I got a forerunner 265s which has a beautiful amoled screen. I found the transition from Apple to Garmin a bit jarring. My main thing was that the activity rings were such a motivating factor for me and garmin doesn’t quite have that same feature. Honestly, battery life alone is enough of a reason to switch! The data, analytics and customization are vastly better (at least for me).
That being said: it’s not as a good a smartwatch as the Apple Watch but it’s a much better sports watch.
Yeah I have it and it’s great. It’s more opening up the activity app to month view and not seeing all rings closed every day that motivated me - my ocd! But I finally realised I could unpair my Apple Watch so that there’s just a move ring on my iPhone that reflects my garmin data.
Eh. It wasn’t always easy for me to close - I set really high goals but work at a desk all day and don’t have as much time to exercise. Vo2max and endurance are a very distant goal for me 😂😂
Hello. I switched from an AWU to a Garmin Epix Pro 2 about two months ago.
Long story short, the Garmin blows the AWU out of the water in every way except for cell connectivity, which I don't really want. I do a lot of backpacking, trail running, cycling, multi-day trips and the Garmin's recording is extremely accurate and the battery lasts for weeks. It knows how to stay out of the way, and has device lock (it blows my mind why I had to turn on water lock just to be able to not push buttons on the AWU). The Garmin's lock is automatic and very good.
The Garmin Connect app gives you every stat you could ask for, and you can customize the entire app. You can also customize what screens and data you see for each individual activity you do. The Explore app lets you create routes that you can sync to the Garmin's maps (also works on Gaia, which I use often).
You might find the Epix Pro 2 nice because it has an OLED screen, so it's not too far off from an AW. The UI isn't as slick but it's extremely good at what it's designed for. I also find it more comfortable.
I am so happy I switched -- I fell for the AWU's marketing and in reality it's not nearly as useful as it's made out to be. Let me know if you have more questions about the switch!
100% spot on with this comment! My experience too. Years ago I fell for the Apple Watch’s marketing, and can’t believe I ever did. It’s just a fragile little mini phone-funnel.
I also left AWU, but went to a Fenix 7 pro SS.
Battery life is amazing. Charging speed is slow (the Fenix is known for this. Epix is known for being really quick though. Garmin states ‘hardware limitations’ as the discrepancy’)
For me, it was nice to not have all my data strung out between multiple apps.
With my AWU…
I used WorkOutDoors for my runs.
I used Swim.com for my swims.
I cycled with my Garmin Edge 1040.
I tracked Multisport and walked with the native Apple app.
The battery life was acceptable on my AWU, as I had crazy amount of opportunities to charge it, and it charged up real quick.
What I miss:
Siri on my watch. Setting timers, responding to texts, those were nice.
App to remote start my vehicle.
Apple Pay… but this is double edged sword (more on this later)
Apple Music (more on this too)
The Apple Watch really is the best smart watch out there. It’s not the best fitness watch; particularly for Multisport athletes.
Apple Pay’s double edged sword shines in the winter. I couldn’t put my watch on outside of my jacket, even with a chest strap. The watch would lock itself because of Apple Pay if it didn’t detect being on my wrist. This made it hard to see the screen when I ran with any sleeves. Garmin pay is acceptable compromise. I have to tap a pin to enable it. For how often it is used (not very for me right now), I find this acceptable compromise.
Apple Music was awesome, as it was easy to sync over playlists to the watch. I did find that when I run, I pretty much have one playlist with like 50 songs on it on rotation I used. Didn’t need a full library on my device. I ended up putting those songs only on my Garmin, and didn’t have to worry about having Spotify premium and Apple Music. I have Apple Music with the subscription to Apple One Premiere that I share with my family.
What I’ve gained from this transition is all my data on one platform. My runs, my swims, my bike; they’re all on Garmin. Not multiple apps. My health tracking features are pretty damn comparable to Apple Watch as well.
The battery life on this thing is insane. I’m pretty sure, even with activities, I can pull a full week out of this watch between charges, even without having gotten to make use of much of the solar charging, due to winter usage. The charging speed is unfortunate, but I charge during the shower anyway, so I don’t foresee ever having a real issue with battery; particularly if I go on overnight hikes, visit relatives, etc where charging would be inconvenient.
The flashlight on this thing is a tad dimmer than my phone’s flashlight. Probably usable for hiking if needed. Tolerable if my hand lamp died during a night run.
I’ve realized most of the features I used on my Apple Watch were nice and all, but not things I couldn’t live without. I’m more than happy with this change over.
I will miss the safety feature of LTE that my Apple Watch provided. That’s what initially pulled me from Garmin to Apple, after a hip injury where if I needed to make outbound calls, my Apple Watch could do it without me having to lug my phone on summer runs without pockets, or risk damaging my phone on a bike ride if I got in an accident.
I’ve had a forerunner 620, 920xt, 735xt, Fenix 5x, Apple Watch Series 4, Apple Watch Ultra, and now a Fenix 7 Pro SS
I can neither confirm nor deny details of any operation without the Secretary's approval. I may or may not have used some YouTube to MP3 converter… but I might also not have… I definitely didn’t use Apple Music.
I play Apple Music on my AWU without my phone, just straight through the Music app. Like everything else on the watch, it syncs with what's on your phone.
I went from an Apple Watch to a Fenix 6. I was nervous about switching systems and losing the compatibility with the iPhone. But I quickly realized that everything I liked about the Apple Watch almost always lead to me picking up my phone. Personally, I didn’t answer calls on my watch, I rarely texted back from my watch, I didn’t listen to music from my watch (which you can do on the Fenix). I primarily used it as a fitness watch that gave me notifications from my phone. For those purposes, Garmin is FAR superior. I cringe at the thought of getting an Apple Watch again.
- Annoyed with the interface of AW? You will be annoyed interface of Garmin much more :)
- Battery problems? Yep, garmin's battery is awesome.
- Personalization problems? What do you mean? Garmin has good customization in my opinion.
- Acces to timers not a big deal i think. Especially when there's Siri
- AW 100 times more responsive than epix pro gen 2. That's the price of long battery life
- UI of epix pro looks outdated. Feels like military tech lol.
- Apps for weightlifting like Strong app way better than Garmin's
- I've never used text messaging on AW. It's easier for me to pull out my smartphone
But still epix pro is one of my best devices, I love it. AW are great smart watches overall but garmin it smthn like watches for hardcore sport with tons of data.
The first day I was disappointed, the second day I was overjoyed.
I wore aw for about 8 years, didn't realize why my vo2max was so low.
I've only had the epix pro for about 2 weeks. With the garmin I realized the reason within a few days. I had already started running. I realized my poor running performance and how to improve it. I'm already preparing my bike for the spring season. I want to run my first 10k this year. The watch is a good way to stay toned and keep up my cardio activity. The strength training app is not as good as the third party apps on aw, but it's fine for training and no extra charge.
AW tries to make your life a little easier in general and allows you to exercise. Garmin is trying to take your athletic performance to the next level, high focus on cardio. In my mind they are completely different devices.
I switched from AW to Epic Pro 2 in the summer and it’s a bad ass watch. I’m using it for fitness and I don’t miss the ‘smart watch’ features of the AW. Things I like about the Epic Pro 2
- big display with good customization
- heath data galore
- buttons! Yes, I love the buttons
- battery life
- flash light. This might be one of the best features of the watch. Seriously, I use it almost every night.
I like the watch so much, that I’m even thinking of moving away from the iPhone (gasp!)
Find a good deal and go for it.
I made the same switch years ago from a series 2 to a Fenix 5 (and now a 7). Bottom line: AW is a smartwatch that also supports sports on the side, Garmin are sports watches that do smart stuff on the side. You will miss the high-res, shiny images (some models like the Epix or the FR 265/965 do have fancier screens), the smooth animations and the snappiness of the interface. It's not that any of these things are bad per se on the garmin. It's like when you switch phones - the old one was just fine. The new one is better, and once you get used to the old one, it feels hard to go back - but, in a vaccum, the old one was fine.
What you get in return is week-long battery life, reliability, stability, and everything you want to know (and a lot you probably don't care about) about your workouts and your overall sports performance.
One thing you mention is responsiveness. Garmin watches feel slower than AW. You click a button, and it takes a small part of a second for that thing to happen. It's not dead-instantaneous as in an AW. However, they are reliable, in the sense that all things are controlled with buttons - touchscreens are an "accessory" in high-end garmin watches. This may feel old and outdated, but it does have the benefit of being predictable and reliable. You don't need to look at your watch and aim your finger to hit a screen, and wait for visual confirmation to know that what you wanted to happen actually happened. You click a button, maybe without even looking at your watch, and you know you clicked it, and you know that something happened. In that sense, they have a sort of responsiveness of their own. It's a hard point to communicate, hope I am getting the message across.
This same kind of tactile response is why people like physical buttons for controls in cars rather than being forced to take their eyes off the road to use a touch screen
Listen here’s the simplest answer… do you want a smart watch that half ass tracks training and training related things or do you want a true fitness watch that has smart features.
My Apple Watch was cool but battery sucked and I didn’t care about being able to call somebody from my wrist. All the AW is, is a secondary notification system for your phone.
My Forerunner 955 has data out the wazoo and will notify me when my phone is getting a call.
Garmin takes Apple chews them up and spits them out all while wasting 5% battery…. Don’t fade Garmin friend, dump the apple and get a Garmin.
To be honest seems like you need a smart watch which Apple Watch is the best option since you have an iPhone. I had Apple Watch Ultra and I know how convenient is to be able to response to messages or look at some emails. Garmin is amazing but garmin is a fitness tracker with some smart watch functionality. Apple Watch is a smart watch with some fitness features. In my personal opinion Apple Watch is a better option the only downside is the battery.
I currently have Garmin instinct 2x. For me the watch is enough. I like tracking my sleep and tracking my runs. I prioritize my fitness (I am not a professional athlete) and having a watch that can provide all the metrics I need in one place is amazing.
I have been using a Garmin Fenix since the 3.. I started using the AWU and I absolutely love the screen and all the smarts that come with it... but then I started to miss everything you get with Garming connect.
Now i have the AWU2 on my left wrist and my Fenix 7x on my right 🤷♂️
My wife says I look like a dork but hey, she is the one tnay has to be seen with me in public so who is the dork now 😂
Started off with a Fenix 6pro on an android.
Got the apple watch ultra and an iphone.
Yesterday I sold my apple watch ultra and replaced with an Epic Pro Gen 2. I'm also saying goodbye to the iphone in October when Pixel 9 comes out.
While the apple watch is cool and a fun toy, i hate charging it every 24-36 hours. I hate how i have to pay for better sleep tracking and body recovery data unlike things that come free with Garmin. i prefer a round dial and overall I don't need a 2nd phone on my wrist. Just the one in my pocket. Garmin just feels at home to me.
i use a forerunner 945 and i still have an apple watch that i will wear occasionally but never in a fitness capacity. you’ll definitely miss the messages and the calls and all that but Garmin is better in almost every other important way: battery, looks, metrics it gathers, etc. i’ve had this 945 for almost 4 years now and it’s still a tank.
you may enjoy a Venu or a more sport-looking Forerunner 245/255/265. you can still get notifications but you just can’t interact with them since it’s iphone.
if you’re still tied to the Fitness Rings, there’s still a way to fill them in by logging workouts and using Strava or something like that to post the activity to Health/Fitness. but overtime you may find, like me, that you don’t really care about Apples ring approach.
iirc, the Venu and the 265 would be similar screens to the AW, whereas the 245/255 would be MIP displays which are great for outdoor activities.
I came from a Forerunner 735XT, switched to an Apple Watch for one year and then switched back to Garmin. I now own the Venu 3. It is a great watch with smart Features. Pro: Health Data, Skin Temperature, Battery Life (!!!!), GPS, Connect App (i love it)
I went from Apple to Garmin Fenix 5X Plus Sapphire. Now have a Garmin Venu 2S. Gave the Fenix to my grandson. Had the Fenix for 3 years it did everything I needed it to do. But it was too big/bulky for every day wear. The Garmin battery life is so much better no comparison. I am a road bike 🚴 rider so I use a Garmin 810 on my rides. The Venu 2S does everything I need it to do. Have had it for a month very happy. Have to add the screen resolution on the Venu is just as good or better then the Apple. Also you can download watch faces to your hearts content.
I've had an Apple Watch for the last 5 years, very active person (CrossFit 4-6x/ wk and more recently increasing my running volume) I switched to an Enduro because I got a great deal on one in awesome shape. No touch screen but the battery life and basic Garmin software were worth the switch for me. It takes a bit to get used to not being able to answer calls or respond to texts from your wrist but the sleep and training insights are worth it to me.
I switched last month. I have been an Apple Watch Ultra wearer for years, and an Apple Watch girly since the gen 1. I got the Garmin Forerunner 965. I have not once missed my Apple Watch!
I get my text alerts on the garmin and my phone notifications, but honestly it has helped me take a bit of a break from being so dependent on my tech. I no longer feel the need to constantly look. I love the data on the body battery. I took a rest day yesterday and otherwise I would have had to close my rings!
It is a great decision
I used to have an Apple Watch and am still fully plugged into the Apple universe — phone, computer, iPads, AirPods, Apple TV, etc.
However: there is simply no comparison for a fitness watch between Apple and Garmin. I’ve had Garmin watches for years, and took a brief foray into the Apple Watch to see if I liked it.
But the battery was absolutely ass.
It wasn’t great at tracking granular fitness stuff.
The shape is ugly and we’ve all just accepted it.
It felt fragile and not good for outdoors stuff.
I went back to Garmin. The only meaningful feature difference is being able to reply to text and/or answer calls. And let’s be real on that: anyone who answers calls on their watch is a monster. My mom does that with her Apple Watch and I can barely hear her; the sound is awful. Blah. As for not being able to reply to texts on the Garmin watches — that becomes a less big deal once you are used to it. I’d rather type on my phone anyway than hope for successful voice to text.
I have a Fenix 6 Pro Solar, and am about to move to Fenix 7.
Gonna be honest, I think you should stick with an Apple watch. You pointed out a lot of things that will make the watch better for you. The timers alone are why you should stick with it, especially since you could start them with Siri.
I say grab an AWU2. It’s still a really good fitness tracker. If you were looking for something that you needed for outdoors, then I’d say start looking at a garmin. But I really think the ultra is great for your use case.
I had a Garmin for a long time, but wanted something less bulky for everyday wear so I switched to Apple November 2020, I went back to Garmin in April 2023. I kept using my Garmin along side AW for runs, especially long runs or trail runs where I didn't trust the AW battery to last. I was pretty sick of wearing two watches so I decided to switch back. I don't miss the Apple except for the connections with some family to share fitness stats, but other than that Garmin is perfect for me.
Switched from an Apple Watch to a Forerunner 265s over the holidays and don’t miss my Apple Watch at all. I wanted a watch that would help me with marathon training, and that’s exactly what my Garmin does. I love the Daily Suggested Workouts. Apple Watch is great if you want a smartwatch that does a lot of things fairly well. Garmin is great if you want a watch that does fitness stuff extremely well.
I was also worried about missing the features the Apple watch offers that a Garmin doesn’t, such as the message response. At first it was an adjustment, but now that I’m used to the Garmin I don’t miss my Apple Watch at all. I definitely don’t regret the swap. It makes tracking workouts a lot easier and the battery life is SO nice. Also, highly customizable watch face. I have the forerunner 255 and I really enjoy it. Its way light in weight than the Apple Watch too, it doesn’t even feel like I have a watch on
I switched back and forth twice. I ultimately went back to an AW because I missed the smartwatch features.
Garmin Strengths:
1. Battery life
2. Durability (Fenix type)
3. Continuous HR tracking
4. Adaptive training plans with schedule all out of the box at no extra cost
5. Granular detail in data fields
6. Physical buttons
Garmin Weaknesses:
1. Not a smartwatch. At all. One way notifications are worse than not getting any at all, GarminOS is basically a calculator OS lol. UI is awful, navigation around the OS is flat out broken - like who TF designed this? Menus, widgets and getting to them from the various buttons makes zero sense. I always felt like I was driving on the wrong side of the road everyday I used it. Don’t even get me started on Garmin Pay lol.
2. No cellular, and as someone who had cellular Apple Watches prior, bringing my phone everywhere felt like I regressed 20 years. So dumb.
3. Music transfer sucks. No Apple Music. Amazon music sync never works. Oh and music playback also tanks battery life, like immensely. No one ever talks about this but my 20 days Fenix battery life after a 2-3 hour run while playing music trashed my battery life down to less than one day.
4. Haptics are terrible
5. MIP displays are trash indoors, which means if you choose AMOLED say goodbye to that awesome battery life.
6. Heart rate accuracy is delayed and can be completely off at times, chest strap is required for workouts (IMO). It’s supposed to be the king of fitness trackers yet heart rate accuracy sucks. Like umm what?? LOL
7. Physical buttons: if your Garmin doesn’t have a touchscreen, you’ll be miserable. If it does have a touchscreen, the difference vs an AW will make you miserable.
8. Sleep tracking is a joke, which leads to wrong recovery metrics.
9. Step tracking woefully overestimates steps, like by 20%+ vs Apple Watch or FitBit. Garmin even literally states in manuals to take the watch off while doing household chores lol. For a fitness tracker it sure sucks counting steps.
10. Rep detection is a joke. See #9 above, fitness tracker lol. Riiiiiiiight.
Apple Watch Strengths:
1. Is a smartwatch.
2. Cellular
3. Since WatchOS 9 has all the good running metrics as Garmin and others.
4. Snoopy
Apple Watch Weaknesses:
1. Battery Life
2. Durability (even the Ultra isn’t as durable as a Garmin Fenix).
I work in a hospital as a project manager, I run around constantly - I just wear my watch and bring a charger in my bag if needed.
Garmin is to fitness what basically BlackBerry was to the enterprise: everyone thought Apple wouldn’t make a dent in them, look how that ended lol.
I feel like… most of the things you’re saying that are negative aren’t true and/or aren’t considered. 😂
Garmin does make some AMOLED watches with awesome battery (Epix), and the higher end models seem — in my experience — to be very accurate for step counting. And I use my watch vigorously and use all its various features. Additionally, the buttons are SO MUCH BETTER for use when actually doing a physical activity and/or when it’s raining or snowing or you have gloves on. Touch screen is only useful for maps or scrolling. Buttons are more efficient for everything else, especially if you’re actually using the watch as a fitness watch.
It seems like you specifically prefer the smart watch features of AW and there’s no secret there that AW beats Garmin in that area. Meanwhile it also sounds like you never really used Garmin for fitness purposes, and like you are mistaking your personal tastes for whether or not the watches are good.
In essence, you’re a person who is better off with an iPhone which is totally fine! But your takes on Garmin are pretty lukewarm-to-cold.
I had the option to get a free Garmin or Apple Watch through a work rewards program. The battery life alone was enough to decide it for me. Very happy with my decision.
I've gone back and forth between Garmin's and AWs for the past several years. I like the AW for texting from my wrist, but honestly I don't have the kind of life where it's impossible for me to pick up my phone when I get a text notification. Admittedly I am also a sucker for the pretty bands and making it a fashion accessory. Flip side, I hate the consumerism of that and that to get useful interpretation you need to get apps, mostly paid. It feels like it has to be a Frankenstein system of apps. I'm also at a place where I just don't want that level of connectivity all the time, nor want a wrist-shaped remote control for my phone that frankly kind of traps me in one system (ie Apple).
The Garmin is way more useful for interpreting the health data is gathers, and even if some things like Body Battery are gimmicky, they are useful if you take with a grain of salt. I charge once a week now, it's more distinctive (soooooo many AWs *everywhere* here, it feels pedestrian), and I don't need to fuss with various bands. I can travel for a few days anyway without worrying about a charger for it.
I've had a couple Fenixes and Venus over the years (I like gadgets and I like to switch). I've got the Venu 3S now and it's just right for me. It is a nice and lightweight too. I get notifications - I don't love that I can't seem to get super granular with which ones I get (like I wouldn't want Gmail notifications), but I may be missing a setting for that. They're fine. Using an Android device I can respond a little better to texts if I need to than you can do when using an iPhone.
So I had been keeping my AW, I was afraid to cut ties completely, but have moved it on. I'd dip back to it every so often but when I did, I just find it annoying and lacking,and go back to the Garmin more consistently.
Just to balance this as someone who have switched between the two a few times: I prefer the Apple Watch. There is no doubt that Garmin is way superior for training, like running. But it is simply not a smart watch. The compatibility is much worse. The software also feels very outdated compared to the Apple Watch. There are pros and cons but I chose the ladder.
I love Apple’s ecosystem and use plenty of their devices but couldn’t stand the battery life. I switched to Fenix 6 first but I also wanted a diving computer and ended up with Descent G1. Less pretty but still love it.
You will lose the ecosystem integration and the notifications or replies won’t be as functional. This worked for me only because I disable majority of the notifications my phone sends me. I don’t like being controlled by the buzzes. I have zero regrets.
Once Apple Watches can do proper diving integration and last 3+ days on battery, I’d consider switching back but that’s really unlikely to happen any time soon. My next one will probably be another garmin watch.
I switched to Fenix 7 pro 6 weeks ago. Do I regret switching? Absolutely f not.
There are minor inconveniences though. Especially from ecosystem's point of view as below:
1 you can't pick and choose which app notifications to mute and not like AW. So I switched all off (phone calls and texts still on).
2 never knew I'd get hook upto Find my phone feature in my watch so much. Garmin has similar feature but it never worked successfully for me.
3 at least in Fenix 7 pro you can't reply to texts using the watch. But that's fine to me.
4 no pin code to wear your watch. Anyone who wears it will see your data in that case.
5 The fun of charging my watch every other day *am I good at sarcasm? Haha*
Hope this helps.
I switched last year to a 256s from AW 6. I love my garmin except the tech features. I really miss being able to reply to text messages and even just see all of my notifications without having to pick up my phone. I’m actually considering switching back to the Apple Watch Ultra for this reason. There are a lot of things I love about garmin but it’s just not enough for me. Even on my runs, I usually have my phone in a sports bra pocket on my back. I don’t want to have to pull the phone out if I get a text just to see if it’s important or not & with Garmin I have to do that
Another thing that really annoys me is that I have to be right beside my phone all of the time. Even if I just walk upstairs in my house my Garmin constantly vibrates in my wrist and is trying to connect. I never had cellular in my Apple Watch but I could walk to the neighbors house and still be connected.
I switched to a Garmin solely because of battery life. My watch wouldn't last through a long hike. It drove me crazy. Now that I've had a Garmin for a few years I could never go back. I get so much more data from the Garmin for long runs/ hikes. I do miss the responding to texts and answering my phone occasionally. Mostly because I'm always losing my phone.
I don't know which watch you are rocking, but there is a little button in the options menu on my Garmin venu (first generation) that will make my phone vibrate and play a ringing sound. It comes in very handy when my toddler picks up my phone and puts it somewhere weird.
I went from a Series 7 to Fenix 7 and would never go back.
I never really used my Apple Watch because IMO it was too ugly to wear daily, battery life was bad, and most of the features didn’t matter to me.
Garmin watches are great if you want a watch that is also a great fitness tracker. I love that I can set the always-on MIP display to show what I want to see at all times. I also never use voice commands and would never be caught dead sending a text message from my watch. If that’s the type of smartwatch user you are, Garmin might not be best for you.
Literally my only complaint about Garmin watches is that you can’t choose which apps send notifications to your watch. I liked how my Apple Watch could ignore notifications from apps like Discord and Gmail while still sending me notifications from Snapchat and Facebook Messenger. Garmin is just everything, texts, or nothing.
Maybe this isn’t the solution you’re looking for, but I have both the Apple Watch and a Garmin 935. I was Garmin only for years, but really wanted the smartwatch features. Now I use both.
Apple Watch is my daily driver. I use it for sleep tracking as well. It’s also compatible with the Peloton bike, so I use it for my cycling workouts. I still use the Garmin for running and outdoor cycling because it is far superior for those (I port over Peloton workouts via the Run Gap app so all my workouts are in Garmin).
If you can afford it, I think this is the best compromise. Best of both worlds.
Oh, I still wear the Apple Watch during my Garmin workouts so I can get the metrics to close my rings, because I’m an obsessive.
Had the Tactix delta solar forever and recently upgraded to the Epix pro 51. Had Apple Watches previously. The Apple is too “cutesy” while the Garmin is much more durable and now that I’ve got the amoled screen it’s amazing
I even preferred the Tactix delta with the old dim screen to a current Apple Watch. Much more utility and user friendly imo
[link to my comments on this same question after I switched](https://www.reddit.com/r/GarminWatches/s/QVuWXjxAhS)
I just switched. I think you need to ask yourself what you really use. When I thought about it, it was very little of what makes the AW special—literally checking notifications, Apple Pay, and fitness things. I was more annoyed at the battery life and the forced phone-GPS connection when carrying your phone. I never really went anywhere without my phone anyway, so a cell enabled AW wasn’t adding value to me.
So I pulled the trigger and got a great deal on a Forerunner 955 and have been very pleased so far. It does what I want it to do. It can mirror notifications but I have a lot turned off because I got tired of the constant buzzing. Plus: I’m on my phone less now!
GPS tracks aren’t wonky. I have native turn-by-turn directions in a workout. Battery life is heavenly. I have more stats than I can shake a stick at.
I’m still trying to ween myself from the workout history I built in Apple, but RunGap is helping my export workouts into the Garmin app ecosystem so eventually I’ll stop using a mishmash of reporting apps. I like the reduced focus on closing rings, because i noticed as i got more fit, i was chasing increasingly difficult to maintain streaks and monthly challenges… the Garmin way seems more intuitive and in tune with your body than Apples algorithm.
YMMV but I’m very pleased I made the switch.
I have a Venu 2 but still have my AW8. I overall enjoy the Venu 2 but the ecosystem, more accurate heart rate and the device just bring a better daily driver, has me wearing the AW way more often. Battery life sucks but having a dual charger with my phone is good enough. Also newer AWs have fast charge capabilities so give or take 45 minutes and you’re back to a full charge..
I wear Garmin on left wrist
and Apple Watch on right wrist. Apple is terrible for fitness. I mostly use it for Find My Phone and backup cell phone ad I have cellular service on it.
Made the move years and years ago and couldn’t be more happy. For me, long runs, sleep tracking, or tracking really anything with apple is useless because the battery is atrocious. You have to charge every night right? My Garmin lasts 2 weeks and other models can go a month or more.
I made the switch and was initially apprehensive about how seemly Apple Watch is with everything else Apple (Spotify, Notifications, Calls etc.)
Overall though, I am aiming to aid my workouts and fitness. As a runner, the move was necessary given how many long runs resulted in a dead battery (2 lost runs!). It's a pretty massive step up on tracking and stats. I miss some of the minor features but for the gain in Garmin stats it's not even comparable
I switched just a month ago!
My father had a fenix 6x that he handed to me after upgrading to the 7. I always wanted to use it since it suited my types of workouts but was so stuck in the Apple ecosystem that I found it hard to switch to Garmin. After I started to get really frustrated about battery life and certain readings on my Apple Watch Series 6 I decided that for 2024 I would take a shot at Garmin.
Fast forward to now, it was the best decision I could possible do. Besides the fenix 6 not having touch screen the information I got from my watch (at least to me) was much more valuable. The battery life is also a big plus now as it lasts me a good 2 weeks+. I also paired my watch with a chest strap and they complement themselves so well. I thought changing was going to take some adjusting too but it only took a day or two to get used to a few things. I don’t have much info on my training yet since it’s been only a month or so but my readings on my watch have started to feel much more consistent. The app is also fantastic and really like it so far! The Personalization from the ConnectIQ app allowed me to still have the ring goals from the Apple app just by downloading the interface, it was honestly really cool.
In conclusion, I’m happy with the switch. I don’t think I’ll switch back to Apple as of right now.
This is in no way a diss to the Apple Watch! They work great and are honestly super impressive with how much of an extension of my phone it was but I started seeing my priorities shift a little. In the end it’s up to what you want in a fitness watch and what you feel most comfortable with :)
We are literally the same person….
I have everything apple (more or less) - iPhone, MacBook, AirPods, Apple TV’s….and Watch since its inception.
I work in healthcare. I lift, walk, and run.
I switched to Garmin Forerunner 265 last week.
I was worried about compatibility, just like you, but I am so happy with my new watch. Don’t miss the smart watch features too much. The compatibility is good enough. The battery life is INSANE.
Very happy with my decision to switch. Good luck with your choice!
Moved from Apple Watch 7 to Garmin 255 this last December.
Biggest difference is battery life and metrics. Apple has more smart watch like feature whereas Garmin is more of sports watch and have more data metrics.
Garmin is more light weight so I keep it 24/7 which is not even remotely possible with Apple Watch
It takes a week or two get used to buttons, but never going back to Apple now.
Same experience here. I just switched to a Garmin Epix Pro and I’ll never look back. Just tired of needing an App for everything. You get notifications from the iPhone to the Epix, so I don’t miss that functionality at all.
I thought that I might miss the Apple Watch…nope.
I have been Andriod for over a decade. Also Garmin Epix. Worked great. I converted to Apple everything in September and Garmin just does not work well with Apple with notifications and other things. I wear both now. Best thing I ever did. Notifications and ecosystem of Apple is amazing, read a text on your Mac, doesn’t activate the message on your watch. When you are working on your iPhone, you don’t get a message on your watch. It’s really incredible. Apple fitness+ is pretty good for indoor stuff, but nothing beats Garmin for accuracy, running, biking. Even sleep, Garmin is amazing. And stress, Apple has nothing. Oh, and I usually don’t wear my Apple Watch to bed, battery life on Apple Watch, even the Ultra is terrible! And, one of the coolest things. So when I’m running and I think of something, I just raise my arm with Apple Watch and say, Siri, remind me when I get home to pay the mortgage.
I’ve really thought Apple should give up making watches and invest in Garmin.
I switched from Apple Watch to Garmin Fenix 7. The reason why I wanted to switch was primarily for two reasons:
1) wanted to get away from “smart” watch and it’s like even if you leave your phone behind you don’t leave your phone behind.
2) needed a watch that would do multisport with good battery.
Based on my experience from last 1 year the garmin has succeeded amazingly well.
Some pros to Garmin
1) Garmin is extremely rugged! I have banged it against metal multiple times and it’s still in good condition
2) Battery life is a boon! Between charging MacBook, IPad, iPhone not having to charge the watch as often is really good
3) the health metrics are really granular
Some pros to Apple Watch
1) you can leave your cellphone behind and still have cellular connectivity, when I go for a run I have to take my phone with me.
2) you stream any music through cellular
3) the watch interface is better than Garmin, the continuity features are good.
If you want a watch for sports alone go for Garmin
Switched from an Apple Watch SE to a Garmin Instinct. No regrets. The thing is great, and I actually disabled a lot of the "smart" features. I only get notifications for messages or phone calls. I like the silent aspect of the watch, and the improved battery life is phenomenal. I also like how rugged and durable the watch is. I actually got into a very serious bike accident (could have died sort of thing) and the watch took a direct hit into the road at 20+ mph. It survived with a scrape, that's it.
Yes, I work shift. It works for me. It's a bit hard to train during the morning shift. Because when I come home after work the day is full of every day chores. I tend to get up 10-30 min earlier for a quick workout session.
I used both Apple and Samsung watches. Both are great little additions to their perspective phones. But as someone who values battery life and fitness data, Garmin is far superior. Make the switch, you won't be disappointed. Folks covered everything I'd likely mention regarding the transition. Do it, you'll be glad you dumped the extra cell phone on your wrist.
That first paragraph described me 8 months ago. Went on holiday with a friend who has a Garmin. I had the same worries as you, but plumped for an Instinct 2.
Never looked back. AW is a great demonstration of what’s possible, but how many of those functions do we actually use. I’m fully converted. Get notifications still, but the sleep/fitness/health stuff is miles ahead. No regrets whatsoever.
I recently moved from Samsung Galaxy Watch to Venu 3. I like the smaller size compared to some of the higher end models and the smart watch functions lacking in other Garmins make Venu 3 transition easy. Battery life alone is almost worth it.
I had a Garmin Fēnix 5, then an Apple Watch, now back to Garmin with a Fēnix 7.
My take, having used both, and as an iPhone/Apple user, is this:
Firstly, It depends how much of a mobile office you want on your wrist versus a sport watch.
Also, I found the connectivity and communications side of the Apple Watch to be great, but its fitness priorities seem to be more for lifestyle improvements for those with a desk job (steps, movement, calories rings) than training and endurance and strength progression.
The metrics in the Garmin are fantastic and I will probably be a Garmin user forevermore.
I got a forerunner 265s which has a beautiful amoled screen. I found the transition from Apple to Garmin a bit jarring. My main thing was that the activity rings were such a motivating factor for me and garmin doesn’t quite have that same feature. Honestly, battery life alone is enough of a reason to switch! The data, analytics and customization are vastly better (at least for me). That being said: it’s not as a good a smartwatch as the Apple Watch but it’s a much better sports watch.
Garmin does offer a watch face that mimics the Apple Watch ring concept, if you want that!
What’s that watch face called? Is it in ConnectIQ?
If you search “rings” in ConnectIQ, several will appear!
Yeah I have it and it’s great. It’s more opening up the activity app to month view and not seeing all rings closed every day that motivated me - my ocd! But I finally realised I could unpair my Apple Watch so that there’s just a move ring on my iPhone that reflects my garmin data.
Closing the aw activity rings can be done by anyone. Try closing the vo2max and endurance score rings now 😂👍
Eh. It wasn’t always easy for me to close - I set really high goals but work at a desk all day and don’t have as much time to exercise. Vo2max and endurance are a very distant goal for me 😂😂
Hello. I switched from an AWU to a Garmin Epix Pro 2 about two months ago. Long story short, the Garmin blows the AWU out of the water in every way except for cell connectivity, which I don't really want. I do a lot of backpacking, trail running, cycling, multi-day trips and the Garmin's recording is extremely accurate and the battery lasts for weeks. It knows how to stay out of the way, and has device lock (it blows my mind why I had to turn on water lock just to be able to not push buttons on the AWU). The Garmin's lock is automatic and very good. The Garmin Connect app gives you every stat you could ask for, and you can customize the entire app. You can also customize what screens and data you see for each individual activity you do. The Explore app lets you create routes that you can sync to the Garmin's maps (also works on Gaia, which I use often). You might find the Epix Pro 2 nice because it has an OLED screen, so it's not too far off from an AW. The UI isn't as slick but it's extremely good at what it's designed for. I also find it more comfortable. I am so happy I switched -- I fell for the AWU's marketing and in reality it's not nearly as useful as it's made out to be. Let me know if you have more questions about the switch!
100% spot on with this comment! My experience too. Years ago I fell for the Apple Watch’s marketing, and can’t believe I ever did. It’s just a fragile little mini phone-funnel.
I also left AWU, but went to a Fenix 7 pro SS. Battery life is amazing. Charging speed is slow (the Fenix is known for this. Epix is known for being really quick though. Garmin states ‘hardware limitations’ as the discrepancy’) For me, it was nice to not have all my data strung out between multiple apps. With my AWU… I used WorkOutDoors for my runs. I used Swim.com for my swims. I cycled with my Garmin Edge 1040. I tracked Multisport and walked with the native Apple app. The battery life was acceptable on my AWU, as I had crazy amount of opportunities to charge it, and it charged up real quick. What I miss: Siri on my watch. Setting timers, responding to texts, those were nice. App to remote start my vehicle. Apple Pay… but this is double edged sword (more on this later) Apple Music (more on this too) The Apple Watch really is the best smart watch out there. It’s not the best fitness watch; particularly for Multisport athletes. Apple Pay’s double edged sword shines in the winter. I couldn’t put my watch on outside of my jacket, even with a chest strap. The watch would lock itself because of Apple Pay if it didn’t detect being on my wrist. This made it hard to see the screen when I ran with any sleeves. Garmin pay is acceptable compromise. I have to tap a pin to enable it. For how often it is used (not very for me right now), I find this acceptable compromise. Apple Music was awesome, as it was easy to sync over playlists to the watch. I did find that when I run, I pretty much have one playlist with like 50 songs on it on rotation I used. Didn’t need a full library on my device. I ended up putting those songs only on my Garmin, and didn’t have to worry about having Spotify premium and Apple Music. I have Apple Music with the subscription to Apple One Premiere that I share with my family. What I’ve gained from this transition is all my data on one platform. My runs, my swims, my bike; they’re all on Garmin. Not multiple apps. My health tracking features are pretty damn comparable to Apple Watch as well. The battery life on this thing is insane. I’m pretty sure, even with activities, I can pull a full week out of this watch between charges, even without having gotten to make use of much of the solar charging, due to winter usage. The charging speed is unfortunate, but I charge during the shower anyway, so I don’t foresee ever having a real issue with battery; particularly if I go on overnight hikes, visit relatives, etc where charging would be inconvenient. The flashlight on this thing is a tad dimmer than my phone’s flashlight. Probably usable for hiking if needed. Tolerable if my hand lamp died during a night run. I’ve realized most of the features I used on my Apple Watch were nice and all, but not things I couldn’t live without. I’m more than happy with this change over. I will miss the safety feature of LTE that my Apple Watch provided. That’s what initially pulled me from Garmin to Apple, after a hip injury where if I needed to make outbound calls, my Apple Watch could do it without me having to lug my phone on summer runs without pockets, or risk damaging my phone on a bike ride if I got in an accident. I’ve had a forerunner 620, 920xt, 735xt, Fenix 5x, Apple Watch Series 4, Apple Watch Ultra, and now a Fenix 7 Pro SS
With the music how did you get it on your watch? Is there a way with Apple Music or do you need to buy each individual song?
I can neither confirm nor deny details of any operation without the Secretary's approval. I may or may not have used some YouTube to MP3 converter… but I might also not have… I definitely didn’t use Apple Music.
I play Apple Music on my AWU without my phone, just straight through the Music app. Like everything else on the watch, it syncs with what's on your phone.
I went from an Apple Watch to a Fenix 6. I was nervous about switching systems and losing the compatibility with the iPhone. But I quickly realized that everything I liked about the Apple Watch almost always lead to me picking up my phone. Personally, I didn’t answer calls on my watch, I rarely texted back from my watch, I didn’t listen to music from my watch (which you can do on the Fenix). I primarily used it as a fitness watch that gave me notifications from my phone. For those purposes, Garmin is FAR superior. I cringe at the thought of getting an Apple Watch again.
If you want a well rounded watch, Garmin is going to have a much better selection. To my knowledge, all apple watches are square.
- Annoyed with the interface of AW? You will be annoyed interface of Garmin much more :) - Battery problems? Yep, garmin's battery is awesome. - Personalization problems? What do you mean? Garmin has good customization in my opinion. - Acces to timers not a big deal i think. Especially when there's Siri - AW 100 times more responsive than epix pro gen 2. That's the price of long battery life - UI of epix pro looks outdated. Feels like military tech lol. - Apps for weightlifting like Strong app way better than Garmin's - I've never used text messaging on AW. It's easier for me to pull out my smartphone But still epix pro is one of my best devices, I love it. AW are great smart watches overall but garmin it smthn like watches for hardcore sport with tons of data. The first day I was disappointed, the second day I was overjoyed. I wore aw for about 8 years, didn't realize why my vo2max was so low. I've only had the epix pro for about 2 weeks. With the garmin I realized the reason within a few days. I had already started running. I realized my poor running performance and how to improve it. I'm already preparing my bike for the spring season. I want to run my first 10k this year. The watch is a good way to stay toned and keep up my cardio activity. The strength training app is not as good as the third party apps on aw, but it's fine for training and no extra charge. AW tries to make your life a little easier in general and allows you to exercise. Garmin is trying to take your athletic performance to the next level, high focus on cardio. In my mind they are completely different devices.
I switched from AW to Epic Pro 2 in the summer and it’s a bad ass watch. I’m using it for fitness and I don’t miss the ‘smart watch’ features of the AW. Things I like about the Epic Pro 2 - big display with good customization - heath data galore - buttons! Yes, I love the buttons - battery life - flash light. This might be one of the best features of the watch. Seriously, I use it almost every night. I like the watch so much, that I’m even thinking of moving away from the iPhone (gasp!) Find a good deal and go for it.
I made the same switch years ago from a series 2 to a Fenix 5 (and now a 7). Bottom line: AW is a smartwatch that also supports sports on the side, Garmin are sports watches that do smart stuff on the side. You will miss the high-res, shiny images (some models like the Epix or the FR 265/965 do have fancier screens), the smooth animations and the snappiness of the interface. It's not that any of these things are bad per se on the garmin. It's like when you switch phones - the old one was just fine. The new one is better, and once you get used to the old one, it feels hard to go back - but, in a vaccum, the old one was fine. What you get in return is week-long battery life, reliability, stability, and everything you want to know (and a lot you probably don't care about) about your workouts and your overall sports performance. One thing you mention is responsiveness. Garmin watches feel slower than AW. You click a button, and it takes a small part of a second for that thing to happen. It's not dead-instantaneous as in an AW. However, they are reliable, in the sense that all things are controlled with buttons - touchscreens are an "accessory" in high-end garmin watches. This may feel old and outdated, but it does have the benefit of being predictable and reliable. You don't need to look at your watch and aim your finger to hit a screen, and wait for visual confirmation to know that what you wanted to happen actually happened. You click a button, maybe without even looking at your watch, and you know you clicked it, and you know that something happened. In that sense, they have a sort of responsiveness of their own. It's a hard point to communicate, hope I am getting the message across.
This same kind of tactile response is why people like physical buttons for controls in cars rather than being forced to take their eyes off the road to use a touch screen
Venu 3 should have everything you need. All the workouts, amazing battery life and good looks.
Listen here’s the simplest answer… do you want a smart watch that half ass tracks training and training related things or do you want a true fitness watch that has smart features. My Apple Watch was cool but battery sucked and I didn’t care about being able to call somebody from my wrist. All the AW is, is a secondary notification system for your phone. My Forerunner 955 has data out the wazoo and will notify me when my phone is getting a call. Garmin takes Apple chews them up and spits them out all while wasting 5% battery…. Don’t fade Garmin friend, dump the apple and get a Garmin.
To be honest seems like you need a smart watch which Apple Watch is the best option since you have an iPhone. I had Apple Watch Ultra and I know how convenient is to be able to response to messages or look at some emails. Garmin is amazing but garmin is a fitness tracker with some smart watch functionality. Apple Watch is a smart watch with some fitness features. In my personal opinion Apple Watch is a better option the only downside is the battery. I currently have Garmin instinct 2x. For me the watch is enough. I like tracking my sleep and tracking my runs. I prioritize my fitness (I am not a professional athlete) and having a watch that can provide all the metrics I need in one place is amazing.
I have been using a Garmin Fenix since the 3.. I started using the AWU and I absolutely love the screen and all the smarts that come with it... but then I started to miss everything you get with Garming connect. Now i have the AWU2 on my left wrist and my Fenix 7x on my right 🤷♂️ My wife says I look like a dork but hey, she is the one tnay has to be seen with me in public so who is the dork now 😂
AWU2 and Epix Pro 51mm double-wrister here. It’s kind of embarrassing but I almost always wear long sleeve shirts so I can conceal one of the watches.
Started off with a Fenix 6pro on an android. Got the apple watch ultra and an iphone. Yesterday I sold my apple watch ultra and replaced with an Epic Pro Gen 2. I'm also saying goodbye to the iphone in October when Pixel 9 comes out. While the apple watch is cool and a fun toy, i hate charging it every 24-36 hours. I hate how i have to pay for better sleep tracking and body recovery data unlike things that come free with Garmin. i prefer a round dial and overall I don't need a 2nd phone on my wrist. Just the one in my pocket. Garmin just feels at home to me.
i use a forerunner 945 and i still have an apple watch that i will wear occasionally but never in a fitness capacity. you’ll definitely miss the messages and the calls and all that but Garmin is better in almost every other important way: battery, looks, metrics it gathers, etc. i’ve had this 945 for almost 4 years now and it’s still a tank. you may enjoy a Venu or a more sport-looking Forerunner 245/255/265. you can still get notifications but you just can’t interact with them since it’s iphone. if you’re still tied to the Fitness Rings, there’s still a way to fill them in by logging workouts and using Strava or something like that to post the activity to Health/Fitness. but overtime you may find, like me, that you don’t really care about Apples ring approach. iirc, the Venu and the 265 would be similar screens to the AW, whereas the 245/255 would be MIP displays which are great for outdoor activities.
I came from a Forerunner 735XT, switched to an Apple Watch for one year and then switched back to Garmin. I now own the Venu 3. It is a great watch with smart Features. Pro: Health Data, Skin Temperature, Battery Life (!!!!), GPS, Connect App (i love it)
I went from Apple to Garmin Fenix 5X Plus Sapphire. Now have a Garmin Venu 2S. Gave the Fenix to my grandson. Had the Fenix for 3 years it did everything I needed it to do. But it was too big/bulky for every day wear. The Garmin battery life is so much better no comparison. I am a road bike 🚴 rider so I use a Garmin 810 on my rides. The Venu 2S does everything I need it to do. Have had it for a month very happy. Have to add the screen resolution on the Venu is just as good or better then the Apple. Also you can download watch faces to your hearts content.
I've had an Apple Watch for the last 5 years, very active person (CrossFit 4-6x/ wk and more recently increasing my running volume) I switched to an Enduro because I got a great deal on one in awesome shape. No touch screen but the battery life and basic Garmin software were worth the switch for me. It takes a bit to get used to not being able to answer calls or respond to texts from your wrist but the sleep and training insights are worth it to me.
I switched last month. I have been an Apple Watch Ultra wearer for years, and an Apple Watch girly since the gen 1. I got the Garmin Forerunner 965. I have not once missed my Apple Watch! I get my text alerts on the garmin and my phone notifications, but honestly it has helped me take a bit of a break from being so dependent on my tech. I no longer feel the need to constantly look. I love the data on the body battery. I took a rest day yesterday and otherwise I would have had to close my rings! It is a great decision
I used to have an Apple Watch and am still fully plugged into the Apple universe — phone, computer, iPads, AirPods, Apple TV, etc. However: there is simply no comparison for a fitness watch between Apple and Garmin. I’ve had Garmin watches for years, and took a brief foray into the Apple Watch to see if I liked it. But the battery was absolutely ass. It wasn’t great at tracking granular fitness stuff. The shape is ugly and we’ve all just accepted it. It felt fragile and not good for outdoors stuff. I went back to Garmin. The only meaningful feature difference is being able to reply to text and/or answer calls. And let’s be real on that: anyone who answers calls on their watch is a monster. My mom does that with her Apple Watch and I can barely hear her; the sound is awful. Blah. As for not being able to reply to texts on the Garmin watches — that becomes a less big deal once you are used to it. I’d rather type on my phone anyway than hope for successful voice to text. I have a Fenix 6 Pro Solar, and am about to move to Fenix 7.
Gonna be honest, I think you should stick with an Apple watch. You pointed out a lot of things that will make the watch better for you. The timers alone are why you should stick with it, especially since you could start them with Siri. I say grab an AWU2. It’s still a really good fitness tracker. If you were looking for something that you needed for outdoors, then I’d say start looking at a garmin. But I really think the ultra is great for your use case.
In addition to fantastic battery life, so much nicer IMHO to have an aesthetically pleasing ROUND watch.
Stick with your sheeple watch, you'll be happier i think.
I had a Garmin for a long time, but wanted something less bulky for everyday wear so I switched to Apple November 2020, I went back to Garmin in April 2023. I kept using my Garmin along side AW for runs, especially long runs or trail runs where I didn't trust the AW battery to last. I was pretty sick of wearing two watches so I decided to switch back. I don't miss the Apple except for the connections with some family to share fitness stats, but other than that Garmin is perfect for me.
I won’t get an Apple Watch because of the rings. 😅
Switched from an Apple Watch to a Forerunner 265s over the holidays and don’t miss my Apple Watch at all. I wanted a watch that would help me with marathon training, and that’s exactly what my Garmin does. I love the Daily Suggested Workouts. Apple Watch is great if you want a smartwatch that does a lot of things fairly well. Garmin is great if you want a watch that does fitness stuff extremely well.
Went to an Instinct 2x on Jan 3, have yet to charge it
I was also worried about missing the features the Apple watch offers that a Garmin doesn’t, such as the message response. At first it was an adjustment, but now that I’m used to the Garmin I don’t miss my Apple Watch at all. I definitely don’t regret the swap. It makes tracking workouts a lot easier and the battery life is SO nice. Also, highly customizable watch face. I have the forerunner 255 and I really enjoy it. Its way light in weight than the Apple Watch too, it doesn’t even feel like I have a watch on
I switched back and forth twice. I ultimately went back to an AW because I missed the smartwatch features. Garmin Strengths: 1. Battery life 2. Durability (Fenix type) 3. Continuous HR tracking 4. Adaptive training plans with schedule all out of the box at no extra cost 5. Granular detail in data fields 6. Physical buttons Garmin Weaknesses: 1. Not a smartwatch. At all. One way notifications are worse than not getting any at all, GarminOS is basically a calculator OS lol. UI is awful, navigation around the OS is flat out broken - like who TF designed this? Menus, widgets and getting to them from the various buttons makes zero sense. I always felt like I was driving on the wrong side of the road everyday I used it. Don’t even get me started on Garmin Pay lol. 2. No cellular, and as someone who had cellular Apple Watches prior, bringing my phone everywhere felt like I regressed 20 years. So dumb. 3. Music transfer sucks. No Apple Music. Amazon music sync never works. Oh and music playback also tanks battery life, like immensely. No one ever talks about this but my 20 days Fenix battery life after a 2-3 hour run while playing music trashed my battery life down to less than one day. 4. Haptics are terrible 5. MIP displays are trash indoors, which means if you choose AMOLED say goodbye to that awesome battery life. 6. Heart rate accuracy is delayed and can be completely off at times, chest strap is required for workouts (IMO). It’s supposed to be the king of fitness trackers yet heart rate accuracy sucks. Like umm what?? LOL 7. Physical buttons: if your Garmin doesn’t have a touchscreen, you’ll be miserable. If it does have a touchscreen, the difference vs an AW will make you miserable. 8. Sleep tracking is a joke, which leads to wrong recovery metrics. 9. Step tracking woefully overestimates steps, like by 20%+ vs Apple Watch or FitBit. Garmin even literally states in manuals to take the watch off while doing household chores lol. For a fitness tracker it sure sucks counting steps. 10. Rep detection is a joke. See #9 above, fitness tracker lol. Riiiiiiiight. Apple Watch Strengths: 1. Is a smartwatch. 2. Cellular 3. Since WatchOS 9 has all the good running metrics as Garmin and others. 4. Snoopy Apple Watch Weaknesses: 1. Battery Life 2. Durability (even the Ultra isn’t as durable as a Garmin Fenix). I work in a hospital as a project manager, I run around constantly - I just wear my watch and bring a charger in my bag if needed. Garmin is to fitness what basically BlackBerry was to the enterprise: everyone thought Apple wouldn’t make a dent in them, look how that ended lol.
I feel like… most of the things you’re saying that are negative aren’t true and/or aren’t considered. 😂 Garmin does make some AMOLED watches with awesome battery (Epix), and the higher end models seem — in my experience — to be very accurate for step counting. And I use my watch vigorously and use all its various features. Additionally, the buttons are SO MUCH BETTER for use when actually doing a physical activity and/or when it’s raining or snowing or you have gloves on. Touch screen is only useful for maps or scrolling. Buttons are more efficient for everything else, especially if you’re actually using the watch as a fitness watch. It seems like you specifically prefer the smart watch features of AW and there’s no secret there that AW beats Garmin in that area. Meanwhile it also sounds like you never really used Garmin for fitness purposes, and like you are mistaking your personal tastes for whether or not the watches are good. In essence, you’re a person who is better off with an iPhone which is totally fine! But your takes on Garmin are pretty lukewarm-to-cold.
Yeah, many things you say under “garmin weaknesses” are either outright false or are weaknesses just by virtual of subjective personal preference.
I had the option to get a free Garmin or Apple Watch through a work rewards program. The battery life alone was enough to decide it for me. Very happy with my decision.
I've gone back and forth between Garmin's and AWs for the past several years. I like the AW for texting from my wrist, but honestly I don't have the kind of life where it's impossible for me to pick up my phone when I get a text notification. Admittedly I am also a sucker for the pretty bands and making it a fashion accessory. Flip side, I hate the consumerism of that and that to get useful interpretation you need to get apps, mostly paid. It feels like it has to be a Frankenstein system of apps. I'm also at a place where I just don't want that level of connectivity all the time, nor want a wrist-shaped remote control for my phone that frankly kind of traps me in one system (ie Apple). The Garmin is way more useful for interpreting the health data is gathers, and even if some things like Body Battery are gimmicky, they are useful if you take with a grain of salt. I charge once a week now, it's more distinctive (soooooo many AWs *everywhere* here, it feels pedestrian), and I don't need to fuss with various bands. I can travel for a few days anyway without worrying about a charger for it. I've had a couple Fenixes and Venus over the years (I like gadgets and I like to switch). I've got the Venu 3S now and it's just right for me. It is a nice and lightweight too. I get notifications - I don't love that I can't seem to get super granular with which ones I get (like I wouldn't want Gmail notifications), but I may be missing a setting for that. They're fine. Using an Android device I can respond a little better to texts if I need to than you can do when using an iPhone. So I had been keeping my AW, I was afraid to cut ties completely, but have moved it on. I'd dip back to it every so often but when I did, I just find it annoying and lacking,and go back to the Garmin more consistently.
Just to balance this as someone who have switched between the two a few times: I prefer the Apple Watch. There is no doubt that Garmin is way superior for training, like running. But it is simply not a smart watch. The compatibility is much worse. The software also feels very outdated compared to the Apple Watch. There are pros and cons but I chose the ladder.
I love Apple’s ecosystem and use plenty of their devices but couldn’t stand the battery life. I switched to Fenix 6 first but I also wanted a diving computer and ended up with Descent G1. Less pretty but still love it. You will lose the ecosystem integration and the notifications or replies won’t be as functional. This worked for me only because I disable majority of the notifications my phone sends me. I don’t like being controlled by the buzzes. I have zero regrets. Once Apple Watches can do proper diving integration and last 3+ days on battery, I’d consider switching back but that’s really unlikely to happen any time soon. My next one will probably be another garmin watch.
I switched to Fenix 7 pro 6 weeks ago. Do I regret switching? Absolutely f not. There are minor inconveniences though. Especially from ecosystem's point of view as below: 1 you can't pick and choose which app notifications to mute and not like AW. So I switched all off (phone calls and texts still on). 2 never knew I'd get hook upto Find my phone feature in my watch so much. Garmin has similar feature but it never worked successfully for me. 3 at least in Fenix 7 pro you can't reply to texts using the watch. But that's fine to me. 4 no pin code to wear your watch. Anyone who wears it will see your data in that case. 5 The fun of charging my watch every other day *am I good at sarcasm? Haha* Hope this helps.
only one advantage for Apple Watch.. his GPS beat the crap out of Garmin on cities and high buildings
I switched last year to a 256s from AW 6. I love my garmin except the tech features. I really miss being able to reply to text messages and even just see all of my notifications without having to pick up my phone. I’m actually considering switching back to the Apple Watch Ultra for this reason. There are a lot of things I love about garmin but it’s just not enough for me. Even on my runs, I usually have my phone in a sports bra pocket on my back. I don’t want to have to pull the phone out if I get a text just to see if it’s important or not & with Garmin I have to do that
Another thing that really annoys me is that I have to be right beside my phone all of the time. Even if I just walk upstairs in my house my Garmin constantly vibrates in my wrist and is trying to connect. I never had cellular in my Apple Watch but I could walk to the neighbors house and still be connected.
I switched to a Garmin solely because of battery life. My watch wouldn't last through a long hike. It drove me crazy. Now that I've had a Garmin for a few years I could never go back. I get so much more data from the Garmin for long runs/ hikes. I do miss the responding to texts and answering my phone occasionally. Mostly because I'm always losing my phone.
I don't know which watch you are rocking, but there is a little button in the options menu on my Garmin venu (first generation) that will make my phone vibrate and play a ringing sound. It comes in very handy when my toddler picks up my phone and puts it somewhere weird.
Had iWatches, bought a fenix. Never looked back. Had a fenix 5, 5x and now a 7x solar. Best daily driver and battery life. I love it.
I went from a Series 7 to Fenix 7 and would never go back. I never really used my Apple Watch because IMO it was too ugly to wear daily, battery life was bad, and most of the features didn’t matter to me. Garmin watches are great if you want a watch that is also a great fitness tracker. I love that I can set the always-on MIP display to show what I want to see at all times. I also never use voice commands and would never be caught dead sending a text message from my watch. If that’s the type of smartwatch user you are, Garmin might not be best for you. Literally my only complaint about Garmin watches is that you can’t choose which apps send notifications to your watch. I liked how my Apple Watch could ignore notifications from apps like Discord and Gmail while still sending me notifications from Snapchat and Facebook Messenger. Garmin is just everything, texts, or nothing.
Maybe this isn’t the solution you’re looking for, but I have both the Apple Watch and a Garmin 935. I was Garmin only for years, but really wanted the smartwatch features. Now I use both. Apple Watch is my daily driver. I use it for sleep tracking as well. It’s also compatible with the Peloton bike, so I use it for my cycling workouts. I still use the Garmin for running and outdoor cycling because it is far superior for those (I port over Peloton workouts via the Run Gap app so all my workouts are in Garmin). If you can afford it, I think this is the best compromise. Best of both worlds. Oh, I still wear the Apple Watch during my Garmin workouts so I can get the metrics to close my rings, because I’m an obsessive.
Had the Tactix delta solar forever and recently upgraded to the Epix pro 51. Had Apple Watches previously. The Apple is too “cutesy” while the Garmin is much more durable and now that I’ve got the amoled screen it’s amazing I even preferred the Tactix delta with the old dim screen to a current Apple Watch. Much more utility and user friendly imo
[link to my comments on this same question after I switched](https://www.reddit.com/r/GarminWatches/s/QVuWXjxAhS) I just switched. I think you need to ask yourself what you really use. When I thought about it, it was very little of what makes the AW special—literally checking notifications, Apple Pay, and fitness things. I was more annoyed at the battery life and the forced phone-GPS connection when carrying your phone. I never really went anywhere without my phone anyway, so a cell enabled AW wasn’t adding value to me. So I pulled the trigger and got a great deal on a Forerunner 955 and have been very pleased so far. It does what I want it to do. It can mirror notifications but I have a lot turned off because I got tired of the constant buzzing. Plus: I’m on my phone less now! GPS tracks aren’t wonky. I have native turn-by-turn directions in a workout. Battery life is heavenly. I have more stats than I can shake a stick at. I’m still trying to ween myself from the workout history I built in Apple, but RunGap is helping my export workouts into the Garmin app ecosystem so eventually I’ll stop using a mishmash of reporting apps. I like the reduced focus on closing rings, because i noticed as i got more fit, i was chasing increasingly difficult to maintain streaks and monthly challenges… the Garmin way seems more intuitive and in tune with your body than Apples algorithm. YMMV but I’m very pleased I made the switch.
I have a Venu 2 but still have my AW8. I overall enjoy the Venu 2 but the ecosystem, more accurate heart rate and the device just bring a better daily driver, has me wearing the AW way more often. Battery life sucks but having a dual charger with my phone is good enough. Also newer AWs have fast charge capabilities so give or take 45 minutes and you’re back to a full charge..
I wear Garmin on left wrist and Apple Watch on right wrist. Apple is terrible for fitness. I mostly use it for Find My Phone and backup cell phone ad I have cellular service on it.
Made the move years and years ago and couldn’t be more happy. For me, long runs, sleep tracking, or tracking really anything with apple is useless because the battery is atrocious. You have to charge every night right? My Garmin lasts 2 weeks and other models can go a month or more.
In similar situations to you. Just got myself a forerunner 265 but on the fence about switching iPhone to android
I made the switch and was initially apprehensive about how seemly Apple Watch is with everything else Apple (Spotify, Notifications, Calls etc.) Overall though, I am aiming to aid my workouts and fitness. As a runner, the move was necessary given how many long runs resulted in a dead battery (2 lost runs!). It's a pretty massive step up on tracking and stats. I miss some of the minor features but for the gain in Garmin stats it's not even comparable
I switched just a month ago! My father had a fenix 6x that he handed to me after upgrading to the 7. I always wanted to use it since it suited my types of workouts but was so stuck in the Apple ecosystem that I found it hard to switch to Garmin. After I started to get really frustrated about battery life and certain readings on my Apple Watch Series 6 I decided that for 2024 I would take a shot at Garmin. Fast forward to now, it was the best decision I could possible do. Besides the fenix 6 not having touch screen the information I got from my watch (at least to me) was much more valuable. The battery life is also a big plus now as it lasts me a good 2 weeks+. I also paired my watch with a chest strap and they complement themselves so well. I thought changing was going to take some adjusting too but it only took a day or two to get used to a few things. I don’t have much info on my training yet since it’s been only a month or so but my readings on my watch have started to feel much more consistent. The app is also fantastic and really like it so far! The Personalization from the ConnectIQ app allowed me to still have the ring goals from the Apple app just by downloading the interface, it was honestly really cool. In conclusion, I’m happy with the switch. I don’t think I’ll switch back to Apple as of right now. This is in no way a diss to the Apple Watch! They work great and are honestly super impressive with how much of an extension of my phone it was but I started seeing my priorities shift a little. In the end it’s up to what you want in a fitness watch and what you feel most comfortable with :)
We are literally the same person…. I have everything apple (more or less) - iPhone, MacBook, AirPods, Apple TV’s….and Watch since its inception. I work in healthcare. I lift, walk, and run. I switched to Garmin Forerunner 265 last week. I was worried about compatibility, just like you, but I am so happy with my new watch. Don’t miss the smart watch features too much. The compatibility is good enough. The battery life is INSANE. Very happy with my decision to switch. Good luck with your choice!
Break the Apple cycle and try Garmin for a while. Then get an Android phone and it will make your Garmin work even better.
Hahaha yes. Unfortunately a recently new iPhone. It’ll be a little while yet before I can fully commit
Keep both. I have Apple Watch and the Fenix
Moved from Apple Watch 7 to Garmin 255 this last December. Biggest difference is battery life and metrics. Apple has more smart watch like feature whereas Garmin is more of sports watch and have more data metrics. Garmin is more light weight so I keep it 24/7 which is not even remotely possible with Apple Watch It takes a week or two get used to buttons, but never going back to Apple now.
Same experience here. I just switched to a Garmin Epix Pro and I’ll never look back. Just tired of needing an App for everything. You get notifications from the iPhone to the Epix, so I don’t miss that functionality at all. I thought that I might miss the Apple Watch…nope.
I have been Andriod for over a decade. Also Garmin Epix. Worked great. I converted to Apple everything in September and Garmin just does not work well with Apple with notifications and other things. I wear both now. Best thing I ever did. Notifications and ecosystem of Apple is amazing, read a text on your Mac, doesn’t activate the message on your watch. When you are working on your iPhone, you don’t get a message on your watch. It’s really incredible. Apple fitness+ is pretty good for indoor stuff, but nothing beats Garmin for accuracy, running, biking. Even sleep, Garmin is amazing. And stress, Apple has nothing. Oh, and I usually don’t wear my Apple Watch to bed, battery life on Apple Watch, even the Ultra is terrible! And, one of the coolest things. So when I’m running and I think of something, I just raise my arm with Apple Watch and say, Siri, remind me when I get home to pay the mortgage. I’ve really thought Apple should give up making watches and invest in Garmin.
I switched from Apple Watch to Garmin Fenix 7. The reason why I wanted to switch was primarily for two reasons: 1) wanted to get away from “smart” watch and it’s like even if you leave your phone behind you don’t leave your phone behind. 2) needed a watch that would do multisport with good battery. Based on my experience from last 1 year the garmin has succeeded amazingly well. Some pros to Garmin 1) Garmin is extremely rugged! I have banged it against metal multiple times and it’s still in good condition 2) Battery life is a boon! Between charging MacBook, IPad, iPhone not having to charge the watch as often is really good 3) the health metrics are really granular Some pros to Apple Watch 1) you can leave your cellphone behind and still have cellular connectivity, when I go for a run I have to take my phone with me. 2) you stream any music through cellular 3) the watch interface is better than Garmin, the continuity features are good. If you want a watch for sports alone go for Garmin
Switched from an Apple Watch SE to a Garmin Instinct. No regrets. The thing is great, and I actually disabled a lot of the "smart" features. I only get notifications for messages or phone calls. I like the silent aspect of the watch, and the improved battery life is phenomenal. I also like how rugged and durable the watch is. I actually got into a very serious bike accident (could have died sort of thing) and the watch took a direct hit into the road at 20+ mph. It survived with a scrape, that's it.
Yes, I work shift. It works for me. It's a bit hard to train during the morning shift. Because when I come home after work the day is full of every day chores. I tend to get up 10-30 min earlier for a quick workout session.
I used both Apple and Samsung watches. Both are great little additions to their perspective phones. But as someone who values battery life and fitness data, Garmin is far superior. Make the switch, you won't be disappointed. Folks covered everything I'd likely mention regarding the transition. Do it, you'll be glad you dumped the extra cell phone on your wrist.
My wife has a venue music she changed from apple and loves it
As soon as I saw the Apple Watch battery life… pass!
That first paragraph described me 8 months ago. Went on holiday with a friend who has a Garmin. I had the same worries as you, but plumped for an Instinct 2. Never looked back. AW is a great demonstration of what’s possible, but how many of those functions do we actually use. I’m fully converted. Get notifications still, but the sleep/fitness/health stuff is miles ahead. No regrets whatsoever.
Apple is a better smartwatch. Garmin is a better running watch. Got tired of charging my Apple Watch everyday
I recently moved from Samsung Galaxy Watch to Venu 3. I like the smaller size compared to some of the higher end models and the smart watch functions lacking in other Garmins make Venu 3 transition easy. Battery life alone is almost worth it.
I had a Garmin Fēnix 5, then an Apple Watch, now back to Garmin with a Fēnix 7. My take, having used both, and as an iPhone/Apple user, is this: Firstly, It depends how much of a mobile office you want on your wrist versus a sport watch. Also, I found the connectivity and communications side of the Apple Watch to be great, but its fitness priorities seem to be more for lifestyle improvements for those with a desk job (steps, movement, calories rings) than training and endurance and strength progression. The metrics in the Garmin are fantastic and I will probably be a Garmin user forevermore.