Recombu

Garmin Fenix 6 Pro Solar Review

The Garmin Fenix 6 Pro Solar is a feature-packed fitness tracker, but can it really be worth the astronomical asking price?

What we love — Unbelievable battery life, near-indestructible design, excellent fitness features

Much like your trusty anorak, the Fenix line of fitness watches are built for function and not for fashion. It’s chunky and rugged, perfect for off-road adventures, and is available in stainless steel or titanium. The interface is navigated by five physical buttons, which makes it more practical in wet conditions, and to that same end it is water resistant up to 10ATM.

In our experience, we got 13-14 days of use from this watch, and given its extensive list of features, this is truly exceptional. The battery is boosted by the solar charging feature, which gives it a top-up when you’re outdoors under sunlight.

You’d have to be a fitness fanatic to splash the requisite cash on this watch, and so we’re pleased to note that it excels in this arena. Catering to all sorts of outdoor activities (even including indoor climbing, mountain biking, and surfing), it gives you accurate tracking of all your key performance stats, and connects to GPS within seconds to provide detailed maps and to record your movement when you’re hitting the trail.

What we don’t like — Extravagant price, limited smartwatch functionality

The Fenix 6 Pro Solar has an RRP of £750. There’s no typo or misplaced decimal point in that last sentence; it really does cost as much as a cheap second-hand car. Very few people will be able to afford to purchase this watch, and fewer still will be able to justify it even if they could. Bear in mind that you can buy an excellent fitness watch (from Garmin’s own wares no less) for a much lower price tag.

Given the price, I’d expect that the watch could do anything I’d want it to, and even some things beyond my imagination. In reality, the 6 Pro Solar is so laser-focused on fitness features that the smart side of things have been somewhat neglected. You can control music and get basic notifications, but not much more than that — and most frustratingly, Garmin Pay is incompatible with most UK banks.

Verdict

The Garmin Fenix 6 Pro Solar offers the best fitness tracking in the business, giving you all the information and advice that you need to get the most out of your workouts. But so it should; anything less than that would render the price extortionate. Disappointingly it lacks the smart features that are carried by watches of half the price. If fitness is your driving passion and money is no object, then go ahead and buy this watch, because you can’t beat it for its designed purpose.

Our Recombu reviews are created using data collected by Trusted Reviews Labs, utilising their testing expertise to bring you an easy-to-read, short-form review.

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