The newly officially released Garmin Fenix 6 series consists of the basic editions that include, the 6 and 6s, and the Pro editions which include the 6 pro, 6s pro, 6x pro and the 6x pro solar that can utilize solar energy to last a bit longer than the others.
The difference between the Basic and Pro editions is that the latter comes with onboard music storage, wi-fi and maps (and features that come with it) which the Basic edition lacks. However, in this comparison, we’re comparing two of these basic editions, the Garmin Fenix 6 vs 6S specs and features – which is better for you?
Garmin Fenix 6 vs 6S Specifications Compared
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Features Compared
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The difference between the Fenix 6 and 6s is that the later has a smaller case and display size, however has lesser battery life than the Fenix 6.
- Design
- Fitness Tracking
- Steps, calories, fitness age, sleep monitoring, and all-day stress tracking.
- Available indoor gym activities include; indoor rowing, strength training and cardio training.
- Training and planning features include training load, training effect, and activity history on the watch.
- Running features include running, treadmill running, and trail running.
- Heart rate sensor tracks your heart rate variability to give you insight on 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.
- Outdoor recreational features 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.
- Loads of golfing features are also available.
- In-depth swim tracking features including the newly added wrist-based heart rate tracking that enable the Fenix 6 sets to track your heart rate while swimming resulting in better insight into your swimming activities.
- Also featured, is the body battery energy monitor 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 and achieve more without breaking down.
- The incident detection feature introduced to the Forerunner series is also available on the Fenix 6 series which can help you get help when there’s an accidental fall. It sends your location to preset emergency contacts.
- Pulse ox sensor introduced on the Fenix 5x plus is also available and 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 sleep quality. The Pulse ox sensor achieves these functions by monitoring how well your body absorbs oxygen.
- Added ClimbPro ascent planner that allows you to choose from downloaded courses to see real-time information on your current and upcoming climbs, including gradient, distance and elevation gain.
- Also added ABC sensor that can help you navigate your next trail with an altimeter for elevation data, barometer to monitor the weather and three-axis electronic compass.
- Battery Life
Garmin tries to give their fans more options to choose from with the different sizes, and in this regard, the Fenix 6s just like the 5S is a more compact device with a smaller case size compared to the Fenix 6 with a quite moderate case size. The Fenix 6S is also slimmer than the 6 which makes it sleeker and a more attractive wear.
However, the Fenix 6 with a slightly bigger display size than the 6s will allow you to see more at a glance.
Moreover, Garmin has added a new widget feature that allows you to add data fields such as features in the watch you like. The 6s with a smaller case size has up to 6 maximum data fields while the 6 with the wider display size has up to 8 data fields. This makes it easy to access your favorite features.
The Fenix 6 series lineup is fitness focused, well equipped and loaded with features to give you the most comprehensive activity tracking experience, and the Fenix 6 and 6s being outstanding GPS multi-sport smartwatches are without doubt the very best choices for serious and comprehensive activity tracking.
However, stating some of the activity tracking features available on the Fenix 6 and 6s pro, these two are well equipped to track your daily activities such as,
Read more about the features present on the Fenix 6 series.
Garmin boosted the battery life of the Fenix 6 sets – the Fenix 6 and 6s just like their respective predecessors and other Garmin GPS smartwatches have impressive battery life. But these lots will last even longer with the introduction of the intuitive battery management features that’ll keep you going for days longer. This is a similar feature that has been introduced to the Versa 2.
Garmin has added a power manager feature that allows you to adjust features based on your preferences that’ll see the device last longer. Power modes have also been added to allow you to create custom power modes like you can with the new Gen 5 series from Fossil.
The expedition mode introduced on the MARQ series is also available on the Fenix 6 series. It’s a GPS low power reference feature that will see the Fenix 6 sets last for days. So also is the battery saver mode that will keep the Fenix 6 and 6s going for weeks.
However, the Fenix 6 has a quite longer battery life than the 6s.
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| Garmin Fenix 6 | Smartwatch: Up to 14 days GPS: Up to 36hrs Max Battery GPS Mode: 72hrs Expedition GPS Activity: 28 days Battery Saver Watch Mode:48 days |
| Garmin Fenix 6S | Smartwatch: Up to 9 days GPS: Up to 25hrs Max Battery GPS Mode: 50hrs Expedition GPS Activity: 20 days Battery Saver Watch Mode: 34 days |
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Which is Better?
Although these two are outstanding going by the design, features and long battery life that makes any of these a great choice for comprehensive activity tracking.
There’s no clear difference, it’s more about what size will look nice on you. And in that regard, the smaller and more compact Fenix 6 is nicer wear for women and people with a smaller wrists, while the bigger Fenix 6 will look nicer on men.
Although Fenix 6 with a slightly longer battery life is a better choice than the 6s, it’s the better companion for your next adventure and for anyone engaging in extreme workout activities.