Under the slogan “Do what you love, longer”, Garmin has just released a series of new Fenix and Instinct watches with built-in solar cells, so the battery life can be extended by the power of the sun.
Read all about the Garmin Fenix 6 Solar and Garmin Instinct Solar here.
GARMIN SOLAR – Intro video
What is Garmin SOLAR?
Thanks to the revolutionary lens technology called “Power Glass”, the watches from the Garmin SOLAR series can extract the energy from the sun to extend the battery life.
It works by having a thin, transparent solar cell under the protective outer glass, which efficiently charges the watch whenever it is being exposed to sunlight. Besides this big solar cell, there are some minor solar cells located in a ring around the edges of the watch.
The solar cell technology is not powerful enough to fully charge a watch that is completely drained from power. However, it can extend the battery life significantly!
The battery life is reportedly infinite in the Garmin Instinct Solar, provided that the sunny conditions are optimal and that the watch is in battery saving mode. This should be interesting to test in real life. I will return with a proper review of the Garmin Solar watches once I have had a chance to test them for a couple of weeks.
You can read more about battery life for every watch later in the article.
All watches in the Garmin SOLAR series are equipped with a Solar charging widget, where you can see the intensity of the sun in percentages and follow the development for the past 6 hours.
Solar technology is not exactly a new feature from Garmin. The technology is already present in the Garmin Fenix 6X Pro Solar, which was introduced in the autumn of 2019. However, Garmin is now expanding the SOLAR series to include the following models:
Garmin Fenix 6 Pro Solar Titanium
Garmin Instinct Solar Camo Edition
Garmin Instinct Solar Tactical Edition
Garmin Instinct Solar Surf Edition
In the following sections, I will be examining each model.
What is the difference between the Garmin Fenix 6 and the Garmin Instinct?
Before examining the new watches, you might want to know the differences between the Garmin Fenix 6 and the Garmin Instinct.
The Garmin Fenix 6 is like crème de la crème when it comes to outdoor and multi-sports watches. The Garmin Instinct is in many ways a ‘light’ version of the Garmin Fenix – but it is still a brilliant sports and outdoor watch.
In this article, you can learn more about the watches in the Garmin Instinct and Garmin Fenix series.
Garmin Instinct vs. Fenix 5 (Plus) vs. Fenix 6 - Learn the differences here!
Garmin Fenix 6S Pro Solar and Garmin Fenix 6 Pro Solar
The Garmin Fenix 6 Series is now updated with 3 new watches:
- Garmin Fenix 6 Pro Solar Titanium
The series already includes the Garmin Fenix 6X Pro Solar as well as the "normal" non-solar versions of the Fenix 6. You can find them all here: The Garmin Fenix 6 Series.
The new Solar versions of the Garmin Fenix 6 can do EVERYTHING the “normal” Garmin Fenix 6S and Garmin Fenix 6 can do, but on top of that, they are improved to include the Garmin Solar PowerGlass, which, as mentioned, will deliver an improved battery life.
The difference in battery life looks like this. Please notice that the biggest improvement can be seen in the power-saving modes.
Garmin Fenix 6 Pro Solar and Garmin Fenix 6 Pro Solar Titanium
- Smartwatch: Up to 14 days (without solar) / 16 days (with solar*)
- GPS: Up to 36 hours (without solar) / 40 hours (with solar*)
- GPS+Music: Up to 10 hours
- Max Battery GPS Mode: 72 hours (without solar) / 93 hours (with solar*)
- Expedition GPS Activity: 28 days (without solar) / 36 days (with solar*)
- Battery Saver Watch Mode: 48 days (without solar) / 80 says (with solar*)
*The Solar indications assume that the watch is being worn outside for a minimum of 3 hours per day in 50,000 lux of light.
The ”normal” Garmin Fenix 6 has the same battery life as the Garmin Fenix 6 Solar (without solar).
Garmin Fenix 6S Pro Solar
- Smartwatch: Up to 9 days (without solar) / 10,5 days (with solar*)
- GPS: Up to 25 hours (without solar) / 28 hours (with solar*)
- GPS+Music: Up to 6 hours
- Max Battery GPS Mode: 50 hours (without solar) / 64 hours (with solar*)
- Expedition GPS Activity: 20 days (without solar) / 26 days (with solar*)
- Battery Saver Watch Mode: 34 days (without solar) / 59 days (with solar*)
*The Solar indications assume that the watch is being worn outside for a minimum of 3 hours per day in 50,000 lux of light.
The ”normal” Garmin Fenix 6S has the same battery life as the Garmin Fenix 6S Solar (without solar).
New activity profiles for Climbing and Surf
Besides the improved battery life, the Garmin Fenix 6S Pro Solar and the Garmin Fenix 6 Pro Solar have new activity profiles for Indoor climbing, Bouldering, and Surf.
Updated MTB activity profile
The MTB profile has been updated so it now includes Grit, Flow, and Jump time, which some may already be familiar with from the latest Garmin Edge bike computers.
If you want to learn more about what the watches in the Fenix 6 series can and what the difference is between the Garmin Fenix 6, Garmin Fenix 6S, and the Garmin Fenix 6X, then you can read all about it here:
Garmin Fenix 6/6S/6X - Read all about the watches here!
Garmin Instinct Solar Series
Garmin Instinct Solar is a series of watches:
- Garmin Instinct Solar Camo Edition
- Garmin Instinct Solar Tactical Edition
- Garmin Instinct Solar Surf Edition
All watches have the same functionalities like the “normal” Garmin Instinct – but with plenty of improvements, which I will dig deeper into below.
Garmin Instinct Solar
The Garmin Instinct Solar is available in multiple colours and with unprecedented long battery life. Using the battery saving mode under the right sunny conditions, the Solar technology can, reportedly, keep the watch alive infinitely!
Here are the basics of the battery life for all watches in the Garmin Solar Instinct series:
- Smartwatch: Up to 24 days (without solar) / 54 days (with solar*)
- GPS: Up to 30 hours (without solar) / 38 hours (with solar*)
- Max Battery GPS Mode: 70 hours (without solar) / 145 hours (with solar*)
- Expedition GPS Activity: 28 days (without solar) / 68 days (with solar*)
- Battery Saver Watch Mode: 56 days (without solar) / Infinite (with solar*)
*The Solar indications assume that the watch is being worn outside for a minimum of 3 hours per day in 50,000 lux of light.
Even without solar technology, the battery life is improved significantly in the Garmin Instinct Solar, compared to the “normal” Garmin Instinct, which has the following battery life:
- Smartwatch: Up to 14 days
- GPS: Up to 16 hours
- UltraTrac™ mode: Up to 40 hours
More Power Modes
It is worth noticing that the Garmin Instinct Solar has even more “Power Modes”. So, it is now even easier to switch between the various battery saving settings.
Pulse OX Sensor and Body Battery
The Garmin Instinct Solar has a Pulse OX Sensor to measure the saturation of oxygen in the bloodstream. This is particularly useful for acclimatisation to high altitudes and sleep tracking.
On top of this, the Garmin Instinct Solar has the feature of “Body Battery Energy Monitor”, which monitors your energy levels 24 hours. The feature can be used to guide you on when you are ready to be active and when you need to rest.
Heart rate monitoring when swimming
Last but not least, the Garmin Instinct Solar can now measure your heart rate while you are swimming.
Buy Garmin Instinct Solar here
Garmin Instinct Solar Camo Edition
The Garmin Instinct Solar is now available in a special ”Camo Edition”. The Garmin Instinct Solar Camo does exactly the same as the Garmin Instinct Solar. The only difference is the special camouflage look.
Garmin Instinct Solar Tactical Edition
The Garmin Instinct Solar Tactical is a special edition of the Garmin Instinct Solar and is aimed at people in the military. The watch can do everything the Garmin Instinct Solar does, but on top of that, the watch has an array of “tactical features”.
Compatible with Night Vision
The watch has a feature that allows you to easily switch between the normal display (designed for daylight vision) and night display (designed to be read with night vision optics).
Stealth Mode
Stealth Mode prevents any storing and sharing of GPS locations and stops any wireless communication.
Dual Position Format
The Dual Position Format allows you to synchronise your location with others by viewing both the military geocoordinate format (Military Grid Reference System / MGRS) and the Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) on the same screen.
Jump Master
The Jump Master feature calculates the HARP (High-Altitude Release Points) according to military guidelines. The feature also helps to navigate you to your objective once you have jumped.
Buy Garmin Instinct Tactical here
Garmin Instinct Solar Surf Edition
The final watch in the Solar series is the Garmin Instinct Solar Surf Edition. The watch can do everything the Garmin Instinct Solar can do, but on top of this, has some unique surf features.
Garmin Surf App
The dedicated Surf App makes it possible to track your surf activities. The watch registers the number of waves you have surfed, your top speed, and the total distance you have travelled. The data is then saved in Garmin Connect, ready to be analysed.
Tide
The Garmin Instinct Solar Surf keeps you updated on the tides, so you can find the best time to catch the perfect wave.
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