As Cyber Monday begins to wind down, the Black Friday weekend of sales reaches its crescendo and there are still some excellent Cyber Monday smartwatch deals to be found.
For anyone who's been eyeing up a deal, it's crunch time. There's no guaranteeing that prices will go back up after Cyber Monday, but you'll be forgiven for feeling a sense of urgency and worrying that they might.
The problem is: working out which is the better smartwatch for you isn't an easy task, especially when you throw in Garmin's various sizes and spec options and Apple's latest model launched in September.
By chance, we have the Garmin Epix, Garmin Fenix, Apple Watch Ultra and Apple Watch Ultra 2 in for testing at the moment here at Cyclingnews HQ, and I have personally put each of them through some tests and plenty of day-to-day wear, so can provide some insight, some personal experience, and hopefully use that to help you make your decision.
Garmin
Within the Garmin Fenix, the following hierarchy applies:
Case sizes: 42mm (designated S), 47mm standard case and 51mm (designated X).
Solar: This adds solar charging tech, which Garmin claims adds around 4 days to battery life, depending on model. This can have the negative effect of reducing the clarity of the screen a little.
Glass: A choice between standard glass and hardened sapphire glass. The Sapphire models often get more onboard memory too.
Bezel: Titanium or Stainless Steel. Naturally Titanium is slightly lighter and harder wearing, but mainly it just looks more posh.
Pro: These are the latest model which technically supersede the Fenix 7. This adds a flashlight into the watch's glass, multi-GNSS for a more precise location fix and offer even longer battery life.
Buy it if:
If your primary reason for buying a smartwatch is for sport, then the Garmin models will be better for you in my opinion. Sure, the top-tier Garmin smartwatches can do stuff beyond sport, like Spotify music, contactless Garmin Pay and track your everyday health, but it lacks some functionality with connectivity to apps that, if you use an iPhone, the Apple Watch does much better.
The display for running metrics are better, the on-device Komoot navigation is more comprehensive, and the ability to literally create a new sport and then lay the display out however you want is completely unmatched, but when you want to do the more everyday things like delete an email that just came through or reply to a text, the Apple Watch is better.
The battery is also much better. You can get between 18 and 57 days on the Fenix 7 according to Garmin. In my use I got around 2-3 weeks depending on use, which falls right around that 18 day mark. With the Apple Watch Ultra, I'm lucky to get more than 3 days between charges.
In the USA, the biggest discount comes on the smallest sized entry model, the standard Fenix 7S is down frmo $699 to just $449.
For UK readers, the biggest deal is on the 7X Solar.
Garmin Fenix 7 Pro: $799.99 $599.99 at Amazon £749.99 £590.30 at Amazon
16-25% off - As above, the prices on the Pro vary based on spec choice, but the biggest discount in the USA comes on the mid-sized 7 Pro Solar model. In the UK, the best discount is on the smaller 7S Pro.
Apple Watch Ultra
The Apple Watch range is a little more simple, especially within the Ultra model.
You have the Apple Watch Ultra; this was the first model to come out with the Ultra name, and was launched in September 2022.
Then there's the Apple Watch Ultra 2; this came out in September 2023, and with it came on-device Siri, a better processing chip, and a clever double tap gesture that lets you answer calls or change music by tapping your finger and thumb together (like so 🤏).
Buy it if:
For me, the Apple Watch is the one to choose if you want a product that'll integrate into your day to day life more smoothly, especially if you have an Apple iPhone.
It can still track a multitude of sports, but for a lot of them the display is unchanged; a timer, a heart rate, a rolling pace and an average pace and distance covered.
Like the Fenix, it offers integration with Spotify, but Apple Music too (of course), and there's Apple Pay providing the contactless payments. The optical heart rate sensor is there too.
The Fitness app isn't quite as complete as the Garmin Connect when it comes to tracking metrics, but if you pay for Fitness Plus, you get a full suite of workouts. Not particularly promising for a cyclist, but for those who enjoy a gym session, a run or other, it's an add on worth considering. Without that though, I use the Fitness app to record my commutes to work and back, my runs and even the odd long ride when I don't feel that I need a computer. It can connect to power meters now, which is a new feature added a couple of months ago.
Where it comes into its own is the design quality. Side by side, the Watch Ultra looks and feels more premium, with a much crisper screen and a much better quality to the tactility of buttons. The screen is just like an iPhone screen, whereas the Garmin is more like your Garmin bike computer; not bad by any means, but not quite as good.
UK: Apple Watch Ultra 1:£699.00 £599.00 at Amazon Save 14% This is £50 cheaper than it's ever been before for the original Watch Ultra.
The price applies to a couple of colour options, and is unlikely to hang around.
In the USA, tis is actually the best price the Watch Ultra 2 has ever been, and is priced at $90 more than the older model. Only you can decide whether that's a price you're willing to pay for the latest model. onally stick with the older model, but if you want the better chip, on-device Siri, and gesture control feature, then this is the best deal around at the moment.
In the USA, this is actually the best price the Watch Ultra 2 has ever been, and is priced at $90 more than the older model. Only you can decide whether that's a price you're willing to pay for the latest model.
Apple Watch Ultra 2:
USA: $799.00 $739.00 at Amazon
UK: £799.00 £769.00 at Amazon Save 4% - In the UK, it's £170 more than the older model. At this price difference and considering the spec differences, I'd personally stick with the older model, but if you want the better chip, on-device Siri, and gesture control feature, then this is the best deal around at the moment.
In the USA, this is actually the best price the Watch Ultra 2 has ever been, and is priced at $90 more than the older model. Only you can decide whether that's a price you're willing to pay for the latest model.
Which would I buy?
For a like-for-like product, I prefer the Apple Watch Ultra. I personally wouldn't shell out for the newer Ultra 2 at these prices, given the discounts that are available on the original version, but I much prefer the Apple Watch's premium finish and screen clarity. And as an iPhone user, I much prefer the way it connects with my phone to improve streamlined functionality.
That's not to say anyone using the Fenix 7 will be disappointed. It's a fantastic and powerful watch with a far superior battery life.
Josh is Associate Editor of Cyclingnews – leading our content on the best bikes, kit and the latest breaking tech stories from the pro peloton.
Josh has been with us since the summer of 2019 and throughout that time he's covered everything from buyer's guides and deals to the latest tech news and reviews. On the bike, Josh has been riding and racing for over 15 years.
He started out racing cross country in his teens back when 26-inch wheels and triple chainsets were still mainstream, but he found favour in road racing in his early 20s, racing at a local and national level for Somerset-based Team Tor 2000.
These days he rides indoors for convenience and fitness, and outdoors for fun on road, gravel, 'cross and cross-country bikes, the latter usually with his two dogs in tow.
