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The Garmin Fenix 6 is now official, and available to order from Amazon, Garmin and other retailers.

Amazon states the launch date as the 30th of August, and we will see when they actually ship it.

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Garmin Fenix 6 Product Listing details (verbatim)

The fēnix® 6 multisport GPS watch brings cutting-edge design and performance to your fast-paced lifestyle. It’s contoured for a trimmer, more comfortable fit on your wrist, with easy-to-access features that include enhanced wrist heart rate (the data and information provided by this device is intended to be a close estimation of your activity and metrics tracked, but may not be precisely accurate), built-in activity profiles, VO2 max estimates and more. Plus, you can see how your hard work is paying off with performance metrics and training load balance readings. Satellite navigation and tracking functions combine with a 3-axis compass and barometric altimeter to give you confidence on and off the beaten path. This watch eases from workout to work day with smart notifications (when paired with a compatible smartphone) to keep you connected and Garmin Pay™ contactless payments (not all countries and payment networks are eligible) to free you from carrying cash or credit cards. Customizable power manager lets you see and control how various settings and sensors impact battery life, so you can make battery-extending changes on the fly.

Product Features:

  • Rugged, sophisticated design features an always-on 1.3” (18% larger than previous fēnix models) sunlight-readable display with stainless steel bezel and buttons
  • Features enhanced wrist heart rate (the data and information provided by this device is intended to be a close estimation of your activity and metrics tracked, but may not be precisely accurate) and Pulse Ox (this is not a medical device and is not intended for use in the diagnosis or monitoring of any medical condition) sensing of blood oxygen saturation to support advanced sleep monitoring and altitude acclimation at high elevations
  • Performance data at your fingertips includes training load balance, training status, and running and cycling dynamics
  • Navigate the outdoors with built-in sensors for 3-axis compass, gyroscope and barometric altimeter; supports multiple global navigation satellite system (GPS, GLONASS and Galileo) to track in more challenging environments than GPS alone
  • Connected features include smart notifications (when paired with a compatible smartphone) and Garmin Pay™ contactless payments (not all countries and payment networks are eligible)
  • Battery performance: up to 14 days in smartwatch mode, up to 36 hours in GPS mode, up to 28 days in expedition GPS activity mode, and up to 48 days in battery saver watch mode

Specs:

  • Unit dimensions: 47 x 47 x 14.7 mm
  • Lens material: Corning Gorilla Glass 3
  • Stainless Steel
  • Case material: Fiber-reinforced polymer with metal rear cover
  • Strap material: Silicone
  • Weight: Steel 80g (Case only 57g)
  • Battery type: Rechargeable internal lithium-ion
  • Battery life:
    • Smartwatch: Up to 14 days
    • GPS: Up to 36h
    • Max Battery GPS Mode: 72h
    • Expedition GPS Mode: 28 days
    • Battery Saver Watch Mode: 48 days
  • Wireless technologies: Bluetooth Smart and ANT+
  • Memory: 64 MB

What’s in the Box:

  • fēnix 6 watch
  • Charging/data cable
  • Documentation

Fenix 6 vs Forerunner 945 vs Fenix 5 Plus DCRainmaker Feature Comparison

FUNCTION/FEATUREGARMIN FENIX 6 SERIESGARMIN FORERUNNER 945GARMIN FENIX 5 PLUS (5/5S/5X)
PRICE£529.99, £599.99, £649.99
£519.99£350 (currently)
ACTUAL AVAILABILITY/SHIPPING DATEAUG 29TH, 2019EARLY MAY 2019JUNE 17TH, 2018
GPS RECORDING FUNCTIONALITYYES (WITH GALILEO TOO)YES (WITH GALILEO TOO)YES (WITH GALILEO TOO)
DATA TRANSFERUSB/BLUETOOTH SMART/WIFI ON PRO ONLYUSB/BLUETOOTH SMART/WIFIUSB/BLUETOOTH SMART/WIFI
WATERPROOFINGYES - 100MYES - 50MYES - 100M
BATTERY LIFE (GPS)25HRS TO 148HRS (DEPENDS ON MODEL)36HRS GPS, 60HRS ULTRATRACUP TO 32HRS IN GPS-ON, UP TO 85HRS IN ULTRATRAC GPS (VARIES BY MODEL)
RECORDING INTERVAL1S OR SMART1S OR SMART1S OR SMART
SATELLITE PRE-LOADING VIA COMPUTERYESYESYES
QUICK SATELLITE RECEPTIONGREATGREATGREAT
ALERTSVIBRATE/SOUND/VISUALVIBRATE/SOUND/VISUALVIBRATE/SOUND/VISUAL
BACKLIGHT GREATNESSGREATGREATGREAT
ABILITY TO DOWNLOAD CUSTOM APPS TO UNIT/DEVICEYESYESYES
ACTS AS DAILY ACTIVITY MONITOR (STEPS, ETC...)YESYESYES
CAN CONTROL PHONE MUSICYESYESYES
HAS MUSIC STORAGE AND PLAYBACKYES (PRO ONLY)YESYES
STREAMING SERVICESIHEARTRADIO, SPOTIFY, DEEZER, AMAZON (PRO ONLY)IHEARTRADIO, SPOTIFY, DEEZERIHEARTRADIO, SPOTIFY, DEEZER
PAYMENTSGARMIN FENIX 6 SERIESGARMIN FORERUNNER 945GARMIN FENIX 5 PLUS (5/5S/5X)
CONTACTLESS-NFC PAYMENTSYESYESYES
BLUETOOTH LEGACY (PRE-4.0) TO PHONENONONO
BLUETOOTH SMART (4.0+) TO PHONE UPLOADINGYESYESYES
PHONE NOTIFICATIONS TO UNIT (I.E. TEXTS/CALLS/ETC...)YESYESYES
LIVE TRACKING (STREAMING LOCATION TO WEBSITE)YESYESYES
GROUP TRACKINGYESYESYES
EMERGENCY/SOS MESSAGE NOTIFICATION (FROM WATCH TO CONTACTS)YES (VIA PHONE)YES (VIA PHONE)NO
BUILT-IN CELLULAR CHIP (NO PHONE REQUIRED)NONONO
DESIGNED FOR CYCLINGYESYESYES
POWER METER CAPABLEYESYESYES
POWER METER CONFIGURATION/CALIBRATION OPTIONSYESYESYES
POWER METER TSS/NP/IFYESYESYES
SPEED/CADENCE SENSOR CAPABLEYESYESYES
STRAVA SEGMENTS LIVE ON DEVICEYESYESYES
CRASH DETECTIONYESYESNO
RUNNINGGARMIN FENIX 6 SERIESGARMIN FORERUNNER 945GARMIN FENIX 5 PLUS (5/5S/5X)
DESIGNED FOR RUNNINGYESYESYES
FOOTPOD CAPABLE (FOR TREADMILLS)YESYESYES
RUNNING DYNAMICS (VERTICAL OSCILLATION, GROUND CONTACT TIME, ETC...)WITH RD POD, HRM-TRI OR HRM-RUN (NOT VIA OPTICAL HR)WITH RD POD, HRM-TRI OR HRM-RUN (NOT VIA OPTICAL HR)WITH RD POD, HRM-TRI OR HRM-RUN (NOT VIA OPTICAL HR)
RUNNING POWERWITH EXTRA SENSORWITH EXTRA SENSORWITH EXTRA SENSOR
VO2MAX ESTIMATIONYESYESYES
RACE PREDICTORYES, PLUS PACEPROYESYES
RECOVERY ADVISORYESYESYES
RUN/WALK MODEYESYESYES
DESIGNED FOR SWIMMINGYESYESYES
OPENWATER SWIMMING MODEYESYESYES
LAP/INDOOR DISTANCE TRACKINGYESYESYES
RECORD HR UNDERWATERYES (WITH OPTICAL HR OR HRM-TRI/HRM-SWIM)WITH HRM-TRI/HRM-SWIM (NOT WITH OPTICAL HR)WITH HRM-TRI/HRM-SWIM (NOT WITH OPTICAL HR)
OPENWATER METRICS (STROKE/ETC.)YESYESYES
INDOOR METRICS (STROKE/ETC.)YESYESYES
INDOOR DRILL MODEYESYESYES
INDOOR AUTO-PAUSE FEATURENO (IT'LL SHOW REST TIME AFTERWARDS THOUGH)NO (IT'LL SHOW REST TIME AFTERWARDS THOUGH)NO (IT'LL SHOW REST TIME AFTERWARDS THOUGH)
CHANGE POOL SIZEYESYESYES
INDOOR MIN/MAX POOL LENGTHS14M/15Y TO 150Y/M14M/15Y TO 150Y/M14M/15Y TO 150Y/M
ABILITY TO CUSTOMIZE DATA FIELDSYESYESYES
CAN CHANGE YARDS TO METERSYESYESYES
CAPTURES PER LENGTH DATA - INDOORSYESYESYES
INDOOR ALERTSYESYESYES
TRIATHLONGARMIN FENIX 6 SERIESGARMIN FORERUNNER 945GARMIN FENIX 5 PLUS (5/5S/5X)
DESIGNED FOR TRIATHLONYESYESYES
MULTISPORT MODEYESYESYES
WORKOUTSGARMIN FENIX 6 SERIESGARMIN FORERUNNER 945GARMIN FENIX 5 PLUS (5/5S/5X)
CREATE/FOLLOW CUSTOM WORKOUTSYESYESYES
ON-UNIT INTERVAL FEATUREYESYESYES
TRAINING CALENDAR FUNCTIONALITYYESYESYES
FUNCTIONSGARMIN FENIX 6 SERIESGARMIN FORERUNNER 945GARMIN FENIX 5 PLUS (5/5S/5X)
AUTO START/STOPYESYESYES
VIRTUAL PARTNER FEATUREYESYESYES
VIRTUAL RACER FEATUREYESYESYES
RECORDS PR'S - PERSONAL RECORDS (DIFF THAN HISTORY)YESYESYES
DAY TO DAY WATCH ABILITYYESYESYES
HUNTING/FISHING/OCEAN DATAYESYESYES
TIDAL TABLES (TIDE INFORMATION)NONONO
JUMPMASTER MODE (PARACHUTING)YESYESYES
GEOCACHINGVIA GPS COORDINATESVIA GPS COORDINATESVIA GPS COORDINATES
WEATHER DISPLAY (LIVE DATA)YESYESYES
NAVIGATEGARMIN FENIX 6 SERIESGARMIN FORERUNNER 945GARMIN FENIX 5 PLUS (5/5S/5X)
FOLLOW GPS TRACK (COURSES/WAYPOINTS)YESYESYES
MARKERS/WAYPOINT DIRECTIONYESYESYES
ROUTABLE/VISUAL MAPS (LIKE CAR GPS)YES (PRO ONLY)YESYES
BACK TO STARTYESYESYES
IMPROMPTU ROUND TRIP ROUTE CREATIONYES (PRO ONLY)YESYES
DOWNLOAD COURSES/ROUTES FROM PHONE TO UNITYESYESYES
SENSORSGARMIN FENIX 6 SERIESGARMIN FORERUNNER 945GARMIN FENIX 5 PLUS (5/5S/5X)
ALTIMETER TYPEBAROMETRICBAROMETRICBAROMETRIC
COMPASS TYPEMAGNETICMAGNETICMAGNETIC
OPTICAL HEART RATE SENSOR INTERNALLYYESYESYES
PULSE OXIMETRY (AKA PULSE OX)YESYESFENIX 5X PLUS ONLY
HEART RATE STRAP COMPATIBLEYESYESYES
ANT+ HEART RATE STRAP CAPABLEYESYESYES
ANT+ SPEED/CADENCE CAPABLEYESYESYES
ANT+ FOOTPOD CAPABLEYESYESYES
ANT+ POWER METER CAPABLEYESYESYES
ANT+ WEIGHT SCALE CAPABLENONONO
ANT+ FITNESS EQUIPMENT (GYM)NONONO
ANT+ LIGHTING CONTROLYESYESYES
ANT+ BIKE RADAR INTEGRATIONYESYESYES
ANT+ TRAINER CONTROL (FE-C)NONONO
ANT+ REMOTE CONTROLNO (CAN CONTROL VIRB THOUGH)NO (CAN CONTROL VIRB THOUGH)NO (CAN CONTROL VIRB THOUGH)
ANT+ EBIKE COMPATIBILITYNONONO
ANT+ MUSCLE OXYGEN (I.E. MOXY/BSX)YESYESYES
ANT+ GEAR SHIFTING (I.E. SRAM ETAP)YESYESYES
SHIMANO DI2 SHIFTINGYESYESYES
BLUETOOTH SMART HR STRAP CAPABLEYESYESYES
BLUETOOTH SMART SPEED/CADENCE CAPABLEYESYESYES
BLUETOOTH SMART FOOTPOD CAPABLEYESYESYES
BLUETOOTH SMART POWER METER CAPABLEYESYESYES
TEMP RECORDING (INTERNAL SENSOR)YESYESYES
TEMP RECORDING (EXTERNAL SENSOR)YESYESYES
COMPATIBLE WITH FIRSTBEAT HR TOOLSYESYESYES
PC APPLICATIONGARMIN EXPRESSGARMIN EXPRESSGARMIN EXPRESS
WEB APPLICATIONGARMIN CONNECTGARMIN CONNECTGARMIN CONNECT
PHONE APPIOS/ANDROID/WINDOWS PHONEIOS/ANDROID/WINDOWS PHONEIOS/ANDROID/WINDOWS PHONE
ABILITY TO EXPORT SETTINGSNONONO

The full product list includes:

  • Fenix 6s White with White Band
  • Fenix 6s Silver with Black Band
  • Fenix 6s Pro Black with Black Band
  • Fenix 6s Pro Rose Gold-tone with White Band
  • Fenix 6s Sapphire Rose Gold-tone with Powder Gray Band
  • Fenix 6s Sapphire Carbon Gray DLC with Black Band
  • Fenix 6s Sapphire Rose Gold-tone with Heathered Black Nylon Band
  • Fenix 6s Sapphire Light Gold-tone with Shale Gray Leather Band
  • Fenix 6 Silver with Black Band
  • Fenix 6 Pro Black with Black Band
  • Fenix 6 Sapphire Carbon Gray DLC with Black Band
  • Fenix 6 Sapphire Titanium with Ember Orange Band
  • Fenix 6 Sapphire Black DLC with Heathered Red Nylon Band
  • Fenix 6 Sapphire Titanium with Vented Titanium Bracelet
  • Fenix 6X Pro Black with Black Band
  • Fenix 6X Sapphire Carbon Gray DLC with Black Band
  • Fenix 6X Sapphire Black DLC with Chestnut Leather Band
  • Fenix 6X Pro Solar Titanium Carbon Gray DLC with Black Band
  • Fenix 6X Pro Solar Titanium with Vented Titanium Bracelet

More recent new images have been leaked which appears to show the Fenix 6X Pro in real life. Again, I question the authenticity of these, the design is exactly the same as the 5X Plus, but it backs up the claims of a 6X Pro.

Garmin Fenix 6X Sapphire & Solar listed on Amazon

Most recently it has been claimed that Amazon listed the Garmin Fenix 6X Sapphire on their US website with a price of $949.99 with a release date of 29th of August 2019. The Solar model was also listed for $1,149.99

This could be another hoax, it would be odd for Garmin to launch the device to the public a week before IFA in Berlin, it would also deviate from their trend of launching at CES in January. However, the images do look authentic.

The Garmin Fenix 6x Sapphire comes with a scratch-resistant 1.4” sunlight-readable display. This is 36% bigger than previous Fenix models which sport a 1.2″ screen. The rugged device has stainless steel bezels and a titanium or diamond-like carbon (DLC) coating.

The optical HRM gets an upgrade to latest Garmin ELEVATE heart rate module.

PacePro could be one of the most interesting new features. This is “grade-adjusted pace guidance throughout your activity”. This could work as an alternative to running power that has become popular with the likes of Stryd.

Vo2Max and training status are now adjusted for heat and altitude acclimation status. Your performance metrics will no longer be influenced by environmental factors.

Then there is pre-loaded TOPO maps and ski maps for over 2,000 worldwide ski results. Like its predecessor, there’s support for multiple navigation satellite systems (GPS, GLONASS and Galileo). Built-in sensors include a 3-axis compass, gyroscope, barometric altimeter and PulseOx.

The listed model did not come with LTE, though it is still possible on something else.

Claimed Specification Table

On another site, fitness-tracker-test.info they claim to have some accurate information about the specs, but don’t confirm the exact source. Possibly the Amazon listing.

It has some interesting revelations, though I will take it with a pinch of salt.

For a start, the standard, none Pro models, will lack Wi-Fi and Music. This would be an odd decision considering the current Fenix 5 Plus has it by default. If the price is lower, I could get behind the decision. Based on the current pricing for the 5 Plus series, compared to the leaked price information you pay around $100 for a like for like device.

There are also some pretty wild claims about battery life. With two new battery modes when not tracking exercise called economy and exposure, it is claimed that the watches can achieve 20+ days between charge.

With the 6X Sapphire Solar on economy mode, it is claimed that 120 days is possible, 80 days by default then up to 40 days additional from solar power. That’s 4 months. If this is true it will be very interesting to see how much functionality is cut out from the watch.

Currently, the 5 Plus series has a resolution of 240 x 240 pixels for all models according to the Garmin website and then the older 5S has 218 x 218 pixels.

With the new series, the 6S will keep the 240 x 240 pixels display, but the 6 will have 260×260 and the 6X 280×280.

DimensionsWeightScreen SizeEst. Price in $
Garmin Fenix 6S42 x 42 x 13.8 mm58 g1.2"599.99
Garmin Fenix 6S Pro42 x 42 x 13.8 mm61 g1.2"699.99
Garmin Fenix 6S Sapphire42 x 42 x 13.8 mm61 g1.2"799.99
Garmin Fenix 647 x 47 x 14.7 mm80 g1.3"599.99
Garmin Fenix 6 Pro47 x 47 x 14.7 mm83 g1.3"699.99
Garmin Fenix 6 Sapphire47 x 47 x 14.7 mm83 g1.3"799.99
Garmin Fenix 6X Pro51 x 51 x 14.9mm93 g1.4"749.99
Garmin Fenix 6X Sapphire51 x 51 x 14.9mm93 g1.4"849.99
Garmin Fenix 6X Solar Sapphire Titanium + Silicone wristband51 x 51 x 14.9 mm82 g1.4"999.99
Garmin Fenix 6X Solar Sapphire Titanium + Titan wristband51 x 51 x 14.9 mm82 g1.4"1145.9
StandardProSapphireSapphire Solar
Maps (basic)NoYesYesYes
Maps (skiing)NoYesYesYes
Maps (golf)NoYesYesYes
Internal storage64 MB32 GB32 GB32 GB
Music playerNoYesYesYes
Deezer / SpotifyNoYesYesYes
Wi-FiNoYesYesYes
Watch glassGorilla GlassGorilla GlassSapphire GlassSapphire Glass
Solar / Power GlassNoNoNoYes
6S Basic / Pro / Sapphire6 Basic / Pro / Sapphire6X Pro / Sapphire6X Sapphire Solar
GPS25 h36 h60 h60 + 6 h
GPS + music6 h10 h15 h15 + 1 h
UltraTrac50 h72 h120 h120 + 28 h
Smartwatch mode9 days14 days21 days21 + 3 days
Exposure mode20 days28 days46 days46 + 10 days
Economy mode34 days48 days80 days80 + 40 days
Garmin Fenix5S55X5S Plus5 Plus5X Plus6S66X
Screen Size1.1"1.2"1.2"1.2"1.2"1.2"1.2"1.3"1.4"
Resolution218 x 218240 x 240240 x 240240 x 240240 x 240240 x 240240 x 240260 x 260280 x 280

What might be featured based on the leaked renders?

A Solar model makes a lot of sense, especially on the 6X models too, though how much of an effect that can have on your battery is debatable.

For the 6S and 6 models, it looks like Garmin is sticking to the basic designs, which is fine by me, I think the S models are the best looking sports/smartwatches on the market. The screens have been increased in size so the overall aesthetics have improved if anything.

With the Garmin Fenix 6x & 6x Pro a couple of small details have been revealed. The 21-day battery life is a big one, technically that is only 1 more day than the current 5X Plus but any improvement is welcome.

Then there also appears to be a heart rate EGC graph, this is another sensible inclusion, the Apple Watch Series 4 and the Polar Vantage both have it so Garmin will want to keep up.

What other features are likely to be added?

Everything here is speculation, but we can pretty much guarantee that the new Fenix 6 will get all the new features the Forerunner 245 and FR945 received. This includes Body Resources, Heat and Altitude Acclimation, Training Load Focus, Training Effect Labels, and incident detection.

Mobile data / LTE – Garmin launched the Vivoactive 3 Verizon at CES 2019 so it is possible one of the watches would include this. Music, maps and incident detection would all greatly benefit from this, but at the same time, it would have a big effect on battery life.

Improved screen – The reason why Garmin and Suunto have great batteries is there a low-resolution screen which sips battery compared to the screens of a smartwatch. While a lot of people want Garmin to put an AMOLED screen on the watch, I am not sure how likely or how good that would be. However, keep the same screen tech but increase the resolution slightly.

Garmin Fenix 6 release price & date

The watch is now available for pre-order with the release date of 30th of August.

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6 Series5 Plus
42mm S£529.99N/A
42mm S Pro£599.99£599.99
42mm S Sapphire£699.99£649.99
42mm S Sapphire Luxury Straps£799.99£749
47mm£529.99N/A
47mm Pro£599.99£599.99
47mm Sapphire£699.99£649.99
47mm Sapphire Titanium£899.99£749
51mm X Sapphire£749.99£799.99
51mm X Titanium/Luxy band£899.99£999.99
51mm X Solar£999.99 - no Sapphire glassN/A
Source Website

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Previous updates



[Update] The YouTube video posted by Andor Czafix has now been removed following a copyright claim by Garmin International, Inc.

[Update 08/08/2019] New leaked images which claim to be real-life shots of the Fenix 6x Pro

[Update 09/08/2019] An Amazon listing has been reportedly posted then pulled claiming a release of 29th of August 2019 for the Fenix 6X Sapphire

[Update 22/08/2019] – New leaked product names, images, and improved images from the taken down amazon page

[Update 25/08/2019] An eCommerce site in Uruguay has listed the fēnix 6 Pro for $804 with a launch date of September 6th 2019. The 6th is the first official day of IFA, and many companies make their announcements on the 4th and 5th. So this date makes more sense than the previous 29th of August release. Screenshot and link at the bottom of the page.

[Update 26/08/2019] GPSCity listed all the product range including the Venu and Vivoactive 4, confirming pricing.



Image sources: the5krunner & appelmoessite

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