technology news: Garmin introduces 3 new Fenix 6 watches, plus a solar-powered outdoor watch

jeudi 29 août 2019

Garmin introduces 3 new Fenix 6 watches, plus a solar-powered outdoor watch

Ahead of IFA 2019, Garmin announced four new watches in the Fenix 6 series: the Fenix 6, Fenix 6S, Fenix 6X, and Fenix 6X Pro Solar.
The Fenix 6X Pro Solar is Garmin's first solar-powered outdoor watch.
All new Fenix 6 watches feature Garmin Pay, topographic maps, and innovative new PacePro technology.

Garmin has announced four new additions to its popular Fenix line of outdoor GPS watches. Three of the watches are successors to 2017's Fenix 5S, 5, and 5X watches, while the new Fenix 6X Pro Solar edition is the company's first-ever solar-powered watch. Here's what you need to know about the Garmin 6, 6S, 6X, and 6X Pro Solar.

Garmin Fenix 6, Fenix 6S, and Fenix 6X

First, let's start with the successors to 2017's Fenix 5 line. For the most part, it's the same deal here — there's a standard Garmin Fenix 6 in the middle of the bunch, a smaller Fenix 6S, and a bigger, beefier Fenix 6X.

The Garmin Fenix 6 and 6X both have larger 1.4-inch displays this year, a step up from the Fenix 5's 1.3-inch screens. Aesthetically, the watch cases look about the same as the previous models. All three watches come with either standard glass or sapphire glass on the front (for an extra fee). New nylon and silicone bands are available this year, too.

Also read: Garmin Forerunner 245 Music review: Striking the right balance

All three models come with built-in topographic maps out of the box, over 20,000 ski maps, 41,000 golf course maps, Garmin Pay support, and on-device music storage up to 2,000 songs. Alternatively, you can load up playlists from Spotify, iHeartRadio, Deezer, or Amazon Prime Music onto your watch. There's also a new Power Manager that lets you see and control how certain sensors and settings impact your battery. For instance, if you know you won't be around a charger for a few days but want to keep your watch powered up as long as possible, you might use the Power Manager to turn off the heart rate sensor.

For runners, there's a really interesting new tool called PacePro on the Fenix 6 lineup. During your run, the PacePro feature will keep your pacing strategy on track with grade-adjusted guidance. So, if you're running a route with an abundance of hills, the Fenix 6 will attempt to keep you on track based on your route's elevation and grade. During your runs, you'll see your target split pace, actual split pace, distance to next split, and how much time you're ahead or behind.

Garmin Fenix 6X Pro Solar

All Garmin Fenix 6 watches also come with all the features that have become standard on Garmin watches — optical heart rate sensors, built-in GPS, a pulse oximeter, advanced sleep monitoring, Body Battery, and smartphone notifications.

Garmin Fenix 6X Pro Solar

Now let's talk about the new watch, the Garmin Fenix 6X Pro Solar. This is Garmin's very first solar-powered outdoor watch, though it's not completely solar powered. The watch comes with something called Power Glass, which is a transparent solar charging lens on top of the 1.4-inch display. The battery on its own will be able to hold a charge for roughly 21 days. Using solar power charging for about three hours a day, the battery should be able to stretch an additional three days, bringing the total to 24 days.

All four of the Garmin Fenix 6 watches go on sale starting today, starting at $599.99.

Garmin Fenix 6 on Garmin.com

Android Authority will be on the ground at IFA 2019 checking out these new Fenix watches in person, so stay tuned for a full hands-on in the coming days.