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AWU3 Buyer's remorse

Heart rate recording is something that I am interested in.

I use apps: HeartWatch (first image) and Heart Analyzer (following images). Warning - I am not in shape or a healthy person.

IMG_0264.jpeg IMG_0261.jpeg IMG_0262.jpeg

IMG_0263.jpeg

Looks like my Apple Watch Ultra 3 checks for heart rate every 5 mins. (I have a desk job and spend a lot of time reading in my free time). I wear my watch all day/night.

I know when my AWU3 checks for heart rate I get a VERY bright green light that sometimes lights up the room if my watch isn't sitting right - at night. Can't imagine this going off all the time.
 
BigMcGuire said:
I know when my AWU3 checks for heart rate I get a VERY bright green light that sometimes lights up the room if my watch isn't sitting right - at night. Can't imagine this going off all the time.
Click to expand...

With Garmin it is happening all the time. It's not extremely bright, and I can only spot it by chance during the night (in saver mode, for those wondering).

As for the screens you showed, especially this one:

https://forums.macrumors.com/media/img_0261-jpeg.1074177/

the graph is a guesstimate - you can't build a meaningful graph with trends based on points taken every 5 min - hence why Apple themselves show HR as a bar graph. They don't know what's happening in-between, and in 5 min your HR can be up and down by a lot. They most likely assume that majority of population leads a sedentary lifestyle hence it's ok to take shortcuts like that and it would still might give some sort of ballpark figure that won't be fundamentally wrong, but it's not as accurate as it should be, given what's possible with the sensors but into the device.
 
cynics said:
Picking your poison with this one. Both deliver partial heart rate data using a mediocre method in a poor location to the end user and both explicitly say its not to be used for as medical purposes for that reason.

During high activity both watches operate similarly constantly recording heart rate at their high frequency modes (200hz) however the Garmin refreshes the screen per second. Since BPM is the average beat per minute delivering data that fast isn't very beneficial.

During inactivity the Apple Watch will sample using its high frequency (200hz) based on movement and/or time if completely inactive to conserve battery. This is to record resting heart rates and calories burned from low activity. Gaps in data are introduced due to lack of recording.

Garmin will sample using a low frequency mode (I've read anywhere from 0.1 - 20 hz) based on activity to converse battery. This records resting heart rate and such. Gaps in the data are introduced due to lack of frequency of the sample rate.

Both have very similar results, which is a not precise but good enough heart rate for tracking trends with fitness and heart wellness.

I do feel there is good reasons to pick one watch over the other however I don't feel heart rate is one of them.
Click to expand...
I have both AWU3 and the F8 Pro. I only use both of them as a guide to if I need to take my HR properly. On the day I was diagnosed with AFib my Garmin was reading 80bpm while the nurse said it was actually too high to count (ECG eventually showed 150+). As you say not really for medical purposes
 
I returned my ultra soon after it arrived and went back to a Ti AW. The Ultra was too big and bulky for a few extra features that I will never use. I only use about 25-30% of my battery each day so my S11 Ti is more than enough.
 
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