Garmin vs. Apple Watch for Fitness Statistics – Which is Better? (2025)

Introduction

Garmin vs. Apple Watch for Fitness Statistics: Garmin and Apple are prominent players in the global smartwatch market, each offering distinct advantages in fitness tracking and health monitoring. Apple holds a 21% share of the global smartwatch market, while Garmin maintains a strong presence, particularly among serious athletes and outdoor enthusiasts.

In terms of battery life, Garmin devices significantly outperform Apple Watches. For example, the Garmin Fenix 8 offers up to 13 days of battery life in smartwatch mode and up to 49 hours in GPS mode, whereas the Apple Watch Ultra 2 provides up to 36 hours of battery life, extendable to 60 hours in low-power mode.

Regarding pricing, the Apple Watch Series 10 is available for USD 299, down from its original price of USD 399. The Garmin Forerunner 265 is priced at USD 349.99, reduced from USD 449.99.

The global fitness tracker market was valued at USD 62.03 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow to USD 72.08 billion in 2025, with an expected increase to USD 290.85 billion by 2032, reflecting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 22.1%.

Editor’s Choice

• According to the reports of Wikipedia, total revenue accounted for by Garmin was around USD 6.29 billion, while Apple Inc. accounted for USD 391 billion revenue by the end of 2024.
• Wikipedia shows that, starting with the Forerunner 101 in 2003, Garmin introduced GPS-enabled watches specifically designed for runners.
• A Phone Arena report analysis further elaborates that in Q2 2024, Apple smartwatch shipments captured the highest market share of 49%, followed by Garmin with an 11% share.
• According to WIRED reports, the first-generation Apple Watch was released on April 24, 2015.
• Amazon reports that this watch has a battery life of up to 23 days (for the smartwatch).
• Meanwhile, apple.com states that the battery life of this watch series is approximately 18 hours.
• Wareable shows that Garmin users’ average fitness age is 2.48 years younger.
• On the other side, about 27.2% of women and 26.9% of men who use Apple smartwatches are between 25 and 34 years old.

Garmin vs. Apple Watch Market Share Statistics

• According to the Phone Arena report analysis, in Q2 2024, Apple smartwatch shipments captured the highest market share of 49%, followed by Garmin with an 11% share.
• Cycling Weekly reports that in 2024, Garmin recorded revenue of USD 6.3 billion, up 20% from the previous year.
• Whereas, in the Q4 of 2024, the fitness segment of Garmin smartwatches increased by 31%.
• According to a Reuters survey analysis, Garmin’s fitness segment generated USD 463.9 million in revenue in Q3 2024.
• DemandSage reports that in the first quarter of 2025, Apple’s smartwatch segment captured a market share of 21%.
• In contrast, almost 92% of Apple’s fitness watch users claimed that after using the device, their health and fitness have improved positively.
• As per AppleInsider, Apple Watch shipments have reduced by 19% from last year.

Garmin vs. Apple Company Comparison

• According to Wikipedia reports, in 2024, the total revenue was approximately USD 6.29 billion, while the operating income was USD 1.59 billion.

Furthermore, in 2024, other financial analyses of the company are detailed below:

• Meanwhile, during the same period, Apple Inc. generated USD 391 billion in revenue.

In contrast, the company’s other financial analyses are stated below:

• As of 2024, the total number of employees working for Garmin and Apple was 21,800 and 164,000, respectively.
• The products of Garmin are GNSS receivers, avionics, and wearable technology, while Apple’s products include AirPods, Apple TV, Apple Watch, iPad, and iPhone.

Garmin vs. Apple Watch Release Statistics

• Wikipedia reports that, starting with the Forerunner 101 in 2003, Garmin introduced GPS-enabled watches specifically designed for runners.
• In March 2023, the Forerunner 265 was released, featuring an AMOLED display and advanced training metrics. This was followed by the Forerunner 965, which introduced a titanium bezel and comprehensive fitness tracking capabilities.
• Another released Garmin model was the Forerunner 165 in February 2024, based on affordability, while the Forerunner 970 in May 2025 had enhanced performance metrics.
• In August 2024, the Fenix 8 and Fenix E were launched, featuring AMOLED displays, extended battery life, and advanced navigation capabilities.
• According to WIRED reports, the first-generation Apple Watch was released on April 24, 2015.

Furthermore, other Apple Watch releases are stated in the table below:

Garmin vs. Apple Watch User Statistics

• According to Wareable, Garmin users’ average fitness age is 2.48 years younger.
• For men, it’s 2.75 years younger, and for women, it’s 1.94 years younger.
• Garmin users walk about 8,317 steps every day, while users in Hong Kong walk the most at 10,340 steps, and Indonesian users walk the least at 5,375 steps.
• The worldwide average Training Readiness score is 60 (moderate), New Zealand has the highest score at 64, while South Korea has the lowest at 51.

  (Source: coolest-gadgets.com)

• As of 2024, in the United States, the number of Apple Watch users totaled 30.3 million, accounting for 34.6% of adult users.
• It is expected to continue growing, reaching 31.9 million in 2025 with a growth rate of 5.3%, and 33.4 million in 2026 (a 4.6% Year-over-Year Increase).
• Globally, about 27.2% of women and 26.9% of men who use smartwatches are between 25 and 34 years old.

Fitness Features Comparison

The Top Popular Garmin Watch For Fitness

(Reference: garmin.com)

Top Popular Apple Watch For Fitness

(Source: garagegymreviews.com)

By Accuracy & Performance Metrics

#1. Step Counting:

• A survey done by Tom’s Guide, for the 7,000-step test: Garmin Forerunner 265 recorded 7,530 steps, just 86 steps over the manual count of 7,444.
• Meanwhile, Apple Watch Series 10 logged 6,979 steps, undercounting by 465 steps.

#2. Distance Tracking:

• A test performed by the Apple Watch Community, in a 10km track test: Gramin Instinct underestimated by 0.09 km
• In contrast, Apple Watch Series 4 overestimated by nearly 1 km.

#3. Heart Rate Zones

• Tim Anderson’s IT Writing reports that Garmin detects Maximum Heart Rate (MHR) and provides detailed VO₂ max and heart rate zone data.
• On the other hand, Apple Watch requires manual MHR input for accuracy.

#4. Battery Life

• According to garagegymreviews.com, as of 2025, the Garmin Forerunner 965 offers up to 23 days.
• Moreover, the Apple Watch Series 10 provides up to 18 hours of battery life.

#5. Training & Recovery Features

• Garmin fitness watch includes advanced metrics such as training readiness, recovery time, and body battery.
• Meanwhile, Apple Watches mostly focus on general health metrics.

Conclusion

After completing the article on Garmin vs. Apple Watch for Fitness Statistics – Which is Better? It can be determined that both Garmin and Apple Watch offer excellent fitness tracking capabilities, but they cater to different types of users.

Garmin fitness watches are superior due to their accuracy, long battery life, and in-depth training tools, making them particularly well-suited for serious athletes, runners, and outdoor enthusiasts.

Whereas the Apple Watch is user-friendly, featuring strong health monitoring capabilities (such as ECG and blood oxygen tracking), and offers seamless integration with the iPhone and Apple Fitness+.

So, it’s difficult to determine which is a better fitness watch, but ultimately it depends on the users ‘ preferences and their affordability.