Garmin has brought solar charging to its
three most popular smartwatch lines with the newly updated Fenix 6, Instinct
and Tactix Delta smartwatches. The addition of solar charging aims to extend
the battery endurance of the watches.
The Fenix 6 Pro Solar and Fenix 6S Pro
Solar bring between 9 and 14 days of battery life depending on the features
used. Now, Garmin is listing a 10.5 - 16 day estimated battery life given the
right amount of sun exposure. Outside of the battery enhancement, the new Fenix
series smartwatches bring more specific tracking for mountain biking, surf and
indoor climbing.
Outside the new solar batteries and added
sports modes, the new Fenix series smartwatches match the functionality of the
regular Fenix 6 and 6S Pro including built-in WiFi, GPS and local storage as
well as sleep tracking and NFC. The Fenix 6S starts at US$ 850 and is available in
a single 47mm casing while the Fenix 6 Pro Solar starts at US$ 949.
Next up we have the Instinct series which
now features Surf and Tactical Solar Editions which offer less impressive
feature sets but now deliver up to 50 days of battery life on a single charge. The
Surf edition offers 100m water resistance rating and surf-specific additions
like tide data statistics.
The Tactical edition brings a Stealth mode
which can deactivate the watch’s tracking feature as well as compatibility with
night visions goggles. The Instinct editions start at US$ 399. Lastly, we have the
Tactix Delta Solar Edition which is a military-grade rugged smartwatch with a
MIL-STD-810 rating, night vision goggles compatibility and up to 24 days
battery life. It also the most expensive out of the bunch, starting at US$ 1,099.
Another interesting feature is the kill
switch which completely wipes all data stored on the watch. It features a steel
and tactical nylon build as well as all the features found on the Fenix series.
