I Switched to a Garmin After Almost a Decade With the Apple Watch. Now I Know What I’ve Been Missing

June of this year would’ve marked 10 years since I first wore an Apple Watch on my wrist. During this nearly decade-long period, I’ve celebrated its strengths, acknowledged its limitations, and embraced its improvements. I’ve also shared a lot about my experience and how to make the most of it.

I always found the idea of switching to Garmin watches strange. They appeared too specialized, with complex interfaces and a specific target audience. The versatility of watchOS overshadowed any alternatives.

However, after more than a month of wearing a Garmin Epix 2, those previous convictions completely disappeared.

Other Priorities

My own evolution as a runner has been the catalyst for this change. Five years ago, I was jogging at a pace of 11 minutes per mile. However, I recently completed a half marathon in 1 hour and 40 minutes and ran 6-mile races in 43 minutes. While these times may not be exceptional, they’re certainly an improvement over my previous performances. Now that I’m focused on improving those times and achieving my goal of completing a sub-3:30 marathon, my needs have changed.

The Garmin Epix 2 on my wrist.

The realization hit me while I was running a half marathon. My Apple Watch Ultra 2 was at 50% battery when I left the house. However, it was running on empty at just 1% when I crossed the finish line. The LTE feature, which I had accidentally left active, drained the battery almost completely. It also prevented me from recording my workout since I had moved away from my iPhone for several hours.

Even the most advanced Apple Watch is fundamentally a smartwatch with fitness features rather than a true sports watch. If I had been wearing the Garmin, it would’ve alerted me before the race started, informing me that my current settings wouldn’t last even two hours of running.

For years, I attempted to make up for the Apple Watch’s limitations by using a combination of apps:

• Athlytic for advanced metrics
• Runna as a virtual trainer
• WorkOutDoors for running navigation
• HealthFit for long-term performance metrics
• AutoSleep for detailed sleep analysis

Many of these apps require monthly subscriptions, fragmenting the user experience and increasing costs. The Garmin watch provides all these features natively, while the Apple ecosystem relies on third-party paid apps to fill the gaps.

The final straw for me was a 19-mile run in an unfamiliar area. During the run, I had to stop three times to use my phone to get my bearings, which highlighted the limitations of Apple Watch navigation. While navigating with the Apple Watch is possible, it can be tedious and isn’t natively integrated into the training app.

My first fun run using the Garmin watch.

When choosing between Garmin, Suunto, and Coros, I decided to go with Garmin. The Garmin Epix 2 quickly dispelled my initial concerns. It features a surprisingly intuitive interface that’s controlled by five physical buttons and an optional touchscreen. The navigation is accurate, even in rainy or sweaty conditions. Moreover, it doesn’t require constant visual attention.

A Garmin watch face featuring 12 highly customizable complications alongside a prominently displayed digital clock.

Even the most comprehensive and versatile Apple Watch faces don’t offer this level of customization. The maximum number of complications available is between seven and nine. These watch faces display the time in analog format.

The difference between the Apple Watch and Garmin is striking. While Apple provides a polished but rigid sports experience, Garmin offers extensive customization options, which can be quite overwhelming at first. Users can configure each training screen in detail and create comprehensive routines via the web. The device does more than just record data. It also interprets, analyzes, and translates it.

Here are some examples:

• Training Load Focus. This feature encourages a balance between low-intensity aerobic, high-intensity aerobic, and anaerobic activities. Initially, I tended to focus too much on high-intensity aerobic workouts, which hindered my improvement and increased my risk of injury.

When I started using the Garmin, the graph was unbalanced. However, one month later, the previously low values are within the normal range. The excessively high value is also on its way to normalization.

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• Endurance Score. This metric helps users understand their current fitness level and track its evolution over time.
• Sleep Score. This indicates how long you’ve slept and how much time you spent in each sleep phase. More importantly, it also provides a score and a brief description correlating with your recovery and readiness for training.
• Hill Score. This score measures your endurance and strength on sloped terrain.
• VO2 Max. This is a crucial metric. It’s often downplayed in the Apple Watch, but Garmin gives it significant importance.

The Garmin device also tracks acute load (short-term) and compares it to the optimal range based on chronic load (long-term).

Meanwhile, when the Garmin watch detected my suboptimal running cadence of 160 steps per minute, it helped me visually recognize that it was too low. It also provided a solution by integrating a vibration metronome to guide me toward the ideal 170 steps for my height. This level of detailed assistance really makes a difference.

Do I miss the Apple Watch? Absolutely. The ability to quickly reply to messages, control music, remotely operate the iPhone camera, instantly use Shazam, set voice timers, and check my soccer team’s scoreboard from the watch face during a concert are luxuries that are hard to give up. However, I’ve discovered that I prefer specific excellence over versatility that lacks depth in sports features.

However, there are some nuances to consider. The GPS of the Garmin watch isn’t as accurate as that of the Ultra 2, even when operating in maximum accuracy mode.

The Garmin watch offers race time predictions for distances like 5K, 10K, half-marathon (21K), marathon (42K), and ultra-marathon (over 42K). This isn’t available on the Apple Watch. There aren’t any good quality, reliable third-party options either.

Battery life also deserves special mention. I now charge my watch weekly instead of daily. Friday mornings have become my new charging routine, and after seven days of use, I still have battery life left over.

The transition hasn’t been easy. While the Ultra 2 is still excellent, my needs have evolved. I’m no longer just interested in recording activity, sleep, and basic metrics. I need to understand those metrics to optimize my performance and plan effectively.

Specialization has its advantages. The Epix 2 doesn’t try to be a “mini-iPhone,” and that’s precisely why it excels in its domain, even if it falls short in other areas.

On a side note, switching to a different proprietary charging cable was just as amusing as a missed penalty. However, I found the best solution in a three-pack of USB-C adapters: one for the office, one for my backpack, and one for the car.

Will I return to the Apple Watch? Probably, but only when my priorities change or watchOS evolves to meet my sports needs better. For now, this change reinforces a universal truth: The optimal tool isn’t necessarily the most versatile one, but rather the one that best suits your individual needs.

Image | Xataka

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