But is the Fenix 6S still a worthy sports watch. The Fenix 6S has a 42mm case, as opposed to 47mm for the Fenix 6 and 51mm for the Fenix 6X Sapphire. That’s a massive reduction in wrist real estate. It features a 1.2-inch transflective display with a resolution of 240 x 240 pixels. The pixel count is lower than the larger watches, but the overall quality is the same. It’s the same display as most Garmin sports watches, and to put it bluntly, it’s dull, lifeless, and some lights require you to manually activate the backlight with the top left button. However, there is a welcome backlight when you raise your wrist. However, it is extremely power efficient and always on, and this sacrifice of aesthetics allows for some of the Fenix’s best features. The Fenix 6S weighs 61 g with the strap, making it lighter than a standard Fenix 6, which weighs 83 g. A significant saving. A nod to the more female-friendly aesthetic is the thin, color-coded bezel, which offers a bit more class than the standard Fenix. We got a fancy black one with a gold version, but they also come in powder gray and gold or plain black. They look really great, which is very rare for a sports watch. While the Garmin Fenix 6S has shrunk in size, the number of sports recorded hasn’t changed. And unlike options like the Vivoactive 4, which has a large sports tracking selection, it’s the level of detail and analysis that makes the Fenix 6 the best. Through the Connect IQ app platform, you can run, bike, swim in the pool and outdoors, climb, ski and snowboard all kinds, triathlon, strength train, SUP, row, kayak, golf, hike, yoga, and so much more. And the analytics are insane. Running provides top-notch dynamic and VO2 Max analytics, including training effect, training status, HRV, stress, body battery, recovery, and even recommendations on the types of workouts that are missing from your weekly plan. This data is some of our favorite and a big reason to invest in the Fenix 6. The stress score and body battery have also proven useful in assessing training readiness – and in some pretty hectic training periods, they’ve proven to be pretty accurate in highlighting fatigue. The Fenix 6S uses the same Elevate sensor as the Garmin watches – and predictably delivered the same results. In short, if you’re a steady runner, you’ll probably be happy with the accuracy of the wrist-based HR.
