In our testing, it didn’t even match up to Garmin’s battery estimates for the regular 6X, let alone show us solar charging can extend the time between plug point visits.

Garmin fēnix® 6 Pro and Sapphire | Multisport GPS Watch Garmin fēnix® 6 Pro and Sapphire | Multisport GPS Watch

The biggest design upgrade, however, can be seen on the display, which is now 17% larger, jumping from a 1. All the standard run stuff is there such as distance, speed and pace, and it’s super easy to tweak the stats that display on the watch during your session without having to go into the app. It's worth noting that features like the pulse oximeter and music streaming do have a noticeable drain on battery across both watches based on our experience. As with the Fenix 5 series, the same ‘lifestyle’ features are present on the Fenix 6, such as music storage, Spotify control support, and Garmin Pay for mobile payments.Jump up to the Fenix 6X and you can expect up to 21 days in smartwatch mode, 15 hours with GPS and music, and a massive 60 hours with GPS. They also offer Garmin Pay, which allows you to make contactless purchases and access public transport. The built-in heart rate monitor removes the need for a separate device and the GPS is quick to establish a signal. It’s not a huge change over what we saw on the previous Fenix series, but it does mean you’re not overwhelmed by facts and figures and can find things more easily. In terms of overall design, the Garmin Fenix 6 is still very much the watch you only wear for the great outdoors, and definitely not something you’d really use as a lifestyle piece.

6 Series Owners Manual - Pairing Your Smartphone - Garmin fēnix 6 Series Owners Manual - Pairing Your Smartphone - Garmin

Any other type of use would probably be an unnecessary purchase and waste of this watch’s capabilities.For those who love to swim, all of the Fenix 6 models offer a higher 10 ATM (up to 100 meters) water rating compared to the 5ATM (up to 50 meters) water rating on the 945. It’s nice to have this peace of mind that it’s doing what it should be - something you rarely get with many other smartwatches.

Garmin Fenix 6 Sapphire - sports smartwatch review - Tin Box

Briefly, being able to customise the screen depending on the activity you are doing means you can keep track of what is important to you whether that’s miles covered, running pace or stroke rate. Found deep within the settings menu, this option lets you select from a range of different Power Modes. It contains both red and white LEDs, and can be used to help you see in dark conditions, or to make you more visible to others when you're running at night. There's a new forged metal guard around the start button on the Garmin Fenix 7, which is designed to protect it from damage and help prevent accidental presses.

Even with GPS on the battery life is easily good enough for multiple training runs, or all day hikes or rides. Tracking cardio during a HIIT workout also proved a pleasant experience, although the same couldn’t be said for the workout itself. Sign up to receive daily breaking news, reviews, opinion, analysis, deals and more from the world of tech.