Any links to online stores should be assumed to be affiliates. The company or PR agency provides all or most review samples. They have no control over my content, and I provide my honest opinion.

There are several Fenix 6 models, but looking at the specs, the closest device would be the Garmin Fenix 6 Pro which has an RRP of £600 while the Forerunner 945 is £519.99.

There is clearly a significant design difference, the Fenix range does a much better job of being a casual day to day watch than the Forerunner 945.

With the Fenix range being the flagship model for Garmin’s consumer lineup is it worth it over the Forerunner 945 which is often seen as an affordable Fenix?

PreviewProductRatingPrice
Garmin fēnix 6X PRO, Larger Multisport GPS Smartwatch,... Garmin fēnix 6X PRO, Larger Multisport GPS Smartwatch,... No ratings yet £479.00
PreviewProductRatingPrice
Garmin fēnix 6S, Smaller Multisport GPS Smartwatch,... Garmin fēnix 6S, Smaller Multisport GPS Smartwatch,... No ratings yet £399.99

What’s new on the Garmin Fenix 6

While the Fenix 6 offers lots of additional features compared to its predecessor, most of these features are bringing it line with the Forerunner 945.

  • Split product line into two portions: Pro and Base. Pro has WiFi, Maps, Music, Golf Maps
  • There are three sizes of watches: 42mm (Fenix 6s), 47mm (Fenix 6), 51mm (Fenix 6X)
  • Adds solar charging to Fenix 6 Pro Solar: Termed “Power Glass”, this will increased battery life on sunnier days
  • Adds Trendline Popularity Routing Visibility (Pro): This allows you to actually see the ‘heatmaps’ on your device
  • Adds map display themes: This includes high contrast, popularity, marine, dark, and outdoor.
  • Adds new widget glances concept: Basically shrinks widgets to 1/3rd the screen size, so you can see three at once
  • Adds new PacePro feature: This replaces old-school paper race pace bands, creating pace targets for race based on grade/reverse splits/etc…
  • Adds new Power Manager feature: Gives detailed information about the impacts/tradeoffs of features on battery life
  • Adds new Power Modes feature: Allows you to create custom power/battery modes, with time remaining per activity
  • Adds new MARQ Expedition ultra-long mode: For multi-week GPS activities. Basically shuts off everything except reduced rate GPS tracking
  • Adds ski resort maps: These started on the MARQ series, with 2,000 ski resorts worldwide
  • Adds golf maps pre-loaded: Previously you had to manually load these one by one, also, more detailed golf features
  • Adds support for wrist based swimming HR: This was teased recently on the FR945 beta updates
  • Adds new ultra-low battery mode: Gets up to 80 days of battery life, but super basic watch functionality only
  • Revamped ClimbPro with new coloring: Now matches the Edge 530/830 styling
  • Increased data fields per page: Up to 8 fields on the 6X, and up to 6 fields on the 6S/6
  • Increased screen size and reduced bezel (varies by model, but up to 36% bigger screen size on the 6X
  • Reduced ‘lug to lug distance’ on Fenix 6S: This should help those with smaller wrists, more on this later
  • Reduced thickness of all devices. The 6S shrunk by 10%, the 6 by 7%, and the 6X by 15%.
  • Changed from MediaTek GPS chipset to Sony GPS Chipset: Like every other new Garmin 2019 device
  • Battery life increased: Up to 80 days in battery saver mode for 6X, and up to 120hrs in max battery mode for 6X, all before solar (see full chart below)

What does the Garmin Fenix 6 have that the Forerunner 945 does not?

There are a lot more choices with the Fenix range as always. This obviously affects the price.

  • Screen sizes for the Fenix 6 (1.3) and Fenix 6x (1.4)
  • Increase in pixels for the Fenix 6 (240 x 240) and Fenix 6x (280 x 280)
  • Increase in battery life performance and new power-management modes – the Fenix 6 Pro matches the FR945 in normal use but the extended modes offer significantly longer performance.
  • PacePro. This is grade-adjusted pace guidance throughout your activity.
  • Solar charging on the Fenix 6x Solar edition via a feature called Power Glass.

It is important to know that the standard Fenix 6 models (none-pro) lack both music and Wi-Fi.

It is also worth noting that the FR945 is due for a firmware upgrade to give it PacePro and new battery modes, two of the main features of the Fenix 6 series.

Price comparison

For the like by like comparison the Garmin Fenix 6 Pro which has an RRP of £/$599.99 while the Forerunner 945 is $599.99 & £519.

Design and weight differences

A lot of people seem to have an issue with the weight of the Fenix range, I have only used the Fenix 5S for an extended period of time, so don’t have much experience with the difference.

The Garmin Fenix 6 Pro comes in at 83g while the Forerunner weights 50g, that is a 66% increase in weight, so quite a big difference.

The Fenix 6 and above now have larger screens with an increased resolution. The Fenix 6 Pro will have 1.3″ at 260 x 260 pixels vs 1.2″ at 240×240.

The overall size of the watch is almost identical, but it is the metal bezel and metal rear of the watch that will add a significant amount of weight.

DimensionsWeightScreen SizeScreen Resolution
Garmin Fenix 6S42 x 42 x 13.8 mm58 g1.2"240 x 240 pixels
Garmin Fenix 6S Pro42 x 42 x 13.8 mm61 g1.2"240 x 240 pixels
Garmin Fenix 6S Sapphire42 x 42 x 13.8 mm61 g1.2"240 x 240 pixels
Garmin Fenix 647 x 47 x 14.7 mm80 g1.3"260 x 260 pixels
Garmin Fenix 6 Pro47 x 47 x 14.7 mm83 g1.3"260 x 260 pixels
Garmin Fenix 6 Sapphire47 x 47 x 14.7 mm83 g1.3"260 x 260 pixels
Garmin Fenix 6X Pro51 x 51 x 14.9mm93 g1.4"260 x 260 pixels
Garmin Fenix 6X Sapphire51 x 51 x 14.9mm93 g1.4"280 x 280 pixels
Garmin Fenix 6X Solar Sapphire Titanium + Silicone wristband51 x 51 x 14.9 mm82 g1.4"280 x 280 pixels
Garmin Fenix 6X Solar Sapphire Titanium + Titan wristband51 x 51 x 14.9 mm82 g1.4"280 x 280 pixels
Forerunner 94547 x 47 x 13.7 mm50 g1.2"240 x 240 pixels

Battery life

The Fenix 6 series introduces 2 new smartwatch battery modes that significantly improve battery life, how useful these are to you is another question. For me, they will be handy on holiday if/when I forget my charger, but day to day use I want access to all the health tracking features too.

6S Basic / Pro / Sapphire6 Basic / Pro / Sapphire6X Pro / Sapphire6X Sapphire SolarForerunner 945
GPS25 h36 h60 h60 + 6 h36h
GPS + music6 h10 h15 h15 + 1 h10h
UltraTrac50 h72 h120 h120 + 28 h
Smartwatch mode9 days14 days21 days21 + 3 days14 days
Exposure mode20 days28 days46 days46 + 10 days
Economy mode34 days48 days80 days80 + 40 days

Availability & Current Prices

The Forerunner is available right now for £519.99 via Wiggle, Garmin and many other retailers.

Buy the FR945 from Wiggle

Ther Fenix 6 series is available for pre-order from Amazon

PreviewProductRatingPrice
Garmin fēnix 6S, Smaller Multisport GPS Smartwatch,... Garmin fēnix 6S, Smaller Multisport GPS Smartwatch,... No ratings yet £399.99
PreviewProductRatingPrice
Garmin fēnix 6X PRO, Larger Multisport GPS Smartwatch,... Garmin fēnix 6X PRO, Larger Multisport GPS Smartwatch,... No ratings yet £479.00

Which is the best to buy?

There is not a lot of difference between the two models, you pay a premium the improved looks of the Fenix 6 Pro, and some minor spec improvements. This comes at a cost of weight.

Serious runners/swimmers may be better off with the Forerunner just for the weight advantage. People that do multiday endurance events will likely prefer the 6X Pro. Beyond that, it will be a subjective choice.

Comparing the Fenix 6 Pro to the FR945, I think the £70 is justifiable for the premium build and better screen. Garmin has already done well with the Fenix crossing over into the casual/style market and this is obviously their aim here.

I suppose one argument could be made that the Fenix 6 Pro is a bit pointless, the looks are not that different, and the features are the same. It is the Fenix 6S with its stylish looks and smaller form or the 6X Pro with its incredible battery life that are the two watches that really differentiate the Fenix 6 series from the Forerunner 945.

Full Comparison Table

I have tried my best to make the below accurate. Garmin has been rolling down features from the Fenix to the Forerunner, but there can be some conflicting information on what is and what is not currently available.

ModelForerunner 9456S Pro6S Sapphire6 Pro6 Sapphire6X Pro6X Sapphire6X Solar
Size47mm42mm42mm47mm47mm51mm51mm51mm
GlassGorilla Glass DXGorilla Glass 3SapphireGorilla Glass 3SapphireGorilla Glass 3SapphireGorilla Glass 3
SolarNoNoNoNoNoNoNoYes
Price520600700600700650750849.99
Resolution240x240240x240240x240260x260260x260280x280280x280280x280
Smartwatch BatteryUp to 2 weeksUp to 9 daysUp to 9 daysUp to 14 daysUp to 14 daysUp to 21 daysUp to 21 daysUp to 21 days +3 days*
GPSUp to 36 hoursUp to 25 hoursUp to 25 hoursUp to 36 hoursUp to 36 hoursUp to 60 hoursUp to 60 hoursUp to 60 hours +6 hours**
GPS and MusicUp to 10 hoursUp to 6 hoursUp to 6 hoursUp to 10 hoursUp to 10 hoursUp to 15 hoursUp to 15 hoursUp to 15 hours +1 hour**
Max Battery GPS Mode72 hours50 hours50 hours72 hours72 hours120 hours120 hours120 hours + 28 hours**
Expedition GPS Activity28 days20 days20 days28 days28 days46 days46 days46 days + 10 days**
Battery Saver Watch Mode48 days34 days34 days48 days48 days80 days80 days80 days + 40 days*
Water Rating5 ATM10 ATM10 ATM10 ATM10 ATM10 ATM10 ATM10 ATM
Memory/History16 GB32 GB32 GB32 GB32 GB32 GB32 GB32 GB
Golfing FeaturesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes
Battery Saver ModesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes
Ski MapsNoNoNoYesYesYesYesYes
Sight 'N GoYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes
PaceProYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes
Expedition GPS ActivityNoYesYesYesYesYesYesYes
Underwater Wrist-Based Heart RateYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes
Advanced Vector SupportYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
Swimming/Running ProfileNoYesYesYesYesYesYesYes
Data Fields Visible66666888
Widgets Visible13333333
Trendline Popularlity VisNoYesYesYesYesYesYesYes
Map ThemesNoYesYesYesYesYesYesYes

Last update on 2024-03-29 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *