Being totally objective here on AW vs Garmin...

[NME42]

I agree on stability but that's kind of where this one got better.
Agree on Garmin Pay, it's not up to the Apple Pay standard.

Still, like I said, wearing an Ultra these days.

What I forgot to mention: to be honest, hardware quality was also only mediocre with Garmin. Had to replace all my watches once. Support was excellent, but I would expect to receive a better quality when I buy a premium product. Defects ranging from water intrusion (910XT) to altimeter defunct (935) to buttons sticking (945). When reading Garmin forums, these problems are still there.

Garmin Pay was a joke here in Germany. Just checked the list of banks and it hasn't significantly improved to my experience two years ago. Only one real bank (but not mine) and the rest are more or less shady virtual credit card providers which will only be accepted at a part of the shops. With Apple Pay I am able to pay at about 99% of all shops or service providers.

My next watch will definitely be an Ultra 2, as I am happy with my AW7. No idea what Garmin could realistically could do to get me back as customer. Not that I am angry, not at all, but I see no reasonable and realistic path forward for them. More metrics? Nah, I do not trust most of them now. Better smartwatch capabilities? They have not improved during the last years, and they can't improve, even if they wanted due to limits Apple imposes on them.

Will be interesting to watch what happens.

 

[usmaak]

What I forgot to mention: to be honest, hardware quality was also only mediocre with Garmin. Had to replace all my watches once. Support was excellent, but I would expect to receive a better quality when I buy a premium product. Defects ranging from water intrusion (910XT) to altimeter defunct (935) to buttons sticking (945). When reading Garmin forums, these problems are still there.

Garmin Pay was a joke here in Germany. Just checked the list of banks and it hasn't significantly improved to my experience two years ago. Only one real bank (but not mine) and the rest are more or less shady virtual credit card providers which will only be accepted at a part of the shops. With Apple Pay I am able to pay at about 99% of all shops or service providers.

My next watch will definitely be an Ultra 2, as I am happy with my AW7. No idea what Garmin could realistically could do to get me back as customer. Not that I am angry, not at all, but I see no reasonable and realistic path forward for them. More metrics? Nah, I do not trust most of them now. Better smartwatch capabilities? They have not improved during the last years, and they can't improve, even if they wanted due to limits Apple imposes on them.

Will be interesting to watch what happens.

I was lucky with my Venu. I used it for 2.5 years and didn’t have much of a problem with it. Of course I found some way to turn off updates to it in the beginning so I was running the OG firmware. That was the most stable, but I never got any of the newer features. I have a friend who had to get hers replaced after a year because it wouldn’t connect to GPS at all the refurb that they sent her was garbage as well and it has tons of problems with connecting and GPS accuracy. I am going to give her my old watch because at least it connects and is reasonably accurate. Before GARMIN, I used Fitbit watches and those things were pure trash. They had a tendency to fail not long after the warranty was done and the most that Fitbit would do was to offer 10 percent off the purchase of another watch that would likely fail shortly after the warranty was up.

All smartwatch metrics are suspect. I don’t put much faith in measurements like calories burned and pulse ox.

I was happy with the Venu and would have kept using it but when I connected it to GARMIN Connect on my iPhone, it crippled the already limited notification and texting capability on the watch. It took away the ability to respond and to swipe down to remove notifications. So I tried the Apple Watch and I really like it a lot. It is a very clever watch. Before I got the Venu, I tried a Samsung watch and it was pretty poor. The Apple Watch is so much better than anything else out there, I think.

 

[zerozoneice]

Agree on Garmin Pay, it's not up to the Apple Pay standard.

hmm, both can pair bank cards and do contactless payments, so what does Apple Pay do more?

 

[DontGetTheCheese]

hmm, both can pair bank cards and do contactless payments, so what does Apple Pay do more?

The fluidity of the experience is better and more consistent. Two taps and go.

With Garmin, you have to trigger the code, and it seemed to error out more often.

I don't think it's really a question that the Apple experience is better.

 

[zerozoneice]

The fluidity of the experience is better and more consistent. Two taps and go.

With Garmin, you have to trigger the code, and it seemed to error out more often.

I don't think it's really a question that the Apple experience is better.

ah you mean the toggle/usage part, yeah that is better on the apple.
functionality wise is same tho.
although the passcode does have its advantages

 

[trumptman]

The fluidity of the experience is better and more consistent. Two taps and go.

With Garmin, you have to trigger the code, and it seemed to error out more often.

I don't think it's really a question that the Apple experience is better.

Seems a bit biased. You trigger the pin once every 24 hrs and it remains active as long as the watch is on your wrist. You enter the pin on your Apple Watch when you put it on and it remains active for as long as it is on your wrist as well. The issue really only feels "inconsistent" since the Garmin battery life allows it to remain on your wrist for a couple weeks.

 

[theotherphil]

Seems a bit biased. You trigger the pin once every 24 hrs and it remains active as long as the watch is on your wrist. You enter the pin on your Apple Watch when you put it on and it remains active for as long as it is on your wrist as well. The issue really only feels "inconsistent" since the Garmin battery life allows it to remain on your wrist for a couple weeks.

I think since Apple added the ability to unlock the AW automatically when you open the phone with faceID, people are no longer used to inputting any code at all with ApplePay. Having to input the code daily with GarminPay adds friction which is noticeable if you've used the AW.

 

[DontGetTheCheese]

Seems a bit biased. You trigger the pin once every 24 hrs and it remains active as long as the watch is on your wrist. You enter the pin on your Apple Watch when you put it on and it remains active for as long as it is on your wrist as well. The issue really only feels "inconsistent" since the Garmin battery life allows it to remain on your wrist for a couple weeks.

Funny that everyone calls bias. I own both and have used both since the AW4.

Anyways, I stand by my statement. I rate the Pay experience better on the AW and like I said Garmin Pay also tends to hang/fail at the register far more often than the AW.

 

[Significant1]

Funny that everyone calls bias. I own both and have used both since the AW4.

Anyways, I stand by my statement. I rate the Pay experience better on the AW and like I said Garmin Pay also tends to hang/fail at the register far more often than the AW.

I have both and really don't think this is factor. But the reason I use apple pay if I wear both, is that my bank doesn't support garmin pay, so I have opened an account just for Garmin Pay in another bank and must keep it topped up.

edit: Missed don't and that was propably not what NME42 was liking, sorry.

 

[trumptman]

I think since Apple added the ability to unlock the AW automatically when you open the phone with faceID, people are no longer used to inputting any code at all with ApplePay. Having to input the code daily with GarminPay adds friction which is noticeable if you've used the AW.

So you're claiming that when you take your iPhone out of your pocket and use Face ID to unlock it that it also unlocks your watch and having to take it out of your pocket and do that is less friction than a once a day pin? You're using a whole second device!

Funny that everyone calls bias. I own both and have used both since the AW4.

Anyways, I stand by my statement. I rate the Pay experience better on the AW and like I said Garmin Pay also tends to hang/fail at the register far more often than the AW.

I think most people here don't recall you can set a hotkey for Wallet. I made mine Start+Up. It's just as easy as double clicking a button. I'd agree if you hold the backlight button, go into that carousel and then select Wallet that is more work.

 

[DontGetTheCheese]

I'm out, arguing Garmin Pay vs Apple Pay, jeez....

 

[canyonblue737]

...or subjective..you decide

So, i've had them both, over several generations..from AW4 to 7 and Venu, Venu2, Fenix6 and now Epix gen2.
They are both very good devices but not really 100% comparable in terms of features/capabilities.
It's very important to figure out what type of user you are, what you value/need most and go out and TRY for yourselves both worlds before sticking with one.

In my case i'm not an extreme sports freak, but not a laggard either. Consider 2-3 workouts/week, some walks, mostly swimming, some biking weather permitting. I don't use any notifications at all on my watch, don't care about them being the extension of my phone...which i pretty much always carry around but i don't freak out either if i don't have it in range.

Which brings me to the knockout criteria for my case and probably some of you as well:

- I don't need my watch to be an extension of my phone (and my mac, and my ipad, and my mac mini.....etc...)
- I don't need to talk or message on my watch...i have a phone for that ffs. With a proper screen.
- I like things simple & tidy, set & forget
- I don't like to charge everything every (other) day, phone is enough.
- I do want some clear insights and added value from my workout data...again, concise and not all over the place
- Health aspects are important, interesting, useful, but not to be taken as medical-grade devices
- I hate lots of apps that do the same thing (think of 100 apps for EV charging/payments/status, etc..instead of ONE...fck..g annoying).
- I'm simply not interested in the social aspect of things (sharing workouts, posting best times, joining groups, competitions, etc..)

Even though i love the AW7, how it feels, how it integrates with everything Apple, i decided to sell it and keep the Epix2.
Reasons (for me) are:

- ONE Garmin Connect app. I control everything watch/health/workout related from one app, NOT 3 (Watch, Fitness, Health)...plus other 3rd party apps
- Looks. I simply like how the Epix2 looks and feels on the wrist
- Battery life: 12-16 days with everything on. Enough said.
- 24h HRV stats & insights, Stress monitor, Body Battery. AW doesn't take regular HRV samples, not even during sleep. Does it every 2h. To force a reading you need to use the Breathe/Mindfulness app.
- Overall Garmin seems to make more sense out of the data collected and present it in a more meaningful way...out of the box!

Garmin does indeed lack the ecosystem that Apple has, incl. 3rd party apps, store, integrations, etc. But i don't mind, since i don't need those. They appear to have a fundamentally different approach to health/fitness metrics & reporting. Apple being more trend focused, sometimes maybe too shallow (daily normal user friendly), whereas Garmin is a bit more in-depth with lots of other stuff. Again, presentation layer in Apple world is a mess...3 native apps to manage the hardware/fitness/health and relying on 3rd party ecosystem to provide that additional layer of insights that some users need. Garmin manages this all in one app.

Prices are crazy for Epix2 but if you manage to find a previously owned device, still in warranty with proof of purchase, go for it.
Same sensors but with slightly less health metrics to be found in Venu2/2 Plus, at 1/3 of price. Still solid 10 day battery life, but less appealing looks.

There, hope it helps...

sounds like you made an excellent choice. I want the killer smartwatch features and am willing (and able because I don't do really long workouts anyway, maybe 5-6 hour hikes or a 2.5 half marathon) to sacrifice some ultimate fitness capability for it.

 

[theotherphil]

So you're claiming that when you take your iPhone out of your pocket and use Face ID to unlock it that it also unlocks your watch and having to take it out of your pocket and do that is less friction than a once a day pin? You're using a whole second device!

No, what I'm claiming, as I'm sure you already know, is that when you put your Apple Watch on, the next time you unlock your phone with FaceID, your apple watch does too....and it stays unlocked the entirety of the time it is on your wrist.

People tend to use their phones hundreds of times per day. I've never had to input the pin on my AW for months.

 

[Zelegorm]

hmm, both can pair bank cards and do contactless payments, so what does Apple Pay do more?

Trust, safety, and ApplePay works with nearly any card in Germany - Garmin is more or less a joke. I will Never trust such a company any money transfers.

 

[michelob tfs]

I'm out, arguing Garmin Pay vs Apple Pay, jeez....

‘I’m out’


😆😆😆😆😆

 

[NickYanakiev]

Anyone know of a way to have Garmin (daily activity tracking+recording activities) contribute toward the Apple activity rings? I find that it works but only intermittently.

 

[azhava]

Anyone know of a way to have Garmin (daily activity tracking+recording activities) contribute toward the Apple activity rings? I find that it works but only intermittently.

Garmin devices work with the Move ring, but not with the Stand or Exercise rings. At least that's how it was working with me for my Fenix 6 before I went to the AW8.

 

[PatrickNSF]

Anyone know of a way to have Garmin (daily activity tracking+recording activities) contribute toward the Apple activity rings? I find that it works but only intermittently.

I find the most consistent way to get Move, Exercise and Stand credit on my Apple Watch is to use RunGap and share the activities with the Health app.

 

[xDKP]

sounds like you made an excellent choice. I want the killer smartwatch features and am willing (and able because I don't do really long workouts anyway, maybe 5-6 hour hikes or a 2.5 half marathon) to sacrifice some ultimate fitness capability for it.

My thoughts as well - I have a great running watch for my Marathons but killer smartwatch features as well...

 

[OnlyHereSoIDontGetFined]

And that's the point. I am wearing my Apple Watch the whole day. I checked both a while at the same time. The GPS and the wrist based heart rate is so much better on the Apple Watch.
That was the time I saw no reason to switch watches anymore.

If there would be something you can say: That's great on the Garmin. It's not. I haven't found nearly nothing. Bad sensors. Crippled Smart Watch features. LTE? Apple Music streaming? Better GPS - nope. Sleep tracking - nope. Health features - nope. Payments - nope. Even the Apple Watch work outdoors app is so much better than anything on the Garmin. The Garmin store? What a joke...

What's left: A better battery life. Makes sense for a few 0,00001 precent of the people. Maybe the platform? Maybe a few people with the old propriety ANT+ Standard (I would never buy hardware with ANT+ only btw.). And maybe some people love bad displays. Because the Display is really sooo 1980s on the Fenix7

Health features? Garmin is miles ahead in many regards. Body Battery, training readiness, making sense of basically any health or training metrics... Garmin is track HR and HRV multiple times per second. Apple is tracking HR every 3 minutes and HRV only every 15 minutes (and thats only if you turn AFib on!). Sorry, but you're just flat out wrong on fitness and health. Sure, you can cobble together an ok experience AWU but its not nearly as comprehensive and it is really annoying to have to use multiple apps to find the scattered data.

Haven't even touched on structured training programs and many other fitness features of Garmin. Just because you don't personally use them, doesn't mean they don't exist and aren't better.

 

[sarc]

Health features? Garmin is miles ahead in many regards. Body Battery, training readiness, making sense of basically any health or training metrics... Garmin is track HR and HRV multiple times per second. Apple is tracking HR every 3 minutes and HRV only every 15 minutes (and thats only if you turn AFib on!). Sorry, but you're just flat out wrong on fitness and health. Sure, you can cobble together an ok experience AWU but its not nearly as comprehensive and it is really annoying to have to use multiple apps to find the scattered data.

Haven't even touched on structured training programs and many other fitness features of Garmin. Just because you don't personally use them, doesn't mean they don't exist and aren't better.

Like many people have already said crap in gives you crap out. Garmin might track your HRV more often but it's not reliable. Run testers had a video (around the 11min mark) on the ultra compared to the Epix and he commented on how the heart rate on the Epix is terrible so bad that it impacted his recovery metric for two weeks after just one run with it.

 

[OnlyHereSoIDontGetFined]

Like many people have already said crap in gives you crap out. Garmin might track your HRV more often but it's not reliable. Run testers had a video (around the 11min mark) on the ultra compared to the Epix and he commented on how the heart rate on the Epix is terrible so bad that it impacted his recovery metric for two weeks after just one run with it.

On run testers, 1 guy had a bad run with Garmin, 1 had a consistent run. As they mentioned in the video, a strap is ALWAYS better. If you wear a strap while working out, the Garmin is going to give you perfectly fine HR and HRV numbers during normal activities. In fact, there have been plenty of videos on the unreliability of AWU HRV data. I’m not here to bash AWU. I like both AWU and Garmin but both offer different features and the Garmin’s built in metrics and analysis are just far better.

 

[usmaak]

On run testers, 1 guy had a bad run with Garmin, 1 had a consistent run. As they mentioned in the video, a strap is ALWAYS better. If you wear a strap while working out, the Garmin is going to give you perfectly fine HR and HRV numbers during normal activities. In fact, there have been plenty of videos on the unreliability of AWU HRV data. I’m not here to bash AWU. I like both AWU and Garmin but both offer different features and the Garmin’s built in metrics and analysis are just far better.

I use a chest strap on my Apple Watch. If it didn't have the ability to use one, I wouldn't have bought the watch. I always did the same with my previous Garmin Venu.

 

[OnlyHereSoIDontGetFined]

Yes. I never said you couldn't on the AW. The point is that the AW is not collecting data at the same rate (or even close to the same) as the Garmin in normal day-to-day (non-fitness) use when you aren't wearing the strap. If you want to know the state of your recovery/nervous system, you need to factor in all activity, including stress. The way these devices do so is by capturing HR and HRV readings. The AW is not even recording HRV in the background unless you force it to by turning on AFib (serious design flaw) and even then it is only recording it every 15 minutes--there have also been numerous reports of errant HRV readings on AW, which would also skew recovery numbers.

Just because any one reviewer has an issue with Garmin readings, does not mean that the Garmin is not accurate for another person--there are many factors that affect the reliability of readings. Even conceding that Apple has the better sensors, the sensors aren't THAT much better, and certainly not enough so to make up for everything I've already said about the lack HR and HRV readings. Not to mention that there isn't even a native HRV app on AW--you have to do a 2 minute breathing activity, then take your phone and go to the Health app and look for HRV... why? Garmin it is all right there.

There are plenty of reasons to choose the AW over a Garmin, but if you think health/fitness is the one, you're just kidding yourself.

 

[solq]

Better sapphire crystal on the Garmins too (it explains me not managing so far to get any scratch on the screen of my Epix 2 despite now almost a year of workouts and wearing it basically non stop - my previous fitness trackers didn't fare so well...):