The AW Ultra suddenly seems like a bargain now with Garmins silly pricing

[BSG75]

My main jealousy of the Garmin is still battery life - Hopefully that can be a bit better with the Ultra 3 coming up. Two full years in the oven should make it a pretty good upgrade?

But just as you mention here, I have a wife that likes to know I'm okay when going on the long runs in the weekend in the early morning, so being able to go without my phone is just a killer feature

I would like to see better battery life as well, but that doesn't seem to be a priority with the AW/AWU at this time. I really hope I'm proven wrong with the next update. As long as the AW is an extension of the iPhone, battery life will be an issue. A Garmin is not trying to be an extension of the phone, but rather a connected sports watch. So, at least with the current state of battery chemistry, what features would one be willing to give up on the AW in order to have longer battery life?

I have an AWU 1 and the battery is at 86%, which means I charge it every other day. I don't think that's too bad going on three years. I also have a Garmin Epix which is AMMOLED and I use it with the display always on. I get six days of battery life. But again, the Epix isn't trying to do as much as the AW, so it's using less power to do so. That seems to be the trade off.

On the Garmin side, many users seem to be requesting LTE connectivity on the watches, which will more than likely impact battery life, especially when using GPS. We'll see how that plays out.

Right now, it's best to pick whichever watch checks the most boxes for your personal needs. Until there is a perfect watch, we are going to have to make some compromises in whichever platform we choose. There's really no right or wrong answer, IMO, just personal choice.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Sounds like the AW vs Garmin comparison might be getting a tilt towards Garmin if Apple aren't careful here...

I definitely wouldn't want my watch software to be "chuggin", no matter the vendor.

 

[quarq]

WatchOS clearly consumes a lot more CPU cycles than Garmin. It also does a lot more.. I don't see Apple dumbing down the OS to burn less cycles. If anything, improvements will come with hardware. But even there. I am getting two weeks on my Garmin whereas with my AWU v1, I was getting maybe 36hrs with about the same usage patterns. To get 2 weeks out of an Apple Watch Ultra would require a huge battery.

I think to make the AWU work, you just have to make charging part of your regular routine. It's a bit tricky as compared to a phone as the phone isn't strapped to your arm. You put the phone down and plug it in.. You were going to put the phone down anyhow.. With a watch, you have to unstrap it, remember to put it back.. Yes, I understand the silliness of this statement, but I suspect that's what some people have an issue with. No one really complains about having to charge their phones every day or two. But they do for their watches..

Anyhow, let's see what the AWU v3 has.. But I am tempted to go back.

The other issue that irks me is that the new Garmin's have a cool feature for when running a marathon. It apparently understands the course and then gives you your pacing based on where you are on the course as opposed to how far you have travelled. So if your path isn't optimal, say because you had to zig zag around people or didn't round the corner optimally, it's supposed to calculate your pace based on how far down the course you've gone. Which would mean, you'd finish your marathon with the GPS reporting much closer to 42.2km then what watches normally report.

Of course, my Garmin, which I bought 6 months ago isn't going to get that upgrade. That would never have happened with Apple...

 

[turbineseaplane]

I don't see Apple dumbing down the OS to burn less cycles. If anything, improvements will come with hardware.

It's a fools errand to constantly be trying to beat performance hog software with more hardware.

I really wish Apple would make a fitness focused lineup to compete head to head with Garmins.

Garmin's have a cool feature for when running a marathon. It apparently understands the course and then gives you your pacing based on where you are on the course as opposed to how far you have travelled.

Very cool indeed

 

[xDKP]

Of course, my Garmin, which I bought 6 months ago isn't going to get that upgrade. That would never have happened with Apple...

Pretty cool feature - and really not a great path Garmin is moving down, with making new versions of hardware and instantly making the existing watches vintage from updates. People have also purchased Forerunner 965 recently (or maybe still buy them on sale from Garmin) and they are also out of luck with some of the new software-only features. Hate that

My three year old Ultra still gets same WatchOS 26 soon

 

[turbineseaplane]

My three year old Ultra still gets same WatchOS 26 soon

That's not looking too good at the moment..

 

[xDKP]

That's not looking too good at the moment..

Early beta - pretty expected and happens every single release - give it 2-3 betas and it’s usually way more polished.

 

[Psdn]

I sold my AW v1 and bought a Garmin Epic Gen 2. It was on sale, I figured, let's see what the fuss is about. Here is what I can tell you after about 6 months of using it.

First, I run about 60-80km a week currently, should get that up to 80-100 before my marathon.

What I like more about the Garmin:

1) Battery life. Ya, it's so much better. I went on vacation for a week, didn't need to bring a charging cable. Never have to worry about it. Never have to think about it.
2) Buttons. So much better. They are tactile, easy to reach..
3) Flashlight. I use it all the time. I use it in the middle of the night for a trip to the Lou.. I used to bring a flashlight with me when I went to the cottage, no need, the watch does fine.

What I like more about the AW:

1) I don't need to bring a phone ! Today, I went for a run, didn't bring my phone, my wife called me a bunch of times needing to know something, I wasn't answering, it required her to go home and change her plans for the day (long story).. she wasn't happy.
2) Apple Pay. I often buy things (milk, whatever) after a run. I can't do that anymore.

I'd say those are the main points. I will also say that all those fancy Garmin metrics are garbage. Training readiness and heat acclimation.. yada yada.. I don't trust them, they don't speak to me. They are fun to look at, but I'd never guide my training on them.

So really, it comes down to those above points.

I _think_ that when the AW3 comes out, I'll probably get it. I was going to upgrade my iPhone 12. I think Apple will EOL it at the end of 2026.. So I can get another two years out of it. Instead, I will get the AW3 and probably sell the Garmin. Not having to bring a phone with me, for me, out paces all the others..

For me it’s : the buttons, it’s easy to program intervals, make a round trip in an unfamiliar place (use a lot on vacations).

But, I still got 3 Apple Watches and 3 Garmins 🫣