Long-term review: The Garmin fēnix 6 Pro is able to do (almost) anything, and it does it pretty well

[Redaktion]

The Garmin fēnix 6 Pro is the current iteration of the fēnix Pro series. The smartwatch combines a long battery life with a huge amount of functions. For this, the manufacturer asks for a relatively high price, but this is also quite justified.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Long-term-review-The-Garmin-fenix-6-Pro-is-able-to-do-almost-anything-and-it-does-it-pretty-well.516947.0.html

[Paul McMahon]

A lightweight review that fails to explore why you should/shouldn't spend so much on this watch or how it rates against competitors offerings.

One feature that wasn't mentioned at all was sleep tracking. The Fenix like every other Garmin tracker does an appalling job. It can be out by hours on total sleep time and the sleep stages breakdown is completely out of line with other reputable trackers.

[Garmin 6 watch owner]

Would suggest anybody consider buying any of the Garmin 6 watches search the Internet first for HR issues.

Seems to be a known issue and one Garmin seem reluctant to acknowledge.

[Phillip Adams]

Has the issue with the lag displaying heartbeat when working out.   I have the fenix 5 and it can be as much as 5 minutes behind.  When riding I still wear the check heart sensor.

[Fenix 6X Pro Owner]

I migrated several years ago from TomTom to a Garmin 5X Sapphire. Skipped the 5X Pro and upgraded to the 6X Sapphire Pro last year. I have been impressed with the additional features.

GPS tracking is generally good even when running or hiking through the woods on trails. If anything, the distances are a little short of actual measured distances with an open view to the sky and GPS satellites.  Distances are off by approximately 3 percent based upon my experience.

I haven't had any issues with pulse oximetry. Comparing a quality finger pulse oximeter reading with the FENIX 6X readings gives reasonable readings. The FENIX will read slightly lower, but the difference between a 94 percent reading on the watch and a 96 percent reading on the finger pulse oximeter isn't significant.

My experience with the HRM has been quite good (true of the TomTom and FENIX 5X as well).  Using one of the widgets available on the Garmin Express Connect site, I can read the output from a Garmin Run chest strap monitor and the wrist based HRM. Generally, their readings are quite close within 1-2bpm. The chest strap responds more quickly to short-term changes in exertion(e.g, running uphill, downhill, or rapid increases or decreases in running speed). But over the span of a run of more than 20 minutes, the differences are less than 2-3 bpm.  And the widget output allows downloading and moment by moment comparison of the two readings.

I don't pay much attention to the sleep data but the resting HR is useful as a metric. And the evaluation of whether a workout is productive seems confused at times, but eventually gets lined up with whatever training program I am using. It has a more difficult time with a maintenance program.

The maps are quite good but can be cumbersome in real-time. I like the larger display of my 6X and it has been very useful when I am out exploring new trails or routes.  Finally,  my TomTom had a music option and I didn't use it as much as I thought I might. With a different type of headphones that give more awareness of my surroundings, I have used the music (and training) options more often with good success. It does dramatically decrease battery life of the watch, but the headphones battery  is likely to be exhausted well before the watch battery runs out. I typically get well over a week of battery life with several workouts per week. The battery life is so long that I have to remind myself to check after a few days before going out on a long run.