Lifelong Apple Watch User Switches to Garmin | 1 Year Later 

6:10 Major update. If you want AudioBooks on a Garmin. As of November 10th Spotify now has a Audiobook Selection. Hope everyone enjoys and can benefit from the video

I just bought the Forerunner 265 and the battery is just amazing. It can last up to 13 days. There are also a lot of features but getting the hang of it may take time compared to other smartwatches.

I’m a fan of both Garmin and Apple Watches. I owned 10 Garmin watches and 4 Apple Watches including the Ultra. Too big for my wrist so just got the 45 mm stainless steel Apple Watch 9 and love it! I’m a marathoner and often track my runs on both devices. Garmin is my favorite for running though.

Yes yes yes Garmin rocks!! I sold my Apple Ultra and never missed it. I had to watch videos to figure out the Garmin and I had to watch a number of them to figure out different things. I love my Garmin Epic Pro and will stay with this brand. I love it!!!!!!!!! Great video Sheila

Excellent decision by you! I appreciate the honesty. Yes, Garmin may not have the ability to open your garage door from your watch, but I feel that your health is much more important!

Same here, switched to Garmin and haven’t looked back. Love the shape, battery, functionality, information presentation on the phone and much more.

It’s been about a year since I made the switch. I agree with you on how cumbersome the Garmin watch set up is. I also miss some of the smart features the apple had/has. That said the data and convenience to access it are what makes the switch worth it for me!

me too. The Apple Watch 9 was the first year I stopped getting that product and turned to Garmin Epix Pro. I'm not going back!!!! Sold my Ultra and never looked back. Sheila

Great video, I own everything Apple except for the watch. I have been a Garmin user for a long time, currently have the Epix2Pro 51mm and have been thinking of going full Apple and getting the Ultra. However, I just finished a week long vacation at Shenandoah National Park, hiking 3 to 6 miles a day. Started the trip with a full battery and finished with 65% (22 days) left. Had full gps on the hikes with detailed maps for trails, never had to worry about getting lost of going off the trail. After this trip I will stay with Garmin. For me it's hard to beat and the pluses out weigh the minuses.

I’ve had several Apple Watch for years now, and switched to Garmin a week ago! Best decision ever! I mainly switched because of the battery life of the Apple Watch. It was always a pain to charge it every single day and because of that I never wore my watch - just too much of a hassle! Garmin is just better in so many ways

Most of these types of videos are just click bait snd it's someone switching for a day or maybe even a week at most. Nice to see someone actually following through and doing the work then giving their thoughts.

I needed this video 👍🏼. I’m thinking of switching this year. Of all the video reviews, no one has really covered the “smartwatch” topic with Garmin watches, (text features, 3rd party app notifications, etc.) Will you be covering any of those topics?

Battery life is the game changer for me. I had a Samsung Watch 4 classic, great watch, but at the end of the day id ha w around 35 percent at bed time. If i wanted to sleep track, id have to charge it before bed, then again before work. That got old real quick, having to charge my phone, my ear buds, and then a watch too, it was just too much. I have a Fenix 6 Pro now, battery life is over 2 weeks!

Great video! What watch face is on your Garmin? Looks very good!

Awesome video, super informative! Wondering what size the garmin was again and just your general battery time throughout the week with runs and music. I’m sure you covered these points but I might’ve missed it lol

Many thanks for the video!! Really, really appreciate it!! 👍 May I ask you if that is a glow-in-the-dark band/strap on your Garmin (if so, any leads on where I may be able to track one down or is this going to be in your store later)?

These Garmin vids are fantastic. Former AW Ultra user, just switched to Garmin 10 days ago and used your videos, in part, as part of my decision to switch. Still struggling with the Strength training workout though. I would love to see a deeper dive into that sometime. Keep up the great series! Love it.

I loved the AppleWatch Ultra, but in the end went back to Garmin Fenix 7 X. Everything in one app, no messing about going from third party apps. Battery is amazing, built in mapping, etc. Also, I use Garmin Pay with the Curve card, and have never had an issue in the UK. The cellular in the Apple Watch was good, but I would only use it to stream music during fitness. So I just download music to my Garmin or take my phone with me. Plus I don’t want to be tied down to Apple. AWU is still amazing, but I think you have to be committed to the eco system, or be an Apple fan boy.

I use a Garmin for sports, but I wear an Apple Watch for the rest of the day and at night. I really like how integrated the Apple Watch is with my iPhone, the Garmin just doesn’t have the access to the Apple ecosystem to be anywhere near as good as a smartwatch.

I like your special effects and you have a good onscreen personality. Keep making videos please!

Great video. Thank you so much. It helped me a lot! I wasn't sure whether to buy an Apple Watch or the Garmin vivoactive 4S, but now I think I've made up my mind. It's good to know that we can listen to Spotify on the Garmin!

I had a Series 8 and switched to a Forerunner 965. No regrets at all…superb battery life, better looking form factor (imo), no shortage of health and fitness stats…Garmin Connect is great. You still get notifications from iPhone…just can’t reply from the watch which to me is just fine. I love Apple products, including the Watch, but the battery life on the Garmin is a game changer for me. I wear it all day and all night for literally weeks on end (including workouts) and it’s amazing.

What do you find better- Garmin Venu 2 or Garmin Vivoactive 5? Am looking both health monitoring and also golf features

Fantastic video. Really helped me out a lot

I keep all my Apple watch apps in one square, and I think that has better advantages than all-in-one as I can change apps for something new/different any time. Plus, I love all the band and bumper options. It's like having a new watch very easily. And after having LTE there is no way I'm going backwards there. It's so much more convenient and I love my Tidal music streaming. I only wish Apple had a longer battery life. Great video, thanks!

I just wanna say that being in front of the camera is already somehow hard and getting good footage and edit it the way you do is really good. I really love how you handle it, I need to congratulate you there Keep going and having fun doing all of that The video was really good too ! However tho, don’t make me having second doubt of me purchasing the series 9 instead of the 265 ! I had my period of doubt so hard 😂 Have a nice day and take care of yourself ☺️

I'm here for every second of that battery life. Idk about anything else. Excellent video

Hey, thank you for that great video! I always had the same attendance to Apple as you, but I never liked the Apple Watch. I always used Garmin watches for the same reasons you mentioned and it looks like a watch not like a cycling computer. 😂 But I got a question, which watch face do you have on you Epix, I saw this a couple times now and didn‘t find it until now.

Thank you for good comparison video 👍🏻👍🏻

Battery life of the Apple watch is a joke.

This is the video that I was looking for. I have an Apple Watch series 4, but now I'm more active in my life and when I go for a run or I'm training the battery wont last to the end of the day. Last week it didn't fully charge and my training wasn't recorded. My big but is the Apple Music, I changed from Spotify to Apple Music and I don't miss it, but its a little sacrifice... Wich Garmin do yo recommend for someone with a little wrist? 40mm is the biggest for me. Thank you!

Nice video, may I ask what watch face you use, the one with the 4 big numbers in shaded colors?

The clever thing about the Garmin is the battery life which most people would lean towards. If apple were to switch to a battery saver mode I probably would doubt that the functionality between both watches would be similar. Personally would take on Garmin right now with their long battery life and user experience is not that bad either. Great review though. Thanks 👍

very helpful, Man! Thanks!!

Thank you for the video. I have been part of the Garmin environment as I use a bike computer, so when I was looking for a smart watch, the choice was simple. I cycle to and from work, so I bought the Garmin Venu 3 for full phone integration while riding. Thanks again.

How accurate is it in terms of heart rate and tracking activities?

I think I seen a video with the S2 index in one of your videos. Would like to know if you can/have made a video on it. I know it’s 2yrs old or so but want to see how it works with the Garmin eco as well as how you use it and the accuracy. Reddit has it all over the place but want to see if it’s an investment to get. Thanks!! Happy holidays.

I've been using a Tactix Charlie from Garmin since October 2018. It's still going strong. I haven't noticed a decrease in battery life, probably because charging it every 12 days means that it's not burning up the charge cycles on the battery. I bought the hook and loop band from Garmin, and like it better overall than the default hard silicone. I love having topo maps that show my route taken while hiking. The initial cost was really high, but I've been using it daily for over 5 years, and suspect it will be fine for another 5 or more.

For those who’s still undecided, you got to know what you really need. For me, I’ve used Garmin Epix and Polar Vantage V2. I love them both. But there’s one thing I need to have in a watch. I need to have a cellular connectivity for call and text. I don’t want to carry my iPhone 15 Pro Max while running. And Apple Watch Ultra 2 is perfect for my need. As much as I can, I want to run with less weight on me. Lightweight, breathable cloths, lightweight supportive shoe and a watch to tracks my run, receive call and text and listen to podcast on my Shokz openfit headphones. I’m just your average joe. Not an athlete. I don’t care about garmin or polar health metrics anymore. What’s important is that I do my planned exercises and run and have it recorded.

I also switched from "Apple Watch Series 8" to "Garmin Fenix 6 Pro Solar" last year. With the Apple Watch, I had to charge it every day. But with Garmin, I don't need to charge for about 3 weeks. Also, Garmin displays a lot of activity details that Apple Watch doesn't have.

I’m the owner of Apple Watch Ultra. I also own a Garmin Epix Gen 2 since November 2023. Would never have bought the Apple Watch if I’d bought the Garmin first 😮

I had the AW7 and changed. To the garmin epix gen 2 and it’s super. But was thinking of reverting to the AWU and when I seen it in the Apple Store I decided i stay with garmin. My main reason was crash detection as I ride a motorcycle but my iPhone 15pro max has crash detection so no need for AWU .

Nice video! Btw which armband do u have 9:40?

you got a link for that phone case mate? The orange one

Please, what kind of watch face is it at the beginning of the video? Love it!

As an apple fanboy, I got my first garmin and realized how much I dislike apple. Apple wouldn't let me use the text out features on my Garmin, and I just immediately felt so much resentment towards apple. So in 2020 after 11 years of apple, I finally switched to Android and never looked back. Now I'm android/ Garmin. Apple lost me.

Garmin pay support some banks in Europe too. I am currently using Epix Gen 2 and I have my cards on it

What is that tracker you have that’s a led board and tracks your miles and runs?

Sold my Ultra and got the Epix Pro. The only thing that I miss is the remote camera function. That’s it.

I was the same. Galaxy wayches .wasnt happy with the better life. Switched to Garmin 2 years ago. So happy i did.

Great video; thank you for doing this. However, it's worth mentioning that it only connects on 2.4G Wifi and only specific credit cards (i.e., no Amex) are compatible :(

Plus if you're a golfer Garmin is really a superior choice. Garmin's native golf features for yardage, score keeping and stat tracking are unmatched.

If Apple focuses on battery life and gets to 1 week, it's a wrap, but until then Garmin will continue to steal market share on the watches. It's such an obvious thing for Apple to do. It's mind boggling that they refuse to address it

Wow, how am I just now finding your channel? You seem down to earth and just want to give an honest straight forward review. Appreciate it, just ordered Fenix 7 Solar! Do you need to have the Spotify Premium account to download music to the watch?

I use my Apple Watch with cellular just when I go running or anytime I don’t want to carry my phone, but I get the metrics only from the Fenix, which I wear 24/7, endless battery and no gimmicky oled screen.

If anyone is a golfer here. Garmin is just superior in every level to Apple. Pre downloaded courses with Garmin’s GPS tech are just amazing

Hi ya. Just purchased a Vivoactive 5, and cannot get it to connect to my WiFi, do you have any tips please?

Just seen this love the comparison. I just want mainly for fitness should I get a Garmin or Apple

Both is the right answer. I usually do arm strap with phone and garmin when I train. When I race, I do Apple Watch and garmin. Apple Watch is just not accurate for running. You could get a garmin 265/255 and apple se/maybe 8,9 cheaper then apple ultra.

What about the accuracy of the sleep tracking? This seems to be a problem.

Do you wear both your Apple Watch ultra and Epix 2 watch or do you wear one depending on the event/activity?

I’ve always been an Apple Watch user. Completely agree with the battery life comments. I order a Garmin watch purely for the battery. Having an Apple Watch die amidst a 30km+ run sucks. Garmin are definitely made for the runner.

I have an epix and before the Fenix 6. In Europe you can also pay with garmin pay it works good

What about a calendar showing upcoming events? Does the Garmin have that? Would like to have it on the first screen, like on the Apple Watch.

@Aesthetic_AI Does garmin watch have emergency contact for low oxygen level? I know it has fall detection but couldn't find anything about low oxygen emergency contact

I just swiched from my old garmin to Apple watch ultra , and its quite confusing to find out the info of your workouts in different apps , but the biggest surprise for me was that my apple watch doesn't reconize and automatically starts workout when I'm going for a walk outside or making other activity. Also I didn't found the way to track reps when you are woking out in the gym , and obviously it doesn't pause and count the recovery time when I stop. For Indoor atcivity its recording only heart rate, time and calories. Do you have any solution to fix this issue ? Maybe a third part app or something similar to garmin ?

Garmin watch for strength training at least for me is great everywhere except calories. Calories during running, cycling and similar are fine, but are way off (overestimated by a lot) during my strength training.

Which watch face are you using?

What watch are you wearing?

This is 100% a struggle for Apple Watch Ultra users making the switch to Garmin. I have an Epix Pro 47mm on my wrist and a first gen AWU on my nightstand at home. I love the look, metrics, battery life, and flashlight on the Epix. I also love the vibes I get wearing the Garmin (feels good to sort-of break away from Apple and commit to a true fitness device). But I find myself missing the sleek look, ease of use, and compatibility with the iPhone. I would routinely take calls and send texts from the watch, and long runs with the security of knowing I’m in contact with anyone at anytime using cellular is huge (I refuse to run with my phone). Not to mention the ease of use with Apple Music on the go, audiobooks, and Apple Pay. It’s definitely making the decision tough. Luckily I have a few months to decide.

I did the switch I have Garmin instinct it has 20 day battery life and I have it for a year and still great

My ancient Samsung Gear S3 also still lasts about 3-4 days 😊

Apple Watch for going to Starbucks... Garmin for everything else :)

I apologize for the dumb question, but is it really not possible to listen to Audible audiobooks through my phone but play/pause, skip, etc. on a Garmin smartwatch? I don't mind taking my phone with me on runs, but would like to be able to control using the watch. And what about playing/pausing a RU-vid video for example? I use this feature on my Apple Watch many times per day, it would be a tough transition for me on the Garmin if this isn't a built-in feature.

Had the forerunner 965 and switched to the apple watch ultra 2 ... I cannot live with the music controls of the FR965 .... its not userfriendly ... And I am missing all the other functionalities on the Garmin.

very nice video brother. but hey, i am an apple music user. i dont sign spotify. how would i donwload music into the garmin from apple music? is that possible?

I had an Apple Watch, and since I don’t get a lot of calls or texts, it wasn’t a big thing for me. The Garmin has just about everything I need, nothing more. The battery issue is also a big deciding factor for me. Just gotta get what works best for you.

Hi everyone, I have the iPhone 14 Pro, I’m thinking of getting the 955 or 965, do you get all the notifications from 3rd party apps? Thanks

Unrelated to the topic, but where do you get your hairbands?

So trying to decide between the two as well. Wanted the garmin but there are videos out showing how Apple metrics (heart rate, etc) were actually more accurate then garmin when exercising … WTH?

Apple makes some decent stuff but when it comes to smart watches/sport watches, Garmin is a clear winner and offers way more with a huge lineup.

This is super helpful, thank you!!

What is that LED display in the background at 3:54?

Is there anything similar to the rings on Garmin? Thinking in switching my ultra to the Venue 3

Thx ! Garmin Pay works well in Denmark and have worked for several years.

Nice video. Just some constructive criticism for future videos. I think the most important features of the Apple Watch were not mentioned and you didn’t explain how they work on the Garmin if they even exist. For me the ping your phone button on Apple Watch almost always works and makes it easy to find your phone. Other features that are awesome but not mentioned the AW alarm, gently wakes me up which is dope. Apple Maps on the watch when walking somewhere in a city or to your car is amazing, you can get directions without constantly taking your phone out of your pocket. What about messages? Does the Garmin have a microphone so you can use speech to text to reply to messages? I have considered switching to Garmin, since running is my jam, but the AW Ultra has served me really well on both my marathons :) Also, I have the charger in the bathroom. I basically charge it when I am in shower and getting dressed and then maybe twice per week I have to leave it on for 20 minutes to get full charge if I have a long run or something. Of course, I have a the Ultra, I know the battery on the regular AW is an issue.

Hi, nice Video. What’s the Name from the Watchface? Thanks.

The Garmin battery life makes it a no brainer.

Whats the watch face on cover?

Curious if anyone knows what the watch face in the thumbnail for the RU-vid video is and how to find it

Garmin which model was he referring to?

Do you use your airpods with the garmin? Have you had any connectivity issues?

Can't live without controlling music from my watch, checking weather, shazaming, using Walkie-Talkie or even camera remote Garmin might be better for sports, but can it really sub the lifestyle features? Especially with laggy screen?

I've used samsung watch for years and now I've got the Garmin. Never thought it would be feeling free unleashed from that damn charger!

I just take phone with me and play audible or music. What I miss most is ability to reply to messages on iPhone.

Which watch face you are using? Shown on the thumbnail

If you are a runner you can have LTE with the garmin 945lte

Whats the name of the watch face in your thumbnail photo? :)

so can you listen to music without a wifi connection?

Should mention Garmin offers sapphire glass screens on their higher end models. Pretty much indestructible.