Garmin fenix 6 Sapphire Multisport GPS Watch

This will be a simultaneous review of the Garmin Instinct 2 and the Garmin Fenix line, my particular model being the 6 sapphire. There are already plenty of in-depth technical reviews and videos out there, so my comments will be directed to the watch enthusiast like me, looking to step into the world of smart watches, without going Apple Watch, or looking to upgrade from a non-gps ABC watch. Also, if you’re super sold on the various training aids, gps integration, etc., then my comment probably won’t matter. I purchased these watches, in an effort to find an outdoor adventure watch with GPS capabilities and real time weather data. I no longer own either, and here’s why: Garmin Fenix 6 1. Extremely difficult to read in low light without pressing the backlight button, thus largely failing to offer the time-telling convenience a wrist watch is supposed to provide. 2. Inability to respond to texts from an iOS device, even with pre-scripted responses. 3. Inaccurate weather info. This one really bugged me, because I wanted at-a-glance realtime weather on my wrist. I’m not sure where Garmin sources their weather info from, but it was rarely correct. On top of that it was extremely slow to reach out and grab updated weather info. There were times when the temp was off my as much as 10 degrees, causing me to constantly refer to an alternative source (my phone) to double check. The barometer was also usually off, even after calibrating. (My Suunto Core, for comparison’s sake has always had a remarkably accurate barometer, though it’s onboard thermometer is entirely useless on the wrist.) Garmin Instinct 2 1. Unlike the Fenix, the display was not an issue. The instinct 2 has the best negative display I have ever seen on a watch, and you can even switch it over to positive. 2. However, like the Fenix the inability to respond to iOS messages was a bummer and 3. Weather data was untrustworthy. So if you’re a watch nerd like me, looking for a rugged adventure smart watch, I’m not sure Garmin is really there yet. Neither of these are particularly good “smart watches.” Both are too limited in their communication capabilities for iPhone users. The Fenix is hardly even a good watch. Robust and beautiful, yes, but difficult to live with indoors due to the screen dimness. It’s just too expensive to be a direct sunlight only watch. And as to the weather data, why can’t Garmin just let you choose what weather widget to sync to on your phone? At a bare minimum, the weather data issue should be fixed. Had it worked, I would have kept the Instinct 2. As mentioned, if you want a gps enabled fitness watch, and don’t care about the shortcomings I’ve mentioned, either of these would work, but I think the real value is the Instinct 2. As it stands, both of these watches left me wondering, “Why not just purchase a handheld Garmin GPS with an inherently larger screen for times when I need Garmin gps features? Or why not buy an Apple Watch for the premier smart watch experience and add the Workoutdoors app to it? Ultimately I put All Trails on my phone, and a regular watch on my wrist.