Garmin - epix Pro (Gen 2) Sapphire Edition, 51m

Hey there. Using my Epix Gen 2 for day hikes - built-in map is quite nice. But for "more advanced research" and to keep a bit more autonomy from the phone, the old Garmin GPSMap 64s with Topo Map is still here. It gives over 24 hours non-stop with a pair of AA Ni-MH rechargeable batteries and a set of other 4 pre-charged AA accus give me solid 3 days non-stop - but if we count the sleep time in, I am more in the direction of 5-6 days autonomy. Yes, the device does not look sexy, and the screen is nothing to compare with modern phones (however, quite a bit better in the sunlight!), but it survived blizzard many times, falling onto the rocks, into the river, being in snow, etc. >10 years old as of now. For maximum autonomy, I'd rather look into direction of solar versions of modern Garmin handhelds. Watch is nice, but as soon as you have to answer a question "man, I am standing here and the road is closed - can I cut it through the valley nearby" the screen size starts to play the role.

I'm not saying i dont look at the map during a run, I'm saying i dont "pan the map" while i am actually running. I usually stop for a moment if i need to pan and look around at the surroundings if i need to. The default map tracking (and tbt) is fast enough for me when i am coming up on an jntersection. Im also using an epix2. I havent noticed the frustrations you mention, maybe i'm not as sensitive or am used to it.

I initially bought the Epix Pro as my first Garmin watch, but I was disappointed with its performance. It felt like a device from a decade ago. I then returned and replaced it with the Fenix 8. If I had bought the Epix a year ago, I wouldn't have upgrade it. However, as my first device, I think it's fair to invest a little more in it. F8 47mm is more responsive 0.1 inch bigger screen with remarkably better resolution than same size epix pro gen2

YES. I want to wear 'nice' watches. I'd love to wear an ankle thingy with no screen that keeps track of things forever... and when I need a screen, I'd use the epix I have.

Former AW9 user. Found I hated having basically two phones, daily charging and being paranoid about damaging it. Picked up an Epix Pro on sale and I love it. I'll never go back to AW. Edit to add what I love: it's way more rugged and I don't feel paranoid about damaging it swimming, doing contruction things, etc. Even with always on display, it last almost 2 weeks. I'm not a crazy athlete but I've found it motivates me through the health stats to improve myself (I still workout with Apple Fitness+). The stats are super fun to look at and work through too.

I have the Epix, and am very happy with it. Flashlight gets used every day. It's just so bloody useful. Battery life is around 2 weeks, and I'm running 5 times a week. Can't speak for the other device, but slimness would be nice! It's a thick watch and my wrists aren't huge, but it can make getting shirts on and off a little annoying. That would be my only real gripe to be honest. It is otherwise comfortable. My only other Garmin comparison is the forerunner 235. That was slim, but had a VERY annoying protrusion where the sensor was. This is not a problem on the Epix. Another pro is the sturdy construction/rugged look; I've had it for a good year at least. Watch is near spotless, and I don't baby it. https://preview.redd.it/fp2lahkizeuf1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d0c40704bee6cc9825605051bf4495f57e728d78 Given it's Amoled it isn't always on to save batteries. I thought this would get annoying, but the tilt sensor if anything errs on the side of over sensitive, so 99% of the time it comes on when I need it to. The only time it struggles is when I'm on the bike, but then just resort to button pressing.

I use an Epix pro gen 2 for the activities you list.

I got epix 2nd gen, it's a good watch but for some reason garmin keeps acting like this line of watches don't exist, and I miss loads of new features

I have a epix pro and battery life is over 2 weeks. The built in flashlight can be a drain if used a lot. Battery life was a huge step up. I like my awu, but felt like I was charging it everyday for my use case.

Former AW9 user. Found I hated having basically two phones, daily charging and being paranoid about damaging it. Picked up an Epix Pro on sale and I love it. I'll never go back to AW. Edit to add what I love: it's way more rugged and I don't feel paranoid about damaging it swimming, doing contruction things, etc. Even with always on display, it last almost 2 weeks. I'm not a crazy athlete but I've found it motivates me through the health stats to improve myself (I still workout with Apple Fitness+). The stats are super fun to look at and work through too.

I've been trying to figure out exactly this right now.... Here's some info which may help. I have an Apple Ultra 2 and that is my everyday smartwatch. It works OK for run run tracking and there's a pretty good app for surf tracking. I just recently tried it with swim and it's OK. The auto sets feature (e.g. recognizing 4 laps as a 100) is pretty reliable, but I don't think that the automatic split times are especially accurate. HR is somewhat accurate. I've tried both the built-in workouts app as well as the [swim.com](http://swim.com) app and although the latter is generally better for "real" swimming it doesn't really fit with my training workflow which involves transferring workouts to Training Peaks. I also wear prescription goggles (-3.0) and find the display very difficult to read in certain scenarios, especially when the screen dims. Some of the data fields are ridiculously small and there is no way to change them. I also have a couple of Garmin devices (Forerunner 955 and Epix gen 2) and for the sake of this discussion both are the same with the exception of the screen technology. The Epix is AMOLED and objectively "better" but the 955 is so much easier to read at the pool. Garmin's auto rest feature (automatic lap/set vs rest feature) is almost good. The issue is that the motion detection is way too sensitive so if I move my arm at all during rest it thinks I'm still swimming. The algorithm also has trouble with rests shorter than 20s so it's common to see workout sets recorded as one big swim blob with some periods of no movement sprinkled in. HR accuracy is similar to apple... at least it was similar for the few times that I wore both to compare. I think that I've settled on wearing the 955 for swimming in the manual mode where I have to press the lap button at the start end end of each rest period. This gives me the most accurate representation of what I did for that session along with pace and HR data that makes sense within the context of the workout. The display is super-easy to read and gives me the information that I need in the pool. The transfer to Training Peaks is seamless and everything appears to be working well at this point. At some point I'm sure I'll stop caring about the exact structure of the workout that I did and just use the watch to record the whole thing. It is possible to pre-build workouts in both platforms and there are virtual coaching products that work with both. I never investigated what's available as I have a human coach who takes care of dictating my daily torture. I will say that having the watch execute the workout isn't all it's cracked up to be. Neither platform is especially good about providing visibility into what is coming up and in some cases barely conveys what you're supposed to be doing right now. If the watch messes up with counting laps then it could put you into a rest period at the wrong time and generally get you out of place in your workout. In some cases it's extremely difficult to go back and repeat a section of a workout. I've gone back to the post-it note stuck to my water bottle as the high-tech way of bringing my workout to the pool. With the workout transcribed in pencil and a rubber band as a safety it's pretty much fool proof.

Not sure model, but strength training should be much improved with the Fenix 8 on. I have the epix pro and wish strength was better, but i just manually track now.

Many of the Garmin lineup support multi sport, and personally I've been on the Fenix track for over a decade now, currently on Epix Gen2. Handles swimming and running spot on paired with HRM-Pro. I have an Edge 1040 for cycling. Wife has a Fenix 8, it's super nice. Weight not an issue for me, Forerunner is a lighter model but gets a plastic case if I'm not mistaken. And go for the Sapphire screen.

Hi! UK also, possibly not "lowest levels" but worth a look for the money, H Samuel on the high street have the epix pro gen 2 for around £360 on a sale at the mo. Gives you 90% of a fenix 8 for loads less money. Will cover everything you listed in your post and more. Source - I bought one last week and coming from Apple Watch Ultra 2, for my needs the Garmin dominates!

Switched end of July from Apple Watch Ultra 2 to epix pro gen 2, been on Apple Watch since series 0 and fully immersed / self confessed apple fan boy. Haven't missed it one tiny little bit. It's been a great experience that I wish I'd done years ago!

So here's the thing, with my garmin this works fine, when I have my Apple Watch set like this the active balance starts much lower and it just never makes it to that threshold. Garmin will show -119 when I wake up in the morning and Apple shows -20. When you do walks, runs, or workouts with Apple that number just never goes up.

Well after that it depends on what you are looking for in a watch, I was at Apple for years whether it was watches, phones, tablets etc. I think he's ripping us off a lot from year to year but hey it's my humble opinion now I switched to Garmin with the Epix Pro which I still have which I should sell I bought the Ven 4 in dhestetic thermal and lighter and all the features that I need see more after these true that the Apple Watch is better in terms of health but Garmin is doing not too bad today in terms of battery let's not even talk about it 😂😂😂with  I was in an ecosystem that wasn't too disgusting but today I decided to leave maybe one day I'll come back but not for the watches the Garmins have a less new design although I find the Venu 4 nice so I advise you to take all the pros and cons and make your own opinion on which ones you really need and the budget too

I have Epix gen 2 and just measured my wrist circumference at1 5 cm. It's prominent, but I am quite used to it. I think you shop for features you want rather than the size.

I have been using both the AWU and Garmin Epix Pro for a few years now. With the latest updates to Bevel, I put my Garmin in the night stand.

Fenix/Epix are the same, Forerunner 9xx has 99% same functions but a bit lighter and not as tall, but only available in one size

Finally Venu 4 release, but also finally I can just confidently keep my Epix Gen 2.

I'm also in Germany. I got Epix Pro 51mm Sapphire on Kleianzeigen for 450€, a few weeks ago. With a few months of warranty remaining even.

I'm thinking about going the opposite direction... Epix Pro 2 -> AWU3. I'm tired of how buggy my Epix has been for my entire 2 years of ownership and I'm looking for some increased functionality from my watch. Garmin's "geek stats" are cool, but for most fit people, myself included, once you get used to your normal ranges of those stats, you can pretty much go off of how your body feels. I think it's useful to think of the Apple Watch as more of a platform than a fitness or smartwatch device. It's got great sensors and there are more apps that you can get to take advantage of the sensors and help bridge the gap between what the AW offers and Garmin in terms of health metrics

More rapid obsolescence?! My 2 year old Epix Pro 2 would like a word... absolutely dead in the water as far as new updates/fixes. 2 year old Apple Watch? Still supported

I wish I could get those buttons on my Epix Gen 2. Went swimming recently and my down button broke. Inductive buttons would be a worthwhile trade-off for a watch that's marketed as being made for swimming if it won't break in under 2 years.

Get a chest strap for triathlons, one that works in water. The 965/Fenix/Epix are the same or minimal difference. The latest are the Fenix 8 nad forerunner 970. Get what looks good to you, because features are 99.9% the same. Also Fenix is a big bigger

https://preview.redd.it/7fhs78of36xe1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9203c8b09dff4c3250f76de1cca6e3baaa1ea018 I have big wrists and arms and a 51mm is still a monster watch. I love it though and honestly don't think anyone else cares how big your watch is. Added bonus - it can be used to break down a door in an emergency

Looking to get some advice. I have been using a garmin epix with Cronometer for about a year and it was so helpful with cutting and bulking this past year and extremely accurate. I picked up an Apple Watch Ultra 3 a couple days ago and as much as I want to like it I am struggling with the daily calories with it. Maybe I am just not used to the way it's showing everything vs how my garmin was. So with my garmin I only started strength training or running workouts. Anything else like walks etc would just pile up in my daily activity balance. Once that hit -350 it would start adding it to my expenditure for the day and my expenditure would just start going up for the rest of the day going forward. It was very easy for me to know where I needed to be based on the time of day. With the Apple Watch I've noticed I need to start workouts for walk etc to get full heart rate data and better estimated calories. When adding those in my active energy balance number will go down each time. What I am left with is an energy balance that will not get to -350 by the end of the day and my energy expenditure just kind of stays where it is unless I start another workout. Maybe I am just looking at this wrong and the Apple Watch is a better way of judging my calories. Would love to hear thoughts. I've attached a couple of pics to illustrate what I mean.

Just buy last gen's Fenix. I bought an Epix Pro earlier this month for $549, same price as the Venu 4. There have been sales for the Fenix 7X/Pro as low as $450 this year. The Instinct 2 Solar is my daily, I forget that I'm even wearing it with the light weight and not needing to charge. It feels like a normal watch and I always know the time because of the always-on MIP screen which is more readable than a G Shock and doesn't require a gesture to wake. The Epix is for hikes due to the maps.

Yep right model, I think it just means you can accept the call by pressing the button on your watch. You still need to have your phone and AirPods in for it to work tho.

I throw it on the charger every other day while I shower. If I golf I have to do it every day.

My watch is a tool, not a fashion statement, so I've always gone with 51mm even though yeah it's probably too big for me, don't care lol

I would recommend either Epix Gen2 or Enduro 2. For hiking, especially if you're going to do multi-day hikes, bigger battery in 51mm options could be handy.

And it *still is* the current watch, just without diving and a speaker/mic. The chips and sensors and everything are identical, there's no reason the Epix Pro hardware can't support the newer features, other than Garmin just doesn't want it to.

I use hevy with my galaxy watch but I have been tempted by the supposed garmin sensor and battery life superiority and even bought an epix pro gen 2 during BF sales but the lack of hevy and garmin only being able to write to google's health connect and not read data was a deal breaker and I returned it.

What brand appeals most? I'm thinking of jumping ship as well for similar reasons as you but the competition doesn't offer all of the features combined that my Epix Pro 2 does... recovery metrics and music is a priority. LTE would be a bonus. I'm seriously considering Apple Watch but then I have to wear an Apple Watch lol

Thanks for this, I am on the fence about dumping my Epix Pro 2 and going AWU3. I'm stuck on the daily suggested workouts feature that I love, and how the watch is simply a source of training/recovery data on my arm as opposed to a mini iPhone.I use the LED flashlight daily so I would miss that for sure. However, being able to run completely phone-free is a BIG plus, as well as modern-day music/audiobook accesss (literally loading an audiobook on my Garmin as I type this and it's SOOO 2003). The always connected while working out is going to become more important to me in a few months as my wife and I are having our first child. I also have a Tesla and being able to leave my phone at home and use my watch as a key for my car is definitely another perk. Are you planning on using RunGap or similar to keep dumping info into Connect? You surely have a lot of data in the Garmin world

I spent the last couple weeks trying out an AWU3 and was pretty torn over whether it would replace my tired Epix Pro 2, but for now, the AW is being returned. The AW is probably 90% of the way there in terms of what I wanted from a smartwatch + fitness device. The last 10% is missing from the fitness side. I loved being able to run and get all my notifications and stream music/podcasts/audiobooks at any time. I found the AW helped me use my phone less as I could type out replies to iMessages on the watch and take calls on the watch if I was doing stuff around the house and didn't have a free hand to hold my phone. Unlocking and checking on my vehicle (Tesla) was easy and convenient with the watch app, and the UI/UX and screen are all leagues above anything Garmin has (don't get me started on the dumpster fire that is Garmin Express). I just couldn't get used to the sub par fitness aspects (mainly how they force you to use the touchscreen for things). Now, I did download a handful of apps to help make the watch more like a Garmin, and it is true that WorkOutDoors is probably better than even what Garmin offers for customization. I found the watch still to be too "fiddly" when I work out. The action button helped for pausing a workout and marking segments, but I always got the "orange screen of doom/death" when doing strength workouts and wanting to mark a segment to start a rest period in WorkOutDoors. I used the strength function on my Garmin to track training volume and rest periods (the simple timer that counts up for rest between sets) and although it's not perfect, it's a system I'm very used to. The flashlight is something that I also missed a lot, and it's more directional than the AW screen so much more useful for daily tasks. Finally, knowing that Garmin devices sample rate is much higher than Apple Watch makes me feel like its data will be more consistent long-term (i have 5+ years of data in Connect as of now). The AW also had a weird issue with the HR sensor where it would get some sort of cadence lock and then just drop my heart rate at almost the same point in every run. It was however far more accurate in the gym (I'll miss that for sure). Also, I couldn't get over how common the AW is. Seeing them all the time definitely made it feel like a generic device that everyone has

Basically, microphone & speaker for calls from your wrist, 40m dive capability, slightly longer battery life, more modern interface (epix has amoled still) more waterproof buttons. That's about it. None of those mattered to me so the epix was a clear win for the money.

Yeah everything still works , you'll just sync when back to your phone.

I have both on right now. My Epix Pro is on my lower leg. For em it's the stress & body battery. I prefer the rings in the Apple Watch to help me motivated to move every hour.

No idea about iOS integration. Garmin Epix gen2 has been great for me. I got mine for Christmas 2022 and I'm still using it. The dual-band GPS is totally fantastic for the trails - handles the twists and turns very, very well. I had lots of battery to spare for my 9-hour 50k, but I haven't gone longer with the GPS on. The sapphire version with the low-scratch glass, etc., is very tough. Waterproof. AMOLED screen is gorgeous and bright.

I have it for the Epix Pro Gen 2 as well.

Same, I came from AW2 with cellular and was really worried that it not having connectivity was going to be a deal breaker, esp as I like to leave my phone at home when out running. I bought a flip belt and now the phones with me anyway. Everything I need comes with the phone. I turned all notifications on the watch off, and you know what, after 10+ years of AW I don't miss notifications on my wrist at all. It's been really nice to be more disconnected if I'm honest. My original plan was to keep my AWU2 and either use both or go back to it when I couldn't get on with the Garmin. Am a week in now and I'm resetting the AW and it's going up for sale tomorrow. I love apple stuff and am deep in the the eco system but I'm more than happy with the Epix and it suits my training way more. To answer your question I've been for a pool swim with mine and it's fine so rain / 1 metre is no issue

I'm finding similar results currently as I'm doing the double watch thing while I try out the AWU3. The Ultra also almost always drops my heart rate at some point in my runs and either gets cadence lock or struggles to find my hr and locks it to a particular BPM for a time. I am increasingly surprised as to how solid my old Epix Pro 2 is as I thought the AW would be notably better and I've had issues with the Garmin HR sensor in the past. AW also I calculating my vO2 max as a constant 65 when lab testing and Garmin puts me at 56. The Aw Said my HRV was at 443ms one night and then it's been all over the place since then (mid 60s to low 40s). Garmin has me still in the same range I've always been. Lots of head scratching going on...

But incredible watch I had the Epix pro gen 2 before I don't regret it

Battery life is great, I've had mine since last Friday, charged to 100%, have worked out 2hrs per day every day since, only take it off to shower and currently sat at 43%. You can put music on it but as it's not LTE (my only real fault with it so far) I have to take my phone with me anyway so just use that for music. I believe you can use Spotify, deezer, YouTube music but like I said I haven't bothered so don't know how much of a pain it is to do! I had to watch a fair few YouTube videos as it's my first Garmin too but am getting the hang of it now. Would definitely recommend

For me battery life, durability and for anything sweaty, wet, dirty etc...touchscreen sucks. I have it disabled on my Garmin Epix Pro 2. Think about your *use* case and decide from there.