Garmin Fenix 8 vs Apple Watch Ultra 3 – here's which one I'd buy on Black Friday

The Garmin Fenix 8 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 are, respectively, Garmin and Apple's premium adventure watches. They're both packing accurate GPS and powerful navigation features to ensure you don't get lost on the trail, advanced workout tracking capabilities which deliver a load of useful metrics, and cool lifestyle features.

• Black Friday Garmin deals

• Black Friday Apple Watch deals

I've tested both of these devices, along with dozens of other fitness wearables, and can confirm both watches are at the top of their game. I gave the Garmin Fenix 8 five stars and the Apple Watch Ultra 3 four-point-five stars, but half a star doesn't tell the whole story.

Below, I've broken down my decision-making process, along with which features are most important to me, to determine which one I'd buy on Black Friday. Let's start by looking at the specs:

Garmin Fenix 8 vs Apple Watch Ultra 3: Specifications compared

Right away, you can see there are some clear advantages the Fenix has over the Apple Watch Ultra 3. For one thing, it works with iPhone and Android devices: it only needs the Garmin Connect app to work, and you can install that on any smartphone. The Apple Watch Ultra 3 requires an iPhone.

Battery life is another big one. The biggest, most powerful Fenix watches last up to 48 days, while the Apple Watch Ultra 3 operates for around 42 hours on average. That's a huge advantage for the Fenix: runners can complete battery-sucking GPS workouts and hikers can go on multi-stage trips off-grid for days, and never run out of juice. Fenix users simply don't need to think about charging very often.

However, that's discounting the incredible power of watchOS 26, Apple's operating system, which is miles ahead of Garmin's own OS. It's buttery-smooth and can even be operated remotely thanks to gesture controls and a raise-to-speak connection to Siri, Apple's voice assistant. It also has LTE capabilities, allowing you to add it to your phone's data plan.

The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is seamless and intuitive to use with an iPhone, with plenty of AI smarts and a smorgasbord of third-party apps available. Its display is brighter and clearer than Garmin's, too.

There's also an argument to be made for accuracy: on testing Garmin's Elevate V5 heart rate sensor against the sensor in the Apple Watch Ultra 3, using a proper chest-mounted heart rate monitor as a baseline, Apple's was a shade more accurate.

However, Garmin has too many quality-of-life features over the Apple Watch Ultra 3 for me to ignore. I'm not usually someone who does multi-day off-grid camping trips, but I do dislike charging my watch every other day, and it's a load off my mind not to think about it.

I love the simple things that Garmin's ecosystem offers, such as following a map of my running course within the Workout app. On the Apple Watch Ultra 3, I'd have to switch between two different apps and run the Workout app in the background. I used the Fenix 8's LED flashlight, separate from the screen, quite often during night runs and it's more battery-efficient than the Ultra 3's screen-orientated flashlight mode.

The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is a phenomenal watch, but the Garmin Fenix 8 is the one I'd buy.

Garmin Fenix 8 vs Apple Watch Ultra 3: Deals compared

The Garmin Fenix 8's recommended retail price is more expensive than the Apple Watch Ultra 3, so on first glance, the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is cheaper. The Garmin Fenix 8 starts at $999 / £849 / AU$1,699 for its cheapest model, while the Apple Watch Ultra 3 costs $799 / £749 / AU$1,399.

At the time of writing, I'm seeing more details for the older Garmin Fenix 8 than I am for the much more recent Apple Watch Ultra 3. However, I'm not seeing many that brings the Fenix 8 below the Apple Watch Ultra 3's $799 / £749 / AU$1,399 base price.

Of course, any discount on the Ultra 3 is significant, as it was only released in September, while the Fenix 8 was released late last year and discounts will be more common.

I would say that if you see a Garmin Fenix 8 deal that's been reduced to $799 / £749 / AU$1,399 (the Apple Watch Ultra 3's RRP) I would snap it up without question. Below, you can see the best prices from around the web for both models using our deals-checking widget.

Garmin Fenix 8 vs Apple Watch Ultra 3: alternative deals

Not happy with the deals on either model? Below are some alternatives to consider on similar watches in both the US and UK:

Garmin Epix Pro (Gen 2) Sapphire edition: was $999.99 now $499.99 at Amazon

US deal: Save 50% off the base price of the 47mm Sapphire edition Epix Pro (Gen 2) models. It's still packing the Fenix 8's LED light and Elevate V5 heart rate sensor, even though it's a slightly older watch. Well worth buying right now, and probably better value than the Fenix 8.

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Save $200

Apple Watch Ultra 2 (GPS & Cellular) 49mm: was $799 now $599 at Amazon

US deal: Never has the Apple Watch Ultra 2 dropped this low in price, meaning this deal works out much cheaper than last year's offer. If you were to ask us, we'd suggest thinking about adding this to your basket soon, as we don't know which direction it will go price-wise come Black Friday.

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Garmin Epix Pro (Gen 2) 47mm Sapphire edition: was £870 now £399 at Blacks

UK deal: A better-than-half-price deal on the Garmin Epix Pro Sapphire in its 47mm size and Whitestone colorway. This was the size I used to run the London Marathon, and I found it perfect as a man of average build. Its advanced running features were instrumental in helping me cross the line.

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Apple Watch Ultra 2 49mm (GPS & Cellular): was £749 now £698.90 at Amazon

UK deal: In the UK, you can score an Apple Watch Ultra 2 while saving a decent £50. Over the past 6 months its price has been dropping ever so slowly, but this deal marks the lowest price we've seen for this listing.

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More Black Friday deals in the US

• Amazon: 45% off TVs, AirPods, air fryers & vacuums
• Apple: iPads, AirPods & MacBooks from $119
• Best Buy: $1,000 off TVs, laptops & headphones
• Dell: laptop deals from $249.99
• Home Depot: 40% off appliances, furniture, grills & tools
• Lenovo: 45% off laptops & tablets
• Lowe's: up to 30% off appliances, holiday decor & tools
• Samsung: up to $2,000 off appliances, TVs & phones
• Target: 40% off Christmas decor, clothing & furniture
• Walmart: furniture, cheap TVs & vacs from $69
• Wayfair: 54% off Christmas, furniture & decor

Shop more of today's best UK Black Friday sales

• Amazon: up to 66% off tech & essentials
• AO: up to £500 off Dyson, Bosch & Hisense
• Argos: up to 50% off appliances, tech & toys
• Boots: save on 1,000s of beauty products
• Currys: deals on Ninja, Shark & Lenovo
• Dell: laptops from £279
• Dyson: up to £550 off vacuums
• EE: Switch 2 bundles from £20/month
• John Lewis: up to 50% off tech & fashion
• Lego: sets & accessories from £2.99
• Samsung: deals on appliances & phones
• Very: up to 40% off tech, toys & fashion