Garmin - fenix 6S Pro Solar Edition (010-02409-10)
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Reddit Reviews:
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Based on 1 year's data from Feb 24, 2026 How it works
Liked most:
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"There's a "Climb Indoor" activity that I use for both indoor/outdoor roped climbing and there's a bouldering activity for bouldering."
"Trail running so I can load the route onto my garmin and navigate without carrying phone for 50km"
"Track hikes and work out ... I love being able to track my hikes"
35
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"16 days battery life on my fenix. ... The other aspect I really appreciate about my fenix is the battery life. 16 days or so. With everything I have to change these days (laptops, mice, keyboards, headphones, watches, phones), I appreciate not having to worry about it too often."
"Battery life is super important to me. I do ultras so having 24+ hours of gps is necessary."
"My 43mm Fenix with Dual gps, Garmin live track, always on screen still had juice for up to 20-25 hours of running."
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"Full watch-based navigation and mapping features—found particularly on the Forerunner 970 and Fenix series—include offline maps, turn-by-turn navigation, and visual guidance. ... For everyday runs on familiar routes, they matter less, but for trail running or hiking where orientation is crucial, they’re invaluable. ... Maps offer extra value for safety, route planning, and are also popular among cyclists and those exploring new routes"
"Trail running so I can load the route onto my garmin and navigate without carrying phone for 50km"
"For me, the biggest advantage is offline maps on my Epix Pro (also available on the 970, Fenix and a few others) which is something that Apple doesn’t do at all"
Disliked most:
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"I'm very disappointed in my Fenix for gym (and it sounds like the same fault applies to all garmins) because of the logging of reps. ... When I do a workout it will assume I used the weights I specified, but then it seems to either auto-log reps, which is a disaster for things that don't involve hand movements, and require me to correct them, or assume I did zero and require me to enter the whole lot. ... If I'm doing 60 sets I honestly don't have the patience to manually enter the rep number, so I use a phone ap instead. ... The thing that really annoys me though is that it would be so easy for Garmin to make a tiny programing change and start with the assumption that you hit your target."
"strength training profile is bonked"
"I almost always have to manually put in reps though it does attempt to auto count."
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"I came from a Fenix 6s which was much thicker and heavier so even though that watch face was smaller in diameter, it was much more in the way. It was too heavy."
"watch is big, heavy etc and few times damaged my wrist also"
"My fenix was just so heavy and bulky, I really wanted something lighter and more comfortable"
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"Garmin’s notification integration with iOS is dogshit."
"many workout functions require a working internet connection via Bluetooth to the phone to operate. ... None of the complex metrics are done on the watch. Not. Even. Close. ... Garmin Connect often requires an active internet connection. It really annoyed me when I owned my Fenix. ... Garmin Connect often requires an active internet connection for many features. I discovered this when I owned one. It pissed me off."
"Garmins are very behind gw in the smart features department. ... many things which one expect as granted (because they here like 10 years) still must be rechecked."
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"I moved from fenix 6 to forerunner 970 recently and both are terrible at sleep tracking. My biggest problem is garmin algo doesn’t seem to sense awake times properly. I awake for 30 mins playing on my phone in bed and it counts it as REM! ... I tend to wake up a couple times middle of night and it takes me an hour to go back to sleep. I usually play on phone or read a book in bed until I fall asleep again. Garmin always counts those as REM or light sleep."
"Sleep tracking on this $1k thing is really disappointing. Way worse than Apple Watch. ... But how Garmin sleep tracking is SOOOO bad is beyond me"
"Sleep tracking doesn’t tell you anything you don’t know, it’s just too inaccurate."
Staublaeufer 1.0Garmin fenix 6s solar. I wanted one that had a solar function and got this one gifted to me for my birthday lol. Had it for years now and I'm happy with it.
Also check the size of the watch! I settled on a Fenix when I got mine because I have *tiny* wrists (like I wear kid sized bracelets) and needed a watch that came with a small enough face plus all the features I wanted.
PowerfulRaisin 0.6For anyone coming to this thread later (looks like OP made decision already): I've found that the fenix 6 pro solar does an inferior job with gps accuracy while running on roads and has a track mode that is notably less precise than my forerunner 245. Very disappointing. Fenix has been good for navigating trail runs and not needing to rely on 3rd party apps for winter sports, OWS, and triathlon modes, but the difference in utility and performanc between the two is lacking in many respects.
RealBikePhotoBen 0.6Ironman who’s just right of center… still use both. I’ve heard it described this way: the AWU2 is a great watch with some health features while the Garmin (Fenix 6pro Solar) is an exercise watch that tells time. I’ve not used the AWU2 in IM training but the only concern is event battery life. I wasn’t a fast finisher, just under the time cut. I fear the AWU2 may not have gone the distance for me. Even now when I ride or run outside, I switch to the Fenix due to the metrics. AWU2 just isn’t as detailed. Also for some weird reason neither connect reliably to my Horizon treadmill for longer than 2 miles. The Garmin does connect well to my Wahoo Kickr. Just my 2 cents..
Alpineice23 0.5Fenix 6s to Ultra 3. The F6 has always had terrible battery life and doesn't hold water to the U3 as a daily driver. I average about 20+ miles of road running per week and the U3 has been great, though I think Garmin's native workout apps are a little better than Apple's native workout app. So far, the U3 is lightyears ahead of my F6, but, in due fairness, the F6 is a 5+ year old watch. We'll see how things go this winter with he U3 for backcountry hiking, climbing and skiing.
I dumped my 6s for an AWU3 - zero regrets. The only thing I miss is native, on-board mapping.
Basic_Barnacle4719 0.5Definitely keep the Fenix 6X. My wife is still using a 6S and happy with it, I'm using an Instinct with a 7X for hiking. Apple Watch is just way too distracting. The biggest problem isn't even the horrible battery life and having to charge every day, it's the feeling of being a complete slave to your phone. Having a phone on your wrist just isn't good for your mental health with all the constant buzzing and notifications. It creates so much stress. Sure you can turn off most of the notifications but at that point you're just using a worse Garmin.
beer_geek 0.5Fenix 6S. Its been great for five years and has seen many miles around the world, but the altimeter hasn't worked for almost a year and that has impacted data quality. Have to recharge every 5 days instead of 8. I have small wrists and I hate that the logical next upgrade is the 8.
Burgundy_Corgi 0.5I am happy with my Garmin Fenix 6S. It's almost 4 years. Battery still lasts about a week depending on how much I use the GPS. Bought it on sale back then for 300€ I record my commute to track kms, wear on "gear" like wheels and chain. I still don't have the need to replace it, but if so, I would probably get a venu 3s... The fenix 6s has tons of cool features that I don't really use, so I think the venu or vivostyle are enough.
deedeedeedee_ 0.5that sounds great, ive had a fenix 6s sapphire for a few years and it's a great watch but i don't honestly make the most of it (i got it used so im not mad about it haha, it's been a nice watch anyway). a thinner watch would be really nice. the 6s can be bulky under sleeves sometimes! the only thing id miss i think is the MIP screen, i do NOT miss having to do the wrist flick to make my old watch turn on lol, nor am i really that tempted by a bright always-on OLED screen... I'll see anyway. trying to make this one last as long as i can for now 😅 but i doubt ill bother getting another fenix when i do replace it!
DryRaspberry4114 0.5I would get the 265 for 1 reason only: The dual band GPS tracking. I have the 6s Pro and sometimes it shows the wrong pace and is extremely annoying.
Froggenstein-8368 0.5I’m of a similar age. I bought the Forerunner 965 in order to get more active. Had a Fenix 6s before. And it has helped me out tremendously. If you have the disposable income, the 970 is a beauty. I use the map function more than I expected, especially on holidays exploring new routes. I recently bought my wife the 265 Music. Which is also a very good watch for your usecase. There’s also a discussion on here around MIP vs AMOLED screen. My two cents: AMOLED is perfectly visible outside and the screen itself is just gorgeous. Every time I look at it, it makes me happy. Which never happened with the MIP-screen on the Fenix 6s.
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