Apple - Watch Series 2

Used to have a watch series 2. That one sucked. Then went to a apple series 5. That one fell into a lake and seeing as the ground in the middle was over 10m, i doubt it survived Switched to a Garmin instinct 2 tactical solar about 3 years ago. I love not plugging it back to charge everyday (with gps its been lasting a solid 15-20 days a charge) Great with sports especially skiing (it uses about 3 different satelite technologies so i never lose connection and it detects skiing / lifts to get back up) I can control music from the watch - bit finnicky with the buttons but eh it is what it is I got 50% ish off through work so that was a bonus I do miss being able to send custom messages from it and controlling songs on spotify.... I also miss having the touchscreen, but this watch has remained on my wrist even diving hard into water from cliffs About 18 months after switching I binned my iphone 9 and got a google pixel so yeah, i never would turn back to apple products.... Depends on what you want to be honest. Just know, that most of these watches can survive in water for a few hours to a couple days, so swimming/diving in it isn't a problem but thats just my opinion Hope I helped

I've been swimming with my Apple Watch + [MySwimPro](https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id994386450?pt=117803900&ct=adam-reddit&mt=8) app weekly since 2016 when the Series 2 came out and never had any issues.

It depends on the person and how they swim. Each device has its own plusses and minuses but I've been a devoted Apple Watch user since Series 2 and it does the job well for my purposes (structured interval training with [MySwimPro app](https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id994386450?pt=117803900&ct=adam-reddit&mt=8))

Apple Watch will count a mid-lap stroke change (as you described) as two laps very reliably. For example: if you do 100IM in a 50m pool, it will appear as 200m IM in the Fitness app. So if you are really serious about loving mid-lap stroke changes I wouldn't use it. I don't know off the top of my head other wearables that handle this better, since the repetative motion and the force of pushing off the wall are two of the main indicators for lap detection, so I would rely on what other commentators say. Source: I build the MySwimPro app for Apple Watch.

Battery life is insane on this thing! I upgraded from a series 2 so it was a huge change, not used to this haha

You *can* maybe squeeze a few days by turning off features you probably want on. Just plan to charge it once a day. Assuming you also shower once a day it is exactly zero hassle. I’ve worn Apple Watches since the Series 2. I also often wear a running watch that lasts 10+ days between charges, so I do know firsthand what it’s like to need to charge less. I simply do not understand the majority of people who fixate on battery life. Unless you’re on an all day GPS activity you essentially can’t use up the battery in less than 24 hours.

Lol. I actually returned my AW2. Tried to switch, used 7-10 days and returned back to FR970. Apple watch has the best sensor. But there is no good data provided by AW. You need to put like 60-100$ in subscription per year to make sense of your data. Garmin is not far off. So i think its the best in the market for athletes

After digging into this for a while and using both, here’s my honest take: The Apple Watch is great for people with medical conditions. Its heart sensors (like ECG, AFib detection, and irregular rhythm alerts) are FDA-approved. That means it’s backed by real clinical research, and Apple takes that seriously. They won’t roll out health features unless they’re medically validated. So things like stress tracking or body battery scores aren’t available—not because Apple can’t, but because they need official approvals first. That’s also why Apple’s H R V data is raw, and sleep tracking is very basic—there’s no deep insight or recovery guidance unless you rely on third-party apps. Apple plays it safe because their focus is medical accuracy. Garmin, on the other hand, is unapologetically a fitness-first company. It doesn’t seek medical certification for most of its features, which means it’s free to innovate and iterate quickly. Garmin offers H RV-based stress tracking, body battery energy monitoring, detailed sleep scores, breathing rate, training readiness, and recovery metrics—all without needing approval from government agencies. If you have an existing medical condition (e.g., heart arrhythmia) or want a device that’s backed by regulatory approvals, the Apple Watch is your best bet. • If you’re healthy and looking to improve your fitness, performance, or recovery, the Apple Watch probably isn’t the best tool. You’re better off with a Garmin, WHOOP, Polar, COROS, or Suunto—devices that give you more in-depth training and recovery data. In fact, for healthy individuals, the Apple Watch is more of a “phone on your wrist”—great for notifications, Apple Pay, music control, or staying inside the ecosystem, but limited in terms of true fitness insights.

My watch is currently being repaired/replaced because of bad battery. It’s an S2, purchased 3 years ago. The cost is $150CAD.

My wife’s series 9 has a battery health of 84% and it barely makes it through the day. Usually it dies in the evening if she’s still at work. It’s one of the major reasons I got an AWU2. My series 2, 5 and 8 would all be fine for the first year or so, and then they’d struggle to make it thought the day. Having to charge every single day absolutely destroys the battery.

Rob is great but this is silly. Who cares about sleep stages? You have very little control over it, whereas you have much more control over duration and quality. My old Garmin would say “not enough REM sleep” but what the hell am I meant to do with that? Now I focus on quality and duration. An AW + Bevel is the best solution for me.

I’m in the same boat. Currently have the AW2, but want to get more focused on health, without having to juggle multiple apps. Had the Fenix 8 Solar in my cart for awhile now, but wondering about the reliability of the data vs the AW2.

Valid points. The reliability of the metrics is a big consideration for me. My two biggest cons with the AWU 2 are the battery life (not the biggest deal) & the lack of a cohesive health/fitness experience. Overall, I think it’s the best smartwatch on the market, but there’s room for improvement on the fitness side.

I went back to AW2 after from from 965. I got bored of it and I don’t run and missed the smart watch aspects and charging for 30 min a day is not an issue.

Family friend got me an AW2 in February from AAES for $399 because they were getting rid of the stock that still had the 02 sensor enabled. I wasn’t going to change watches unless they said Jesus would actually carry you around…or they introduce a sand/gold neutral color. They didn’t, so I’m not upgrading. However, for that small amount, you might as well get the newest.