Apple Watch Ultra 4 vs Garmin Fenix 9 Pro: Both watches nailed my accuracy test
The results of my final Apple Watch Ultra 4 and Garmin Fenix 9 Pro accuracy test speak for themselves.
The Garmin Fenix 9 Pro and Apple Watch Ultra 4 are two of the most accurate and expensive smartwatches released this year. To determine their accuracy, both devices were tested against an electrical heart rate monitor during a challenging 30-minute run on a hilly route. The study aimed to compare the average heart rate measured by the wrist-based wearables and the chest-mounted electrical HRM, which is considered more reliable than LED-based sensors.
The closer the wrist-based devices can get to the chest-mounted HRM's average heart rate, the better. In this case, the results revealed that the Garmin Fenix 9 Pro, Apple Watch Ultra 4, and the Frontier X2 heart rate monitor all averaged around 158-160 bpm, with a difference of less than 2 beats per minute. This consistent reading across all devices indicates their accuracy.
Although other metrics, such as calorie counts, may vary between devices, the heart rate numbers were deemed reliable. When comparing the two watches, the Apple Watch Ultra 4 stands out for its software, third-party apps, and smartwatch functionalities, while the Garmin Fenix 9 Pro is designed for endurance sports and comes with features such as a longer battery life (10 days vs Apple's 48 hours) and survival tools like an LED flashlight.
For day-to-day use, the Apple Watch is more user-friendly, but for multi-day adventures, the Garmin Fenix 9 Pro is the better choice.
Written by urgent.news from TechRadar's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
