Epix2 vs Apple Watch 7, is it worth the extra cost?

Well I can say coming from several Samsung watches which are a relative equivalent of an Apple watch except for Android the difference is huge. The price difference is huge also obviously but I bought an Epix with full intentions on keeping it a few years. The battery degrading is obviously real and there really isn’t much room for that when your watch realistically needs to be charged everyday already. Also the Garmin software is really good. I personally don’t like a square watch anyway and never understood why the Apple watch is so popular. As far as Samsung goes their software is a mess and so isn’t Wear OS. I actually bought the Epix 2 as a smartwatch first with health metrics being second and it’s pretty great. I never made calls on my smartwatch so lte and a speaker is a non issue for me. I do think $1000 is probably a bit high but I was willing to pay it and try and im not returning it so I suppose that speaks for itself. There’s nothing wrong with spending 1/3 on a smartwatch but on the Samsung side anyway it feels like never ending beta software hell but the hardware and rotating bezel were really good. Now that Garmin is using an amoled screen I can’t see myself using anything else. People are spoiled. They don’t realize how big a deal 16 days is without charging lol.

Fitness metrics on the AW are more fragmented than in Garmin.  With Garmin you can go to their website and everything is right there.  With Apple it's kind of all over the place, and if you use their default workout app, sometimes it's not even there.  WorkOutDoors fixes some of this.  Exports to other apps helps fix this.

I also like the running dynamics which a Garmin HRM adds, and since you need the HRM for heart rate accuracy on a Garmin you may as well buy it.

Also, a lot of the issues depend on model and time of ownership.  Sorry, info overload maybe incoming.

GPS: AW4 and 5 would do crazy stuff sometimes, 6 and 7 have been rock solid.  My F5, F5+, F6X were great until one day my F6X just changed.  I'm not certain exactly when but I had a Stryd and when the Stryd broke I started relying on the watches GPS which simply wasn't correct.  Mile markers, Stryd and the AW all agree.

oHR: I've never thought the AW was off.  Garmin once recorded my HR at 240 when I didn't stop the workout and drove away.  I've, far too often, seen it be 40 beats too high.

PulseOx:  Garmin has been very off at times, scary numbers.  The AW, some say not so good, but it's always been in a logical place.

Sleep:  Someone said the AW sleep tracking is bad, maybe natively, but that's easily fixed with apps, some of which are free.  I don't remember which Fenix added sleep tracking but it wasn't until the 6X when they finally brought some sanity to it.  So many times, I'd get up, take the watch off, set it on the charger, and the Fenix would keep on recording that I was asleep.

Music/Podcasts: F5+ fine, Marq terrible from the start, F6X fine for the first couple of months, then a patch, and blammo, drop outs all over the place.

Pay: Apple never messes up, Garmin misses probably 10% of the time, the UI requirement to login sucks and fewer places accept it.  The AW UI is much better handled.

Strength workouts:  The Garmin interface for this is just awful and they force rep counting on you which may as well be a random number generator.  It's never right, at best it lands 1 or 2 reps.  On the AW, fixed with a simple App.

VO2 Max:  I used to love the Garmin VO2 Max number.  I remember when I hit 44 and it said my fitness age was 18.  Who wouldn't like your fitness age to be a 1/3 of your actual age.  On the other hand, the AW number can change a point or more on a single run.  Made up numbers are made up.

I guess there's three points here. 

1. YMMV, and it depends when it comes to things on these watches.  
2. The AW isn't 10% of a Garmin when it comes to fitness.  It's more like anywhere from 75% to 120% of a Garmin depending on use case and apps used.
3. The only significant differentiator's in favor of a Fenix are battery life, looks and ruggedness.  The rest just isn't there any more.

I said it in my earlier post, I want to like Garmin.  In a non-small way, their products got me back into working out and really improved the quality of my life, but they're a struggle to use and there are a lot of issues with reliability.

8489768 said:

There is no body battery but that can be replaced by looking at hrv trends on the apple, if measurements are taking same time each day. idk, Maybe missing something.

Don’t get me wrong I love the look of the Garmin and multi-day battery life, it’s more the size and the cost I’m trying to justify. even at the same price, I have a 7” wrist and feel a 47mm might be too big and not give me accurate metrics or be comfortable for 24/7 wear. 

I think you're missing what the body battery is about. HRV is not a substitute, useful as it is. BB let's you know where you are at the start of the day and during the day. I find it far more useful than the dubious sleep tracking.

My wrist is smaller than yours (16.5 cm) and it fits well, though it does look large on the arm. I never notice it at night, if that's a concern, or anytime. It's just there.

My wife has an iPhone and AW7. It definitely offers better smartwatch features that I wish I had. But I have better mapping, fitness metrics, BB, and the battery. I just can't wrap my head around charging it every day. But that' me. And I like having buttons as well as the amoled touchscreen.

FWIW, I have an android phone and do not like iphones.

Great response thanks, so you think the durability is there on the Apple Watch for activities like mountain biking? I was also skiing  today in heavy snow and realized I would not be able to use the touch screen….

So I think it's important to distinguish between 'want' and 'need', and what's really important to you.

I moved to Garmin from an Apple Watch Series 4 (which I've still got). I moved for the battery life, sleep tracking and the more in-depth data that the Garmin gives you access to all from one place. I also moved because I really like the look of the Garmin watches, and the rugged design and durability.

Now, if I'm 100% honest with myself, the Apple Watch actually met the majority of my needs perfectly fine. I do play a lot of tennis as well as run, indoor bike and indoor row - but I'm not a professional athlete. My main fitness driver really is enjoyment and to stay in decent shape from a cardio and physical perspective, and to lose a bit of fat. I only really need the heart rate tracking to do that, which the Apple Watch still does better than the Garmin even now (the Epix 2 I've got is very good for steady-state cardio, but falls apart when I'm playing competitive tennis, whereas the Apple Watch is much closer to when I've used a chest strap). I don't need the plethora of data, I dont need the ability to pair my power meters with the watch and monitor those, etc - but its really nice to have. I don't even really need the extra battery life either as the Apple Watch charges quickly.

In truth, I managed to sell my Fenix 6 Pro/Sapphire for not a lot less than what I paid for it, and I got the Epix 2 on release day because I really wanted it. Didn't need it though, the Apple Watch I've got sat in the cupboard would have been perfectly fine. And at least bluetooth audio works reliably with that

Spot on! Do I need the Epix over an Apple Watch probably not. Do I want it for numerous reasons? Absolutely!

That, is a real argument against the AW.  There are some gloves that are touch capacitive but those tend to be for warmer climates.

I can't speak fairly to the durability.  With the exception of the F5, which was somehow beat up, I've never damaged a Fenix or AW.  The Gorilla Glass is good.  I do think the Garmin construction is more solid, but, because it's larger it hits more things, so it has to be.

Any thoughts on AW7 vs Venu 2+?

jis4uk said:

Garmin- they have other units less expensive with similar functionality if this is too much for your budget

I love my Epix. I’ve had a Fenix 6 and every AW offered. The AW feels like a toy compared to the Epix. Ended up sell the AW and Fenix 6