Phenomenal job on this. I’ve had them both and have pretty much the same exact observations. I now use the AW at work only, and the Epix Pro for sports & sleep tracking. So far, that’s working well, but I may eventually ditch the AW.
Great review, Nick & much appreciated. Don't know what's more impressive, your 2h 27' 34" in the LM or how much info you packed into the 19' comparison! 👍🏻😜
I really wish that Garmin was better at sleep tracking. I’ve noticed the same thing as you. Sometimes I’ll get up to go to the bathroom at night and the watch says I slept the whole night. Other times I feel I had a great sleep and it says I was awake half the night. For the price they should be better .
I have an Apple Watch Ultra and have noticed the same thing you are describing about the spilt pace going slow even though you are maintaining the same speed.
You are 100% right on the pace on Apple Watch. I have used it for 800m and 1000m repeats and it is infuriating as you can’t get a real pace starting off. End up going too fast then too slow etc.
Got a ultra 2 last month love the design of it and bright display and it’s so customizable once you change the bands and face great battery I can get about 3 days I’ve went hiking the last 3 weekends and the waypoints and backtracking are legit despite doing all that I still have all my important functions phone messages etc don’t know much about garmin watches but seems like they are on par or better in certain areas
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is not on par with the Garmin for the single reason that Apple Watches don't work well on Android, so therefore it's not a good purchase as it locks you into Apples ecosystem. Better to go for Garmin or any other more compatible smart watch.
Great side by side. I have the Epix Pro and couldn't be happier. Did a upgrade from the fenix 6Pro and love the Amoled screen and the battery life. Happy with the garmin ecosystem and can't see leaving anytime soon. I know Apple offers a lot of metrics but battery life is the game changer for me. I do like that blue band you have for the garmin, can you post a link. Thanks
Been using the Apple Watch Ultra for a year and wouldn’t change it. Battery not an issue for me. I leave it on charge for 20mins each morning while I’m in the shower and it goes up from 40 to 80% and gets me through to the next morning for the next charge.
I have the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and the epix pro gen2 51mm and I think the ultra is better for the average person. As if I stop doing workouts for two long my garmin starts to get mad at me lol I just use Athlytic with the ultra and I get most of the info I need.
Apple Ultra (with the AF feature turned on for even more precise heart reading), the WorkOutDoors app, and the Athlytic app are the killer combos that make the best smartwatch into one of the best sports watches. I've used it across 3.30 hours of trail running and to do the complete training for a half-marathon, and all works perfectly. In terms of charging it, I do it when I'm taking my daily shower (no more than 15 minutes overall), and it never goes out of battery. Note: I use mine all the time, including at sleep, and I have the always-on display off. I'm only going to move to a Garmin once I get over the 50k mark on trail running, which should happen next year, and the only reason for it is safety... You don't want to go on a 7h+ running in the middle of nowhere and have any slight chance of loose the battery life (even so, it's mandatory to have your phone with you, so that might even not be an issue).
Agree! I also use these apps. But Apple Watch Ultra can last up to 17h on Low Power Mode, so I feel confident to use it on races where I know I would take up to 15h do complete it. Till now my longest use was on a trail running training of 9h. I finished it with a little bit more than 50% on tank.
Really? The Athyltic app is good? I downloaded the free version once but it felt a little unfinished perhaps? Perhaps I should reinstall it and give it another go? Do you use the paid version? Does it require you to wear the watch at all times?
I use the same apps and schedule and could not agree more! Workoutdoors and Athlytic turns the watch into a powerfull sportester. The same goes to battery life. Charge it for the morning cleaning routine and it never goes out of battery. 16-17 hours on GPS activity is moře than enough for me
The main reason I have made the move from Apple Watch Ultra to Fenix 7 pro is because running in the winter is a pain. If the watch face gets wet and you’re wearing long sleeve tops it will keep brushing the screen and stopping run or screen etc…. You can turn on the water lock feature but then the watch becomes useless if you actually do try to change screens.
Thank you for the comment about the split pacing. I honestly thought that it was just me. This is one of the reasons why I’m retiring my Apple Watch for either a Corps Pace 3, Forerunner 265 or the Forerunner 965. Please help me with my decision. I’m leaning toward the 965.
They are all very good watches that I found great for GPS accuracy and pacing, so it’s really down to price va features. Coros great value but not AMOLED, Garmin software and training analysis I find a little better. 965 amazing but if you don’t need maps 265 better value. I like all three a lot!
What you said about the lap/split pace on the Apple watch very much is something that would also bug me. I've only worn Garmins but have thought repeatedly about getting an Apple watch. I definitely will not get one now, though, since I want to be able to rely on my watch for pacing workouts (but not in pacer mode). That's a defeater for me, in spite of some other things being better on the Apple watch - at least until either Apple gets better or a third company (Corps?) surpasses them both. Congrats on your race!
On my Apple Watch with split-runs like you mention - I always run with a custom run with setting up different parts of the run - Warm up + 3 x 5K + cool down for example. Have never experienced the starting-high in pace like you mention.
Was lucky enough to be given an Apple Watch Series 7 by my boss to start my running journey last month, and I've been trying to decide if it's worth switching over to a Garmin Forerunner 265 or save up for the Ultra 2. Comparisons like this are super helpful!
Great video. If you train seriously then Garmin all the way. If you want a smartwatch that does some fitness stuff then AWU. I have both and I find myself using the Garmin Fenix 90% of the time.
If you integrate Garmin with My Fitness Pal, you'll find that Garmin makes the activity adjustment to calories. As a sprint athlete, I've found it spot on, particularly as my training ramped up. Only caveat is to maintain calorific input on rest days at same or close to active days.
Great video Nick, my take on these watches is that a Garmin could be my only watch but I would need something additional to the Apple Watch, I think the Garmin is for the more serious athlete and the Apple is the better smart watch by a country mile!
I have chronic failures of the elevation display with the Ultra 2 on trail runs under wide open skies and close to urban areas. My Garmin S70 works perfectly. I have done all the things Apple recommends to maximize precision but no change.
Hi Nick for my use I think the AW with 3rd party maps is what will suit me best however I am going to Everest base camp in March and want a decent altimeter (I had a Garmin 14 years ago for the altimeter when climbing Toubcal for my 50th) but heard that the altimeter on Apple Watch Ultra varies quite a lot. Welcome yours or anyone else’s thoughts! Thank you 🙏
Thanks for the comparison video Nick! Do you think the Forerunner 965 is a good choice for those who aren't able to justify splashing out on the Epix Pro?
I only have the AWU one, and the Garmin Fenix 6 not 7. I can’t compare some of the things, but one thing I will throw out is my Apple Watch is extremely accurate for my heart rate. I do have an arrhythmia condition that’s monitored by an EP, and the Apple Watch will be just as accurate as my garmin chest strap, or when I’m hooked up to an EKG. It was actually my Dr who recommended it. It’s interesting to know you found the Garmin more accurate. Now I wish I was ballin enough to get one and compare 😂😂 I have noticed the beginning of split paces being slower, luckily I don’t use that often enough to have it bother me. As for charging, I charge my Apple Watch each night while I’m reading in bed. 30-40 minutes each night keeps it going quite well.
Am i missing something. how can the screen of the Apple Watch be 49mm and the case size is also 49mm x 44mm? I'm not seeing the screen is bezelless. Theres still a bezel and buttons. Seems misrepresented.
Thanks Nick what a great video and detailed and helpful comparison! May I ask whether your conclusion would have been the same had it been an Epix Gen 2 as this is my current conundrum? 🤔
I have found the smaller Series Apple Watches to be very accurate for optical HR, the Ultra not as good for me, and the Epix Pro has been better than lost Garmins! I still prefer to use a chest/arm strap myself
I have the Ultra 2 and a Fenix 7 and I love both for different reasons but I’m thinking of changing the Fenix but can’t decide between the Epix and the FR965. I’d love to know your opinion of the latter vs the Epix
We have a multi-tester vid on that comparison :) Garmin Forerunner 965 vs Garmin Epix Pro: Which AMOLED Garmin should you get? ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-sV7TI3uC9NM.html
I just shoved one loop through at one end, has been fine and very secure! I can’t take the pins off mine. There’s more details in a recent monthly essential video on the channel
Apples heart rate and sleep tracking is extremely accurate whilst garmin is the least. If ur not worried about the reliability of the data Garmin is a better hands down.
Because I can see the Apple Watch cut corners and it came up surprisingly short on a course I know very well. All very marginal of course, still a good GPS watch.
If you are serious about running go garmin. Apple Watch is way too limited for tracking statistics, hate having not enough buttons and battery left is garbage. Never looked back and not considering Apple before a looooong time. Do not miss the smart features in daily life then I have my phone
My Garmin 965 completely sucks at sleep tracking length of time and stages of sleep also the coach that tells you if you had an easy day or hard and training readiness. I have had it nearly a month and it's dropping heart rate data and battery drain complete the very next day. My Garmin also tells me I have had a hard day when I have done nothing but move about my house and tells me I had a rough day and need to rest the next....???@#$%^ wtf! needless to say I am going to send it back, I have decided I don't need an over hyped watch to tell me to get out and, move, or stay in and rest when it's almost the opposite every time how I feel. It seems to be as accurate as a Samsung watch. I'll go with the apple watch ultra X when it drops, I have had good luck with my AWU 1
I will never buy an 🍎🍏product again, over priced, not even in date & uses software to cover up it's flaws, anyone says anything bad about them gets shunned.Garmin on the other hand amazing, Google Amazing, Amazon Amazing.. Ok I said enough, ps I bought 2 Apple watches, 3 iPhones, iPads Max, iMac & MacBook in the past all did not pass the price tag...
I find these things disgustingly big, but the Apple watch ultra is next level ugly. What a monstrous brick it is. Even a rapper would be ashamed to wear it.
I have a Fenix 6 pro and amazon has the Epix Pro gen2 for £671... I trying to find a really good reason to upgrade anyone want a 6 pro? Always insightful, great stuff.
Ultra 2 for me! It all boils down to each individuals use case. If you are a hardcore runner, are always chasing PR's and train for multiple marathon, then yes, the Garmin is better. For the average runner and iPhone user, the Ultra is unbeatable. It offers enough data to satisfy the average runner, is incredibly durable, is essentially a phone on your wrist which is fantastic when youre out for a run. You have the piece of mind of having a full cellular connectivity, can use it to pay for things, is a dive computer and does the Smart watch thing better than anything else on the market.
I tested Ultra 2 for two weeks. But the cellular reception dropped out sometimes on my trail runs. So I felt I couldn’t trust it in case of emergency. I guess the smaller antenna makes a difference. Apple Watch also doesn’t have support for Facebook Messenger and Whatsapp which are what most people use in my country. Garmin + iPhone for me. :)
