Apple Watch vs Garmin After 1 Year: I Was Wrong!

The Apple Watch is one of the reasons that many people can't switch to an Android phone, even though they might want to! And, after 18 months of trying a few different Garmin watches, even I'm still a little stuck between Apple and Garmin. So this video I share my experience of (mostly!) using a Garmin watch for the last year or so in the hopes that it helps people make a decision to move away from Apple Watch or to stick with it.

Go check out @ShervinShares channel for more fitness tech insights!

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0:00 Why I called the Garmin an expensive mistake
3:34 The Garmin watches I've tested
1:51 Compatibility with iPhone and Android
2:43 Fitness app usability
5:47 Battery life
7:07 Physical buttons vs touch screen
7:56 Customisable data and workouts
8:59 Complications
9:41 Flashlight
10:03 The Garmin weight scales
11:12 Automatic rep counting
12:26 The Downsides of a Garmin watch

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Disclosures: All opinions are my own. Some links in the descriptions are affiliate links that if you click on, I’ll receive a commission at no additional cost to you.

[PeteMatheson]

What' are your reasons for switching to a Garmin watch?

[rcheas]

I agree, I bought a Garmin 6 sapphire and sold off my Apple Watch. The Garmin does everything I want and none of the other nonsense that a computer on my wrist would do. Plus I don’t have to charge it every day.

[nicowernli]

I think the big mistake that many people makes is thinking on Garmin watches as Smartwatches, they are just not. Garmin builds the best fitness trackers which are not really good as smartwatches. Same happens when people expects Apple Watch as a good fitness tracker which is not, it is a good smartwatch but not a good fitness tracker.

[JorgeCastilloArg]

I'm a Forerunner 965 user and I love it. My VO2 max recorded by the watch and the one from the lab got a 0.1 difference. And the battery life is unmatched, today, for instance, I went for a short one hour bike ride with 11% battery remaining, I shared HR data to my bike computer, came back home and it's still at 9% and I know it could last a couple more days if needed.

[wigwam]

I love the arguments about which is better. Especially the "I was always" and "I've never looked back" convincers....! Brilliant! It's just about use case. Get over the FOMO of not having the best. Buy the one that suits what you need it to do. They are both very expensive mistakes otherwise!

[jacquardweave]

As an Apple guy (I have iphones, apple tv, macbook, airpods) i can clearly say that Garmin is ahead of Apple a light year; especially in terms of health tracking, battery life and overall build quality. I’ve used several Garmin watches, also tried Apple Watch in the past and now have an Epix Pro 51 mm.

First of all, all apple watch models are calculator shaped and they look like a calculator or 80’s Casio watches, which is awful.

Yes, Apple has better OHR but it’s pointless because it’s not always on, only takes samples approx. every 10 min. You sell a watch with an Ultra tag but it’s battery life barely hits 2 days. I’ve really forgotten when i charged my Epix Pro last, i charge it once a month.

Everyone criticize Garmin’s sleep tracking but it works like a charm for me. Continous stress tracking, HRV tracking, continous HR recording, Body Battery; those are all incredible and where Apple fails.

[strikeIII]

I was also a Samsung and Apple Watch user as well but have switched to Garmin and has been the best switch I've ever done. Easy to move back and forth and has much more data. The basic notifications are fine don't need all the smarts of a smart watch and prefer the battery life and health tracking more.

[NashBen]

The low VO2 Max is probably because you didn't do enough workouts in order for the watch to measure your capabilities. Over time and the more workouts you record the Garmin will actually show a very precise, complete and correct status of all your fitness data. You need a few threshhold and intensive workouts in particular for the watch to know what you are really capable of.

[ChrisBranch]

I was recently upgrading my watch and was looking at Coros, but it was the integration with Vitality that kept me with Garmin! Ended up getting the Fenix 7x and I’m very happy with it ☺️

[romansidler]

I‘m coming from the apple eco system and I also had an Apple Watch. Biggest issue for me: battery life. The smart features are quite nice but as I started excercising (smart trainer, bike, hiking, trekking), the apple watch wasn‘t the right thing to go with anymore. I even was not able to track my sleep due to the poor battery life. I was finally purchasing a Garmin Enduro 2 which was a game changer for me. It just offers all the features I need during my day and night. Yes of course, the display is not as bright compared to an apple watch and you do not have all these useful/useless smart features. But at end, the garmin allows me to better focus on my everyday tasks while being a faithful companion.

[mikehellinger]

I have a Forerunner 955 and a Series 9 AW. As an iPhone user, only reasons to get a Garmin imo are battery, buttons, slightly better GPS tracking, and circular form factor. AW has better sensors (heart rate, sleep tracking), better notification control, better third party app access, better accessories, remote control of your music, TVs, phone camera etc, and Apple Pay is a dream….Garmin Pay is useless here in Canada as they don’t work with any major bank or credit union. And for fitness, you still get VO2 max, blood ox, training load in Apple Health. For fitness tracking they’re very comparable (with Garmin it’s all built in but Apple has the App Store so you can get what you don’t have). If you’re an athlete who needs to track 30+ hour runs then a Garmin or Coros is a no brainer. The battery life is a game changer. But honestly charging the AW is no biggie if you’re on a schedule. I use mine for sleep tracking so I slap it on the charger for 20 mins every morning while I have my coffee and it tops up.

[AleksiJärvinen]

I've been using the Garmin Venu 3 for little over a month now, and I am really enjoying the long battery life, amazing health tracking/data, and fact that the watch is smart enough to be a great smartwatch, but not smart enough to be an extension of my phone. I value the fact the watch is not connected to my phone all of the time, and provides some separation from smart devices.

[chinter]

About the crash detection: I crashed my bike and broke my collarbone last year with a Garmin Forerunner 945 (2 gens old and lower end tri watch). It called EMS and notified 2 of my relatives with my whereabouts.

[bobcog]

For the VO2 max accuracy, it could be that you simply do not have enough workouts recorded on the watch especially very tough workouts.

[bryans]

I've had the 45mm Series 9 Apple watch, non-cell, for over a year now and I really like it. It was affordable, and it fits nicely in my Apple ecosystem.

[etiennesharp]

I'm still rocking the Garmin Vivoactive 4 after four years. It does all the health stuff, gives me notifications and controls my tunes. That's really all I need.

[ManuelAMartinez]

Apple guy but love my Garmin watch for training. You can’t beat it.

[oliverww]

I use both the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and the Garmin 265.
While I like the Garmin, one thing that’s consistently a bit of a hassle is the charging cable—it’s not quite user-friendly to me...

[Gurenn]

The battery life on Garmin smartwatches are just epic gold. It lasts several days on a single charge.

[adams]

The AU2 is a great smartwatch with some sportwatch features, while GF8 is a great sportswatch (with a flash light and huge battery life) with some smartwatch features. If you’re entrenched in the Apple ecosystem it’s not worth the trouble moving to GF2, unless you’re serious about your sports imho.