Garmin 935

How old is your Garmin watch/device? I'm still using a Forerunner 935 from 2017 and I haven't had any problems with charging/syncing data. I use the USB charger about once a week. Once every two weeks during winter when I don't use the GPS as much. Only thing I have updated on the watch is the free loop, which holds the watch band after you've threaded it through the buckle. I'm gonna have to replace the watch band eventually - the plastic band is starting to crack, Canadian winters aren't gentle on these things. Garmin support sent me replacement free loops when I called in asking how I could replace them.

My 5 years old Garmin 935 still lasts 15 days, same as when it was new. That also means it takes 15 years to have the same number of charging cycles as Apple gets in a year.

Same, but slightly disagree about the UI, but can understand why it's not for everyone. I finally upgraded my ageing 935 to a 955 after 3 or more years and I actually find the 955 to be a joyous experience day to day for everything I need to do and way more. The UI/UX actually feels somewhat well polished now. Sure, some features and functions are buried, but the amount of functionality packed into it, which is quickly and easily accessible when you get the basic UI structure is unsurpassed IMO. Nothing ever feels more than a few button presses or swipes away, which is honestly a huge achievement given just how much they are packing in now. The new daily reports and training/workout suggestions are almost always bang on in terms of matching I how feel along with their suggestions for easy days / hard days. The battery life and abundance of buttons just leaves Apple for dust IMO. Add in features like PacePro, easy workout building, training programs, race day planning, integration with everything imaginable - Di2 gears, power meters, etc. Apple will probably never handle a triathlon event - jumping seamlessly from Garmin watch -> Garmin cycle computer -> Garmin watch. I don't think Garmin should feel threatened by Apple here. Nothing about Apple Watch appeals to me for my use case - running, cycling, swimming, hiking, training status, sleep tracking/recommendations, notifications, music/spotify integration. I've had a couple of Apple Watches over the years and they both got ha…

I got an Apple Watch just before the pandemic. In the winter I love to XC Ski, but it wasn't in there as an activity -- I guess not much snow in Cupertino. After a year or two of daily charging I went back to my trusty Garmin 935 that lasts ~2 weeks on a charge (used to be more like a month, but you know what I can install a replacement battery!) -- the Garmin does have an XC Ski activity.

I don't think it's that big of a deal for good running watches. I ran the JFK50 with a three year old Garmin 935 with a heart strap (HRM-Tri) in a little under 11 hours. My watch was close to 50%. That was with GPS updates every second. It would have been much better if I left it at the default, not the ultratrac or whatever they call the endurance battery mode.