Apple Watch vs Garmin Venu Reddit

From a 24/7 perspective I would say the Venu 2 plus is the best for the following reasons: all the main brands including the ones you are looking at do a good job with 24/7HR for health metrics, however AW isn't continuous - they use dynamic which means at times there is no HR; only V2P and GW5 are continuous; and Garmin seems to do a marginally better job than samsung, plus they graph across a 2min avg in the app compared to Samsung's 10min avg (what most others use too). So while AW's OHR sensor is techically better - due to not being continuous Garmin will always get my nod.

From activity tracking perspective I would say AW7, then V2P, then GW5 - but would be tempted to give Garmin the nod due to its greater flexibity in terms of external sensors (though this does play a bigger factor in its more sports range like forerunner, fenix, instinct 2). But again a lot depends on the type of activity you are doing as to how effective these watches are.

As you are android now, may go to iphone and may at some point swop again - I would say go with the V2P unless you need the additional smarts that a GW5 with Android or AW7 with iPhone would give you - as it has much longer battery life than both of these watches and can swop beteween either eco system.

Woudl suggest reading/watching DC Rainmaker and or Desfit reviews of these watches.

Hypothetically if AW had a week's battery life (it'll never happen) I still wouldn't go back.

AW: Durability is a concern. No continuous HR, complicated interface, lack of buttons, lack of choices of models, poor computer-like aesthetic, a health app that isn't as data rich.

One thing to bear in mind is that among Garmin users, there are a variety of different audiences using a variety of very different watch models, from extreme fitness folks on various sports, to casual users and everyone in between. AW is more suited for casual users and that's ok.

So if really depends on what YOUR needs are and which watch aligns with you. If you like the more casual, smartwatch-heavy Apple-centric features the AW offers, then consider the AW battery life sacrifice as a compromise and go back. It's a good watch. But if you like the Garmin experience then take your pick of the many many options you have.

First off, I’m fully entrenched in the Apple ecosystem. So everything I’ve read online, says it’s a no brainer to get an Apple Watch. Because of the integration of music, notifications and plethora of apps.

But I’m on the fence. I keep going back and forth between an AW and the Venu 2.

Something about Garmin that is enticing. Maybe because I prefer a round watch face. Or perhaps it’s the better battery life and sleep analysis. I’m not an elite athlete, but do appreciate detailed metrics.

So if you’re an iPhone user, what swayed you to go Garmin?

Except under very specific circumstances, buying a watch for AFib alone is wasting money. If you have conerns about your heart then see a cardiologist. In this case, that is not being obnoxious, just honest. Consider how many times over the life of that watch you would want to use the feature and then compare that to the (still embarrassing) battery life and minimal sports/health capabilities. If you consider that feature to balance (or exceed) those of the Garmin then buy the Apple Watch. I would say though that in that case, unless you already know you have a heart condition, you should still speak to your doctor since that is really quite paranoid.

Long and short of it is, there are lots of great reasons to buy an Apple Watch but AFib alone is not on that list unless you have a reason to be running readings as a follow-up for your cardiologist on a regular basis. I can tell you from my own experience, I never bothered to use the feature once on my Series 4 in the nine months I owned it. In my case though, I deal with a mild form of tachycardia and see my doctor regularly anyway. For me, AFib readings wouldn't tell me anything of interest, whereas the heart rate sensor itself and (more importantly) how I feel is the necessary information. It was a nice little add on if I felt the need some day but certainly not a reason to buy the watch. While there are other things I liked about the Series 4, I was still happy to dump it when I switched back to a Note 10 (and Galaxy Watch) simply because of the poor battery life.

BTW, if you really want AFib in a watch, wait a few months (or just follow developments) and see if Samsung is making progress on getting its feature approved by FDA (and/or other regulatory bodies around the world). Your would get something much more akin to the Venue but with a speaker and call capabilities. It will not match the Venue for battery life but will easily double or triple the Apple Watch.

what is more important - smarts or battery/health/fitness?

If smarts i.e. being able to interact with phone/apps, initiate texts, calls, and be able to reply to texts, then Apple Watch is definitely the way to go. By using 3rd party apps you can add quite a few of the fitness features the Venu provides. It isn't integrated, but it can be done.

If battery/health/fitness are more important, then V2 is the better option of the two. As stated If you want training metrics/analytics then you need to look at a FR245/745/945 and or a Fenix 6.

As others have stated smartwatches can be a bit addictive whether for the smarts, health, fitness or training, and whichever you do buy you are likely to end up using it more than you currently think for the sheer convivence they can provide to your general life.

Both for receiving notifications on the wrist - so easy to quickly see, than bringing up a phone, for being able to control media on the phone, especially if listening to music (yes you can use headset controls, but watch can give more flexibility). Plus then there are health metrics like HR, HRV, steps & sleep.

Apple watch for its connectivity - being able to do stuff on your watch, instead of having to pull out phone i.e. reply to a text, or make a call etc.

Venu 2 will get you coming back to your body battery (watch estimates how much energy your body has based on prior night's sleep, HRV metrics and any activities you have tracked - useful for deciding how intense a workout you want to do. HRV can be superuseful with RHR, and Ave HR (and sleep tracking) for picking up when you might be under the weather - can often pick it up before you start feeling unwell, and sleep tracking can help you adjust your lifestyle as you see the impact of certain foods/drinks, duration of sleep etc. The V2 intregates this along with your tracked activity to give you an overall health picture and assesment of how ready it thinks you are for training. More complex models like FR245/745/945 and Fenix add a host of additional training metrics providing full assesment of how these activities are impacting your overall fitness level and can provide focus around whether low, high aerobic and or anerobic exercises should be prioritised. And you can see how your recovery times are impacted by sleep and HRV.