The Apple vs Garmin debate continues, and if you’re looking to upgrade your running watch, you might be trying to decide between the Garmin Fenix 8 and the newly released Apple Watch Ultra 3.
I’m currently running with the standard Garmin Fenix 8, not the Fenix 8 Pro, which was launched a month or so ago. You can check out the differences between the two in our Garmin Fenix 8 vs Fenix 8 Pro comparison.
But what happened when I swapped my trusty Fenix 8 for the Apple Watch Ultra 3 for a week? I’ve run marathons with the Fenix 8 and have found it the best of the best when it comes to Garmin’s health and fitness tracking features. Read on to find out how the two compared, and what I liked and missed when switching to Apple’s newest adventure watch.
Liked: Large, bright display
From a design point of view, there’s not all too much of a difference between the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 — the screen of the newer watch is ever so slightly bigger, but even when looking at the two watches side by side, it’s not all that noticeable.
When comparing the screen to my Garmin Fenix 8, however, the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is significantly brighter. Apple says the screen has a brightness of 3,000 nits. Garmin doesn’t share the brightness of its screens, but it’s estimated to be about 1,000 nits on the Fenix 8.
The Fenix 8 Pro is a lot brighter, especially considering there’s a MicroLED version to choose from, but swapping from the regular Fenix 8 to the Apple Watch Ultra 3, I was impressed by Apple’s screen, even in direct sunlight.
Like: Safety features
As a female runner, I really care about the safety features of the device on my wrist. Both the Garmin Fenix 8 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 have a decent amount — the Garmin Fenix 8 has Incident Detection, which will send my location to my emergency contacts if I fall while running. There’s also LiveTrack on the watch, which offers real-time location sharing with my selected contacts.
The Apple Watch Ultra 3, on the other hand, has a built-in siren, international emergency SOS, fall detection and crash detection. New on the Ultra 3 is satellite messaging. This feature is intended for emergencies, allowing you to share your location and details with responders and touch base with loved ones.
It’s free, and you don’t need to have a cellular subscription to use it. You can’t send satellite messages on the regular Fenix 8; you can on the Fenix 8 Pro, but you’ll need an active subscription to send messages.
Like: Smartwatch features and third-party apps
Without getting into the smartwatch vs sportswatch debate, wearing the Ultra 3 for a week reminded me how this really is the best Apple Watch for anyone serious about their training. The Action Button makes it far easier to use the watch when training, and as a smartwatch, it outperforms the Fenix 8 by a mile.
I use my Apple Watch to reply to messages on the move, answer calls from my wrist, and even track my cycle. While my Fenix 8 allows me to log my periods in the Connect app, it doesn’t connect to third-party apps. I can seamlessly sync my Apple Watch data with Natural Cycles, which I cannot do on my Garmin.
Missed: Smaller design
I use the 43mm Fenix 8, which sits a lot more comfortably on my petite wrists than the 49mm Apple Watch Ultra 3. I find it tricky to wear the Ultra 3 to sleep in, as it does really stick out from my wrist bones. I dream of the day Apple offers users two different sizes of the Ultra line to choose from, as they do with the standard Apple Watch, but until then, I find Garmin’s circular bezel watches more comfortable.
As someone who swims and runs in the rain a lot, I also missed Garmin’s ability to disable the touchscreen altogether during sports.
Missed: Battery life
Last, but by no means least, the battery life of the Apple Watch Ultra 3 still doesn’t compare to the Garmin equivalents. The Ultra 3 has the best battery life of any Apple Watch, and I have noticed I get two days between charges, which is slightly more generous than Apple’s predicted 42 hours. That said, my Fenix 8 lasts around 10 days in smartwatch mode, without the always-on screen enabled.
Have I made the switch for good? Maybe. I might still wear my Fenix 8 for running workouts and marathons, but the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is a tough smartwatch to beat.
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