The new AW reportedly lasts 5 hours with GPS. A "semi-serious distance runner" should be able to complete a half-marathon (and likely a full marathon) in five hours. I'd still use my Garmin for a race, but for reasons other than battery life.
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Runners, what's better Garmin or AppleWatch?
- Thread starter satchmo
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Agree, I've had no problem at all with the AW lasting and have run several half marathons with it. One of the things that drives me nuts is there is no auto pause. I run in the city and have to stop for stop lights and don't like pausing and un-pausing it all the time. I think the new update fixes this, but not sure.
One of the reviews mentioned that the goal was to have the GPS last a full marathon. If that's the case, that seems acceptable. I still prefer Garmin displays (and metrics) for training runs and races, but if the reports of battery life hold and the screen is more visible in full sun than the Series 0 I could see the AW Series 2 being viable for casual runs or running while traveling (and eliminating the need to pack two watches, or relying on the Garmin as a daily wear while traveling).
Julien
macrumors G4
Do you know how to turn it on? I tried to find online yesterday, but couldn't. Thanks!
Julien
macrumors G4
Oh gosh, a bit embarrassed I didn't find that on my own, but thank you!!! Really appreciate your taking the time to respond.
Julien
macrumors G4
Also you can select the metrics you want to have displayed by selecting Workout View at the top. Now get out and run because I have some (if it is possible to have only SOME) planter fasciitis and having to do alternate cardio. I miss running and it has only been 2 weeks.
Mollan
macrumors regular
I'm deciding whether to go for the AW2 or a Garmin Fenix 3 HR (or 735xt).
The first thing I don't like of the AW is the squared shape, which is definitely garish in my opinion.
The battery is the second problem. Having to recharge it every night, or not being able to track data overnight are definitely annoying situations.
On the other hand, I owned 3 Garmin watches so far, and none of these was perfect. They all had flaws on the UI and UX, which were due to a bad engineering or bad project planning. Like implementing a watch with a touch sensitive wheel that works one time over 100. Apple software is definitely more polished and will be expanded indefinitely.
Not a big fan of notifications while you are carrying the phone around (I found them quite a repetition, especially if the phone is on the office desk) so probably I won't get all the benefits from a more polished software.
Probably I'll wait till CES in January, when the Fenix 4 will be released or I'll go for the (cheaper) 735XT.
The first thing I don't like of the AW is the squared shape, which is definitely garish in my opinion.
The battery is the second problem. Having to recharge it every night, or not being able to track data overnight are definitely annoying situations.
On the other hand, I owned 3 Garmin watches so far, and none of these was perfect. They all had flaws on the UI and UX, which were due to a bad engineering or bad project planning. Like implementing a watch with a touch sensitive wheel that works one time over 100. Apple software is definitely more polished and will be expanded indefinitely.
Not a big fan of notifications while you are carrying the phone around (I found them quite a repetition, especially if the phone is on the office desk) so probably I won't get all the benefits from a more polished software.
Probably I'll wait till CES in January, when the Fenix 4 will be released or I'll go for the (cheaper) 735XT.
well obviously 5 hours for a half would be crawling pace, but I its not a running watch, if I do a 40min 10km before work my AW1 won't last the day. The AW2 might be able to do 5hrs in GPS but what does the rest of the day look like?
The AW is the best looking and does more things than the garmin, but the cost is it can't be as good as a dedicated fitness watch or last as long. Until someone invents a decent battery, this will be the issue
Garmin all the way. Fenix 3 is one of the best for cycling/running/swimming/hiking etc... The AW is getting better, but still nowhere near where it can compete with Garmin.
Ha! I hate to say it, but am in a similar boat. Fighting a terrible cold. I hope to be back on the road this weekend though. Good luck with the planter fasciitis, my husband gets that and I know it can be miserable.
I just went for the 735 over the fenix3, although the fenix3 looks amazing its quite old tech underneath and its not getting the latest SDK so will likely be phased out soon
Been off my bike far too long now myself. Hope you are feeling better! I plan on trying to finally get a ride in today!
It is a few years old now, so I suspect that Garmin will be releasing something new soon. Fenix 4?
lordofthereef
macrumors G5
The verge reviewer said she could run with god for an hour and still be 23% at the end of the day. If your 10k takes 40 minutes you should be looking st even better numbers at the end of the day (everything else being equal).
exxxviii
macrumors 65816
Yeah, the current gen burns about 15% battery per hour during a workout. When I used mine during a 45 minute workout before work, it still easily made it through the rest of the day.
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What are you going to use it for? Those three have very different optimized purposes.
patrickdunn
macrumors 6502a
Garmin by far if you're multi-sport. I do triathlons and use the Fenix 3 HR. I'm getting the Series 2 SS Friday, and I'll probably rotate as long as AW2 can run Strava without my phone nearby, or at least import into Strava. I'm obsessed with "if it's not in strata, it didn't happen".
Also AW2 doesn't support (yet) cadence sensors like Wahoo, and I'm cruious how it will handle elevation. Finally, I'll use my Fenix for racing, as it can handle triathlon mode with transitions from swim to bike to run.
Also AW2 doesn't support (yet) cadence sensors like Wahoo, and I'm cruious how it will handle elevation. Finally, I'll use my Fenix for racing, as it can handle triathlon mode with transitions from swim to bike to run.
exxxviii
macrumors 65816
Mollan
macrumors regular
I'd like to buy one for at least 2 different sports as running and swimming. Also the hiking options would be a plus, since my current (old) Garmin runs out of battery after 8-10 hours of GPS. Biking option is also a good addition, but not mandatory, as I can use the running program and rename the activity on the Garmin website after.
The second important thing I'd like to have, is the 24/7 tracking of heartbeat and movement, and all the three options are similar, except for the shorter battery life in the AW.
I'm not interested in notifications, as I found them pretty useless if your phone is out of the pocket for 90% of the day and you are working at your Mac. I'm already having double notifications, and the AW would just add one more...
I'm actually very curious on what Garmin and Suunto will do next. They cannot go on behaving like Nokia did many years ago when the first iPhone was launched on the market. They should improve the software component (especially releasing less buggy firmwares for the first months) and focus on less, but better, devices. Having the 235, 630 and 735 on the market, all of them very similar except for software limitations, makes the clients angry...especially with Apple and its assistance in the same market.
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exxxviii
macrumors 65816
It does not sound like you are planning to race with the watch, so any of three would do well in that regard. However, if 10 hours of battery is a priority, then the Fenix 3 is really the only option. The 735XT seems to crap out at around 10.5 hours in a triathlon. The 735XT is likely to be one of the most comfortable for 24/7 tracking due to its weight and size. The AW requires special apps and charging logistics for 24/7 HR and sleep, while you just have to remember to charge the Fenix or 735XT once a week or so.
Garmin is shifting to a 2-2.5 year major refresh cycle for its fitness products. The Fenix 3 is a little over a year old now, so the next gen may not arrive until the spring at the earliest, and it could be next fall. The expectation is that the next gen 920 is coming in the spring of 2017 rather than Interbike next week.
KUKitch
macrumors 6502
I've had a very different experience, weekend long runs of 2-3 hours don't seem to keep my AW1 from lasting the day... definitely don't see that big a hit from runs less than that either. Heck I got rid of the battery complication because it never gets to a point that I have to worry about it unless I accidentally forget to charge it the night before.
Yea, same here. I never worry about the battery since I know I have to charge it each day. I have had many days when i do 3-4 hour bike rides and have no trouble making it thru the day. I usually just charge mine at times when I don't need to be wearing it .. showering, watching TV in the evening, etc. Since I use HeartWatch for sleep tracking, I basically wear it 22.5 hours a day and charge it 1.5 hours a day and have never even see 30%.
I don't get all of the stress over battery life.
Mollan
macrumors regular
Interesting, I thought the 735XT could last more than 10.5 hours...at least from what reviews say it can stick around 14 hours of GPS use.
Yes, that's the most annoying part. For Apple one can almost predict the launch date of some products, but other companies follow almost a random launch schedule. The fenix 3 was launched on Jan 2015, with a refresh in Feb 2016 (HR and Sapphire options). I expect it to be renewed by Jan/Feb 2017 at most.
The next gen 920 I believe it's definitely out of target for me. Too much triathlon and not enough hiking 🙂
Julien
macrumors G4
Keep in mind that Garmin is a teeny tiny company in relation to Apple and they probably carry almost as many SKUs. They must 'fight' for parts, financing and production capacity while all this is offered on a silver plater to Apple (cash talks and BIG cash yells). Also many of their products sell in the 100,000 of units and it takes a lot longer to amortize out R&D and production costs before replacing with a new product.