Exit Interview: Apple Watch Series 2
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Prior to buying the Apple Watch I had not really worn a watch daily for a long time, so it was quite the revelation. Being able to control my music, podcasts, see the weather, record sport activities, and see my calendar events was quite amazing. I used the watch daily for almost everything, including hitting the shutter button for my phone camera (cool!).
In 2019 I signed up for Coast to Coast, a multisport event that takes you 243km across New Zealand, and eagerly started training. This is where the Apple Watch fell down for me.
- The battery life was abysmal. It would barely get through one day, let alone if I went for a 2hr run! I would end up charging it twice a day, at least.
- The HR monitoring wasn’t the most accurate. This was important because I did most of my training via HR zones.
- The GPS wasn’t very reliable. When I looked at the GPS tracks later they were often zig-zagy and would occasionally lose connection for a period of time.
- The casing and screen weren’t the most resiliant and would easy scratch.
The race was going to take me at least 14hrs and I was doing 10hrs+ training a week, so I started to look around. In end the the Garmin Fēnix 6 won me over with its 30hrs+ GPS recording battery life, and well-renowned durability and solid HR monitor.
I have definitely missed the smartwatch features in the intervening three years, but I have been ultimately pleased with the Garmin.