Switched back to Garmin
After almost 5 years I'm switching back to Garmin for my main watch.
I like the Apple Watch. It's very convenient within the Apple ecosystem and if I weren't training for some triathlons, I'd probably opt for it. Instead, I've got this Garmin Forerunner 745 that I got on Prime Day. Here are the pros and cons of each. It's not exhaustive. Just a few quick thoughts.
Apple Watch Pros
Eco System
Find My Phone / Keys / etc
Apple Messages
Apple Watch Cons
Battery life sucks
I can't really wear the watch to bed and get my heart rate readings while I rest
Apple Messages
Activity streaks can be a bit distracting. For example the stand goal is silly and caused me to have stupid habits like swinging my arm at my desk because it wasn't registering me standing at my desk.
It tracks activities well except swimming and triathlons.
No integrations with Power Meters
Garmin Pros
Made for endurance athletes
Battery life is amazing. A week's worth of battery on one charge
Getting a full charge takes less than an hour
Metrics like Training Load and Recovery Time are really insightful and helpful
I can wear the watch to sleep and get some additional data about my sleep
Syncs to Apple Health and Strava
Garmin Cons
UI is meh
Notifications from the iPhone aren't great
The phone is a little jenky
To summarize, Garmin just beats Apple in every way when it comes to tracking triathlon sports. Additionally, I enjoy not being tied to the Apple activity eco-system. Finally, the amount of notifications I receive now is dramatically reduced. It felt like my first was consistently vibrating from apps and friend's activity for no reason. Absolutely enjoying being free of that world.