This Garmin does what the Apple Watch Ultra can’t

Did you know that there are smartwatches on the market today that blow the Apple Watch Ultra out of the water? Take Garmin Fenix ​​7X Solar Sapphire Edition,

i own a apple watch ultra Since its release in September 2022, and it’s been on my wrist almost constantly over the past eight months, its presence has been annoying a few times on my wrist, except when it’s charging, and when I swing my kettlebells a few times a week. (Because no matter how hard it is, it won’t beat repeated kettlebell smashes on the face of the clock.)

And it has accompanied me on many adventures. Whether walking, hiking, or on photography or drone flying trips, the Apple Watch Ultra has been a constant companion. It has been in rain, snow, ice and heat waves. I’ve worn it while sweating up steep hills and relaxing in a hot tub.

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Sure, I haven’t taken it to Everest or on an ultramarathon, but there have been times when it has been my only source of light, and even my only link with the world at large.

But it sure has had a pretty rough life so far, and it’s given me a pretty good idea of ​​the device’s strengths and weaknesses.

I’ve been testing other outdoor smartwatches along with the Apple Watch Ultra. (Yeah, I’m wearing two watches, so what? All the cool kids are wearing two smartwatches.) All that testing has given me a pretty good sense of what the competition can offer.

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Okay, let’s start with the Apple Watch Ultra. After more than eight months of consistent wear (I wear it on my left wrist, crown down, because that way the crown doesn’t bump into a pocket or glove) and the Ultra’s condition has remained far more spotless than I expected.

The sapphire crystal is near perfect, while the titanium case has some very light scratches and scuff marks.

This is a difficult time.

Battery life has also been good (for an Apple Watch). I can expect about three days of battery life before I get worried, but heavy use of Maps or the fitness features can reduce that to a few days.

Not bad for an Apple Watch, but there are smartwatches in the market that blow away this performance.

Take Garmin Fenix ​​7X Solar Sapphire Edition Which I am wearing with Apple Watch Ultra. This Garmin has been charged once and has gone without a charge for about two weeks, and it still says it has six days left of regular use (or 90 days if I put it in battery saver mode).

It has been going on for so long that I am not sure where I put the charging cable. (Yes, the Fenix ​​7 line requires a proprietary charging cable.) The solar cell in the face collects sunlight, giving the battery a little boost when I’m out exploring.

On the sturdiness front, the Fenix ​​7X fared well. However, I’m already finding that the black DLC (diamond-like coating) finish is coming off. A small cosmetic thing, but if you like small cosmetic things, it might bother you a lot.

Besides battery life and coating, there are a few other ways the Garmin smartwatch beats out Apple’s offering when it goes out.

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First off, the Apple Watch Ultra relies heavily on that touchscreen display. It’s great for everyday use, but if you’re wearing gloves, or your hands are cold, or the display gets wet, that touchscreen becomes a pain to use. Pour water over it, and touch input becomes exceedingly unreliable.

While the Fenix ​​7X has a touchscreen display, it also has buttons, and these buttons make it very easy to operate the watch when wet or with gloves on.

I’m also a big fan of that big display. Those big, bold letters and numbers are easy on my aging eyes. And Garmin has stuffed a lot of information onto that 1.4-inch display.

Whatever the circumstances, it is very easy on the eyes.

The Fenix ​​7X has an actual LED flashlight built into the side of the watch that can be changed from white to red. This is a great touch because it frees up the display to still be a display; The flashlight is perfect for small tasks like reading maps and lighting the way in an emergency.

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Finally, Garmin comes with topographic maps loaded onto the smartwatch (and there are also third-party maps you can buy, such as the excellent talkietoaster), eliminating the need for a cellular connection when searching.

The Apple Watch Ultra has Apple Maps, and access to them depends on an Internet connection. I’m not aware of any third party offering that fills this gap.

This seems like a major omission on a watch that is said to be designed for explorers.

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The Apple Watch Ultra suffers from a few other weaknesses as well. For example, coordinates on the main front screen can take years to update—minutes, ten minutes, sometimes more—making the feature seem more like a gimmick than a useful tool. Similarly, here in the UK, our maps use a coordinate system called british national grid, Apple doesn’t support it (though there are apps that can change the current state of the system), while Garmin smartwatches have no problem with it.

All these little things add up.

One thing I’m often asked is how different smartwatches compare with respect to accuracy of walking distance and step counting. All the units I’ve tried with the Apple Watch Ultra have agreed within 5%. Which one is more accurate? I can not say.

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However, when it comes to the app ecosystem, Apple has beaten the competition. Almost any app you can think of already exists for the Apple Watch. By comparison, the Garmin smartwatch offering is a bit limited.

There is no doubt that the Apple Watch Ultra is a great smartwatch. but pitting it against a tool like Garmin Fenix ​​7X Solar Sapphire Not only does it highlight some of the Apple Watch’s weaknesses, but it also demonstrates the difference between a company that makes a mass-market device versus a company that really understands what’s important to people who spend a lot of time outside.