Several of the most-viewed posts on this site are about the Apple Watch and Garmin so I know people enjoy reading about these comparisons! Once I get the new Apple Watch Series 4, I will be doing real comparisons to a couple of similar Garmin watches. But, with preorders starting in less than 12 hours, I wanted to lay out the spec comparisons between the new Apple Watch Series 4 and the closest Garmin product.
Link: 4 New Features of the New Apple Watch Series 4 for Runners and Travelers
Stacking Them Up: New Apple Watch Series 4 vs Garmin
With the new Apple Watch Series 4 starting at $399, it places it pretty much in direct competition to the Garmin Forerunner 645. For more direct comparison, we will use the $449 Garmin Forerunner 645 Music.
To keep it fairly even, I am using the 44mm Apple Watch Series 4 GPS ($429) and the Garmin Forerunner 645 Music ($449). Note that both manufacturers use fancy language to describe the glass face which is really different kinds of strengthened glass. Neither watch uses a Sapphire crystal (you need to move up to the Garmin Fenix 5 Sapphire or the 5 Plus Sapphire for Garmin or the Apple Watch Stainless Steel – both sets are similar prices).
| Specification | Apple Watch Series 4 | Garmin Forerunner 645 Music |
|---|---|---|
| Battery Life | General Use: 18 Hours GPS Use: 6 Hours GPS w/Music: 5 Hours? | General Use: Up to 7 Days GPS Use: Up to 14 Hours GPS w/ Music: Up to 5 Hours |
| Music Storage | 16GB of storage | 3.5GB of storage |
| Water Resistant | Up to 50 Meters | Up to 50 Meters |
| Native Sleep Tracking | No | Yes |
| Built-in Heart Rate Monitor | Yes | Yes |
| Always-On Display | No | Yes |
| Multi-Sport Capability | Yes | Yes |
| Glass material | Ion-X Strengthened Glass | Chemically Strengthened Glass |
| Weight | 36.7 Grams | 42.2 Grams |
| Dimensions | 44 x 38 x 10.7 mm | 42.5 x 42.5 x 13.5 mm |
| Sensors | Optical heart sensor, electronic heart sensor, gyroscope, barometric altimeter, accelerometer | Optical heart sensor, barometric altimeter, compass, gyroscope, accelerometer, thermometer |
| GPS Technology | GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and QZSS | GPS, GLONASS |
| Compatible with iOS and Android | No | Yes |
| Switchable watch bands | Yes | Yes (20mm bands) |
Again, this is just to give you an idea of the feature sets on both these watches. I will be doing comparisons when I get my hands on the Apple Watch but hopefully this will help you if you are trying to decide if you are going to buy an Apple Watch Series 4 tomorrow.
