I have a series 10. Tempted to use it every now and then, especially because of Apple Wallet and Digital Car Key support as well as having cellular without the phone. The truth is this: I find myself missing the Garmin data about a day after, and I almost always have my phone with me anyway (meaning the options I crave on the watch are redundant).

I wish there was a way to merge the missing features into the Garmin, but I would not give up the Garmin for the Apple Watch.

Just changed to Apple Watch Ultra 2

less battery but more stable and no subscription. 
To much problems with Fenix 8. No more garmin for me in a couple of years. 

I’ve upgraded from the Fenix 7 to the Fenix 8, and unfortunately, the experience so far has been underwhelming. Given the premium price point, I expected improvements—but instead, I’ve encountered significant stability and performance issues. Since release, it seems Garmin has been reluctant to incorporate valuable beta feedback into production firmware.

At the moment, my Fenix 8 exhibits noticeable lag when navigating menus, struggles to smoothly display strength workout animations, and only performs reasonably when using the most basic sleep watch face with no additional features. It feels like Garmin released a new watch generation without meaningful hardware upgrades (as far as we know, same microchip), and we’re now seeing the consequences.

I purchased the Fenix 8 on day one, but right now, I’m not confident it will reach the level of performance I hoped for. It’s also disappointing that leading content creators like DC Rainmaker and DesFit have remained silent on the software’s current state, despite its impact on user experience.

The same applies to my Edge 1040, which has also been plagued with lag—especially when scrolling through maps or switching between data screens. It’s not what I expected from Garmin’s flagship devices.

In contrast, my Apple Watch Ultra 2 has been rock-solid in terms of performance and stability. While I don’t prefer it for my training needs, I have to acknowledge that it delivers a much smoother and more reliable user experience.

At this point, I’ve decided to hold off on purchasing any new Garmin products. I genuinely hope Garmin addresses these issues quickly. With the introduction of Connect+, I assume they’ve secured additional budget—hopefully that translates into improvements in software quality and user experience soon.

Apple
Fenix ​​8 full of errors, unusable.

Oh boy, didn't expect these kind of answers. Sticking with the rock-solid Fenix 7, it looks like! 

I have just gone from an Apple Watch to the Fenix 8, and I am very, very disappointed. Its operation is inconsistent, the software is buggy, features are not working right, and the support is terrible. Considering sending it back for a credit and getting an Apple Watch Ultra

i just sold my fenix 8 for exactly same reasons and plus connect+ and bought apple watch ultra 2. lost couple of hundreds and not going back to garmin again!

As someone who has a passion for endurance running, an Apple Watch is out of the question (or any watch that I have to charge daily or more than once per week).

Fenix 8 (Fenix 3HR prior) works well and ticks almost every category for me.

If your concern is the best smart watch (and not as focused on advanced sports with longer battery life), Apple Watch might be the better choice. Especially if you are already deep in the Apple ecosystem. 

you runt for 15-20 hours and then when you come home you put it on charge. same i 1-2 days. when you get in that routine you won feel it