Garmin Fenix 7x after 6 months.

[jozef]

I've been using Apple Watch since Series 0 was introduced. Loved it. Upgraded to Series 6 while back. I've been using it to track walks and runs up to 12k with my dog.

Earlier this year I started feeling like AW is stagnating (especially feature wise) and decided to try something else. Bought Garmin Fenix 7x SS titanium. Basically the highest there is. Coz it looked good and was the only one available at the time. It came with leather strap and looked great. It still does. It looks like a watch watch, not a gadget. Again tracking dog walks and runs. I've been using it since March this year up until Ultra was introduced. That day I put back my old Series 6 to feel the difference.

Here is what I've noticed:

• Garmins battery life is amazing. If you turn off blood oxygen, you get 28 days. It's no joke. Insane.
• You get offline maps and offline route planning.
• Being able to navigate only with buttons is actually pretty cool. I think I've used buttons more often than touch screen.
• This is where the good stuff ends.
• If you charge your watch once a month, you're gonna be looking at a charging cable coz you will forget where you've put it.
• While I personally like the backlit type of display Fenix 7 has, the resolution on it hurts me every time I look at it. I can't believe that they are selling watches with 240x240 displays. Same goes for their "luxury" MARQ watches ($2k range).
• Appstore for Garmin is a joke. It's basically non-existent. You have to pay developer through paypal so he can email you activation code to enable "pro" features? Cmon.
• Modifying watchfaces? There is only one you can have configured and you can modify its data sources. Changing watchfaces means reconfiguring everything.
• You want data source that refreshes on the background (ie AQI index), forget about it.
• There is 0 motivation from Garmins software towards keeping you active. Youve hit your goal yesterday? who cares? and so on.
• Heart rate sensor keeps scanning even when you put your watch down. It detects that you've put it down much much later than AW.
• My resting heart rate is way lower on Garmin than AW. I can't say which one is correct here, but it went up again as I put S6 back on my wrist.
• All your health data needs to go to Garmin Connect (online) to get it to your phone.
• Bare minimum of that gets to Apple Health/Activity. I've never tried 3rd party workaround, coz it feels enough that Garmin gets my data.
• Original iPhone had better vibration than Garmin has. I can't even describe how hideous it sounds. Maybe I had bad model? It was my first Garmin, so I can't compare.
• Garmin doesn't have speaker and thats ok, but the alarm speaker is not something you want to be woken up to.
• It has a bluetooth range of a cranky toddler. If you put a wall between you and your phone and walk just a littlebit further, expect disconnects.
• It has wifi, but thats not used as you would expect. I don't even get what is it used for. To sync when phone is not around? No idea. It doesn't get triggered automatically.

If you read through all this carefully, you will notice the pattern that explains why Fenix gets 28 days battery. It barely does anything beyond tracking workouts. I don't think that hardware inside of it can even do anything more.

I'm not gonna go into details what everything AW can do. I'm pretty sure everyone here is aware of it. Just one thing to consider: double the battery life on AWU means you can keep it on your wrist all day and night and then drop it on a charger for 20-30 min once a day. With quick charge and battery not being completely depleted, it will charge well enough for next 24h in no time.

I've preordered AWU on the next day.

Enough ranting. I don't get the hate Apple is getting for Ultra and praise Garmin seems to be getting from some. Garmin is producing watches that are great as a GPS device and thats it. I can say that coz I've used both.

 

[maxsandis]

Get the Epix 2 which has Oled.
If only Garmin could get texts messages and expand their Garmin pay it would be a close decision for me since I much prefer the design of the Garmins.
They have LTE on 945 (though limited) just get this on the Epix.

 

[DaveOZ]

If only Garmin could get texts messages

This is an Apple restriction I think. Text message and mail notifications work well on Garmin with Android. You can use the quick replies easily and delete or mark mail as read.

 

[jole]

Hardware inside Fenix is 1-2 orders of magnitude slower compared to Apple Watch. While Fenix has a smaller battery than Apple Watch Ultra, it gets amazing battery life by not doing much.

That said, I do not agree with you on metrics: I think Garmin has a pretty compelling package there. Apple is still struggling to catch up and needs an additional app (with subscription) to show anything comparable to Garmin body battery or recovery estimate.

 

[jole]

Get the Epix 2, Oled and Solar.
If only Garmin could get texts messages and expand their Garmin pay it would be a close decision for me since I much prefer the design of the Garmins.
They have LTE on 945 (though limited) just get this on the Epix.

LTE on 945 does not really do much: live track (send coordinates so that people could follow you on a map) and send a text message to emergency services.

This is very different from what Apple Watch LTE does: messaging, streaming music, phone calls, internet connectivity for apps, ...

 

[jozef]

Get the Epix 2 which has Oled.

I was considering Epix2 and one of the reasons was the screen resolution. I went for Garmin because I wanted long battery life. Epix2 sacrifices lots of battery life. You get 6 days with always on display in smartwatch mode (no GPS or exercises tracking). And thats a downhill from there. We will have to see how AWU performs, but I don't think Epix2 is gonna do double the AWU battery life in same conditions.

That said, I do not agree with you on metrics: I think Garmin has a pretty compelling package there. Apple is still struggling to catch up and needs an additional app (with subscription) to show anything comparable to Garmin body battery or recovery estimate.

I'm not really giving metrics here. I'm talking user experience in most of my points. Body battery and recovery estimate is the only thing watchOS9 doesnt do (they added lots of metrics that previously wasnt available). Is there anything else?

I was really excited about body battery, but my wife got tired of me talking about it on 3rd day I'm used to sleep ~6h and because of that my body battery rarely exceeded 50%. Only over 7+h of sleep I got to 80%. From 6pm I would be usually on 5% body battery, coz it never goes below that number. Body battery and recovery seems to be an equation that considers your activity in previous day and sleep and probably works for for most of people, but it's not as great as they advertise it.

 

[akidokraja]

Many points are valid but many others are totally not. example: vibration is stronger on F7X and Epix 2 than every AW I had and I had many.

 

[jozef]

Many points are valid but many others are totally not. example: vibration is stronger on F7X and Epix 2 than every AW I had and I had many.

I'm not talking about strength of vibrations. Fenix has super strong vibrations. I'm talking that about its sound and how much it rattles. Sorry that I wasn't clear about that.

 

[jole]

I'm not really giving metrics here. I'm talking user experience in most of my points. Body battery and recovery estimate is the only thing watchOS9 doesnt do (they added lots of metrics that previously wasnt available). Is there anything else?

Acute training load is something I review daily and what is not provided by Apple Watch.

I think equivalent metrics for all three (body battery, acute load, and recovery time) is provided by Athlytic app. It requires a subscription though.

 

[DontGetTheCheese]

The Fenix is meant for a different purpose, endurance athletes, with a bunch of other stuff thrown in. The AW is a smart watch with some fitness metrics, and now it's moving a bit deeper into that realm with the Ultra.

For example, one of my favorite Fenix features is PacePro. I can use it to pace out a trail run for a specific time and it will calculate section timing based on climbs, etc. You can do that with intervals on the AW, but it's not the same. Conversely, both devices have a pay application. Garmin's is a bit clunky and not 100% clean. The AW virtually never misses.

The really good news is that both devices have expanded into the other's territory. The Epix is a good watch and I kind of prefer it to the AW. Thing is, I can't run at the moment, so a lot of it's metrics aren't useful. Right now I'm wearing an AW, with an Ultra coming in 6 days.

My ideal watch doesn't exist so I make do. I would love to see a 51mm Epix with Solar and better QA, or an AW with better device compatibility and still more battery life but maybe the Ultra is close. Hard to say.

 

[athletejmv]

Worth noting that Garmin connect has much more detailed map info, etc on workouts, trips, adventures, and vacations that can be shared with family and friends. You get the equivalent of screen shots from a iPhone if you want to share any hikes, workouts, etc from the iPhone/AW. Metrics, maps, etc. are all tied into the iPhone and iPad. Compared to a Garmin, the AWU2 is not much more than an iPhone extension… also, I have found that the Garmin (Instinct and Fenix lines) track steps a bit better. The only advantage I found for my personal use is competing with friends and family to close rings, which they all stop paying attention to. I like how the Garmin provide recovery metrics… the AWU2 is a bit useless here. I do like that the iPhone health and fitness apps provides trends from year to year. Regardless, if health and fitness are a serious consideration, I would recommend the Garmin. I think it’s cool that Garmin also provides stats with your age group and has a community. Not so with Apple. If you mostly want to see you got workouts in, go for the AW and enjoy your second iPhone on your wrist that provides some workout stats. I use both the AW and Garmin (Instinct 2x, Instinct Crossover, and Apple Watch Ultra 2… own series 8 in SS and 7 in titanium). I like my watches. I only use the AW with limited access to my phone at work, etc. Fir my overall health and fitness, the Garmin stays on my person.

 

[Zelegorm]

I’ve sold my garmin fenix 7 pro because of that reason. Yeah. The only positive thing with the garmin is the better battery life. For what? I have to carry a phone with me for having all those features. Wow. Even at home I was realizing the same. You have to carry your phone. Crazy. Garmin pay is a joke compared to Apple Pay. And so on. I am putting my ultra 30 minutes per day on the charger what is really no deal at all. But then I am getting a real sports watch

 

[Zelegorm]

Get the Epix 2 which has Oled.
If only Garmin could get texts messages and expand their Garmin pay it would be a close decision for me since I much prefer the design of the Garmins.
They have LTE on 945 (though limited) just get this on the Epix.

Latest update : I did a comparison with both watches more than half a year on my wrists.

You get 7 days with blood oxygen on. Not a huge bump. Turn the display to always on which I really like on my Apple Watch : Even more less. Then listen to music. Full battery: Maximum 8h running possible. Wow. Not a huge bump over the AWU. Connection bad. You have to carry your phone all the time. Even when going out in the garden where WIFI is available you have to have your phone with you.
Nope. The Epic Pro is not better. Then the bad heart rate sensor. and so on... worse sleep detection. Forget about the Garmin Sleep Stages: Rubbish. Forget about the body battery. Training today does reflect my actual state such better than body battery ever did.

 

[BSG75]

I have the Epix 2 and the AWU1 and after nearly two months, I'm really starting to gravitate toward the Garmin. I like the metrics much better in the Garmin app over Apple Health. After having an Apple Watch since launch, I really don't want an extension of the phone on my wrist any more. I almost always pull out my phone to respond to texts when I get a notification and rely on my phone much more than my watch for "smart" tasks. Even though my AWU has cellular enabled, I almost always have my phone with me.

With that being said, I still exercise with both watches because I don't want to kill my nearly 2750-day move streak! I've found that both devices measure my heart rate nearly identically, but the AWU is much more generous when it comes to calories burned and distance traveled on a treadmill.

Now as a smartwatch, the AW is miles ahead of the Garmin. The Garmin is more of a "connected watch." that relays health data to the app. For me, that's good enough.

Both are good devices, I think it just comes down to which features are more important to the end user. IMO, as long as someone is happy with their device, that's what' important.

 

[Psdn]

I’ve sold my garmin fenix 7 pro because of that reason. Yeah. The only positive thing with the garmin is the better battery life. For what? I have to carry a phone with me for having all those features. Wow. Even at home I was realizing the same. You have to carry your phone. Crazy. Garmin pay is a joke compared to Apple Pay. And so on. I am putting my ultra 30 minutes per day on the charger what is really no deal at all. But then I am getting a real sports watch

I just wear an Epix pro on my left and a AWU 2 on my right. No need to carry a iPhone 📱 🤷🏽‍♂️

 

[BSG75]

I just wear an Epix pro on my left and a AWU 2 on my right. No need to carry a iPhone 📱 🤷🏽‍♂️

Been there as well, plus a FitBit that just won't die after nearly six years of use. Of course, I was wearing long sleeves at the time!

 

[Zelegorm]

I just wear an Epix pro on my left and a AWU 2 on my right. No need to carry a iPhone 📱 🤷🏽‍♂️

Yes. Possible. But a little bit expensive for most of the people. Right? 😂✌️

 

[Psdn]

Yes. Possible. But a little bit expensive for most of the people. Right? 😂✌️

You might be right…. It’s always difficult when 💰💵💴 gets in the way.
Although, I’ve heard that some ultra runners carry just an Apple Watch (and their Garmin, Suunto, Coros or polar), because it’s required that you bring a “phone”.
I use my AWU2 on my longer runs (when running alone) to play music, but also my Garmin 🤷🏻‍♂️.
I’m also the only one in my running club that uses 2 watches 😉

 

[Zelegorm]

Yes. And I did the same a while ago. But in the meanwhile I see absolutely no reason anymore to wear the garmin

 

[AnthroMatt]

I see so many comments here and elsewhere complaining about the weight of Garmin's Fenix/Epix line. They are lighter than the AWU2, and in a slightly larger case that means the weight is even more distributed than on the AWU2.

 

[RichP74]

I’m also the only one in my running club that uses 2 watches 😉

Run with a trail running group. They're obsessed with this for some reason, LOL. I know one guy who uses three watches. Three. Coros, Garmin, and Apple. I have no idea why; I want to ask him, but he's the type who will spend 3 hours telling you exactly why. I'm assuming the Apple is strictly for emergencies to make calls; as a trail watch it kind of blows. I'm a Garmin guy myself, tried the Apple Watch Ultra 1, and went back to Garmin about 2-3 months later. Apple is just not competitive yet and as someone who is iPhone/Macbook in my personal life, I really want them to be. My dream would be the two of them joining up and creating a watch that is the best of both worlds.

I don't have time to list all the things I hated about the Apple Watch, but the #1 absolute worst offender is the need to download specialized apps for everything you want to do, and none of it works particularly well together like it does on a Garmin. And I think they fixed this, but the need to go into Strava and manually import new workouts was so ***** dumb I couldn't believe it when I figured out why they just didn't appear like they did when you synced a workout with Garmin.

I use a Forerunner 255 BTW. I'd previously used a 945, but sold it when I got the Apple Watch, and when I re-bought the 255 did pretty much everything I needed.