I ditched my Apple and Galaxy watches for a Garmin, and you should too

I’ve been a believer in wearable technology since the beginning. Before smartwatches really became mainstream, I used Fitbit trackers to track activity, check the time, and see notifications. When the first Apple Watch was announced, I was one of the first to buy one in 2015. That says a lot because the first Apple Watch Sport was terrible. Since then, I’ve owned a ton of top smartwatches, including Apple Watch, Pixel Watch, Galaxy Watch, and Garmin models.

But recently, I reviewed the most expensive smartwatch ever strapped to my wrist. It’s the Garmin Enduro 3, a long-lasting wearable with a $900 retail price. As I test products throughout the fall release cycle, I’m usually thrilled when I’m finished and can return to my preferred everyday carry. For smartwatches, that typically means adorning my Apple Watch Ultra or Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic.

This time was different. I couldn’t stop wearing the Garmin Enduro 3, and truthfully, I haven’t even thought about switching back to the Apple Watch Ultra or Galaxy Watch 6 Classic. In fact, I don’t even know where my Apple Watch Ultra is at the moment — despite wearing it religiously for two years before giving the Garmin watch a try.

We're approaching Black Friday and Cyber Monday discounts, where smartwatches — including those from Garmin — are sure to go on sale. That's why if you're itching to make a change, next week is probably the best time to do so. Here's why I've left those smartwatches behind, and why you may want to as well.

No more compromises

It’s true that the Garmin Enduro 3 costs more than the Apple Watch Ultra or the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic (and their newer models, for that matter). However, it’s also true that the Enduro 3 is better in a few key ways, starting with battery life. Garmin advertises the Enduro 3 as potentially offering “unlimited” battery life thanks to its solar charging capabilities, but in smartwatch mode, you can get up to three months of battery on a single charge. A more realistic figure is probably a month of battery life, which I’ve replicated in real-world usage.

Compare that to the latest Apple Watch Ultra 2 and Galaxy Watch Ultra, and the difference is staggering. I’m lucky to get a day or two of battery life on my Ultra with normal usage, sleep tracking, and activity tracking. The Garmin Enduro 3 helps me forget about charging, and it completely changed the way I use a smartwatch. When the battery gets low, I still have a few days of power left. All I have to do is remember to charge it for a few hours across those couple of days, and I’m set for another month.

In practice, that results in tangible benefits. I went on an international trip last month, and I didn’t bring a Garmin charger with me. The Enduro 3 was halfway charged when I left and still had a week of battery when I returned. On vacation, where remembering to bring all the right chargers can be a hassle, the Garmin was like a breath of fresh air.

Of course, this is nothing new for Garmin watches. The Enduro 3 is the longest-lasting smartwatch in the company’s lineup, but all great Garmin watches have solid battery life. The eye-opening part of using the Garmin Enduro 3 was discovering that you don’t really have to give up features to get this level of outstanding battery life. I’ve used older Vivoactive models, and more recently, the Garmin Instinct 2 Solar. Those watches had great battery life, too, but lacked in terms of feature set.

The Garmin Enduro 3 doesn’t compromise in the same ways. It has plenty of useful, tactile buttons — plus a responsive touchscreen. There are a handful of GPS bands supported, and a long list of sensors that includes a barometric altimeter, compass, gyroscope, accelerometer, ambient light sensor. In terms of health sensors, you get a heart rate monitor, Pulse Ox monitor, thermometer, and ECG.

Add it all together with Garmin’s insightful software, and the Enduro 3 was a much more useful fitness and health tool than either Apple or Samsung’s smartwatches. With the Apple Watch, it feels like Apple wants me to feel good about my fitness and health. You aim to close Activity Rings in a way that’s reminiscent of checking off a daily to-do list rather than actually being focused on fitness progress. While watchOS 11 is indeed better at acknowledging rest days, the emphasis on rest and recovery still isn’t comparable to Garmin’s.

Again, this results in tangible lifestyle benefits. The Garmin Enduro 3 recorded absolutely atrocious sleep and body battery scores in the days preceding myself coming down with a severe sinus infection. It knew I was sick before I did and recommended I pause training. Similarly, when I feel sore and tired after a grueling workout the previous day, Garmin’s training readiness store affirms what my body is telling me — giving me the confidence to take a rest day without feeling guilty.

Meanwhile, my Apple Watch is sitting in a drawer somewhere, buzzing each hour to remind me to get up and walk it off.

Part of the reason I’ve loved using the Garmin Enduro 3 is not because the Apple Watch or Galaxy Watch have changed for the worse; it’s that I’ve changed as a user. I’m not interested in using my smartwatch like a phone strapped to my wrist anymore. I want a watch that reliably tells the time, has long-lasting battery life, and has excellent fitness tracking capabilities and insights. Garmin watches are fantastic for that. Purely as a smartwatch, I’d recommend you pick the Apple Watch or Galaxy Watch.

But for me, I’ve discovered there’s value in wearing a smartwatch that’s a bit less smart.

Wait, you’re saying I should pay $900 for a smartwatch?

I know what you’re probably thinking. Sure, the Enduro 3 is cool, but it’s way too expensive to possibly be worth it. It is expensive — I wouldn’t blame you if you’re not willing to pay $900 for a smartwatch — however, it’s also worth it.

The value proposition starts to make sense when you look at what came before and after the Garmin Enduro 3. This watch’s predecessor was the Enduro 2, which cost $1,100. Garmin added a ton of software features and hardware improvements to the Enduro 3, making the company's longest-lasting watch ever while simultaneously slashing $200 off the sticker price.

Additionally, the Enduro 3 is quietly a better value than the Garmin Fenix 8. In our review, we found that the Fenix 8 was simply overpriced. The crazy thing is that the Enduro 3 can do much that the Fenix 8 can do while being lighter, cheaper, and featuring longer battery life and an advanced solar screen with more surface area for charging. Unless you need diving features or a speaker and microphone, the Enduro 3 is a better value — and maybe a better watch, depending on your use case — than the Fenix 8.

Consider these two watches for comparison, and the $900 Enduro 3 suddenly looks like an awesome deal. Combine that with the fact that the Garmin Enduro 3 very well may go on sale during Black Friday sales, which are already starting, and it looks like a great time to upgrade to a Garmin watch.

For budget buyers, there’s good news. Many of the things I’ve mentioned in this review apply to a ton of other Garmin watches, which are available at a fraction of the price of the Enduro 3. The Instinct 2 Solar is a great option for those who can forgo a touchscreen and most smartwatch features in favor of long battery life and excellent activity tracking. The Vivoactive and Forerunner lineups are less versatile than the Enduro 3, but they still feature great watches with week-plus battery life at low prices.

I’m betting that at least a few Garmin watches will go on sale on Black Friday. We already saw killer deals on the brand’s offerings while covering Prime Day, and Black Friday and Cyber Monday might offer even bigger price cuts. If you’re like me and are ready to ditch your Apple or Galaxy watch for a Garmin, you should keep an eye out for Black Friday deals on Garmin smartwatches. We might even luck out and see new models like the Enduro 3 and Fenix 8 get a much-needed price drop.

• Smartwatch deals: Best Buy | Walmart | Amazon | Samsung | Dell
• Fitness tracker deals: Best Buy | Walmart | Amazon | Dell