Water or wine? The head or the heart? Apple or Garmin? Like all of life’s great either-or choices, folks have been pondering which smartwatch to buy from the Big Two Brands since the dawn of time. (Okay, maybe just the past decade.)
Thanks to access to both the latest Apple Watch Series 11 and Garmin Venu 4 and a rainy Sunday afternoon with nothing else to do, I suited up in my best waterproof jacket and a proper pair of weather and slip-resistant hiking boots, and set off for an urban jaunt around gloomy yet colorful (thanks to the changing leaves) Seattle, Washington.
With the Garmin on my left wrist, the Apple Watch on my right, and Strava running on my trusty iPhone 12 mini, I began my manually-counted 5,000-step adventure unaware of just how sour the weather would turn. (I could have done without the hail.)
Once back safe and sound in my cozy home, I checked the data. The results: One smartwatch proved decisively more accurate. Read on to find out which one, the Apple Watch Series 11 or the Garmin Venu 4.
Apple Watch 11 vs Garmin Venu 4: Quick comparison
The Garmin Venu 4 and Apple Watch Series 11 are both brand-new (for 2025), ultra-popular smartwatches from two of the most established players in the game.
While the Apple Watch 11 is more focused on a balance of wellness/fitness chops with smart features, the Venu 4 is more geared toward fitness fanatics who want the absolute best training insights and just enough smart features to get by.
The biggest differences between the two come down to price (the Garmin starts at $150 more than the Apple Watch), connectivity (only the Apple Watch is cellular capable), and GPS. On that front, the Venu 4 has a more robust multi-band antenna compared to a single-band antenna for the Series 11.
The Apple Watch also has access to the world's largest app store, while the selection of third-party apps available for the Garmin Venu 4 is downright tiny by comparison.
Here's a closer look at how a Apple Watch Series 11 vs. Garmin Venu 4 comparison shakes out from my colleague, Jane McGuire, as she's been rocking both on and off for a few weeks.
Apple Watch 11 vs Garmin Venu 4: Walk test results
To keep an accurate tally of my steps, my left foot only took odd numbered steps and my right foot even numbered ones. I also used a good old-fashion manual tally counter to note every hundred steps taken, making the whole process much easier.
| Header Cell - Column 0 | Apple Watch 11 | Garmin Venu 4 | Control |
|---|---|---|---|
Step count | 4,921 steps | 4,998 steps | 5,000 steps (manual count) |
Distance | 2.69 miles | 2.65 miles | 2.75 miles (Strava) |
Elevation gain | 277 feet | 282 feet | 255 feet (Strava) |
Average moving pace | 17 mins 36 secs per mile | 17 mins 02 secs per mile | 16 mins 44 secs per mile (Strava) |
Average heart rate | 123 bpm | 124 bpm | n/a |
Max heart rate | 163 bpm | 167 bpm | n/a |
Total calories burned | 335 calories | 321 calories | n/a |
Device battery usage | 7% | 5% | n/a |
Before diving into the results, it's worth noting that both the Apple Watch Series 11 and Garmin Venu 4 turned in extremely accurte data. That said, Garmin's was just a little bit better.
I've got to admit, I was a little surprised that Garmin's step count was just two off from my actual total. This very well may be the most accurate step count result I've come across (and I've easily done 25-plus similar head-to-heads).
The Apple Watch Series 11 was no slouch either when it came to accurately tallying my steps, with less than 80 steps separating its count from the actual count.
The Apple Watch also appears to have slightly more accurate distance data, using Strava as our control. This is rather curious given the Venu 4's comparably more advanced GPS. Both devices overcounted my climb data — Seattle is a darn hilly city — but not by a concerning amount.
Strava generated a quicker moving pace than both Garmin and Apple. While the Apple Watch only provides one metric for pace, which I highly suspect is elapsed pace versus moving pace, Garmin and Strava offer both. Noted above is either's moving pace tallies. FWIW, Garmin's elapsed pace was 18 minutes, 31 seconds per mile and Strava's was 17 minutes, 10 seconds per mile.
Garmin and Apple both reported similar enough average heart rates, though the former noted a higher maximum beats per minute. Calories burned, a data point I largely ignore, is also about the same. As expected, the Apple Watch burned a little more battery than the Garmin.
Apple Watch 11 vs Garmin Venu 4: And the winner is...
With a remarkably accurate step count total that's just two steps off from my actual, manual 5,000-step count, the Garmin Venu 4 wins this showdown against the Apple Watch Series 11. That said, this one was extremely close and both wearables performed beyond admirably.
Which smartwatches or fitness trackers would you like to see me test head-to-head next? Let me know in the comments below.
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