Introduction

When we speak of rugged wristwear, Garmin’s Fenix series has long been the benchmark. There is a new contender as Apple has come up with a smartwatch that’s beefier, hardier, and lasts longer. Apple Watch Ultra is a smartwatch made for adventuring types who need something a bit more rugged. The Apple Watch Ultra vs Garmin Fenix 7 is all about finding one of the smartest smartwatches ever produced for the outdoor lifestyle space. While both the smart devices are built for the great outdoors, there’s plenty to set the two timepieces apart. Apple and Garmin are dedicatedly focused on dethroning the other to get to the top of the adventure watch market.

Apple Watch Ultra display vs Garmin Fenix 7 Display

There are quite practical differences between the displays of both watches. The Apple Watch Ultra is a 1.92in OLED panel, flat-fronted and packed with pixels. At 2000 nits, the watch is designed to be visible in all conditions, whether high in the hills or deep below the sea. The Fenix 7S, on the other hand, has a 1.2-inch touchscreen with half the resolution as Apple Watch Ultra. However, the largest Fenix 7X measures 1.4 inches and has 280×280 pixels. Memory-in-pixel tech in Garmin Fenix 7 lags far behind the Ultra’s OLED when it comes to vivid contrast. However, the Garmin Fenix 7 looks closer to a classic sports watch whereas the Ultra takes smartwatch styling to another level.

Apple watch Ultra & Garmin Fenix 7 Battery Comparison

The biggest advantage of the Apple Watch Ultra is its battery life. The Ultra offers a major battery upgrade over other Apple Watch models. The Apple Watch Ultra has a battery life of 36 hours and can last up to 12 hours in the standard GPS mode. Apple Watch Ultra also has a new power-saving mode coming in a later update that will extend the battery life to 60 hours.

Even the best of Apple Watch’s battery doesn't get remotely close to the stamina of the Garmin Fenix 7. The Fenix 7 can last up to 57 hours of GPS tracking, 18 days in its standard mode or 57 days in its battery save mode. These numbers can also be topped up well through sunlight in the solar-charging Fenix 7 models. If you get out in direct sunlight for several hours each day, the watch increases the battery life. There is one area where the Apple Watch Ultra has a slight advantage, and that’s when you’re playing music from the watch and using GPS. However, on the Fenix 7, you only get around 10 hours of battery life. Whereas the Apple Watch Ultra, Apple promises 20 hours of music.

The new age watches health tracking features

Just as expected, both the Apple Watch Ultra and the Garmin Fenix 7 offer a full suite of sensors. Both rugged watches go beyond the sleep, step and activity tracking features of your standard smartwatch, including all these. While Garmin seems to have a better hand in navigation and battery life, Apple overtakes the match when it comes to health-related features that go beyond the usual activity tracking. Apple has recently improved its workout tracking for the Ultra in a couple of ways.

The Apple Watch Ultra offers a full health and fitness foundation to its users. The watch provides ECG readings, blood oxygen monitoring and a comprehensive Workout app. The Ultra is also equipped with a skin temperature sensor to improve the accuracy of cycle predictions. There are additional motion sensors present that can detect crashes and alert emergency services if the user is unresponsive. Apple Watch Ultra also deploys dual-frequency GPS and updated positioning algorithms to deliver Apple’s most accurate wrist-based location tracking ever.

Garmin’s Fenix 7 also offers a generous set of tracking tools, including pulse and blood oxygen sensors. The watch also comes equipped with a catalogue of sports profiles, each with readouts specific to the activity. There is additional support for multiple satellite systems which improves navigation accuracy too. It also comes with daily wellness guidance and long-term training metrics to help you improve your performance.

Conclusion

Rugged smartwatches are built to survive in tough conditions and each comes equipped with a range of sensors to track your stats as you tackle them. Apple Watch Ultra and Garmin Fenix 7 are both amazing choices for wearables outdoors and during adventures. Both watches have dedicated activity profiles that measure enough metrics to help you excel rough outdoors. However, to make the final decision it is important to think about what you are looking to do with the watch. Apple and Garmin are great, but expensive, choices for smartwatches. You can choose to surf through the range of smartwatches on BuyMobile Australia to find the best deals online.