Early in release cycle
Best for: iPhone users who want Apple Watch's core experience — activity tracking, notifications, crash detection, and Apple Pay — at a lower price point. Ideal for kids, teens, or anyone upgrading from a much older watch without needing the advanced health sensors.
Full details →Overdue for a refresh — no successor announced yet. Prices should be at their lowest
Best for: Multisport athletes and outdoor enthusiasts who want the most visually impressive Garmin watch without sacrificing analytics. If you want Fenix-level capability with a beautiful display and don't need maximum battery life, the Epix Pro is the answer.
Full details →| Apple Watch SE | Garmin Epix | |
|---|---|---|
| Tier | Smartwatch | Sports GPS |
| Platform | iOS only | iOS & Android |
| Battery | 18h | 16 days |
| Always-on display | ❌ | ✅ |
| GPS | ✅ | ✅ |
| Cellular | ✅ | ❌ |
| Health sensors | hr, irregular rhythm, crash detection, fall detection | hr, spo2, hrv, stress, body battery, training readiness |
| Released | Sep 19, 2025 | Aug 31, 2023 |
| Cycle length | 1098 days | 590 days |
| Cycle advice | good | bad |
| Deals advice | neutral | good |
| Next model | Apple Watch SE 4 (Expected fall 2027) | — |
Access the entire watchOS app ecosystem, Apple Pay, Siri, and Family Setup — for $150 less than the Series 11.
Emergency SOS, fall detection, and Crash Detection give real safety value even without premium health sensors.
Available in Midnight, Starlight, Silver, and (PRODUCT)RED with a wide range of Apple Watch-compatible bands.
AMOLED always-on display with significantly higher resolution and brightness than the Fenix MIP display — a meaningful advantage for readability in all conditions.
Running dynamics, full TopoActive maps, training load, advanced sleep, race predictor — the complete Garmin suite in a less bulky package than the Fenix 8.
The Epix Pro Sapphire Solar edition achieves 31 days in smartwatch mode via solar charging — near-Fenix endurance with superior display quality.