I haven't tried the Garmin yet. Currently on a one month trial with the Ultra 2. So far I love the seamless integration with my iPhone. And ya, not having to bring my phone with me everywhere is SUCH a nice change. I can see this being even more useful in the summer time when I'm wearing fewer pockets (finding a pocket in my shorts to fit a MaxPro 14 can be a bit tight at the best of times). If Apple could figure out this battery issue they would have the market cornered I think. I am getting 2.5 days of battery life out of it which is fine. But I find I'm ALWAYS looking at the battery percentage to see how much juice I have left - that's an unhealthy habit! I did pick up a key chain sized travel charger for the AW so I am never without some sort of back up power source. Great review BTW. Thanks for sharing :)
I have a Garmin Instinct Tactical, which is more like a G-shock with all the sports apps, and none of the distractions that come with essentially having a phone strapped to your wrist. It's perfect.
@SparkBerry Of course I read your nonsensical comment. If you actually comprehended mine you could have figured that out yourself. Who TF needs 28 day battery life besides maybe someone in the military. 🤣 Come back down to the real world brother.
@DingleBerryschnapps So, here's your logic. Buy an Apple watch, switch off all the things that make it an Apple watch, and then put it in a Gshock case? Zero sense whatsoever. Hence why, I bought something more practical that can actually stay charged longer than a weekend.
I have the Samsung Watch5 Pro and I have to admit, I love it. I do miss the phone feature from my last Gears s watch, you are right, that feature was a game changer.
I throw the Spigen Rugged Armor Pro watch case/band on my Ultra for additional protection while cycling, mountain biking, etc. I like to leave my phone at home, too. The Ultra let's me still be connected via the data plan and there are 3rd party apps that let me do just about anything you can do on the Garmin.
Main reason I wear my ultra 2 over my fenix 7 is the pay feature. Garmin pay doesn’t work with most banks. I don’t necessarily need gps and cellular on my watch (however it is nice). But the pay feature is so handy. However, I would never use my ultra 2 for outdoor activities. Garmin all day long. Apple doesn’t use onboard maps without the phone present. So without phone service, ultra is almost useless. Garmins onboard mapping is incredible, with or without the phone.
Depending on where you live and whether you're eligible for it, you may try the Curve Card . It bundles your other bank cards under the Curve card. And Curve is compatible with Garmin, so that's a trick for Garmin users
@@lanyburnett7966Yeah they are not, I think they are operating mostly in Europe. I know they are quite easy on address verification, but you'd need at least to have a valid address, or you know someone there that could get that (physical) card for you
That is a good point as well. I do not pay as much attention to sleep tracking but the more efficient HR tracking is a great feature. Garmin did improve theirs with the new Fenix and Epix.
This is a newer review how nice. I have used both with the Apple Watch Ultra for much longer. I was impressed by the Garmin like I haven’t before, but I always think to myself this doesn’t look like 1000 dollars. Also, I can use the Apple Watch for more than just sports. My gym, store, Cedar Point season pass, and credit cards are on Apple Wallet. I used Garmin Pay once and felt like an idiot because of the long process. The music controls are worse on the Garmin although not by much. At least for me, Strava works perfectly with my Apple Watch almost annoyingly great. Finally, I wouldn’t worry about the Apple Watch's durability I recently got into a wreck after being attacked by a dog while cycling. While I did get a few scratches, they aren’t very noticeable. It should look much worse. Garmin is an amazing sports watch. But in a world with limited resources, the Apple Watch is my recommendation every day of the week.
For everyday wear, you should address the Apple feature that can automatically summon authorities/ambulance if you have a car wreck and are incapacitated. If your son was 16 years old and driving around with friends...would you want him wearing an Apple watch? Or, out hiking and you take some sort of fall and can not reach your backpack or get into a pocket. Your iwatch is paired via bluetooth to your satellite communicator and you can send a text via satellite to friends or emergency services, even when out of cell coverage. Iwatch apps are only going to get better and more plentiful.
The safety features of the Apple Watch are great to have. I have had them come on accidentally at times too which is something to keep in mind. I wrecked my mountain bike and I was fine. So it is just a good reminder to check it in those situations as it does have a countdown timer just in case.
