Garmin Fenix 6 vs. Forerunner 945 vs. Enduro: Which Should I Choose?
2.5% Cash BackGarmin is well-known for its high-quality GPS products, including watches, automotive GPS units, and hand-held devices for outdoor adventures, sports, driving, aviation, and marine purposes. Runners recognize Garmin-brand smartwatches as a strong competitor that is heads and shoulders above developers like Fitbit and Apple. All the Garmin Enduro, Forerunner 945, and Fenix 6 possess a wide range of sensors, monitors, and information outputs for a range of sporting activities, including great options for runners. But which one is best for you? Here we've gathered the details and differences on each of these options to help you pick a winner.
Garmin Fenix 6 Pro Solar vs. Forerunner 945 vs. Enduro
Fenix 6 Pro Solar | Forerunner 945 | Enduro | |
Price | $799.99 | $524.99 | $799.99 |
Physical size | 47 x 47 x 15.1 mm Fits wrists with the following circumference:
| 47 x 47 x 13.7 mm Fits wrists with a circumference of 130-220 mm | 51 x 51 x 14.9 mm Fits wrists with the following circumference:
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Display size | 1.3” (33.02 mm) diameter | 1.2" (30.4 mm) diameter | 1.4” (35.56 mm) diameter |
Display resolution | 260 x 260 pixels | 240 x 240 pixels | 280 x 280 pixels |
Color display | √ | √ | √ |
Bezel material | titanium or Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) coated titanium | fiber-reinforced polymer | stainless steel or Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) coated titanium |
Strap material | silicone or titanium | silicone | ultra light-weight elastic nylon hook and loop |
Weight | Titanium: 82 g – case with silicone band (case only: 54 g) | 50 g | Steel: 72 g (case only: 66 g) Titanium: 58 g (case only: 52 g) |
Battery life | Smartwatch: Up to 21 days/24 days with solar; Battery Saver Watch Mode: Up to 80 days/120 days with solar; GPS: Up to 60 hours/66 hours with solar; GPS + Music: Up to 15 hours/16 hours with solar; Max Battery GPS Mode: Up to 120 hours/148 hours with solar; Expedition GPS Activity: Up to 46 days/56 days with solar. | Smartwatch Mode: Up to 2 weeks; GPS mode with music: Up to 10 hours; GPS mode without music: Up to 36 hours. | Smartwatch: Up to 50 days/65 days with solar; Battery Saver Watch Mode: Up to 130 days/1 year with solar; GPS: Up to 70 hours/80 hours with solar; Max Battery GPS Mode: Up to 200 hours/300 hours with solar; Expedition GPS Activity: Up to 65 days/95 days with solar. |
Memory/history | 32GB | 200 hours of activity data | 64MB |
Connectivity | Bluetooth®, ANT+®, Wi-Fi® | Bluetooth®, ANT+®, Wi-Fi® | Bluetooth® Smart, ANT+® |
Plays and controls watch music | Yes | Yes | No |
Music Storage | up to 2,000 songs | up to 1000 songs | None |
Where to Buy Garmin?
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About the Garmin Fenix 6
Garmin introduced the Fenix series back in 2012 to equip outdoorsmen with a rugged piece of technology that could keep up with their tireless athleticism while withstanding the unforgiving wilds’ harsh environmental conditions.
More recently, they developed the Fenix 6 series with the boldest explorers in mind, which is illustrated in the company’s emphasis on endurance, resilience, and adaptability in the watches’ designs.
This Garmin watch, released in 2019, is an incredible amalgamation of sports monitoring, health tracking, navigation, and so much more.
There are four different editions of the Fenix 6 watch, all of which vary by size and features. For those who need only the baseline of this multifaceted piece of tech, Garmin offers the Standard edition, which adventurers can select without the addition of premium features.
However, if you want to experience the full range of a Garmin Fenix watch, you can select either the Sapphire or Pro edition with all premium features included. The watches are available in 42 mm, 47 mm, and 51 mm case sizes. A solar edition is also available with a self-replenishing battery.
Key features of the Garmin Fenix 6 watch include:
1. Heart rate monitoring with the Pulse Ox2; |
2. Pacing guidance for runners, an adjustable feature that adapts to the grade of the environment you’re running in; |
3. 2,000 preloaded ski resort maps; |
4. Statistical tracking for running and cycling; |
5. Integration of music streaming service. |
Pros & Cons of the Garmin Fenix 6 watch:
Pros | Cons |
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About the Garmin Forerunner 945
The quintessential runner’s watch, the Garmin Forerunner series emerged in 2003 and is now one of the company’s longest-running models. The Forerunner watches have always been designed with runners in mind, aiming to provide an all-encompassing, supportive piece of technology that fulfills nearly all of a runner’s monitoring and navigational needs.
The Forerunner 945 was introduced in April of 2019 and has done well to uphold the exceptional nature of all-encompassing Garmin watch technology.
Although there is only one edition available, runners can choose to purchase the watch on its own or in a bundle. When opting for the “Tri-bundle,” you will receive an extra set of black bands, an HRM Tri monitor, HRM-Swim monitor, and a quick-release kit.
Whether on its own or in this dynamic collection of supportive tech, the Forerunner will meet all your essential needs as a runner without weighing you down, thanks to its lightweight, sleek design. The silicone band and Corning Gorilla Glass DX lens were included to produce a perfect watch for the briefest of sprints to the longest marathons.
Key features of the Garmin Forerunner 945 include:
1. Music syncing; |
2. Tracking and display of performance metrics; |
3. Contactless payment application, Garmin Pay; |
4. Full-color onboard maps; |
5. Safety and tracking features to help keep runners aware and on-track. |
Pros | Cons |
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About the Garmin Enduro
The solar-chargeable Garmin Enduro has an outstanding battery life that can last for months rather than days or weeks. However, to achieve this amazing longevity, it does sacrifice the maps and music-downloading ability you’ll find in the Fenix 6.
You’ll prefer the Enduro if you want a solar-powered battery that can last months. Of course, there are sacrifices to make to get this type of mind-boggling battery life, so you’ll have to decide if they’re worth it.
Enduro comes in two styles that only vary in whether the bezel is stainless steel or titanium.
Key features of the Garmin Enduro include:
1. Get power from the sun, and go longer between charges; |
2. Stay in top form with enhanced recovery time, trail run VO2 max and more; |
3. Lightweight but durable — for seriously epic race conditions; |
4. Conserve energy — in your battery — by managing sensor use; |
5. Find your way — even way off the beaten path — with precision GPS; |
6. Keep going, with up to 80 hours battery life in GPS mode — or up to 300 hours in max battery mode. |
Pros & Cons of the Garmin Enduro
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Garmin Fenix 6 vs. Forerunner 945 vs. Enduro: Price
Garmin Fenix 6 - Pro and Sapphire Editions for $849.99
Garmin Fenix 6 - Pro Solar Edition for $799.99
Garmin Fenix 6 - Standard Edition for $649.99
Garmin Forerunner 945 for $524.99
Garmin Enduro for $799.99
Garmin Fenix 6 vs. Forerunner 945 vs. Enduro: Battery Life
The Fenix 6 series watches’ battery life may vary slightly, depending on what mode it’s in and what features you’re using. For example, Standard Fenix battery life can last up to 9 days when used as a Smartwatch, but in Battery Saver Mode, its life extends to 34 days.
Using features like GPS can dramatically change the battery life, though. Even when using the most basic navigational features, it falls to 25 hours.
These metrics apply to all the Fenix 6 series watches, with the exception of the Solar edition, of course. When used as a Smartwatch, the Solar Fenix watch can last between 9-10.5 days. In Battery Saver Mode, you can get anywhere from 34-59 days of battery life and 25-28 hours with the GPS.
The Forerunner 945 can last much longer than the Fenix in Smartwatch mode, with a maximum of two weeks. Using functions like GPS mode and music drastically reduces its lifespan, though, as it drops to 10 hours with music and 36 hours without.
Enduro has a significantly better battery life than the Fenix 6 by weeks or days, depending on the usage mode. You’ll need to charge your Enduro far less and could even take it on an outdoor adventure for a couple of months without any worries about charging.
In regular smartwatch mode, the Enduro can last about seven to nine weeks (50-65 days), though this is hinged on the number of optimal solar charging hours it gets. However, the Fenix 6 battery will only last two weeks before needing a recharge.
Once you turn on the GPS, the number of hours the battery can last will drop to two and three days (70-80 hours) for the Enduro or 1.5 days (36 hours) for the Fenix 6. If you turn on max battery GPS mode, then you can expect about eight to 12 days (200 hours) of battery power for the Enduro and three days (72 hours) for the Fenix 6.
Alternatively, should you want to conserve battery significantly, you can switch over to expedition GPS activity mode to get 2.5-3 months (65-95 days) of battery power with the Enduro or about a month (28 days) for the Fenix 6. Expedition mode turns off the sensors and screens and records a track point every 15-90 minutes (depending on your settings).
Garmin Fenix 6 vs. Forerunner 945 vs. Enduro: Mapping
Unfortunately, the Enduro doesn’t include maps, which may be a deal-breaker for people who trail run or outdoor adventure in remote areas.
Instead, it comes with breadcrumb navigation (similar to the 745), which is less reliable because it breaks down your route into step-by-step turning directions. Sometimes these turns announce a bend in the road rather than a real turn.
Sacrificing maps to use breadcrumbs does save significantly on battery power. While the Fenix 6 can use breadcrumbs, too, it also has onboard routable topographical maps, trail maps, golf course maps, and ski maps.
If you rely on maps, especially in remote locations where you’re out of cell tower range, the Enduro is not a good choice.
In the other hand, Both of the Garmin Fenix 6 and the Forerunner 945 feature the best of Garmin's mapping and navigation features.
In the case of the Fenix, you need to buy the Fenix 6(S) Pro model to get access to mapping.
You can expect topographical maps preloaded including thousands of ski resorts.
You can also build routes in Garmin's Connect companion app or other compatible third party apps and upload them to the watch.When you're ready to get moving, you'll be able to do things like navigate to points of interest, see breadcrumb trails in real-time, hunt out saved locations, create courses and access useful features like Back to the Start and TrackBack.
While it's not the perfect mapping and navigation experience by any means, it's certainly still a cut above its rivals in terms of how it works and the features that are at your disposal.
The mapping and navigation features are near identical across both watches. While modes might be displayed slightly differently in menu screens, how they perform are largely the same and that's what really matters. On the Fenix, you do get map themes to optimise data for your chosen activity and some slightly richer details in the information available in the mapping screens themselves.
Going for a Fenix 6 or 6X will though get you a larger, high resolution screen that will spread those mapping and navigation features across a larger surface that does give it a slight advantage over the Forerunner 945.
Verdict: Which Should I Choose?
The Garmin Fenix 6, Forerunner 945, and Enduro watches are both amazing pieces of technology. Yet, each has unique strengths and weaknesses that may make them the better or unsuitable choice for you. Ultimately, when comparing the Garmin Fenix 6 vs. Forerunner 945 vs. Enduro, which one is best for you?
The Fenix 6 watch is best for you if:
You need versatile compatibility with GPS, camera, and cycling Garmin tech.
You will be using your watch for several different types of outdoor recreation, not just running.
The Forerunner 945 is best for you if:
You mainly need your watch to monitor your health while running.
You don’t intend to use the watch with a wide variety of compatible Garmin tech.
The Garmin Enduro is best for you if:
You’re an ultrarunner;
You want extreme battery life;
You want a lightweight watch;
You want a watch with a nylon sport loop band;
You want a rugged titanium bezel.
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