Battle of the Fitness Watches: Apple Watch V Garmin Instinct Solar

[@katiegarrisonfitness]

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[@mefjupl8679]

Great comparison of two watches being on the very opposite ends of smart-fitness spectrum. Garmin Instinct is super task focused, limiting the smart-watch features to the minimum, great for extreme sports such as surfing, mountain running, triathlon(Instinct 2) etc, no wonder that its used by special forces. Meanwhile, apple watch is an office smartwatch, that focuses on looks, notifications, great screen, widgets and other smart features. And even if its sport features are an afterthought, it really makes the best out of its capabilities in this regard.

[@ji-yoonpark948]

Very helpful video!!

[@dshpeegz]

Having tried all sorts of trackers, I’m down to either sticking with Apple Watch 8 with Athlytic or the whoop strap. Apple Watch 8 has fast charging so throw it on during a shower and it blasts it up to 80% or so that’s less of an issue. Whoop however lasts 4 days and now can track strength workouts so I’ll probably end up with that.

[@katiegarrisonfitness]

Nice! I’ve heard a lot especially about Whoop, but haven’t tried either of those before. Sounds great, let me know what you think of the whoop tracker!

[@nicozica]

Amazing analysis Katie!! Very detailed and straightforward. I own a Garmin Venu 2 Plus since a couple of months. It is basically the Apple Watch made by Garmin. Cheers for you and the cute furry buddy!!

[@katiegarrisonfitness]

Thanks! I’ve heard of the Venu, if the Apple’s battery life doesn’t improve, that might be my next watch!

[@lizzypicardi]

Thanks Katie, subbed I think I want the Garmin !

[@katiegarrisonfitness]

Thanks for the Sub! Awesome, the Garmin is a great watch, let me know what you think of it!

[@sammyfishermesser]

That’s why people should be getting the Garmin instinct 2X tactical solar edition, and when you are not in the army training or going on a adventure just wear an Apple Watch 8 or 9 series or a Seiko five

[@waynecheah9060]

I have to go for the instinct solar , both apple watch and garmin are top tier brand and i own apple watch at first i had alot of great experience using it , im a runner and i find the activity tracking super useful but sadly my apple watch se dont have always on display and it might drains battery as well. i switched to instinct 2 and i find it more comfortable as the battery life on garmin is way better plus with always on display and i find the activity tracking to be accurate as well both are almost in the same price i would go for garmin for now

[@katiegarrisonfitness]

Yeah, that’s my biggest problem with apple, the battery life can definitely use some improvement! The Garmin is way ahead in that area + the simple Garmin display is really clean and easy to use. Thanks for watching!

[@mattdickey2454]

I have the regular Garmin Instinct and got it after returning a Samsung smart watch due to inaccurate ride distance and had to charge it daily. The Garmin only needs charging once a week or so and charges in about an hour. I like my watch on my wrist, not on my night stand. I can't imagine aver buying a watch that needs to be charged every day no matter how cool.

[@katiegarrisonfitness]

Nice! Glad you’re enjoying your Garmin! I like my apple a lot except the battery life, that’s one thing Garmin definitely excels at!

[@bradj9531]

Having both the Apple Watch 8 and a Garmin Forerunner 945, I have a lot of experience with both. The Garmin tracks a lot more data, which for a serious athlete or someone who is training for events (e.g. marathon, triathlon, century ride, etc.). The Apple Watch is easier to use for most people and tracks everyday activities great. The Apple Watch is a smart watch mostly and does a really good job at tracking fitness activities. The Garmin is an excellent fitness watch (not smart watch) with incredibly accurate sensors for helping you achieve your fitness goals if you are someone who is serious about that. Both are great, but I feel like they are targeted for different users. Great video!

[@katiegarrisonfitness]

Great insight Brad, I totally agree!

[@fernandoventura__]

Thanks for the review. Greetings from Portugal.

[@katiegarrisonfitness]

Glad it was helpful!

[@runningwolf3451]

I sold my Apple Watch 8 when I purchased the Venu 3 and have not regretted it one bit.

[@ireneperkins5856]

Thanks for the review! That's very helpful. I love Apple but likely will go for a Garmin until Apple can improve its battery life.

[@1990gerard]

Yeah, i can’t spend 800 ultra but just upgraded to Garmin for that beautiful battery life!

[@katiegarrisonfitness]

Glad you enjoyed the video! Same, I don’t think my next one will be Apple unless they fix the battery issue

[@katiegarrisonfitness]

Nice! Enjoy that long battery life!

[@hewster1]

If you want more of a traditional smart watch with touch screen, get the fenix. I prefer the instinct 2x because I don't want a touch screen, but it's an option

[@sainte3443]

No contest. As an Apple watch user since 2016, Garmin Instinct 2 has been a game changer. The GPS/Navigational features motivate me to go and get lost in the wilderness and I don’t have to worry so much about battery life.

[@mrjkstark]

I’ve got an Apple Watch 8 and Instinct Solar Tactical. My daily driver is the Apple Watch, but when I have army duty, 100% Garmin. I don’t have to worry about it getting banged up out in the field, don’t have to worry about charging it, etc.

[@katiegarrisonfitness]

That’s really the best of both worlds! The Apple is definitely not as rough and tumble as the Garmin, so that’s a great way to use them both. Thank you for your service!

[@timstanley5655]

I have the Garmin Instinct Solar and it goes several weeks and still has power to spare. The workout tracking on my walk/runs works great too.

[@katiegarrisonfitness]

Nice! The battery & activity tracking are so great on the Garmin, glad you’re enjoying yours!

[@tcwhite0104]

Have an Apple Series 9 and it sucks!!! Getting the Garmin Instinct Crossover Solar or the Casio H2000 now that is supports Apple Health and Strava.

[@Mr.3000TX]

Got a Garmin Epix Pro series 2 for Father’s Day. Immediately got rid of my Apple Watch Series 7. I have no regrets. I had an issue after starting two long runs from my Apple Watch, they didn’t port over to my phone. So I never started it from The watch again. With the Garmin, I can start a run with the watch, once I open the Nike Run Club app, it’s already there. So I’m sold on garmin, I’ll never go back to apple

[@suzannawise5773]

I’ve been looking into the Apple Watch ⌚️ I think I’m sold!

[@Peoriahiker]

Just moved from Apple to Instinct. First battery life on Apple in gps mode is useless in long runs or all day hikes. Second, while rings a mostly good, I became obsessed with consecutive days and wouldn’t take necessary days off (my issue, not Apple’s. I love the Garmin, and will not go back to Apple unless they seriously improve battery life with comparable priced watch.

[@katiegarrisonfitness]

I totally get that! I just got myself a Garmin Venu 3S & I already love the battery life increase! The rings were nice, but I don’t miss them haha

[@JPBVideo]

You CAN send outgoing texts, although they are canned. At least on Android you can. So take another point away from Apple if it doesn't allow that. Also, you can see the weather on the Instinct and switch out the bands.

[@katiegarrisonfitness]

Yeah, those can be really convenient if you’re in a pinch!

[@joeribal6153]

I had an Apple Watch 8 after a Garmin Forerunner 35. Battery life really sucked. I had to charge it overnight, so no sleep tracking. I sold it to buy an Garmin Instinct 2X Solar. Apple really needs to improve battery life. You don’t want to charge it every night. You can not do multiple hours workouts, sleeptracking. The AW is just a goodlooking smartwatch. Bit with poor battery life.

[@katiegarrisonfitness]

Yeah, totally agree. The AW could use some big battery upgrades!

[@dr_melski]

please check audio levels in your video, i had to turn up volume to hear you talk, and then music blared at 110decibels

[@katiegarrisonfitness]

Thanks for the feedback, will do!

[@dr_melski]

Video was very informative tho 🎉

[@andersfoken205]

Yep... The AW battery is awful😢 also have AW5 & my wife has AW6. Want to buy instinct 2x and forget for everydaycharging😂

[@katiegarrisonfitness]

I totally get it! That GIS battery is hard to beat!

[@forkless]

I have one and I absolutely love it! Depending on your settings and how much sun is available you can actually see it go up on some days -- pretty crazy.

[@kaspertorstensson6954]

Apple watch susks at gps and bpm

[@user-pc3hq5ew6d]

Instinct 2 elevator version 4 , more accurate than instinct 1

[@katiegarrisonfitness]

I’ve heard great things about the 2! I bet it’s a great watch too!

[@samersammour6801]

Instinct doesn't have ECG. It only monitors heart rate.

[@musteronkel]

if I have to charge my Apple Watch every night, I can't track my sleep. right now i want to analyze my sleep for a week. but since I only have Watch 6, I was forced to buy a power bank for Apple Watch. now I come to work and put the watch to charge. then I go to the meeting and forget the clock. I remember sometime in the afternoon. it's not a disaster, but Apple could have done something about it and not just for $1000. my next watch will be the Garmin Instinct 2X. sorry Apple!

[@katiegarrisonfitness]

Right! That seems like a big design flaw with the Apple, I personally don't track my sleep, so I'm fine with charging at night, but for those who want to actually use that feature, its a bit inconvenient!

[@azcue]

Are you serious? Garmin has zero competition, if you are a serious athlete.

[@katiegarrisonfitness]

For serious athletes you’re totally right the Garmin is the way to go, but for the average consumer the Apple can be a great option!

[@alexstransportvideos9368]

@@Blue4Life_you charge a phone every day, what’s the difference😊

[@janmasek699]

Do U charge your brain every day as well 😊 ?

[@Vazter]

@@janmasek699 do you charge your moms brain everyday?😂

[@janmasek699]

@@Vazter What a silly nobrain comment....

[@mangatmangat6520]

Is there anyone who wear two watches everyday?

[@katiegarrisonfitness]

I definitely don't, but I'm sure someone out there does! Lol

[@vinnyandrocky]

My instinct solar freezes every now and then. After just 1 year, it dies. Will not buy again.

[@katiegarrisonfitness]

That sucks! They’re supposed to have a much longer life than that, maybe there’s some kind of warranty or you can send it in to get fixed?

[@AB-li1eo]

your dog is playing offended

[@katiegarrisonfitness]

Haha he sure was!

[@TankTheSpank]

I don’t understand why people care so much about their heart rate. If you are running I will spoil it for you… It will be higher than your average heart rate. If you are resting your heart rate will be lower than your average heart rate while awake.

[@seenso]

I had a family member with heart disease, so heart health is important to me. I have the Apple Watch because it can detect irregular heart beats. It can also record EKGS so that I can see if I’m experiencing PVC or irregular heartbeats to then share with my health care provider.

[@hewster1]

Yea... it's definitely a lot more than that 😂. You may want to educate yourself a little bit before commenting again

[@TankTheSpank]

@@hewster1 please do educate me. The results is nothing going to give you a medical intervention. Atrial fibrillation is treated by anti coagulation medications unless symptomatic which you would feel it without a watch, so hospital will be needed. Irregular heart rate of PVC if not frequent doesn’t need medical intervention. Caffeine can cause PVC, hint stop drinking caffeine… Tachycardia? You would feel it. Wouldn’t need a watch to tell you, but if you have decrease sensation to the heart related to diabetes then sure this may benefit you. Most of the population isn’t in this category. Issues with bradycardia then sure you may need the watch, but again if you read the fine print of these devices they show their readings are not meant to be based for medical advice. So their readings can be inaccurate and you should be taking medications based on its resiltd

[@TankTheSpank]

@@hewster1 It's really not. Unless you have problems with atrial fibrillation or irregular heart beats then the heart rate is completely useless. I will explain it to you this way based on the results (given you are healthy) what is going to be the intervention based on you Heart rate? Metoprolol is given to lower heart rate, but again if you are a normal healthy individual its not going to be helpful.

[@hewster1]

@@TankTheSpank Knowing heart rate zones for specific workouts is very beneficial as well as analyzing heart rate throughout the day during specific activities to understand how your body reacts.... or do you think those studies being done by mayoclinic to this day are useless? (they use essentially the same monitors, and yes, I have worked with them in a professional environment for them to gather data). Additionally.... why do you care if people care? I am sure there are numerous things you are "obsessed with", one of them is likely trolling youtube comments. That being said, you comment on things while refusing to apply logic or doing some research before commenting. I suggest you do both to prevent further embarrassment.

[@Mr.3000TX]

Got a Garmin Epix Pro series 2 for Father’s Day. Immediately got rid of my Apple Watch Series 7. I have no regrets. I had an issue after starting two long runs from my Apple Watch, they didn’t port over to my phone. So I never started it from The watch again. With the Garmin, I can start a run with the watch, once I open the Nike Run Club app, it’s already there. So I’m sold on garmin, I’ll never go back to apple

[@katiegarrisonfitness]

Same! I switched to a Garmin Venu earlier this year (about to do a review video on it) and I love it! The run tracking is way better than Apple!

[@Mr.3000TX]

@@katiegarrisonfitnessit make me realize that I’ve been doing it all wrong. I go out, tell myself I’m going to run 5 miles. Start running at like a 7:30 min per mile, I’m burned out by the halfway mark. Starting with the Garmin, it had me start with base runs at around 11:30 min per mile. Seemed too slow at first, but it helped with the confidence and consistency.

[@katiegarrisonfitness]

That’s awesome!👏🏼 🔥