Garmin
Forerunner 255 Series
Long battery; but wrist HR tracking is inconsistent.
Running these analyses costs money. Buy through my links to help keep lights on! I may get a small commission.
Used to have a watch series 2. That one sucked. Then went to a apple series 5. That one fell into a lake and seeing as the ground in the middle was over 10m, i doubt it survived Switched to a Garmin instinct 2 tactical solar about 3 years ago. I love not plugging it back to charge everyday (with gps its been lasting a solid 15-20 days a charge) Great with sports especially skiing (it uses about 3 different satelite technologies so i never lose connection and it detects skiing / lifts to get back up) I can control music from the watch - bit finnicky with the buttons but eh it is what it is I got 50% ish off through work so that was a bonus I do miss being able to send custom messages from it and controlling songs on spotify.... I also miss having the touchscreen, but this watch has remained on my wrist even diving hard into water from cliffs About 18 months after switching I binned my iphone 9 and got a google pixel so yeah, i never would turn back to apple products.... Depends on what you want to be honest. Just know, that most of these watches can survive in water for a few hours to a couple days, so swimming/diving in it isn't a problem but thats just my opinion Hope I helped
It depends on the person and how they swim. Each device has its own plusses and minuses but I've been a devoted Apple Watch user since Series 2 and it does the job well for my purposes (structured interval training with [MySwimPro app](https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id994386450?pt=117803900&ct=adam-reddit&mt=8))
Battery life is insane on this thing! I upgraded from a series 2 so it was a huge change, not used to this haha
My watch is currently being repaired/replaced because of bad battery. It’s an S2, purchased 3 years ago. The cost is $150CAD.
My wife’s series 9 has a battery health of 84% and it barely makes it through the day. Usually it dies in the evening if she’s still at work. It’s one of the major reasons I got an AWU2. My series 2, 5 and 8 would all be fine for the first year or so, and then they’d struggle to make it thought the day. Having to charge every single day absolutely destroys the battery.
Rob is great but this is silly. Who cares about sleep stages? You have very little control over it, whereas you have much more control over duration and quality. My old Garmin would say “not enough REM sleep” but what the hell am I meant to do with that? Now I focus on quality and duration. An AW + Bevel is the best solution for me.
I’m in the same boat. Currently have the AW2, but want to get more focused on health, without having to juggle multiple apps. Had the Fenix 8 Solar in my cart for awhile now, but wondering about the reliability of the data vs the AW2.
Valid points. The reliability of the metrics is a big consideration for me. My two biggest cons with the AWU 2 are the battery life (not the biggest deal) & the lack of a cohesive health/fitness experience. Overall, I think it’s the best smartwatch on the market, but there’s room for improvement on the fitness side.
Garmin
Forerunner 255 Series
Long battery; but wrist HR tracking is inconsistent.

Garmin
Forerunner 955 Series
Best value, clear MIP screen; limited smartwatch features.

Garmin
Fenix 7 Series
Durable, multi-week battery, flashlight; high price, buggy software.
Garmin
Instinct 2 Series
Rugged, solar multi-week battery; bulky, small screen readability issues.

Garmin
Enduro 3
Multi-week solar battery, lightweight; but bulky form factor.

Ranked #1
Oura - Oura Ring Series

Ranked #1
Apple - Ultra Series

Ranked #1
Garmin - Enduro 3

Ranked #1
Garmin - Fenix 7 Series

Ranked #1
Garmin - Forerunner 255 Series

Ranked #1
Oura - Oura Ring Series