Apple Watch vs. Fenix 5x

[oeagleo]

I'm in the process of determining which I want to keep, and which I want to sell. I actuallly have both now, but only want to keep on, so.... Today, I decided to do a little unscientific "test" of the tracking of each. Here's the scenario.
Both watches on same arm, separated by about an inch. AW lower, F5x a little farther up the arm.
Both allowed to "soak" the position for about 5 minutes before starting the activity
I used an app "Work Outdoors" to enable exportable mapping on the Apple Watch.

Here is a direct comparison file from "My GPS Files" showing both tracks on the same map.
I know which I feel is the "better" track, but would like opinions as to what others think. I tried to make all things equal, but as I said, this is not a truly scientific, controlled test, but an informal walk with both devices on the same arm, same dat, same path, etc.

http://mygpsfiles.com/app/#MgcgZF58

 

[mk313]

That's a tough call. If I had to pick one, I'd say that when they diverge, the orange line is closer to the streets than the purple one slightly more often, but it's close enough that if it were me, I'd make my decision on which one to keep on other factors (style, battery life, other functionality, etc). At any rate, I'd probably keep them both for a few more runs to see if you see any clear winner emerges over time. I'd pretty much call it a draw from that one run.

Edit: I just saw that the orange one is the apple watch 7 the purple the Garmin. I also noticed that one of them had the workout as 2 and a half minutes longer than the other run. I'd probably go with whatever one was closer to the actual time, with that much divergence (or take a third, non-smart watch next time (in a pocket, so you don't look like a total dork) and see which one is tracking exercise time more accurately.

 

[oeagleo]

That's a tough call. If I had to pick one, I'd say that when they diverge, the orange line is closer to the streets than the purple one slightly more often, but it's close enough that if it were me, I'd make my decision on which one to keep on other factors (style, battery life, other functionality, etc). At any rate, I'd probably keep them both for a few more runs to see if you see any clear winner emerges over time. I'd pretty much call it a draw from that one run.

Edit: I just saw that the orange one is the apple watch 7 the purple the Garmin. I also noticed that one of them had the workout as 2 and a half minutes longer than the other run. I'd probably go with whatever one was closer to the actual time, with that much divergence (or take a third, non-smart watch next time (in a pocket, so you don't look like a total dork) and see which one is tracking exercise time more accurately.

It is probably because I stopped the Fenix activity first, then had to figure out how to stop the Work Outdoors activity. I left it there, thinking that it would continue to count the heart rate for the "2 minute cooldown", so that is probably the difference. Like I said, they were on the same wrist, same walk. Just didn't get the AW stopped as quickly as the Fenix. My bad.

 

[mk313]

It is probably because I stopped the Fenix activity first, then had to figure out how to stop the Work Outdoors activity. I left it there, thinking that it would continue to count the heart rate for the "2 minute cooldown", so that is probably the difference. Like I said, they were on the same wrist, same walk. Just didn't get the AW stopped as quickly as the Fenix. My bad.

Gotcha. In that case, I’d almost definitely make my decision based on secondary factors. It seems like they are pretty close overall.

 

[matrix07]

I believe you're overthinking it. It's just this simple:

If you want a fitness watch (in that all you want from it is tracking fitness), keep Garmin.
If you want a smart watch, keep Apple Watch.

 

[oeagleo]

I believe you're overthinking it. It's just this simple:

If you want a fitness watch (in that all you want from it is tracking fitness), keep Garmin.
If you want a smart watch, keep Apple Watch.

But, if you like certain aspects of both, the choice becomes a tad more complicated. I know, "get a piece of paper, draw a line down the middle..... LOL"

 

[iamasmith]

...
I know which I feel is the "better" track, but would like opinions as to what others think. I tried to make all things equal, but as I said, this is not a truly scientific, controlled test, but an informal walk with both devices on the same arm, same dat, same path, etc.

http://mygpsfiles.com/app/#MgcgZF58

Very interesting though, the accuracy is comparable and as you probably know there is very little likelihood of two even identical units producing the same graph - I've explained thus to runners at the office who went out together with the same Garmin units that showed quite different results.

For a basic fix 4, not 3 of the GPS satellites must be in good reception for the unit and most chipsets will sample from many more in the sky at that time. 2 different units, however, may lock onto different birds in the constellation with different positions and therefore different angles between them plus weather patterns effect the speed of signal reception and accuacy on some of these - this means you will always see some variance.

It is, therefore, pretty impressive that these 2 units dissimilar are performing as close as they are.

 

[rbart]

The Garmin has 3 big advantages while running:
- always on display
- battery life for long workouts (longer than 4 hours)
- hardware buttons

 

[oeagleo]

Very interesting though, the accuracy is comparable and as you probably know there is very little likelihood of two even identical units producing the same graph - I've explained thus to runners at the office who went out together with the same Garmin units that showed quite different results.

For a basic fix 4, not 3 of the GPS satellites must be in good reception for the unit and most chipsets will sample from many more in the sky at that time. 2 different units, however, may lock onto different birds in the constellation with different positions and therefore different angles between them plus weather patterns effect the speed of signal reception and accuacy on some of these - this means you will always see some variance.

It is, therefore, pretty impressive that these 2 units dissimilar are performing as close as they are.

Wow, I didn't think of the fact that the sats are moving, and the devices are constantly polling for the best sat array, that would certainly explain a lot. Yeah, I'm pretty satisfied with the AW, I'm not a marathoner, just an old man that does try to stay active, doing walks, some bike rides, and gym classes. Never need to have something that will last more than a day, as since I'm retired, I can charge in the mornings when I'm doing my coffee, and internet stuff. I am really surprised that the AW has the GPS tracks that it does though. To me, takes it out of the realm of "toy" into an actual fitness device.

 

[Cashmonee]

It really is a matter of whether you prefer a pure sports watch that happens to have some smartwatch capability or a pure smartwatch that also has fitness capability. I have had a S0 and S3 Apple Watch and have had the Fenix 2, 3, 3HR, and now 5 Plus. I currently own the Fenix 5 Plus and S3 Apple Watch. The Fenix is not terribly good as a smartwatch companion for iOS. The Apple Watch is not great for more involved workouts.

If you want a great smartwatch that does a decent job of tracking fitness, then I'd go with the Apple Watch. If you want a fitness watch that can give you in depth, real-time analysis of your workouts, and be capable of long workouts, then the Fenix is the way to go.

For me, it is the Fenix for any sort of working out, and the Apple Watch for day to day. Although, even that is starting to change as I begin to question what having instant, always-on notifications is doing to me as a person, and whether the notifications are actually useful or an unnecessary distraction.

 

[oeagleo]

It really is a matter of whether you prefer a pure sports watch that happens to have some smartwatch capability or a pure smartwatch that also has fitness capability. I have had a S0 and S3 Apple Watch and have had the Fenix 2, 3, 3HR, and now 5 Plus. I currently own the Fenix 5 Plus and S3 Apple Watch. The Fenix is not terribly good as a smartwatch companion for iOS. The Apple Watch is not great for more involved workouts.

If you want a great smartwatch that does a decent job of tracking fitness, then I'd go with the Apple Watch. If you want a fitness watch that can give you in depth, real-time analysis of your workouts, and be capable of long workouts, then the Fenix is the way to go.

For me, it is the Fenix for any sort of working out, and the Apple Watch for day to day. Although, even that is starting to change as I begin to question what having instant, always-on notifications is doing to me as a person, and whether the notifications are actually useful or an unnecessary distraction.

For me, it's a double edged sword. As a retired network administrator, I'm a hopeless geek. Hopelessly in love with data, what it says, and how to play with it. On the other hand, I'm also a person who absolutely loves maps, and what they can tell me. But, I also am a 70 year old man who knows that I'll never compete in a 5k, 10k, or anything approaching any kind of race, as my knees just don't work anymore like they should. Also, 35 years + of smoking, and being well over 300 pounds at one point, I realize I'll not "intensively train" for anything. However, I DO now appreciate living a healthy lifestyle, lost over a hundred of those pounds, and enjoy the walks, bike rides, silver sneakers classes at the gym, and occasional weight (well, the machines) training at the gym. I realize the F5x is way overkill, but man, the data....! I realize also for me, the most logical choice would be the Apple watch, and it can produce just about all the data I can handle, and I can export that data using RunGap into Garmin Connect, or Suunto's Movescount, and have almost everything the Garmin will give me. I think, for me, if Apple had a website where I could see ALL the data in one place, all day heart rate, sleep info, exercise/activity info, there simply wouldn't be a question. I'm leaning toward the Apple watch, just because it's probably for me, the most sensible choice, but then, I look at the 5x, and feel sorry for it... *sigh*
I do enjoy the apps that the AW gives, and the convenience of being able to check my bank balance (when there is one) or having music at the gym without having to have the phone, among many other little niceities that the AW provides. I really appreciate the ability to speak a return text like when I'm driving.. Man.. Okay, thanks for the input everyone, one of these days I'll make my decision, and hopefully stick with it..

 

[rbart]

In your case, you don't need a Fenix
An Apple watch is perfect.
An Apple watch is also perfect for casual runners, I run 3-4 times a week, and I am happy with my AW S2.

 

[iamasmith]

I have to agree, the AW will give you coaching and a little encouragement plus lots of data whatever your fitness level and you can keep up without letting it make your move goal crazy high.

 

[ftaok]

I think, for me, if Apple had a website where I could see ALL the data in one place, all day heart rate, sleep info, exercise/activity info, there simply wouldn't be a question.

I've been wanting this for a long time now. Right now, all the information stays on the iPhone. Can't do too much with that tiny screen.

I totally know what you mean about being a data geek. Hell, I used to export out the data from my iPod nano into Excel to plot out my running speeds and HR to compare from run to run. Totally useless, but it was strangely satisfying when the charts lined up.

Anyway, Apple could easily allow for the user to publish the data to iCloud and create a new "app" on iCloud.com to analyze the workout data more easily. I don't think they'll ever do it, and even if they did, they would likely use the "Apple-Style" line graphs which are pretty useless. We should do some consulting work for them and come up with a great concept to unlock the data onto iCloud. It's a winner.

 

[rbart]

You can upload all you data on Strav or other website using Healthkit app ou Rungap.
Then you can use your AW for tracking your workouts and use a web browser for analysis directly in Strava (and use all social possibilities of this platform).
I think Apple will never provide such powerful and widely used platform on icloud ...

 

[oeagleo]

You all are making good sense, and I'm adult enough to realize that while I'd like to envision myself doing a 50 mile run, or 100 mile bike ride, it simply ain't gonna happen. I think I've made my decision, just ordered a super nice looking Manta Ray skin strap for the "dressier" occasions, we'll see how that looks when it gets here. I have to admit that in the last month or so, my "rings" calendar look horrible; I'll wear the AW for a week, put the Fenix back on, and in 3 days I'm back to the AW, trying another full week of all 3... *sigh* The AGONY!

 

[mk313]

You all are making good sense, and I'm adult enough to realize that while I'd like to envision myself doing a 50 mile run, or 100 mile bike ride, it simply ain't gonna happen. I think I've made my decision, just ordered a super nice looking Manta Ray skin strap for the "dressier" occasions, we'll see how that looks when it gets here. I have to admit that in the last month or so, my "rings" calendar look horrible; I'll wear the AW for a week, put the Fenix back on, and in 3 days I'm back to the AW, trying another full week of all 3... *sigh* The AGONY!

If you do end up with the Apple Watch, as someone mentioned above, you’ll probably want to export your workout data using either healthfit or rungap or else use a third party app to start. That will allow you to see more data outside of the watch/phone. I use rungap myself and it’s pretty fantastic.

 

[Pennacnp]

I am in the same boat as you, Oeagleo. I too have an Apple Watch 3 and a Fenix 5x Plus, and routinely switch back and forth between the two devices. This first world struggle is real.

My wishlist for the Apple Watch would include many of the measurements from FirstBeat Technology (EPOC, recovery time, and training effect).

 

[oeagleo]

I am in the same boat as you, Oeagleo. I too have an Apple Watch 3 and a Fenix 5x Plus, and routinely switch back and forth between the two devices. This first world struggle is real.

My wishlist for the Apple Watch would include many of the measurements from FirstBeat Technology (EPOC, recovery time, and training effect).

I have been using RunGap, and really do like it, because I absolutely love the ability to export the data to other platforms. For me, for the pure data of the activities, I've found that Suunto's Movescount gives me the best data picture, including Peak Training Effect, and EPOC. No recovery though, but through experience I generally can figure out what my approximate recovery times are. Here's an example of an activity that was exported from Apple's Health into Movescount, using RunGap:
http://www.movescount.com/moves/move237202711

And the same activity imported into Garmin Connect, using RunGap
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/2946405032

"Told ya I was a data freak!" LOL

 

[Bozley0621]

I would love a Fenix, but a few trivial things keep me with the AW. I like being able to easily swap out the bands and change the Disney watch faces, as well as I like the polished look of the stainless steel for less sporty occasions. Silly reasons, but they’re mine.

 

[Cashmonee]

I would love a Fenix, but a few trivial things keep me with the AW. I like being able to easily swap out the bands and change the Disney watch faces, as well as I like the polished look of the stainless steel for less sporty occasions. Silly reasons, but they’re mine.

They newer Fenix watches (5 and above I believe) use a quick release for bands that is as easy to use as the Apple Watch. Otherwise, yeah, I agree.

 

[ActionableMango]

I DO now appreciate living a healthy lifestyle, lost over a hundred of those pounds, and enjoy the walks, bike rides, silver sneakers classes at the gym, and occasional weight (well, the machines) training at the gym.

Fantastic! Great job!!!

I'll wear the AW for a week, put the Fenix back on, and in 3 days I'm back to the AW, trying another full week of all 3... *sigh* The AGONY!

Think outside of the box...you have two watches that you like, and you have two wrists.

 

[oeagleo]

Fantastic! Great job!!!



Think outside of the box...you have two watches that you like, and you have two wrists.

Yeah, and I'd get double the stares when out and about... LOL!