Resolved Decision Day. (Ultra vs Garmin)

[Fthree]

So I have had the Ultra for almost two weeks now I must say I am very impressed but it. I have tried the other AW in the past and none of them really lived up to my Garmins. I have been using BOTH watches for sleep tracking, running, walking, weightlifting and so on and so forth and find them both to work as advertised. I am a nerd for information from these devices and love the way that garmin presents the info wayyyyy more than the way apple does it. The things im loving about the ultra though are as follows:

1. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE having an ENTIRE music library at my request while out running. Telling siri to go to the next song or naming the song or the album to her and it within one second being changed to that song has got me through some tough runs lately. I realize that i can make playlists and load them onto the garmin however being able to have all of them available at a whim has essentially won me over. I also realize that this isn't an ultra specific feature and applies to all the AW series however without the battery life of the Ultra it wouldn't workout for my workouts. I am prepping for a 1/2 marathon and did 10 miles this am and being able to tell siri to turn the volume up and down and change songs to whatever i want to listen to at the time seems magical and motivating.

2. Calls and texts. I tend to come from the "I dont want to be bothered while I run I just want to be at peace and run without distraction" group however I have found that with a job and a family that worries about where I am about 1.5 hours into a run I should probably have some sort of way to communicate with them (I absolutely do not want to carry a phone on me) oh and the other day I had to pee so bad that I almost called my daughter to come pick me up - TMI i know but that is a good thing to have available when needed.

3. The data. Even though its a convoluted mess I love how in depth the data the ultra collects is. It hasn't yet all been put into any sort of proprietary app that shows it in any useful way but there are workarounds (Athlytic) that I have bee using that seem to be doing the trick.

4. The price (hang with me) - for all the things available on the Ultra there price isn't bad. You get an everything watch for $800 (plus tax) Having gamins that are more expensive the price just comes with the territory.

CONS

1. The price (FOR ME) - Id consider myself a rather frugal person. When I do buy I buy the quality thing that brings its value through the time it'll last and how much ill use it. Hence me running 1000 miles a year is a decent commitment (i know i know not as many as most of you die hards) so Id like to have nice stuff to do it in that can also keep me a bit excited to go out and do things. Can I afford to have two nice watches? Fortunately yes but that fact doesn't sit well with me if i can get away with just one and keep the change.

2. I already have a fully functional garmin that I bought in April. First world problems here..... It does all the things I need it too except for number 1 which i believe to be bigger than just one pro to me.

After reading this over I realized that its not as comprehensive as I thought it would be just I am still just as confused as to what I want to do.

PLEASE WEIGH IN! You're comments/opinions are greatly appreciated even if they do not align with my thoughts. Thanks!

 

[b17]

I dont have an answear to your question, but i can tell you my situation.

I bought the ultra for almost all my running and everyday use and i have a coros pace 2 for those 100k+ races that i run.

Pace 2 is very cheap so i can keep both watches and im happy with that.

Before i bought pace 2 i had forerunner 945 which i sold because everything it had i could get on pace 2 except the maps for a lot less money.

Ultra is a really good watch for most of the situations, and with each day i like it more and more.

 

[CharlesShaw]

I believe you already figured out the advantage in section 2 where you talk about communication via phone and text while out alone on long runs without a phone. And if you were to be running alone somewhere and fell and were rendered unconscious the watch could call for help.

And don’t forget about being able to pay for things using Apple Pay.

 

[Fthree]

I believe you already figured out the advantage in section 2 where you talk about communication via phone and text while out alone on long runs without a phone. And if you were to be running alone somewhere and fell and were rendered unconscious the watch could call for help.

And don’t forget about being able to pay for things using Apple Pay.

Dang it! I did forget about that 😆! It’s incredible that I can go into places and just use the watch to pay for things. I was late to the Apple Pay party with my phone but picked it up quickly on the watch. You’re right!

 

[newellj]

4. The price (hang with me) - for all the things available on the Ultra there price isn't bad. You get an everything watch for $800 (plus tax) Having gamins that are more expensive the price just comes with the territory.

I really don't have any special insight in general and certainly not for your specific situation, but for my money, this is the question, if you have to choose one:

Do I want a full-featured smartwatch that does a wide spectrum of things very well and is fully connected (and potentially able to replace my iPhone), or do I want a dedicated fitness watch that (depending on the make/model) can track my athletics really well and has extended battery life but doesn't have all the connected functionality that an Apple Watch offers?

If you have never wished that you had your iPhone with you when you're biking/running/swimming/etc., that's probably a sign. If you have, that's probably a sign, too. Or maybe there really isn't a clear answer because both are important to you and your next decision is whether your competing needs/desires justifies figuring out if you can afford both.

Or if all else fails, find a dart board...

 

[jbrmusic]

Quite difficult. I had a Fenix and switched to Apple Watch. As a fitness device Apple looses almost everywhere against Garmin. Less metrics, less analysis features, less connectivity (no ANT+).

On the other hand side I like the interaction with other apple devices.

It really depends what you are looking for.

P.S.: For me two different devices is no option.

 

[CharlesShaw]

I thought of another safety-related advantage that some people might like, others may not. It’s very easy to share your location, as needed, with a loved one’s iPhone in case they are worried about you out alone running in poor weather or whatever.

 

[azhava]

Since I used Garmin for 5 years between my S0 and now my S8 (as of last month), I'll offer a few random thoughts:

1) I like the granularity of contact filtering I can do during workouts on the AW. I have Workout Mode set so I only get notifications from my wife and my home security system; with Garmin it's all or nothing, and changing the notification settings is a lot more involved than just having Workout Mode automatically toggle on when I start a workout on the AW.

2) On a related note, notifications on the Garmin are a pain, at least on the two models I used (FR935 and Fenix 6). If you get a bunch of notifications you haven't acknowledged, you have to use the buttons to sort though and dismiss them one by one, and it takes 3-4 button presses per notification - there's no "Clear All" function. Not fun if you were busy doing something and have 15-20 unread notifications to deal with.

3) Garmin Connect/Connect Mobile is better than Apple Health/Fitness. You can choose and organize what metrics you see and how they're displayed, it's all in one app instead of two separate apps, and it has a web portal so it's not just on your watch/phone. Software is where Apple is furthest behind in the fitness world - the hardware has everything it needs, they just need to focus on how the information is aggregated and displayed. There are third-party apps available which help, but Apple needs to get on the stick and fix it themselves. Garmin Connect is good, but it's not great - it has its share of glitches and issues too, and Apple could easily make something that would blow it away if they put their minds to it.

4) I thought battery life was going to be a big issue for me on the AW, but it's really not. It has plenty enough battery to get me through a full day, even with workouts/GPS tracking and listening to music. It didn't take long for me to fall into a good charging routine, and I actually like it better - the Garmin lasts a lot longer, but as I result I paid less attention to the charging and got caught out a few times when I forgot to charge it and didn't have enough battery to make it through the day. I know the AW needs daily charging, so I pay more attention to it. The AW also charges a LOT faster than the Garmin does, so it's easy to get a quick top-off if I got sloppy and forgot to charge it.

5) I thought I liked the physical buttons on the Garmin better than the touchscreen on the AW, but the more I use the AW, the less I miss them. I still miss having a hard button to start/stop workouts, but overall I like the Apple Watch's UI better. It's more streamlined, has a lot more features/options, and it would be a nightmare to try to use with only physical buttons. Menu diving on the Garmin to adjust things/access features is laborious. Just give me a hard button on the AW that I can use to start/stop workouts rather than trying to swipe on a screen with wet/sweaty fingers! (I know, the Ultra already has it - but I'm not using an Ultra.)

6) I hate, hate, HATE Garmin's strength training workout applet. It's a pain to design a routine, the rep detection is rarely accurate, and the way you negotiate it to enter information is complex and not at all clear. Push the wrong button at the wrong time and you're on to another screen with no way to go back and correct it. It doesn't remember how much weight you used for your previous workout, so you have to use a workout log (either on your phone or pen and paper) if you want to keep up on your progression and know what weight you want to do for each workout. I use Strong on the AW and it's worlds better. I'd even rather just use AW's "Other" workout and let it track my exercise time and calories than deal with the Garmin applet.

7) Apple Pay. Already discussed, it's great to have. Garmin has Garmin Pay, but it's a lot more limited and not even as easy to use.

8) Apple's firmware updates sometimes have glitches, but they're usually pretty quick to upgrade them. Garmin seems to break five things for every one thing they fix in firmware/software updates, and they're not always prompt about acknowledging and/or fixing it.

Overall - In my opinion, AW is a great smartwatch and a very good fitness tracker, while Garmin is a great fitness tracker and a so-so smartwatch. I was on the Garmin train for quite a while, but now that I'm back on the AW I'm more than willing to overlook its shortcomings in exchange for all the other advantages.

 

[torbjornhb]

Can't help you here, but I totally failed. I wear the Watch Ultra on my right hand, and the left is rotating between Fenix 7, Epix 2, Enduro 2 and Forerunner 955 😅
Where did I fail...?

Btw. If you're after more recovery data, try the app Gentler Streak.

 

[Misheemee]

Quite difficult. I had a Fenix and switched to Apple Watch. As a fitness device Apple looses almost everywhere against Garmin. Less metrics, less analysis features, less connectivity (no ANT+).

On the other hand side I like the interaction with other apple devices.

It really depends what you are looking for.

P.S.: For me two different devices is no option.

I have a Fenix 6s pro (a 5s sapphire before it), and have loved them for years - for running and training metrics, as well as all the detailed health and sleep metrics it provides. I wear it as a daily driver and funnily I had most of the notifications turned off as I didn’t want to be disturbed while training

I’ve been toying with getting an Apple Watch for a couple of years and I bought a 41mm SS silver AW8 earlier this week. I bought it to use as a daily driver for the way it interacts with apple ecosystem (I have iPhone, MBP, iPad, AirPods Pro) and for the notifications.

(yes, I did want the ultra but want an every day work watch and it’s waaaaay to big on my wrist for that. also, because it’s so big on my wrist I was worried it was going to get banged against weights etc at gym)

So far I’m impressed with the Apple Watch, the way it interacts in the ecosystem, and the general useability - it’s fun to use. I’m still getting my head around the battery life. I’m headed to the gym this morning to use it for HIIT training for the first time in about an hour and am looking forward to see what the Watch reports back

At the moment, I will be keeping both. Having not used it for training metrics yet my plan is to use my Garmin for training, and my AW as a daily driver and at work.

I’ve just had a thought while writing this message out - Could you get the Garmin HRM Pro (chest strap HR Monitor) to wear while training and have it sync with the connect app which then syncs with your health app which your Ultra contributes metrics to? That way you can have the best of both worlds (unless it’s the sleep metrics you’re after). I have the HRM Pro and love it!! Now that I mention it, I’ll test it out this morning with my AW

 

[driekraaien]

Regarding data; a higher end Garmin device typically gathers more data on a continuous or more frequent basis than Apple (such as HR and HRV) to estimate things as stress, stamina and recovery, which it does pretty well. For example, Apple’s HRV measurements on random times during the day provide little to no meaningful insight. Third party apps can be useful, but if you use multiple apps for tracking, mapping and connecting to external gear, and do not have a way to use all of that data in a coherent way, it becomes a bit cumbersome. The pro for Garmin is that is has all of this pretty much in one place.

Regarding quality of sensors and data processing I’m leaning more towards Apple these days. Sleep tracking on my Garmin’s is not the best (Apple seems to do better) and also in some other areas I have more confidence in the data quality from my AW’s.

A general thing I like more about Apple is the fact that they don’t have zillion different watches with their own firmware to support, so you’ll benefit more from product development down the line.

I’m in the luxury position to have an Epix and an Ultra. At this time both have their place and I’m personally not ready to let either one go. If you do have to choose, it’s a matter of choosing the right trade-offs for you. If I’d just be running without going extreme, I’d probably pick the AW. If serious training, load and recovery, mapping, battery and external sensor support is absolutely key, I’d keep the Garmin for now (or both ).

 

[Richu]

So I have had the Ultra for almost two weeks now I must say I am very impressed but it. I have tried the other AW in the past and none of them really lived up to my Garmins. I have been using BOTH watches for sleep tracking, running, walking, weightlifting and so on and so forth and find them both to work as advertised. I am a nerd for information from these devices and love the way that garmin presents the info wayyyyy more than the way apple does it. The things im loving about the ultra though are as follows:

1. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE having an ENTIRE music library at my request while out running. Telling siri to go to the next song or naming the song or the album to her and it within one second being changed to that song has got me through some tough runs lately. I realize that i can make playlists and load them onto the garmin however being able to have all of them available at a whim has essentially won me over. I also realize that this isn't an ultra specific feature and applies to all the AW series however without the battery life of the Ultra it wouldn't workout for my workouts. I am prepping for a 1/2 marathon and did 10 miles this am and being able to tell siri to turn the volume up and down and change songs to whatever i want to listen to at the time seems magical and motivating.

2. Calls and texts. I tend to come from the "I dont want to be bothered while I run I just want to be at peace and run without distraction" group however I have found that with a job and a family that worries about where I am about 1.5 hours into a run I should probably have some sort of way to communicate with them (I absolutely do not want to carry a phone on me) oh and the other day I had to pee so bad that I almost called my daughter to come pick me up - TMI i know but that is a good thing to have available when needed.

3. The data. Even though its a convoluted mess I love how in depth the data the ultra collects is. It hasn't yet all been put into any sort of proprietary app that shows it in any useful way but there are workarounds (Athlytic) that I have bee using that seem to be doing the trick.

4. The price (hang with me) - for all the things available on the Ultra there price isn't bad. You get an everything watch for $800 (plus tax) Having gamins that are more expensive the price just comes with the territory.

CONS

1. The price (FOR ME) - Id consider myself a rather frugal person. When I do buy I buy the quality thing that brings its value through the time it'll last and how much ill use it. Hence me running 1000 miles a year is a decent commitment (i know i know not as many as most of you die hards) so Id like to have nice stuff to do it in that can also keep me a bit excited to go out and do things. Can I afford to have two nice watches? Fortunately yes but that fact doesn't sit well with me if i can get away with just one and keep the change.

2. I already have a fully functional garmin that I bought in April. First world problems here..... It does all the things I need it too except for number 1 which i believe to be bigger than just one pro to me.

After reading this over I realized that its not as comprehensive as I thought it would be just I am still just as confused as to what I want to do.

PLEASE WEIGH IN! You're comments/opinions are greatly appreciated even if they do not align with my thoughts. Thanks!

Get a flip belt for the phone. Create a DND mode for running that only lets through critical notifications. You won’t notice the phone when it’s in a tight flip belt. Works for carrying gels/bars as well if you’re doing long runs or marathons.

When optimizing weight for race day prepare a playlist on the Garmin.

Garmin is leagues better for running. However to each his own.

 

[1557750]

Deleted

👊😃👍

 

[tmmacops]

I contemplated the Ultra, but have the S7 and decided to stay. I don’t hike or dive, so other than having the latest and greatest, it makes no sense. I gave up on the sleep stuff; you need more sleep…ok.

I held the Ultra and to be honest it’s a bit heavy. I’ll wait and see what next year brings.

 

[Fthree]

really appreciate all the responses! It is a tough choice and the one thing that makes it harder is that I only want to wear one all day because I want the best health metrics as measured by only one device instead of flip flopping.

 

[theotherphil]

Have a look at the HealthFit app for data consolidation.


I've had every version of the Fenix line as well as the Epix 2 and Tactix versions. No Apple Watch thus far has been able to move me away from Garmin until the Ultra. The main reason was the battery life and charging considerations were a pain to coordinate with my shift work - 12-16hrs, Day, Day, Arvo, Night.

This isn't an issue with the Ultra, I just place it on charge when I jump in the shower 2x per day and it will recover to >90% each time which allows me to wear it pretty much 24/7. The lowest I've seen the Ultra's battery go is 60% after an 18hr day with 90m of activity recorded.

I suspect that this will be the case for >90% of Garmin users. I remember some research out of Strava showing that the typical Garmin Fenix user does an average run of 35mins, cycle of around 90mins. Less than 4% of Fenix owners did triathlons and of those that did, less than 0.2% did a half Ironman or longer. Garmin need to be worried about their "average users".

What I really enjoy with the AW is all the small interactions that just make my day smoother. I'm in healthcare so have to wear masks much of the time. Unlocking my phone with the AW is seamless. Unlocking my Mac with the watch happens before the lid is even fully open. Having the ability to use Siri/ control my smart home/ see my home CCTV cams/ answer messages & email and take calls is hard to quantify until you try and live without it.

I really liked the Garmin platform for health metrics tracking but have since moved to intervals.icu website. Here I have access to all the same health data as the Garmin connect platform with much better functionality. For example, I can create a power based workout to sync with Zwift. I can create graphs and manipulate data in a much better way. This can be used with Garmin devices as well as many others.

And finally, I had a slight issue last week with an arrhythmia ultimately leading to my HR hitting 280bpm and needing a synchronised cardioversion to revert. Having the ECG function on my wrist gave me the information I needed to make good decisions around my healthcare. If I hadn't had the ECG function, I may have left things longer before attending hospital and that could have been fatal. I had an Atrial Flutter with variable conduction which means pulse oximetry wasn't able to read my actual HR correctly - wrist based HR (and finger tip) was reading 90 when my HR was 180. Garmin wouldn't have alerted on this.

I'm 44 and in great shape, workout daily and don't smoke and hardly drink. The AW gives my wife and I piece of mind after the events of last week. I've shared my cardiac health data with my wife and she will also receive all cardiac alerts from my watch - irregular and high HR, ECG and fall detection.

I've already sold my Epix 2.

 

[Atiumite]

A couple of perspectives, from 2 different parts of the spectrum...

I'm casual/moderate in terms of exercise - 50-60 miles a week between indoor cycling and outdoor running, plus more traditional weight lifting 3x a week. I have a S6, and it works well enough for my needs. I do love the music/audiobooks/podcast availability, as well as the psychological benefit of being connected while out. I imagine the Ultra could be better, but I haven't decided whether it would be better enough for an upgrade this year.

My wife does Iron Mans - with an intense training regimen + coach, and a great deal of data she tracks & bases her training on. She swears by her Garmin (basically never takes it off). I am the family member who would love for her to have the connectivity an AW has for her hours and hours of running and biking, but I would not have a convincing argument to get her to switch to the Ultra. Maybe in 2-3 years, when it's progressed enough with features, connectivity (to training apps and programs, not cellular/iPhone), and battery life to be a real contender to replace the Garmin (she is very much opposed to wearing more than one watch).

Sounds like you may be somewhere in between...

 

[Fthree]

Thanks! One thing I am enjoying is looking at all the intricate heart data that the ultra is collecting. Doesn’t really say or indicate anything but is interesting to see nonetheless

 

[christophermdia]

if you are a hardcore triathlete then go Garmin, if you like the functionality of the Apple Watch, and the Apple Ecosystem, then go Apple ... knowing the differences, you know you and what parameters are worth it to you, and if one or the other meets those needs, then that's the one to go with ... I have an Ultra and I sit on the couch 8 hours a day ... but I like what it gives me so I went with it ....

 

[diegotheplantboy]

I bought the ultra and have not regretted it all. I am in love with the battery life, especially because my main concern is sleep tracking.

 

[Richu]

Yea also matters a bit how much you run. If you just run a few times per week maybe it’s equally good. But if you run 1-2 times per day maybe it’s time to optimize for that.

 

[Monkswhiskers]

Keep the Garmin and get a cellular SE then you have it all, unless like me, you hate having 2 watches and eco systems.
I think Apple will catch up in terms of collating info but sometimes they can’t get the software quite right eg Try as I might with Apple Music I find Spotify a much better user experience.

 

[torbjornhb]

I would also mention that I think Apple Watch Ultra is a great watch for exercising, but less so for outdoor and hiking. I review watches, and was really looking forward to use the Ultra as a navigation and outdoor tool. It's definitely not optimized for that. But for anything else I think it nails it pretty much (if you find the right apps though).

 

[DMG35]

I have been an Apple Watch wearer since the Series 0. Wear it every single day. About 2 months ago, I switched to the Garmin Epix 2, and I absolutely loved it. I loved the size, the battery life, the workout features. With all of that being said, I missed ALL of the things that my Apple Watch did.

Then Apple released the Ultra and I purchased it immediately. I won't wear a Garmin again as the Ultra is what I was needing from Apple to keep me wearing their watches.

 

[CharlesShaw]

Hello? The day of the decision in the thread title was yesterday and I don’t see a “resolved“ status on this thread, so what gives? Let us know! Lol