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When it comes to fitness wearables, two brands have been favored by athletes and seem to always remain in the limelight: Garmin and Fitbit. Both have developed their brand loyalty by providing devices that assist people with health tracking, training, and key performance indicators.
However, the question rests how does one decide between these two behemoths? Whether you are a runner, a cyclist, a swimmer or a person who just wants to lose some weight and get fit, it is also important to know the strengths and weaknesses of each brand.
From that perspective, let’s investigate three key distinctions, features, and which one may be more promising for your sporting needs.
A Tale of Two Philosophies
Garmin and Fitbit target slightly different groups of people and that is reflected in the devices and the use of their functions. Garmin is for serious sportsmen.
Their technology is packed with advanced metrics, robust GPS functionality, and performance-focused tools. Instead, Fitbit seeks to be more inclusive, but aims to wellness instead.
It’s aimed at the average people who just want a mix of a fitness tracker and a health monitor but with extra features such as stress monitoring and sleep monitoring.
This difference in principle informs you how the devices will operate. In the case of Garmin, it’s all about precision performance, for Fitbit, it’s performance but more simple and the approach is holistic.
Design and User Experience
With respect to design, Garmin and Fitbit both offer elegant and aesthetically pleasing devices, but they are intended for different markets.
The Forerunner series or the Fēnix line by Garmin on the other hand gives a more ruggeded sporty feel. These are meant to withstand the hardest of outdoor activities made of rough materials and a dial that demands a sense of adventure.
Their screens are usually anti glare so that its easy to see during the day and its physical buttons help with its usability during high impact activities like running or cycling.
Admittedly, the Garmin system feels a bit more convoluted as it has the sole purpose of giving access to a wide variety of features.
In stark contrast, Fitbit adds emphasis to a more refined and simplistic minimalistic design approach. The Fitbit versa for example is pretty and light when worn or fitted and it offers a good sense of fashion during normal use.
The fact that they have a screen with touch functionality, makes it effective for unskilled users.
Actually, fitbits are versatile, suitable for wearers starting from the gym and quite popular in offices, though far from being as rugged gomins.
Health and Fitness Tracking
Garmin: If you’re an athlete who relies heavily on stats, updating your fitness gadget to the Garmin is your best option. Its devices are able to monitor measurements such as VO2 max, lactate threshold, and recovery periods.
Runners can measure their cadence, stride length, and how long their foot stayed on contact with the ground while cyclists can take advantage of advanced power meter features.
There’s damage proofing for those who swim, as well as specialized measures such as the strokes obtained, and SWOLF scores.
Garmin stands out with its ability to record locations without distortion, which makes it perfect for anyone who loves the outdoors.
Fitbit: The Fitbit doesn’t use GPS data but does track fitness activity, especially since it is more suited for monitoring health rather than utilizing it to take part in physical activities.
Tools like measuring the heart’s rhythm, movements and advanced monitoring of sleep patterns are all great ways for fitting into a wellness program.
For general fitness goals, Active Zone Minutes hit the sweet spot because they get people to do moderate to intense exercises that are tailored to their rate of the heart as well as increasing their heart rate with those sessions.
It also has its own GPS unit, though it is not as good as Garmins.
Smart Features
Due to its fitness related features being limited, Fitbit smartwatches can be seen as more of a lifestyle watch suitable for a variety of different occasions.
Smart watches such as the Fitbit Sense come equipped with virtual assistants, smart phone syncs and EDA scans. The range of products and accessories from Fitbit have been made to help people with their everyday tasks.
Although Garmin has been slower to focus on smartwatches, they have improved in this area. More recent models allow for smartphone message notifications, secure payment through Garmin Pay, and even the ability to save your favorite tunes.
However, these are often seen as peripheral in importance to Fitbit, all of which are still secondary to Garmin’s overall focus on fitness and training.
Battery Life
As far as battery life is concerned, there is no contest: Garmin is the clear winner.
A number of its products like Garmin Instinct Solar have week-long battery lives in smartwatch mode and even longer if solar charging is done.
Even more advanced models having GPS tracking are able to do so for days on a single charge which is very helpful for long distance runners or hikers.
On average, the battery life for Fitbits is commendable lasting about 5 and 7 days.
Although this is normal for most consumers, it is not nowhere near the longevity that a Garmin offers.
But if you are an athlete or any body who is into training that requires GPS constantly or for long time, you will notice the difference in battery consumption versus other brands.
App Ecosystem and Insights
The respective apps of the brands follow the same manner as their intended consumers, in the case of both brands, their phones.
Garmin Connect: Garmin’s app has a lot of data to offer. It is filled with graphs and loads of information in relation to athletes and fitness plans.
This level of detailed analysis can be a bit too much for anyone who is a casual user, but those who love details, it is paradise.
Fitbit App: Fitbit’s application is in fact simpler to use. It offers health trends such as comprehensive sleep schedules, the number of steps taken in a day, and stress. There are also more advanced options for users who want to focus on their general wellness, thanks to subscribing to the Fitbit Premium.
Pricing
On the whole, Fitbit is relatively inexpensive, with entry points for the Inspire series on the lower end of the scale. The high-end Fitbit Sense costs more, however, the price is still lower than that of the high-end models of Garmin.
Garmin’s products are more expensive as they are more modern and tougher. The Fēnix 7 or the Forerunner 955 are for serious gamblers who are ready to pay for the best.
Garmin Pros and Cons
Fitbit Pros and Cons
Which Is Best for Athletes?
Garmin comes out as the better option for serious athletes or trainers as it is highly durable and offers a fantastic level of detail. It’s perfect for people that want to improve or track their performance in a wide range of sports.
If you do triathlons or run marathons or just prefer being active outdoors, there’s definitely a Garmin device for you.
For people that are less interested in metrics and focus on fitness as a whole, a fitbit might be a better option. The simplicity of the interface, health trackers, and price make it perfect for users who want to keep moving without worrying about complex metrics.
The Final Word
In the end, it all comes down to Garmin vs Fitbit based on what’s more useful for you. At the moment, Fitbit is wide range of features that can cater to general users while there are users of Garmin who require more precision and advanced technology.
There will always be users that don’t understand how they would utilize a fit bit which is perfectly understandable and the introduction of smart belts will cater to such users.
If you are looking to get fit or improve your personal best, there’s definitely a product for you in both these brands
