Apple - Apple Watch Ultra 3

I’m not as hardcore as you. Doing fairly intense, compared to the average 71 year old, but I do exercise very rigorously for over an hour everyday. I’m tracking what is happening especially for endurance in improving general health and stamina. I do pool exercise and needed to have a watch that could last 6 to 8 hours per week every week. I went through my Series 6 with 5 replaced watches (I kept AppleCare) every year. So the Ultra Series has better water redistance and battery life. In can appreciate your comment about heart rate. I have seen problems with outlier measurements. There are one or two times, very intermittent. I’ll get a recorded heart rate reading about double the rest of the recorded HR. My anecdotal observation is it tends to happen in the pool. If I see the reading I will tighten the bad a bit and it doesn’t seem to continue. This happened on my old Series 6 and it has happened on my Ultra 3. It probably comes down to the intent of the design combined with the use case. If I go to my doctor every office visit begins with vitals being taken. It’s a snapshot in time. If a reading is about of whack they may repeat it in a few minutes once or twice, another slice of time. All Apple Watch products are really good at monitoring trends over time. You can setup alerts snd there are apps that can do additional analysis using the collected data. I look at trends events there too low and too high. The outliers do not really impact trend data. The other thing about trend data is knowing when your trend data occurs. I had a heart rate that would go below 40 bps in the 15 to 30 minutes before I wake-up in the morning. I got an alert that I was able to tell that to my Primary doc and Cardiologist. They suggested a change that needed to monitor for another couple of weeks. In my use case, the heart rate monitoring capability is 100% effective. It’s so effective I have the entire days HR data displaying in a compilation a full view of yesterday’s data and to date of the current day. Tap the graph and I can drill into the data, even the outline events. I’m not sure if the watch face comes from the heart health app I have or it’s in the Apple Watch stock watch faces. I have been enrolled the multi-year Apple Heart & Movement Study. The study has found that the Apple Watch sensor is accurate to within 5 bpm (beats per minute) for 98% of the time when users are in sedentary (or resting) mode, and reaches 99.7% accuracy with an error margin of 10bpm. The sensor’s heart rate accuracy varies: * 96% for outdoor cycling, * 87% while walking, * 88% while running, and * 91% during high-intensity workouts, with a 5 bpm error margin when recording in the foreground. Starting with the Apple Watch Series 6, accuracy has improved significantly. * Data from 480 participants logging 21,000 hours shows 89% accuracy (within a 5 bpm error margin) in the background, compared to 72% in older models.

I got the Apple Ultra 3 . And not impressed. When i have to start a run i need to do three taps. Is Garmin going to be better. I also play tennis . And walk. I need something thst wint need me to be constantly tapping etc . Am I expecting too much.

I’ve been using the Ultra 3 for about a week now, mainly for running (1–2 hours a day, roughly 10h/week, 120km/week) plus strength training or yoga for about an hour daily. I’m very routine-driven: I work from home, never travel much, always home by 6PM, runs in the morning, workouts in the afternoon. So my habits are pretty consistent. # 🔧 Settings * Always-On Display: **ON** * Cellular: **ON** (outdoors only) * Low Power Mode: **OFF** * Background Refresh: **ON** (disabled a few irrelevant apps) * Wake on Wrist Raise: **OFF** * Wake on Crown Rotation: **OFF** * Always On: **ON** # ⚡ Charging & Battery I keep it between 20–80% charge, and it tops up super fast — basically full again after my post-run shower. On average, I’m getting about **1.5 days per charge**. I typically charge it every other day: once in the evening and then again after my morning run two days later. It’s nowhere near Garmin-level battery life, but I honestly don’t mind the shorter cycle. A single 1–2h run eats up about **7%**, regardless of whether cellular is on or off. I don’t play music from the watch since I usually have my work phone on me and stream to my Shokz from there anyway. # ❤️ Heart Rate Accuracy This is where the Ultra still lags behind Garmin. * For walking, strength, or yoga — it’s great, very close to chest HRM accuracy. * For running — not so much. I get frequent dropouts and it often locks to cadence (hello, 180 bpm “steady state”). I’ve tried all the usual fixes — moving it higher up my wrist, tightening/loosening, different bands — no real improvement. I have a pretty bony wrist, so that might be part of the issue. My Garmin’s optical sensor wasn’t perfect either, but at least it didn’t constantly confuse cadence for HR. I’ve switched to a chest strap again for running sessions. # 📊 Metrics & Health Data Coming from Garmin, this is the weakest point. Apple’s HRV, stress, and recovery data are nowhere near as consistent or detailed. HR and HRV aren’t continuously measured, so you lose that nice rolling insight Garmin gives you. That said, after three years with Garmin I’ve learned my own recovery cues pretty well — so I’m less reliant on the watch’s “readiness” metrics now. There are third-party apps that try to replicate Garmin’s body battery / training load data, but without continuous measurement, it’s just not the same. # 🍏 Ecosystem & Everyday Use This is where the Ultra wins easily. * The UI is smooth and snappy. * Being able to respond to messages and notifications without my phone is huge. * Integration with the rest of Apple’s ecosystem (Mac, iPhone, AirPods) is seamless. If you’re already deep into Apple’s world, the watch feels like an extension of your digital life. # 🆚 Apple Watch Ultra 3 vs Garmin Garmin is still **the better athlete’s watch**, no question — especially for long-distance runners or anyone training for ultras. Battery life, GPS tracking, and data depth are all superior. This is why I will still keep my garmin - for any 50k+ mountain runs. I am just not this kind of guy who would turn all the settings off, making the watch essentially pointless (I like looking up metrics during run a lot). But if you’re like me — training \~20 hours a week (which is still only about 18% of my waking time) — the other 82% of your life is where the Apple Watch shines. For everything outside pure training, the Ultra 3 is just **a better all-around smartwatch**.

Thanks for the input on this - makes me wonder whether I have a faulty model :) But again - works quite well when I don't move a lot.

I love Apple and Garmin products, and I’ve been waiting for the Ultra 3 release to replace my Apple Watch Series 9. Here’s where my AWS9 falls short for me: camping and hiking because of battery, maps and navigation while biking and hiking, and the dynamic running workout suggestions that Garmin has. I can get Fenix 8 Solar for $880 through a discount with my health insurance which makes it comparable to AWU3. Things I like about Fenix 8 Solar: maps, battery, daily suggested workout, Garmin coach, MIP screen doesn’t look like a mini phone on my wrist. Things I like about AWU3: being reachable by my wife and kids while running and cycling, running errands sans phone, love the design, my watch bands will fit, my Apple Music subscription works, etc. I feel like the AWU3 fits my actual day to day better than the Fenix; although, when I do make it out for that couple times a year backpacking trip, Fenix is the clear winner. But on the day to day I mostly am tracking running and weightlifting. And a weekend gravel bike ride. Anybody have both?

> Satellite SOS are pretty big sellers for me. This is what I want it for. I drive in a lot of areas where cellphone service does not exist and I need the ability to contact someone if shit goes down. Got the U1 now but I am moving to the U3 because of this.

I took the same path, to take advantage of the connected functions of the Apple Watch and a better silent morning alarm. I miss Garmin's running features, including routable dynamic mapping (WOD makes up for it a bit) and Garmin Coach. Runna is less good (much less adaptive) but it gets the job done. For everyday functions, I am happy with my new AWU3 even if I still have the reflex to blindly look for my button to turn on the LED lamp :)

I received the AWU3 and I remain in doubt. For running it is very inferior. Runna is okay but it’s an additional subscription. I expect from the AWU a better silent morning alarm and perhaps help to better organize my days with Structured for example.

The Apple Watch is the choice of compromise between daily life and running. I find it very inferior to the Garmins for running and hiking, but it is still acceptable considering the advantages for everything else.

I am 100% on the side of ultra. Bought my first Ultra the 3 and will never go back. The battery life is amazing!!! Lasts 2 to 3 days easy and that's without low power mode.

This. I’m going on my third day without charging. This means less battery cycles and longer life of device.

I have an AWU3 and just grabbed a Fenix8. How do you mix their use? Do you use the garmin for sleep? If not, how does that change your training load? I had a fenix6pro that I used for a couple 50k’s, and I want to get back into doing them. That’s why I picked up the 8.

I have both AWU 3 and Garmin 970 I switch between watches depending on what’s happening. I sometimes just wear both 😙