Garmin - Fenix 6X Sapphire
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Reddit Reviews:
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Based on 1 year's data from Jan 25, 2026 How it works
Liked most:
184
24
"I am a power lineman, so I needed a rugged watch that could get banged around, be exposed to energized high voltage, and very harsh conditions. The TREX has worked flawlessly through all that."
"it’s super durable. ... The watch clasp has gotten scratched up but the face is still fine after nearly a year of climbing inside with it. ... instinct is very durable"
"tanky ... Only thing you really lose is a touch screen but that's better for it's ruggedness and water resistance."
300
22
"the battery lasts 2 weeks, that's with 5 days worth of tracking runs and day to day use. Incredible."
"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."
"Oh, and the battery lasts days even when exercising a lot (weeks without excercise)."
18
1
"it has the flashlight, probably the most useful tool I’ve ever had in my life. You’ll use it daily and it’s so helpful in the most random times."
"Flashlight on my Fenix is worth A LOT of money to me. ... Having had it, I could not go back. ... I would happily pay 200 extra for it I use it so much. ... Having a flashlight on your wrist is incredibly handy."
"On my fenix 7, I love the flash light...totally unexpected top 3 feature. :)"
152
8
"a recent update even added Strength training to the Garmin Coach feature. It used to just be running plans. ... But aside from that you can make your own strength training workouts. ... I personally really enjoy the ability to make my own workouts and fill out the calendar in the app to have a custom training plan that I know works for me."
"The suggested daily workouts seems to integrate with the running calendar and a mirage of other metrics to help you get to the set goals, I found the SDW much better than the Garmin Coach on the Venu 2s."
"Garmin tracks your heart rate and HRV 24/7 continuously. ... It is very accurate in tracking my health when I got sick 2 weeks ago. ... I can see my ever increasing “stress” value and declining body battery during that time."
Disliked most:
20
47
"I used to find that wrist HR sucked for rowing"
"the hr reading is incorrect. ... 20 dollars band from Samsung does a better job"
"The discrepancy is much higher for HR than running dynamics. ... I think it is straight up irresponsible to rely on wrist-based HR is you’re using HR as a part of training"
10
60
"chunky edges on my 4.5 inch wrist which is tiny"
"So much lighter and low profile than my Epix."
"dancing with a fenix 8 will look & feel ridiculous."
8
50
"fenix 8 pro has LTE and satellite connection which not working at all, or working in a very bad way. ... I made many runs, never had a possibility to send message via garmin messenger, call via garmin messenger, even livetrack, on LTE, has big lags, stuck in random places, etc."
"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."
0
3
"All were terrible at sleep tracking for me. ... I found Garmin had me getting terrible sleep every night, never catching my actual sleep properly and having me sleep when I was wide awake. ... The nap feature was a total disaster for me, giving me 3-4 naps daily while I was a work at my desk, certainly not sleeping. ... when the sleep data is being used for a great deal of the metrics the data became useless for me."
"Garmin doesn't capture REM sleep accurately ... Hoping they fix soon because their training readiness scores will always be off due to this"
"Garmin is also notorious for giving bad sleep metrics, etc."
a5hl3yk 1.0Fenix 6X Sapphire! Works really well in open water. In the pool, it may lose a lap here and there but I've never lose more than 4 laps in a 3000 yard swim.
I've only been swimming for last 7 months, but Fenix 6x has been doing great!!! Over 100 swim sessions.
It's fantastic. It also depends how much accuracy is a factor in your workouts. Nothing is going to beat a chest strap, but I'm okay being within 5 beats+/- with my Fenix.
Garmin Fenix 6 and 7 are having some hot deals right now. Go Sapphire for the extra protection. But if you only need the bare minimum, Forerunner 2xx
why not both? if you get like a Fenix 6 used then you can also get a Garmin 130 Plus for the bike. I use my watch for the overall measurement, but the 130 allows me to have a screen in front of me (I don't sync the bike computer to my workouts).
Aromatic-Society-127 1.0I went from Fenix 6x sapphire (51mm) to forerunner 970. Got sick of how heavy and clunky it was and I’m a bigger guy.
foxbat1977 1.0Yep, AWU2 and Garmin Fenix 6X sapphire. My AWU2 is my daily driver, use it for most things up to and including short 10km hikes, short workouts, etc, however when I do a longer hike or I want to record more health metrics ( I prefer the Garmin fitness metrics) as opposed to just having the smartwatch functionality, I’ll wear both watches and use my Fenix to track my hike, map my route etc.
iri0001 1.0I was just about to make my own post asking about this! Currently running a Fenix 6x Sapphire, had it for about 4 years now. Mainly used for running, cycling, gym, and the occasional swim/hike. Connectivity to my Wahoo Smart trainer is a must. I almost always wear a chest strap (Polar H10) as the watch HR is unreliable as fuck. What would I lose moving to one of the newer Forerunners? And conversely, what are the benefits of upgrading to say a Fenix 8? Thanks
pavel_stefanov 1.0I have Fenix 6x Sapphire and Vivoactive 3s for my wife, her display got cracked, decided to upgrade the watches also for touchscreen and newer sensors. Was reviewing Fenix 8, but got frustrated how easy scrambled the bazel is, didn't like lots of things in the Pro. Fenix 7 Pro and Epix Pro are dropped for support only maintenance. Was wondering for Enduro 3 but saw a review of Amazfit T-Rex 3 Pro for less than half the price and decide try it. Received if two days ago and for now it is perfect, will see in future. Still considering Venu 4 for my wife.
Why did you changed from Epix Pro gen 2?
I currently have Garmin Fenix 6x Sapphire, wanted an update and took Huawei Watch GT6 Pro, but didn't like it and returned it. I'm currently wondering between few watches: \- Amazfit T-Rex 3 Pro \- Garmin Fenix 7x Pro Sapphire Solar (used) \- Garmin Epix Pro Gen 2 (used) \- Garmin Venu 4 I've read that Garmin Fenix 7 and Epix are out of feature updates, only maintenance and security updates. Garmin Venu 4 have no maps and have weak battery(not too big of an issue)
In my experience for now seems better than Garmin Fenix 6x Sapphire and Huawei Watch GT6 Pro, but uglier.
skyrunner00 1.0All I wanted to say is that being more expensive is not necessarily better. I owned 9 different watches over many years of trail running. I did extensive analysis of accuracy which included, for example, comparison of tracks and distances of multiple runners who finished the same race. I owned Fenix sapphire 6X, which was top of line at the time - it was quite mediocre as a trail running watch in PNW. Then I owned top of the line Fenix 7X, which was one of most accurate watches I ever owned. Then I owned a very inexpensive Suunto Race S which was easily on par with the experience Fenix 7X term of accuracy. A friend of mine owns Enduro 3, and I have compared tracks and distances between it and several other watches, so I know for sure it is less accurate. See this thread: https://forums.garmin.com/outdoor-recreation/outdoor-recreation/f/enduro-3/383891/gps-accuracy-issues-on-enduro-3 And towards the end of the thread there is a side-by-side comparison that shows that the one of the most expensive Garmin watches is easily worse than an old Fenix 7X or much less expensive Suunto Race: https://forums.garmin.com/outdoor-recreation/outdoor-recreation/f/enduro-3/383891/gps-accuracy-issues-on-enduro-3/1951075#1951075
A1naruth 0.5Touch screen is better for maps, quicker customization of data fields and easy shortcuts on the watchfaces. There is also much more detailed summary after workouts. I didn't know about the flash light when I changed from 6X. But it really is extremely useful
Touch screen is better for maps, quicker customization of data fields and easy shortcuts on the watchfaces. There is also much more detailed summary after workouts. I didn't know about the flash light when I changed from 6X. But it really is extremely useful
All true except advanced metrics. They are also present in Fenix (it has even more features for hiking) and Instinct. Forerunner is not more advanced. The rugedness is mostly about the bezel. In fenix and instinct it has a rim which gives extra protection to the screen. But that means rugged watches are more bulky what can be a problem in the gym. The real question is lightness of forerunner vs battery life of fenix /instinct
ajame5 0.5Same. I can’t actually see me ever upgrading unless it dies. I’m not sure what else I need/want from a watch.
AmongUs14 0.5Fenix 6X Pro. Bought a used one in good condition from FB marketplace a few months ago and super happy I did. Switched from the Coros Apex.
Anotheraustralian 0.5I went from Fenix 6X to Apple Watch Ultra 2. The ultra is a better smart watch, but I am going back to Garmin. 1. The battery life is fine, but it’s not good. If you do longer distance running, you will end up charging every day that you do a long run. Where as when I had the Fenix, I charged once a fortnight. 2. The data is good, but less pointed than the Garmin. There’s probably other apps you can get to better extrapolate the data, but Garmin is simple. 3. This is subjective, but I think the round Garmin face looks better. It’s easier to dress up/down.
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