29 in Fitness Trackers
Garmin - Fenix 6S Pro
Running these analyses costs money. Buy through my links to support the site! I may get a small commission for some links, and it doesn't cost you anything. Thank you!
Reddit Reviews:
Topics Filter:
Based on 1 year's data from Mar 17, 2026 How it works
Liked most:
15
0
"There's a "Climb Indoor" activity that I use for both indoor/outdoor roped climbing and there's a bouldering activity for bouldering."
"Track hikes and work out ... I love being able to track my hikes"
"Trail running so I can load the route onto my garmin and navigate without carrying phone for 50km"
43
5
"16 days battery life on my fenix. ... The other aspect I really appreciate about my fenix is the battery life. 16 days or so. With everything I have to change these days (laptops, mice, keyboards, headphones, watches, phones), I appreciate not having to worry about it too often."
"My 43mm Fenix with Dual gps, Garmin live track, always on screen still had juice for up to 20-25 hours of running."
"will last 4+ days under intense use"
36
2
"I forgot I had my fenix on and did a mud run. Didn’t even phase my watch. Literally dragged it through the mud and it just kept going."
"my Fenix 6s which was a work horse for six years"
"Friend of mine uses my old Fenix. That is a 9 year old watch, going strong."
11
3
"use the map function ... I love being able to track my hikes and use the map function"
"Trail running so I can load the route onto my garmin and navigate without carrying phone for 50km"
"navigation in the mountains, which is really good ... if you hike, camp, trail run, cycle, or generally enjoy being out, you will love your Epic or Fenix."
9
0
"Flashlight on my Fenix is worth A LOT of money to me. ... Having had it, I could not go back. ... I would happily pay 200 extra for it I use it so much. ... Having a flashlight on your wrist is incredibly handy."
"The red light on the Fenix line is AMAZING. ... I use it every single night multiple times as it makes walking around at night super easy and not at all straining on the eyes. ... Honestly, it might be my "I'm not giving up this watch for e.g. an Apple watch, ever" feature."
"including even a flashlight"
Disliked most:
3
14
"Garmin’s notification integration with iOS is dogshit."
"many workout functions require a working internet connection via Bluetooth to the phone to operate. ... None of the complex metrics are done on the watch. Not. Even. Close. ... Garmin Connect often requires an active internet connection. It really annoyed me when I owned my Fenix. ... Garmin Connect often requires an active internet connection for many features. I discovered this when I owned one. It pissed me off."
"feature updates stop after the next model is released. ... All this for a £1100-£1730 device that’s likely to stop receiving feature updates as soon as the next model comes out 12-18 months later. (It’s not like the watchOS updates)."
1
5
"I moved from fenix 6 to forerunner 970 recently and both are terrible at sleep tracking. My biggest problem is garmin algo doesn’t seem to sense awake times properly. I awake for 30 mins playing on my phone in bed and it counts it as REM! ... I tend to wake up a couple times middle of night and it takes me an hour to go back to sleep. I usually play on phone or read a book in bed until I fall asleep again. Garmin always counts those as REM or light sleep."
"Sleep tracking on this $1k thing is really disappointing. Way worse than Apple Watch. ... But how Garmin sleep tracking is SOOOO bad is beyond me"
"Sleep tracking doesn’t tell you anything you don’t know, it’s just too inaccurate."
0
7
"The discrepancy is much higher for HR than running dynamics. ... I think it is straight up irresponsible to rely on wrist-based HR is you’re using HR as a part of training"
"HR inaccurate at times and often delayed (which sucked during interval workouts)"
"Wrist heart rate is nice and easy, but too inaccurate for training."
0
6
"I'm very disappointed in my Fenix for gym (and it sounds like the same fault applies to all garmins) because of the logging of reps. ... When I do a workout it will assume I used the weights I specified, but then it seems to either auto-log reps, which is a disaster for things that don't involve hand movements, and require me to correct them, or assume I did zero and require me to enter the whole lot. ... If I'm doing 60 sets I honestly don't have the patience to manually enter the rep number, so I use a phone ap instead. ... The thing that really annoys me though is that it would be so easy for Garmin to make a tiny programing change and start with the assumption that you hit your target."
"strength training profile is bonked"
"I use Garmin fēnix 6 but due to its incompatibility with hevy, I bought a second-hand ticwatch e3 to use at the gym... ... if you do strength training or CrossFit does not allow you to connect results with another app, like hevy, which encourages you to lift irons a lot ... Garmin with some strength or gym options is falling behind and every day it is more necessary no matter what sport you do."
0
16
"watch is big, heavy etc and few times damaged my wrist also"
"I came from a Fenix 6s which was much thicker and heavier so even though that watch face was smaller in diameter, it was much more in the way. It was too heavy."
"My fenix was just so heavy and bulky, I really wanted something lighter and more comfortable"
56011 0.5💯 I waited to upgrade my 6s Pro, which was seeing significant battery decline, until the fenix 8 came out. No 8s with MIP, max battery life of like four days?? Ended up buying a 7s Pro at a significant discount and it’s drastically better than the 42mm version of the 8.
Asprilla500 0.5I've got a Fenix 6s Pro and I'm looking for a replacement now. Top of the list at the moment Forerunners 970, 965 and 570. I got the Fenix for Triathlon and now it seems that the Forerunners have caught up. I don't really use the music or maps I always have my phone. Same goes for most of the sports. I just want running, cycling and swimming, DSW, sleep tacking and training readiness.
Bab-Machina 0.5I think you are dead-on with this. I am still using my Garmin fenix 6s pro which I bought in 2019 or 2020 or something. I’m a man but I have 6.5 inch wrists and I prefer the look and feel of a 42mm size. The fenix 6s served me well but now I run ultras and for much longer times in the mountains and if I’m using maps the fenix 6s dies after 5 hours haha. I’m not interested in paying nearly 1000 for a new garmin when it has nothing extra I want. I also looked at Suunto but a 49mm watch looked silly. I like the MIP display on my Fenix 6s, I just want good battery life and maps and tracking for mountain efforts. To add to this, I have a couple of normal watches I like to wear daily so tend to just pick up the sports watch when I actually run
I may be mistaken but I’m pretty sure it was quoted as 15.8mm thick on the website too, and the 46mm version as 15.6mm or something. It has changed now to 14mm for the 42. I’m in the same boat as you - I want a smaller watch and honestly 14mm is the limit in thickness for me. After waiting for this watch, I ruled it out immediately after seeing the 15.8mm but now it’s back in consideration. I’m looking to upgrade from a Garmin 6s pro which I’ve had for nearly 6 years. I want to keep MIP, a 42mm size but need better battery life for ultras.
cpw77 0.5I have the Fenix 6S Pro, which I use for running and MTB. I bought the handlebar mount, all I have to do is pop off the straps and clip it into the mount, job done. I use a HR strap for both running and MTB. GPS is perfect for both. And with the Pro I love the map and course features when I'm riding.
deedeedeedee_ 0.5that sounds great, ive had a fenix 6s sapphire for a few years and it's a great watch but i don't honestly make the most of it (i got it used so im not mad about it haha, it's been a nice watch anyway). a thinner watch would be really nice. the 6s can be bulky under sleeves sometimes! the only thing id miss i think is the MIP screen, i do NOT miss having to do the wrist flick to make my old watch turn on lol, nor am i really that tempted by a bright always-on OLED screen... I'll see anyway. trying to make this one last as long as i can for now 😅 but i doubt ill bother getting another fenix when i do replace it!
DryRaspberry4114 0.5I would get the 265 for 1 reason only: The dual band GPS tracking. I have the 6s Pro and sometimes it shows the wrong pace and is extremely annoying.
FarAdvertising3125 0.5I have an Epix Pro, aka the AMOLED version of the Fenix 7 Pro. It is not a perfect watch, but it is good. However, there are some long lasting bugs in the firmware and the last major version has been release by Garmin despite multiple beta testers reporting bugs. That is something that kills the experience. I had a Fenix 6S Pro and a Vivoactive 4 before. Both good watches with their strengths and flaws, but never that buggy. So, unless you want diving, I wouldn't go with the Fenix 8. Get a used/refurbished Fenix 7 Pro or an Epix Pro and have almost the same watch and features for a lot less money.
Fit_Low1374 0.5Generally speaking the 9 series have pretty much all the same features as their respective fenix models. They're just lighter and look more sporty, compared to the Fenix which is more rugged and outdoorsy looking. That being said the 6s Pro was released in August 2019, whereas the 965 was released in March 2023, so the 965 hardware and software is more comparable to the F7 Pro which was released in May 2023. Price wise I imagine the 965 is considerably cheaper than the F7 Pro though.
jkgator11 0.5I have a 42-mm 6s Fenix pro and it looks fine on my tiny wrists. They don’t sell them anymore but just letting you know anything around 42 mm will be just fine for you.
jthanreddit 0.5My Garmin Fenex 6s seems to do a reasonable job. I bought the Garmin waterproof chest strap, which is supposed to be more accurate. Not comfortable!
I have a Fenix 6s which does everything you mentioned, has lasted for ages, and was well within your budget. The top end Garmins all have very similar software, so it’s more about the look, screen, and build (more metal or more plastic). I don’t think you’d be dissatisfied by any of them.
I am pretty happy with my old Garmin Fenix 6s for pool and open water swimming. So far, I haven’t followed a pre-planned workout, so I can’t comment on that feature. Pool swims give time and strokes per length. Sometimes it misses a turn and gives a glitch, but it’s pretty rare. It can’t track a kick set, so far as I know. It’s OK at identifying stroke. For OW, it tracks you, gives speed, and stroke rate. It’s impressive as your watch is under water some of the time. Now, Garmin under-rewards swimming in general just because your HR is generally lower than running. It gives low (IMHO) calorie estimates sort of treats it as a recovery workout.
Satisfaction depends on expectation. I like my Garmin Fenix 6s a lot— and I’ve had it for about 4 years. But, I just want to track my sleep, steps, and activities. I do a lot of different stuff, and the Fenix supports it all. It has an always-on MIPS screen, which isn’t dazzling, but works. I charge about once a week. If you want more of an extension to your phone and you don’t mind charging for a few minutes every day, stay with AW.
Buy one of the older MIPS ones used on Swappa. I really like my Fenix 6s.
My older Fenix 6 gets a pretty reliable measurement.
I bought the waterproof strap and found it to be uncomfortable. I have to say, my Fenix 6 seemed to do a pretty good job in the pool yesterday. I’m just getting back into swimming after a hiatus, and it seems like the algorithm has been updated.