Garmin fenix 8 vs Apple Watch Ultra 2

[Rider21]

Hi, I know maybe you get asked this a lot. I am in the fence in buying the garmin fenix 8 or tactix vs the Apple Watch Ultra. What do you recommend

 

[ottoshape]

Did they improve battery charge intervals on the Ultra version of the Apple watch? FWIW, My Fenix needs a charge once every 7-10 days while my Apple watch had to be charged every day. For that reason alone, I much prefer my Fenix.

 

[Stihldog]

I still have the iwatch 4. I guess I’m in the Apple ecosystem. I’ve only tried the older garmin products for us but those now hide in a drawer.

My children purchased and insisted that I wear the iWatch all the time. “Okay fine …I will “.

It didn’t take long for me t discover the benefits. It plays well with my iPhone. I forget I’m wearing it. Location tracking. Receiving phone calls. Remote picture selfies. Emergency calls. Works with Strava. OTB and crash sensor. I’ve triggered the auto-emergency-call sensor numerous times after a crash and/or OTB’s.

Since I ride solo 90% of the time it gives my family some peace of mind. Funny situation once; had an OTB and end up upside down in a large bramble bush. My bike travelled a few meters down the trail.

But there I was …upside down and held hostage by a bramble bush. A small limb had found its way between my wrist and watch-band …which was suspended above my head and out of reach. I probably looked like an upside down suspended scarecrow. The countdown, to call emergency services, began.

I frantically tried to free myself to prevent a 911 call …I was ok, but stuck in a weird predicament.

I eventually snapped the limb and stopped the 911 call, with seconds to spare. It took several minutes to free myself without causing further leaks from the small thorns. Checked out the bike …good …continued my ride.

When I returned home my wife met me. “WTF have you DONE”. Apparently I had sprung more leaks than I thought. My legs, arms and face had dried blood everywhere. I could have been an extra in a horror film.

Anyways, the watch . I like a clean cockpit and I’ve gotten use to wearing a watch. I don’t use all the things it can do but it reminds me to -feed the dog, put out the trash, take my medication, appointments, birthdays, holidays , nightstand clock, alarm blah blah blah.

It’s kinda handy now and I’m almost ready to upgrade. $$$

 

[ottoshape]

FWIW, the Garmin will do the 911 thing too and can send a live track web link for every ride you head out on. Recipients can view your progress almost real time. Garmin won't do telephone stuff but can display your text msgs from your phone.

 

[Arminius]

Hi there,
I used a Venu 2 that died recently and was replaced by Garmin - excellent service! Now I think selling it and getting a Epix Pro or Fenix 8 (I like the AMOLED). Both are more expensive than a Apple watch, both work in iOS environment well and Fenix 8 can do phone calls (has mic and speaker).

The Venu has already the emergency call function that is quite sensitive. No need to hanging upside down in the brambles. It got activated while pumping a tire. . You can set it to call in case of emergency any number or „911“.. Easy setting alarms for planned meetings, picking up the misses or timer for tea is very handy.
With regard to peace of mind my family can track me by my Iphone. Helps them to know where I am and that I am moving and gives me safe feeling they know where I am if something terrible happens to me in remote areas. By mistake showed my position during a normal day 1 km away from work, in a backyard - how to explain that?!

 

[HandsomeDanNZ]

I've been on the Apple bandwagon for a long time and the Ultra is the best watch they've ever made.
The natural titanium version is hard (if not nearly impossible) to scratch or mark, including the screen.
The battery (when new) lasts for 48hrs or more, but diminishes significantly when using cellular and/or GPS.
Plenty of apps for it, including mapping apps and personally, I love it.

Mine is going on 2.5 years old and it's got around 85% battery health and I still get minimum 36hrs with at least one GPS-driven workout logged every day.

Garmin will always beat Apple for battery life and they are really nice (and robust) watches, but from an integration perspective (with regards to iPhones etc) the AWU will always be a winner for me.
If I had an Android phone - it would be a no-brainer. Garmin.

 

[Mike O]

FWIW, the Garmin will do the 911 thing too and can send a live track web link for every ride you head out on. Recipients can view your progress almost real time. Garmin won't do telephone stuff but can display your text msgs from your phone.

Yep, the Live Track is wonderful. I have a disabled friend you lives vicariously through it.

For those who do not have a Garmin, perhaps a description of related features would be helpful.

With a paired phone you can, from your watch, request assistance from an emergency contact "on demand" (not auto). No need to get your phone from your pocket or pack.

Independently, you can also set up "Incident Detection" which will automatically sense a fall and contact whoever you have on the emergency contact list. I've had this set up for some time. I don't know how it might function on bike park jumps as I don't do that kind of thing.

But I've had Incident Detection on for about 200 miles of trails and the only time it indicated it was going to send a notice to my emergency contact is when I did indeed fall (hard) when I hit a patch of ice on a wooden bridge. Never had a "false positive".

As with the Apple watch, the user has time to "do not send" so as not to alarm emergency contacts (or pay the ambulance fee!). No idea what the Apple watches currently do, but even though I am an Apple user, I couldn't deal with the charging issue. Garmin's integration is likely not as painless, but works well none the less. The Google and Youtube are your friend.

P.S. In case no one else has mentioned it, Garmin interfaces nicely with the current Specialized app (heart rate, power, cadence, etc).

 

[NMNomad]

I haven't used the apple watch ultra 2, so I can't comment on that side. But, I absolutely love the Fenix 8, and would go right out and buy another one. It is exceptional for my uses.

 

[Arminius]

Hi, I know maybe you get asked this a lot. I am in the fence in buying the garmin fenix 8 or tactix vs the Apple Watch Ultra. What do you recommend

What are you planning to use it for?

 

[NCMike]

I love my Ultra for daily life, but found it too heavy for longer rides. The extra mass ribbed the bone on my wrist and would hurt, so I still use my lighter Garmin for mountain biking. I keep the Garmin pared to my phone mounted on my handlebars for emergency notifications during a crash since I always ride solo.

 

[Giff]

There will be +’s and -‘s for both but
the Apple Watch Ultra does work well with lots of other apps integrated into the Apple system.
I use mine as an alarm clock on a mini stand each night so charging isn’t an issue.

 

[Stihldog]

There will be +’s and -‘s for both but
the Apple Watch Ultra does work well with lots of other apps integrated into the Apple system.
I use mine as an alarm clock on a mini stand each night so charging isn’t an issue.

The night stand is handy. It’ll charge my iwatch, iPhone and ear pods.…with magnetic induction, all at the same time. My watch or phone behaves like a clock when I touch them. I use the iwatch as an alarm for many things.

I’ve only recently got this device …but I wanted a foldable, heavy and portable device stand. You get what you pay for so it was more expensive than others that were available.

Now if it could solve the issue of midnight bathroom trips …I could sleep like a baby again.

 

[Giff]

Like a baby? Pampers may work!

 

[Stihldog]

Like a baby? Pampers may work!

As long as it doesn’t interfere with my Twerking workout ️.

Just curious …are you speaking from experience?

 

[Arminius]

Heavy? Hmmmm
Foldable? Uhhhh
Portable? Ahhhh
Better have a one night stand before keeping it in the bedroom.

Thinking about how we use the watches and what these are made for it is by far overkill.

Like a baby? Pampers may work!

I am still trying to remember that bathroom story and I am sure it was not what you seem to believe.

 

[Giff]

As long as it doesn’t interfere with my Twerking workout ️.

Just curious …are you speaking from experience?

 

[Mister cube]

Hi, I know maybe you get asked this a lot. I am in the fence in buying the garmin fenix 8 or tactix vs the Apple Watch Ultra. What do you recommend

Fenix 7 are now getting discounted if you go on you tube reviews of the fenix8 the majority say dont waste your money,buy the 7 instead,i have a 7 and i have looked at the 8 but they are massively overpriced imo.