Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
The AW Ultra suddenly seems like a bargain now with Garmins silly pricing
- Thread starter dj1891
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
There is more to watches than battery life. WAY more, like accurate sensors.Your comparing the smallest Fenix 8 with the largest Apple Watch Ultra is pretty disingenuous. That would be as absurd as comparing the Apple Watch SE with the Ultra 2 and finding it lacking.
It isn't half of what is promised. The scenarios in the table are for specific scenarios to help you gauge how the watch will because most of the time the usage is mixed.
Apple Watch - Battery
Find out more about the battery life of Apple Watch. Learn about charge time, power reserve, and other battery metrics, too.www.apple.com
Apple does the exact same thing. Using GPS exclusively, here's how long the watch will last. If you are using music exclusively, here is how long it will last. etc.
They have a lot fewer options because they don't give you many options. You have low power mode and that's about it.
When you say people are getting about half of the claimed battery life, that is bettery life that in that table means if you used it exclusively in a smart watch mode with zero workouts. You just read the time, get your notifications, use Garmin Pay and so on.
Since most people workout with the watches, often several hours a week, the battery time is often about half if it were used just as a smart watch. My Fenix 7x SS is charged every two weeks.
When you complain that the smallest Garmin when put in all systems GPS mode while playing music will only last 6 hrs but using my Apple Watch with music and GPS in an area where it used LTE a bit in a weak signal area caused it to die in less than 2.5 hrs.
Those are edge case uses for both devices.
That said, I've found it interest that Apple doesn't want to provide GPS battery estimates for AW10 in low power mode. It's clear it extends the battery by about 35-40% which would give the base AW10 about 10 hrs of GPS life. I guess Apple wants to sell more Ultras.
Agreed. I want the best possible watch. With the best accuracy. The best display. The best (not a 1980 navigation map) performance. Plus the best smartwatch. I don’t want to carry my phone to the garden all the time to be sure to not miss a phone call. The watch exists! It’s the Apple Watch. The only thing is: put it on the charger after sleeping until I leave the house. The better deal. And we are not talking about the build quality…. And so on
And spending a thousand+ dollars on a watch that can't communicate to anyone in anyway without a phone seems a little absurd to me.
Agreed
I track a workout and a walk every single day and barely charge my Garmin weekly
(mostly just because anything under 40% just gives me anxiety with batteries, so I avoid that)
That's where many of us differ
It's there are so many options though, so we can all get something very tailored to our need and desires!
I have no idea why this topic has to be so polarizing for folks
It's great to have options!
Among the many things I personally prefer about Garmins are the various form factors and looks and specific features you can tradeoff and have your device be more geared to.
I've long long long wished for my AW versions. How they look and the exact size/shape/choices in play is a big deal for something like a fitness watch
Honestly, just an Apple Watch "Button edition" would be a huge game changer
I'm so dialed in with my buttons on my Garmin and any form of touching the screen is just a huge regression for me when doing workouts and in the flow ... breathing heavy, working hard, maybe out in weather ... buttons .. all day .. give me lots!
It's great to have options!
Among the many things I personally prefer about Garmins are the various form factors and looks and specific features you can tradeoff and have your device be more geared to.
I've long long long wished for my AW versions. How they look and the exact size/shape/choices in play is a big deal for something like a fitness watch
Honestly, just an Apple Watch "Button edition" would be a huge game changer
I'm so dialed in with my buttons on my Garmin and any form of touching the screen is just a huge regression for me when doing workouts and in the flow ... breathing heavy, working hard, maybe out in weather ... buttons .. all day .. give me lots!
I've owned MANY Garmins starting in 2010. before that I owned the PolarQ which only worked with a chest monitor strap. Garmin didn’t even make watches back than only GPS navigation devices for cars and boats. I much prefer the look of the Garmin watch to the Apple Watch. The problem is every Garmin I’ve had the heart rate sensor is horrible. Every single one from the Garmin 310 to the Garmin Epix pro 51.
Just look at the Garmin forums and see all the problems they have with their software. That is why there is such controversy if Garmin would fix their software it would be no contest, but they don’t.
I use Garmin Pay daily. I have a hot key combo and it pops right up as fast and as easy as Apple Pay.
As someone who has used both watches I assure you there is really on difference in HR sensors but I've had more issues with Apple GPS readings.
However let's say you're right and when I'm working out the Garmin sensor is 96% accurate and Apple 99% accurate. Is that enough of a difference to really alter anything related to my workout? If I ran for an hour and the Garmin claims I was in zone 3 for 15 minutes but it turns out the Apple Watch showed I was more accurately only in it for 14m15s will that alter anything about the outcomes for my workout?
Any Apple Watch I've used CONSTANTLY comes up short on GPS distance. I've also repeatedly caught whatever processing Apple does when the workout finishes taking my GPS course and changing it to where it thought I went vs where I actually went. I've been able to repeat this multiple times on a road near my house where there's a dirt trail probably 20 ft off from the sidewalk next to the road. I've run on the trail and I've caught the Apple Watch multiple times having the data "finessed" to show me next to the road.
Then there's active oxygen sensors, how often it samples HR and HRV which ends up being far fewer times for Apple.
Also while many people claim the Apple HR is more accurate, I've yet to see any YouTube reviewed address how it drops out when it can't get a lock. That should count against it. I do not consider it better to have a 99% accurate HRM that only locks on 96% of the time and just drops out and doesn't report the other times.
The garden? What does 1980 navigation map performance mean? How fast is the performance of an Apple Watch with offline maps showing a cycling or hiking route?
Most people do not purchase their watch to double down on another device they already have in their pocket. My watch does things my phone cannot do and that is why I purchased it.
I'm seeing a growing realization by both Garmin the company and folks using them that the straps are a big deal with regard to the watch and HR accuracy. Most Garmins have silicon bands that do not allow for fine adjustment whereas there a lots of Apple Watches have sport loops with velco.
The Quantified Scientist, whom people love to toss about as authoritative, tested the AWU2 with the new milanese band and guess what, the HR was pretty ****. He even mentions the lost lock or HR when exercising.
So I'd really recommend Garmin watch owners swap to nylon sport wristbands to improve HR accuracy. I've yet to see anyone make a good video comparing the same watch with different bands and checking HR accuracy be it Apple or Garmin.
As already mentioned here several times "Footpath" is an amazing app and does it all! Design it on your work PC, your iPhone, your iPad or Mac - you choose and it's instantly sync'ed to your account in the cloud and can be saved offline on your watch - amazing when going new places - and the quality of the maps and data is stunning
Same here - 80-100 km a week running is not serious enough to be a Garmin runner I guess 😁
To use an old processor and GPU for the entry level watches - Fair enough. But for the flag ship model that is supposed to last a couple of years on the market? Massive let down. The menu lag is very noticeable - and navigations just sad to look at if you have been using the smooth Apple Watch UI
Great story - even though it wasn't great in the situation (glad she is okay!) - and the very reason I cannot ditch the AWU when running - I quite often have 25+ km sessions and for that to be connected if something happens is just priceless - and I hate running with my iPhone
Most of the garmin users which are complaining about battery life never run anything over 10k. 😂🤣
… and are satisfied with a UI lag like in 1980s a navigation map performance which is unbelievable bad. I would be ashamed if you should be the one releasing such a watch with such a bad processor. Why is it still the bad processor? Sure. Because anything else will let the battery life shrink even more. The garmin never reached 6 days in my experience as a serious athlete.
Useless features: fall detection 🤣. Without a phone. Great. Amazing. Nice marketing trick. I am falling from time to time. The garmin NEVER realized any crash. It’s like everything with garmin. Many features. Unusable.
Btw: I would never give my health data to garmin or my credit card information. Unbelievable who is trusting that company which was unacceptable quiet during the data breach.
It‘s bizarre, but hugely entertaining 😁
All the ultra trailers here who need a garmin know that’s easy to fall …
We are not speaking of casual runners …
What broke for me the final straw and pushed me out off the Garmin ecosystem was LiveTrack on Garmin Edge. Had no issue that it required an iPhone nearby as I always have one with me when I cycle.
But: in 8 out of 10 cases this thing was not able to start a live track. Endless discussions with Garmin support over months. Not solved.
So much about a safety relevant feature.
Fall detection is great … If it has LTE and can actually call for help if needed - and of course detect the fall in the first place.
Regarding the processor: The battery life cannot be the reason for keeping an ancient processor. Even if they don’t want to put in a massive amount of additional horsepower, the new processor tech is also more efficient and would make sense to get the new tech.
Here we just have old inefficient slow tech. Nice one. At least it’s cheap … well…
That application requires a subscription. I’ve already mentioned how in a thread bemoaning the cost of watches how needing a half dozen apps with subscriptions to cover core functionality is a bit ironic at the minimum and just dishonest at the maximum.
To clarify exactly how much performance does a watch need? Does your watch need to be able to drive two 5k monitors?
People have not been begging Apple for more performance on any of the chips used in their watches for a half dozen generations now. However they have begged for more battery life. The menu lag is noticeable? As in it takes a second vs smoothly scrolling 60 fps?
Seriously if I’m following maps on my watch while running and the watch stutters for half a second every ten minutes or only updates at 20 fps vs 60 fps what is the benefit when I’m running or hiking or anything else?
My Garmin watch has a 260x260 display. My Mac SE/30 could have updated that display fast enough. Many people would have an Apple Watch that has some super low power cores that would allow the watch to last a week.
Sure or they also happen to be training for Triathlons, ultras or just being regular people. Not everyone needs a notification machine tapping their wrist every five seconds and they can literally lift a finger to unlock their computer.
I’d be ashamed of a company releasing watches with 18-36 hour stated battery life after spending more than a decade building and refining such watches.
I’ve heard of plenty of people needing to charge their Gamin weekly in the 42-47mm variants. However the 51mm Enduro 3 being run out of battery in a week? Are you doing a daily full Ironman? How do you even have time to post on this forum with your 12 hrs a day of training?
I’ve had fall detection work perfectly for me. In fact on my Garmin 830 I had crashed badly on my MTB. I broke my clavicle and while my friends were helping me get together to go to the hospital, my wife called my friend who was with us. She said she had been notified about my crash and that I hadnt answered my phone so she called her. The friend got her up to date and she met me at the hospital. I’ve had it activate two other times but I cancelled it because it wasn’t serious enough to let the call go out. It’s a great feature.
Instead of your non-smartwatch, my AWU has the feature „Focus“. I can set different focus based on time or location. When I am at work it is different than I am training. Can your garmin watch do that? Nope? The garmin watch is even beeping when not wearing it. Bad software combined with bad hardware 🤣
My AWU don‘t need to display in 5K. But during navigation I want a fast user experience. Honestly. It’s not usable. It’s so crappy I still cannot believe it.
Your fall detection is useless without a phone. My phone has also fall detection. Useless. In addition to that garmin NEVER noticed any falls. Great safety net 😎.
Ok. Now we are talking about the enduro3. Before we were talking about the fenix 8 47 mm.
But even then. What killer workout are you doing that you need that kind of fake battery life.
Last edited:
Could we please be a bit more polite here?
This is not how to post in order to foster friendly discussion and debate
I tried it again. Even with the newest software update: put the garmin down on a desk: it’s beeping when a message is coming or a call. I think the Apple Watch is way more customizable than any garmin watch regarding beeping when using Apples Focus feature. There is nothing equal on a garmin watch. Shocking. Really
