The arrival of the Fenix E means Garmin truly has an outdoor smartwatch to eat into sales of the Apple Watch Ultra 2.
While there’s been a fair few more Fenix models compared to Watch Ultra ones, Apple has already made good progress with its foray into outdoor watches and will be a concern for the likes of Garmin.
We’ve reviewed the Fenix E and know the Apple Watch Ultra 2 pretty well now having tested it when it first launched in 2023 and having strapped it on more recently in its new black look.
We know these two watches are well-equipped for adventures, but if you only have money for one, which should you go for? Here’s our take after testing both.
Read the reviews: Apple Watch Ultra 2 | Garmin Fenix E
Price and versions
Both the Fenix E and Watch Ultra 2 come in just the single case size option with Apple’s Ultra 2 offering Bluetooth and LTE connectivity as standard, while the Fenix E offers Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity with no standalone powers available.
The Fenix E launched more recently than the Ultra 2 and sits at £689/$799 with Apple’s Ultra coming in at £799/$799. So, the Fenix E is slightly cheaper than the Ultra 2 in the UK but matches it for cost in the US.
Ultimately, these are not cheap watches and you can grab more affordable smartwatches in both Apple and Garmin’s ranges. Whether they give you the same level of features though is a different story.
Winner: Draw
Specs comparison table
| Product name | Apple Watch Ultra 2 | Garmin Fenix E |
| Price | From £799/$799 | £689/$799 |
| Display | OLED | AMOLED |
| Case size | 49mm | 47mm |
| Waterproof rating | 10ATM/40m dive-proof | 10 ATM |
| Screen size | 1.92- inch, 502 x 410 | 1.3-inch, 416 x 416 |
| Multiband/Sat IQ mode | Yes | No |
| Heart rate sensor | Optical and ECG | Gen 4 Elevate |
| Topographic maps | Yes | Yes (downloadable) |
| Flashlight | Yes (screen-based) | Yes (screen-based) |
| Speaker and microphone | Yes | No |
Design, display, and build
The obvious big difference here is that one is round and the other is more of a rectangle, so it really depends on what you prefer from an outdoor watch in terms of an overall look. If size is a factor and you want the one that’s going to sit smaller on your wrist, then it’s the Fenix E you want. It has a 47mm case compared to the 49mm one on the Ultra 2.
The Fenix E weighs 76g compared to 61g on the Ultra 2, so while Apple’s watch is the larger, it manages to spread that weight out to ensure it doesn’t feel hulking to wear and that’s been our experience of using it. The Fenix E is pretty manageable too, much more so than the 51mm Fenix 8, but those with smaller wrists might be disappointed that there’s no 42mm version to opt for instead like there is with the Fenix 8.
There’s a difference in materials with Garmin using a polymer case while Apple goes for a more high-grade titanium. Garmin does pack in some metal too, courtesy of the stainless steel bezel that dominates its look.
If you like physical buttons, the Garmin gives you more. There are five in total while Apple hosts three on its watch. The sizing of those buttons is more consistent on the Fenix, where Apple mixes things up and includes a larger Action button to make it a button you’d struggle to miss.
Keeping those cases in place are straps that can be removed and is perhaps slightly easier to do that with the Ultra 2. Apple has its own collection of official Ultra straps to better match with your favored outdoor pursuits. Garmin goes silicone as standard but does also offer leather and metal ones should you need to dress things up. These official straps aren’t the cheapest to pick up for either watch.
Front and center you’ll be staring at color touchscreen displays. Apple uses a 1.92-inch, 502 x 410 resolution Retina OLED display, while Garmin features a 1.3-inch, 416 x 416 resolution display and both support being kept on 24/7. What you get on both fronts are colorful, vibrant, bright displays with Apple’s perhaps being a touch brighter based on our experience. When you need to interact with those screens they’re both slick and responsive with no signs of lag. If you want the screen with the best protection against scratches, the Ultra 2 will give you that thanks to the inclusion of sapphire crystal, which is an upgrade on the Gorilla Glass used on the Fenix E.
If you’re planning to take them for a dip, both are waterproof up to 100 meters depth and suitable for pool and open water swims. Apple’s Ultra 2 in addition to that is also suitable for recreational scuba diving up to 40 metres depth. Like the Garmin, it’s got plenty of added rugged certification to handle extreme operating temperatures and being knocked around for more rugged outings.
Winner: Draw
Smart features and OS
From a compatibility point of view, Garmin takes that win as it’s compatible across Android and iOS and provides a pretty consistent experience across the two smartphone platforms bar a few features. You’ll need an iPhone to use the Ultra 2 and while that does mean more restrictive support compared to the Fenix, the integration with how the Ultra 2 works in tandem with a paired iPhone is just generally a lot slicker than is with the Fenix E.
Off the watch, Garmin users have the Connect app to view data and adjust watch settings alongside the standalone Connect IQ Store app to download apps, watch faces, data fields, and widgets. However, that access is also available on the watch too. For the Ultra 2, there’s the Watch app, the Fitness app, and Apple Health to deal with, so you ultimately need to be on board with dipping into a few apps on your phone to get the most out of them.
On the watch, it feels like Garmin is still feeling its way around making its watches feel more like smartwatches. That’s evident with the new software that’s running on the Fenix E, whereas the Ultra 2 is a smartwatch first and everything second and it shows. Features like notifications and music just seem to work more seamlessly than they do on the Garmin where you need to take a few extra steps to get what you need.
Both watches share core features like the ability to view notifications, offer contactless payments, and download apps. Those features however are better integrated with the Ultra 2 than they are on the Fenix E. Apple has basically set the bar here and while Garmin puts in a good performance, it’s still got a bit of work to do to reach parity with Apple.
There are music players available on both watches, with support to store music offline from services like Spotify, but the Ultra 2’s 64GB storage compared to the Fenix E’s 16GB memory means Apple gives you more space to play with.
That also means room for apps of which Apple just has better ones in general available that can make the Ultra 2 a better outdoor watch and a whole lot more. You can do that on the Fenix E too, but if you want more high-profile apps, Apple wins again.
Another Apple win is the added cellular connectivity support and its range of voice-enabled features. You can make calls, and speak to Siri and there are apps to take advantage of that built-in microphone and speaker.
Winner: Apple Watch Ultra 2
Battery life
If you want the outdoor smartwatch that will give you the best battery life in pretty much most scenarios, it’s an easy one – get the Fenix E.
Whether you’re using the raise-to-wake support or sticking the screen on at all times, the Fenix E simply lasts longer. The Apple Watch Ultra 2 promises up to 36 hours of battery life, so short of 2 days. In real-world testing, it’s capable of lasting two days. Apple lets you extend the battery to 72 hours in its low-power mode to get you through 3 days. The Fenix E can go up to 16 days or 6 days with the screen set to always-on and can more comfortably last a week between charges.
The Fenix E is going to last longer when it’s time to take the tracking outside too. It can go anywhere from 24-32 hours in its most accurate GPS mode, or up to 14 days if you use Garmin’s Expedition mode. In comparison, the Watch Ultra 2 promises up to 12 hours in its most accurate GPS mode with the scope to push that to 35 hours in that low-power mode.
The Ultra 2 is capable of lasting a marathon and a bit longer, but the Garmin will do that more comfortably and leave you with more battery to play with after tracking.
Winner: Garmin Fenix E
Tracking performance
These are watches that are built for the outdoors and while they can do much more than track hikes and trail runs, those are going to be the type of scenarios that they’re built to excel in.
We think there are wins and losses for both watches. Take the GPS support where Apple offers its Precision Start, dual-band GPS mode, which taps into the latest advancements in positioning technology to improve accuracy for scenarios like tracking in densely forested areas or near tall buildings. Garmin’s watches offer this too, but it’s not on the Fenix E. We’ve tested the GPS performance on both and while both put in a good showing, the Ultra 2 pips it for us for offering one of the best examples of that dual-band GPS mode that’s now cropped up on many new sports watches and smartwatches.
When it comes to mapping and navigation support, Garmin has been ahead of the game of Apple when it comes to what’s on offer out of the box. It’s got topographical maps for a range of activities and fully-fledged features like turn-by-turn navigation, and new ones like its dynamic round-trip routing to offer a helping hand when you abruptly have to change course. The Ultra 2 has topographical maps too and natively supports activities like hikes.
You can enhance that support for other activities via third-party apps and there’s a good range of apps that let you do that too. Using the Fenix E as a mapping and navigation companion just feels more natural than it is on the Ultra 2 in our testing time and offers more mapping tools and modes.
It’s a slightly similar story when turning to these watches for training features or insights. Apple is playing catchup and recently introduced training load insights, which have been knocking around on Garmin watches for a long time. The Fenix E also dishes out outdoor-specific metrics like its Hill scores and Endurance scores along with making recommendations on recovery and advising when you should train. It’s simply more fully-fledged support on the Fenix E.
If you want your outdoor watch to behave like a competent activity, sleep and health tracker, both can do that, but Apple has a little more on that front. Its approach to activity tracking is to keep you motivated to move more and feels a touch more effective than it is on the Fenix E.
Apple’s playing catch up on sleep tracking metrics, but arguably offers more reliable core sleep tracking than Garmin. It also has the upper hand on health tracking with its ECG sensor on board for more accurate heart rate readings. Garmin’s Fenix E uses Garmin’s older optical heart rate sensor, which misses out on the ECG support on offer with its newer sensor.
As we said, there are wins and losses here for both watches, but are ultimately both well-equipped for when you want to go on an adventure.
Winner: Draw
Verdict
Now that you’ve had a flavor of our testing experience, it’s time to break down which of these outdoor smartwatches might be the better fit for you.
Buy Garmin Fenix E if…You want an outdoor watch that offers better mapping, navigation training and analysis features with longer battery life.
Buy Apple Watch Ultra 2 if…You want a great smartwatch that offers more advanced GPS technology and has access to apps to truly elevate its skills when heading outside.
Also consider: – Garmin Epix Pro – Garmin’s slightly older, AMOLED outdoor watch has Garmin’s latest GPS technology and includes useful features like a flashlight along with big battery life that makes it a great AMOLED option to grab as well.
