With the new Apple Watch 2 coming out does anyone think it's capable of replacing my Garmin Fenix 3 as an outdoor watch (Hiking etc etc.) I am basically looking at the possibility that the new apple watch might have a compass and other Gps options. Basically my Garmin Fenix 3 is bulky and would love to replace it with the new apple watch 2.
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Apple Watch 2 Gps and compass question
- Thread starter chiefs1968
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No chance, unless by "hike" you mean a short walk somewhere.
The longer answer is that the battery life of the AW would likely be very short while in GPS mode. Looking at Garmin's watches for reference, they last about 1/20 of their smartwatch battery life while in GPS tracking mode. Garmin has an ultratrack mode that extends battery life to 1/10 of its smartwatch mode. So, let's say that Apple puts a bigger battery in the AW2 and cleans up the OS so it could get 2 days (48 hours) of smartwatch battery life. That means it could only support GPS mode for 3 to 5 hours. There is no universe where I would take a watch on a hike that could track me for 3-5 hours, unless I was walking in my neighborhood.
So far there has been no rumors of it containing a Hall Effect chip. It may happen but space is limited.