Garmin outs two additional solar-powered smartwatches from its fēnix and Instinct series - the Instinct, fēnix 6 Pro and 6S Pro Solar. Garmin's patent in solar-powered smartwatch technology transcends the mere conversion of solar energy to a single time function. Its solar charging technology allows converted electrical energy to support various sports activity modes and health monitoring features like heart rate and GPS, to name a few.
Solar-powered smartwatches: Garmin fenix and Instinct Solar
This charging technology offers overall improved power performance. On top of that, it also reduces carbon emissions by up to 59% compared to other smartwatches. With better battery efficiency, added sports modes and comprehensive health data monitoring, Garmin is looking into motivating its users to perform more.“In 2019, Garmin pioneered a breakthrough in solar charging technology, introducing the Power Glass to launch the world’s first solar-powered multisport GPS smartwatch, fēnix 6X Pro Solar. This year, we extend this proprietary technology into our well-loved Instinct and the complete fēnix 6 series, catering to the needs of outdoor adventurers and athletes, accompanying them to truly do what they love, longer,” said Mr. Scoppen Lin, Director, Garmin Asia.
How did Garmin revolutionize the solar charging technology?
Garmin uses a proprietary the Power Glass, an ultra-thin layer of conductive elements on top of the glass panel, creating a multi-layer structure that only measure 0.5 mm. This sophisticated structure is able to efficiently convert light source into electrical energy while maintaining high permeability so that when it is paired with a Memory-in-Pixel (MIP) display, it retains clear and full color visibility under bright sunlight. Aside from that, Garmin has over 30 patents files for solar charging technology.
Garmin Instinct Solar
The Garmin Instinct line of smartwatches is known for its accurate GPS tracking capability for urban sports enthusiasts. This wrist computer also boasts the Power Manager wherein users can manage battery features like the Battery Saver mode. When toggled on, this feature can give up to 24 days in smartwatch mode indoors and 54 days with sufficient solar exposure.
On top of that, Instinct Solar series now also includes the Body Battery feature which analyzes heart rate variability, stress level, sleep quality and activity data to determine overall energy levels. Another newly added feature is the Pulse Ox (SpO2)2, a technology which measures blood oxygen saturation – a useful health indicator to monitor during this time of pandemic as the COVID-19 virus can lead to pneumonia infection in which the lung's air sacs are filled with fluid, leading to a drop in blood oxygen level. A sudden drop in SpO2 levels can indicate an early onset of symptoms.
Garmin fēnix 6 Solar Series
Garmin released the fēnix 6 Pro Solar and the fēnix 6S Pro Solar as their newest addition to the popular line. Both feature the Garmin Power Glass charging lens and the customizable Power Manager Mode. Both the fēnix 6 and 6S Solar Series features the following robust activity profiles:
Surfing
Using a Surf Activity profile, fēnix surfers can track total waves, surf time, total time, max speed and their longest wave. When surfing in front of a Surfline camera, users wearing fēnix 6 Solar Series can upload their surf data to their Surfline account and later view video of that surfing activity through Surfline Sessions.
Mountain Bike
Track the details of every ride with mountain biking metrics plus specialized grit and flow measurements that rate trail difficulty and how smoothly a user descends, giving a score to beat next time.
Indoor Climb
The indoor climb activity profile allows climbers to track their sessions at indoor facilities. Metrics include the number of routes, vertical distance climbed, climbing time, difficultly of each route and more.
The fēnix 6S Pro Solar offers up to 9 days indoors and up to 10.5 days with sufficient solar exposure in smartwatch mode. On the other hand, the fēnix 6 Pro Solar gives up to 14 days indoors and up to 16 days with sufficient solar exposure.
Price and Availability
Instinct Solar is available in Graphite and Flame Red and the Instinct Solar – Camo Edition is available in Graphite Camo. The fēnix 6 Pro Solar is available in Black with Slate Gray Band and Mineral Blue with Whitestone Band and the fēnix 6S Pro Solar is available in Light Gold with Shale Gray Band and Amethyst Steel with Shale Gray Band.
The Instinct Solar and fēnix 6 Solar series represent the continued innovation of Garmin solar technology initiative and are available from today at Kinetic.com.ph, Lazada, Shopee, Garmin Brand Stores and all authorized retailers. The complete line of Garmin solar charging smartwatches also includes the fēnix 6X Pro Solar. Suggested retail prices are Php24,995 for Instinct Solar and Php27,995 for Instinct Solar Camo Edition; Php52,995 for fēnix 6S Pro Solar and fēnix 6 Pro Solar.
