I’m a longtime Apple fan. I totally care about the ecosystem, with MacBook M1 Max Notebook, Studio Mac, iPad Pro and iPhone. I’ve also had an Apple Watch since the first version and now have the Apple Watch Series 7 on my wrist.
Among Apple products alone, I’ve always felt the Apple Watch didn’t reach its full potential. Battery life is pretty awful (days and a half days preferably), I’ve had some physical problems with a few of my watches (crystals falling out and some odd software glitches), but overall this watch is great and of course it integrates nicely with the rest of my Apple devices.
As a landscape photographer, I am outside a lot. Living in Arizona, I suffer from dust storms, torrential rains, and all sorts of rugged plant life that love to scratch watch crystals.
Someone suggested that I look into the Garmin line. I know Garmin as the original innovators in the world of mobile GPS. Back in the day, I used to carry one around, but a smartphone with maps has made those devices short. However, Garmin went ahead and now has a fairly complete line of Android-based watches, some of which directly challenge and in some ways improve upon Apple’s offerings.
I tested one Garmin epix Gen 2 smartwatch. The model I’m using is the Titanium, Sapphire Crystal version. It’s not cheap, listed at $995, but it offers up to 16 days of battery life, built-in detailed navigation maps, an altimeter, and a host of features that will appeal to photographers. Photographers spend a lot of time on the elements. Like the Apple Watch, it can measure your heart rate, sleep quality, step count, and track your usual health. You can see the full specs this.
There are Garmin watches with similar features that drop into the $179 price range, with the price largely dependent on the GPS receiver and the build quality of the watch. Likewise, an Apple Watch with a Titanium case like the Garmin epix will cost around $1,500
Using the Garmin epix Gen 2 Watch
When you receive the watch, you will enter some of your personal data if you want to use the health features. You can pair it with an iOS or Android phone, and Garmin provides setup apps for both devices.
One thing I’m sure I’ll miss is the find my phone feature, which Apple does a great job with, which is using your Apple Watch to locate your iPhone. I was surprised to learn Garmin offers a similar feature, and when I enable it on my watch, my iPhone emits some loud tones to let me know where it is hiding. You can also set the watch for sports scores, stocks etc. Built-in is very good weather data that I always need outside, including current weather, hourly prediction, forecast wind, (good for drone photographers like me), 12-hour trends and humidity. These are also offered on the Apple Watch, but I was pleasantly surprised to see them on this Garmin watch.
There are a large number of watch faces provided by Garmin and third parties, a step that Apple has yet to take. Some are free, some are available for a small fee.
I’m using a face with Garmin and set it up to give me my heart rate, current weather, and altitude. Those so-called “complications” can be selected from a variety of options, but these work for me when I’m outside at work, as I only need to click to exit the watch functions. stopwatch or other apps I might want.
Like the Apple Watch display, the Garmin epix has an AMOLED display, which is very bright and easy to read. It can be set to always on like the Apple Watch Series 7, or it can turn on when you turn the watch face towards you. In that mode, Garmin says you’ll get about 16 days of battery life, or 6 days in always-on mode, and that takes a toll on the Apple Watch’s battery life.
Features like automatic GPS time sync and sunrise and sunset times are useful for an outdoor photographer. There is also a compass and a thermometer. I find myself using the stopwatch a lot for night photography and the Milky Way.
Epix also receives notifications, so you’ll see everything your Apple Watch receives. Unfortunately, you cannot reply to emails or messages. You just know it’s in and can read it, but don’t respond.. I don’t see that as a big deal, since my phone is usually nearby. However, a small useless person. In general, I find text easier to read on the Garmin than on the Apple Watch.
The watch has a lot of features for swimmers and athletes, but I’m more interested in it helping my photography. For an idea of the full feature set, check out the link provided above.
Is Garmin epix Generation 2 better than Apple Watch?
That is a difficult question to answer definitively because every photographer has different needs. The Epix gen 2 is built better than the average Apple Watch, but it costs more. The built-in features seem to eclipse what Apple has to offer. It has very good water resistance to a depth of 10 ATM (338 feet), while the Apple Watch is water resistant to a depth of about 150 feet.
Epix 2 is really well built, and despite some unfortunate encounters with nasty vegetation, the crystal appears unscathed. For hikers/photographers, epix gen 2 will lay down paths down the route without a phone connection and find different locations using its internal map.
I really like the Garmin epix gen 2. I’ve turned from just assuming I’ll buy an Apple Watch forever.
What I like
- Great build quality
- The screen is very bright
- Built-in maps with features photographers will appreciate
- Battery life: never get less than six days of use, even with an always-on display
- Integrates well with Apple notifications and Find My iPhone
- Lots of watch faces, especially third-party watch faces, and they’re all easy to customize
What I don’t feel emotional about
- Cases and crystals are certainly expensive, but Garmin, like Apple, offers a variety of prices depending on the quality and features of the case and crystal.
- Garmin watches are not strictly part of the Apple ecosystem, so do not respond to texts or emails
Garmin watches are based on Android. Apple Watch is an iOS device. Like the Apple Watch, the firmware can be updated. For Garmin, you download firmware on your Mac, plug your Garmin watch into your Mac using the included USB cable, and firmware updates are essentially drag and drop onto the watch, appearing on your screen.
Garmin has an iOS app called ConnectIQ. From there, you can browse through dozens of watch faces and apps, which are easily installed on any Garmin Smartwatch.
During my three weeks of testing, I didn’t see any glitches or bugs. I would rate an operating system of comparable quality to WatchOS. I’m surprised to see Garmin have terrible battery life on a fully featured smartwatch and wonder why Apple can’t match it yet.
I think these new, very capable Garmin watches are worth considering for outdoor photographers in the Apple ecosystem who would never consider anything but an Apple Watch. Note to Apple: These guys are serious about selling watches. Improved battery life.
