The Garmin Fenix 6s pro is one of the GPS smartwatches in the Fenix 6 lineup that’s supposed to succeed the quite popular and outstanding Fenix 5s plus just like the 6s – another member and a basic edition in the 6 series lineup succeeds the Fenix 5s.
The Fenix 6s pro comes in a more attractive design and has more activity tracking features as well as a bigger storage capacity and longer battery, yet almost the same price as its predecessor. We compare the Garmin Fenix 5S Plus vs 6S Pro specs and features – what is the difference?
Garmin Fenix 5S Plus vs 6S Pro – Specifications
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Features Compared
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The difference between the Fenix 5s plus and 6s pro is that the later is slimmer, has a higher storage capacity, comes with pulse ox sensor and more fitness tracking and has a longer battery life than the 5s plus thanks to its battery saver features.
- Design
- Media/Storage
- Fitness Tracking
- Battery Life
Just like other members of the Fenix 6 series, the 6s pro is more attractive with its slimmer design compared to the 5s plus which is quite bulky. The 6s pro also weighs slight less than the 5s plus which makes it a more comfortable wear all day long.
In addition, the Fenix 6s pro is also more durable with Corning Gorilla glass 3 mounting the screen compared to the chemically strengthened glass of the 5s plus. Although there’s a sapphire edition of the 5s plus, that will cost you more.
The 6s pro has a more durable and premium DLC carbon-coated steel bezel compared to the stainless steel bezel of the 5s plus. Moreover, the 6s pro has been tested based on U.S. military standards for thermal, shock and water resistance which makes it a more rugged smartwatch than the 5s plus.
Garmin has also added a new widget to the 6s pro that can take up to 6 different data fields. That’ll make it easier to access your favorite features. There are also new map display themes that include popularity, marine, dark and outdoor.
Garmin increased the storage capacity of the 6 pro series. As a result, the Fenix 6s pro has a 32GB storage capacity which is twice that of the 5s plus 16GB capacity. So you get to take more of your music with you on the go.
Just like all Garmin’s GPS smartwatches, the Fenix 6s pro and 5s plus are fitness focused and well equipped to offer you the most comprehensive fitness tracking experience. These two are no doubt some of the best GPS smartwatches on the market.
The Fenix 6s pro and 5s plus are well equipped to track your daily activities such as steps, calories, fitness age, distance, sleep monitoring, and all-day stress tracking.
Each of these three also features indoor gym activities such as indoor rowing, strength training, and cardio training, including in-depth training and planning analysis features that include training load, training effect and activity history on the watch.
You also get running features such as running, treadmill running and trail running, plus a heart rate sensor that tracks your heart rate variability and capable of showing your heart rate zones, max heart rate and recovery time to help you manage the intensity of your training so that you can achieve more fitness goals without breaking down.
The Fenix 6s pro and 5s plus have outdoor recreational features that include hiking, climbing, mountain biking, skiing, snowboarding, XC skiing, stand up paddleboarding, rowing, and jumpmaster. And cycling features such as biking, indoor biking, mountain biking, triathlon, including in-depth golf and swimming features.
Also featured on these two is the TOPO map feature with trendline popularity that can help you navigate the most difficult terrains with the option to choose from thousands of routes.
Also available on these two is the body battery energy monitor feature that uses data from heart rate variability, stress, sleep, and other data to gauge when you’re ready to be active or when you may need to rest so that you train more without breaking down.
However, the table below shows activity tracking features present on the 6s pro but not on the 5s plus.
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| Garmin Fenix 5S Plus | Garmin Fenix 6S Pro |
| Lacks trendline popularity routing visibility pro. | Trendline popularity routing visibility pro available on the 6S Pro adds more features to the TOPO map allowing for more visual and analytic features to help you find the best route. |
| Lacks Pacepro. | Garmin added PacePro to the 6 Pro sets which includes the 6s pro. The PacePro feature enables grade-guidance that can improve your running experience. |
| Lacks Ski resort maps. | Skii resort maps is available on the 6s pro with over 2000 ski resorts worldwide to choose from. |
| Lacks incident detection. | The incident detection feature introduced to the latest Forerunner series is also available on the Fenix 6s pro which can help you get help when there’s an accidental fall. It sends your location to preset emergency contacts. |
| Lacks wrist based swimming heart rate tracking. | The Fenix 6s pro has the ability to track your heart rate while you swim. This makes it easier to track and get a better overview of your swimming activities. |
| Lacks pulse ox sensor and features that comes with it. | The Fenix 6s pro comes with pulse ox which serves two functions; A. for altitude acclimation, where it can help you know when it’s not safe to continue climbing and B. sleep monitoring to help you see your quality of sleep. The Pulse ox sensor achieves these functions by monitoring how well your body absorbs oxygen. |
| Lacks ClimbPro. | The Fenix 6s pro allows you access ClimbPro ascent planner on downloaded courses to see real-time information on your current and upcoming climbs, including gradient, distance and elevation gain. |
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The Fenix 5s plus and 6s pro have impressive battery life that’ll see you through days on a single charge. However, the Fenix 6s pro has a longer battery life than the 5s plus, thanks to the new battery saver management feature that elongates its battery life a little longer.
The new battery saver features include the power modes which allow you to create custom battery saver modes, as well as the expedition mode featured on the MARQ series – an ultralow powered GPS reference that will keep the Fenix 6s pro going for weeks. These new battery management features will see the Fenix 6s pro last a little longer than the 5s plus which no doubt makes it a better choice for anyone involved in extreme sport activities.
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| Garmin Fenix 5S Plus | Garmin Fenix 6S Pro |
| Smartwatch mode: Up to 7 days GPS: Up to 11 hours |
Smartwatch: Up to 9 days GPS: Up to 25hrs GPS and Music: Up to 6hrs Max Battery GPS Mode: 50hrs Expedition GPS Activity: 20 days Battery Saver Watch Mode: 34 days |
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Which is Better?
No doubt these two are outstanding GPS smartwatches with remarkable designs, a long battery life and loaded with features that make any of these a comprehensive activity tracker. So, any of these two will make a great choice for serious minded fitness enthusiasts.
However, the Fenix 6s pro is clearly a better choice than the 5s plus. It’s a more comprehensive fitness tracker with a pulse ox sensor and additional fitness tracking features that might not be coming to the 5s plus in future updates.
The Fenix 6s pro has a longer battery life thanks to its battery saver feature which will see you going for days. The 6s pro being slimmer is also a more attractive smartwatch than the 5s plus, and more durable and rugged. While not forgetting it has twice the storage capacity of the 5s plus.
Despite all these additions to the Fenix 6s pro, it has almost the same price as the 5s plus which no doubt makes it a better deal.