HR sensor is a little faster than the 5x plus was, but that’s not saying much. The wrist band is better than the 5x but too heavy. Getting the perfect fit is better than on the 5x plus but it’s a bit annoying. It’s either too loose and wobbles when hammering during a fast run or tight as hell. So look out for fabric sport nylon band loops when they come out.I saved about $260 by buying it preowned. If you can get the Saphire 6x pro model for $650-$700 or less I would say, it COULD be worth it. Spending that much still hurts BUT the display is truly amazing coming from an Apple Watch. No, it’s not a beautiful high res OLED but it’s way more functional and practical. As are the buttons. The touch screen on the Apple watch sucks so much for swimming, and hikes, or camping trips when you have your gloves on. There’s also no more wrist flicking at 20mph bike rides so if you ride, way safer than the series 4 apple watch. Plank sets are easier too. or anything really, I was surprised by how many times I was doing that flick to turn on the apple watch screen. Looking back on it, it was so dumb and slowed me down every time. The Fenix 6 watch is more than capable of weeks of usage. I workout every day for 45-60 minutes: running, lifting, cycling, swimming or hiking, and can go two weeks without charging this thing with pulse Ox off and only measuring it at night when I sleep. It looks way cooler than other GPS watches (not my main priority, but worth mentioning because style is a factor.) it’s extremely durable with the saphire and DLC coating although I scratched the bezel DLC coating at work rubbing it against a metal door frame.I wrecked my Apple Watch by rubbing it against stuff and had to get a replacement. Deep scratches formed on the screen. It sucked. That will not happen to this watch’s display. that gives me peace of mind. it’s a bit lighter than the 5x plus, but with the band still heavy. You’ll feel it.Overall, at the $650-$700 or less price point, it’s potentially a worthy competitor to others in the industry. I would not get the 6. The screen is quite small coming from a series 4. I also tried the six.The 1.4inch size is really nice on the 6x pro and saphire. In summary, At the current 850 + tax. Still no way unless you’re looking to splurge and be disappointed by many of the key aspects you would not want to be disappointed by. Think of all the other cool effective equipment you can buy for that! I bought a wahoo kicker for less! That made me a better athlete. Not the sexy watch. It’s good, but not that good. Wait for a sale or buy pre-owned and you’ll be much happier. as I said a millions times, I got a good deal because I offset the cost by selling the Apple Watch for what I paid for it new, and then buying pre-owned. Out of pocket at that point was pretty low. That’s my final verdict and recommendation to you. I’m always going to laugh a little at myself for spending as much as I did on this watch because they’re obsolete in a year and we use them less than our phones and spend just as much on them. Aside from the stuff I mentioned, it is pretty amazing for navigation in the woods. I didn’t even mention how you can have it create a route for you for a run in an area you’re not familiar with. It can do these out and back runs or back to start routes if you get lost. You can view the map as you run and the route is highlighted in purple and at it’s worst, it’s about 50 ft off actual distance or location when in wooded areas. When on an open road with clear skies, it’s on point. It’s the jack of all trades and master of none other than navigation. im still learning it and will keep updating it as IUPDATE: 12/18/2019: Another thing worth mentioning, The power meter accuracy on this also is off. I calibrate it before every ride with my Quarq meter on my tri bike and when compared to my Wahoo app which is paired to my Kickr, it’s always 20-30 Watts off. It makes no sense to me because I thought it would be projecting the numbers from the Kickr. This watch sucks at data collection in that regard. I really can’t emphasize that point enough. There are some major issues with HR accuracy, too. I’ve gone as far to shave my arm hair to see if it would improve it (It might have in the smallest way, but I didn’t do a scientific study to see.) and even after some updates which have improved HR readings, it still is awful with specific tasks – one in particular. The HR accuracy has never been accurate on any hikes. It only works on steady state indoor rides and runs that are also steady state or tempo. I contacted Garmin twice, and to their credit, after pushing a little bit on the second call, they sent me a second Fenix 6 because they thought the sensor was broken. It was not. The hiking app on the 6x pro sapphire will not produce an accurate HR reading. It will never break through a certain threshold. For example, if I’m hiking up a hill and my HR is at 160, the watch will NEVER display a HR above 90-110. Now, if I switch to trail running during the same hike instead of the hiking activity, the HR will shoot up to where it actually is. This is a flaw I brought to Garmin’s attention and they are aware of it but a lot of time hasn’t passed yet and I do not know when it will be fixed. If ever. It is clearly a software issue. As a result, I will be returning this watch for a full refund from them if it’s not working as advertised in a month or two. I’m willing to give them some time to work out this bug but it should never have been there. Not on a product like this.It’s a good watch for it’s display, battery life and wilderness GPS tracking capabilities. It isn’t for the HIIT athlete unless you’re willing to accept some compromises and also buy an external HR strap for serious interval work. And again, accept that your bike wattage displayed will be off even after calibration.In conclusion, it’s very clear to me that this is a watch that has too much in it and the focus is far too broad for success to exist in any one specific area other than navigation, an easy to read display, and battery life due to its size. Their companion app is excellent but not as helpful as you’d think because your HR data will be inaccurate during any interval workouts and for hikes, it’s essentially non-operational. However, It will work during steady state cycling indoors or out, and tempo run workouts just as well as an apple watch 4 or 5. I have compared it to both while running and riding on a bike they basically are equal.UPDATE 1/22/20: OK, so I’ve been testing out this watch since August, the main flaw I have reported is the watch’s failure to accurately track HR during the Hike activity app as stated above. Even with the 5.77 software BETA installed, it still doesn’t work. After talking to garmin in the past, they told me it was working as intended on the smaller watch. I decided to pick one up to test it to see if they were lying to me. They weren’t I have both watches on hand for testing purposes and the Fenix 6 standard watch correctly reflects my HR during a hike or even run when the activity is set as a hike. The Fenix 6X sapphire still holds my HR at 90BMP when it’s actually 170+. Garmin told me that they are aware of the issue and 40 other users brought it to their attention but they are currently working on other things at the moment and it is only being investigated. I would not buy this watch. I am going to return this and keep the smaller 6 since it actually works as advertised. There is no established end date to the false HR reading during hiking. This is an unacceptable bug and they’re openly admitting that they’re working on other things before they get around to that, so for that reason I’m out. Go with the smaller 6 and it’ll likely work right out of the box as intended. The only solution is to log the activity differently. If you log your hike as a run, it will record HR data properly.

5. 

   Rated 3 out of 5

   L. S. Brodsky – September 16, 2019

   For me, the jury is still out. I have not worn an electronic watch in over 20 years but thought I’d give it a try. I like that it is Garmin and maps are integral and well executed. The watch has more features than anyone can use, although the pdf manual does not provide adequate instructions on all of the capabilities. You just have to play with the watch. I have no idea how long the learning curve is, to learn some of the more esoteric capabilities. What I like least is daytime use, but indoors, provides a very dim display unless you hit the backlight, a nuisance. I could turn gesture on all of the time although I wonder about the battery impact. I have tried all of the onboard faces and a few of the iqConnect faces, with the same issue on all of them. The customizable faces make for a big plus though. Not a lot available for the 6x yet. If it were not for mapping and navigation, I would send this back as it is very slanted to fitness stuff, which I do not need. I will probably grow into this, but I would not recommend it unless you are already accustomed to a fitness watch.

6. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   DirkDiesel – September 18, 2019

   I have had many Garmin devices over the year, this is my 4th watch from Garmin, and by far the best. The battery life is amazing and the features you get are by far not always necessary but very useful. The measure of your O2 in your blood has shown some good benefits, but not the reason I bought it. The only downfall is that the screen isn’t a touch screen, but getting used to the controls isn’t a difficult feat. The watch is comfortable to wear and very accurate in the heartrate monitoring.

7. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Jacobo Hernandez – September 24, 2019

   Best watch ever, very fast shipping and excellent giveaways

8. 

   Rated 1 out of 5

   ihab – September 24, 2019

   Heart Rate not working properly and sometime not working . Garmin Fenix series 6 not ready for release . I will return this watch and buy the Fenix 5x .

9. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Dmitry – September 28, 2019

   Downgraded rating from 5 to 2. Sport functions are great, but software on watch is complete garbage. Cannot connect to PC on the regular basis. Once completely refused to connect to phone suddenly (fixed with full reset). Stuck on menu with hard reboot required multiple times. And now I cannot use garmin exrpess app at all. It refused to connect, so I removed the app to reinstall and now no matter what I do and how many times I reboot, it say that I have to reboot. Basic function of syncing and connecting does not work consistently________Original impressionsYou can see what you are paying for. Look good, do not interfere with shirts a lot, very smart profile. All fitness stuff is awesome, battery holds for me for a week. Wish they would have a better option to schedule own weight cross fit exercises. You can do it in training by selecting strength, but there is not everything is there. It is about the software though. Watch is cool.

10. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Angel C. – October 5, 2019

    This watch is great.. love how it tracks my bike routes and hiking.

11. 

    Rated 2 out of 5

    KT Neumann – October 9, 2019

    I am an enthusiastic user of the Garmin smart watches and the entire eco system. I was using the Fenix 5X in the past 18 months and was very happy with it.So obviously I could not resist the 6 and bought the 6X Saphire. It is a great looking watch, with a much larger display and super cool additional features.I anyhow give it a lower rating for functionality since it has the same problems my Fenix 5x used to have in the beginning and which were only fixed by updates over time:- unstable bluetooth connection to phone- unstable synchronization with phone- very unstable pairing with my Bose headset, took me 2 hours to get this right and it keeps losing the connection- random interrupts in music streaming to the connected headphonesIt is sad that Garmin always launches such unstable unfinished product.

12. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    kc_shutterbug – February 22, 2020

    My wife doesn’t like this watch on me; she calls me Flava Flav.I LOVE it, though. The larger display and PulseOX monitor along with respiration tracking make this a solid upgrade to the Fenix 5 series (which, for me, was an upgrade to the Fenix 3HR).I’ve seen reviews saying that the display isn’t readable in direct sunlight; I put in 24 miles on my bike today, and at no point was the display hard to read. YMMV.Battery life, by comparison to previous models, is AMAZING, even with all features enabled.Highly recommended!

13. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Tony Robb – February 24, 2020

    I had the Fenix 3X Sapphire. It was still working after four years. I had been following the Fenix 6X online, deciding if I wanted to get it. I decided that since my 3X was working well, I did not need to pay for the 6X.Well, I received the 6X as a gift for Christmas. Wow! I do love it. Nearly every feature that I used in the 3X has been improved. The battery life, mapping function, number of fitness apps are all improved.I use my device primarily for running, hiking, walking, cycling and gym-studio workouts. I would recommend this product if you are able to work it into your budget.

14. 

    Rated 4 out of 5

    Christopher R. Wigginton – November 21, 2020

    This is going to be a longer review, as i had issues finding the info i wanted on this watch. I wrote this for the tactix delta, but it also applies to the fenix. The smaller one is the fenix, the larger one with the better contrast screen is the tactix delta.The fenix 6X and tactix delta are exactly the same size, the only difference is the styling.I originally bought the Fenix 6 pro, which had a really bad purple screen/bad contrast when the backlight was on. I also found it a bit small for my tastes. These fenix and delta have the same “internals” and features. The tactix comes with some mostly irrelevant extras like night vision mode and stealth mode, which don’t really do anything special for me.I bought the tactix delta for 2 reasons:1) I love the styling on it, much more so than the fenix 6X pro, this was a major deciding factor despite the price difference.2) THE SCREEN — the fenix series is about 50/50 or worse depending on which one you buy to get the “good” screen or the purple one. If you look at my pictures, with the backlight on, the tactix is clearly superior. Now, for the fenix, if you want a sure bet to get a good screen, you have to buy the solar. If you buy the sapphire version, it’s 50/50, if you buy the regular pro, you’re most likely to get a ‘bad’ one. The tactix has a very high chance of getting the good screen.Once again, this is only noticeable with the backlight on, otherwise, the 2 screen look identical outdoors.Size difference:- i found the 6 pro a bit small and the bezel too pronounced, my wrist circumference is about 7.2 inches, which is average. I took a picture with both watches on my hand so you can get an idea.- I find the size clearly bigger, but i like it.- Weight wise, i can barely tell the difference.- I find the larger one to sit better on my wrist, the extra width means the strap sits more comfortably.Battery life:- going one size up, it’s about an extra 50% battery life, which is a nice bonus- the 6 was lasting me about 7-10 days with about 4-5 hours of sports with gps + music in that time frame.- the bigger size is about 10-12 days for the same sort of use.- this can be improved if you turn off the spo2 measures during sleep and the wrist gesture for the backlight.Sapphire screen:- going sapphire makes the screen much more reflective, this does reduce visibility, and it can be a bit distracting. But i don’t find it annoying enough to trade it for gorilla glass which is fairly scratchable.My experience with sapphire screens:I’ve had a Bering watch with a sapphire screen that’s about 10 years old, so i knew what to expect. It’s nearly impossible to scratch, in the 10 years i’ve had it still looks new with not as much as fine scratch, i believe only diamond can damage it and maybe sand.Other differences:- nothing else really, exactly the same as the fenix, same features.- i find the spo2 reading more accurate, as i said, this size sits better on my wrist so i feel the sensors have better contact as well.Which one should you buy?- If you like the look of the fenix series and dont care about screen, any will be great choice.- if you like the fenix series and absolutely want a good screen you have 2 choices:a) buy the solar for 100% guaranteeb) buy the sapphire but be ready for returns, which amazon might not likec) i believe garmin will accept a warranty claim on itSize wise, if you like bigger watches, 100% go for X or tactix delta. If you like smaller, go for the 6S, i’d only pick the regular 6 if you want the little bit of extra battery life.

15. 

    Rated 4 out of 5

    J. E. Grumling – June 13, 2021

    A few weeks ago my Apple Watch series 6 quit. The display just stopped working. I wasn’t able to go to an Apple Store so I contacted Apple online support. Anyone who has had to deal with online AppleCare knows that it pales in comparison to in-store AppleCare. So I had to wait for them to send me an empty box, then ship my faulty watch to Apple, wait for them to diagnose it and then wait for them to get around to sending out a replacement. As you might guess this process had me doing some watch shopping. I’ve used Garmin GPSs since the Selective Availability (SA) days, and I was already using a Garmin Edge 850 cycling computer and a Virb action camera so I thought I’d go ahead and buy a Garmin watch as well. I splurged on the Fenix 6X Pro Solar.Now I didn’t just buy it for running and the occasional swim. I also do a fair bit of hiking and the Apple Watch is not well suited at all to being away from cellular service. I wanted a better way to maintain situational awareness, and long battery life. The Fenix 6 is a great stand-alone GPS navigation device and with all the control over sensors and power consumption I would feel very confident in using this watch for basic navigation on well established trails and forest service roads, for a few days at least and possibly indefinitely if you have a way to recharge at the campsite. This afternoon I went on a hike up the Scout trail near Glenwood Springs Colorado. It did a pretty good job tracking my path even with less than perfect views of the sky. Most navigation apps and road-orientated devices will “correct” errors on your track to match a road or trail, but this device does’t do that. But most trails on electronic maps are pretty poorly geo-referenced so that’s probably a good thing. It also means your track will wonder a good bit as the HDOP/PDOP change too. The altimeter seems accurate enough but my expectation is pretty low. Compass is pretty good, matching the compass in my drone’s flight controller, which I think is very accurate, and it can be calibrated easily. Having heart rate zones at a glance is a good way to keep pace, especially when ascending. As I use it more for hiking I will probably revise and update this review.So far I don’t think the solar function is doing much of anything, but that’s what most everyone else has experienced as well. Maybe it helps a little, but my last solar watch was a Casio Protrek, which never needed anything but solar to charge. But it was in an entirely different league as to functionality too. After a long bike ride yesterday, wearing it all day today (including an hour run and two hour hike), it still estimates 5 days of battery remaining. Coming from an LTE Apple Watch I’m blown away with the battery life, although it isn’t doing most of what the AW is doing either.The Garmin Connect app/website is better than the others I’ve used for tracking and training and is another reason I went with the Fenix 6 over other fitness watches. I like the sleep tracking graph, although I question the data and for now I’m wearing both my Apple Watch and the Fenix to bed just to see how they compare side by side (and because I like having Siri and HomeKit on my wrist), but as Connect builds a fitness profile I’ll probably end that practice and just sick with the AW overnight. Respiration seems to be another good feature that Apple seems to be hesitant to track even though they could. Again not sure of the accuracy of the data but at least there’s something to compare over time.I like the “tactical” (or is it “butch?”) look of the thing. Apple Watches are designed to be unisex and dull. The Fenix 6 looks like you’re headed out on a mission to take out the enemy camp, especially in black. The included faces are pretty disappointing, not much contrast and ugly fonts. There’s a pretty extensive collection of user-generated faces, some of which remind me why Apple doesn’t let anyone make faces, but some look pretty good too. I also prefer the smooth second hand of my Apple Watch over the quartz-style tick on the Fenix. The time is updated via GPS and matches exactly with NTP, WWV and T-Mobile. Communicating with a cell phone, at least an iPhone, is not too bad. You get alerts and basic music controls, and it will use the Bluetooth connection for syncing with Connect. If I didn’t already have an Apple Watch I might even call it good, but the tight integration with iPhones (which isn’t possible outside of the Apple universe), has pretty much ruined it for all other smart watches. I was able to sync it with my Mac using Garmin Express, even transferring music over from my iTunes folders. I installed a podcasting app on the watch but haven’t used it yet. It paired just fine with my AirPods, it only plays music though. I don’t have Spotify so cannot comment on the app. It took a few tries, but managed to connect to my wifi network. It will sync with Connect over wifi but doesn’t seem to do much else. My guess is that it will stream music from Spotify over wifi, or at least it should. Seems like there’s potential for it to do more over wifi to get “smarter.”There are a few things I would like to see in the next version. Number one would be LTE connectivity, if the modem could be disabled for battery life. Garmin recently introduced an LTE running watch, although LTE is only used for very specific purposes. For many people, a watch like this, with a full-featured LTE or 5G modem, would make a viable replacement for a basic flip-phone. Another wish list item would be wireless charging. The charging cable is too short and fiddly, and I think the contacts on the back will eventually corrode, especially if I do more swimming.

16. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    J. E. Grumling – February 19, 2023

    I love this watch! I had an Apple Watch 4 Series and this thing is so much more capable. Granted it doesn’t connect in all the same ways to my iPhone as the Apple Watch did, but the Garmin Connect app does a pretty good job. Honestly, you can see almost all the info on the watch itself so I don’t go to the Connect app much really.You can download and configure watch faces and widget from the Garmin Connect IQ app. Lots of options!The battery life is amazing, especially when compared to my Apple Watch which had to be charged every night.This isn’t touch screen so that took some getting used to using the buttons on the side but it isn’t hard to pick up.I really enjoy the customizable activity screens. You can change them to display the information that is important to you.One thing about the Apple Watch that was nice is that it would notice that I was walking outside (or inside) and ask if I wanted to log a workout. I haven’t noticed that feature on the Garmin. It would be nice as I sometimes forget to start the activity.I’m looking forward to using it for some other activities like hiking, fishing and golfing once it starts to warm up here in Colorado.I was between this and the Polar Grit Pro X. I really liked the look of the copper one, I am happy with my choice to go with the Garmin though.