Garmin Fenix 7 vs Fenix 6: What's the difference - including Pro, Solar and Sapphire

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(Pocket-lint) - Garmin's line-up is engaged to accidental the least. In the Fenix household unsocial you person antithetic models - with the instauration of the Fenix 7 gathering connected the Fenix 6 - but you besides person a fig of sizes and variants for each exemplary too.

So what's the quality betwixt each these devices? Should you beryllium grabbing the Fenix 6 astatine a discount, oregon holding connected for the Fenix 7, the latest exemplary from Garmin?

Here's the lowdown.

Explaining the variants

Before we get to the idiosyncratic watches, here's a rundown of versions and what they offer.

Firstly sizes:

  • Fenix 6 oregon Fenix 7 - basal instrumentality with a 47mm case
  • Fenix 6S oregon Fenix 7S - smaller mentation with a 42mm case
  • Fenix 6X oregon Fenix 7X - larger mentation with 51mm case

Next show features:

  • Solar - has Power Glass truthful tin complaint from the sun
  • Sapphire - has a Sapphire crystal show cover

These tin each beryllium stacked up truthful you tin person the Fenix 7S Sapphire Solar, for example, oregon the Fenix 6X Solar. Note that the Fenix 7 won't fto you person Sapphire connected its ain - it's either Sapphire Solar oregon the mean ticker glass.

The Fenix 6, however, has Sapphire models and Solar models arsenic options - due to the fact that Power Glass was added arsenic a mid-life update for the model.

Explaining Pro

The Fenix 6 muddied the h2o somewhat by having Pro models too. Pro means it includes immoderate "premium features", including 32GB retention to enactment preloaded maps and downloadable music, Wi-Fi (to get those downloads), skiing maps, play maps, rhythm maps, etc.

The Pro models besides offered immoderate much precocious materials, similar titanium bezels. Again, Pro was stacked up with Pro Solar and Sapphire options.

Here's the kicker: Fenix 7 drops the Pro naming, due to the fact that the basal Fenix 7 includes those features, truthful erstwhile looking astatine the naming, you don't person to deliberation astir Pro erstwhile it comes to the Fenix 7.

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All the details for the examination beneath are based connected the 47mm model.

Design and build

  • Fenix 7: 47 x 47 x 14.5mm, 79g
  • Fenix 6: 47 x 47 x 14.7mm, 80g

The plan and physique of the Fenix 7 and Fenix 6 is nigh connected identical. From the exterior, the lone existent quality is that the Fenix 7 adds further item astir the apical right-hand button, the fastener you usage to prime paper options, oregon start/stop activities.

Otherwise, these watches look the same, the variants person fundamentally the aforesaid dimensions and the weights are much oregon little the aforesaid crossed the 42, 47 and 51mm sizes.

The assemblage is simply a fibre-reinforced polymer portion the bezel and backplate are metal; there's the enactment for titanium immoderate of the higher variants, arsenic good arsenic DLC - diamond-like c coating.

All models connection 10ATM waterproofing (100m). All instrumentality Garmin's proprietary QuickFit straps 20, 22, oregon 26mm depending connected the exemplary size you choose. 

Display

  • Fenix 7: 1.3in, 260 x 260 pixels, touchscreen
  • Fenix 6: 1.3in, 260 x 260 pixels

The sizes and show tech stay the aforesaid crossed the Fenix 6 and Fenix 7 models. For those looking for an AMOLED version, that's what the Garmin Epix offers - the Fenix sticks to a transflective MIP display.

The summation for the Fenix 7 is touchscreen. This tin beryllium turned connected oregon disconnected connected request and allows immoderate alternate options for enactment with the display, chiefly scrolling done options alternatively than having to usage fastener presses each the time.

Otherwise, the show is fundamentally the aforesaid arsenic it was before, evidently with the S having a smaller 1.2-inch show and the X having a 1.4-inch display.

Features

  • Fenix 7: GPS, HR, ABC, Garmin Pay, 16GB, Wi-Fi, Music, Maps, Realtime Stamina
  • Fenix 6: GPS, HR, ABC, Garmin Pay, 64MB

This is wherever the examination gets a small much tricky. At a basal level, some connection the aforesaid array of onboard sensors, including GPS, accelerometer, compass, barometer and truthful on. Both connection compatibility with outer sensors and some connection fundamentally the aforesaid athletics and enactment tracking and manner features, similar Body Battery and slumber tracking.

The Fenix 7 has upgraded the heart complaint monitor, truthful you'll spot a antithetic layout of sensor elements connected the rear, though the show we deliberation is beauteous overmuch the aforesaid crossed each models.

But, arsenic we elaborate above, the modular Fenix 7 present offers the premium features antecedently offered nether the Pro variants of the Fenix 6 - including retention for euphony downloads, representation downloads and Wi-Fi to enactment those features.

It's worthy noting that the Fenix 6 Pro and Fenix 7 Solar Sapphire models person 32GB storage, with the modular Fenix 7 and 7 Solar offering 16GB. For the much basal modular Fenix 6, there's lone 64MB of storage. 

This fundamentally means that the modular Fenix 7 is much oregon little comparable successful functionality to the older Fenix 6 Pro models - leaving the modular Fenix 6 arsenic somewhat little good equipped.

All models enactment Garmin Pay.

There's an summation to the Fenix 7X which is simply a built successful LED you tin usage arsenic a torch. Cleverly, you tin usage it arsenic a achromatic airy connected the upswing erstwhile moving and reddish connected the downswing, but it tin besides beryllium utilized for wide illumination oregon arsenic an SOS beacon.

The Garmin Fenix 7 models besides person thing called Real Time Stamina. This attempts to archer you however overmuch you person successful the vessel for your workout, estimating however acold you'll get based connected your existent stats and however overmuch you person near to give. It's different instrumentality successful an athlete's container to assistance usher gait and grooming and springiness you an penetration into your training. Whether it volition travel arsenic an update to Fenix 6, we don't know.

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Battery life

  • Fenix 7: 18 days
  • Fenix 6: 14 days

The artillery beingness of Fenix devices is 1 of the appealing things. The Fenix 7 expands the artillery beingness a small implicit the Fenix 6, adding 4 much days erstwhile utilized arsenic a smartwatch.

Of course, there's the added vantage that each higher variants of the Fenix 7 see Power Glass, truthful that tin assistance boost the artillery too.

With that said, the 14 days of the Fenix 6 is simply a existent measurement and we inactive find it delivers this benignant of lifespan aft a mates of years of use. Naturally, the lifespan you'll get volition beryllium connected what you bash with your Fenix.

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Conclusions

In this muddy satellite of show sports devices, the Fenix 7 and Fenix 6 spell toe-to-toe successful galore areas. There's connected outlier - the modular Fenix 6 exemplary (likely to beryllium the cheapest) doesn't person each the features that its much costly variants offer, truthful portion it mightiness beryllium cheaper, you mightiness besides beryllium missing out.

The Fenix 7 squares up against the Fenix 6 Pro models, offering each their features, arsenic good arsenic the further touchscreen. If you were trying to take betwixt the two, this is truly wherever the determination lies - if you privation the touchscreen, it's the Fenix 7. If you're not fussed, past 1 of the Fenix 6 Pro models (which mightiness beryllium discounted) could connection the aforesaid wide experience.

For those wanting Solar - the Fenix 7 has a batch of Solar options, portion Sapphire is readily disposable too. When it comes to sizes, this truly is dictated by the size of your wrist and the mode the ticker looks - you get a small much oregon little surface space, but different the features are the same. 

As for unsocial features connected the Fenix 7, determination are a mates - the 7X with the LED torch functions and the Real Time Stamina, which looks similar a utile addition.

Writing by Chris Hall.

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