The Fenix 6 sets are the latest multisport GPS smartwatches from Garmin that’ll be succeeding in the Fenix 5 series. It consists of the Fenix 6, 6 pro, 6s, 6s pro, 6x pro and 6x pro solar. This can be further divided into two; the Basic and the Pro editions.
The Basic editions lack Wi-Fi, onboard music storage and map which are all present in the Pro edition. In this comparison, we compare the Garmin Fenix 6S vs 6S Pro specs and features. These two will succeed the Fenix 5s and 5s plus respectively.
Garmin Fenix 6S vs 6S Pro Specifications Compared
| Garmin Fenix 6S | Garmin Fenix 6S Pro | |
|---|---|---|
 |  | |
ABOUT DEVICE | ||
| Device name | Garmin Fenix 6S | Garmin Fenix 6S Pro |
| Device type | Fitness/GPS smartwatch | Fitness/GPS smartwatch |
| Predessesor | Garmin Fenix 5S | Garmin Fenix 5S Plus |
| Successor | -- | -- |
| Released date | August, 2019 | August, 2019 |
| Ideal for | Women | Women |
DISPLAY | ||
| Display type | Transflective MIP LCD | Transflective MIP LCD |
| Display size | 1.2 inch | 1.2 inch |
| Display resolution | 240 x 240 pixels | 240 x 240 pixels |
| Pixel density | -- | -- |
| Input type | 5 buttons, Not touchscreen | 5 buttons, Not touchscreen |
| Always-on | Yes | Yes |
| Customizable watch face | Yes | Yes |
BODY | ||
| Shape | Circular | Circular |
| Dimension | 42 x 42 x 13.8 mm | 42 x 42 x 13.8 mm |
| Weight | 58 grams | 61 grams |
| Casing material | Fiber-reinforced polymer with polymer rear cover | Fiber-reinforced polymer with polymer rear cover |
| Strap/band material | Silicone | Silicone Suede Nylon |
| Bezel Material | Stainless steel | Stainless steel DLC |
| Strap size | 20mm | 20mm |
| Interchangeable band | Yes, 20mm | Yes, 20mm |
| Screen protection | Corning Gorilla Glass DX | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 Sapphire Crystal |
| Water resistant/Protection | Yes, 10ATM | Yes, 10ATM |
| Swim-proof | Yes, recommended | Yes, recommended |
| Color(s) | Black | Black |
MEMORY | ||
| RAM | -- | -- |
| Internal storage | __ | 32GB |
| Memory card slot | No | No |
CONNECTIVITY | ||
| Bluetooth | Yes, and ANT+ | Yes, and ANT+ |
| Bluetooth calling | No | No |
| Wi-Fi | No | Yes |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Payment system | Garmin pay | Garmin pay |
| GPS | GPS/GLONASS/Galileo | GPS/GLONASS/Galileo |
CELLULAR TECHNOLOGY | ||
| Technology | No | No |
| SIM | No | No |
| Band | No | No |
NOTIFICATIONS | ||
| Email alert | Yes | Yes |
| SMS alert | Yes | Yes |
| Calls alert | Yes | Yes |
| Event reminder | Yes | Yes |
| Weather | Yes | Yes |
| Third-party apps | Yes | Yes |
| Text response | Yes, (Android Only) | Yes, (Android Only) |
FITNESS TRACKING | ||
| Sleep apnea | No | No |
| Sleep tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Steps | Yes | Yes |
| Floors climbed | Yes | Yes |
| Heart rate monitoring | Yes | Yes |
| Calories | Yes | Yes |
| Distance | Yes | Yes |
| Stress | Yes | Yes |
| VO2 Max. | Yes | Yes |
| Blood oxygen | Yes | Yes |
| Blood pressure | No | No |
| Menstrual cycle tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Swim tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Under-water heart rate tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Preloaded maps | No | Yes |
| On-screen workout modes | Yes | Yes |
| Triathlon mode | Yes | Yes |
| ECG Tracking | No | No |
| Preloaded sport modes | Yes | Yes |
| Safety tracking | Yes | Yes |
MEDIA | ||
| Audio | No | mp3/mp4 |
| Music streaming | No | Yes |
| Bluetooth music | No | Yes |
| Radio | No | No |
| Loudspeaker | No | No |
| Microphone | No | No |
| Camera | No | No |
SENSORS | ||
PLATFORM | ||
| Operating system (OS) | Proprietary OS | Proprietary OS |
| Chipset | -- | -- |
| CPU | -- | -- |
| GPU | -- | -- |
BATTERY | ||
| Type of battery | Non-removable Li-ion battery | Non-removable Li-ion battery |
| Battery capacity | -- | -- |
| Battery life | Smartwatch: Up to 9 days GPS: Up to 25 hours Max Battery GPS Mode: 50 hours Expedition GPS Activity: 20 days Battery Saver Watch Mode: 34 days | Smartwatch: Up to 9 days GPS: Up to 25 hours GPS and Music: Up to 6 hours Max Battery GPS Mode: 50 hours Expedition GPS Activity: 20 days Battery Saver Watch Mode: 34 days |
| Charging type | USB charging cable | USB charging cable |
| Charging time | About 1-2 hours | About 1-2 hours |
| Battery saver mode | Yes | Yes |
| Solar power | No | No |
| Rapid charging | No | No |
CLOCK FEATURES | ||
| Time/Date | Yes | Yes |
| Stopwatch | Yes | Yes |
| Alarm | Yes | Yes |
OTHER FUNCTIONS | ||
| Control camera | Yes | Yes |
| Music control | Yes | Yes |
| Find phone | Yes | Yes |
MISC | ||
| Compatibility | Android 4.4+ IOS 10.0+ Bluetooth 4.0+ Check if your device is compatible | Android 4.4+ IOS 10.0+ Bluetooth 4.0+ Check if your device is compatible |
| Companion app | Garmin connect IQ | Garmin connect IQ |
| Voice command | No | No |
BOX CONTENTS | ||
| Garmin Fenix 6S | Garmin Fenix 6S Pro | |
| Straps | Straps | |
| USB charging cable | USB charging cable | |
| Quick start guide | Quick start guide | |
| NOTE: We can't guarantee that all the information on this table are 100% correct. Read full disclaimer. Please, report an error. | ||
| Official Site | Official Site | |
Garmin Fenix 6S vs 6S Pro Features Compared
- Design
- Storage
- Fitness Tracking
- Battery Life
The Fenix 6s pro and 6s have similar appearance, as well same case and display size. However, the Fenix 6s pro is built with more durable materials. In this case, a more durable DLC coated titanium bezel which will cost you more.
Moreover, while the Fenix 6s comes with silicone straps, the 6s pro gives you more options with silicone, nylon and the more decent-looking suede strap materials. Although, the Fenix 6s is available in more colors like white/white, silver/black, black/black, and light gold/gray, while the 6s pro is available in rose-gold/white (first color = case color, second color = strap color).
The Fenix 6s pro also has a higher storage capacity than the 6s with a non-significant storage capacity. The 6s pro with 32GB allows you to take about 2000 of your favorite music tracks with you which isn’t possible with the 6s with 64MB storage. This is very beneficial for those of us who prefer to listen to which can be a source of motivation.
Just like all Garmin’s GPS smartwatches, the Fenix 6s pro and 6s 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 6s 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 two 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.
These two also get running features such as running, treadmill running and trail running, plus 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 6s 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 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 and achieve more without breaking down.
Also available is ClimbPro ascent planner with downloaded courses to help you see real-time information on your current and upcoming climbs, including gradient, distance and elevation gain.
The incident detection feature introduced to the Forerunner series is also available on the Fenix 6s pro and 6s which can help you get help when there’s an accidental fall. It sends your location to preset emergency contacts.
Also added to these two is swimming wrist-based heart rate tracking. With the Fenix 6s pro and 6s you can track your heart rate while swimming which can help you get a better insight into your swimming activities. This feature is new and for now, is exclusive to the Fenix 6 series.
Pulse Ox sensor introduced on the Fenix 5x plus is also available on the Fenix 6 series. The pulse ox sensor 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.
However, the Fenix 6s pro with map which isn’t available on the 6s has features that come with the map functionality that the 6s lacks.
| Garmin Fenix 6S | 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. |
The Fenix 6s pro and 6s have impressive battery life that’ll see you through days on a single charge. Although these two have same estimated battery life. However, the Fenix 6s with fewer features is expected to go a bit longer than the 6s pro.
Garmin introduced new battery saver features that 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 and 6s going for weeks, and the battery saver mode that will keep both the Fenix 6s pro and 6s going longer for weeks.
| Garmin Fenix 6S | Garmin Fenix 6S Pro |
| 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 | 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 |
Which is Better?
Garmin over the years have continued to give their fans more reasons to like their lineup of GPS smartwatches, and the new Fenix 6 series is no exception as these lots are sturdily built, loaded with fitness tracking features and boost a very long battery life that only a few smartwatches on the market can boast of. In that regard, the Fenix 6s and 6s pro are clearly outstanding GPS smartwatches.
However, the Fenix 6s pro is clearly a better choice than the 6s. It has more features and is quite more durable than 6s. Although more expensive, the Fenix 6s pro with onboard music storage capability, wifi that keeps you connected to all that matters to you and a map feature for a more enhanced navigation experience is a better deal.
On the other hand, the Fenix 6s is a nice alternative, a great choice if you’re low on budget.
Hi! I’m Jude, the chief editor at Smartwatchseries.com
I’m a graduate of biochemistry, a 3D artist and a passionate fitness enthusiast. On here, I and other smartwatch fans work hard to help you find the right smartwatch for you with our guides, reviews, and comparisons.
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