The Vantage V2 which is one of the best GPS smartwatches from Polar has a remarkable design, lots of activity tracking features, and a long battery life. It shares a lot in common with Garmin Fenix 6 which is also a sophisticated GPS smartwatch with a great design, lots of features, and long battery life. Both smartwatches are priced relatively the same, so, which is better between the Vantage V2 and Garmin Fenix 6? I have compiled the specs and features, and we’ll compare them to find out the differences.
Please note that the Fenix 6 is available in three versions; Fenix 6, Fenix 6 Pro, and Fenix 6 Pro Solar. However, this comparison is between the Fenix 6 and Vantage V2. The other two Fenix 6 smartwatches are higher-end GPS smartwatches with trendline popularity routing, music storage, and ski.
Polar Vantage V2 vs Garmin Fenix 6 Full Specifications Compared
| Polar Vantage V2 | Garmin Fenix 6 | |
|---|---|---|
 |  | |
ABOUT DEVICE | ||
| Device name | Polar Vantage V2 | Garmin Fenix 6 |
| Device type | Fitness/Sport Smartwatch | Fitness/GPS smartwatch |
| Predessesor | Polar Vantage V | Garmin Fenix 5 |
| Successor | __ | -- |
| Released date | October, 2020 | August, 2019 |
| Ideal for | Men | Men |
DISPLAY | ||
| Display type | MIP Transflective LCD | Transflective MIP LCD |
| Display size | 1.2 inch | 1.3 inch |
| Display resolution | 240 x 240 pixels | 260 x 260 pixels |
| Pixel density | __ | -- |
| Input type | Touchscreen 5 physical buttons | 5 buttons (Not touchscreen) |
| Always-on | Yes | Yes |
| Customizable watch face | Yes | Yes |
BODY | ||
| Shape | Circular | Circular |
| Dimension | 47 x 47 x 13 mm | 47 x 47 x 14.7 mm |
| Weight | 52 grams (including straps) | 80 grams |
| Casing material | Aluminum/ Glass fiber reinforced polymer back | Fiber-reinforced polymer with polymer rear cover |
| Strap/band material | Silicone | Silicone |
| Bezel Material | Aluminum | Stainless steel |
| Strap size | 22mm | 22mm |
| Interchangeable band | Yes, 22mm | Yes, 22mm |
| Screen protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 | Corning Gorilla Glass DX |
| Water resistant/Protection | Yes, 10ATM (MIL-STD-810G) | Yes, 10ATM |
| Swim-proof | Yes, recommended | Yes, recommended |
| Color(s) | Gray/lime back Black/black Black/green | Black |
MEMORY | ||
| RAM | __ | -- |
| Internal storage | __ | __ |
| Memory card slot | No | No |
CONNECTIVITY | ||
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth v4.2 LE | Yes, and ANT+ |
| Bluetooth calling | No | No |
| Wi-Fi | No | No |
| NFC | No | Yes |
| Payment system | None | Garmin pay |
| GPS | GPS/GLONASS/GALILEO/QZSS/A-GPS | 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 | No | 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 | No | Yes |
| Blood pressure | No | No |
| Menstrual cycle tracking | No | Yes |
| Swim tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Under-water heart rate tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Preloaded maps | Yes | No |
| On-screen workout modes | __ | Yes |
| Triathlon mode | Yes | Yes |
| ECG Tracking | No | No |
| Preloaded sport modes | Yes, 130 | Yes |
| Safety tracking | No | Yes |
MEDIA | ||
| Audio | No | No |
| Music streaming | No | No |
| Bluetooth music | No | No |
| Radio | No | No |
| Loudspeaker | No | No |
| Microphone | No | No |
| Camera | No | No |
SENSORS | ||
PLATFORM | ||
| Operating system (OS) | _ | Proprietary OS |
| Chipset | _ | -- |
| CPU | _ | -- |
| GPU | -- | -- |
BATTERY | ||
| Type of battery | Non-removable Li-ion battery | Non-removable Li-ion battery |
| Battery capacity | 346mAh | -- |
| Battery life | Mixed usage: 7 days GPS mode: 40hrs | Smartwatch: Up to 14 days GPS: Up to 36 hours Max Battery GPS Mode: 72 hours Expedition GPS Activity: 28 days Battery Saver Watch Mode:48 days |
| Charging type | USB cradle | 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 | No | Yes |
| Music control | Yes | Yes |
| Find phone | Yes | Yes |
MISC | ||
| Compatibility | Android and iOS | Android 4.4+ IOS 10.0+ Bluetooth 4.0+ Check if your device is compatible |
| Companion app | Polar Flow app | Garmin connect IQ |
| Voice command | No | No |
BOX CONTENTS | ||
| Polar Vantage V2 | Garmin Fenix 6 | |
| Straps | Straps | |
| USB cradle | 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 | |
Polar Vantage V2 Features
| Activity Tracking Features | Vantage V2 |
|---|---|
| Compass Has a compass that allows you to know your exact orientation. | Yes |
| Swimming Metrics Automatically detects your heart rate, swimming style, distance, pace, strokes and rest times. Distance and strokes get tracked also in open water swimming. | Yes |
| Fitness Level Test Test your fitness level easily in just 5 minutes without breaking a sweat. Learn more | Yes |
| Breathing Session For Stress Management Relax your body and calm down your mind with the help of a guided breathing exercise | Yes |
| Complete Sleep Monitoring Tracks your complete sleep cycle including stages and time spent in each. | Yes |
| Training Benefits Get motivating feedback immediately after training describing the effect of the session. Learn more | Yes |
| Weather Update Check current weather info and a 2-day forecast straight on your watch | Yes |
| Continuous Heart Rate Tracking Tracks your heart rate continuously to give you a comprehensive view of how your heart behaves during the day as well as calories. | Yes |
| Track Calories Know exactly how many calories you’ve burned based on your weight, height, age, gender, your individual maximum heart rate (HRmax) and how hard you’re training. | Yes |
| Running Program Get a personal and adaptive training plan that fits you and your goals. Learn more | Yes |
| Route Planning With Komoot Plan your route on Komoot, import it to your Polar Grit X and let the turn-by-turn guidance take care of navigation for you. | Yes |
| Route Guidance Upload your route to your Polar Grit X and stay on the right path with real-time guidance. | Yes |
| Running Index Get an estimate of your running VO2max and see how your running performance is developing. | Yes |
| Training Load Pro Quantify the strain of your training session and see how your training strains the different parts of your body. | Yes |
| Hill Splitter Get detailed data about your performance on the uphill and downhill sections of your session | Yes |
| FuelWise Learn to refuel and maintain adequate energy levels during your long training sessions. | Yes |
| FitSpark Training Guide Polar Grit X and the FitSpark™ training guide make sure you’re prepared for your pursuit to conquer the trails with ready-made daily workouts that match your recovery, readiness, and training history. Learn more | Yes |
| Energy Sources See how your body uses different energy sources during a training session. Polar Grit X divides your energy usage into carbs, proteins and fats. | |
| Running Power Get more comprehensive insight into the intensity of your running sessions. Learn more | Yes |
| Recovery Pro See how recovered your body is and get recovery feedback. Learn more | Yes |
| Strava Live Segments Make your runs and rides more exciting with Strava Live Segments. Get alerts about nearby segments, see real-time performance data during a segment and check your results right after you finish. | Yes |
| Multisport Training It allows you to do multiple sports in one training session and seamlessly switch between sports without interrupting the recording of your training. | Yes |
| Inbuilt GPS/QZSS/GLONASS/A-GPS/GALILEO Built-in GPS provides accurate speed and distance measurement for a range of outdoor sports, and allows you to see your route on the map in the Polar Flow app and web service after your session. | Yes |
| Leg Recovery Test The Leg Recovery Test tells you whether your legs are ready for high-intensity training. | Yes |
| Running Performance Test The Running Performance Test helps you keep track of your progress and personalize your heart rate, speed, and power zones. | Yes |
| Cycling Performance Test Helps you follow your progress, allows you to personalize your power zones, and tells you your personal functional threshold power. A compatible power meter required. | Yes |
Source: Polar.com
Polar Vantage V2 Pros
- Rugged and durable design.
- Lots of activity tracking features make it an in-depth activity tracker.
- Battery life is impressive.
- Features training plans which can help you reach more fitness goals.
Polar Vantage V2 Cons
- Lakcs music storage.
- Lacks microphone and loudspeaker.
- Loss of connection while syncing with phone (restarting phone fixes the problem).
- Screen resolution isn’t great and the UI is somewhat shabby.
- Not a great choice for handling notifications.
Garmin Fenix 6 Features
ACTIVITY TRACKING FEATURES | Garmin Fenix 6 |
|---|---|
SMART FEATURES | |
| Connect IQ (Downloadable watch faces, data fields, widgets, and apps) | Yes |
| On-device Connect IQ store | No |
| Text response/reject phone calls with text (Android only) | Yes |
| Calendar | Yes |
| Weather | Yes |
| Real-time settings sync with Garmin Connect™ mobile | No |
| Battery saver - customizable low power watch | Yes |
| Controls smartphone music | Yes |
| Plays and Control Watch Music | Yes |
| Find my phone | Yes |
| Find my watch | Yes |
| Virb remote | Yes |
HEALTH MONITORING FEATURES | |
| Wrist-based Heart Rate tracking | Yes |
| Daily resting heart rate | Yes |
| AbNormal heart rate alert | Yes (high and low) |
| Respiration Rate (24/7) | Yes |
| Fitness Age | Yes |
| Blood oxygen (SpO2) monitoring | Yes (spot-check, and optional all-day acclimation and in sleep) |
| Battery energy monitor | Yes |
| Stress tracking | Yes |
| Relaxation reminders | Yes |
| Relaxation breathing timer | Yes |
| Sleep monitoring | Yes |
| Advanced sleep tracking/Sleep Score | Yes |
| Menstrual cycle tracking | Yes (in Garmin Connect and optional Connect IQ widget) |
| Hydration tracking | Yes (in Garmin Connect and optional Connect IQ widget) |
| Health Snapshot | Yes |
SAFETY AND TRACKING FEATURES | |
| Livetrack | Yes |
| Group Livetrack | Yes |
| Live event sharing | Yes |
| Incident detection during select activities | Yes |
| Assistance | Yes |
| Spectator Messaging (New) | No |
| Assistance Plus (New) | No |
TACTICAL FEATURES | |
| Stealth mode | No |
| Night vision mode | No |
| Dual Grid Coordinates | Yes |
| Kill switch | No |
ACTIVITY TRACKING FEATURES | |
| Steps Counter | Yes |
| Move bar (displays on device after a period of inactivity; walk for a couple of minutes to reset it) | Yes |
| Auto goal (learns your activity level and assigns a daily step goal) | Yes |
| Sleep monitoring (monitors total sleep and periods of movement or restful sleep) | Yes |
| Calories burned | Yes |
| Floors climbed | Yes |
| Distance travelled | Yes |
| Intensity minutes | Yes |
| Trueup | Yes |
| Move IQ | Yes |
GYM & FITNESS EQUIPMENT | |
| Available gym activity profiles | strength, cardio and elliptical training, stair stepping, floor climbing, indoor rowing, pilates and yoga |
| Cardio workouts | Yes |
| Strength workouts | Yes |
| HIIT workouts | No (to be added) |
| Yoga workouts | Yes |
| Pilates workouts | Yes |
| On-screen workout animations | Yes |
| Automatic rep counting | Yes |
| On-screen workout muscle maps | No |
TRAINING, PLANNING & ANALYSIS FEATURES | |
| GPS speed and distance | Yes |
| Customizable data pages | Yes |
| Customizable activity profiles | Yes |
| Auto Pause | Yes |
| Interval training | Yes |
| Improved interval (Includes open repeats, intervals data page, rest screen and auto detection) (New) | |
| Advanced workouts | Yes |
| Downloadable training plans | Yes |
| Power modes - customizable in-activity battery settings | Yes |
| Auto lap | Yes |
| Manual lap | Yes |
| Rest timer (New) | |
| Configurable lap alerts | Yes |
| Heat and altitude acclimation | Yes |
| VO2 Max. (Run) | Yes |
| VO2 Max. (Trail run) | No |
| Real-Time stamina | No |
| Training status (lets you see if you're training effectively by tracking your training history and fitness level trend.) | Yes |
| Training load (your total training load for the last 7 days calculated from estimated epoc) | Yes |
| Training load focus | Yes |
| Training effect (aerobic) | Yes |
| Training effect (anaerobic) | Yes |
| Primary Benefit (training effect labels) | Yes |
| Improved Recovery Time (New) | Yes |
| Daily Suggested Workouts (New) | Yes |
| Custom alerts | Yes |
| Audio prompts | Yes |
| Finish time | Yes |
| Virtual partner | Yes |
| Race an activity | Yes |
| Auto multisport activities | Yes |
| Manual multisport activities | Yes |
| Course guidance | Yes |
| Garmin Live Segments | Yes |
| Strava Live Segments | Yes |
| Round-Trip course creator (running/cycling) | No |
| Trendline Popularity Routing | No |
| Touch and/or button lock | Yes |
| Hot keys | Yes |
| Auto scroll | Yes |
| Activity history on watch | Yes |
| Noopener Noreferrer">Physio Trueup | Yes |
HEART RATE TRACKING FEATURES | |
| HR zones | Yes |
| HR alerts | Yes |
| HR calories | Yes |
| % HR max. | Yes |
| % HRR | Yes |
| Recovery time | Yes |
| Auto max HR | Yes |
| Morning report (New) | |
| Race glance/widget (New) | |
| HRV status (New) | |
| Training readiness (New) | |
| HRV stress test (measures your heart rate variability while standing still, for 3 minutes, to provide you with an estimated stress level; the scale of this is 1 to 100; low scores indicate lower stress levels) | Yes (with compatible accessory) |
| HR broadcast (broadcasts HR data over ANT+ to paired devices) | Yes |
| Respiration rate (during exercise) | Yes (with compatible accessory) |
RUNNING FEATURES | |
| Available run profiles | Running, treadmill running, indoor track running, trail running, virtual running |
| GPS-based distance, time and pace | Yes |
| Running dynamics | Yes (with compatible accessory) |
| Vertical oscillation and ratio (the degree of 'bounce' in your running motion and the cost-benefit ratio with stride length) | Yes (with compatible accessory) |
| Ground contact time and balance (shows how much time, in the running motion, your foot is on the ground rather than in flight and lets you check your running symmetry) | Yes (with compatible accessory) |
| Stride length (real time) | Yes (with compatible accessory) |
| Cadence (provides real-time number of steps per minute) | Yes |
| Running power (New) | |
| Performance condition (after running 20 minutes, compares your real-time condition to your average fitness level) | Yes |
| Lactate threshold (through analysis of your pace and heart rate, estimates the point where your muscles start to rapidly fatigue) | Yes (with compatible accessory) |
| PacePro pacing strategies | Yes |
| Run workouts | Yes |
| Race predictor | Yes |
| Course and weather-specific race predictor (New) | |
| Foot Pod Capable | Yes |
| Run/Walk/Stand detection | |
GOLF FEATURES | |
| Preloaded with 42,000 courses worldwide | Yes |
| Yardage to F/M/B (distance to front, middle and back of green) | Yes |
| Yardage to layups/doglegs | Yes |
| Measures shot distance (calculates exact yardage for shots from anywhere on course) | Automatic |
| Digital Scorecard | Yes |
| Custom targets | No |
| Stat tracking (strokes, putts per round, greens and fairways hit) | Yes |
| Garmin Autoshot | Yes |
| Full vector map | No |
| Auto Courseview updates | Yes |
| Green view with manual pin position | Yes |
| Hazards and course targets | Yes |
| Pinpointer | Yes |
| Playslike distance | No |
| Touch-targeting (touch target on display to see the distance to any point) (New) | Yes |
| Handicap scoring | Yes |
| Truswing compatible | Yes |
| Round timer/odometer | Yes |
| Automatic club tracking compatible (requires accessory) | Yes |
| Tournament Legal | No |
OUTDOOR RECREATION | |
| Available outdoor recreation profiles | Hiking, climbing, mountain biking, skiing, sNowboarding, xc skiing, stand up paddleboarding, rowing, kayaking, jumpmaster, tactical, indoor climbing, bouldering, and surfing |
| Point-to-Point navigation | Yes |
| Bread crumb trail in real time | Yes |
| Back to start | Yes |
| TracbacK | Yes |
| Ultratrac Mode | Yes |
| Around me mode | Yes |
| Up ahead | No |
| Elevation profile | Yes |
| Distance to destination | Yes |
| Barometric trend indicator with storm alert | Yes |
| ClimbPro ascent planner | Yes |
| Trail run auto climb | Yes |
| Vertical speed | Yes |
| Total ascent/descent | Yes |
| Future elevation plot | Yes |
| Preloaded Topographical maps | No |
| Preloaded road and trail maps (New) | No |
| Preloaded Ski resort maps | No |
| Downloadable cartography support | Yes |
| Compatible with Basecamp | Yes |
| GPS coordinates | Yes |
| Sight 'N GO | Yes |
| Area calculation | Yes (via Connect IQ) |
| Hunt/fish calendar | Yes (via Connect IQ) |
| Projected waypoint | Yes |
| Sun and moon information | Yes (via Connect IQ) |
| Xero locations | Yes |
| Expedition GPS activity | Yes |
| Tides | Yes (via Connect IQ) |
CYCLING FEATURES | |
| Available cycling profiles | Biking, indoor biking, mountain biking, triathlon |
| Alerts (triggers alarm when you reach goals including time, distance, heart rate or calories) | Yes |
| Courses | Yes |
| MTB Grit & Flow | No |
| Cycle map (routable cycling-specific street map) | No |
| Bike lap and lap maximum power (with power sensor) | Yes |
| Race an activity | Yes |
| FTP (Functional Threshold Power) | Yes (with compatible accessory) |
| Compatible with Vector (Power Meter) | Yes |
| Power Meter compatible | Yes |
| Advanced cycling dynamics | Yes |
| Compatible with Varia Vision (head-mounted display) | Yes |
| Compatible with Varia Radar (Rear-Facing Radar) | Yes |
| Compatible with Varia Lights | Yes |
| Speed and cadence sensor support (with sensor) | Yes (ANT+ and Bluetooth Smart sensors) |
SWIMMING FEATURES | |
| Available swim profiles | Pool swimming, open water swimming, swimming/running |
| Open-water swim metrics (distance, pace, stroke count/rate, stroke distance, swim efficiency (SWOLF), calories) | Yes |
| Pool swim metrics (lengths, distance, pace, stroke count, swim efficiency (SWOLF), calories) | Yes |
| Stroke type detection (freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly) (pool swim only) | Yes |
| Drill logging (pool swim only) | Yes |
| Basic rest timer (up from 0) (pool swim only) | Yes |
| "Repeat on" rest timer (pool swim only) (New) | Yes |
| Auto rest (pool swim only) (New) | Yes |
| Time and distance alerts | No |
| Pacing alerts (pool swim only) (New) | Yes |
| Countdown start (pool swim only) | Yes |
| Pool swim workouts | Yes |
| Critical swim speed (New) | Yes |
| Underwater wrist-based heart rate | Yes |
| Heart rate from external HRM (real-time during rests, interval and session stats during rests, and automatic heart rate download post-swim) | Yes (with HRM-Tri and HRM-Swim) |
Garmin Fenix 6 Pros
- Sturdily built, premium and rugged design.
- Very impressive long battery life with battery saver modes that lets you go longer.
- Comprehensive activity trackers.
- The HRM and Vo2 max Sensor are somehow accurate.
Garmin Fenix 6 Cons
- Quiet expensive.
- Lacks microphone.
- Lacks onboard music storage.
- Notifications don’t show images, only text is shown.
- The companion app needs more improvement especially with regards to watch faces.
Which is Better?
In my opinion, Garmin Fenix is a more comprehensive GPS smartwatch. It features blood oxygen tracking – an important metric that allows you to see how well your blood utilizes oxygen. Fenix 6 also features incidental fall detection that allows the watch to call a preset emergency number when it detects a hard fall (phone must be nearby).
Overall, both smartwatches are durably built and well equipped to track your daily activities both indoor and outdoor.
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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