Is Garmin Epix 2 the definitive smartwatch for activity tracking, for now?

Conventional wisdom takes us in a very familiar direction every time we talk of smartwatches for fitness tracking. The Apple watch must be the best, after all? Well, it is setting the experience and accuracy benchmark in many ways — that interface has seen a million copies already and the heart rate sensor is medically certified for accuracy. Yet, fitness tracking (as wide as it may be) is very much geared for the masses. For the more serious data collection, that and no other smartwatch comes close to anything Garmin makes. There are reasons for that observation. The Garmin Epix 2 (because this is now in the second generation), which now sits at the top of the company’s watch line-up, is in a way ushering in a new direction. Garmin’s suite of activity tracking is as diverse as it gets. The interface and software are significantly improved over time. And they’ve managed to extract at least 6-day battery life from a smartwatch that has a gorgeous OLED display, along with all the other bells and whistles. Smartwatches in general have tagged OLED screens for heavy battery consumption, and athletes as well as fitness enthusiasts had to make do with pretty basic LCD screens for the sake of battery stamina. Not the Garmin Epix 2, which in our experience, consistently returns almost 7 days of battery stamina before you’ll be reaching for the charger again. Dial down brightness and you’ll probably extract a few days more. Compared with most smartwatches, battery reads out in “days” instead of “hours”, which is refreshing. Also Read:India edges past China to achieve this feat as smartwatch market: ReportThe limitation on the design standpoint is the single size, which is 47mm. Some of us would love this chunky and large dial, which also helps the OLED display show its strengths. But for comfort, many of us with thinner wrists may not exactly find this the right size. There are no sizing options, at least for now. The 1.3-inch AMOLED (this also has always-on, and we left it on, because why not?). The experience is so much better than an LCD, which beyond a point, has limitations with vividness, brightness and the overall visual personality. We did not notice any inconsistencies with the touch response. The interface could do with some simplification, but that’s not really a shortcoming considering the scope of tracking functionality this watch manages. Speaking of which, the list is exhaustive. Fitness enthusiasts will likely tick off most boxes on their checklist. Overlapping for wellness and activity tracking, the Garmin Epix 2 has a pulse oximeter, heart rate sensor, respiration tracking (if you want data on your breathing during sleep or activity), body battery monitoring (this is based on a combination of metrics, and generally indicated my situation quite well), stress level tracking (this uses heart rate variability for calculation), hydration tracking as well as sleep monitoring (if you’re comfortable wearing a watch as thick as this at night). You’d need to keep in mind that the entry spec gets 16GB internal storage while the flagship model will have 32GB storage. In some parts of the world, that has a direct impact on Garmin Maps (for mapping your activity) which come preloaded in the latter. The activity suite has preloaded activity profiles for the most popular types — running, jogging, cycling, biking, golfing and swimming, to name a few. Beyond that, there are animated workouts on the watch’s screen for yoga, cardio, strength and pilates. There’s more beyond that. The aftereffects of this extensive portfolio are the advanced metrics (daily workout suggestions, recovery time and stamina, to name some) that you can potentially derive from the Garmin Epix 2. The companion app for Android phones and indeed the iPhone, Garmin Connect, is a cinch to use. For the money you pay (and it is a lot), the Garmin Epix 2 does give two very classy finish options to choose from. While the Slate Steel (this is priced around ₹1,00,990) ticks off the sophistication requirement to the hilt, we’d recommend the Sapphire option, finished in Titanium Black (it costs around ₹1,11,990). The latter has the more robust sapphire glass too. If you’re looking for an LTE or cellular connectivity option, you’re out of luck. All the wireless smarts the Epix 2 gets are from the paired smartphone, except multi-band GPS which the Sapphire version has. Both versions miss out on phone call management, which may or may not be important for you. Beyond that, the entire gamut of notifications is available. Unlike many companies such as Fitbit and indeed Apple, Garmin doesn’t nudge you to sign up for a subscription service to unlock certain functionality. Everything in the Epix 2, and indeed Garmin’s other watches, is available from the outset. You will pay a premium for Garmin’s wearables, but there is no added cost for subscriptions, in the ownership stage. It is an easy decision to make up your mind, if this justifies your intent and dedication for the activity routine. Extensive fitness and activity tracking, long battery life, offline Spotify (that might interest you) and build that feels right for the price, are the takeaways. But considering the price tags, you must really consider your motivation for fitness and activity routines, before making the splurge. If all falls into place in your calculations, things don’t get any more versatile than the Garmin Epix 2. But then again, isn’t that intention true for any big-ticket gadget purchase?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Vishal Mathur is Technology Editor for Hindustan Times. When not making sense of technology, he often searches for an elusive analog space in a digital world.
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