Garmin - fēnix 2

I honestly am glad I switched back to Apple Watch after a year and a half with a Garmin Phoenix gen 2. I love my Apple Watch Ultra 2 it’s actually holding up better than my Garmin watch did even in the black metal color. It is way more comfortable than the Garmin that watch fucked up my wrist. All the things that I liked about my Garmin watch like body battery stress ect I’m able to get from the Bevel app but better and plus so much more. The battery life is enough 3.8-4 days (if I don’t work out) as I don’t use Wi-Fi/cell or always on display I typically just charge and clean my watch when I shower anyway. Biggest reasons I got rid of my Garmin it felt clunky the UI was absolutely trash and I felt like a lack of customization, especially with the watch face they all just felt very generic. Overall, just poor user Experience I mean there’s menus on the Garmin where it doesn’t even show you the fucking time WTH kind of watch doesn’t show you the time. I literally would have to hang up a phone call to see the time on my garmin. Apple Watch always shows the time no matter what screen it’s on. Obviously, the Apple Watch is a way smarter device. But the gps accuracy is pretty close I heard on the ultra three it’s basically the same as most Garmin watches but some scenarios with swimming in mountains get messy The hr accuracy is better on Apple Watch and you get way more health features better fall and car crash detection hearing damage, warning, ekg better, abnormal heart rate sensing. Blood 02 is more accurate but some newer models are limited to only manual O2 reading due to patent issues. Sleep tracking seems better especially when paired with the Bevel app this app is awesome seriously, they recently also just came to Garmin watches too. But god dam that battery life on my garmin was epic, I also really liked the amount of buttons and the fact that you could basically control the whole watch with button buttons. The ultra has an orange button that you can program to do anything I have it set for flashlight and the flashlight is way brighter than my Garmin but my Garmin watch didn’t have the actual flashlight that some do. Garmin is still awesome Great utility device and it seems as if many of their models have come down in price I got basically a brand new Apple Watch Ultra 2 open box in perfect condition for 600 bucks which was cheaper than my Garmin, I love Garmin but to use it every day or even just workouts made me go insane they just need to hire some good UI folk maybe this has changed on the brand new Garmins.

Disable GSP, Bluetooth, HR, etc or buy a watch that is specific for ultra and adventure racing. You can find an older Garmin model with ultratrac for a reasonable amount if you’re not looking to break the bank.

I’ve had both and definitely have had more issues with Garmin. I have yet to experience a mid activity crash on my AWU in over a year, something that I’ve had happened multiple times on every Garmin device I have ever owned (a lot, I started with a FR 205 or 305). I still own a Garmin edge and it happened again last week. Riding along and you look down and the screen is just shut off. I do miss the battery life of my old Fenix but I got used to putting the AWU on the charger every time I shower and that seems to work 99% of the time. I don’t see a bright future for Garmin. There’s companies like Coros that make arguably better watches now for a fraction of the price (don’t take my word, look at all the pros using Coros now). When my Edge dies I’ll probably switch brands.

I switched from a Garmin Fenix to an Ultra 2 and I’m never going back to Garmin. Most of your peeves can easily be remedied by going in the Watch app on your phone and setting up what you want to allow to show up on your watch as notifications. It’s 100 times more fine grained than what Garmin does (pretty much all or nothing). Not that it’s Garmin’s fault, they just don’t have access to the OS on your phone the way Apple does. I was overwhelmed at first but quickly turned off notifications for all but a few apps. Now, if you want something more focused on sports then you’ll be better served with Garmin, although Apple’s Ultra variant is no slouch either, especially paired with an app like WorkOutdoors. If you’re going to go that route I would take a serious look at Coros though, they make arguably better watches for much cheaper in my opinion.

1-2 gen old garmin fenix should be around that much new old stock, or see if you can find a refurb epix 2. I used an Apple Watch 4 before I got the epix 2. It’s fine for heart rate and mileage if that’s all you want. In fact any watch that has a hr monitor will be fine for basic training.

For sports, always Garmin. No one else comes close for multisport watches, and I don't need a bunch of useless "smart watch" features that just waste battery.

I have not tried the Fenix E but before getting the pro I tried the Fenix non sapphire model for 20% discount so it was the same price as new AW ultra. I just applied a screen protector to it. The pro gets minor brighter display, larger battery, satellite and lte it also only comes in titanium bezel but the bezel is also thicker and heavy by a few grams But I did not feel like there was a massive difference in looks, For me the looks wear out soon but what remains is the functionality that garmin brings to its watches and that for my usage is the same between cheapest and high end Fenix models so the short answer is yes but I would recommend looking for a 20% discount code and purchasing the amoled version for the same price as AW ultra.

Garmin with MIP display (non amoled, always on) and solar charging. I would vote for Enduro 3 or some from Fenix lineup if you can afford and if the size fits you.

Fenix I’d say. I have 7 with the MIP display (wanted MIP and not amoled).

For tne fenix line, agree 100%. Garmin needs to stop chasing Apple, double down on what makes Garmins special especially battery life

This is what I did. I bought the Fenix with the intention on switching completely, but I realized that I missed a lot of things about my AW. So now my AW is my daily wear and also for occasional shorter runs, walks, etc. I use the Fenix for hiking, diving, long activities, etc.