Solar Charging Watches... Fenix 6X versus Instinct Solar

[@TheManWithTwoWatches]

I just love smartwatches that come with solar charging functionality!

[@PeterHerget]

Solar charging gadgets have become a hobby of mine this year and last.

[@SmartByTravel]

For $1,100 and a watch that you can't message with, answer your phone et cetera, it totally should solar charge. :)

[@applepotterhead8732]

Loved your intro with the hot to the touch watch. I had to rewind your video and watch it three more times 😄😉😁

[@PeterHerget]

Thank you! There was no acting during that video for the watch's surface was around 150 - 160 F - too hot to handle and far too warm to wear against my skin. The interesting thing is this: 1. if a human wears the exact same smartwatch against their skin on the exact same day with 98 F hot dry weather here in Utah... Well, nope, the Garmin watch does not overheat. The human skin even when it gets hot and sweaty acts as a cooler for the wearable.

[@yuanyuanintaiwan]

In a future test you should consider adding a fan blowing air on the watch to avoid overheating, as a normal usage would have 2 things helping against overheating: body movement (creating wind) and body heat conduction. As it's touching the wrist it will not have a big difference with the temperature of the arm 👍

[@PeterHerget]

Thanks! I think for my next solar test I will simply just wear the watch outdoors and go on a three-hour hike instead :)

[@SmartByTravel]

Turn it off when charging, it won't overheat and it charges exponentially faster. Garmin recommends this as well.

[@PeterHerget]

An interesting perspective about solar charging. I will check the Fēnix 7X sapphire solar manual and let you know.

[@yuanyuanintaiwan]

@@PeterHerget Turning off won’t prevent overheat, that doesn’t make sense. The overheating is not due to the CPU working too hard, but the outside temperature being too hot. That will also be the case if the watch is turned off.

[@TheManWithTwoWatches]

@@yuanyuanintaiwan I agree 100% Sure, the solar watch may charge more quickly when it is off, but it can still overheat when just left outside in direct sunlight. I've had pretty good luck charging them near a window with the air conditioning on.

[@SmartByTravel]

I'm sorry to tell you this, but you're charging the Fenix incorrectly. Turn it off, it charges WAY faster and you can leave it in the sun. In 5 hours in Thailand, I go up about 40% which is like 12 days of use for me. Even Garmin recommends turning it off for charging,

[@PeterHerget]

Thanks for the tip about solar charging. What model of Fenix have you tested using the off solar charging method?

[@SmartByTravel]

@@PeterHerget I have the Fenix 7x Solar Sapphire

[@PeterHerget]

Interesting... whether the watch is turned on, off, in airplane mode, or even battery saver mode, yep, it will still overheat & stop charging. I plan to do more testing when my new Garmin Instinct Solar 2X arrives. The temperatures here in Utah should above 90 degrees Fahrenheit very soon. And from previously testing solar charging, yeah, with those high temps at my altitude of 4,500 feet, it should not take much longer than 88 minutes to overheat the wearable and force stop solar charging. I have an engineer friend that is going to help me with the tests.

[@SmartByTravel]

@@PeterHerget That's cool. Yea, in Thailand the sun isn't even comparable to what you get in Utah so it's hot for sure. I didn't even know it was overheating. I just left it out by the open window, tilted toward the sun for a few hours and it received a substantial charge in a few hours. I look forward to your future tests. But I think your previous attempts are kind of moot with this new info. I'm hoping you see some good results. I wear this watch and an Apple Ultra and this is my apocalypse fantacy watch. So, I need it to work off grid :)

[@PeterHerget]

Good to know about the sun in Thailand. Yep, more solar testing to come in future videos.

[@logan1644]

I loved the part when you tried to charge your Garmin watch by a light bulb that was great!

[@PeterHerget]

Why thank you Logan! More solar charging tests are coming...

[@Marius.1926]

I have the same problem with my instinct solar. Ok have whery long battery bat when you have carge is to long. My FR 245 is super fast tu carge

[@PeterHerget]

Good to know - thank you Mario 👍🏻 I called and chatted with Garmin this week about severa issues. If the wrong charging brick is used or a non Garmin OEM charging cable, yeah, that may be the root cause of battery 🔋 percent spikes.

[@arcticwolf4707]

So the solar is a joke .. got it! you would think a big company like Garmin will TEST or put something functional! on a thousand dollar watch!

[@PeterHerget]

I won't go as far to say the solar charging is a joke, but yet, nearly 11 hours of sunlight and the Garmin Fēnix 7X sapphire solar, a $1,000.00 wearable, only increased in battery life about 1% per hour. Now, that would be enough to power up a dead battery, open the awesome Garmin maps, and use the "around me" feature to find your way out of the woods. Still though, I think the watch should be able to charge just as fast as the Instinct Solar lineup. The good news is that without solar charging the battery life, in smart-mode, for a Fēnix 7X, is still a good 14 days.

[@tvt8716]

Oh, the instinct charges itself much more slowly than the Fenix 6X. Surprising fact. Thanks sir.

[@PeterHerget]

Yeah, not quite true... 1. Garmin Fenix 6X Pro Solar has a much larger battery 2. Garmin Instinct Solar has a smaller batter, but a large solar panel surface area Some say that the Fenix 6X charge more quickly in relation to the battery size; however, since the screen is larger it requires the larger mAh to survive. Overall, from my own testing during spring, fall, summer, and winter, the Instinct Solar not only charges faster, but the battery life span is great than the Fenix 6X. I have all the data to prove this; alas, I became board with the project after seven tests, new gadgets arrived in my life, and I shelved the video contents and research results. Perhaps, when the snow melts here in Utah I will dig through my archives, run new tests, and then publish all of my findings in a detailed 11 minute video. 🧐🤔

[@tvt8716]

@@PeterHerget thanks so much for a well-explained reply. With that said, I continue to have faith and love in Garmin instinct. :))

[@PeterHerget]

You're most welcome. And yes, me too, I love wearing Garmin gadgets in fact... I wore two simultaneously for the past three days for a video I am working on :) 1. left wrist - Garmin vivomove Style (vivomove 3.0) 2. right wrist - Garmin vivomove HR (2019 model A.K.A. vivomove 2.0) The video should go live sometime in the next 11 days.

[@rickarda9232]

they should make bracelets with solar panels on them. That would surely increase solar- area by atleast 10xfold and make it more than a gimmic.

[@PeterHerget]

Good idea, Richard 😀 I actually read about a watch band made with solar panels. Unsure if the Kickstarter campaign was fully funded.

[@GiangHoang88888]

After watching this video i feel like we cant count on the solar for charge. It just marketing tricks

[@PeterHerget]

Thank you for watching my video. Yes, for the Garmin Fenix 6X pro solar and the Fenix 7X sapphire solar, the solar charging is pretty slow and does not make a huge impact on the battery life unless you're outdoors for more than five to eight hours with the watch directly under sunlight. Now, for the Instinct Solar watches, nope, it is not a marketing trick, the watch charges 2 to 4% per hour via sunlight.

[@paramountkid413]

Great!

[@PeterHerget]

Thank you Paramount Kid😃

[@chrisjmdaniel87]

Correct

[@PeterHerget]

Correction, Garmin makes the following solar watches: 1. Garmin Instinct Solar 2. Enduro 3. Tactix Delta Solar 4. Fenix 6X Pro Solar And then many more watches with Power Glass and or a strip of solar panel. The fastest charging solar watch that I've tested personally was the Instinct Solar and I have still have it - fabulous battery life.

[@robsilv148]

Hot is no good for the battery

[@PeterHerget]

Correct, I would soak the watches with cold water to cool them down and increase the solar battery charging. They charge much, much, much more efficiently in cool weather...

[@viliamandrasov7609]

Fenixi su ovela drahsie hodinky takze porovnavat ich s hodinkami ktore stoja o polovicu menej je totalna bullshit ... Papa

[@PeterHerget]

You are welcome to your opinion and to create your own comparison videos. It was more of the comparison of features and to help perspective buyers decide on which of the watches to buy...

[@SG-dg6oi]

solar is a gimmick

[@PeterHerget]

I don't feel solar charging is a gimmick, not for the Garmin Instinct Solar for it charges the watch at about 2 to 4% hour.

[@SG-dg6oi]

@@PeterHerget 3% per hour is a gimmick to me

[@PeterHerget]

What about 5% over one hour?