Where did u see the exact term “power sapphire”? I cannot find it.

My guess would be the word “power” might refer to solar charging related attribute, not to the strength of glass itself.

 

Thanks for taking the time to help I totally agree that the "power" description has to do with the charging capabilities. What I'm wondering is if there have been any improvements to the sapphire in addition to the "power", that makes it easier to read, similar to Gorilla Glass.

In this link if your scroll down just below the cart button, you'll see "Specs". In this case for the 6X Pro Solar it's says lens material is Power Glass: https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/641375/pn/010-02157-23#specs

For some reason I'm not able to get into the Garmin site now, but if you do the same thing as above for the Tactix Solar, you'll see the lens material as Power Sapphire.

Thanks again for taking the time to figure it out.

 

Garmin is using Power Sapphire for the crystal of their Tactix Delta Solar. Is this an improved sapphire that's closer in clarity/contrast to Gorilla Glass (Power Glass)? Wondering if Garmin heard all the complaints regarding their non-Solar sapphire being noticeably harder to read than their Gorilla Glass models.

I haven't found any info here, on the web, YT, or even on Garmins homepage.

Well... nobody knows for sure and Garmin aren't saying, so all I'm left with is my best guess.

Here's what I know about the older version of Power Glass:

This is what is on the 6xPro Solar.

The Power Glass layer has a 100% solar cell outer ring and a 10% solar cell covering the center section. This layer is between the display panel and the covering Gorilla Glass.

My best guess is that for the tactix Delta Solar, Garmin have substituted Sapphire Glass for Gorilla Glass in the top layer - and Power Sapphire was born!

My fear is that this will result in a less readable display than Gorilla Glass, similar to other Sapphire lens models. I would have been all over the tactix Delta Solar if they had used Gorilla Glass, but after having been burned with the tactix Charlie and the tactix Delta (non-Solar), I am reluctant to try the tactix Delta Solar.

HTH

 

Thanks Gaijin. Im wondering the same thing regarding the display. My understanding was that they went with Gorilla Glass (GG) in the first place for their solar models because sapphire was too reflective or hindered the charging capabilities compared with GG.

Sooo....I’m assuming they must have figured out a work around but want to know what that is before taking the leap. I wonder if it’s as simple as an inner and/or outer AR coating, or something better. Either way it’s kind of a head scratcher why they’re not talking about it.

If they happen to fix the display clarity, this model would be awesome for my needs.

Out of curiosity, what was is it about the Charlie and Delta that you didnt like?

 

Out of curiosity, what was is it about the Charlie and Delta that you didnt like?

Displays were low contrast and dim - almost unreadable indoors under any lighting condition without using the backlight. Gorilla Glass is much higher contrast, brighter and no backlight needed to read the display except in very low light - literally the difference between night and day. Maybe I'm just more sensitive to the difference than some because there are many who defend the Sapphire display, but having tried 3 models with Sapphire (tactix Bravo, tactix Charlie and tactix Delta (non-solar)), none of them was acceptable to me.
HTH

 

Thanks for clarification. I‘ve asked the question on the Garmin Forum and also Amazon (appears they have Garmin folks fielding/answering questions there).

I’ll update this thread when I hear back. 🤞🤞

 

Thanks for your thoughts Nemo. One of the reasons I’m strongly considering the Tactix is that I like the MGRS (Military Grid Reference System) ability vs. Lat./Long when navigating. My understanding is the Tactix is the only model that has this ability. Is it possible to download this feature on a Fenix 6?

 

Thanks for your thoughts Nemo. One of the reasons I'm strongly considering the Tactix is that I like the MGRS (Military Grid Reference System) ability vs. Lat./Long when navigating. My understanding is the Tactix is the only model that has this ability. Is it possible to download this feature on a Fenix 6?

Both my fenix 6x Pro and my Instinct have MGRS built-in.

HTH

 

The “power” refers to the use of “photovoltaic glass”. A thin film of silicon absorbs a small portion of light, and converts the photons into electrons, while most of the light through. The thin film is deposited on a substrate, usually glass.

the “sapphire” just refers to material of the crystal.

in some cases, the of thin film can be deposited on non-glass substrates, but it is unclear just how integrated the Pv glass is with the crystal.

 

The "power" refers to the use of "photovoltaic glass". A thin film of silicon absorbs a small portion of light, and converts the photons into electrons, while most of the light through. The thin film is deposited on a substrate, usually glass.

the "sapphire" just refers to material of the crystal.

in some cases, the of thin film can be deposited on non-glass substrates, but it is unclear just how integrated the Pv glass is with the crystal.

I think the thousand dollar question is how they got around the downsides of sapphire to make it work in a solar application. IIRC, the problem with sapphire for solar applications, in a watch, was that it was too reflective resulting in poor recharging compared to Gorilla Glass (GG).

There's also the well documented examples of how theres a tendency for Garmin sapphire glass watches to have poorer contrast compared to GG.

Ive sent Garmin my question but it was right before the ransomware attack, so I'll try them again.

Both my fenix 6x Pro and my Instinct have MGRS built-in.

HTH

Thats good to know. I hope at some point to be able to see both models in hand and depending on Garmin's response, I'll make a decision.

 

I received a reply back but unfortunately it wasn’t very helpful. Basically it said that he/she couldn’t provide any more information after looking into it. The rep did say that in their opinion the Delta appeared less reflective than the Fenix.

I replied essentially saying, very politely, that not being able to find the answer was not a satisfactory reply considering they design, make, and sell the product. I asked if they could dig deeper and/or provide a contact within Garmin that I could reach out to.

I’ll update this post if I hear back.

 

Garmin utilizza Power Sapphire per il cristallo del suo Tactix Delta Solar. È uno zaffiro migliorato che è più vicino in chiarezza/contrasto al Gorilla Glass (Power Glass)? Mi chiedo se Garmin abbia sentito tutte le lamentele riguardo al fatto che il loro zaffiro non solare è notevolmente più difficile da leggere rispetto ai loro modelli Gorilla Glass.

Non ho trovato alcuna informazione qui, sul web, su YT e nemmeno sulla homepage di Garmins.
[/CITAZIONE]

Displays were low contrast and dim - almost unreadable indoors under any lighting condition without using the backlight. Gorilla Glass is much higher contrast, brighter and no backlight needed to read the display except in very low light - literally the difference between night and day. Maybe I'm just more sensitive to the difference than some because there are many who defend the Sapphire display, but having tried 3 models with Sapphire (tactix Bravo, tactix Charlie and tactix Delta (non-solar)), none of them was acceptable to me.
HTH

Hello sorry if the post is not relevant to the discussion, but I'm new to the forum.I have a question for you and for everyone: you have evaluated a lower power, and a slowness in hanging up the bluetooth signal of the tactix delta shappire compared to the fenix 6 shappire? and also a lower level of the sound signals? thanks to who will answer me.

 

Sorry Orso, I never purchased either watch, Fenix6 or Delta. As much as I want to get a Garmin for working out and outdoor stuff, I haven’t found one that I’m willing to pay close to $1k.

I hear the Fenix 7 is close, assuming supply chains for materials are available. Maybe the 7 will be the ticket 🤙🤞🏻

Welcome to the forum.