Two Sapphire Fenix 6 Pro’s, backlight / contrast issues

Here is mine,  just got it in from rma process, brand new sealed box. Im exchanging my current one with the new one due to hrm, clicky button,  and now the purple screen!! Same fenix 6x sapphire model.  Did not know how good actual black looks like! Feels like the original is a chinese ripp off...

New

Still new

Red is old, pink screen apparantly 

Notice the nice, i guess black gray...

Obviously they are not same fw, just took it out of the box.

Left fw 6, right fw 4.2

Did not check hrm yet, did not check viewimg angles, did not check anything else lol.

Should if fe upgrade it to fw 6... or test and if hrm good, stay on it? I see some reported hrm is fine on 6 , but hrm worked prior.. soo ... roll the dice??

Ps.. the difference is MUCH clearer in original photos than after the upload here... odd

I know right? I didn't think of it much either... till my replacement for clicky back button and poor hrm in everything.  Still need to test hrm tho lol

Bad 63401

Good 63416

63418 - good

So, last week I ordered a Fenix 6 Sapphire on Amazon because I wanted to see if it’s really better than our beloved 945... I was very very disappointed. I can’t believe it’s Garmin flagship model to be honest!!

Below what I found:

- Washed out display: the difference compared to the 945 it’s immense! The 945 is so much more clear and the black is black! The Fenix 6 is just difficult to read. The display is bigger but horrible!

- Buttons: on my Fenix 6 Start and Back buttons have 2 clicks. Feedback is terrible.

- Software: definitely better than the 945. It’s clear there is more attention to details and “love” in general. 

For me the washed out display makes the watch unusable so I’ve started a return with Amazon and it will go back to them Today. I think the 945 is still the best Multisport watch from Garmin and it just needs a bit more love from Garmin software wise. It’s good but could become awesome.

I’m still running the last beta FW on mine and has proven to be very stable for me. Battery life is very good too. I’m so looking forward to the next FW updates! 

Concerning the display, there is some evidence Garmin actually uses two different display technologies in the same watch, based on HW revision or even production date. Watch this video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8XZ_lsGGtI

It compares the F6 Pro and Sapphire versions. Here you will clearly see that the reviewed Pro has much deeper blacks while the Sapphire has a "washed out" look and bluish hue, like some 945 - while other 945 have the deep blacks. It seems more likely that you just got the bluish Sapphire and the deep black 945. My 945 has exactly the same display look like the Sapphire by the way...

I guess if you would order 10 Sapphires from 10 different vendors and 10 945s from 10 different vendors, you might end up with a nice set of different displays on each variant...

That’s very likely to be the reason. Still, not what you would expect from a big company... 

Btw, that video you posted was the reason why I tried to go for the Sapphire one. I thought, let’s try the one with a “normal” display so I can judge fairly... 

Yes! My new Watch replaced by Garmin too! (63418)

 o

I have a 945 with great display.

Then I got a 6X Pro with Gorilla glass - with blue tint - like my old Fenix 5x had. I did not like that.

Then I got a 6X Pro with “Solar Glass” for a steal - and that has the great display.  So “old” 6X went on eBay.

So it is not only Sapphire glass. 

Only order from companies that accept returns and continue until you get a good one. Or buy in from high street retailer where you can see before you buy. Some serial numbers ranges “seem” safe - but not many retailers will give you serial numbers of their stock. 

And I agree with you - that is not what you should expect from Garmin. The quality of the displays should be equally good (or bad) no matter which production run you get.