Which watch best suits my needs? Garmin vs Apple Watch experiences please.

Cantona07

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Hi everyone. I have a bit of a quandary as to what watch to purchase. I currently have a ticwatch pro that I am selling as I just didn't get on with it. I have recently taken up exercise and have started running. My wife has a Garmin and Ive borrowed hers a couple of times and found it absolutely excellent to quickly check my progress and keep me motivated. When I am not using her watch I am trying to keep an eye on Runkeeper and Couch25K apps on my phone which is cumbersome to say the least. Thats the background, here is my problem....

I have decided to buy a watch with the primary function being to address the above issue. I want to be able to glance at it when I am out running and get the information about how far Ive gone, pace etc as I go. The Garmin would be perfect for this and I can get one for around £150.

However...

I love tech and I am just getting back into the Apple ecosystem. I have an iPad, MacBook Air and an old iMac. Just recently I have returned to Iphone from Android and my last purchase was AirPods. I know Apple isn't the holy grail of kit but it just works for me. With that in mind its nagging away at me that I should give the smart watch concept another go with an Apple Watch. My concerns are two fold - its a lot more money and Im not sure I would use the other functionality and secondly which one do I go for? Would I be better with an older version or a 2nd hand one? Will it do everything I need it to? Should I just buy the Garmin because I know it works?

Can I ask what other users use their Apple Watch for? Do you use it as a running tool and would you buy one in my situation, and if so which one? If you have a Garmin could you give me your experiences of that too? Just don't want to get the purchase wrong!
 
Similarly I took up running about a year ago, currently laid up trying to sort out a persistant knee issue but desperate to get back to it.

I had been running with my phone in an armband to give me tracking but its not something you can just glance at mid run to gauge your run. So I took the plunge and picked up an apple watch 3 as the prices were pretty good with the recent release of the 5

I know some more accomplished runners are not a far of the apple watch, some comment on its accuracy and such but i'm not particularly after breaking any records or benchmarking myself against others. So long as it gives me similar data on each run then I can live with it.

I have never been a watch wearer previously, my wife bought be a watch which never moved out of the draw and i generally just used a clock or my phone to check the time. Since getting this apple watch though its remained on my arm constantly and i am enjoying it.

I have found it quite handy when it pops up with details of messages or calls, i love having the face set with a variety of pictures as it gives some nice memories whenever I look at the watch.

In terms of the fitness side, I have found it useful, i've setup the built in app to give me a pace on my runs to try and keep me steady and it was very useful in helping me break my first sub 1hr 10k.

Should this fitness thing become something more then I may change to a garmin but for now I like what I have and works well
 
If you are in the Apple system already you will have a 110 more uses for your Apple Watch than a Garmin. The integration is super slick; from little thinks like unlocking your laptop, or being able to use it to pay in shops or public transport around the world, play your same music when running and not needing to take your phone with you, and so on.

Apple Watch all day long.
 
I'm not a fan of Apple and I run with a Garmin Forerunner 25 which is relatively cheap and does everything I need it to. Discontinued by Garmin, but you can still pick it up. I have added a chest heart monitor as an add-on. I don't run with music so that doesn't enter into the equation.

I know many who have the higher end Garmins but they only use a fraction of their capabilities.
However, if you are looking to spend about £150, then it looks like the Apple 3 is about a similar price (or lower) as a high end Garmin so that could possibly be better value.
 
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The Apple Watch is a smart watch with a market leading display but that comes at a cost; battery life. I have a Garmin Fenix 6P and the display is nothing to write home about but the battery lasts ages and is geared more towards fitness. The garmin connect app is brilliant. I get notifications on my watch. Garmin pay is limited to Santander iirc and I haven’t tried the music side as I always hike/cycle with my phone.

if you love tech and are looking for a smart watch get the Apple but bear in mind that you have to charge it every day or so whicI to me is a major negative point.

if you are after a fitness watch get the Garmin but bear in mind that the screen resolution will remind you of Ceefax.There are a confusing amount of models but the forerunner models or Instinct should cover your needs. The Fenix are very well built and probably overkill for my needs but I’ve rarely worn any of my normal watches since I bought it and that says a lot.
 
This is a fairly easy one to answer. Buy an Apple watch, it will do the running part of what you need and give you much more besides.

After you have been running for over a year AND you feel you need more then get something like the Garmin 245 with or without music. The Garmin 45 is OK at a lower price point as well. There is zero benefit from the higher series Garmin watches IMHO.
 

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