I walked 15,000 steps with the Garmin Instinct 3 vs Apple Watch Ultra 3 at Europe's biggest tech show — 5 things I learned

I’m in Barcelona, Spain, reporting on Mobile World Congress, Europe’s largest consumer technology show. With no shortage of ground to cover, for day two of the show, I logged my walking efforts wearing two of the best smartwatch models (and personal favorites of mine), the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Garmin Instinct 3.

With the Garmin on my right wrist and the Apple Watch on my left, I made my way to the convention center from my hotel, a roughly two-mile walk. Intent on maximizing my workout for the day, I opted to not only avoid taxis and public transit on my way to and from the show, but also chose the stairs over escalators and solid ground over moving walkways, every chance I got.

With roughly 15,000 steps in the books on day 2 of MWC, here are the five biggest takeaways I gleaned from the data logged by the Apple Watch Ultra 3 versus the Garmin Instinct 3.

Apple Watch Ultra 3 vs Garmin Instinct 3: MWC day 2 results

1. Garmin logged far more distance covered

After about four hours and 45 minutes out and about, I returned to my hotel room, concluded tracking on both devices, and analyzed the results. Much to my surprise, the Garmin Instinct 3 recorded a substantially greater amount of distance (+1.13 miles) covered compared to the Apple Watch Ultra 3.

2. Apple and Garmin recorded nearly the same step count totals

Despite vastly different distance tallies, the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Garmin Instinct 3 noted remarkably similar step count totals of roughly 15,000 steps, with just 106 steps separating their calculations. That’s impressive, for sure, but then again, it only adds to my confusion on the distance front.

3. Apple's elevation gain data seems inflated

The area of Barcelona I’m currently operating in is relatively flat, which is why I was somewhat surprised to see that my Apple Watch logged 935 total feet of elevation gain. The Garmin Instinct 3, meanwhile, noted a much more reasonable climb metric of 548 feet. So, why is Apple’s ascent data so high? I’m guessing that the handful of times I had no choice but to take an escalator upwards were a factor.

4. Apple and Garmin measured similar average heart rates and calories burned

Both the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Garmin Instinct 3 logged roughly the same average heart rate for my day out and about covering the latest tech. The smartwatches also recorded a similar amount of calories burned; however, Garmin noted a considerably higher maximum heart rate than Apple, something I’m at a loss to account for.

5. The Instinct 3 used far less battery than the Ultra 3

I spent just shy of five hours out at MWC on day 2, with both smartwatches running full-steam, logging my location, heart rate, and more. During that period, the Garmin Instinct 3 drained just 6% of its battery compared to 20% for the Apple Watch Ultra 3.

Ultimately, both smartwatches performed well in tracking my journalistic efforts from a step count standpoint while covering day two of Mobile World Congress. However, with what appears to be more accurate ascent and distance data, and far superior power management, I’m leaning toward sticking with the Garmin to track day 3.

Which of these two powerhouse smartwatches do you prefer? Let me know below.

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