Garmin Epix Pro (Gen 2) Sapphire: Foolish to Compare With an Apple Watch

I can’t believe it took me a year to realise this, but I’m glad I finally did: it’s foolish to try and compare this absolute gem of a smartwatch with something like the Apple Watch Ultra. So unless it’s genuinely necessary, I’m not going to. Here’s the full video.

A disclaimer first, because it matters. I did not buy this Epix Pro. Garmin sent it to me to try and I have to send it back, but Garmin are not compensating me in any way for this and had no say in the content.

What follows is from the perspective of someone fairly active who is, in the end, an average dad. I run maybe 20 to 30K a week and do some weight training. Nobody is mistaking me for an elite athlete.

The design, as if we were down the pub

From a design point of view this is a beautiful watch. I have it here next to the Apple Watch Ultra and the Fenix 7X Pro, and to me this is the best looking of them all. For a lot of people looks don’t matter on a serious fitness device, and I get that. But I wear this every day, so it matters to me.

The most surprising thing given the size is how comfortable it is. I don’t have huge wrists, and depending on the shirt it can get a little awkward, but most of the time I don’t notice it’s there. It’s heavier than my Epix Gen 2, and still I sleep in it most weekdays.

The leather strap makes it look elegant while keeping that rustic, almost aggressive look. I was cautious about leather at first, but after a couple of runs in the rain I decided it was fine, and I’ve showered with it on at least once a week since. You get a natural patina, nothing worse.

Sleep Coach, and the update that caught my eye

Garmin’s March 2024 update brought Sleep Coach, which helps you find the balance between training and resting. As someone without a regular sleep pattern, I’ve found it genuinely useful.

Honestly, nobody needs a piece of tech to tell them they’re tired. You know how you feel. What I want is to drill into the data and see how a particular level of exercise, the time I went to bed and how stressed I was that day combined into the night I had. Having that is what makes it worth wearing.

The other update worth knowing about is automatic switching between activities, which is excellent for triathlon: focus on the race and the watch handles the splits between swim, bike and run, even on a course you’ve never been to.

The heart rate sensor is the real upgrade

The big question I had was how much better the sensor is than the one in the Epix Gen 2. The accuracy itself is fine across pretty much every watch I’ve tried. What differs is how fast it notices a change.

Run to your limit and then start cooling down: on the Epix Gen 2 it takes anywhere from 20 to 30 seconds for that to show on the display. On the Epix Pro it was more like 3 to 5 seconds, never more than 10, which is close to what I see on the Apple Watch Ultra.

If that delay matters to you, the Pro is worth the money, because it’s noticeably better. But be honest with yourself about it. A chest strap is about a hundred quid, so buying the Epix Gen 2 plus a strap still saves you money, and a lot of the Pro’s software features are rolling back to the Gen 2 anyway.

The other difference is the flashlight, which is a lovely little upgrade with a genuinely bright light. I don’t use it a lot, but every time I do I’m glad it’s there. Accidental touches in water are better too. On the Gen 2 I’d get phantom taps in the shower, and while it isn’t gone on the Pro, it happens far less.

The display and the buttons

The display is without doubt my favourite thing about this watch. I used to have a misconception that Garmin displays weren’t bright enough. This one is plenty bright, easy to read in all sorts of situations, sharp, with really vibrant colours where they need to be.

And you don’t always need to look at it. The buttons are tactile with strong haptic feedback, so pausing a workout is something you feel rather than something you aim at. That’s one of the things I really disliked about the Apple Watch Ultra: in Apple’s own workout app you have to swipe to pause, and that is not ideal when you’re moving.

Data, and the thing I don’t like

Something Garmin does really well is give you raw data. The phone app keeps getting better, and Garmin Connect on the web is remarkable. You can build dashboards, track almost anything and customise the views. The data is beautiful and the most complete I’ve ever seen. It can get overwhelming if you’re running several trackers at once, mind.

Battery is the other one I now take for granted. I charge this once every three weeks, which is insane, against once every two weeks on the Epix Gen 2. That said, past 7 to 10 days, most people probably stop caring. So if you’re weighing the Pro against the Gen 2 on battery alone, think about where your own tolerance actually sits.

Now the thing I don’t like, and it’s the software update experience. Here’s what I had to do just to get Spotify working. Download the app via Garmin Connect. No. Garmin Connect tells you there’s a software update, and to install the music app you must first update the watch through Garmin Express, which lives on a computer, not your phone. That took about 20 minutes, and it also installed Maps whether I wanted it or not. You can apparently avoid that, but only if you read the small print.

I’d love Garmin to drop that step and handle everything in one app, downloading on the phone and letting the watch install overnight like most things do now. Once music was installed it was fine, and Bluetooth to AirPods is simple and stays connected through a 5K and an hour of weights.

Where I landed

This is a serious watch. The display alone, especially in this Sapphire Crystal model, makes it a fantastic option, and it’s extremely durable. GPS accuracy is insane wherever I am, and battery life is something I simply don’t worry about anymore.

I do wish the software side moved faster. But I’ll take better data and insights over a more polished interface, and that’s the trade Garmin is asking you to make.