Garmin Fenix 6S Review

The 3-Minute Garmin Fenix 6S Review

The Specifics

Features & Design: 4.5/5 | Performance: 3.5/5 | Value: 3.5/5 | Battery Life: 5/5

The Best:

If you want the best bet in your fitness gadgets, you should opt for the Fenix 6S fitness smartwatch. It might be the smallest watch in the Garmin’s new Fenix 6 series, however, never let its mini size fool you. This GPS watch is as robust and full-featured as its superior counterparts are. It offers a pulse oximeter for measuring the oxygen levels in the body, a super useful new PacePro metric, navigation, and music.

Before knowing about the features, note that the main improvement on the Fenix 6S is its revamped interface that still maintains Garmin’s characteristic feel and looks. The new and improved default clock face neatly arranges all the significant metrics like altimeter, temperature, heart rate, barometer, and battery life right on the front screen. The data shown is quite large that you can easily see it but simultaneously it’s compact enough that it does not get in the way of the date and time.

Simply put, they’ve improved a lot. Every feature has a distinct process when it comes to getting things done.

The Bugs:

These Fenix 6 series comes in different sizes, shapes and finding the right one could be a confusing experience. The cost and the quality argument is the only drawback you have to deal with. Nevertheless, the specs should be your top priority.

Is it for you?

What’s new to this Fenix 6 Series is a feature “PacePro” that is the digital version of pace bands worn by the long-distance runners or marathoners. Rather than manually calculating target paces and split times for each lap or mile in the course, the Garmin Connect app gets it done for you. Above all, this app does not only looks at the distance but takes into consideration elevation as well when determining your split time and pace.

What we like:

The very first thing we appreciate is that Garmin packs loads of power-hungry features into the Fenix series, however, they have somehow managed to deliver the extended battery life in these watches. The Fenix 6S lasts over a week in used in a smartwatch mode and for six days if you exercise every day for one hour.

To help you manage battery life more efficiently, they now show the battery meter as “the days remaining” instead of just displaying percentage. Rather than guessing when you should charge, now you can plan your charging around your training or racing schedule.

What we don’t like:

The only thing you could get disappointed with could be its weight. Weighing 58 grams, it’s noticeably heftier than the similar-sized GPS watch like the Garmin Forerunner 245 (which is 38.5g). Thus, if most of your activities include running, you might need to exchange few of the outdoor-specific features of the Fenix for the lighter watch. Likewise, the Coros Apex (38g) might better serve triathletes who bike, run and swim.

Should you buy it?

An astounding yet inspiring feature is the PacePro data feature of this watch. As you get ready for a run, you can easily load this PacePro data and monitor your pace in real-time. It shows your current split pace, target split pace, and how far you actually are from your final goal. Moreover, you can check the distance remaining for the current split. The users mentioned that PacePro is immensely useful during their runs, helping them keep their focus on a single lap at a time rather than the total length of their run.

So, if that’s what you are after, this fitness watch is perfect for you without any doubt!