Just like the Fenix 7 Series, the Fenix 6 comes in three sizes; the smaller Fenix 6s, medium-sized Fenix 6, and the bigger Fenix 6x. Each of these is available in four different models except for the Fenix 6x which is available in three models. You have a Standard edition and a more equipped Pro edition as well as Sapphire and Solar editions which are only available in the Pro editions. In this post, we’re comparing the differences between the Garmin Fenix 6 vs 6 Pro to help you make a more informed decision.
Basically, the Fenix 6 and Fenix 6 Pro are the same in almost every aspect except for the few additional features present in the Pro edition. Both have the same design, and battery life with lots of features in common. However, the Fenix 6 Pro comes with 32GB storage capacity which allows for onboard music storage and also allows you to load maps.
Note that there are 11 members in the Fenix 6 series; the Standard, Pro, Pro Sapphire and Pro Solar editions. While the Fenix 6x comes in three models, the Fenix 6 and 6s come in four models. There is no Standard edition of the Fenix 6x.
The difference between each of these models is that the Standard editions lack trendline popularity routing, PacePro, ski maps, and the ability to preload music. Moreover, the Sapphire edition has a sapphire screen and Diamond-like Carbon (DLC) coated bezel compared to Corning Gorilla DX screen and stainless steel bezel of the Standard and Pro editions.
Meanwhile, the Pro Solar edition has a power glass for solar charging and a titanium bezel and is the most expensive.
- Garmin Fenix 6s, 6s Pro, 6s Pro Sapphire and 6s Pro Solar.
- Garmin Fenix 6, 6 Pro, 6 Pro Sapphire and 6 Pro Solar.
- Garmin Fenix 6x Pro, 6x Pro Sapphire and 6x Pro Solar.
Garmin Fenix 6 vs 6 Pro: Specifications Compared
| Product Info |
 Garmin Fenix 6 Specifications, Features and Price |
 Garmin Fenix 6 Pro Specifications, Features and Price |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $317.99 | $499.00 |
| ABOUT DEVICE | ABOUT DEVICE | ABOUT DEVICE |
| Device name | Garmin Fenix 6 | Garmin Fenix 6 Pro |
| Device type | Fitness/Sport smartwatch | Fitness/Sport smartwatch |
| Gender | Men | Men |
| Release date | September, 2019 | September, 2019 |
| Predecessor | Garmin Fenix 5 Plus | Garmin Fenix 5 Plus |
| Successor | — | — |
| Versions | — | — |
| BODY | BODY | BODY |
| Dimension | 47 x 47 x 14.7 mm | 47 x 47 x 14.7 mm |
| Weight | 80 grams | 83 grams |
| Shape | Circular | Circular |
| Case material | Fiber-reinforced polymer | Fiber-reinforced polymer |
| Strap material | Silicone | Leather, Nylon, Silicone, Titanium |
| Bezel material | Stainless steel | DLC, Stainless steel, Titanium |
| Strap size | 22 mm | 22 mm |
| Interchangeable strap | 22 mm, Yes | 22 mm, Yes |
| Screen protection | Corning Gorilla Glass DX | Corning Gorilla Glass DX, Sapphire glass |
| Water resistance | 10 ATM | 10 ATM |
| Durability test | — | MIL-STD-810G |
| Swim-proof | Yes, recommended | Yes, recommended |
| Color | Black | Black |
| DISPLAY | DISPLAY | DISPLAY |
| Display size | 1.3 inches | 1.3 inches |
| Display type | LCD, Memory-in-pixel (MIP), transflective | LCD, Memory-in-pixel (MIP), transflective |
| Display resolution | 260 x 260 px | 260 x 260 px |
| Pixel density | — | — |
| Always on | Yes | Yes |
| Custom watch face | Yes | Yes |
| Input type | 5 Physical buttons | 5 Physical buttons |
| CONNECTIVITY | CONNECTIVITY | CONNECTIVITY |
| Bluetooth | ANT+, Bluetooth | ANT+, Bluetooth |
| Bluetooth calling | Yes | No |
| GPS | Galileo, GLONASS, GPS | Galileo, GLONASS, GPS |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | No | Yes |
| MEMORY | MEMORY | MEMORY |
| RAM | — | — |
| ROM | — | 32GB |
| Memory card slot | No | No |
| CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY | CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY | CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY |
| Technology | None | None |
| SIM type | None | None |
| Band | — | — |
| NOTIFICATIONS | NOTIFICATIONS | NOTIFICATIONS |
| SMS alert | Yes | Yes |
| Calls alert | Yes | Yes |
| Email alert | Yes | Yes |
| Event reminder | Yes | Yes |
| Third-party apps alert | Yes | Yes |
| Reply to Notifications | - | - |
| MEDIA | MEDIA | MEDIA |
| Audio | No | mp3/mp4 |
| Bluetooth music | No | Yes |
| Loudspeaker | No | No |
| Microphone | No | No |
| Camera | No | No |
| Radio | No | No |
| SENSORS | SENSORS | SENSORS |
| Sensor(s) | Thermometer | — |
| ACTIVITY TRACKING | ACTIVITY TRACKING | ACTIVITY TRACKING |
| Blood oxygen | Yes | Yes |
| Blood Pressure | No | No |
| Calories | Yes | Yes |
| Distance | Yes | Yes |
| ECG tracking | No | No |
| Heart rate monitoring | Yes | Yes |
| Sleep tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Steps | Yes | Yes |
| Floors climbed | Yes | Yes |
| Stress | Yes | Yes |
| Fall detection | Yes | Yes |
| Menstrual cycle | Yes | Yes |
| VO2 Max | Yes | Yes |
| Swim-tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Underwater heart rate tracking | Yes | Yes |
| On-screen workout | Yes | Yes |
| Sport modes | Yes | Yes |
| BATTERY | BATTERY | BATTERY |
| Battery type | non-removable Lithium-polymer | non-removable Lithium-polymer |
| Battery capacity | — | — |
| Battery life | Battery saver mode: 48 days, Expedition GPS mode: 28 days, Smartwatch mode: up to 14 days | Battery saver mode: 48 days, Expedition GPS mode: 28 days, Smartwatch mode: up to 14 days |
| Charging type | Charging dock | Charging dock |
| Charging time | 1-2 hours | 1-2 hours |
| Solar charging | No | No |
| PLATFORM | PLATFORM | PLATFORM |
| Chipset | — | — |
| CPU | — | — |
| GPU | — | — |
| Operating system | Proprietary OS | Proprietary OS |
| MISC | MISC | MISC |
| Companion app | Garmin Connect | Garmin Connect |
| Compatibility | Android 5.0+, iOS 11.0+ | Android 5.0+, iOS 11.0+ |
| Payment system | Garmin Pay | Garmin Pay |
| Voice command | No | No |
| Find my phone | Yes | Yes |
| Box content | Charger, Garmin Fenix 6, Manual, Straps | Charger, Garmin Fenix 6 Pro, Manual, Straps |
SEE ALSO
Garmin Fenix 6 vs 6 Pro: Fitness Tracking Features
| Garmin Fenix 6 | Garmin Fenix 6 Pro | |
| Activity Tracking Features Steps counter, floors climbed, fitness age, Move IQ intensity minutes and distanced traveled. | Yes | Yes |
| Body Battery Energy Monitor Lets you see your body’s energy levels throughout the day so you can find the best times for activity and rest. | Yes | Yes |
| Pulse OX Sensor The Pulse Ox sensor gauges your blood oxygen saturation during the day and as you sleep to show how well your body is absorbing oxygen. | Yes | Yes |
| Stress Tracking Helps you find out if you’re having a calm, balanced or stressful day. Relax reminders will even prompt you to do a short breathing activity when you’re feeling stressed. | Yes | Yes |
| Menstrual Cycle Tracking Lets you use the Garmin Connect™ app to track your cycle, log physical and emotional symptoms and learn about training and nutrition during each phase of your cycle. Even get cycle tracking information on your wrist. | Yes | Yes |
| Hydration Tracking Log your daily fluid intake as a reminder to stay hydrated. You can even have an auto goal for hydration that adjusts based on how much sweat you lose during activities — even underwater. | Yes | Yes |
| Respiration Tracking See how you’re breathing throughout the day, during sleep and during breath-work and yoga activities. | Yes | Yes |
| Advanced Sleep Monitoring Get a full picture of how you’re sleeping, with a breakdown of your light, deep and REM sleep stages as well as Pulse Ox and respiration data | Yes | Yes |
| Heart Rate Tracking The watch constantly samples your heart rate2 and will alert you if it stays high while you’re at rest. It also helps gauge how hard you work during activities even underwater. | Yes | Yes |
| Mindful Breathing When you want to relax or focus, you can start a breath-work activity, and this watch will track your stress and respiration to help you get a better understanding of how you’re breathing. | Yes | Yes |
| On-Screen Animated Workout Modes Easy-to-follow, animated cardio, strength, yoga and Pilates workouts come preloaded on the watch, and you can download more from the Garmin Connect app. | Yes | Yes |
| Preloaded Workout Modes Track all the ways you move with more than 20 preloaded GPS and indoor sports apps — including walking, running, cycling, pool swimming, golf and more. | Yes | Yes |
| Garmin Coach Get a personal running coach on your wrist, for free, to help you train for your next 5K, 10K or half-marathon. | Yes | Yes |
| Safety and Tracking Features When your watch and phone are paired, your live location can be sent to your contacts manually or — during outdoor activities — automatically with built-in incident detection. Also Livetrack, Group LiveTrack and Live event sharing allow you to invite other to join you in your training. | Yes | Yes |
| Gym & Fitness Equipment Available gym profiles; Strength, Cardio and Elliptical Training, Stair Stepping, Floor Climbing, Indoor Rowing, Pilates and Yoga. | Yes, and more | Yes, and more |
| Training, Planning and Analysis Features Available run profiles; Running, Treadmill Running, Indoor Track Running, Trail Running. GPS speed and distance, customizable activity profiles, advanced training, VO2 Max., heat and altitude acclimation, training load, training effect, auto and manual mutisport activities, Garmin and Strava live segments. | Yes, and more | Yes, and more |
| ClimbPro Feature Use ClimbPro ascent planner on downloaded courses to see real-time information on your current and upcoming climbs, including gradient, distance and elevation gain. | Yes | Yes |
| Outdoor Recreation Features Outdoor recreational features include hiking, climbing, mountain biking, skiing, snowboarding, XC skiing, stand up paddleboarding, rowing, kayaking, jumpmaster, tactical | Yes, and more | Yes, and more |
| Multi-GNSS Support Access multiple global navigation satellite systems (GPS, GLONASS and Galileo) to track in more challenging environments than GPS alone. | Yes | Yes |
| TOPO Maps Preloaded Topographical (TOPO) maps allow you use TOPO maps with Trendline Popularity Routing to find the best routes and navigate your adventures effortlessly | Yes | Yes |
| Ski Maps Preloaded Ski maps allow you view run names and difficulty ratings for 2,000 worldwide ski resorts. | Yes | Yes |
| Round-trip Routing Enter a distance you want to travel, and get suggested routes that will bring you back to your starting point. Trendline™ popularity routing helps you find the best local paths. | Yes | Yes |
| Turn-by-turn Navigation Follow a route or course with help from turn-by-turn directions, which let you know ahead of time when the next turn is coming. | Yes | Yes |
| ABC sensors Navigate your next trail with ABC sensors, including an altimeter for elevation data, barometer to monitor weather and three-axis electronic compass | Yes | Yes |
| Running Features Available run profiles include running, treadmill running, indoor track running, trail running | Yes, and more | Yes, and more |
| PACEPRO Technology A first-of-its-kind PacePro feature helps keep you on pace with grade-adjusted guidance as you run a course. | Yes | Yes |
| Golf Courses Access full-color CourseView maps for more than 41,000 golf courses around the world, and get button targeting and the PlaysLike Distance feature. | Yes | Yes |
| Swimming Features Available swimming profiles; pool swimming, open water swimming, swimming/running. Other features include; tracks metrics such as distance, pace, stroke count, stroke distance and SWOLF. | Yes | Yes |
| Underwater Wrist-based Heart Rate Tracking Features underwater wrist-based heart rate tracking that helps you manage your swimming intensity. | Yes | Yes |
| Altimeter Floors climbed | Yes | Yes |
Garmin Fenix 6 vs 6 Pro: Battery Life
| Fenix 6 | Fenix 6 Pro |
| Smartwatch: Up to 14 days GPS: Up to 36 hours Max Battery GPS Mode: 72 hours Expedition GPS Activity: 28 days Battery Saver Watch Mode:48 days | Smartwatch: Up to 14 days GPS: Up to 36 hours GPS and Music: Up to 10 hours Max Battery GPS Mode: 72 hours Expedition GPS Activity: 28 days Battery Saver Watch Mode: 48 days |
What’s the Difference?
- The Fenix 6 Pro comes with 32GB onboard storage capacity, as well as supports music streaming with select services such as Spotify, Amazon Music, and Deezer which the Fenix 6 lacks.
- As a result of the 32GB storage capacity, the Fenix 6 Pro features topo maps, ski resort maps and road/trail maps. It also features Pacepro and trendline popularity routing.
- The Fenix 6 Pro is equipped with Wi-Fi which isn’t present in the Fenix 6. This supports music streaming, software updates, and downloading of workouts and training plans.
- Fenix 6 Pro also features animated on-screen workouts which is not available on Fenix 6. Onscreen workouts will guide you through some of your favorite workouts, and this can save you money on subscription.
So, clearly, the Fenix 6 Pro is a better smartwatch than the Fenix 6. However, the Fenix 6 is a great choice if you’re low on budget.
