I understand that Apple Watch does many things in the background. But when you’re comparing something like an Apple Watch vs Garmin Epix.
If they’re both turned on for hiking they are in theory using the same processing power, measurements. Apple Watch isn’t doing anything different. So why is it so poor? What else is it doing…
I don’t have a garmin to test it on, but according to their website, if GPS mode is on, you only get 42 hours of battery life. I can pretty easily get better that kind of life on my ultra. But specifically while in a workout, I can’t say as I don’t have both to compare. One possible reason they’re not working on it is because for the bulk of people it doesn’t matter much. The battery life is good enough. Say you charge your watch once a day (as an average AW user would do). Why would it matter if the battery lasted 30 hours instead of 24? Many people charge on a schedule rather than just when the thing is dead. So unless you’re getting a lot more time out of it, it’s really not going to be hugely beneficial to many users.
You’d have to give some examples, my ultra 2 lasts days even with heavy use
An Epix can easily last a week
Apple Watch isn’t doing anything different
Except keeping a constant connection with your phone, pinging all kinds of internet services for updates, running microphones for noise level detection and Siri and a thousand other things that need a high-powered custom SIP.
It depends. Garmins also ping internet services. AW must ping more? The question is if the user values those? Personally I only care about weather information and sharing my workout track with my wife. (I do all day bike rides)
I understand that Apple Watch does many things in the background.
Apple Watch isn’t doing anything different.
So which is it
People argue that Apple Watch does more when you’re just standing around. So even though it’s sitting there it’s using lets say 40% processing power checking for siri, occasional heart rate etc.
But if you’re doing a workout you’re running the Apple Watch at like 90% processing power for it to get all the data. So it’s an easier way to compare.
Kind of like doing a Geekbench test.
Adding to the above, that 1 gigabyte of RAM requires bit of battery power as well, compared to the kilobytes or megabytes in Garmins.
Interesting point. I wonder why Apple doesn’t throttle their processor to improve battery life when doing things such as workout.
Because you’re an edge case that they don’t care about. For almost everyone else (as you can tell from this thread) the battery life on the Apple Watch is just fine - we just don’t care about having it last a week - and so they’ve no incentive to make it last a week.
I’d love it to be thinner, I’d love it to have an under-display camera for FaceTime, I’d love it to be cheaper, I’d love it to be faster, and yes, I’d love more battery but really I go to bed and have 60% left most every day and it’s fully charged when I get up so I just don’t care about the battery in my day to day life.
It’s not about about the watch running weeks. It’s about being able to use it to workout without burning through loads of the battery in single day.
You have the Ultra where as many on this forum have the standard version. Apple Watch Ultra battery life is what the standard Apple Watch should be.
It’s nice to have choices. Isn’t it?
Just get a Garmin and move on.
I have both.
Epix battery:
Smartwatch Mode: Up to 6 days
GPS Only: Up to 30 hours
All Satellite Systems: Up to 24 hours
All Satellite Systems + Multi-band (sapphire only): Up to 15 hours
All Satellite Systems + Music: Up to 9 hours
That’s not really all that great compared to AWU.
The standard Epix can do 16 days in smartwatch mode with gesture to turn on the screen. It’s 6 days when always on.
Why did my old Nokia 3310 only need charging every so often but my modern smartphone of almost any brand require almost daily charging? The answer is that the new smartphone does more stuff so needs more power. AW does more stuff than a Garmin watch, so needs more power. I’d also guess that the physical size of the battery is smaller in an AW due to more sensors/radios etc. but I’ve literally done no research on that, so may be wrong. If I’m right though then that will also contribute.
As a marathon runner i was recently looking to update my series 4 and had a hard time deciding between an AW ultra and a high end Garmin. Went with the AW ultra because garmin watches are actually more ‘dumb’watches. They have great workout and biometrics tracking but other than that they don’t do much “smart” things. The possible things you can do on an apple watch are endless and garmin is years, maybe decades lacking behind.
Garmin have fantastic training plans though. Have you found anything comparable for Apple Watch?
Like i said, garmin is great for working out. To answer your question however: there’s a giant library of third party apps called the app store which can provide you a similar experience. Adding third party apps is not even a thing on a garmin
I can’t back my claim but I saw/heard somewhere that the Apple Watch heart sensor is more accurate compared to all others where it picks up less false readings.
Hard to say the watch with a 150Mhz single core CPU is doing the same thing. Notice how Garmin never releases detailed specs on their CPU.
I’m not sur why it would matter, at the end of the day. They’re both getting the same data points during a workout.
You’re not sure why a 150Mhz CPU would use less battery than a 1800Mhz dual core CPU?
Are you deliberately trying to be obtuse?
This thread reads like you over and over asking the question why a moped draws less gas than a SUV when they are both just going to the grocery store to pick up milk.
I don’t think moped vs SUV going to the shops is accurate. A workout on the devices is more like a Geekbench score.
Considering Apple make their chips run so efficient. You only need to see the comparing between Mac silicon and Mac Intel. I don’t understand why their workout battery life burns through so much battery.
Okay, tool.
It depend
Most non apple watch , don’t take frequent heart rate . Functionality may more or even nowdays.
Why we upgrade from apple watch se from apple watch 5 series
- we need the data for apple health (Third party also can link)
- easier for me when walk ,jog. If not apple watch would loud said - 1 km walk 2 km walk
- easier link with my airpod and spotify control song when walk / jog
I buy my father xiomi 1 instead apple watch because he used for android and old folks don’t like to charge .
This is totally hyperbolic, but think of it as asking why a F150 uses more gas than a Honda Civic even though they’re going the same speed, and the same distance. They’re built for different things. AW is smartwatch first, while Garmins is a fitness watch first. They wouldn’t be using the same processing power as they have different chips. Also different ram, screen (Garmin Epic is 1.3" 416x416, AW is 1.9" 502x410), background activity, etc.
No one is annoyed that you “attacked our precious little AW”. For me personally, is that you’re being a condescending ah in your responses. Also, everybody is giving good examples as to why AW understandably uses more power and depletes battery quicker; but you decide to be dismissive due to your confirmation bias and wanting to be right. You’re obviously arguing in bad faith and appear as a hater. If you hate it so much, just buy a garmin and problem solved.
I have both devices. I have had an Apple Watch 0 and a Garmin for a few months. There were a lot of dumb responses at the start which I responded to in a condescending manner. I don’t want to care about being correct. Some people came up with some pretty good responses - your comment for example. - was a good response.
But at that point, there were so many people just repeating the same stuff I couldn’t be bothered to do the research on your point and continue the conversation.
Wait, you’re comparing a 8 year old Apple Watch 0, released in 2015 , to a Garmin? Is the Garmin an 8 year old model as well? If not, it’s like asking why grandma is gasping for air after running a 10K from trying your keep up with a 30 year old experienced runner.
OP is obtuse don’t waste your time!
lol comparing an Apple Watch vs a Garmin Epix in terms of overall features is a joke, the Garmin is an excellent sports watch and that’s mainly it, the Apple Watch is an excellent overall smartwatch with great sports features. You can’t compare it outside the sports features.
Did you read my post? “Why is Apple Watch battery so crap compared to competition? (when doing the same workout)”. It’s literally in the title. When doing the same workout.
The whole post is about only comparing the sports features.