Is solar on a Garmin watch worth the extra expense?

Thinking of purchasing a Garmin watch with solar? Wondering if the functionality is worth the added expense? The answer will not be the same for everyone. It really depends on a few factors.

Garmin Solar – what is it?
Which Garmin watches have solar?
What are the ideal conditions for solar charging?
How much extra battery life can you actually get?
What about the price difference?
Another thing to consider
The bottom line: is Garmin solar worth it?

Garmin Solar – what is it?

Some Garmin watches are equipped with solar technology. They come with something called Power Glass which is a solar charging lens that sits on top of the watch face.

It consists of two layers. One is a thin rim surrounding the inside edge of the display, which is clearly visible to the user. The other one is a thin transparent film that sits below the glass but above the display.

As you’ve probably guessed, solar converts the sun’s rays into energy which adds additional battery life. The goal is to extend your time between charges.

Garmin first introduced the technology in 2019 on the Fenix 6x Pro model. The first devices with this functionality added a bit of extra battery life. So most considered it more of a gimmick rather than something that is truly useful. Particularly on something like a Fenix watch which is very power hungry.

However the surface area and efficiency of the solar panels was improved starting with the Fenix 7 units making this a more worthwhile addition. What’s more, the power efficiency of these watches was better, hence decreasing their power draw.

Essential reading: Top fitness trackers and health gadgets

Mind you, solar charging is not meant to be used as the primary charging source for the watches. It is there to keep things going a bit longer. The idea is to give you some more time to train and do what you love without worrying as much about battery life.

Watches that have solar display the solar intensity over the previous few hours via a line graph on some watch faces. There’s also a Solar Intensity widget that fills in gradually depending on the exposure to the sun. Finally you can also view this type of information in Garmin Connect. The data that is displayed represents the amount of sunlight, or lux conditions, received. 

Which Garmin watches have solar?

Since the original Fenix 6 range, there have been a slew of Garmin devices with solar technology. Enduro and the Instinct range followed the Fenix watch, the latest addition being the Forerunner 955.

Looking only at the most recent range, these are the watch lines that have variants with solar:

• Fenix
• Forerunner
• Instinct
• Edge
• tactix
• quatix
• Enduro
• Descent

As you can see it is quite a wide selection.

What are the ideal conditions for solar charging?

The obvious question is to do with how much extra battery life you get with solar. The answer to this is not simple and it depends on a few factors.

Garmin advertises battery life of these watches. But this is in ideal conditions when the watch is receiving approximately 50,000 lux or more for at least 3 hours per day. This only occurs when the watch on your wrist is in full direct sunlight with a solar intensity of 100%.

But again, achieving ideal conditions will depend on a few factors:

• You will want the lens to be facing directly towards the sun.
• You are not using any kind of screen protector as this will reduce the solar intensity.
• You are not covering any part of the watch lens with a sleeve.
• It will depend on the position of the sun, including time of day and current season.
• Weather, including clouds, rain, and other weather patterns that may block or obscure the sun should also be considered.
• Exceeding solar charging temperature thresholds (from 0 to 60°C) has an effect.

Other things to consider:

• Solar charging can take place while the watch is switched off. In fact, this is more effective and can yield greater charge from the same solar intensity.
• The farther away from the equator you are, the more seasons will affect charging.
• You can also use non-natural light, such as from fluorescent lights. But this will not be nearly as effective as direct sunlight.

So, how much extra battery life can you actually get?

Hopefully you have read through the ideal conditions section. Because what follows is how much extra battery life you can expect assuming use in 50,000 lux conditions for at least 3 hours per day.

We’ll use a handful of devices as examples.

As can be seen from the table above, the difference is bigger on some watches than others. Namely, in certain conditions you can actually keep devices such as the Instinct 2 going indefinitely! For other use cases you might be looking at an extra 20% or so.

One thing to consider is that solar charging is very slow. Much slower than if you plug your watch into a power outlet. Also, achieving ideal lux conditions might not be achievable on certain days.

Take my example. I am located in London. And while I might be able to get 3 hours of sunlight on some days in the summer, for most of the rest of the year the solar functionality would be completely useless to me.

Spending 10 hours per day in the office? Then a solar Garmin probably doesn’t makes sense.

But thinking of doing the Appalachian trail? Then every ounce counts. Solar could provide some extra safety for long outdoor trips or even endurance events.

What about the price difference?

A big factor that will affect your decision is the price difference. Needless to say, solar watches are more expensive. If they weren’t we would probably all be buying them. But how much is the typical price difference?

Again, let’s use a few examples.

Essentially, expect a difference of around $100 in the purchase price, depending on the model. So you should look at the cost to benefit ratio for your specific situation.

If you got cash to splash, then go for it. May as well.

If you’d rather save up because the feature is not important to you, then save your money. Remember – you could always purchase a cheap portable USB charger which could refuel your device much more quickly – several times over! Or simply carry a battery pack.

Another thing to consider

There is one more thing that might make a difference to some. Solar adds a clearly visible ring around the watch face. Some people may not mind, others might get annoyed by it. Plus the display itself may not be as crystal clear as the non-solar version – due to the other layer – so you might notice a bit of a difference there.

Here’s what this looks like when you compare the solar and non-solar version of the Forerunner 955. As can be seen, there’s an orange ring around the edges on the Forerunner 955 solar.

The bottom line: is Garmin solar worth it?

The answer on whether Garmin solar is worth it is not that simple. It really depends on your specific circumstances and the device you’re thinking of purchasing.

Solar makes less of a difference on some watches. On the Fenix you will not get as much extra battery life as you would get on something such as the Instinct 2.

Live in a country without much sunlight? Spend most of your time indoors? Then there is little point in spending an extra $100 on a solar watch as you will experience few benefits. Remember, most Garmin watches already have awesome battery life. Plus you will never get annoyed by the solar ring which some might view as obtrusive.

But the feature can be useful for people who go on multi-day outdoor adventures, prolonged mountaineering, backpacking, long endurance events and similar. That extra 20% or so that you get in some conditions can make an important difference.

If you want to feel prepared for everything go for the solar version. You may also want to consider it if you enjoy grilling, mowing lawns, walking dogs and everything else that involves spending lots to time outdoors and at least some sun.

Check out deals on Garmin solar watches on garmin.com. All these watches are also available on Amazon (check prices).

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