Interesting comparison

Today, just for the heck of it, I decided to put my Apple Watch, Series 3 Stainless, up against my Fenix 5x and see how the GPS tracks compared. They were both on the same wrist, about an inch apart, and worn at the same time. This "should" make the tracks fairly equal for comparison purposes. The F5x is using a fully calibrated footpod, (MiCoach Bluetooth), while the Apple watch is using it's own semi-calibrated distance algorhythms. Both used the internal HRM's of the watches. I then exported both files, and imported them into MyGPSFiles, to see the comparison. It sould also be noted that the actual measured elevation at the starting point is 1432 meters. I used GPS Only on the F5x, as I've heard that GLONASS and Galileo leave a bit to be desired. I have no idea what GPS array the AW was using. Here is the file comparing the two tracks in MyGPSFile.

http://mygpsfiles.com/app/#MgcgZF58

Come to your own conclusions. :-)

0 Former Member over 6 years ago

I am not surprised, having used an Apple Watch for a long time before getting my 5x. The Apple track is looking a lot more accurate - but that said, both are within acceptable limits for most use.

What I do not know is if Apple is applying some kind of 'snap to track' algorithm to the track, making it more accurate looking.

There is a LOT of research and thought going int Apple products compared to most others, so I did expect the Apple Watch giving the most accurate result. That said, Apple's design decisions - like not having storage for maps on the watch - I do not agree with. Which is why I mainly use my 5X over my Gen 2 Apple Watch.

0 brookes2622 over 6 years ago

OEAGLEO what happens if you do the same track with GLONASS and Galileo enabled?

0 OEAGLEO over 6 years ago

OEAGLEO what happens if you do the same track with GLONASS and Galileo enabled?

I thought about that, especially since the Apple Watch has Galileo support internally. But, the big difference is while I can choose either Galileo, or GLONASS support on the F5x, I have no idea which satellites the Apple Watch is using. I did do a walk in one of our parks here right after I did the firmware beta upgrade to the first one that accessed Galileo, and compared to earlier tracks, the Galileo track was really quite "on". Given the day to day variances, and even the time during any activities when the devices are switching sats because one goes out of range/sight, etc, I think they both are quite good, I do know that nothing, and NOTHING is going to be exactly "on" especially during a walking activity, the speed is just too slow. I can say that during my bike rides, the F5x throws down a pretty good track, generally staying on the path that I ride on, the only variances are rather sharp turns that aren't nicely rounded, or tunnels where the signal will "bounce" when coming out. Other than that, I'm totally pleased with both devices tracks.