Garmin Fenix 6X PRO Sapphire
I finally got a smart watch! After thinking of buying one for years, I finally managed to choose one. It was hardly any compromise, well maybe except for the price ...
I can' think of how many times I almost bought an Apple Watch. The battery life usually held me back: charging the unit every other day was not acceptable. I remember waiting for LTE a while, but when it finally arrived the penalty on battery life (and my wallet) was not acceptable.
I record all my physical activities on Strava. It's mostly bicycling, running and walking. Using my iPhone X as recorder has worked great, although there have been situations where I wish I had another alternative for recording the activities. The phone battery is sometimes needed for other functions, and for running with the phone in an armband is cumbersome when you need to look at the map for directions.
I am not a dediated 4-by-4 interval trainer. I prefer to run in the forest where the elevation profile gives me natural intervals. It's interesting to have a pulse watch to compare segments with your performance, although I only occasionally wear one.
The game changer came when Strava dropped support for BT and ANT+ devices for their app. I'd been using a Mio Alpha wrist watch for years, and suddenly this was not an option anymore. From this point on, only a device with both GPS and pulse could be used to send data to Strava.
I was initially determined to find a low-cost alternative: I'd played around with fitbit before so some of the features (e.g. sleep analysis) were not of interest to me. The Fenix 245 was attractive since it had the new pulse oximetery functionality. At 2500 NOK it a good choice.
I could have gone for the music version, and still be at 3000 NOK but by then I had already started to read about the missing features: barometer and Garmin Pay. The barometer is great when you are a mapping freak like me. And believe it or not, Garmin has unlike Apple managed to implement their payment services to work with all my credit cards.
To get a barometer, Fenix 645 is the entry option. At 5500 NOK I was already too far gone, so I might as well go all-in with a 6X PRO Sapphire. At 7700 NOK, you are only missing out on the titanium (weigh reduction not significant) and solar charging (effect on battery life not significant).
The Fenix 6X PRO is a fantastic watch: after using it for two weeks I am very impressed with the performance and functionality. The setup was a bit cumbersome as the software update of the unit could be pushed from both PC (USB), BT and WiFi. The menus are not intutitive (programming of Eurotherm PID controllers comes to mind) but once getting used it, they work efficiently.
The most positive experience has been the mapping functionality. With a 280 x 280 resolution screen, I did not have high hopes for the mapping. The unit comes with TOPO maps pre-installed, and with lots of storage space for custom map installations. Mapping actually works great, despite the unit not having a touch screen. When running, your tracklog and the running paths are cleary visible so that where to run next can be decided.
The battery life is amazing: even when using the unit for daily activities, I only have to recharge the unit about once a week. I still have my Garmin Orgeon 550t, and recall using several sets of AA recharables when hiking in the mountains. The Fenix reports up to 60 hours on GPS!
Running without having to carry the iPhone is also somethink I appreciate. The armband was never that comfortable. Downloading Spotify playlists and playing music over my AirPods is working perfectly when I want it.
The only drawback so far has been with the Garmin Pay functionality. I have a goal to run up to Estenstadhytta from home in less than 30 minutes. Last time I came in at 32,5 minutes. In a weak momement only made possible by the Fenix, I sat down in Estenstadhytta with a coffee and a cinnamon roll. I guess I have to remove the credit card information before my next attempt...
I can' think of how many times I almost bought an Apple Watch. The battery life usually held me back: charging the unit every other day was not acceptable. I remember waiting for LTE a while, but when it finally arrived the penalty on battery life (and my wallet) was not acceptable.
I record all my physical activities on Strava. It's mostly bicycling, running and walking. Using my iPhone X as recorder has worked great, although there have been situations where I wish I had another alternative for recording the activities. The phone battery is sometimes needed for other functions, and for running with the phone in an armband is cumbersome when you need to look at the map for directions.
I am not a dediated 4-by-4 interval trainer. I prefer to run in the forest where the elevation profile gives me natural intervals. It's interesting to have a pulse watch to compare segments with your performance, although I only occasionally wear one.
The game changer came when Strava dropped support for BT and ANT+ devices for their app. I'd been using a Mio Alpha wrist watch for years, and suddenly this was not an option anymore. From this point on, only a device with both GPS and pulse could be used to send data to Strava.
I was initially determined to find a low-cost alternative: I'd played around with fitbit before so some of the features (e.g. sleep analysis) were not of interest to me. The Fenix 245 was attractive since it had the new pulse oximetery functionality. At 2500 NOK it a good choice.
I could have gone for the music version, and still be at 3000 NOK but by then I had already started to read about the missing features: barometer and Garmin Pay. The barometer is great when you are a mapping freak like me. And believe it or not, Garmin has unlike Apple managed to implement their payment services to work with all my credit cards.
To get a barometer, Fenix 645 is the entry option. At 5500 NOK I was already too far gone, so I might as well go all-in with a 6X PRO Sapphire. At 7700 NOK, you are only missing out on the titanium (weigh reduction not significant) and solar charging (effect on battery life not significant).
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| Garmin Fenix 6X PRO Sapphire. Photo by Garmin |
The Fenix 6X PRO is a fantastic watch: after using it for two weeks I am very impressed with the performance and functionality. The setup was a bit cumbersome as the software update of the unit could be pushed from both PC (USB), BT and WiFi. The menus are not intutitive (programming of Eurotherm PID controllers comes to mind) but once getting used it, they work efficiently.
The most positive experience has been the mapping functionality. With a 280 x 280 resolution screen, I did not have high hopes for the mapping. The unit comes with TOPO maps pre-installed, and with lots of storage space for custom map installations. Mapping actually works great, despite the unit not having a touch screen. When running, your tracklog and the running paths are cleary visible so that where to run next can be decided.
The battery life is amazing: even when using the unit for daily activities, I only have to recharge the unit about once a week. I still have my Garmin Orgeon 550t, and recall using several sets of AA recharables when hiking in the mountains. The Fenix reports up to 60 hours on GPS!
Running without having to carry the iPhone is also somethink I appreciate. The armband was never that comfortable. Downloading Spotify playlists and playing music over my AirPods is working perfectly when I want it.
The only drawback so far has been with the Garmin Pay functionality. I have a goal to run up to Estenstadhytta from home in less than 30 minutes. Last time I came in at 32,5 minutes. In a weak momement only made possible by the Fenix, I sat down in Estenstadhytta with a coffee and a cinnamon roll. I guess I have to remove the credit card information before my next attempt...
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