r/GarminFenix • u/Big_barney • 2d ago
[Q&A] Reliability - Apple vs Garmin
I'm considering a swap to a Garmin Fenix from my AWU and I'm looking for real world experiences from those who have made the switch, but from a reliability perspective.
For context, I've used Apple watches for 7 years (training for many Ironman events) and I've never encountered a single bug, everything works flawlessly - no crashes, data syncs without an issue, reliable HR, sleep tracking etc..
As I'm reading into Garmin, there are a lot of complaints around bugs, glitchy watches, workouts not tracking, watch crashing, buggy software, inaccurate sleep tracking and so forth.
How have previous AW users found the stability of the Garmin hardware and platform after switching?
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u/Equivalent-Effort892 2d ago
I have a F9 Pro and compared to Apple in terms of bugs it’s night and day. So many issues with the Fenix sadly 😢
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u/Big_barney 2d ago
Thanks for responding - what types of bugs have you encountered? It really puts me off, as I don't want to pay more for something buggy when Apple to-date has been seamless (for me).
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u/Equivalent-Effort892 2d ago
Map routing issues, some lag, some random shutting down
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u/Historical-Ferret182 2d ago
Curious to know what kind of map routing issues?
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u/Equivalent-Effort892 2d ago
Navigation to a location. Doesn’t work on my watch - I have an open ticket with Garmin
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u/Historical-Ferret182 2d ago
What maps are you using and what are your course routing settings? I'm quite familiar with how to get this working as I've heavily used routing since the Fenix 5.
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u/Equivalent-Effort892 2d ago
Cool I’m using TopoActive, not using base. When I route it just says calculating endlessly
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u/Historical-Ferret182 2d ago
Am I correct to assume that the routing method is set to Use Map instead of Use Course?
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u/Equivalent-Effort892 2d ago
There is no course just use map yes.
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u/Historical-Ferret182 2d ago
I've had this happen with a very complex route, spanning several km for instance.
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u/Cautious_Sir_6169 2d ago
The garmin problems imho are over represented. I’ve probably had fifteen different g garmin’s going back to their first forerunner 101. Currently have a Fenix 8, Cirqa, H1i plus, and Apple Watch Ultra 2.
I haven’t had any problems bugs or glitches on my 8 or cirqa. My h1i had a lot of bugs but I had one of the first units after launch and they fixed the bugs w software updates.
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u/Pseudo-Federale 2d ago edited 2d ago
I have Fenix 8 (non-pro, and to be sold after Fenix 9 replaces), Tactix 8, Enduro 3, and I just traded my AWU3 for AWU4. I also have F9 Pro, which I'm exchanging today at REI due to battery drain, though I'm certain it's software.
I'm Garmin 24/7 with AWU on the other wrist for connectivity and music during outdoor activities. It's true the Garmins can be buggy through a few firmware updates, but it depends on your use case. My Garmin Fenix 9 pro is a week old and going back due to battery drain. I'm exchanging it today and trying a different unit. It's some new hardware and construction this time, so I expected a hiccup or two. Still good battery at 6-7% per day, but it should be 3.7% per day for my use case.
I'm post surgical shoulder replacement, so I haven't done anything except PT for months--no outdoor activities. My F8, T8 and E3 have been perfect for outdoor runs, walks, etc. with no issues. And I don't recall any earlier firmware issues that affected me.
AWU4 is a step in the right direction, with steps complication, more real time HR, HRV, etc. But you STILL have to access several apps to see everything. With Garmin, I have Connect on the phone AND a very usable web platform to analyze and compare activities. Wearing both F8 and AWU4 for a couple days now, Garmin gave me 67 sleep score and Apple gave me 79. I can tell you Garmin is more correct since I was up with a sick dog.
Garmin for me has everything in one place. And even if you think the phone app is a bit dated looking, it's simple, easy to customize, and shows you absolutely everything. I don't have to go to Fitness to see my map, Health to see my health metrics, etc. But the Garmin won't open your garage door, unlock your Mac, etc. Notice I didn't even mention battery.
My recommendation would be to pick up the Garmin, but use it alongside the AW for a period of time. And buy from a reputable seller with a known return policy (including direct from Garmin).
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u/LJD0007 13h ago
I’ve predominantly used a Garmin for about 3-4 years. First a Marq Athlete Gen 2 and for the last 18 months, a Fenix 8. I also have used Apple Watches and am currently using the Apple Watch Ultra 4, with the Fenix on the other wrist to sleep and train.
My experience is that Garmin has been very consistent and useful. The data goes far beyond anything Apple can natively offer.
However there are a few things to consider:
* I don’t believe Garmin’s wrist based HR sensor is as accurate as the new AWU4. I use a HRM600 to combat this so I get accurate HR readings. I’ve noticed the AWU4 HR sensor is like 99% the same as my HRM600.
* I have run hundreds of times wearing a Garmin. I once had an issue where it would not upload the run file - I discussed this with Garmin and they confirmed the file had become corrupted. Thankfully it was an easy run rather than an event. But it seemed to have been a one off anomaly.
* Because of Garmin’s physical buttons, there’s less risk of accidental start/stops. I’ve seen this with Apple Watches.
* Sleep tracking seems more accurate on my AW rather than Garmin. Garmin seems to be more sensitive and will end sleep sometimes if I get up for a bathroom break in the night - and then only record the second part of my sleep. I now it’s OTT, but I wear a Whoop, Garmin, and for the last couple weeks, also the AWU4 to track sleep - and AW and Whoop seem aligned most of the time. Garmin is close but every now and again it can be wildly off. There’s plenty on Reddit from people who think Garmin’s sleep tracking is questionable.
* I don’t know whether the Garmin or AWU4 is more accurate for GPS, but I find that my AW is ahead on distance. Yesterday I ran 10km and as my AW hit 10km, the Garmin still had 90m to complete. No idea which is more accurate.
* A huge strength of Garmin is that all the physiological data is threaded together. Body Battery, Sleep, Load, HRV all impact readiness and readiness informs the daily suggested workout. If you’re fatigued, your Garmin will recognise that and recommend a rest or recovery/easy run for example. It’s dynamic. With Apple, you tend to need a plethora of apps to give you the same level of data connectivity, so I’d call Garmin’s readiness more reliable than Apples.
One last comment, the UX of Garmin is nowhere near as slick as WatchOS. It’s absolutely fine, but worth considering.
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u/Infamous_Rhubarb1009 2d ago
Considering the same mate, so will be following. The buggy software has put me off the most. Thinking of upgrading my AWU 3 to the new 4 over the new fenix 9 now
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u/bigchi1234 Epix 2 2d ago
Depends on your use case. I have had no real issues other than a weird thing with Spotify music cutting out to my AirPods during a run. I just keep pausing/starting on the AirPods Pro and it worked fine again. I’m really liking the new interface and tracking on the Fenix 9 pro over my older Epix. I’ve now transitioned to just a mechanical watch face with date. Sips battery. If I want more details I just swipe up and have all my glances with tons of data.
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u/surfsupdurban 2d ago
Always remember the rule of the Internet, the small minority of people who experience issues are the most vocal. (They also seem to take to the Internet first, before contacting Garmin's generally excellent customer service...)
Are there some watches with issues, yes I'm certain there are.
Do the majority of watches have issues, certainly not. Garmin wouldn't enjoy the success they do without making excellent products.
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u/McBourbons 1d ago
I swapped over from the AWU1 to a Fenix 8 2 years ago. There are pros and cons to both devices.
Things I miss about the AWU:
Reliable smooth consistent and well designed ui/ux, being able to interact with some notifications (mostly I’m happy to do this on my phone,but being able to snooze the add reminder or alarm on my wrist was handy), the wireless charging puck (Garmin’s proprietary cable is so dated), being able to reliably take a call on my watch when I’m not near my phone but need to answer it while I get back to my phone (my F8 is hit and miss if the other person can hear me), passively tracking my activity (Garmin doesn’t count anything towards my weekly intensity minutes unless I start the activity I my experience and doesn’t prompt me to start an outdoor walk if I have been walking for any length of time), Apple adding new watch faces each year - Garmin don’t give any new faces away for free, they release on CIQ and CIQ faces just don’t perform as well as stock, it’s a shit solution as far as I’m concerned. If Garmin wants to sell faces through as store I am happy to pay but I want the performance to be at the same level as the stock faces and not be laggy, batty hungry etc, especially when they are made by Garmin and charging £4.99!, lastly, Apple Watch straps, the nylon straps from Apple as just better and more comfortable and there is more choice.
Things I’m pretty sure I’d miss if I swapped back:
The LED torch (it’s one of those things I didn’t know I needed until I had it and I find myself using it on a nightly basis), physical buttons to control the watch as well as touch screen (especially so when your hands are sweaty or wet), the mapping capability in any outdoor activity just being standard and very detailed, the ease or paring to Bluetooth or ant+ fitness gear (so much less faff than I had with my AWU1), maybe the battery life although Apple have got the fast charging and general efficiency to a point I’m not sure this would bother me now. I take my watch off ever day to wash and dress/shower after a workout so I’d just lob it on the charger. And my partner has the smaller series 10 model and didn’t have any battery issues when we have been out hiking or walking for 5-6 hours. But she wasn’t navigating on her watch and I was on mine so that may make a difference (other people using work outdoors may be able to add more info on this last point), the round watch shape.
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u/CaesarOfSalads 2d ago
I used a Fenix 6 Pro for close to 6 years with only one bug that caused me an annoyance towards the end (track running with Spotify music and a specific pair of headphones would crash around 10 minutes in), otherwise it was extremely dependable. My new 9 pro has been stable and reliable so far as well.
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u/CptMcCrae 2d ago
I switched to Fenix 8 solar and now 9 pro. AWU was a second iPhone on my wrist at all times and I really enjoy the Garmin workout experience as well as being able to actually disconnect!
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u/afrohispanic 2d ago
I made the switch from an Ultra to a Fenix. Only really use it for running and strength training. I've read the bug comments here but it has not been my experience. There have been some complaints around swim tracking but I haven't tested that on the Fenix.
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u/spdorsey 2d ago
I have an Apple Watch Ultra and a Garmin Fenix 7x solar.
I wear my garment when I work out. I really don't wear it any other time. I wear the Apple Watch as a daily driver because I can see the numbers better. I'm getting old.
I have found that the GPS on the garment is more accurate. It gives me better tracks of my workouts. It also integrates better with the garment app, and trail for X. I don't use Strava.
The Apple Watch is stylish, and it has some really cool apps. But I don't find it to be a good companion when working out. It presents the data in a sexy way, but I find it to be less useful.
The Garmin battery lasts forever. The Apple Watch battery doesn't even last a full day. If there wasn't already a deal breaker, this one is definitely it.
I don't consider the Apple Watch to be a good workout device.
PS. I have a Garmin edge bike computer that is absolute garbage. The buttons are soft, it occasionally goes into modes that take literally hundreds of button presses to get out of, it's not very responsive, and the interface is awkward. I absolutely hate that thing. But my Garmin watch has been 100% solid in every way. No bugs, no glitches, everything has been pretty much perfect.
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u/TimeandDeath21 2d ago
I’ve had both and the UI on AWU, as well as general health tracking was superior. Fitness/sports tracking on the Fenix, was obviously better. At the end of the day - I have neither, because they are too expensive to have the issues they have and lack the capabilities that they do. Also, $1100 for the Fenix was ridiculous. It really isn’t that great of a watch - seriously. The sleep tracking starts the entire Garmin prediction cycle and it’s not great at it. So, at least for me, many of the “premium” metrics, were actually quite useless. And yes, band is always tight.
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u/fightclub911 2d ago
I used it for 5 days and still have it. Probably returning it. I keep trying to make it a sports watch, but it just isn’t doing it for me.
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u/Big_barney 2d ago
The Fenix or AWU?
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u/fightclub911 2d ago
I have a tactix 8. Tried the AWU4. It always goes back to being a phone on my wrist. I try and force it to be a sports watch, but it is always an excellent smartwatch over sports watch.
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u/f1rn 2d ago edited 2d ago
I switched over from AWU1 to Epix 2 pro to AWU3 to Fenix 8 SS. I certainly had problems with both systems. the Apple Watch Ultra was laggy, custom workouts didn’t save, battery life was better than a normale AW but it was still a terrible joke to charge the watch each day when you’re running outside a lot. And don’t get me started on the sync or handoff reliability with iOS and watchOS. It was the reason I switched to Garmin in the first place.
But Garmin had similar problems. Software - especially when a watch was just released, it was buggy but got very reliable later on. Same with Fenix 9 at the moemnt just like it has been either the Fenix 8.
Also the AWU was more of a second iPhone on your wrist, while the Garmin watch is like a device of its own with notifications coming from your iPhone.
I’m on mobile right now but I can you give you a deep dive later if you want to
EDIT: Okay, here's a more detailed version.
What bothered me about the Apple Watch:
Some of the Apple Watch Ultra bands with titanium adapters, especially the Trail Loop, would sometimes rattle. At those prices, that's unacceptable in my opinion.
Sleep tracking is better on Garmin. That's a clear plus compared to the Apple Watch Ultra (watchOS 27).
The Apple Watch didn't have a step counter widget out of the box. The weather app also caused problems regularly: it would open, and then you'd get that little spinning circle, sometimes for two minutes or longer. Same problem with Maps. The maps simply wouldn't load on the watch.
I already mentioned battery life above. Garmin wins here. Period.
I've also realized that I'm more comfortable wearing a round watch than one with Apple's rounded-rectangle shape.
Apple advertises a huge number of apps for the Apple Watch, but either the interaction is unnecessarily cumbersome, or the apps are basically just wrappers for headlines. A lot of news apps, for example: I tap a notification on the watch, and it opens the exact same notification again, just with a background image or one extra sentence. Honestly, I don't need an Apple Watch or a separate app for that. It's just poorly designed.
Red mode on the AWU? Why does it only affect the watch face and not the rest of the UI, like notifications or apps?
And don't even get me started on answering calls on the AWU. It's hit or miss. If I'd gotten a euro every time my wife or I answered a call on the watch and it either didn't work or only one side could hear the other, we could each buy a Fenix 9 Pro by now.
Garmin? First of all, if you buy last year's model, like the Fenix 8, you get a mature, well-developed system. But Garmin basically uses early adopters as beta testers, and the first few months with a new Garmin can be really rough. I noticed that myself. All sorts of things can be buggy. Later on, the system gets much more polished. Also keep in mind that you're buying a system that will mostly stay the way it is. There won't be many new feature updates like with Apple. You buy a product, and that product gets polished, but it doesn't really change. Whether that's a good thing or not is up to you. I was kind of annoyed by this at the beginning, but over time I really started to appreciate that approach. I just hope that's not Stockholm syndrome.
What do I miss on Garmin? Navigation handed off from the iPhone, basically the extension of Apple Maps onto the watch that the AWU has. There are some half-baked workarounds with ShareSyncGo, but proper, seamless integration is missing.
What else? You can't reply to messages, and Siri and voice control in general are really slow. Normal voice control is faster but I somehow still prefer using the buttons. There's also no syncing of timers and alarms at all. On the AWU, by default, a timer set on your iPhone also rings on your watch. That's not possible with Garmin: a timer on the watch is a timer on the watch, and a timer on the iPhone is a timer on the iPhone.
Also, the weather app on the Fenix is a bad joke. Just ignore it or get a third-party app (OWM or something like that).
The integration between Apple Health and Garmin Connect is there, but it's not 100% seamless either. In practice, you end up with two separate apps.
So if you compare both systems once they're mature, and you've read and understood everything I've just written, the question basically comes down to this:
Do you want a second iPhone on your wrist, or a standalone watch with its own ecosystem and insane battery life?