Masakazu Honda is a journalist who is well-known in the field of technology. In this series, Honda writes about wearable devices. In this issue, he talks about the Fenix 6x Pro Dual Power, a high-end sports watch from Garmin, a long-established American company.
Solar-powered multisport GPS watch. Power reserve up to 21 days (in smartwatch mode). FRP x Ti (51mm diameter, 14.9mm thick). 1.4-inch display. 10 ATM water resistance. Price: 13 yen (excluding tax).
Text by Masakazu Honda
Garmin Fenix 6x Pro Dual Power
Garmin is now a watch manufacturer with unparalleled success in the outdoor and sports industries, but no one could have predicted its success in the 90s.
I first encountered the Garmin brand in 1998, when I was in the US covering technology companies. I visited Fri's Electronics, a chain of specialty electronics stores, and bought an eTrex handheld GPS device.
The eTrex, which remains in Garmin's product lineup today, is a product that revolutionized outdoor activities such as mountain climbing and trekking. Despite its low-resolution monochrome LCD screen, it allows users to check their location, the direction they are heading, and the route they have taken no matter where they are.
The eTrex is also the origin of Garmin's smartwatches. Garmin was founded primarily by engineers involved in the development of GPS (Global Positioning System), and the eTrex was the first portable device developed by the company.
The eTrex evolved, became a wristwatch-style device, and its uses expanded. When you think about it this way, the current positioning of Garmin products becomes clear.
A design with a clear purpose
When you think of smartwatches, the first thing that comes to mind is probably the Apple Watch or a smartwatch using Wear OS. These products are similar to wearing a smartphone. However, Garmin's smartwatches are more autonomous, providing a variety of information for specific, goal-oriented uses, and can even predict your behavior and physical condition and give you advice.
The Fenix 6x Pro Dual Power series is the most versatile of the three, with three different display sizes: 6S, 6, and 6x.
The model we tried out this time was the Fenix 6x Pro with a 42mm display, but apart from battery capacity and display size, there is no difference between the capabilities and functions of any of the products as electronic devices.
If you want to make it easier to read complex information such as map data, choose the 6x; if you want an active watch for men, choose the 6s; if you prefer a small case that is easy to use for running and other activities, not just for women, choose the 6s depending on your needs.
When you actually start using it, you immediately notice that the Fenix 6x Pro Dual Power is different from the Apple Watch and other Wear OS-based products. For example, the operability is different.
In today's world where touchscreens are the norm, operation with only four buttons can be confusing at first. In fact, some readers may feel that not having a touchscreen is outdated.
However, Garmin's smartwatches focus on different values than typical smartwatches such as the Apple Watch, and the lack of touchscreen support is actually an advantage for the uses that Garmin is targeting.
When using it frequently in the outdoor and winter sports areas where Garmin is primarily focused, such as outdoor activities and sports, you can clearly see how great it is, whether you're operating it while wearing gloves or running blind.
"Multifaceted but also deep" - the depth of the story is what makes it so appealing
It is precisely because the objective is clear and the product is planned with a strong will that it has the depth to resonate with users' determination that "it has to be this one."
This strong determination can also be seen in the adoption of a reflective color LCD panel and tempered glass for the windshield laminated with a solar panel called Power Glass.
Reflective color LCD panels don't come close to the image quality of OLED or backlit color LCD panels, but they offer exceptional outdoor visibility and, because the majority of the display's power is consumed by the backlight, they also offer longer battery life.
By combining this with a solar panel, the usage time can be further extended by continuously charging using sunlight.
The glass substrate for Power Glass is Corning's Gorilla Glass. Previously, the higher-end models in the Fenix series used sapphire crystal, but sapphire crystal cannot be used to ensure the solar cells function efficiently.
You can see this as a compromise or a choice for evolution, but it appears that Garmin has deliberately aimed to extend battery life using sunlight.
Sports smartwatches that use heart rate sensors that require a strong LED and GPS to record trackers want to reduce battery consumption as much as possible, but they probably decided that adding an "extra power source" to the mix was important for improving the user experience.
The Fenix series is a multi-sport model that combines the functions of many Garmin sports watches into one. While such products tend to have a tendency to have their individual functions diluted, the greatest appeal of this model is that it offers top-class in-depth support for any sport.
For example, the company's "approach" smartwatch series detects the swing and impact of a golf club and records it along with GPS information. By overlaying separately available golf course map data, you can look back on how your round went.
For golfers, dedicated external sensors that can be attached to clubs are also available for sale, which automatically record which club was used and can also collect statistics such as distance traveled for each club number.
I'm not a golfer myself, but when I asked golfers who do, they all said that since they started using approach, they've had so much fun playing rounds.
It also has full-scale support for other outdoor sports such as skiing and surfing, and although it is a multi-sport product, its functionality is also deep.
Its strength is that it cannot be replaced by a general-purpose smartwatch
The "sports compatibility" and "activity measurement" features of smartwatches often do not meet the needs of athletes or competitive amateurs in each sport.
However, Garmin's products not only cover the areas of healthcare and fitness, but also incorporate the features that athletes and similar enthusiasts want.
Take running for example. Even just comparing the basic functions for runners, "recording running and providing advice to the user," the watch offers more information than a typical smartwatch and is easier to view, and if you upload the data to the cloud, it will help you create a training plan to improve your performance and prevent injuries, but that's not the end of it.
By attaching the optional device to your shoes, you can also receive analysis and advice on your running form.
Another strength of Garmin products is the various functions that use terrain information.
For example, when running, the device will advise on pacing for each section based on the ups and downs of the course you have registered in advance. For trekking and trail running, the device will also incorporate elevation information and provide advice to the user.
On the other hand, it also offers very detailed functions using built-in sensors.
One of these features is the "fall detection" feature, which is also included in the Apple Watch, that sends a message to emergency contacts when it detects a life-threatening accident.However, what surprised me about this feature was that when I was doing strength training, it automatically detected the exercise and gave me advice on the number of repetitions and intervals.
It cannot correctly identify exercises that combine multiple exercises, but it will correctly recognize and count the number of repetitions of exercises such as bench presses and squats, and when you press the button after completing the measurement, it will automatically switch to measuring intervals.
The exercises can be edited later, making it extremely easy to manage your strength training history.
Fenix, which brings together all the value offered by Garmin, also supports Suica
Garmin has a lineup of high-end MARQ watches, but the Fenix series is positioned as the pinnacle of all sports smartwatches. While products aimed at everyone lack the depth of specialization, the Fenix incorporates almost all of the features of Garmin's various products aimed at athletes, professionals, and enthusiasts.
Of course, because it incorporates all kinds of value, the case design is not specifically tailored for a specific purpose. However, each function is undoubtedly rated as top-class in its respective genre. This "versatility" that does not compromise on performance or functionality is perhaps the greatest appeal of the Fenix series.
That said, the versatility and depth of the features have remained the same for a long time, which is why Garmin has become so popular, but that doesn't mean there aren't other smartwatches that are specifically designed for sports and outdoor activities.
There are two reasons why Garmin stands out among them.
The payment function, "Garmin Pay," is compatible with JR East's "SuiCa," which has the largest share of Japan's cashless payment infrastructure. And it displays easy-to-understand indicators such as a body battery that estimates the user's physical condition, including daily stress.
There's not much to say about its compatibility with Suica, but while many manufacturers struggle with this, I'd like to honestly praise it for supporting Suica, which is used almost exclusively in Japan. As long as it supports Suica, it can meet almost all prepaid payment needs, where cash is loaded in advance.
The Body Battery, on the other hand, detects stress on the body from subtle fluctuations in heart rate, etc. By accumulating the data, it quantifies the strain on the body not only from sports and everyday exercise, but also from tasks such as desk work that do not put strain on the heart, lungs, or muscles.
Of course, it has depth that is specialized for outdoor activities and sports, but it also takes into consideration ease of use in everyday life.
Another thing is that, like the Apple Watch, it functions as a platform.
Garmin's Quick Release interchangeable straps make it extremely easy to change straps, but there's also a wide selection of third-party straps to choose from. The watch also supports music streaming services like Spotify and LINE Music in Japan, allowing you to download up to 2000 songs.
"Refined functionality" will be useful in future products
To be honest, I didn't expect to praise it so highly until I started using it. Of course, I knew the product was excellent, but I had a few excuses in mind, such as the display contrast, button-only operation, and the lack of third-party applications.
However, if you continue to use it, and consider the areas in which Garmin excels, it is only natural that it would use a reflective LCD panel with side lights, and if you consider that the hybrid case design incorporating resin is intended to enhance the GPS detection speed and accuracy, then the clever effort to enhance the texture seems rather positive.
Garmin's specialties are focused on outdoor and sports, offering in-depth functionality, as well as smartphone applications and cloud services that analyze and visualize data and provide users with advice, and GPS-related functions.
Some users may feel that the thoroughness with which these aspects have been refined and pursued as a solitary entity is "too much." However, I would like to assert that there is no such thing as "too much" in a product.
The owners of these products are satisfied because they have been polished to the point of being "genuine." This is the same in the world of mechanical watches. However, they are simply trying to master their own field of expertise. This dedication to polishing brings about improvements to the next product, and the next, and so on, until the product becomes a classic.
Technology journalist, audio-visual critic, and product planning and development consultant. Since the early 1990s, he has written reviews and columns on personal computers, IT, network services, and other topics. He currently serves as an advisor to manufacturers and other organizations, and also works as an audio-visual critic. His main publications include Toyo Keizai Online.
