Apple Watch Ultra Vs. Garmin Epix Gen 2: Which Smartwatch Is Right For You?
This article is part of our Battle of the Brands series , in which we compare the best products in the category against their competitors to see which ones are really worth the money. Editor's note:
Ever since the launch of the Apple Watch Ultra and Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, it's clear that the latest wave of high-end everyday smartwatches will be competing on the wrists of serious athletes. But can flagship smartwatches beat high-end wearables from fitness measurement specialists like Garmin, Suunto and Polar?
To find out, we sifted through a range of high-performing flagship smartwatches and played with some of the best adventure watches, then selected two top contenders: the Apple Watch Ultra (top of the smartwatch bunch) and the Garmin Epix Gen 2 (arguably the best ). the most advanced and versatile special sports watches) in our daily training rotation for several months to find out which ones can really do everything.
| scope/display | 49mm OLED color touchscreen, always on | 47mm AMOLED color touchscreen, always on |
|---|---|---|
| Possibility to connect fitness equipment | Bluetooth: | Bluetooth, ANT+ |
| physical buttons | 2 + digital crown | 5:00 a.m |
| battery life | 36 hours (daily use, always on) / 12 hours (GPS) | 6 days (daily use, always on) / 30 hours (GPS) |
| housing materials | titanium | Stainless steel or titanium (+$100) bezel/bezel, resin case |
| Charger | Apple MagSafe | USB (Garmin proprietary connector); solar |
| Price: | $799 | $899 |
While the Apple Watch Ultra shines in a few specific areas, for the most part the Garmin Epix is the best dedicated sports partner ever and is simply better equipped to handle the rigors of interaction when you're working hard, often in challenging conditions. . environments. Both devices collect tons of useful data (and interact with their respective mobile apps to provide endless ways to analyze that data, whether you're looking for great fitness trackers or want to really quantify your performance), but the Epix is simpler. manage while you're at it.
Some of that has to do with the software, and Garmin gives you more data and more ways to view and analyze it, but a lot of that comes down to the interface. Honestly, touchscreens can really suck when you're wet, sweaty, or cold on the go. And sometimes you don't want to take your eyes off the road to mark the end of a lap or to initiate a break. The answer is physical, tactile buttons, and that's where the Epix wins.
The Apple Watch Ultra has a reassignable second button that's initially configured to launch features like intervals and lap notes during workouts and workouts, but the Epix has five buttons that you can use to navigate the vast majority of its features . You can go out and do some pretty tough interval training, navigating your playlist without even looking at your wrist, let alone peeking and poking at the tiny screen while dodging traffic or staying in your lane.
We ran and rode the Epix through New England winters and early springs and had no problem completing light or hard workouts, even with gloves, regardless of the weather. Each workout type provides more immediate and meaningful screenshots of the data than the corresponding workouts in the Apple Workouts app.
Garmin's training metrics, analysis tools (both in the Epix itself and in the Garmin Connect app) and race and power prediction tools are very useful and actually a good guide for beginners and intermediate users. And Garmin gives you things like visual ascent and descent feedback not found on any Apple device. Garmin also includes all collected health data: sleep quality, heart rate variability, recovery status and more. - and use this information as part of your physical activity tracking. On the Watch Ultra, you need to connect everything to third-party apps. Garmin (and the Connect app) make it easy to work with the entire fitness profile.
The Watch Ultra was more difficult to use when wearing gloves, in the rain, or in the cold; Simple things like completing a workout or managing a workout playlist require at least one tap to wake the screen, along with swiping or double-tapping the crown and second button. With things like jogging, where you prefer to follow your surroundings, it's not so easy.
While both watches communicate with sensors ranging from heart rate sensors and pedometers to bike speed and cadence sensors and power sensors to ergometers and stationary bikes, the Watch Ultra only supports Bluetooth connectivity. /BLE, while Garmin supports both Bluetooth and ANT+. , giving him access to a greater variety of devices (especially in the case of a bicycle). Not a problem for Apple as the industry moves to Bluetooth, but these things are expensive and users end up investing heavily in them.
If you enjoy cycling (indoors or outdoors) and just need a fitness computer, the Epix is definitely a winner. Integrate Garmin with its cycling products (the company also makes bike computers, but the Epix and Fenix watches can easily fill that role, and the Epix display is clearly visible on the handlebars) and seamlessly connect and control everything, from the lights to the radar: and cameras on the way to the smart indoor trainer Apple currently does not offer.
As Apple added more and more advanced health and fitness tracking capabilities, Garmin added more features to smartwatches, tweaked their looks, added app stores, all kinds of integrations, customizable touchscreens, and even payments.
Apple's WatchOS 9 remains unbeatable for general everyday use, and that means that whether you own an Ultra or stick with the Series 8, the Apple Watch is still the best smartwatch you can buy:
If you want to interact with your phone from your wrist; Use timers, alarms and calendars; Answer calls or SMS on your watch, or simply interact with a variety of apps that offer watch support; Apple's watch and app platform is clearly better than anything else. Installing and using an app of your choice, no matter how esoteric, takes a few steps. This is where the touchscreen interface really shines, and Apple's tight control over which apps developers are allowed to release pays off. . use
With the Epix (or any other high-end fitness, adventure, and outdoor portable device) you're missing out on deep system integration. Get all the notifications you need as the Epix can mirror notifications from your phone, but you can't, for example, reply to messages on your wrist as easily as you can with the Apple Watch Ultra. Garmin doesn't even offer an LTE option, so you can't use the Epix as a standalone communications device like you can with the Watch Ultra. If you want to stay connected, you need to bring your phone.
Overall, it's possible to use the Epix as an everyday car, but it takes a little more effort. Alarms and timers are several menus deep, you can't easily fit functions into the intricacies of the watch face, and you're just more limited in what you can do. On the other hand, the Watch Ultra (and that's true of any recent Apple Watch running watchOS 9) lets you do quite a bit without your phone.
The Garmin App Store focuses almost entirely on fitness apps, data analysis, and metrics, with some hints at daily activities like music services and performance timers, but you won't find many of those things. applications here.
However, with the Elix you get well-rounded fitness and health features that take more effort to set up via the Watch Ultra apps. Garmin's sleep tracking is fantastic, with a detailed "morning report" that has proven to be a surprisingly useful daily workout planner.
In terms of health, both models have effective and accurate heart rate monitors and heart rate sensors, but Apple takes the lead by combining built-in ECG, fall detection and LTE with international emergency/SOS calling options, making it the best device. both, and daily monitoring to deal with potentially embarrassing situations near or far from home.
Although Garmin maps are more comprehensive and detailed, and are likely the choice of the most dedicated outdoor enthusiast, they are realistic for those trying to choose between these devices. I will use it in general.
Both the Apple Watch and Epix support all satellite navigation networks and quickly snap onto a run, a marked change from previous generations of adventure watches that required you to wait minutes before heading out for a run. Display balls to desired satellites. I didn't have any major issues on or off the road, regardless of tree cover or weather conditions, and I got a solid reading from both devices.
However, Epix maps load faster because they are running on the watch while you are downloading your environment maps to the watch, which can take a while. Apple mapping relies more on the amount of map information you have on your phone, so it doesn't require as much preparation on your part. If you want to set routes using third-party services. Both devices allow you to set up and download routes using the services of your choice, although, as is usual with Apple, this will likely require the use of multiple apps. Garmin includes more of these features in its core apps.
Watch Ultra is perfect as a navigation extension for your iPhone, with evident tight integration allowing turn-by-turn directions to the map you're using on your device's Apple Maps. It's a particularly attractive option when driving, but it's actually part of a suite of features that make the Watch Ultra a more reliable smartwatch.
Both the Watch Ultra and Epix offer to find emergency waypoints along a "path" (Apple calls it "Return") using a series of markers on the map (you'll have to reset them manually if you're using waypoints happen). how to use the watch compass when you lose connection. We tested them by turning off the GPS and found our way out of the woods fairly easily, although using these features wasn't that easy; On the Watch Ultra in particular, you're not just navigating with a compass, which can be a bit confusing at the moment given that on the Epix you're tracking your waypoints on a map that you've probably already lost. While these features can certainly help, you'll need some fairly advanced skills to get out of a real jam and it's unclear to me if a single device will individually make a difference.
It's in the battery life that we saw the real difference. The battery life of the Epix in daily use is a definite improvement over the Watch Ultra. In short, you get about a week (and even two if you optimize) without Epix versus a day and a half with Ultra.
When wearing the Epix daily, we typically walked 10 days between battery charges; It's the screen brightness setting and scales with wrist rotation and everyday use, from short daily workouts to long weekends. Saturday Solar charge is very slow and doesn't affect overall charge, but this is a relatively sunny New England winter and we'd expect better performance in sunnier countries. With GPS and navigation running constantly during workouts, battery life drops to about 24 hours, longer than any consumer smartwatch and nearly double that of the Apple Watch, giving you about half a day (that's less). by the way, the default settings. You can of course customize each watch to improve battery efficiency, customize how each app is used, or lower the screen brightness).
It's great never having to worry about charging, and it's easier to rely on Epix to track your health and fitness day and night. Since using the watch I have never had to put it down at night instead of wearing it for sleep data. This has happened several times with the Apple Watch Ultra. Both devices charge quickly, but getting rid of that issue for the sake of usability is a real plus for usability.
However, Apple's device offers fantastic battery performance for a portable consumer device. we regularly get several days without charging with normal use and a full day of GPS and navigation capabilities for long runs and bike rides; it is much better than previous apple. . The watch impresses with its bright and easy-to-read display.
Surprisingly, Apple has the edge in demanding outdoor use. The company is really targeting divers with the Ultra, as the Oceanic+ app turns the watch into an easy-to-use dive computer for divers. Apple upped the ante a bit by offering optional depth and water resistance tests, so they're clearly serious. Although it's a fairly basic dive computer (it can't communicate with tank gauges, for example), the dive interface was developed by Huish Outdoors, who have a lot of experience in the field, and further improvements can be made. in the future. and all reports indicate that it is a very useful tool for recreational divers.
The Epix, on the other hand, is designed for swimming, but it's not a high-end dive watch (Garmin makes a special Descent watch for divers, which does more than the Apple Watch Ultra, but costs twice as much, and will be overpriced, as anyone's watch. Days). Driver)..
The Garmin platform has evolved to the point where, in most cases, it's quite competitive as a compelling choice for everyday use with traditional smartwatches, while the Apple Watch Ultra has made great strides in adventure functionality. Both the Epix and Watch Ultra have great fitness and smartwatch features, easy-to-read displays, navigation features that can get you out of some sticky situations if you pay close attention to tracking, and plenty of everyday goodies. . You really can't go wrong with either one.
But that's the point. Considering the price of these devices depending on the equipment, equipment, straps and accessories, it is still quite easy to spend 1000€, you probably only buy one of these items and definitely want to get your money's worth. The: The solution really is figuring out exactly what you need from your laptop.
If you're looking for a great smartwatch with a decent fitness feature, then the Apple Watch Ultra is the device for you. Apple Watch OS 9 is the best smartwatch OS yet, with a huge range of useful apps, including a revamped workout app that offers plenty of workout options that can be simplified with Garmin's (or Suunto or Polar's) offerings, but: you are largely designed to be very competitive with the offerings of specialist fitness brands. An additional assignable button gives you enough control over your workout to manage things when you don't have easy access to the touchscreen.
Another clear case for the Watch Ultra is if you're looking for a smartwatch that doubles as a dive computer. Epix just can't compete with those reasons, and you have to spend a lot of money to get them
If you're serious about running, swimming, or an athlete who participates in various sports, that is, if being an athlete is central to your ironclad personality, and you're mine. . Gen 2, который Вам фантастические Возможности для занятий фитнесом e Выполняет двойную функцию в качестве Сочетание яркого дисплея, который виден практически при любом освещении или окружающей среде, с 5-кнопочным тактильным интерфейсом и широкой совместимостью Garmin со всей вселенной датчиков ANT+ и BLE и тренажерного оборудования по-прежнему значительно опережает устройства Apple с точки зрения повседневного использования упражнений. Интерфейс с сензорным экраном на самом деле не е подходит для сложных интервальных тренировок и не является лучшим для тех, кто не хочет смотреть на свои запястья, чтобьых для тех.
