I cancelled my Apple Watch Ultra order and bought a Garmin Enduro 2 instead from a lady who won it in a competition (I got a really good deal) and then after 4 months I missed my Apple Watch so I sold the Garmin for $90 more than what I bought it for (winning) and bought the Apple Watch Ultra and I'm so happy to be back on the Apple Watch. The Garmin is a good GPS watch but it's not a good Smart Watch. It's kind of a dumb watch really and some things like weather are just wildly innacurate at times. Anyway, loving the Apple Watch. The battery life is great. I just slap it on charge when I do my morning routine (shower, brush teeth etc) and thats easily enough to keep it going another 24 hours including GPS activities. I try to keep it in the range of 40-80% so that the battery will last a long time without degredation. In select scenarios I'll charge it to 100% and use low power mode to get the longest battery life.
Thanks for your in depth data in your usage of this watch! I’m a long distance runner that has been using a normal Apple Watch for tracking and the Ultra definitely had my attention. It’s nice to see a fellow runner review use it for its actual purpose instead of seeing tech reviews pretend to go on a run or swim in a pool to review this watch!
I just wish they'd make the data visible in a run as customizable as it is on a Fenix - being able to set up your data screens on a Garmin to show what you need is just so useful. And make it look less like a 1980's brick.
Not a physical fitness nut, but I am a 60 year old man, who does exercise, but wants the assurance, that if something happens, I have a quick and convenient way to get help quickly. I've tried other "Smart" watches, but just ended up giving them away, because they just didn't give me what I was looking for. With the Ultra, I have the advantage, of tracking many metrics, that pertain to my health, as well as fall and crash detection, which is awesome for someone like me, especially since it also has cellular, so even if I forget my iPhone at home, this watch can call for help, everywhere I go! There's just so many reasons, other than extreme workouts and outdoor adventuring, that makes this the go to watch, for older people. Also, in comparison to something, like Life Alert, this is a much less expensive, and more accurate alternative that also keeps track of your health!
How is this watch for sitting on the couch eating chips? Does the bigger size get in the way of reaching into the bag?! Jokes aside, well done review Dez, I think in general it’s a great watch to start your fitness journey but in the end I feel it’ll help the sales of a garmin or Coros because once you get past a certain point, apple can’t satisfy the needs yet unless they can do more with software. From what I see on other reviews the speakers and microphones are miles ahead of the older versions for making and taking calls. This will make paying for the cellular useful for a change. In the past it was hard to hear people and it would cut out a lot.
Long time Garmin user, currently on Fenix 6 pro. Won't be changing (yet), but I hope this really wakes Garmin up to deliver better products and apps with their line up. Garmin interface is beginning to look dated and also limits third party developers to produce good apps on their platform.
Hey, you are just down the highway from me, I live in Broomfield. I currently have a AW4. Had it forever. I use it for tracking multiple items like indoor workouts, outdoor hikes, bike rides and alpine skiing. In the winter time I use it to track my skiing, mainly at Loveland Ski area for alpine skiing using Ski Tracks. I import the all the various workout data into Training Peaks just to track where I am at, I'm not as serious of an athlete as you appear to be, I just like to monitor my progression in preparation for my annual heliskiing in Canada. This is 6.5 days of intense skiing and you really need to be in good shape to enjoy it. The biggest challenge for the battery and GPS is in my heliskiing. The main problem there is the battery just won't last for a full day. Wrist based HR is best so nothing interferes with a avalanche beacon on your chest. Not a deal killer but an irritation, I just go until it won't record anymore with the AW4. The extended battery life for the AWU would fix this issue. The other irritation is the delay at the start of a workout where it won't register heartbeat, you reference that in your AW8 review that I watched this AM. Does the AWU have that delay problem also or is it better than the AW8? Keep up the good reviews.
Another awesome video Des! So glad that you had a chance to test this out and I can’t wait to get mine on Friday. It’s flattering to Garmin that Apple launched a device more focused on outdoor activities and I can’t wait to dive deeper into it versus something like the Enduro 2. Battery life is obviously a massive differentiator, but I honestly wonder if that matters to most people who are not ultra runners.
I love Garmin and still use my Fenix for hiking/packing but traded in my Epix 2 for the Ultra. It is annoying to not be able to respond to notifications through my watch and really enjoy having the LTE and being able to leave my phone at home. The ultra is my new EDC.
Idea for next video: How to leverage both both Garmin and AW Ultra in your daily routines along with best practice Strava syncing. I think there are many of us that have both watches. I’m planning to start using a new AW Ultra as a Smartwatch during the day and swap out for my Epix2 during workouts (or maybe add it and leave the phone at home). Then sleep at night with the Oura Ring 3. Be the first to do a video for us tech geeks trying to incorporate multiple devices. It’ll be a hit! 😎
How has it worked out for you? I have a garmin fenix 7x SS and like you, thinking about getting the Apple Watch for day to day things as a smart watch and use my fenix purely for triathlon training. I was thinking maybe i will still use my fenix for all activities and just carry the Apple Watch minus the straps and can use it to stream music and what not
I’ve switched from Apple Watch 6 to Garmin Fenix 7 Sapphire Solar only because of the battery life. Now I get 14-day battery life (they advertise 18-22 days, but I didn't manage to get it despite turning off all notifications, using simple GPS or not using it at all for some activities) and it's great. However F7's display cannot be compared to the one in AW. Moreover software wise Garmin is inferior to Apple Watch (at least for me, because UX is worse). After using GF7 for a couple of days I decided that as soon as Apple manages to propose AW with 4-5 days battery life, I’m coming back. Frankly speaking a month ago I thought that there is no way they would do it in near future. But now AWU looks promising. If I can get 4-5 days with low power mode, I'm ready to trade 14-day battery life for that display and software :)
I think I'm going to be getting an Ultra. I'm a fan of the design and I like many of the smartwatch features standard in all Apple watches. The Ultra truly does feel like a fine balance between a smart watch and a sports watch, and I think it will appeal to many people who are looking for a "good enough" sports watch with great smartwatch features. Battery life aside, many of the shortcomings of the Ultra feel like they can be address with Watch OS/software updates (external sensor support, maps integration, etc). This is an encouraging sign, and I would like to see them not release a new Ultra model every year and instead focus on these software improvements. I agree with your conclusion in that this watch specifically is not a "Garmin-killer." However, it should be interpreted as a warning sign. Apple's strongest point has been their software. If they continue to improve features by building up their software, Garmin (a company notorious for neglecting software) could be left in the dust.
Des, you have the best reviews of all! For us, the folks that need a regular smartwatch the options are pretty limited, at the moment it's basically either Apple's Ultra or Samsung's Watch 5 Pro. It would be great to see a full on comparison between those two watches, just like in this video!
I don't have anything to add that others haven't said about your great video, but I figured I'd post anyways to help the RU-vid algorithm work in your favor. I ordered this watch on launch. I will be wearing a garmin on one arm and this on the other for my runs because I'm a frigging nerd.
Hi Des, thank you so much for your incredible analysis and in-depth reviews. I find I watch your videos much more than other reviewers on RU-vid because you are very honest and do such a thorough job with everything you test out. A+ review and video my friend. Keep up the great work and God bless.
Nice review. It's not clear where Apple is headed with this class of device. Even the Apple Series 8 will provide a similar fitness experience in general for a lot of people. At the same time, Apple is unwilling to make sacrifices in terms of OS/Display/Sensors for a more focused fitness experience. I get it. But the end result is a massive battery and various extended battery low power modes that still fall short of a week of workouts. At the same time, having used a variety of watches from Garmin, Suunto, Polar, and Wahoo, it's not as if there isn't room for improvement there either. My hope is that this competition will be good in general for the ecosystem and help better products over time.
Looking at the strides apple is making with their in-house silicon on the macbook side (and iphone tbh) I suspect it won't be long before we see massive improvement in battery life for the apple watch
The only honest review of the Apple Watch. The others all seemed afraid to mention Garmin, I was starting to think that Apple had specifically asked them not to!
Awesome review, sir. Enjoyed the thoroughness of your testing and presentation of data. I recently switched from years with an Apple Watch to a Garmin 955 and couldn’t be more pleased with the decision. The battery life, difficulty to operate while sweaty, and having to use apps were major factors. I personally needed a tool for workouts not a smartwatch.
Great review. My only concern is it’s inability to connect to 3rd party devices such as power meters. For a triathlete, I feel like this is the only feature preventing me from switching
Thanks for the great review! I'll say that the Ultra intrigues me. Currently rocking a Garmin Fenix 6 Pro that I wear 24/7 for training and for pleasure (different bands make it easy to dress up or dress down). It's starting to show its age, only lasting 10 days or so instead of the 14 out of the box. I've been thinking about replacing it with something, was leaning toward either the Fenix 7 or the 955 but now I'm thinking about the Ultra. I don't need things like cycling power on outdoor rides, though I like that on Zwift but I don't need to run that through my watch to get that data. This might be the watch for me. But I'm kind of thinking that I'll wait a year or two, either for software bugs to be worked out or software features to be added, or even better: wait for the Apple Watch Ultra 2 (or whatever they decide to call it).
ALL the details? What about which Grade Titanium that Apple uses. “Aerospace Grade Titanium” is a broad scope. There are different Grades. Since Tim Cook sends all these RU-vidrs with at least 100,000 subscribers all these early products, you would think he would have all the information.
Hiya Desfit! Great review as usual, but no maps, no golf courses no bike trails, no fishing holes, NO SALE. Basically still an apple watch with armor...was hoping for more... Garmin 955 does everything I need for half price with student discount.
Boulder resident here. Thank you for your review and in depth data comparison from the ultra. I have mine preordered from apple with a delivery date of October 26th, but hoping to pick one up from the store on Friday.
Another brilliant review Des! You are my go to for sport tech reviews. I would be interested to hear your thoughts on recreational athletes use of Garmin vs Apple. I am a Fenix 6 user in part for battery, ruggedness and functionality but as an Apple product user the the Apple 8 or ultra is calling.
Mine's going back today...IMO this watch is mostly form over function, like the production team mastered the design but ran out of time to actually improve the core functionality as a fitness watch. On the hardware side it's a nice case, size, feel etc. On the software side (aside from the novelty items like diving etc) this is really not much different than my 7. Back to my Fenix and 830. Nothing to panic about just yet, Garmin.
Here's why I don't think I'll switch to an Apple Ultra: 1. Ecosystem: i own an Android phone which I love and switching means buying an iPhone... A hefty investment 2. Battery life. My Garmin Fenix 6 lasts for almost 2 weeks and that means reliability 3. Maps. There are no maps on the apple watch 4. It wants to replace my phone. It does too much redundant functions to my phone and depletes battery life for no reason The only thing I love about it is its aesthetics, the design language is awesome but not a good reason to switch from my reliable Garmin. Thanks for the great review as usual. Peace & love to all
Great review as always. I am a slow runner, and I wonder if the battery can last at least for 7 hours with music listening (with the AOD and multiband)?
