Oh man, I love the Instinct solar. That thing goes forever. It's also tested really well in most of my GPS and HR accuracy testing. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
1000% agree. I have a Garmin instinct base 1 model and just recently got the Samsung watch 5 pro lte. Had it for maybe 2 weeks at most. Was charging it every other day at most! Could not get more than 2 1/2 days of battery out of it. And wasn't using it a whole lot at that. Was promised up and down multiple times that even tho it has the ability to do blood pressure and it was just not enabled, that the next update would enable it. And I found out that the next update does not enable it for us models ( have a Samsung phone as well so no issues there ) so I sent it back for a refund and will be getting a new Garmin solar instinct 2 or Fenix solar. I feel you on that battery anxiety but this 5 pro was advertised to have alot longer battery and nope .. 20% in 7 hours of sleep .... Naa not about that.
This x100. I was all over Apple Watch for a minute. Got tired of a square girl watch that needs charging every night and breaks if you breath on it. Garmin Instinct Solar for me and never looked back. If they could get better software….
@@MrGbustamante Have been using my first gen Apple Watch till today. Regardless of activities, it still looks nearly brand new (and its "only" the aluminum version without the sapphire glass). So it definitely holds more than just a breath ;) Add to that the integration, apps and software in general down to the whole ecosystem features not found anywhere else, I wouldn't be able to choose anything else even if it would have better battery life etc. On the other hand, this now very old gen 1 Apple Watch still hold up to 3 days. I never had any feel for charing anxiety with this device.
@@MrGbustamante - Oh I love the Instinct Solar. Such a great watch. Long battery life and very accurate GPS and HR data. I tested the Instinct Solar 2 on this channel not too long ago. Great option for people. Thanks for commenting!
No, Apple did not kill off Garmin. However, Garmin made the odd decision of posting a response to the Ultra targeting the differences in battery life. This feels like a self-own because Apple is not trying to directly compete with Garmin in that respective with the Ultra, but Garmin decided to draw additional attention to the Ultra with their statement. To me, this is a sign that Garmin is internally very concerned about the Ultra. Garmin's biggest issue on their wearables is their software and Apple's biggest strength on their wearables is their software. When Apple continues to build upon the Ultra line, the gap between the two will close considerably and Garmin in general is notorious for lack of meaningful innovation in their wearables. So no, Apple did not kill Garmin, but it should ring alarm bells knowing that Apple will continue to innovate while Garmin will continue to not innovate.
Great comment Alex! I just looked up the Garmin response which was funny. I agree. Alarm bells are ringing. I think Apple still has a ways to go but I'm excited to test this one.
Couldn’t have said it better myself. Garmin software is dog shit compared to AW, and I can’t think of a single thing that any Garmin does better than AW other than battery life. For the VAST majority of people, the Ultra is probably the better choice. And no, I’m not an Apple fanboy, as I’ve wanted Garmin to truly innovate for years now so that their software can come even remotely close to the AW so I can jump ship (I had Garmins for years before moving to AW) but it’s hard to argue that the experience of using any Garmin is comparable to using an AW. Hell, a $900 Fenix still drops frames every time you change screens, which is laughable in 2022.
@@misterbeane 🍻 **I couldn’t agree more** The fact that Garmin fan boys with their delusional superiority complex can even compare these two watches, mentioning the Apple Watch pejoratively is astounding. Some Garman forums are currently a cesspool of apple haters. Garmin can do one thing better and that’s fitness tracking nothing else. It doesn’t even run a real full operating system hence the better battery life. I’d rather have to charge my watch every day than attempt to graft on smart watch features after the fact which is impossible. Both watches are in completely different lanes and phenomenal at their specialization.
I sold my Apple series 7 to by a Gen 2 Epix. Looking at just my 14 days of battery life I have left and I’m so glad I sold the Apple Watch. Let alone the ANT+ feature and ability to use a chest HR monitor for even more accurate and consistent measurements.
Yeah, that Epix is a very very nice watch. It's one of my favorites. I really hope that Garmin moves their Morning Report over to the Fenix / Epix watches. We'll see. Either way, I'm really looking forward to fully testing the Ultra from Apple. Thanks Sean!
I’m not by any means dis’ing the AW. It’s great at what it does BUT there is room for improvement in all devices we own. Apple seem to have the knack of wording their events and absolutely convincing the general public they have THE best device. Great marketing.
I was AW user since Series 0. I switched from AW6 to Epix2 when Epix2 came out, and currently I can say I did the right choice. Besides from my point of view regarding the superior sport tracking features on the Epix2, the peace of mind that comes with the really long battery life is what will at least for now, keep me in the Garmin ecosystem for the years to come. Its the intended use, that makes one ecosystem better than the other, and is a completely subjective perspective. Hard to objectivelly suggest one or the other to be better …
This is really good feedback Denis! The Epix 2 is an impressive device. I typically tell people that there's going to be a lot of little things that you'll miss if you've been using AWs for a while and switch to Garmin. Objectively, we can probably list battery life, screen brightness, other specs and go over features. But this being UA-cam, we can just throw objectivity out the window right? 😂
Right... Comparing Apple to Garmin is stupid.. As Apple is a Software\Hardware company.. Their products work with everything they create...So nothing subjective about it... It's like people that compare Android to Apple iPhones. As Apple makes one type of Phone. While Android is used across 10 phone makers...Pick one of the 10.. Then compare it to an Apple iPhone...There is no contest...
@@WizzRacing - Maybe it's stupid to compare Apple to Garmin but there's about to be a whole bunch of stupid on youtube (maybe that's not new 🤔) Apple's marketing seems to point the Ultra right at Garmin. But this is Apple marketing we're talking about so. . . . we'll see.
@@mlegrand Apple is not Competing with Garmin. You can get that straight right now...As Apple produces a Whole system of products from Computers, Phones, Tablets, Monitors, Watches, Speakers, etc.. And they all work with each other. Because Apple is a Software\Hardware Company. And many a company have copied them over the years. And if you think Garmin created the First consumer Dick Tracy watch. I will laugh in your face so hard. As the Evolution of the Apple smart watch is just that. An Evolution of adding more features. To an already existing line of Watches. That are phones first. Then they stack on the features as the processor get smaller and use less energy.. Why this Watch will sell like hotcakes. As I paid $1,100.00 for a simple Dive watch. That has just basic functions. Apple now gives people one that is $800.00 and has a shit load of features that most will never use to start with..
36 hrs in stand by mode, pretty far from the real sports watches yet.... interesting new player though. Garmin, polar and coros should be aware. The winners in this competition are going to be the users
Yeah, I agree. 36 hours just doesn't cut it and the other key players only seem to be extending that time more and more these days. But we'll see. (I don't even have this device in hand yet. 😬) I don't think it's going to amaze me but I'm glad to see that Apple is taking endurance sports athletes seriously. Hope all is well with you and your training Eduardo!
I just switched from a Series 3 to a Forerunner 945. I never used much of the features from the apple watch and I love the simplicity of the garmin. AW ultra isn’t even on my radar. Battery life might be better but the garmin interface is just nice
Battery life difference would be 36 hours vs 2 weeks. So still pretty massive between those two. I've had the 945 for a long time and I love that watch. It's not without it's difficulties but I think you'll really enjoy it for a long long time. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
It's worth remembering that 2 years down the line, with so many charge cycles, that 36 hours may be down to 24 hours or less for your $800 smartwatch. It sounds trivial but I felt quite relieved going from a 245 music which I had to charge after every music-enabled long run to a 955 which'll go most of the week with music and multi-band enabled. If the scuba mode works well (especially if there is reliable wireless air integration) I might be quite partial to that feature though!
That's a good point Dom. Battery life advertised is typically at the best and most optimistic settings. And 2 years is when I really start to see major issues. I am really enjoying the 955 and I hope you're enjoying it also. I don't do any diving but it's interesting that Apple is taking that market seriously. 🤷♂️. We'll see. I'm looking forward to doing some testing. (probably triathlon testing and not dive testing 😂)
@@mlegrand that might be true of most brands but Apple are pretty conservative with their advertised numbers. Even at 80% original capacity my Apple Watch Series 5 battery lasts for about 24 hours including a couple of hours of GPS use, music streaming over bluetooth, etc.
My experience of Apple Watch batteries so far is that they hold >80% charge after a few years of use. Apple has a reasonably priced battery replacement service too. That combined with fewer charge cycles than a normal Apple Watch should see the Ultra’s battery hold up pretty well.
I have been an Apple Watch user for years until recently when I started using a wahoo rival for triathlons. Even after the announcement of the ultra, I still bought a Fenix 7 solar sapphire. For my triathlons, I will never use an Apple Watch. There are too many limitations and the software updates slow the watches down over the years considerably. My series 6 I’ve had just over a year and it’s certainly slowed down in the menus since I got it. My friends use garmin and have never seen any issues with the speed of their watches and they’ve owned the same watch for 4-5 years. I think Garmin will remain king for a very long time.
I completely agree, my fenix 5 is 4 years old and still going strong. The support for powermeters and bike radars like the Varia is what makes garmin my Watch of choice as a triathlete.
Good point John! Training Load and recovery metrics are really nice to have. I wear my Apple Watch and Garmin 255 or 955 each night. Guess which one I check when I wake up for recovery details.
Went from AW S3 to Garmin Instinct 2. All I used my AW for was alarms, weather, basic activity tracking (just 3 rings) and, obviously, time and date. After 5 years I'd say battery life was almost the same - always had to put them on charge after ~30 hours of use. Decided to switch to Garmin because I'm not using all the "smarts" that much. The battery life improvement is insane. The rugged looks are awesome, the weight is identical. It actually constantly measures HR and can create my body profile and track all the changes. I have done couple of training sessions in them and battery barely drained. I like them a lot. The screen is not a problem for me as well. AW Ultra looks like a miniature smartphone on your wrist. To each their own :)
Plus I had this thought in the back of my head that I want some kind of "apocalypse watch" that won't die on me no matter what. Can be charged off of one small power bank dozens of times to last years while still being a very capable tracking and navigation device. Didn't go for solar because people were saying that the screen had weird tint that affected viewing angles dramatically.
Yes! I love and have reviewed the Instinct 2 Solar. That thing goes forever! Not that I dislike this AW Ultra. They're just very different watches. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
I did mention Android at the very end of the video. It's only like 70% of the world wide market share. 😂 Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
Everything I use for tech is Apple…EXCEPT the watch for training. I’ve refused to upgrade from my 5th gen waiting for real battery life and a rugged chassis. Time will tell if the new design is rugged, but it should looks great. 36hrs is a good start, but I can get a week of solid workouts with my Fenix 6. No, it isn’t as handy not having cellular and being highly connected to the ecosystem like my iWatch, but as a weekly business traveler, it sucks having to charge the watch every 12 hours. Let’s hope the battery life is REAL and not just if you leave it in airplane mode.
I know right? I have high hopes Todd. Sadly, it might be hard to beat that Fenix 6 on a few aspects. I'm excited to work on the actual review for this product. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
Once that 60 hour low power mode update comes, what’ll really be the difference at that point. Just charge the Apple Watch once for an hour within a week and your right there with the Fenix.
@@UrbanstarsKThat would depend on what the low power mode switches off in order to achieve that 60-hour battery life. Being able to go away from home without having to take a charger for two to three weeks is much easier.
Myself and my family all use Apple products- Laptops, ipads, iphones, Airpods, APple TV, Apple Music subscription and have been for 10+ years, but the watch is just something i never got on board with. I'm also a long time Fenix owner (3, 5 and 6) and haven't really considered Apple Watch, until this announcement. BUUUUT. I dont think I'll be a convert for a number of reasons. The battery life of the Ultra isn't really earth shattering if you're a Garmin guy. My Fenix 6 is 3 years old and still gives me 9-13 days of life after a full charge, and probably closer to 3 to 5 days depending on the number of MTB rides I do and that's with HR and GPS/GLONASS running in the background. The GPS provides great accuracy and if i change data gather to every second, its even more accurate- probably at the cost of battery life, but we're talking days, not hours with Garmin. FENIX has actual buttons, built in topo map's, Compass, Alitmeter, Barometric Pressure, Waypoint, incident detection with alerting, all Body Battery things, PulseOX, HR, Incident Detection and alerting. All my data goes to Strava anyway so I don't use the Garmin Connect except to sync and update. I also extend my screen from my watch to my bike computer too. In fairness, Im probably not the target market. This may be targeted at current Apple Watch users who want a more rugged watch like a Garmin, but never considered leaving the "walled garden" of Apple. Once i can get my hands on one, I am going to give it a hard look. I do like the thought of a better display and compared to the EPIX, the Ultra is cheaper. The alerting features in case of emergency are clearly better integrated into the Apple family than Garmin's, which may work on the Wife to state my justification to get one---kinda worked with the iPhone 14 i pre-ordered. I iwll definitely check your channel to see what your impressions are. Thanks for the video.
Thanks for the really fantastic feedback bdubs! I think we're in agreement here. I'll be interesting to get one in hand to do some testing so we'll see. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
Yes, this entire video is about me and my running times. "Prepare to be amazed!" 😂 I've been making YT videos here for 3 years and I don't really ever talk about my own personal times. But I knew this video would attract a new audience and I tried to keep my "bragging segment" short and then I seriously thought about cutting it. If you made it past all that crap, I hope you enjoyed some small part of the actual video. Either way, thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
No, apple didn't kill Garmin at all. But looking at the new features it seems apple clearly wants to focus on endurance athletes. Now I'm interested how Garmin will react to this. Add more (smart watch) features or reduce the pricing. There is no way a FR955 has much higher production costs than a FR55.
I think Garmin has posted some sort of reaction. (twitter.com/Garmin/status/1568639950211497985) So they're obviously paying attention. Still, it should be a fun to test! Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
My Garmin 245 music has a white dot on my screen due to the heat of cooking over a wood fire grill . Curious if this Apple Watch is just as sensitive over heat
That is a great question that I don’t have an answer to. The Ultra is rated from -4° to 130° F. But I’m guessing that wood fire grill gets pretty toasty. I have no idea how these devices would fail. 🤷🏻♂️
As someone who has owned both the Apple Watch Series 7 and several Garmins I can say that they're not in the same category. I personally want a FITNESS watch with an always on display (not an amoled), a round display, I want to be able to turn off notifications and use it like a normal watch (which apple does not let you do), offline music/map storage, and a battery that you don't have to worry about charging every other day. Garmin is hands down much better in these categories for me. However, if you want a SMARTwatch the Apple Watch is obviously phenomenal and does great fitness tracking. It is just not for me for the reasons I've stated above. Garmin also provides more fitness tracking data compared to the Apple Watch and also has a great app, Garmin Connect, where you can compete with friends and people from all around the world.
Good call Alex. I think your feedback and opinion is very very reasonable in comparison to what all of these people whom haven't ever tried these watches. It still feels like Apple and Garmin are going to be targeting two very different users. (although Apple's marketing department might say otherwise). But we'll see, I'm really looking forward to testing this one. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it.
Same here. I'd only buy reflective LCD screen for watches. When I get a watch I don't need it to duplicate my phone's functions. I want a screen readable without moving my wrist while cycling. Also, if I'm in a boring meeting I can check the time discretely without the watch lighting up such that I don't appear rude!
Yes, you can do a custom running workout and set up custom intervals. Not that the Apple Watch is nearly as capable as your 945. They are very different watches. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
I currently have been using an Apple Watch series 3 for triathlon training (currently only do sprints) and have been looking to transition to Garmin because it fit more of what I was looking for. Now the Ultra is giving me something to consider since I plan to do longer races in the future. Can’t wait to see the impressions from the UA-cam community.
So I think you're in a tricky situation. I think you'd miss a lot of the smart watch features on the Apple Watch if you were to switch. But I also think the Garmin watches would be better for the specific training and racing you're doing. You're probably going to hate me but I'd suggest using both. 😬
@@mlegrand Dislike the statement but have to agree 100%. One is a much better smart watch and the other a much better endurance and sport watch. Unfortunately, neither can do it all. I want both too.
I have AW7 and a Epix2. The epix is much better for sports ime. The AW does have some nice smart watch stuff, however most of the time I use it for notifications which Garmin does as well. The battery life is incredible and makes the user experience much better.
I recently switched from AW7, to a gamin fenix 7 because it is a better sports watch. I thought I would have missed more the smart functions of the AW, but I didn’t. I think most AW users don’t really use all those smart functions, I used it mostly to check my notifications. Fenix 7 is still good for checking notification, but compared to AW it has more than 15 days long battery life (compared to AW ultra 60 hours), and it offrers a lot of functions for training. I don’t do triathlon, but I use it mostly for running and i loved it. I can plan my trainings, in terms of pace, and I can create the route in advance. Also, the garmin has physical buttons, that are way easier to use while you are running, compared to touch screen. And these are just a few of the many things I liked about the fenix 7. I would recommend both watches, the AW mainly to people who don’t do any sports, or to gym goers, because it still has some interesting smart function, but it can also track some workouts. The garmin instead, is the best choice if You run/swim/bike.
I was wondering the same thing. I'll start with the Velcro trail band. I think that's the right one to get. I might get them all and do some open water swimming testing. But it'll be a bit before I can get that video.
I think the Apple "Walled Garden" will prevent them from really impacting Garmin's activity metrics and stellar battery life between charges. Garmin plays nice with Android as well as IOS which makes it the better choice for more dedicated athletes. I do however really like the watch faces Apple has available.
Good point John. I should have used the 'Walled Garden' phrase in my video. It more clearly and concisely describes what I was trying to say. And I agree. Apple has always done will with the watch face options. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
Does it pair to any third party hardware other than an iPhone? Apple is a bit of a mess when it comes to working with other companies. I mention this in the video but I can't imagine Apple integrating with cycling computers, power meters, or bike radar units. Either way, I do think it's interesting that Apple is taking this market segment seriously. Either way, I'm really looking forward to testing this one. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it.
I wear a Garmin Felix 7 Sapphire Solar (47mm) quite a bit. For the tough stuff, it rocks. BTW, my wrist measures 7.5”. For more day to day stuff &/or when I want to wear something smaller, I wear a 41mm Apple Watch series 8. I might try a second or third gen Apple Ultra, especially if Apple makes one in a 47mm size…
I have small wrists also and I have a lot of different watches also. I'm going to have a review of the Series 8 out here as soon as I get enough testing finished. But the Fenix is such a nice watch. It goes forever and is really targeted towards endurance outdoor sports stuff. Great option. I do think it's interesting that Apple is taking this market segment seriously. Either way, I'm really looking forward to testing this one. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it.
Yeah, that's kind of the conclusion that I come to in this video but it's an interesting product from Apple. Now that I've had it for a few months, it's clear that Apple is trying to make an outdoor Garmin-type watch here. Not sure they've done it but they're trying. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
Multi-Band: Try to compare it when doing a workout or when trying to run a specific pace. There comes Multi-Band in right handy, much less noise at the pace changes.
@@mlegrand You can film the gauche of the watch during a training session of the watch. It is really noticable when switching between GPS and Multi-Band.
IMO if you’re not a half/full IM distance triathlete, AWU is a great option. But if you need to be ready to charge it 2-3 times a week. For me it’s too often and because I do long activities it’s pain in the ass not to forget to charge you AW (I’ve had AW6 and Garmin 935 in the same time). Garmin also has a good connect website to analyze activities, that Apple hasn’t. So I think Apple will take 20-30% of garmin/suunto/polar customers this year, but for killing it Apple need to provide one week of battery life, that seems impossible for a next several years.
A week of battery life is probably exactly what Apple needs (needed) to do with this watch. Not that I think this will slow down sales too much. We'll see. I'll get it and do some testing. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment Ivan! I really appreciate it. 👍
36 hours or 36 days. You pick. 😂. But I do think it's interesting that Apple is taking this market segment seriously. Either way, I'm really looking forward to testing this one. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it.
I use both Garmin forrunner 955 and AW S7. I am very interested in Ultra. Although I think Ultra might not beat Garmin now. But, I expect one Ultra can replace many Garmins one day.
This is the combination that I've been using recently as well. I'll be very excited to get my hands on this one and do some more extensive testing. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
Yeah, that's kind of the conclusion I come to savagedriver. I do think it's interesting that Apple is taking this market segment seriously. Either way, I'm really looking forward to testing this one. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it.
I ordered an ultra I’m a bit worried it looks like around the new button is a little too exposed and cushion can perhaps be fragile with a couple of years of use
It might be. I'll do some testing but I can't test for years of usage. I hope it holds up well. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
The only reason I will not completely switch to the Apple Watch for triathlon tracking is the unavailability of ant+ and that is never coming because I think the ultra is so well priced compared to garmin
Maps has always been a strength for Garmin in my opinion. Can we compare two random brands here on UA-cam? Sure we can! We do whatever we want! 😂. But I do think it's interesting that Apple is taking this market segment seriously. Either way, I'm really looking forward to testing this one. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it.
@@mlegrand Thanks for getting back. Its really bold what Apple is trying to do here. Its just that Garmin has been a real savior during off track adventures with no cellular connectivity. Offline maps on Garmin maps have helped me a lot while going into unknown territories. I would request you test out adventure aspect of Apple Watch without phone or cellular connectivity. Will look forward to that.
@@hrishikeshtambe - I will primarily test it without connection to a phone and don't plan to connect it to cellular. We'll see how the battery holds up. Thanks buddy!
First of all, your videography and editing skills continue to amaze me! Good work! Very impressive of Apple to make some significant upgrades, and look forward to when you get it in your hands and get to put it to the test. But you know, me Garmin for life! Hope you and the family are well!
These Apple Watches do sync well and extend the phones utility. You'll have to let me know what you think Aero MTB. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
Saphire glass and longer battery life are a very welcome new addition, but 60 hours in battery saver mode just shows how far away they actually are from the real sports watches, would have been interesting to see how much battery life they would get out of a lower res display though.
I wonder if they went from 2000 nits down to 1000 if their battery life would be a bit better. 2k might be overkill. We'll see. I'm really looking forward to testing this one. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
Honestly, I bet that’s a gorgeous watch. But yeah, I sometimes think about the days when we all used Timex, etc that never required charging. These GPS and smart watches have changed our perception of long battery life 😂 Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
@@mlegrand I still have my Timex Men's Watch T49626 (and a basic G Shock GA100 1a1). Love them both. But like another reviewer said, when you have a smartwatch you almost feel obligated to wear it all the time because of the health tracking. Still, I force myself to wear the other two from time to time.
Garmin is well established among many endurance athletes, especially among cyclists (raises hand). As you noted, I'm running a power meter, cadence meter, speed meter, and heart monitor. Those metrics and the integration into Garmin Connect/Strava/MapMy is truly important. I'm sure the Apple fanbase will flock to this for workouts and honestly I might buy one to integrate with my Apple devices (I have a Galaxy watch for my S22), but a Garmin killer? Nah.
Yeah, that's kind of the conclusion I come to Damascus. I can't imagine this working well for too many serious cyclists out there but I do think it's interesting that Apple is taking this market segment seriously. Either way, I'm really looking forward to testing this one. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it.
How’s the Bluetooth, WiFi, and cellular service on the Garmin? Making and receiving phone calls? Sending and receiving email? Sending and receiving text messages? All while operating in standalone mode with iPhone 10,000 km away and/or powered off.
Yeah, that's all a major pain point for Garmin. Largely because Apple won't allow them to do those things on their platform. But either way, it's just not as smart of a smart watch as the Apple Watch. But I'm really looking forward to testing this Ultra to see how it does on the endurance side of things. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it.
The AW ultra is a good thing as it might help keep Garmin honest, particularly with regards to their runaway prices. That said it’s still got a long way to go before I consider swapping. Firstly it’s too big. I have skinny wrists and it would look ridiculous on me. It’s why I have a Fenix 6S, which even after 3 years still has better battery life than the Ultra. I charged mine 3 days ago and it still shows that it’s good for 15 hours of GPS activity. The other big thing is it needs more buttons, like a Fenix. I’ve used an Apple Watch and the touchscreen is garbage, sweaty hands, in the rain, going for a swim, utter trash. After that there’s software. The company that I think has most to worry about from Apple is Whoop. Apple could kill them overnight with a software update that did a recovery score (well it could except the battery on the watch that most people buy isn’t good enough). So yeah, this new model is interesting to me but there’s still a lot that needs to change before I’ll be leaving Garmin behind
I'm ok with Garmin feeling a little pressure! 🙌 Either way, I'm really looking forward to testing this one. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it.
I’m finding three buttons to be pretty effective on the Ultra thus far. I suppose they could add a fourth but the speaker takes up a lot of space on the side. I also have pretty skinny wrists for a guy (170mm) and find the Ultra fits very well and doesn’t look ridiculous. If your wrists are smaller it probably would look a bit silly though. The only size issue I have faced is that some of my shirt cuffs only half cover the device so it looks like I’m deliberately showing it off.
Here is the biggest problem with the Apple Watch ultra - no ant+, no broadcast heart rate, not able to plug into power meters for bikes, he still not actually monitored full day. Garmin still blows Apple away with sleep monitoring, stats you can get, the adjustable data screens, WEEKS of battery without need to charge, and whip bike packing or rides over 100 miles it’s garmin, by a mile. This watch will be VERY popular with marathoners, triathletes, some trail runners, and parents that just want a cool watch. I’ll keep my fenix7x , it delivers and the only issue I have is that the app can be more polished. The devices are top notch.
Yeah, that's kind of the conclusion I come to The Tree. I do think it's interesting that Apple is taking this market segment seriously. Either way, I'm really looking forward to testing this one. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it.
@@zahir612 - I've looked into their developer APIs a little bit and they do have somethings open to Apple Developers. All of the new running metrics are accessible. But overall, Apple is never going to play nice with others. It's just not their style. And that goes back decades.
Wanted to mention that WatchOS already has stroke detection in os8. Works really well. I swim, ride and run and have been impressed with my Apple Watch Series 7’s lap and stroke detection.
Thank you so much for mentioning this! Maybe it's just newly added to the summary screen at the end of the workout? And Watch OS 9 now detects kick sets. I also love the fact that you can now change workout views to display the metrics and screens you're most interested in. It's small stuff but it helpful if you're into these particular activity types. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
I’ve used smart watches/fitness watches for the last 15+ years since the bar in forerunner series. Apple Watch series 6 is great for daily wear/workouts- I have a cheap a a fit t-Rex for multi day hikes- the new Apple Watch appeals to me, I havn’t been able to justify a serious fitness watch for lifting, running biking or hiking. I’ll keep my series 6 until the battery life fails in a couple years- apple is hitting a niche in the market- excellent tech integration for daily use as well as upgraded fitness features.
Good call Trevor. 👍 It'll also be very interesting to see what Apple does next year at this event. But yeah, get as much value out of that series 6 as possible. 👌
the low battery mode disables all the sensor measuring your heart beat, oxidation etc etc so not that useful for an ironman, still it can function as a normal timer
Battery life is a big factor, I can’t do 36 hours I need at least 2 weeks of battery life. This is the fitness realm we’re talking about. Garmin has proved itself worthy of my money. Apple has a place in my heart always, if they can get there battery life down and actually embody the fitness world on their watches then yes it would spark my interest but until then, it’s Garmin.
Yeah, I think that's the key here. I kind of thought 1 week would be minimum. 😬. Either way, I'm really looking forward to testing this one. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it.
@@jameslavis4660 garmin watches cost the same as apple toy and what quality you talk about? Garmin are 10 times more durable then aplle watch will ever be.i have both and my garmin fenix 6 x have no scratch on it but my aplle watch 7 looks like sh*it 😂😂
I’ve been using AW S2&S5 for over 5 years… and I’m ready for a Garmin Fenix 7. Battery 80 days, solar, real physiological metrics, circular design (a device measuring a circular parameter, Time, should be circular)… I think AW Ultra is cool but can’t compete Garmin yet. I only want to know : is Garmin on pair Apple to quality control, user interface, software updates? Data transfer, music GPX files? Any answer would be helpful. Thanks.
Did you see my fake Apple Watch review about time being circular or squared? 😂 ua-cam.com/video/fdH3oU7_rCY/v-deo.html I'd say Apple quality control is probably better. User Interface is probably smoother. Software updates is similar. Data transfer - 🤷♂️ Ultimately, I think it still comes down to if you want a smart watch, pick apple. If you want more of a sports watch, pick Garmin. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
A lot of their sales won’t come from athletes for this watch,myself being one. No matter where I travel to everyone has an Apple Watch on. It’s freakin crazy how many people have Apple watches.Apple is the leader in smartwatch segment but not the premium segment which Garmin holds.
Good point YayArea! I think it's really interesting to look around and see what everyone is wearing. I've been doing that a lot lately. When at small triathlon races, I'll sometimes see a mix of Apple Watches and Garmin watches. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
Yeah, aw was already a competitor to garmin even before this. Def enough batt life for a marathon or less, and I would guess that covers the vast majority of people. $800 for titanium and 50% more batt life, that arguably alone is worth the price even for people that don't workout. I am curious about coros. There's a lot of debate about garmin vs apple with the ultra release like this is new only with the ultra release, but I haven't seen coros mentioned once.
Great video! I have a fenix 7x now but can’t get over the fact the AWU has cellular…. I realize the other aw have cellular but the ultra would be a Long run running watch for me too. What about using both??!?!?!
You’re talking to someone who uses both. 😆 The Fenix 7X is an amazing watch. I think it’s more suited to some of these endurance activities regardless of what Apple’s commercials depict.
I'm just going to stick with Garmin, I've been in the Garmin ecosystem a long time and their stuff just works. They have incredible support, you can call them you will speak to a person in the same country, and they will guide you through every step of the way if you want and how to make a change on your watch. And Garmin also keeps supporting their devices, long after they've been released. I have a regular Edge 1030 bike computer, and it just got an update last week, I think the 10:30 was released in something like 2016 🙂. Apple doesn't have updates for things they they released in 2016. Nothing bad against Apple, they have fantastic computers and phones, but I don't see them as a sports watch of GPS company.
Hey Lexington, this is really good feedback. I feel like support is one of those aspects that we (as reviewers) overlook every time. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
@@mlegrand Garmin support is top notch. Also one thing I forgot to put in that last comment, you can send any broken unit back to Garmin and they will either replace it with a refurbished model for a small fee, or give you a discount towards a newer unit with the returned unit. I asked him one time how far they go back with being able to get refurbished units, they said it really comes down to if they have parts or not. I don't remember the model number, but I sent back a Garmin watch one time that had burned out on me, and I got a refurbished one for like $90, had that one for a few more years until I lost it 🙂. Also recently, I bought a original Edge 1030 off another cyclist for $100. The unit had a blue halo around the edge of the screen, I checked on garments website turned out there was a recall on those, sent it back, they even paid for the shipping, got a refurbished unit in about a week for no charge. So like I was saying, Garmin units are expensive yes, but they actually work very well and they have excellent support. And don't forget, all the cool kids use Garmin, so in reality it comes down to do you want to be cool 😎?
I don't think I did Robbie. 😬 If I scratch up or destroy this one, it'll make for a great video. 😂 Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
@@mlegrand i also went for one. Ive always complained of the apple watch GPS miscalculating during marathons and the weak battery. Excited to see the change. Picking a bad was also its own set of anxiety lol
I’ve ordered a watch ultra (will be my first Apple Watch), coming from a fenix 6 pro sapphire - I love my garmin and the fitness analytics it gives me but I spend more time wishing I had the smartwatch features and interactivity of the Apple Watch. The new os9 workout app appears much improved with heart rate zones etc so I hope I won’t miss the garmin too much! Battery life not too much of an issue for me as I don’t run further than marathon distance. I spend a lot of time in the gym and play a lot of tennis and found the general workout tracking (without gps etc) pretty ordinary on the garmin and think the Apple Watch is better in that department. I loved the design of the fenix 6 sapphire (titanium with orange band) so am quite pleased that Apple have blatantly ripped off this design with the orange accents and orange alpine loop band! 😂 I wonder what Garmin will have to say about that!
Yeah, I think this will be interested (I pre-ordered as well). I think you'll miss some stuff from the Garmin but that's how it goes with any major switch. Are you going to keep your Fenix around? I've chatted with others that questioned the orange accent color but I like it. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment James. I really appreciate it. 👍
I’m an epix 2 owner and don’t see any way I would move. Battery life is outstanding. Metrics are fantastic. Looks like a real watch not a gimmic. No contest
Yeah, that Epix 2 is one of my all time favorites. (you might have noticed that on this channel). I think the Epix 2 is going to be the easiest Garmin to compare to this AW Ultra. I'd expect to see a few UA-cam video on that subject from a few different creators but we'll see. Thanks for jumping on this video and checking it out. I really do appreciate you taking the time to watch and comment!
This the only Apple Watch I’ve been interested in since the Apple Watch was released. I’ve never owned one, due to its poor battery life. it’s definitely no Garmin, (which I do own), but I think the ultra is definitely worth having a look at.
It does seem to be the most interesting Apple Watch doesn't it? I think it's still more of a smart watch than an endurance sports watch but we'll see. I'm looking forward to doing some testing. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment Rick!
Thanks Frankie! Yeah, it's no Rolex 😉 but I think it's going to be very fun to test. I'll be looking forward to your review when you get yours in hand! 🙌
Great early review 👍🏼 I had an Apple Watch for a few years before switching to Garmin Fenix, never looked back! I do ultra marathons and Bikepacking trips, the Fenix just nails it for battery, gps, health metrics and most importantly MAPS!! I am sure the ultra will be great for a lot of users, but doesn’t quite cut it for me 😅
I did the same thing. The Apple Watch just isn’t there yet. The Garmin Fenix series does all the things you mentioned, battery life and most importantly I’m not worried about it hanging against something. It’s a super durable watch. I’ve been using the Garmin Fenix series since the Garmin Fenix 3.
I've always thought that Garmin just crushes things when it comes to the mapping side of things. But we'll see. I don't have this watch in hand yet. I do think it's interesting that Apple is taking this market segment seriously. Either way, I'm really looking forward to testing this one. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it.
Because it's a smart watch with so many other features. You cannot pack in a bigger battery and those functions eat battery like crazy. Garmin could pack more smart features in their watches but you'd have to sacrifice battery time.
'Ultra' is definitely a tricky name with a lot of distance specific connotations. Not sure this 100% qualifies on that front but we'll see. I'm looking forward to testing it. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
@@mlegrand it would be AMAZING to see a video from you with some sort of test that shows us if that FKIN battery holds up for 30 hours with an activity ongoing(GPS ON)… thank you!!
@@SergiuSalcau00 - Oh it's yeah, it's not going to make it 36 hours. I'll go somewhere in the line of 6-7 hours, I'm guess. I'll do a long swim and long bike ride and we'll crush it. 😂 But Apple is working on a mode call 'Low Power Activity Mode' that extends GPS battery life out a good bit. The setting is finished yet but I'm guessing they're aiming for 17 hours. We'll see. I'm looking forward to testing.
As a cyclist trail runner occasional climber and yogi, I been waiting for this Watch for a while. I already bought it and look forward to put it through its paces. It won’t replace my fénix for major mountain adventures, but it will replace my 945 LTE as an everyday driver.
That would be amazing. I think it'd go against decades of Apple standards to work with a third party app like TrainingPeaks. 🤦♂️ They'd be much more likely to buy TP outright. 💰 Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment Sean. I really appreciate it. 👍
I did a 13.5 hour race with a 2.5 year old Apple watch 5, it lasted the whole time with battery to spare. Who’s going to use the full amount of the Apple Watch ultra short of going away for weeks at a time? That’s very much a niche segment and they can get a Garmin with bugger all other functionality for those times EDIT: my bad, I had my phone with me that day and it would’ve taken the GPS load off the watch, see other comments below. Apologies about that
Dang, that's pretty impressive. Maybe the trick is to turn off the always on display or other features? 🤷♂️ I think that's a good point on the frequency people will actually be going that long. Even Ironman triathletes are very rarely going over 13.5 hours. Most of our training is 5-6 hours max. But I do think Apple wants that 17 hour market segment with this 'Ultra' watch. They made a point to mention Ironman distances races in their keynote. We'll see. I'm really looking forward to testing this. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment Pablo. I really appreciate it. 👍
that's unbelievable, please do share (did you carry your iPhone with you?). The best I could get out of the Apple Watch 6 with GPS on, is to switch off Cellular and always on display, and paired it with external heart rate monitor. I could get 7-8 hours out of it max.
@@mlegrand I need to come clean, totally forgot I had my phone with me and forgot that would take the GPS load off the watch. Sorry about that, My comment is incorrect and I’ll edit, I thought it was too good to be true that day. But I still feel the functionality etc is better on the Apple Watch. Side note: Going off when it was new the battery depletion rate with GPS on was about 8% per hour with always on display and wifi off
@@ivanwong7918 I need to come clean, totally forgot I had my phone with me and forgot that would take the GPS load off the watch. Sorry about that, My comment is incorrect and I’ll edit, I thought it was too good to be true that day. But I still feel the functionality etc is better on the Apple Watch. Side note: Going off when it was new the battery depletion rate with GPS on was about 8% per hour with always on display and wifi off
Hey Matt, I’m getting started on training for an Ironman and my worry with the Ultra is that is doesn’t link to many training programs or training data tracking programs that coaches can track the data with. Is this true and what are your thoughts? Thanks in advance!
Apple is notoriously bad at playing nice with others but you can export data out a few ways. There’s an app called HeathFit that I like to use from my phone to export out .fit files but syncing your data over to something like Strava might be enough for your coach to follow your workouts. www.google.com/amp/s/www.pocket-lint.com/apps/news/apple/151087-how-to-directly-sync-apple-watch-workouts-to-strava.amphtml Or your coach might prefer training peaks: www.trainingpeaks.com/learn/articles/how-to-sync-trainingpeaks-with-apple-watch/
I think you're exactly right Vaetist. I think the difference is sports watch vs smart watch. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
I’ll be getting a watch for hiking and backcountry use. So battery, offline maps, and navigation with course creation edits before and during are important features. So I think it has to something other than apple.
I think if mapping was really important to me, I'd be looking at Garmin. Mapping and navigation has just been their thing for so so long. The Apple Watch Ultra is a very interesting smart watch, it just isn't perfect for what you're looking for. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
Great review as always Matt, however, NOPE. I am a loyal Apple user in all forms except - anything triathlon. I use Garmin for all things fitness. Nothing wrong with some competition and good on Apple for recognizing the need to step up their game, but this won't touch Garmin's offerings. They've owned the market for far too long to lose ground just because Apple has finally crafted a half decent battery at least...
Totally agree. Aypeople who want the 'smarts' of the smart watch and occasionally do endurance workouts. Plus, people just buy Apple Watches for the 'style' and 'sporty' plus 'stylish' might sell a lot of units. Regardless of what product is best. I'll get one and do some testing and we'll see. Hope all is well with you buddy!
I don't know much of Garmin watches but im getting the ultra cause i do scuba driving and alot of backpacking and the features it has its more useful for me and I checked out Garmin and they have some impressive watches and features like one with an actual flashlight but they dont meet my scuba diving needs. I don't think apple with put Garmin out if business but i do think they will push Garmin to making better watches for more activities
Yeah, that's kind of the conclusion I come to Joe. I love having at least 2 weeks on these watches. I kind of figured Apple might make a watch that'd go 1 week but 36 hours? 😬 I do think it's interesting that Apple is taking this market segment seriously. Either way, I'm really looking forward to testing this one. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it.
First time viewing your channel. Nice work. I think it's funny that when something new comes along it is questioned to be a potential "killer" of some other product. There's room for both, and I think until Apple comes out with a bike computer and other accessories, Garmin will be just fine. I, for one, have hesitated moving away from Garmin (oddly the same dilemma for many Apple users) because of the ecosystem. I use a Garmin Edge on my bikes, and have had a Fenix for a while. I enjoy the swim tracking functions. That said...Garmin needs to seriously calm down with its pricing. If nothing else, I hope the impact of the AW Ultra is that Garmin will rethink their pricing tiers. I have also tried the Polar Grit X, which I liked, but found the app experience to be too clunky. At least they haven't had frequent downtime and ransomware attacks like Garmin. I look forward to checking out more of your content. Cheers!
Yes, "Kill" is such a strong word. Very overly dramatic. I'm glad you mentioned swimming. I'd love for more companies to consider improving that lap swimming activity type. Drill mode, rest time, water temperature, accurate stroke detection, etc. Big thanks for checking out my channel Matthew. I really do appreciate it. 🙏
Funny, I just posted my own comments along the same lines, and while I was thinking it, I didn't mention that Garmin's biggest issue is that they know they're the only real game for serious athletes and they price them as such. Would I like to trade in my Fenix for a sparkly new Epix 2? Hell yes, but not for $1000 when my Fenix already does all that I need and still lasts all day with GPS on with my old battery giving me half the life of a new watch. I have an Android phone and a house full of Ant+ devices, so for me, it wouldn't matter if this Apple watch was $200, I still wouldn't buy it, and that seems to be Apple's real issue and market cap with this and many of their other products.
Ha! 😂 Great comment!!! Yeah, I'm not sure 36 hours of day use is enough to justify the 'Kill Garmin' title in this video. But I'm excited to test this one! Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
Ha! There have been a few Epix vs AW Ultra videos recently. (Dave Dillion and DesFit). It's probably the easiest Garmin to compare to the AW Ultra. Personally, I'm a big fan of the Epix. But I also find it interesting that Apple is taking this market segment seriously. Either way, I'm really looking forward to testing this one. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it.
Thanks for the first comment on the ultra.I’m looking forward to your review when you get the watch.For most of us who just workout regularly and spend time of the grid the convenience and the smooth integration in the Apple ecosystem is priceless.So it would be wonderful if the watch delivers all promised features specially battery life.😁
I totally agree Evi. Hopefully Apple comes through with this one. I'm really looking forward to test it. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
I mean, for Gamin to achieve something like Apple Watch seems likely at a rocket-science level; but for Apple Watch to improve all those new complaints, it’s not hard for them.
I agree that it'd be a massive undertaking for Garmin to jump their smart watch functionality to something on the level of Apple (or even close) But I also don't think it'd be easy for Apple to start making watches with battery life in the range of weeks instead of hours. We'll see. Maybe there will be some sort of major battery technology innovation in the next few years? 🤷♂️ That could do it. Either way, thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
The battery time in days... is comparable with the one of Garmin in WEEKS. And if you have a watch for the sports functions is Epix, Fenix or 965 far superior.
Good call VPN Consult! I was able to get an Apple Watch and do some more real world testing but I'm finding what you're saying to be true. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
I agree. I have a few watches that go forever and it's so nice to never have to charge these guys. 36 hours is 😬 But I haven't fully tested this watch yet. I'm excited to give it a shot. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
I have an older video on here somewhere making fun of the Apple Watch and mention round vs square watches. 😂 But yeah, that Fenix is fantastic 🔥 But I do think it's interesting that Apple is taking this market segment seriously. Either way, I'm really looking forward to testing this one. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it.
I preordered mines already can’t wait to try it out hopefully it will be a homerun for me. I’m not a “triathlete” so don’t need it to do all that but I workout regularly and enjoy backpacking regularly. Don’t disappoint me Apple 😂.
I try to cover triathlon products on this channel but I hope you still find it interesting. And I'm with you. Don't let us down Apple!!! I'm really looking forward to reviewing this one. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
Now that looked like a wet PNW track! Props for filming on days like that. Growing up we loved to tell the visitors to the PNW that we had two seasons...winter and August.
Ha!!! In Michigan, we'd say two seasons: winter and road construction season. I lived there for 4 years and it was very true. That footage was from when Coros or Garmin first released their track mode stuff and I needed to test it out. I don't mind the rain too much and I coach at the high school so we're out in it no matter what.
I am only running the 935/fenix5 line as its the last watches that work properly with the 3rd party Apnea app for freediving, after that they changed the pressure sensor to only read to about 7m, forcing me to save for a descent MK2 one day, but now the ULTRA has freediving and scuba capability for half the price of a descent im extremely interested (every single other electronic i have is apple) id be confident the ultra will be my next watch now as i only really want a cellular smart watch with apple pay that i can take diving, the other training metrics it has would be all i'd ever need.
I know nothing about diving but it’s sad that they changed the pressure sensor limit on you. Keep me posted on what you end up with next. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
@@mlegrand i reckon ill shout myself an ultra next year or maybe for Xmas, my wife is also changing from garmin fenix to a series 8 to get a better smart watch plus the temp sensor/cycle tracker has piqued her interest haha might be a gimmick but they are drawing people in with something different.
The question itself is hilarious to say the least, in a polite way. A (beautiful, fully packed of features), watch with a battery life of 36 hours that pretends to be the ultimate sports watch ?? I guess at Garmin and Coros, and every other serious sportswatch maker are all shaking in fear. 😂😂😂
😂 - I somewhat worry about having the name 'Ultra' in here. I'm wondering what ultra runners are going to think. Could be a slight misstep. I do think it's interesting that Apple is taking this market segment seriously. Either way, I'm really looking forward to testing this one. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it.
Ok. But why are you getting yours late October? Getting it from Apple should still be early October. I checked on Verizon and they are still shipping September 23
My Garmin FR255 is so accurate and offers so much useful data without the need of charging every other day that I will not consider an Apple watch with a battery life of only 36 hours. My FR255 lasts easily 8 days on one charge with 3 10K runs with all GPS switched on. In addition, if you have to charge 5 times more than another watch, the battery longevity will decrease also much faster. What a deception that Apple is not able to manage this on par with the competition.
Do you feel that is enough? Did you consider the 955 for the training readiness and maps? I already have a garmin edge so I don’t care about cycling dynamics and my Suunto ambit3 is on the end of life.
I've been so impressed with that 255. Such a good option. Still, I'm looking forward to testing this new one from Apple. Should be fun. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
This feels like the most braggy intro I've ever made in my three years making video on YT. 😬 I almost cut it 🤷♂️ Thanks Austin! I appreciate you saying this. 🙌
Good point. They do not. I don’t dive personally but it’d be cool to test those features. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
Just sold my Garmin 7x Sapphire Solar to get the ultra. Don’t get me wrong, the garmin was awesome, but I had the watch 7 series for a bit and once you have some amenities it’s hard to not miss them. Being able to leave your phone at home and still text and call. Apple Pay, email, unlock your front door…. It all comes together for an awesome experience. Now that the battery will last for an ultra marathon, which is what im getting into and why I sold the series 7 for the garmin, it sounds like it has everything I need.
That's super interesting Shred City but that's typically what I say to people who want to switch from Apple to Garmin. I think there's a lot people will miss. You'll have to keep me posted on if the Ultra will be able to work for your Ultra Marathons. I'll be very curious. And I'm looking forward to testing this one as well. Should be fun. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
@@mlegrand I’ll definitely keep you up on how it works for runs. Hopefully that extended workout mode software is released soon. Thanks for the content!
I am a huge apple product user with a MacBook, iMac, iPad, iPods and Apple TV. I'm a ultra trail runner and currently using the Suunto 5. Always wanted an AW but even at 36 hours its not enough to even consider using it for training and races. However, I think that Apple is on the right tract and will compete with the Garmin and Suunto sport watches.
I've yet to test any Suunto watches on this channel. It's really something I regret but I agree. Seems like Apple is on the right track but might need to go further iterating on this device. We'll see. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
The CPU is key for battery differences. Garmin has low performance (but very efficient) CPU running at 32 to 120Mhz while tracking an activity. Apple Watch has two smaller CPU cores from the iPhone 11 and they run at 1800Mhz. Different leagues of performance gives very different battery life
Yeah, that's a huge difference. And I think Garmin plays a few extra tricks from time to time like when it's inactive. I'm wondering if Apple could slow down the clock speed and increase performance in some way. We'll see what tricks Apple has up it's sleeves. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
Dude, that is super nice of you to say Tyler! I really enjoy that part of making these videos. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
Yeah, that's kind of the conclusion I come to Awesome Brotherhood. I do think it's interesting that Apple is taking this market segment seriously. Either way, I'm really looking forward to testing this one. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it.
I have an EPIX 2, which I can't fault, but drawn in by the Ultra launch video and a large dose of Dopamine, I ordered one, then realised as a cyclist that a lot of the features of the Ultra would be wasted on me, so today, I cancelled my order. The EPIX battery life and screen clarity never fail to amaze me, so for now, I'll as stay a fully paid-up member of the Garmin eco-sphere. PS When I ordered my Ultra, I also ordered an iPhone 14 Pro Max and cancelled that also when I realised that iOS16 is all that I really needed. Thanks, Apple, you have saved me a few £££££'s
I *think* that was probably the right call Peter. I've give this some thought also and I don't see that much here for serious cyclists. I do think it's interesting that Apple is taking this market segment seriously. Either way, I'm really looking forward to testing this one. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it.
Will we see it display current split info while running? Right now i use my garmin for any interval work because while i can log a solit, i cant see the pace ir time of that split. Unless its user error. Critical to replace my 955.
Good question Josh. I don't know what all we'll be able to see when we use the new Action button. I think split button is one of the big sports features the AW has been missing. We'll see. I'm really looking forward to testing it. Thanks Josh!
If you are fitness then garmin is the way to go, why do I need a smart watch when I always have my smart phone? Only time I don’t have my phone is when I’m running. This is not even close-garmin. I have the 955 which I love, it’s light which is why I switched to it from a Fenix 7 solar
Yeah, that's kind of the conclusion I come to Dennis. I've probably been wearing the 955 the most recently and it's a great option. I do think it's interesting that Apple is taking this market segment seriously. Either way, I'm really looking forward to testing this one. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it.
@@mlegrand agree definitely a step forward for them. I mean this watch caught my attention before I never even thought as an apple each for fitness but this one is a good step but overall I’m a garmin fan and I just like the styling the apple I don’t like the style. Np I enjoy your content
Bought my son a Fenix 5S for Graduation. He didn't end up using it. My wife bought me an Apple watch (About $400), the watch only lasted 1.5 years. The Fenix 5S is still going strong. One of the first signs of the Apple watch demise was the almost exponential decay in battery life. Can't justify the cost for a limited life span. Just one consumer's opinion. I did try to take the Apple watch in to get it fixed and not worth it.
Battery decay is an issue I didn't mention in this video but it's a very very good point. Maybe 18 or 36 hours is enough for you but after a year or two, if it's only getting half that, it might be a real issue. Thanks Monte!
i will probably pick one up in October, i mostly bike, and explore, it will suit my needs perfectly, and most of my devices are apple based so it'll work harmoniously with my other devices,
Yeah, it isn’t perfect for cycling but it’ll get the job done. You’ll have to let me know what you think David. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
The form factor of this watch, plus the fact that it's the only major lifestyle component that keeps me from completing the Apple ecosystem makes it intriguing but I just can't get over that I'd have to charge it 3-4 times between when I currently need to charge my Garmin tactix Delta. It's a major step in the direction I like, but still need a much better battery before I dive in.
That Garmin Taxtix is 🔥 Yeah, the battery might drive you nuts but there are things you'd probably like about it also. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
No one is talking about the Garmin Connect app on your phone and laptop. I use this app as a central place for all health and training info. There seems to be no equivalent on Apple. Is this true? If you switch to Apple Watch Ultra, where will you view all your fitness and health info on the iPhone? I also use Training Peaks and Strava, so I guess all that data can be viewed from there.
There's a Health app that'll show stuff like HRV, steps, trends, sleep, etc. And then there's a Fitness app that has details about workouts. I think if you're used to Garmin Connect that you might be slightly disappointed with the way things are organized here on the Apple specific apps. Syncing to Training Peaks and Strava is kind of a pain in the a**. I just don't like the way that Apple works to keep everything in their own little 'walled garden'. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
👀 $50 off the Apple Watch Ultra: amzn.to/3SWwlYD
I have no idea how long this deal will last. Snag it quick 👌
Battery anxiety is something I haven't experienced since I started wearing an instinct solar and there is no coming back from that. As simple as that.
Oh man, I love the Instinct solar. That thing goes forever. It's also tested really well in most of my GPS and HR accuracy testing. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
1000% agree. I have a Garmin instinct base 1 model and just recently got the Samsung watch 5 pro lte. Had it for maybe 2 weeks at most. Was charging it every other day at most! Could not get more than 2 1/2 days of battery out of it. And wasn't using it a whole lot at that. Was promised up and down multiple times that even tho it has the ability to do blood pressure and it was just not enabled, that the next update would enable it. And I found out that the next update does not enable it for us models ( have a Samsung phone as well so no issues there ) so I sent it back for a refund and will be getting a new Garmin solar instinct 2 or Fenix solar. I feel you on that battery anxiety but this 5 pro was advertised to have alot longer battery and nope .. 20% in 7 hours of sleep .... Naa not about that.
This x100. I was all over Apple Watch for a minute. Got tired of a square girl watch that needs charging every night and breaks if you breath on it. Garmin Instinct Solar for me and never looked back. If they could get better software….
@@MrGbustamante Have been using my first gen Apple Watch till today. Regardless of activities, it still looks nearly brand new (and its "only" the aluminum version without the sapphire glass). So it definitely holds more than just a breath ;) Add to that the integration, apps and software in general down to the whole ecosystem features not found anywhere else, I wouldn't be able to choose anything else even if it would have better battery life etc. On the other hand, this now very old gen 1 Apple Watch still hold up to 3 days. I never had any feel for charing anxiety with this device.
@@MrGbustamante - Oh I love the Instinct Solar. Such a great watch. Long battery life and very accurate GPS and HR data. I tested the Instinct Solar 2 on this channel not too long ago. Great option for people. Thanks for commenting!
No, Apple did not kill off Garmin. However, Garmin made the odd decision of posting a response to the Ultra targeting the differences in battery life. This feels like a self-own because Apple is not trying to directly compete with Garmin in that respective with the Ultra, but Garmin decided to draw additional attention to the Ultra with their statement. To me, this is a sign that Garmin is internally very concerned about the Ultra. Garmin's biggest issue on their wearables is their software and Apple's biggest strength on their wearables is their software. When Apple continues to build upon the Ultra line, the gap between the two will close considerably and Garmin in general is notorious for lack of meaningful innovation in their wearables.
So no, Apple did not kill Garmin, but it should ring alarm bells knowing that Apple will continue to innovate while Garmin will continue to not innovate.
Great comment Alex! I just looked up the Garmin response which was funny. I agree. Alarm bells are ringing. I think Apple still has a ways to go but I'm excited to test this one.
I thought their SM team should have resisted making that comment.
Garmin dont seem to date though
Couldn’t have said it better myself. Garmin software is dog shit compared to AW, and I can’t think of a single thing that any Garmin does better than AW other than battery life. For the VAST majority of people, the Ultra is probably the better choice. And no, I’m not an Apple fanboy, as I’ve wanted Garmin to truly innovate for years now so that their software can come even remotely close to the AW so I can jump ship (I had Garmins for years before moving to AW) but it’s hard to argue that the experience of using any Garmin is comparable to using an AW. Hell, a $900 Fenix still drops frames every time you change screens, which is laughable in 2022.
@@misterbeane 🍻
**I couldn’t agree more**
The fact that Garmin fan boys with their delusional superiority complex can even compare these two watches, mentioning the Apple Watch pejoratively is astounding.
Some Garman forums are currently a cesspool of apple haters.
Garmin can do one thing better and that’s fitness tracking nothing else.
It doesn’t even run a real full operating system hence the better battery life.
I’d rather have to charge my watch every day
than attempt to graft on smart watch features after the fact which is impossible.
Both watches are in completely different lanes and phenomenal at their specialization.
I sold my Apple series 7 to by a Gen 2 Epix. Looking at just my 14 days of battery life I have left and I’m so glad I sold the Apple Watch. Let alone the ANT+ feature and ability to use a chest HR monitor for even more accurate and consistent measurements.
Yeah, that Epix is a very very nice watch. It's one of my favorites. I really hope that Garmin moves their Morning Report over to the Fenix / Epix watches. We'll see. Either way, I'm really looking forward to fully testing the Ultra from Apple. Thanks Sean!
I’m not by any means dis’ing the AW. It’s great at what it does BUT there is room for improvement in all devices we own. Apple seem to have the knack of wording their events and absolutely convincing the general public they have THE best device. Great marketing.
aw7 to fenix 7x and very happy
AW 6 to Epix 2. Absolutely the best training watch I have ever owned…
I was AW user since Series 0. I switched from AW6 to Epix2 when Epix2 came out, and currently I can say I did the right choice. Besides from my point of view regarding the superior sport tracking features on the Epix2, the peace of mind that comes with the really long battery life is what will at least for now, keep me in the Garmin ecosystem for the years to come. Its the intended use, that makes one ecosystem better than the other, and is a completely subjective perspective. Hard to objectivelly suggest one or the other to be better …
This is really good feedback Denis! The Epix 2 is an impressive device. I typically tell people that there's going to be a lot of little things that you'll miss if you've been using AWs for a while and switch to Garmin. Objectively, we can probably list battery life, screen brightness, other specs and go over features. But this being UA-cam, we can just throw objectivity out the window right? 😂
Right... Comparing Apple to Garmin is stupid.. As Apple is a Software\Hardware company.. Their products work with everything they create...So nothing subjective about it... It's like people that compare Android to Apple iPhones. As Apple makes one type of Phone. While Android is used across 10 phone makers...Pick one of the 10.. Then compare it to an Apple iPhone...There is no contest...
@@WizzRacing - Maybe it's stupid to compare Apple to Garmin but there's about to be a whole bunch of stupid on youtube (maybe that's not new 🤔) Apple's marketing seems to point the Ultra right at Garmin. But this is Apple marketing we're talking about so. . . . we'll see.
@@mlegrand Apple is not Competing with Garmin. You can get that straight right now...As Apple produces a Whole system of products from Computers, Phones, Tablets, Monitors, Watches, Speakers, etc.. And they all work with each other. Because Apple is a Software\Hardware Company. And many a company have copied them over the years.
And if you think Garmin created the First consumer Dick Tracy watch. I will laugh in your face so hard. As the Evolution of the Apple smart watch is just that. An Evolution of adding more features. To an already existing line of Watches. That are phones first. Then they stack on the features as the processor get smaller and use less energy..
Why this Watch will sell like hotcakes. As I paid $1,100.00 for a simple Dive watch. That has just basic functions. Apple now gives people one that is $800.00 and has a shit load of features that most will never use to start with..
agreed
36 hrs in stand by mode, pretty far from the real sports watches yet.... interesting new player though. Garmin, polar and coros should be aware. The winners in this competition are going to be the users
Yeah, I agree. 36 hours just doesn't cut it and the other key players only seem to be extending that time more and more these days. But we'll see. (I don't even have this device in hand yet. 😬) I don't think it's going to amaze me but I'm glad to see that Apple is taking endurance sports athletes seriously. Hope all is well with you and your training Eduardo!
60 hours.
36 hours normal and 60 hours stand by
@@JJCA82 60h on eco mode (and no1 know what it is) On Garmin eco mode its only 120 days ... so please xd
Also sports watches get that way better battery life even with the smallest and lightest (and cheapest) variants - Ultra is pretty chunky.
I just switched from a Series 3 to a Forerunner 945. I never used much of the features from the apple watch and I love the simplicity of the garmin. AW ultra isn’t even on my radar. Battery life might be better but the garmin interface is just nice
Battery life difference would be 36 hours vs 2 weeks. So still pretty massive between those two. I've had the 945 for a long time and I love that watch. It's not without it's difficulties but I think you'll really enjoy it for a long long time. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
It's worth remembering that 2 years down the line, with so many charge cycles, that 36 hours may be down to 24 hours or less for your $800 smartwatch. It sounds trivial but I felt quite relieved going from a 245 music which I had to charge after every music-enabled long run to a 955 which'll go most of the week with music and multi-band enabled. If the scuba mode works well (especially if there is reliable wireless air integration) I might be quite partial to that feature though!
I always budget in my mind to replace the battery every couple of years. It makes the phone feel like new.
That's a good point Dom. Battery life advertised is typically at the best and most optimistic settings. And 2 years is when I really start to see major issues. I am really enjoying the 955 and I hope you're enjoying it also. I don't do any diving but it's interesting that Apple is taking that market seriously. 🤷♂️. We'll see. I'm looking forward to doing some testing. (probably triathlon testing and not dive testing 😂)
@@mlegrand I love my whitestone 955, thanks!
@@mlegrand that might be true of most brands but Apple are pretty conservative with their advertised numbers. Even at 80% original capacity my Apple Watch Series 5 battery lasts for about 24 hours including a couple of hours of GPS use, music streaming over bluetooth, etc.
My experience of Apple Watch batteries so far is that they hold >80% charge after a few years of use. Apple has a reasonably priced battery replacement service too. That combined with fewer charge cycles than a normal Apple Watch should see the Ultra’s battery hold up pretty well.
I have been an Apple Watch user for years until recently when I started using a wahoo rival for triathlons.
Even after the announcement of the ultra, I still bought a Fenix 7 solar sapphire.
For my triathlons, I will never use an Apple Watch. There are too many limitations and the software updates slow the watches down over the years considerably.
My series 6 I’ve had just over a year and it’s certainly slowed down in the menus since I got it.
My friends use garmin and have never seen any issues with the speed of their watches and they’ve owned the same watch for 4-5 years.
I think Garmin will remain king for a very long time.
Great feedback!!! That Fenix is an amazing device. Hope you’re enjoying it.
I too have the Fenix7X Saphire Solar and will never go back to Apple
I completely agree, my fenix 5 is 4 years old and still going strong. The support for powermeters and bike radars like the Varia is what makes garmin my Watch of choice as a triathlete.
No training load or recovery type metrics, Matt. It’s a nice hardware upgrade with basically zero training software to back it up.
Good point John! Training Load and recovery metrics are really nice to have. I wear my Apple Watch and Garmin 255 or 955 each night. Guess which one I check when I wake up for recovery details.
@@mlegrand Nice! Apple just does not have a fitness platform. It’s fitness for the masses.
I was thinking the same thing.
@@johnmanley4528 This is the Planet Fitness of Smartwatches. No shade
@@johnmanley4528 - Yeah, very true.
Went from AW S3 to Garmin Instinct 2. All I used my AW for was alarms, weather, basic activity tracking (just 3 rings) and, obviously, time and date. After 5 years I'd say battery life was almost the same - always had to put them on charge after ~30 hours of use.
Decided to switch to Garmin because I'm not using all the "smarts" that much. The battery life improvement is insane. The rugged looks are awesome, the weight is identical. It actually constantly measures HR and can create my body profile and track all the changes. I have done couple of training sessions in them and battery barely drained. I like them a lot. The screen is not a problem for me as well.
AW Ultra looks like a miniature smartphone on your wrist. To each their own :)
Plus I had this thought in the back of my head that I want some kind of "apocalypse watch" that won't die on me no matter what. Can be charged off of one small power bank dozens of times to last years while still being a very capable tracking and navigation device. Didn't go for solar because people were saying that the screen had weird tint that affected viewing angles dramatically.
Yes! I love and have reviewed the Instinct 2 Solar. That thing goes forever! Not that I dislike this AW Ultra. They're just very different watches. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
Google Android Garmin for me, but happy to see something for my Apple friends.
I did mention Android at the very end of the video. It's only like 70% of the world wide market share. 😂 Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
Everything I use for tech is Apple…EXCEPT the watch for training. I’ve refused to upgrade from my 5th gen waiting for real battery life and a rugged chassis. Time will tell if the new design is rugged, but it should looks great. 36hrs is a good start, but I can get a week of solid workouts with my Fenix 6. No, it isn’t as handy not having cellular and being highly connected to the ecosystem like my iWatch, but as a weekly business traveler, it sucks having to charge the watch every 12 hours. Let’s hope the battery life is REAL and not just if you leave it in airplane mode.
I know right? I have high hopes Todd. Sadly, it might be hard to beat that Fenix 6 on a few aspects. I'm excited to work on the actual review for this product. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
Once that 60 hour low power mode update comes, what’ll really be the difference at that point. Just charge the Apple Watch once for an hour within a week and your right there with the Fenix.
@@UrbanstarsKThat would depend on what the low power mode switches off in order to achieve that 60-hour battery life. Being able to go away from home without having to take a charger for two to three weeks is much easier.
@@UrbanstarsK wow you are paying $500 to experience that lmao
Ditto
Myself and my family all use Apple products- Laptops, ipads, iphones, Airpods, APple TV, Apple Music subscription and have been for 10+ years, but the watch is just something i never got on board with. I'm also a long time Fenix owner (3, 5 and 6) and haven't really considered Apple Watch, until this announcement.
BUUUUT.
I dont think I'll be a convert for a number of reasons. The battery life of the Ultra isn't really earth shattering if you're a Garmin guy. My Fenix 6 is 3 years old and still gives me 9-13 days of life after a full charge, and probably closer to 3 to 5 days depending on the number of MTB rides I do and that's with HR and GPS/GLONASS running in the background. The GPS provides great accuracy and if i change data gather to every second, its even more accurate- probably at the cost of battery life, but we're talking days, not hours with Garmin. FENIX has actual buttons, built in topo map's, Compass, Alitmeter, Barometric Pressure, Waypoint, incident detection with alerting, all Body Battery things, PulseOX, HR, Incident Detection and alerting. All my data goes to Strava anyway so I don't use the Garmin Connect except to sync and update. I also extend my screen from my watch to my bike computer too.
In fairness, Im probably not the target market. This may be targeted at current Apple Watch users who want a more rugged watch like a Garmin, but never considered leaving the "walled garden" of Apple. Once i can get my hands on one, I am going to give it a hard look. I do like the thought of a better display and compared to the EPIX, the Ultra is cheaper. The alerting features in case of emergency are clearly better integrated into the Apple family than Garmin's, which may work on the Wife to state my justification to get one---kinda worked with the iPhone 14 i pre-ordered.
I iwll definitely check your channel to see what your impressions are. Thanks for the video.
Thanks for the really fantastic feedback bdubs! I think we're in agreement here. I'll be interesting to get one in hand to do some testing so we'll see. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
Man didn't create his UA-cam to talk Apple Watch. He made it to brag about his running times. Impressive specs my friend!!
Yes, this entire video is about me and my running times. "Prepare to be amazed!" 😂 I've been making YT videos here for 3 years and I don't really ever talk about my own personal times. But I knew this video would attract a new audience and I tried to keep my "bragging segment" short and then I seriously thought about cutting it. If you made it past all that crap, I hope you enjoyed some small part of the actual video. Either way, thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
No, apple didn't kill Garmin at all. But looking at the new features it seems apple clearly wants to focus on endurance athletes. Now I'm interested how Garmin will react to this. Add more (smart watch) features or reduce the pricing. There is no way a FR955 has much higher production costs than a FR55.
I think Garmin has posted some sort of reaction. (twitter.com/Garmin/status/1568639950211497985) So they're obviously paying attention. Still, it should be a fun to test! Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
My Garmin 245 music has a white dot on my screen due to the heat of cooking over a wood fire grill . Curious if this Apple Watch is just as sensitive over heat
That is a great question that I don’t have an answer to. The Ultra is rated from -4° to 130° F. But I’m guessing that wood fire grill gets pretty toasty. I have no idea how these devices would fail. 🤷🏻♂️
As someone who has owned both the Apple Watch Series 7 and several Garmins I can say that they're not in the same category. I personally want a FITNESS watch with an always on display (not an amoled), a round display, I want to be able to turn off notifications and use it like a normal watch (which apple does not let you do), offline music/map storage, and a battery that you don't have to worry about charging every other day. Garmin is hands down much better in these categories for me. However, if you want a SMARTwatch the Apple Watch is obviously phenomenal and does great fitness tracking. It is just not for me for the reasons I've stated above.
Garmin also provides more fitness tracking data compared to the Apple Watch and also has a great app, Garmin Connect, where you can compete with friends and people from all around the world.
Good call Alex. I think your feedback and opinion is very very reasonable in comparison to what all of these people whom haven't ever tried these watches. It still feels like Apple and Garmin are going to be targeting two very different users. (although Apple's marketing department might say otherwise). But we'll see, I'm really looking forward to testing this one. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it.
Same here. I'd only buy reflective LCD screen for watches. When I get a watch I don't need it to duplicate my phone's functions.
I want a screen readable without moving my wrist while cycling. Also, if I'm in a boring meeting I can check the time discretely without the watch lighting up such that I don't appear rude!
I use a 945 which I can program my training session. On Apple Watch can I program too? Like an interval training
Yes, you can do a custom running workout and set up custom intervals. Not that the Apple Watch is nearly as capable as your 945. They are very different watches. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
I currently have been using an Apple Watch series 3 for triathlon training (currently only do sprints) and have been looking to transition to Garmin because it fit more of what I was looking for. Now the Ultra is giving me something to consider since I plan to do longer races in the future. Can’t wait to see the impressions from the UA-cam community.
So I think you're in a tricky situation. I think you'd miss a lot of the smart watch features on the Apple Watch if you were to switch. But I also think the Garmin watches would be better for the specific training and racing you're doing. You're probably going to hate me but I'd suggest using both. 😬
@@mlegrand Dislike the statement but have to agree 100%. One is a much better smart watch and the other a much better endurance and sport watch. Unfortunately, neither can do it all. I want both too.
I have AW7 and a Epix2. The epix is much better for sports ime. The AW does have some nice smart watch stuff, however most of the time I use it for notifications which Garmin does as well. The battery life is incredible and makes the user experience much better.
I recently switched from AW7, to a gamin fenix 7 because it is a better sports watch.
I thought I would have missed more the smart functions of the AW, but I didn’t.
I think most AW users don’t really use all those smart functions, I used it mostly to check my notifications.
Fenix 7 is still good for checking notification, but compared to AW it has more than 15 days long battery life (compared to AW ultra 60 hours), and it offrers a lot of functions for training. I don’t do triathlon, but I use it mostly for running and i loved it.
I can plan my trainings, in terms of pace, and I can create the route in advance.
Also, the garmin has physical buttons, that are way easier to use while you are running, compared to touch screen.
And these are just a few of the many things I liked about the fenix 7.
I would recommend both watches, the AW mainly to people who don’t do any sports, or to gym goers, because it still has some interesting smart function, but it can also track some workouts.
The garmin instead, is the best choice if You run/swim/bike.
Just rock 2 watches
Quick question - which band would you recommend for a triathlete interested in the Ultra?
I was wondering the same thing. I'll start with the Velcro trail band. I think that's the right one to get. I might get them all and do some open water swimming testing. But it'll be a bit before I can get that video.
I think the Apple "Walled Garden" will prevent them from really impacting Garmin's activity metrics and stellar battery life between charges. Garmin plays nice with Android as well as IOS which makes it the better choice for more dedicated athletes. I do however really like the watch faces Apple has available.
Good point John. I should have used the 'Walled Garden' phrase in my video. It more clearly and concisely describes what I was trying to say. And I agree. Apple has always done will with the watch face options. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
Great point. Can you imagine !!! Not even ant+ on this thing
Does it pair to cycling computers from Garmin , wahoo , etc ?
Does it pair to any third party hardware other than an iPhone? Apple is a bit of a mess when it comes to working with other companies. I mention this in the video but I can't imagine Apple integrating with cycling computers, power meters, or bike radar units. Either way, I do think it's interesting that Apple is taking this market segment seriously. Either way, I'm really looking forward to testing this one. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it.
"max out their money's worth for those race entry fees"🤣🤣🤣🤣 That's me! Love it! Thanks for the entertainment and as always a very solid review.
Thank you so much Ed!
I wear a Garmin Felix 7 Sapphire Solar (47mm) quite a bit. For the tough stuff, it rocks. BTW, my wrist measures 7.5”.
For more day to day stuff &/or when I want to wear something smaller, I wear a 41mm Apple Watch series 8.
I might try a second or third gen Apple Ultra, especially if Apple makes one in a 47mm size…
I have small wrists also and I have a lot of different watches also. I'm going to have a review of the Series 8 out here as soon as I get enough testing finished. But the Fenix is such a nice watch. It goes forever and is really targeted towards endurance outdoor sports stuff. Great option. I do think it's interesting that Apple is taking this market segment seriously. Either way, I'm really looking forward to testing this one. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it.
Be honest, the apple watch looks really Beta.
"Did The Apple Watch Ultra Just Kill Garmin?"... hell no!
Yeah, that's kind of the conclusion that I come to in this video but it's an interesting product from Apple. Now that I've had it for a few months, it's clear that Apple is trying to make an outdoor Garmin-type watch here. Not sure they've done it but they're trying. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
@@mlegrand good video!
Multi-Band: Try to compare it when doing a workout or when trying to run a specific pace. There comes Multi-Band in right handy, much less noise at the pace changes.
Testing pace changes is tricky but I've noticed some watches are better than others. It's just hard to give quantifiable results on it for viewers.
@@mlegrand You can film the gauche of the watch during a training session of the watch. It is really noticable when switching between GPS and Multi-Band.
IMO if you’re not a half/full IM distance triathlete, AWU is a great option. But if you need to be ready to charge it 2-3 times a week. For me it’s too often and because I do long activities it’s pain in the ass not to forget to charge you AW (I’ve had AW6 and Garmin 935 in the same time). Garmin also has a good connect website to analyze activities, that Apple hasn’t. So I think Apple will take 20-30% of garmin/suunto/polar customers this year, but for killing it Apple need to provide one week of battery life, that seems impossible for a next several years.
A week of battery life is probably exactly what Apple needs (needed) to do with this watch. Not that I think this will slow down sales too much. We'll see. I'll get it and do some testing. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment Ivan! I really appreciate it. 👍
looking into my garmin fenix 6x pro 30 days battery life and smiling. my wife switched from aw to fenix too
36 hours or 36 days. You pick. 😂. But I do think it's interesting that Apple is taking this market segment seriously. Either way, I'm really looking forward to testing this one. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it.
I use both Garmin forrunner 955 and AW S7. I am very interested in Ultra. Although I think Ultra might not beat Garmin now. But, I expect one Ultra can replace many Garmins one day.
This is the combination that I've been using recently as well. I'll be very excited to get my hands on this one and do some more extensive testing. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
Is it possible to navigate with gps track with the AW ultra. Epix and many other can do!
Right, import route. I think it can withe 3rd party apps. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
I'd say not. A big improvement to what the AW can do, but a) it's not comparable to Garmin and b) not everyone is an Apple fan or user.
Yeah, that's kind of the conclusion I come to savagedriver. I do think it's interesting that Apple is taking this market segment seriously. Either way, I'm really looking forward to testing this one. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it.
I ordered an ultra I’m a bit worried it looks like around the new button is a little too exposed and cushion can perhaps be fragile with a couple of years of use
It might be. I'll do some testing but I can't test for years of usage. I hope it holds up well. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
The only reason I will not completely switch to the Apple Watch for triathlon tracking is the unavailability of ant+ and that is never coming because I think the ultra is so well priced compared to garmin
Does anyone know of ANY speculation of Apple adding ANT+ in the future?
is ant+ still in use? between all my devices and sensors, everything is ble nowadays.
Yeah, Ant+ would be nice and Apple would never allow it on their devices. It's sad that Apple is so strict about it's walled garden. 🤦♂️
@@mlegrand 😂😂haha - walled garden- the ecosystem
@@tradejs well there’s also app support required - isn’t ant+ more stable than BLE for the multiple connected devices cycling requires ?
Hi Matt.. without offline maps, can Apple Watch be really compared with Garmin?
Maps has always been a strength for Garmin in my opinion. Can we compare two random brands here on UA-cam? Sure we can! We do whatever we want! 😂. But I do think it's interesting that Apple is taking this market segment seriously. Either way, I'm really looking forward to testing this one. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it.
@@mlegrand Thanks for getting back. Its really bold what Apple is trying to do here. Its just that Garmin has been a real savior during off track adventures with no cellular connectivity. Offline maps on Garmin maps have helped me a lot while going into unknown territories. I would request you test out adventure aspect of Apple Watch without phone or cellular connectivity. Will look forward to that.
@@hrishikeshtambe - I will primarily test it without connection to a phone and don't plan to connect it to cellular. We'll see how the battery holds up. Thanks buddy!
First of all, your videography and editing skills continue to amaze me! Good work! Very impressive of Apple to make some significant upgrades, and look forward to when you get it in your hands and get to put it to the test. But you know, me Garmin for life! Hope you and the family are well!
Family here is well Dove! Thanks so much for watching and wishing us well!!! 🙏
have two garmin epix 1 watches, but would like the ultra as my everyday watch so it syncs with my iphone.
These Apple Watches do sync well and extend the phones utility. You'll have to let me know what you think Aero MTB. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
Saphire glass and longer battery life are a very welcome new addition, but 60 hours in battery saver mode just shows how far away they actually are from the real sports watches, would have been interesting to see how much battery life they would get out of a lower res display though.
I wonder if they went from 2000 nits down to 1000 if their battery life would be a bit better. 2k might be overkill. We'll see. I'm really looking forward to testing this one. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
My almost 60 year old rolex has a longer power reserve. And more water resistance.
Honestly, I bet that’s a gorgeous watch. But yeah, I sometimes think about the days when we all used Timex, etc that never required charging. These GPS and smart watches have changed our perception of long battery life 😂 Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
@@mlegrand I still have my Timex Men's Watch T49626 (and a basic G Shock GA100 1a1). Love them both. But like another reviewer said, when you have a smartwatch you almost feel obligated to wear it all the time because of the health tracking. Still, I force myself to wear the other two from time to time.
@@FiremanFrach - 👌
Garmin is well established among many endurance athletes, especially among cyclists (raises hand). As you noted, I'm running a power meter, cadence meter, speed meter, and heart monitor. Those metrics and the integration into Garmin Connect/Strava/MapMy is truly important. I'm sure the Apple fanbase will flock to this for workouts and honestly I might buy one to integrate with my Apple devices (I have a Galaxy watch for my S22), but a Garmin killer? Nah.
Yeah, that's kind of the conclusion I come to Damascus. I can't imagine this working well for too many serious cyclists out there but I do think it's interesting that Apple is taking this market segment seriously. Either way, I'm really looking forward to testing this one. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it.
How’s the Bluetooth, WiFi, and cellular service on the Garmin? Making and receiving phone calls? Sending and receiving email? Sending and receiving text messages? All while operating in standalone mode with iPhone 10,000 km away and/or powered off.
Yeah, that's all a major pain point for Garmin. Largely because Apple won't allow them to do those things on their platform. But either way, it's just not as smart of a smart watch as the Apple Watch. But I'm really looking forward to testing this Ultra to see how it does on the endurance side of things. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it.
The AW ultra is a good thing as it might help keep Garmin honest, particularly with regards to their runaway prices. That said it’s still got a long way to go before I consider swapping. Firstly it’s too big. I have skinny wrists and it would look ridiculous on me. It’s why I have a Fenix 6S, which even after 3 years still has better battery life than the Ultra. I charged mine 3 days ago and it still shows that it’s good for 15 hours of GPS activity. The other big thing is it needs more buttons, like a Fenix. I’ve used an Apple Watch and the touchscreen is garbage, sweaty hands, in the rain, going for a swim, utter trash. After that there’s software. The company that I think has most to worry about from Apple is Whoop. Apple could kill them overnight with a software update that did a recovery score (well it could except the battery on the watch that most people buy isn’t good enough). So yeah, this new model is interesting to me but there’s still a lot that needs to change before I’ll be leaving Garmin behind
I'm ok with Garmin feeling a little pressure! 🙌 Either way, I'm really looking forward to testing this one. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it.
I’m finding three buttons to be pretty effective on the Ultra thus far. I suppose they could add a fourth but the speaker takes up a lot of space on the side. I also have pretty skinny wrists for a guy (170mm) and find the Ultra fits very well and doesn’t look ridiculous. If your wrists are smaller it probably would look a bit silly though. The only size issue I have faced is that some of my shirt cuffs only half cover the device so it looks like I’m deliberately showing it off.
@@roddenshaw - I have tiny wrists also. We'll see how this goes. 😬
Here is the biggest problem with the Apple Watch ultra - no ant+, no broadcast heart rate, not able to plug into power meters for bikes, he still not actually monitored full day. Garmin still blows Apple away with sleep monitoring, stats you can get, the adjustable data screens, WEEKS of battery without need to charge, and whip bike packing or rides over 100 miles it’s garmin, by a mile.
This watch will be VERY popular with marathoners, triathletes, some trail runners, and parents that just want a cool watch.
I’ll keep my fenix7x , it delivers and the only issue I have is that the app can be more polished. The devices are top notch.
Yeah, that's kind of the conclusion I come to The Tree. I do think it's interesting that Apple is taking this market segment seriously. Either way, I'm really looking forward to testing this one. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it.
It takes more then a rugged watch to kill Garmin ;)
And I think it's going to take more than a 36 hour battery life. 🤷🏻♂
Apple has to open up their fitness apps. But they’re going to charge an arm and leg for that feature
@@zahir612 - I've looked into their developer APIs a little bit and they do have somethings open to Apple Developers. All of the new running metrics are accessible. But overall, Apple is never going to play nice with others. It's just not their style. And that goes back decades.
Wanted to mention that WatchOS already has stroke detection in os8. Works really well. I swim, ride and run and have been impressed with my Apple Watch Series 7’s lap and stroke detection.
Thank you so much for mentioning this! Maybe it's just newly added to the summary screen at the end of the workout? And Watch OS 9 now detects kick sets. I also love the fact that you can now change workout views to display the metrics and screens you're most interested in. It's small stuff but it helpful if you're into these particular activity types. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
I’ve used smart watches/fitness watches for the last 15+ years since the bar in forerunner series. Apple Watch series 6 is great for daily wear/workouts- I have a cheap a a fit t-Rex for multi day hikes- the new Apple Watch appeals to me, I havn’t been able to justify a serious fitness watch for lifting, running biking or hiking. I’ll keep my series 6 until the battery life fails in a couple years- apple is hitting a niche in the market- excellent tech integration for daily use as well as upgraded fitness features.
Good call Trevor. 👍 It'll also be very interesting to see what Apple does next year at this event. But yeah, get as much value out of that series 6 as possible. 👌
the low battery mode disables all the sensor measuring your heart beat, oxidation etc etc so not that useful for an ironman, still it can function as a normal timer
I think they are going to have something different called low power activity mode. It’s yet to be finalized so we’ll see. 😬
Battery life is a big factor, I can’t do 36 hours I need at least 2 weeks of battery life. This is the fitness realm we’re talking about. Garmin has proved itself worthy of my money. Apple has a place in my heart always, if they can get there battery life down and actually embody the fitness world on their watches then yes it would spark my interest but until then, it’s Garmin.
Yeah, I think that's the key here. I kind of thought 1 week would be minimum. 😬. Either way, I'm really looking forward to testing this one. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it.
36 h is a joke for 800 dollar watch. No matter who made it 😂
1k is a joke for the quality of the garmin
@@jameslavis4660 there’s other watches for way less. Apple is going to give you a fitness watch that uses 3rd party apps for every workout you do. Smh
@@jameslavis4660 garmin watches cost the same as apple toy and what quality you talk about? Garmin are 10 times more durable then aplle watch will ever be.i have both and my garmin fenix 6 x have no scratch on it but my aplle watch 7 looks like sh*it 😂😂
I’ve been using AW S2&S5 for over 5 years… and I’m ready for a Garmin Fenix 7. Battery 80 days, solar, real physiological metrics, circular design (a device measuring a circular parameter, Time, should be circular)… I think AW Ultra is cool but can’t compete Garmin yet. I only want to know : is Garmin on pair Apple to quality control, user interface, software updates? Data transfer, music GPX files? Any answer would be helpful. Thanks.
Did you see my fake Apple Watch review about time being circular or squared? 😂 ua-cam.com/video/fdH3oU7_rCY/v-deo.html
I'd say Apple quality control is probably better. User Interface is probably smoother. Software updates is similar. Data transfer - 🤷♂️ Ultimately, I think it still comes down to if you want a smart watch, pick apple. If you want more of a sports watch, pick Garmin. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
A lot of their sales won’t come from athletes for this watch,myself being one. No matter where I travel to everyone has an Apple Watch on. It’s freakin crazy how many people have Apple watches.Apple is the leader in smartwatch segment but not the premium segment which Garmin holds.
Good point YayArea! I think it's really interesting to look around and see what everyone is wearing. I've been doing that a lot lately. When at small triathlon races, I'll sometimes see a mix of Apple Watches and Garmin watches. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
Yeah, aw was already a competitor to garmin even before this. Def enough batt life for a marathon or less, and I would guess that covers the vast majority of people. $800 for titanium and 50% more batt life, that arguably alone is worth the price even for people that don't workout. I am curious about coros. There's a lot of debate about garmin vs apple with the ultra release like this is new only with the ultra release, but I haven't seen coros mentioned once.
Great video! I have a fenix 7x now but can’t get over the fact the AWU has cellular…. I realize the other aw have cellular but the ultra would be a Long run running watch for me too. What about using both??!?!?!
You’re talking to someone who uses both. 😆 The Fenix 7X is an amazing watch. I think it’s more suited to some of these endurance activities regardless of what Apple’s commercials depict.
@@mlegrand I’m trying to find a good reason NOT to get it (besides the price of course) I want it!!! Lol
I'm just going to stick with Garmin, I've been in the Garmin ecosystem a long time and their stuff just works. They have incredible support, you can call them you will speak to a person in the same country, and they will guide you through every step of the way if you want and how to make a change on your watch. And Garmin also keeps supporting their devices, long after they've been released. I have a regular Edge 1030 bike computer, and it just got an update last week, I think the 10:30 was released in something like 2016 🙂. Apple doesn't have updates for things they they released in 2016. Nothing bad against Apple, they have fantastic computers and phones, but I don't see them as a sports watch of GPS company.
Hey Lexington, this is really good feedback. I feel like support is one of those aspects that we (as reviewers) overlook every time. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
@@mlegrand Garmin support is top notch.
Also one thing I forgot to put in that last comment, you can send any broken unit back to Garmin and they will either replace it with a refurbished model for a small fee, or give you a discount towards a newer unit with the returned unit. I asked him one time how far they go back with being able to get refurbished units, they said it really comes down to if they have parts or not. I don't remember the model number, but I sent back a Garmin watch one time that had burned out on me, and I got a refurbished one for like $90, had that one for a few more years until I lost it 🙂.
Also recently, I bought a original Edge 1030 off another cyclist for $100. The unit had a blue halo around the edge of the screen, I checked on garments website turned out there was a recall on those, sent it back, they even paid for the shipping, got a refurbished unit in about a week for no charge.
So like I was saying, Garmin units are expensive yes, but they actually work very well and they have excellent support.
And don't forget, all the cool kids use Garmin, so in reality it comes down to do you want to be cool 😎?
so I'm curious, did you get the Apple+ protection?
I don't think I did Robbie. 😬 If I scratch up or destroy this one, it'll make for a great video. 😂 Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
@@mlegrand i also went for one. Ive always complained of the apple watch GPS miscalculating during marathons and the weak battery. Excited to see the change. Picking a bad was also its own set of anxiety lol
@@robbiemoore4714 - Let me know what you think after you've tested it a bit! 👍
I’ve ordered a watch ultra (will be my first Apple Watch), coming from a fenix 6 pro sapphire - I love my garmin and the fitness analytics it gives me but I spend more time wishing I had the smartwatch features and interactivity of the Apple Watch. The new os9 workout app appears much improved with heart rate zones etc so I hope I won’t miss the garmin too much! Battery life not too much of an issue for me as I don’t run further than marathon distance. I spend a lot of time in the gym and play a lot of tennis and found the general workout tracking (without gps etc) pretty ordinary on the garmin and think the Apple Watch is better in that department.
I loved the design of the fenix 6 sapphire (titanium with orange band) so am quite pleased that Apple have blatantly ripped off this design with the orange accents and orange alpine loop band! 😂 I wonder what Garmin will have to say about that!
Yeah, I think this will be interested (I pre-ordered as well). I think you'll miss some stuff from the Garmin but that's how it goes with any major switch. Are you going to keep your Fenix around? I've chatted with others that questioned the orange accent color but I like it. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment James. I really appreciate it. 👍
I’m an epix 2 owner and don’t see any way I would move. Battery life is outstanding. Metrics are fantastic. Looks like a real watch not a gimmic. No contest
Yeah, that Epix 2 is one of my all time favorites. (you might have noticed that on this channel). I think the Epix 2 is going to be the easiest Garmin to compare to this AW Ultra. I'd expect to see a few UA-cam video on that subject from a few different creators but we'll see. Thanks for jumping on this video and checking it out. I really do appreciate you taking the time to watch and comment!
This the only Apple Watch I’ve been interested in since the Apple Watch was released. I’ve never owned one, due to its poor battery life. it’s definitely no Garmin, (which I do own), but I think the ultra is definitely worth having a look at.
It does seem to be the most interesting Apple Watch doesn't it? I think it's still more of a smart watch than an endurance sports watch but we'll see. I'm looking forward to doing some testing. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment Rick!
@@mlegrand I 100% agree, I’m looking forward to the results of your test 🙂👍🏼
The battery life is still poor. 36 hours in battery saver. Garmin Fenix
7x is 37 days and up to one year with solar option
Great impressions! I’m super excited about this Apple Watch Ultra to jumpstart my hiking season. Can’t wait!
Thanks Frankie! Yeah, it's no Rolex 😉 but I think it's going to be very fun to test. I'll be looking forward to your review when you get yours in hand! 🙌
Great early review 👍🏼
I had an Apple Watch for a few years before switching to Garmin Fenix, never looked back! I do ultra marathons and Bikepacking trips, the Fenix just nails it for battery, gps, health metrics and most importantly MAPS!!
I am sure the ultra will be great for a lot of users, but doesn’t quite cut it for me 😅
I did the same thing. The Apple Watch just isn’t there yet. The Garmin Fenix series does all the things you mentioned, battery life and most importantly I’m not worried about it hanging against something. It’s a super durable watch. I’ve been using the Garmin Fenix series since the Garmin Fenix 3.
The new one isn't even out yet, copers LOL.
I've always thought that Garmin just crushes things when it comes to the mapping side of things. But we'll see. I don't have this watch in hand yet. I do think it's interesting that Apple is taking this market segment seriously. Either way, I'm really looking forward to testing this one. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it.
I just want to know if the gps part of it will give you grid coordinates of your location
When you set a Waypoint it does have GPS coordinates in Watch OS9 👍🏻
@@mlegrand dumb question, but does it doesn’t give you your current coordinates correct ?
I really don’t understand why they didnt just make a 2-3 day watch from the get go. People would have been sold in an instant.
Because it's a smart watch with so many other features. You cannot pack in a bigger battery and those functions eat battery like crazy. Garmin could pack more smart features in their watches but you'd have to sacrifice battery time.
@@NegyedMisi well if it s designed for ultra endurance athletes i d like to do a UTMB with it which would take me maybe 45 hours….
'Ultra' is definitely a tricky name with a lot of distance specific connotations. Not sure this 100% qualifies on that front but we'll see. I'm looking forward to testing it. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
@@mlegrand it would be AMAZING to see a video from you with some sort of test that shows us if that FKIN battery holds up for 30 hours with an activity ongoing(GPS ON)… thank you!!
@@SergiuSalcau00 - Oh it's yeah, it's not going to make it 36 hours. I'll go somewhere in the line of 6-7 hours, I'm guess. I'll do a long swim and long bike ride and we'll crush it. 😂 But Apple is working on a mode call 'Low Power Activity Mode' that extends GPS battery life out a good bit. The setting is finished yet but I'm guessing they're aiming for 17 hours. We'll see. I'm looking forward to testing.
As a cyclist trail runner occasional climber and yogi, I been waiting for this Watch for a while. I already bought it and look forward to put it through its paces. It won’t replace my fénix for major mountain adventures, but it will replace my 945 LTE as an everyday driver.
I pre-ordered also. I'll be very interested to hear your opinion after you get it home and test it out. Keep me posted J Silva!
@@mlegrand For sure, I'm going to put to the test as soon as I get it.
Extremely helpful review (even for us “non-athlete” types)!! Thank you.
You're so very welcome Char! Let me know if there's anything else you'd like to see here.
Hardware seems there. But a big thing that’s still not there is stuff like auto sync workouts from TrainingPeaks to the native run app!
That would be amazing. I think it'd go against decades of Apple standards to work with a third party app like TrainingPeaks. 🤦♂️ They'd be much more likely to buy TP outright. 💰 Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment Sean. I really appreciate it. 👍
I did a 13.5 hour race with a 2.5 year old Apple watch 5, it lasted the whole time with battery to spare. Who’s going to use the full amount of the Apple Watch ultra short of going away for weeks at a time? That’s very much a niche segment and they can get a Garmin with bugger all other functionality for those times
EDIT: my bad, I had my phone with me that day and it would’ve taken the GPS load off the watch, see other comments below. Apologies about that
Dang, that's pretty impressive. Maybe the trick is to turn off the always on display or other features? 🤷♂️ I think that's a good point on the frequency people will actually be going that long. Even Ironman triathletes are very rarely going over 13.5 hours. Most of our training is 5-6 hours max. But I do think Apple wants that 17 hour market segment with this 'Ultra' watch. They made a point to mention Ironman distances races in their keynote. We'll see. I'm really looking forward to testing this. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment Pablo. I really appreciate it. 👍
How in the world did you get AW to last 13 hours in GPS tracking? Please share.
that's unbelievable, please do share (did you carry your iPhone with you?).
The best I could get out of the Apple Watch 6 with GPS on, is to switch off Cellular and always on display, and paired it with external heart rate monitor. I could get 7-8 hours out of it max.
@@mlegrand I need to come clean, totally forgot I had my phone with me and forgot that would take the GPS load off the watch. Sorry about that, My comment is incorrect and I’ll edit, I thought it was too good to be true that day. But I still feel the functionality etc is better on the Apple Watch.
Side note: Going off when it was new the battery depletion rate with GPS on was about 8% per hour with always on display and wifi off
@@ivanwong7918 I need to come clean, totally forgot I had my phone with me and forgot that would take the GPS load off the watch. Sorry about that, My comment is incorrect and I’ll edit, I thought it was too good to be true that day. But I still feel the functionality etc is better on the Apple Watch.
Side note: Going off when it was new the battery depletion rate with GPS on was about 8% per hour with always on display and wifi off
Hey Matt,
I’m getting started on training for an Ironman and my worry with the Ultra is that is doesn’t link to many training programs or training data tracking programs that coaches can track the data with. Is this true and what are your thoughts?
Thanks in advance!
Apple is notoriously bad at playing nice with others but you can export data out a few ways. There’s an app called HeathFit that I like to use from my phone to export out .fit files but syncing your data over to something like Strava might be enough for your coach to follow your workouts. www.google.com/amp/s/www.pocket-lint.com/apps/news/apple/151087-how-to-directly-sync-apple-watch-workouts-to-strava.amphtml
Or your coach might prefer training peaks: www.trainingpeaks.com/learn/articles/how-to-sync-trainingpeaks-with-apple-watch/
Thanks so very much!
For me I’d go with the Ultra because I need lifestyle watch with sport features , Garmin is like pure sport watch it’s not my taste
I think you're exactly right Vaetist. I think the difference is sports watch vs smart watch. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
U like charging 😜
@@Sapphire901 - Love charging. Did you happen to see my Apple parody video? 😆 ua-cam.com/video/fdH3oU7_rCY/v-deo.html
I’ll be getting a watch for hiking and backcountry use. So battery, offline maps, and navigation with course creation edits before and during are important features. So I think it has to something other than apple.
I think if mapping was really important to me, I'd be looking at Garmin. Mapping and navigation has just been their thing for so so long. The Apple Watch Ultra is a very interesting smart watch, it just isn't perfect for what you're looking for. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
Great review as always Matt, however, NOPE. I am a loyal Apple user in all forms except - anything triathlon. I use Garmin for all things fitness. Nothing wrong with some competition and good on Apple for recognizing the need to step up their game, but this won't touch Garmin's offerings. They've owned the market for far too long to lose ground just because Apple has finally crafted a half decent battery at least...
Totally agree. Aypeople who want the 'smarts' of the smart watch and occasionally do endurance workouts. Plus, people just buy Apple Watches for the 'style' and 'sporty' plus 'stylish' might sell a lot of units. Regardless of what product is best. I'll get one and do some testing and we'll see. Hope all is well with you buddy!
I don't know much of Garmin watches but im getting the ultra cause i do scuba driving and alot of backpacking and the features it has its more useful for me and I checked out Garmin and they have some impressive watches and features like one with an actual flashlight but they dont meet my scuba diving needs. I don't think apple with put Garmin out if business but i do think they will push Garmin to making better watches for more activities
36 hours versus 2 weeks of my Fenix 6? GPS on the apple watch may or may not be able finish an Ironman?
Yeah, that's kind of the conclusion I come to Joe. I love having at least 2 weeks on these watches. I kind of figured Apple might make a watch that'd go 1 week but 36 hours? 😬 I do think it's interesting that Apple is taking this market segment seriously. Either way, I'm really looking forward to testing this one. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it.
First time viewing your channel. Nice work. I think it's funny that when something new comes along it is questioned to be a potential "killer" of some other product. There's room for both, and I think until Apple comes out with a bike computer and other accessories, Garmin will be just fine. I, for one, have hesitated moving away from Garmin (oddly the same dilemma for many Apple users) because of the ecosystem. I use a Garmin Edge on my bikes, and have had a Fenix for a while. I enjoy the swim tracking functions. That said...Garmin needs to seriously calm down with its pricing. If nothing else, I hope the impact of the AW Ultra is that Garmin will rethink their pricing tiers. I have also tried the Polar Grit X, which I liked, but found the app experience to be too clunky. At least they haven't had frequent downtime and ransomware attacks like Garmin. I look forward to checking out more of your content. Cheers!
Yes, "Kill" is such a strong word. Very overly dramatic. I'm glad you mentioned swimming. I'd love for more companies to consider improving that lap swimming activity type. Drill mode, rest time, water temperature, accurate stroke detection, etc. Big thanks for checking out my channel Matthew. I really do appreciate it. 🙏
Funny, I just posted my own comments along the same lines, and while I was thinking it, I didn't mention that Garmin's biggest issue is that they know they're the only real game for serious athletes and they price them as such. Would I like to trade in my Fenix for a sparkly new Epix 2? Hell yes, but not for $1000 when my Fenix already does all that I need and still lasts all day with GPS on with my old battery giving me half the life of a new watch. I have an Android phone and a house full of Ant+ devices, so for me, it wouldn't matter if this Apple watch was $200, I still wouldn't buy it, and that seems to be Apple's real issue and market cap with this and many of their other products.
what are your thoughts on dirt getting into the crown area? im assuming it’d be quite painful to have that cleaned regularly?
Wow, I haven't given it much thought. Good question user 75. I'll do some testing when I get it. I would think Apple would have tested that. Right? 😬
Garmin is already solar. The only thing Apple is killing its own battery
Ha! 😂 Great comment!!! Yeah, I'm not sure 36 hours of day use is enough to justify the 'Kill Garmin' title in this video. But I'm excited to test this one! Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
My reaction to the release of the Ultra, was to buy a Garmin EPIX. It's so much better
Ha! There have been a few Epix vs AW Ultra videos recently. (Dave Dillion and DesFit). It's probably the easiest Garmin to compare to the AW Ultra. Personally, I'm a big fan of the Epix. But I also find it interesting that Apple is taking this market segment seriously. Either way, I'm really looking forward to testing this one. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it.
Thanks for the first comment on the ultra.I’m looking forward to your review when you get the watch.For most of us who just workout regularly and spend time of the grid the convenience and the smooth integration in the Apple ecosystem is priceless.So it would be wonderful if the watch delivers all promised features specially battery life.😁
I totally agree Evi. Hopefully Apple comes through with this one. I'm really looking forward to test it. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
Love that Dialed kit Matt, great video!
Gotta sneak in some Dialed gear!!!! 🙌
I mean, for Gamin to achieve something like Apple Watch seems likely at a rocket-science level; but for Apple Watch to improve all those new complaints, it’s not hard for them.
I agree that it'd be a massive undertaking for Garmin to jump their smart watch functionality to something on the level of Apple (or even close) But I also don't think it'd be easy for Apple to start making watches with battery life in the range of weeks instead of hours. We'll see. Maybe there will be some sort of major battery technology innovation in the next few years? 🤷♂️ That could do it. Either way, thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
@@mlegrand Good point for sure
The battery time in days... is comparable with the one of Garmin in WEEKS. And if you have a watch for the sports functions is Epix, Fenix or 965 far superior.
Good call VPN Consult! I was able to get an Apple Watch and do some more real world testing but I'm finding what you're saying to be true. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
I like that I charge my Fenix once a week.
I agree. I have a few watches that go forever and it's so nice to never have to charge these guys. 36 hours is 😬 But I haven't fully tested this watch yet. I'm excited to give it a shot. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
The battery on my Fenix lasts like 10 days. It's also round, like a watch should be IMO.
I have an older video on here somewhere making fun of the Apple Watch and mention round vs square watches. 😂 But yeah, that Fenix is fantastic 🔥 But I do think it's interesting that Apple is taking this market segment seriously. Either way, I'm really looking forward to testing this one. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it.
I preordered mines already can’t wait to try it out hopefully it will be a homerun for me. I’m not a “triathlete” so don’t need it to do all that but I workout regularly and enjoy backpacking regularly. Don’t disappoint me Apple 😂.
I try to cover triathlon products on this channel but I hope you still find it interesting. And I'm with you. Don't let us down Apple!!! I'm really looking forward to reviewing this one. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
@@mlegrand 🥹🥹
Dude, this video was so dang good Matt! Pumped for my Ultra to show up👊
Oh Mr Manning! So happy to see you here buddy!
Now that looked like a wet PNW track! Props for filming on days like that. Growing up we loved to tell the visitors to the PNW that we had two seasons...winter and August.
Ha!!! In Michigan, we'd say two seasons: winter and road construction season. I lived there for 4 years and it was very true. That footage was from when Coros or Garmin first released their track mode stuff and I needed to test it out. I don't mind the rain too much and I coach at the high school so we're out in it no matter what.
I am only running the 935/fenix5 line as its the last watches that work properly with the 3rd party Apnea app for freediving, after that they changed the pressure sensor to only read to about 7m, forcing me to save for a descent MK2 one day, but now the ULTRA has freediving and scuba capability for half the price of a descent im extremely interested (every single other electronic i have is apple) id be confident the ultra will be my next watch now as i only really want a cellular smart watch with apple pay that i can take diving, the other training metrics it has would be all i'd ever need.
I know nothing about diving but it’s sad that they changed the pressure sensor limit on you. Keep me posted on what you end up with next. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
@@mlegrand i reckon ill shout myself an ultra next year or maybe for Xmas, my wife is also changing from garmin fenix to a series 8 to get a better smart watch plus the temp sensor/cycle tracker has piqued her interest haha might be a gimmick but they are drawing people in with something different.
The question itself is hilarious to say the least, in a polite way.
A (beautiful, fully packed of features), watch with a battery life of 36 hours that pretends to be the ultimate sports watch ??
I guess at Garmin and Coros, and every other serious sportswatch maker are all shaking in fear.
😂😂😂
😂 - I somewhat worry about having the name 'Ultra' in here. I'm wondering what ultra runners are going to think. Could be a slight misstep. I do think it's interesting that Apple is taking this market segment seriously. Either way, I'm really looking forward to testing this one. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it.
Ok. But why are you getting yours late October? Getting it from Apple should still be early October. I checked on Verizon and they are still shipping September 23
Dang it Chad! You're killing me. I ordered from Apple on the day it was released. 🤦♂️ Come on Apple. I need to start working on this review!!!
My Garmin FR255 is so accurate and offers so much useful data without the need of charging every other day that I will not consider an Apple watch with a battery life of only 36 hours. My FR255 lasts easily 8 days on one charge with 3 10K runs with all GPS switched on. In addition, if you have to charge 5 times more than another watch, the battery longevity will decrease also much faster. What a deception that Apple is not able to manage this on par with the competition.
Do you feel that is enough? Did you consider the 955 for the training readiness and maps?
I already have a garmin edge so I don’t care about cycling dynamics and my Suunto ambit3 is on the end of life.
I've been so impressed with that 255. Such a good option. Still, I'm looking forward to testing this new one from Apple. Should be fun. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
Appreciate the humble intro! Subbed
This feels like the most braggy intro I've ever made in my three years making video on YT. 😬 I almost cut it 🤷♂️ Thanks Austin! I appreciate you saying this. 🙌
Do the Garmin watches also have a dive computer built in?
Good point. They do not. I don’t dive personally but it’d be cool to test those features. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
Just sold my Garmin 7x Sapphire Solar to get the ultra. Don’t get me wrong, the garmin was awesome, but I had the watch 7 series for a bit and once you have some amenities it’s hard to not miss them. Being able to leave your phone at home and still text and call. Apple Pay, email, unlock your front door…. It all comes together for an awesome experience. Now that the battery will last for an ultra marathon, which is what im getting into and why I sold the series 7 for the garmin, it sounds like it has everything I need.
That's super interesting Shred City but that's typically what I say to people who want to switch from Apple to Garmin. I think there's a lot people will miss. You'll have to keep me posted on if the Ultra will be able to work for your Ultra Marathons. I'll be very curious. And I'm looking forward to testing this one as well. Should be fun. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
@@mlegrand I’ll definitely keep you up on how it works for runs. Hopefully that extended workout mode software is released soon. Thanks for the content!
I am a huge apple product user with a MacBook, iMac, iPad, iPods and Apple TV. I'm a ultra trail runner and currently using the Suunto 5. Always wanted an AW but even at 36 hours its not enough to even consider using it for training and races. However, I think that Apple is on the right tract and will compete with the Garmin and Suunto sport watches.
I've yet to test any Suunto watches on this channel. It's really something I regret but I agree. Seems like Apple is on the right track but might need to go further iterating on this device. We'll see. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
The CPU is key for battery differences. Garmin has low performance (but very efficient) CPU running at 32 to 120Mhz while tracking an activity.
Apple Watch has two smaller CPU cores from the iPhone 11 and they run at 1800Mhz. Different leagues of performance gives very different battery life
Yeah, that's a huge difference. And I think Garmin plays a few extra tricks from time to time like when it's inactive. I'm wondering if Apple could slow down the clock speed and increase performance in some way. We'll see what tricks Apple has up it's sleeves. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
First time viewer and your video editing is 🔥 .. Great job!!
Dude, that is super nice of you to say Tyler! I really enjoy that part of making these videos. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
Thanks for changing the title- this makes a lot of sense. Still for the win Garmin until they fix the battery and stats issues.
Yeah, that's kind of the conclusion I come to Awesome Brotherhood. I do think it's interesting that Apple is taking this market segment seriously. Either way, I'm really looking forward to testing this one. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it.
I have an EPIX 2, which I can't fault, but drawn in by the Ultra launch video and a large dose of Dopamine, I ordered one, then realised as a cyclist that a lot of the features of the Ultra would be wasted on me, so today, I cancelled my order. The EPIX battery life and screen clarity never fail to amaze me, so for now, I'll as stay a fully paid-up member of the Garmin eco-sphere. PS When I ordered my Ultra, I also ordered an iPhone 14 Pro Max and cancelled that also when I realised that iOS16 is all that I really needed. Thanks, Apple, you have saved me a few £££££'s
I *think* that was probably the right call Peter. I've give this some thought also and I don't see that much here for serious cyclists. I do think it's interesting that Apple is taking this market segment seriously. Either way, I'm really looking forward to testing this one. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it.
Will we see it display current split info while running? Right now i use my garmin for any interval work because while i can log a solit, i cant see the pace ir time of that split. Unless its user error. Critical to replace my 955.
Good question Josh. I don't know what all we'll be able to see when we use the new Action button. I think split button is one of the big sports features the AW has been missing. We'll see. I'm really looking forward to testing it. Thanks Josh!
If you are fitness then garmin is the way to go, why do I need a smart watch when I always have my smart phone? Only time I don’t have my phone is when I’m running. This is not even close-garmin. I have the 955 which I love, it’s light which is why I switched to it from a Fenix 7 solar
Yeah, that's kind of the conclusion I come to Dennis. I've probably been wearing the 955 the most recently and it's a great option. I do think it's interesting that Apple is taking this market segment seriously. Either way, I'm really looking forward to testing this one. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it.
@@mlegrand agree definitely a step forward for them. I mean this watch caught my attention before I never even thought as an apple each for fitness but this one is a good step but overall I’m a garmin fan and I just like the styling the apple I don’t like the style. Np I enjoy your content
Bought my son a Fenix 5S for Graduation. He didn't end up using it. My wife bought me an Apple watch (About $400), the watch only lasted 1.5 years. The Fenix 5S is still going strong. One of the first signs of the Apple watch demise was the almost exponential decay in battery life.
Can't justify the cost for a limited life span.
Just one consumer's opinion.
I did try to take the Apple watch in to get it fixed and not worth it.
Battery decay is an issue I didn't mention in this video but it's a very very good point. Maybe 18 or 36 hours is enough for you but after a year or two, if it's only getting half that, it might be a real issue. Thanks Monte!
i will probably pick one up in October, i mostly bike, and explore, it will suit my needs perfectly, and most of my devices are apple based so it'll work harmoniously with my other devices,
Yeah, it isn’t perfect for cycling but it’ll get the job done. You’ll have to let me know what you think David. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
The form factor of this watch, plus the fact that it's the only major lifestyle component that keeps me from completing the Apple ecosystem makes it intriguing but I just can't get over that I'd have to charge it 3-4 times between when I currently need to charge my Garmin tactix Delta. It's a major step in the direction I like, but still need a much better battery before I dive in.
That Garmin Taxtix is 🔥 Yeah, the battery might drive you nuts but there are things you'd probably like about it also. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
No one is talking about the Garmin Connect app on your phone and laptop. I use this app as a central place for all health and training info. There seems to be no equivalent on Apple. Is this true? If you switch to Apple Watch Ultra, where will you view all your fitness and health info on the iPhone? I also use Training Peaks and Strava, so I guess all that data can be viewed from there.
There's a Health app that'll show stuff like HRV, steps, trends, sleep, etc. And then there's a Fitness app that has details about workouts. I think if you're used to Garmin Connect that you might be slightly disappointed with the way things are organized here on the Apple specific apps. Syncing to Training Peaks and Strava is kind of a pain in the a**. I just don't like the way that Apple works to keep everything in their own little 'walled garden'. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍