Garmin S70 vs Apple Watch Ultra 2 Features Comparison

Key Takeaways

• The Apple Watch Ultra 2 does not come with built-in golf features like the Garmin S70, which comes with full vector course maps, distances to the front, middle, and back of the green, slope adjusted distances, a virtual caddie, hazard distances, blind shot compass, and touch targeting. If you want to add golf features to the Apple Watch Ultra, you will have to download a golf gps app such as 18Birdies from the Apple App Store and pay a monthly fee for the more advanced features. Click on the following link to learn why the garmin s70 is better than the s62.
• The Garmin S70 comes with a 1.4-inch AMOLED display while the Apple Watch Ultra 2 has a 1.9-inch LTPO OLED display with up to 3000 nits of brightness. The Garmin S70 has a display resolution of 454 x 454 pixels while the Apple Watch Ultra 2 has a resolution of 410 by 502 pixels.
• Only the Apple Watch Ultra 2 has a microphone or speaker for making or receiving phone calls.
• The Garmin S70 has a much longer battery life in smartwatch mode than the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and a slightly longer battery life in GPS mode.
• The Apple Watch Ultra 2 has a more durable lens and bezel than the Garmin S70.
• The Apple Watch Ultra 2 has more hiking and running features than the S70 such as topographical and trail maps, flashlight, breadcrumb trails, and pacing strategies. These additional hiking and running features make the Apple Watch Ultra 2 one of the best fitness and golf watches for everyday use.

Garmin S70 vs Apple Watch Ultra 2

With new smartwatch models coming out all the time, it can be tough to decide which one is right for you. Two of the latest and greatest are the Garmin s70 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2. These watches have some overlapping features, but they also cater to different audiences. So which one should you buy? Let’s break it down.

Garmin has long been known for making top-of-the-line fitness trackers and GPS watches geared towards serious athletes and adventurers. The Garmin Approach S70 golf gps watch continues this tradition as a premium multisport GPS watch made for golfers, runners, cyclists, and more.

Meanwhile, Apple is trying to push the Apple Watch into new territory with the feature-packed Ultra 2 model. It’s made to compete with high-end adventure watches from Garmin and others.

To help you decide between the s70 and Ultra, we’ll compare them across a few important categories:

• Display – Which has the better screen?
• Durability – Which can better withstand the elements?
• Battery life – Which lasts longer on a single charge?
• Connectivity – How’s the call, text, and music functionality?
• Health tracking – How do the wellness features compare?
• Sports tracking – Which excels at golf, running, and more?

By the end, you’ll have a good sense of which watch matches your needs and lifestyle. Both are impressive – but there can only be one winner for you.

Comparison Chart

Features and Specifications	Garmin Approach S70 (47mm) Learn More	Garmin Approach S70 (42mm) Learn More	Apple Watch Ultra 2 (49mm) Learn More
Release Date	May 2023	May 2023	September 2023
Suggested Retail Price	$699.99	$649.99	$779.99
LTE Cellular Connectivity	No	No	Yes
Display Type	AMOLED (Optional Always-On Mode)	AMOLED (Optional Always-On Mode)	Retina LTPO OLED (Optional Always-On Mode)
Display Brightness	500 nits	500 nits	3000 nits
Display Size	1.4" diameter	1.2" diameter	1.9” diagonal
Display resolution	454 x 454 pixels	390 x 390 pixels	410 x 502 pixels
Weight	56 grams	44 grams	61.4 grams
Watch Case Width X Length x Thickness	47 x 47 x 13.4 mm	42 x 42 x 12.6 mm	49mm by 44mm by 14.4mm
Built-in Speaker and Microphone	No	No	Yes
Make and Receive Phone calls	No	No	Yes
Send text messages	Yes (with your iPhone or Android phone nearby)	Yes (with your iPhone or Android phone nearby)	Yes
Receive text messages	Yes (with your iPhone or Android phone nearby)	Yes (with your iPhone or Android phone nearby)	Yes
Listen to Spotify or Amazon Music playlist without phone	Yes (must use Bluetooth Headphones)	Yes (must use Bluetooth Headphones)	Yes
Memory Storage	32 GB (stores up to 2000 songs)	32 GB (stores up to 2000 songs)	64 GB (stores up to 4000 songs)
30,000+ Preloaded Golf Course Maps	Yes	Yes	Yes (requires free golf app and iPhone)
Zoomable aerial views of each hole	Yes	Yes	Yes (requires free golf app and iPhone)
Distances to greens and hazards	Yes	Yes	Yes (requires free golf app and iPhone)
Digital Scorecard	Yes	Yes	Yes (requires free golf app and iPhone)
Stat tracking	Yes	Yes	Yes (requires free golf app and iPhone)
Slope compensated distances (PlaysLike)	Yes	Yes	Yes (requires paid golf app and iPhone)
Virtual Caddie Club Recommendations	Yes	Yes	Yes (requires paid golf app and iPhone)
Wind Speed and Direction	Yes	Yes	Yes (requires paid golf app and iPhone)
Shot Tracking	Yes	Yes	Yes (requires paid golf app and iPhone)
Club Tracking	Yes	Yes	Yes (requires paid golf app and iPhone)
Strokes Gained Analysis	Yes	Yes	Yes (requires paid golf app and iPhone)
AI Swing Coach and Personalized Drills	No	No	Yes (requires paid golf app and iPhone)
Blind Shot Compass	Yes	Yes	Yes (requires paid golf app and iPhone)
Flashlight	No	No	Yes
Siren	No	No	Yes
ECG (Electrocardiogram) app	No	No	Yes
GLONASS and Galileo satellite navigation systems, multi-frequency positioning, barometric altimeter	Yes	Yes	Yes
Call emergency services with Emergency SOS	No	No	Yes
Wrist-based Heart Rate Monitor	Yes	Yes	Yes
Blood oxygen saturation level readings	Yes	Yes	Yes
VO2 Max	Yes	Yes	No
Interval Training	Yes	Yes	No
Virtual Running Partner	Yes	Yes	No
Incident Detection for Certain Outdoor Activities	Yes	Yes	Yes
Step counter (Pedometer)	Yes	Yes	Yes
Sleep monitor	Yes	Yes	Yes
Running Metrics	Yes	Yes	Yes
Cycling Metrics	Yes	Yes	Yes
Swimming Metrics	Yes	Yes	Yes
Skiing Metrics	Yes	Yes	Yes
Hiking Metrics	Yes	Yes	Yes
PinPointer blindshot compass	Yes	Yes	Yes
Lens Material	Corning Gorilla Glass 3	Corning Gorilla Glass 3	Sapphire crystal glass
Bezel Material	ceramic bezel	ceramic	titanium
Watch band material	silicone	silicone	nylon
Battery life in GPS mode	Smartwatch mode: 10 days GPS Mode: 15 hours	Smartwatch mode: 10 days GPS Mode: 15 hours	Smartwatch mode: 36 hours Low Power mode: 72 hours GPS mode: up to 17 hours
Water rating	5 ATM (50 meters)	5 ATM (50 meters)	10 ATM (100 meters)

Display Showdown

When it comes to smartwatch displays, the Garmin s70 and Apple Watch Ultra are two of the best. But which one has the edge when you look at the details? Let’s break it down.

Garmin S70 1.4-inch AMOLED DisplayLearn MoreDisplay Type
The Garmin s70 uses a 1.4″ diameter AMOLED display that can optionally be set to an always-on viewing mode. AMOLED (active-matrix organic light-emitting diode) displays provide extremely high contrast ratios and vivid colors by passing current through an organic electroluminescent layer to illuminate each pixel individually. The deep blacks and bright, saturated colors make the s70’s display really pop compared to LCD displays. Enabling the always-on mode means the watch face remains visible at all times, rather than turning off when not actively being looked at. This is convenient for quickly checking the time or your stats.

In comparison, the Apple Watch Ultra has a 1.9″ always-on LTPO OLED retina display. Like AMOLED, OLED uses organic LEDs for per-pixel illumination. But LTPO (low-temperature polycrystalline oxide) refers to the specific backplane technology used, which allows for a dynamic refresh rate. This results in better power efficiency compared to a standard OLED display. And with Apple’s always-on mode, the watch face is perpetually visible rather than turning off when not in use.

Winner: Draw – Both watches use excellent OLED display technology for vivid colors, deep blacks, and always-on capabilities. The Apple Watch Ultra may have slightly better power efficiency thanks to LTPO.

Display Size

The 1.4″ diameter AMOLED display on the Garmin s70 provides a relatively large viewing area for a sports and fitness smartwatch. The circular display has a total surface area of 35.41 mm diameter.

Comparatively, the Apple Watch Ultra’s rectangular 1.9” LTPO OLED display is even larger at 49mm by 44mm, with a total surface area of 1185 mm sq.

The bigger display makes the Ultra better suited for data-dense watch faces with multiple complication widgets for info like weather, activity tracking, maps, etc. The extra real estate is also advantageous for viewing workout metrics and following map routes during activities like running or hiking.

Winner: Apple Watch Ultra – The Apple Watch Ultra’s nearly 50% larger total display size gives it an edge for both aesthetic and functional reasons.

Physical Size

In terms of physical dimensions, the Garmin s70 measures 47 x 47 x 13.4 mm for a total volume of 28,687 cubic millimeters (mm^3). It has a standard 47mm diameter circular watch case.

The Apple Watch Ultra comes in at 49mm x 44mm x 14.4mm, totaling 30,763 cubic millimeters (mm^3) in volume. So the Ultra is slightly wider but thinner than the s70.

Winner: Draw – The Ultra is only about 7% greater in total volume, making the physical sizes fairly similar. The Ultra trades off a bit of thickness for a wider display.

Display Resolution

The Garmin s70 crams an impressive 454 x 454 pixels into its 1.4″ diameter AMOLED display.

To calculate pixel density:

• Diameter = 1.4″
• Radius = Diameter/2 = 0.7″
• Area = πr^2 = π(0.7)^2 = 1.54 sq in
• Pixels = 454 x 454 = 206,116
• Pixel Density = Pixels/Area = 206,116/1.54 = 133 ppi

With a high pixel density of 133 ppi, the s70 produces clear, smooth images and text.

The Apple Watch Ultra isn’t far behind with a resolution of 410 x 502 pixels stretched across the 1.9″ rectangular LTPO OLED display.

• Length x Width = 1.9″ x 1.77″ = 3.363 sq in (based on 44mm x 49mm size)
• Pixels = 410 x 502 = 206,020
• Pixel Density = Pixels/Area = 206,020/3.363 = 61 ppi

The pixel density for the Apple Watch Ultra 2 works out to about 61 ppi, meaning it will have crisp image quality and avoid any pixelation.

Winner: Garmin s70 – The Garmin s70 actually has more than double the pixel density of the Apple Watch Ultra, with 133 ppi vs 61 ppi. This means the s70 display will look sharper and crisper. However, both watches still have high enough pixel density to appear smooth and non-pixelated.

Display Brightness

One area where the Apple Watch Ultra clearly wins out is display brightness. Its LTPO OLED display can reach an incredible peak brightness of 3000 nits when the always-on watch face is active. For comparison, most smartphones max out below 1000 nits.

The Garmin s70 is no slouch, with the AMOLED display achieving up to 500 nits of maximum brightness. But the Ultra has it beat by 600%.

Winner: Apple Watch Ultra 2 – With triple the peak brightness, the Ultra’s display is incredibly bright and far easier to read in direct sunlight and other bright conditions. This gives it a big advantage in terms of visibility and legibility.

Apple Watch Ultra 2 is the Winner

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 comes out on top for display size, physical size, and brightness. But the s70 holds its own with similar OLED technology, resolution, and always-on capabilities. Both deliver exceptional display performance, with the Ultra winning out mainly due to its extra large and extra bright screen.

Battle of Toughness

When it comes to withstanding the rigors of outdoor adventures, the Garmin s70 and Apple Watch Ultra are two of the most durable smartwatches around. But which one is built tougher? Let’s explore the materials and construction behind each watch’s incredible resilience.

Lens Material

The Garmin s70 uses Corning Gorilla Glass 3 to protect the display lens. This chemically strengthened glass is extremely scratch resistant and can survive drops onto hard surfaces. It’s a tried-and-true material used across many smartwatches and phones.

In comparison, the Apple Watch Ultra uses sapphire crystal glass – the same material found in high-end watch brands like Rolex. With a hardness rating of 9 on the Mohs scale, sapphire is virtually scratch-proof. It provides unmatched durability and optical clarity.

Winner: Apple Watch Ultra – Sapphire crystal is even more durable and scratch-resistant than Gorilla Glass.

Bezel Material

The bezel surrounding the s70’s display is made from ceramic. This provides rigidity to protect the screen, while also resisting scratches, cracks, and fading even with heavy use.

The Ultra’s bezel is constructed from titanium, which is incredibly strong yet lightweight. It adds ruggedness without adding much weight. Titanium has anti-corrosive properties too.

Winner: Draw – Both ceramic and titanium offer excellent durability for the bezel.

Case Material

Garmin uses a fiber-reinforced polymer for the s70’s watch case. The glass fiber infused into the polymer increases impact resistance. This makes the case highly shock-absorbent.

Apple outfitted the Ultra with a titanium case that is precision machined from a single block of titanium for unmatched structural integrity. Titanium provides the ideal balance of strength versus weight.

Winner: Apple Watch Ultra – Its seamlessly crafted titanium case offers the best durability.

Water Rating

With a 10 ATM rating, the Apple Watch Ultra is water resistant to depths of 100 meters. That makes it ideal for swimming, snorkeling, surfing, and other water activities.

The Garmin s70 is rated to 5 ATM, allowing it to withstand pressure equivalent to 50 meters underwater. So it can handle swimming but not diving.

Winner: Apple Watch Ultra – The 100 meter water resistance gives it a clear edge.

Strap Material

The s70 uses a silicone band that provides flexibility and comfort during workouts. Silicone is waterproof and easy to clean after heavy sweating or getting wet.

Apple’s patented woven nylon Trail Loop band is incredibly strong yet lightweight. It dries quickly if wet and remains breathable during sweaty activities. The durable velcro keeps it securely fastened.

Winner: Apple Watch Ultra – The Trail Loop’s durability and breathability give it the advantage.

Verdict

With a sapphire crystal lens, titanium case, 100 meter water rating, and woven nylon band, the Apple Watch Ultra emerges as the clear winner for durability and resilience. But the Garmin s70 still holds its own with an extremely impact-resistant polymer case and scratch-proof Gorilla Glass. For hikers, climbers, and outdoor adventurers who demand the ultimate in rugged performance, the Ultra is the top choice.

Golf Features Face-Off

Garmin S70 PlaysLike DistanceLearn MoreWhen it comes to golf-specific features, Garmin and Apple take different approaches. The dedicated Garmin s70 is packed with tools to improve your game while the Apple Watch Ultra 2 offers more basic golf support.

When it comes to golf, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 treats it like any other physical activity, besides running, biking, swimming, and hiking, and only counts calories, steps, heart rate, time elapsed, distance covered, etc.

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 does not come with golf specific features such as yardages to the front, middle, and back of the green, slope-adjusted distances, shot detection, stat tracking, and course maps. However, you can download an app such as 18Birdies from the Apple App Store that will add some of these golf specific features to make it more like a dedicated golf watch.

Also your smartphone has to maintain a Bluetooth connection to your watch to access all of these golf features. If you want the premium features, you will have to pay $7.99 per week, $19.99 per month, or $99.99 per year.
Here’s how they compare for all your on-course needs.
Features Exclusive to Garmin s70

The s70 includes several unique golf technologies:

• Swing Tempo Monitoring: The s70 can track the timing of your backswing, downswing, and overall swing tempo. This helps you maintain consistency in your swing mechanics for better ball-striking.

• Tempo Training App: This dedicated app lets you complete custom drills to improve your swing tempo. It gives feedback on your backswing-to-downswing ratio to engrain the optimal timing.

• No Phone Required: Unlike the Apple Watch Ultra 2, the s70 delivers full golf functionality without needing your smartphone nearby. You get yardages, scoring, stats tracking, and more right on the watch face itself.

Features Exclusive to Apple Watch Ultra 2

By installing the 18Birdies app and paying for a premium subscription, the Ultra unlocks advanced capabilities:

• AI Swing Coach: Using just your phone’s camera, you can get instant AI feedback on your swing to fix flaws. The app identifies strengths, weaknesses, and provides personalized drills.

• Advanced Stats Filters: Dig deeper into your stats like driving distance, greens hit, and putts to understand strengths/weaknesses. Filter by date range, course, club used, and more.

• Tee Shot Planner: Strategize your tee shots before each round by viewing tee diagrams and getting yardages to select the right club.

• Hole Insights: See your personal best score, average score, and compare them to the course average for each hole based on your history.

Shared Golf Features

Both watches provide the following golf data and features:

Garmin S70 Virtual CaddieLearn More

• Yardages to hazards and the front, middle, and back of each green

• PlaysLike feature: Adjusts distances for shots taken on uphill or downhill slopes

• Virtual Caddie: Both provide club recommendations based on your hitting distances and environmental factors. The s70 uses wind, elevation, and shot dispersion while the Ultra adds temperature and humidity.

• 3D Green Maps: Using a premium subscription to the Garmin Golf app ($9.99 per month or $99.99 per year), you can visualize green contours, slopes, and breaks to read greens better.

• Scoring and Stats: Digital scorecard, shot tracking, putts, greens/fairways stats, and more for in-depth game analysis.

• Tournament Creation: Set up tournaments with friends to compete on leaderboards for any of 40,000+ courses. Chat and share results.

• Strokes Gained Tracking: Measure yourself against pro benchmarks to understand where you gain/lose strokes vs players of similar handicap.

Verdict – Garmin S70 has the better golf features

The Garmin s70 is purpose-built for golf with robust distance information and stat tracking and no phone is needed. The Apple Watch Ultra 2 does not come with any golf features so you will have to have your iPhone nearby and download a golf app that covers the basics well for free and unlocks extra features for a monthly or yearly fee. So choose the s70 for dedicated golf tech on your wrist for no additional cost and no connected phone required. The Garmin S70 can help take your game to the next level!

Battery Life Showdown

Battery performance is critical for smartwatches, especially models designed for fitness tracking, hiking, climbing, and other outdoor activities. Let’s take an in-depth look at how the battery specs compare between the Garmin s70 and Apple Watch Ultra.

Garmin s70 Battery Modes

The Garmin s70 has two main battery modes:

• Smartwatch mode – This is the default smartwatch setting for day-to-day use without GPS activated. It provides up to 16 days of battery life for telling time, receiving notifications, activity tracking and other smartwatch functions. This exceptionally long battery life means you can wear the s70 for over two weeks without needing to charge it.

• GPS mode – When using GPS tracking for outdoor workouts like running or biking, the s70 can last up to 20 hours on a single charge. This allows you to track lengthy activities without losing GPS data. 20 hours is impressive for continuous GPS usage.

Apple Watch Ultra Battery Modes

The Apple Watch Ultra has three distinct battery modes:

• Normal mode – This is the default setting which provides up to 36 hours of battery for regular smartwatch usage like checking the time, notifications, etc. This gets you just under 2 days of use before needing to charge.

• Low Power mode – By limiting certain features like display brightness and background app refresh, Low Power mode extends battery life up to 72 hours, or 3 days. This is useful when you need your watch functioning for longer periods away from chargers.

• Workout mode – With GPS and cellular activated during outdoor workouts, the Ultra lasts up to 17 hours on a single charge. This allows you to track very long activities without losing GPS connectivity.

Battery Life Comparison

Garmin s70 is the Winner

The Garmin s70 offers far superior smartwatch battery life, lasting weeks on a single charge compared to just hours or days on the Apple Watch Ultra.

For GPS-tracked outdoor workouts, the s70 lasts 20 hours while the Ultra lasts 17 hours. So the Garmin s70 also has the edge for GPS workout battery life.

So the choice is obvious. The s70 is the undisputed champion for day-to-day smartwatch battery efficiency, going weeks between charges, while also maintaining a slight edge for long GPS-tracked workouts and wilderness adventures.

Calling and Music

Staying connected on the go is important for hikers, golfers, and other active users. How do the calling, messaging, and audio features compare between the Garmin s70 and Apple Watch Ultra?

Calling and Messaging

The Apple Watch Ultra has a built-in microphone and speaker, allowing you to make and receive calls directly from your wrist. With the cellular model, you can call and text without needing your paired iPhone nearby.

Comparatively, the Garmin s70 lacks microphone and speaker hardware. For the s70, all calls must be answered on your smartphone – you cannot make or receive calls on the watch itself.

Advantage: Apple Watch Ultra – With mic and speaker, plus cellular option, the Ultra provides superior phone functionality.

Music and Podcasts

Both watches allow you to download playlists for offline listening but there is a huge difference in storage capacity. The s70 provides 32GB of storage, enough to store up to 2,000 songs, while the Apple Watch Ultra 2 comes with 64GB of storage which can store up to 4,000 songs.

Also with the Ultra, you can listen via the built-in speaker or Bluetooth headphones. The s70 requires Bluetooth headphones since it lacks a speaker.

You can also stream music on the Ultra thanks to the cellular connection. The s70 is limited to offline listening.

Advantage: Apple Watch Ultra – With speaker and streaming, the Ultra is better for music on the go.

Benefits for Hikers and Golfers

For hikers, the Ultra’s cellular and audio features allow you to:

• Make emergency calls from remote trails
• Stream music to listen to while trekking
• Get phone notifications without grabbing your phone

For golfers, the Ultra lets you:

• Receive calls and texts while keeping your phone in your bag
• Listen to music and podcasts as you play without wires
• Call the clubhouse or order food/drinks from the course

The s70 provides more limited connectivity for hikers and golfers since all calls must be taken on your phone. But it still enables offline music listening.

Verdict – Apple Watch Ultra 2 is better equipped for calling, messaging, and audio playback

With built-in mic/speaker, cellular capabilities, larger music storage capacity, and streaming, the Apple Watch Ultra is far better equipped for calling, messaging, and audio playback on the go. The Garmin s70 is mostly restricted to offline music sans wires. So for maximum smartwatch connectivity, the Ultra is the superior choice.

Sensor Showdown

The array of sensors on a smartwatch enable advanced tracking across a wide range of activities. Here’s a breakdown of the important sensors available on the Garmin s70 and Apple Watch Ultra.

Sensors Exclusive to Apple Watch Ultra

• ECG Sensor: The Apple Watch Ultra contains an electrical heart sensor that can take an electrocardiogram (ECG) using the Digital Crown. This records the electrical pulses that make your heart beat and checks for signs of atrial fibrillation or other rhythm irregularities. The ECG app lets you take a 30-second ECG reading at any time which can then be reviewed by your doctor.

• Depth Gauge: The Ultra has a waterproof depth gauge for tracking how deep you are diving underwater. It uses a combination of water pressure sensor data, GPS, and accelerometer data to determine depth under water. This powers the Depth app which shows your current depth, duration underwater, maximum depth reached, and water temperature. It can log depths down to 40 meters.

• Water Temperature Sensor: Along with water depth, the Ultra can also measure the temperature of the water using dedicated temperature sensors. This is displayed in real-time in the Depth app during swims and dives. Knowing current water temp is useful for safety.
  The Depth Gauge and Water Temperature Sensor also allow the Ultra to support the new Oceanic+ app designed specifically for freediving. Oceanic+ turns the Ultra into a specialty dive computer right on your wrist. It uses the depth gauge and temperature data to track metrics like current depth, max depth reached, water temp, and surface time throughout a freedive. Safety features include ascent alarms if you resurface too quickly.

• Ambient Temperature Sensor: The Ultra contains environmental sensors to measure the ambient air temperature of your surroundings. This data is used for weather information and can help plan activities based on current conditions.

• QZSS and BeiDou: The Ultra has added support for QZSS and BeiDou satellite systems on top of GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo. This provides more robust satellite usage for improved location accuracy and faster GPS signal acquisition.

Shared Sensors

Both watches contain these essential activity tracking sensors:

• Multi-GNSS: Both watches have GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo satellite system support for precisely tracking outdoor activity routes and distances. Multi-system coverage improves performance in challenging conditions.

• Wrist-based Heart Rate: They use wrist-worn photoplethysmography (PPG) sensors to measure heart rate variability and intensity during workouts and daily activity. This optical LED-based technology enables continuous heart rate monitoring without a chest strap.

• Pulse Oximeter: Each watch has a pulse oximeter to estimate blood oxygen saturation levels, letting you determine altitude acclimation and gauge respiration during exercise.

• Barometric Altimeter: On-board barometers track elevation metrics like incline, hills, stairs climbed, and altitude for hiking, climbing, skiing, and more.

Verdict

The Apple Watch Ultra stands out with sensors like ECG and water depth/temperature that support advanced health and dive tracking features. But both watches share best-in-class sensors like GPS and heart rate that enable detailed activity and environmental data capture across a wide variety of indoor and outdoor exercises.

Safety and Tracking

Staying safe on outdoor adventures is crucial. Here’s how the safety and tracking features compare between the Garmin s70 and Apple Watch Ultra:

Shared Safety Features

Both watches include:

• Incident Detection – Automatically sends alert with location to chosen contacts if an incident is detected during certain activities.

• Live Tracking – Share your real-time location with chosen contacts during activities.

However, only the Apple Watch Ultra with cellular can contact emergency services directly in the event of an incident. The s70 lacks built-in cellular connectivity.

Features Exclusive to Apple Watch Ultra

Thanks to LTE connectivity, the Ultra provides additional safety tools:

• Crash Detection – Automatically calls emergency services if a severe vehicle crash is detected.

• Fall Detection – Calls emergency services if a bad fall is detected and you’re unresponsive.

• Emergency SOS – Press and hold side button to quickly call emergency services and notify contacts.

• Siren – Activate a loud siren audible up to 600 feet away in emergencies.

Benefits for Outdoor Adventurers

For hikers, climbers, and outdoor enthusiasts, the Ultra’s cellular safety features provide extra peace of mind when tackling remote trails and dangerous terrain. Crash detection further protects drivers navigating rural roads.

The s70 still enables key features like incident detection and live tracking. But the Ultra’s direct emergency service contact and siren give it the definitive safety advantage.

Verdict

With its cellular connectivity, proactive emergency calling, siren, and advanced detection features, the Apple Watch Ultra delivers the most complete safety toolkit for outdoor adventures. The Garmin s70 provides basic incident notification, but lacks the direct emergency service integration of the Ultra. For maximum protection on adventures, the Ultra can’t be beat.

Can You Scuba Dive with the Garmin s70 or Apple Watch Ultra?

Scuba diving puts intense demands on a watch, requiring serious water resistance and specialized tracking features. How do the Garmin s70 and Apple Watch Ultra stack up for diving? Let’s take the plunge.

Water Resistance Rating

• Garmin s70: 5 ATM rated to 50 meters, safe for swimming only

• Apple Watch Ultra: 10 ATM rated to 100 meters, suitable for diving

The Ultra’s 100 meter rating makes it suitable for recreational scuba diving, while the s70 should only be used for surface swimming.

Diving Features

• Garmin s70: No diving features or apps

• Apple Watch Ultra: The Apple Watch Ultra is EN13319 certified for diving accessories. This means it meets the stringent requirements set out by the European diving accessories standard EN13319. Key factors for EN13319 include water resistance at depth, ability to measure time and depth, descendant rate warnings, and other safety features critical for diving equipment. This certification gives scuba divers assurance that the Ultra complies with trusted diving gear regulations. Includes Depth app for tracking dives and Oceanic+ app with full scuba dive computer functionality.

Depth App

The Ultra’s Depth app provides core diving metrics including:

• Current depth and max depth reached

• Water temperature

• Time elapsed under water

• Ascent/descent speed

• GPS entry and exit point

• Depth is tracked down to 40 meters to cover recreational scuba limits.

• The app logs all data which can be reviewed after the dive is completed.

Apple Watch Ultra 2 Oceanic+ Dive Computer AppLearn MoreOceanic+ Dive Computer App

For advanced diving features, the Oceanic+ app turns the Ultra into a full-fledged dive computer with:

• Multi-gas tracking with adjustable set points

• Decompression time projections and warnings

• Adjustable water type (fresh/salt) to refine calculations

• Pre-dive planner with weather and community notes

• Freediving mode with heart rate recovery tracking

• Oceanic+ uses an embedded Bühlmann decompression algorithm to monitor dive limits in real-time.

• Color-coded screens and intuitive controls make navigating complex dive data easy.

Diving Capabilities

• Garmin s70: Not suitable for scuba due to 50m water resistance limit. Okay for snorkeling near the surface.

• Apple Watch Ultra: Can be used for recreational scuba thanks to 100m rating and diving apps. Tracks depth, time, location, and decompression.

Verdict

The Apple Watch Ultra 2’s depth tracking, dive computer app, and EN13319 certification make it ready for recreational scuba diving at depths down to 40m.

The Garmin s70 lacks the water rating and diving features necessary to be used as a scuba diving watch.

So if you want to track your recreational dives or freedives from your wrist, the Ultra is the clear choice over the s70. Just make sure to use the Oceanic+ app to enable all diving functions.

Running Features

Serious runners need a watch that can keep up with their training. Here’s how the running features on the Garmin s70 and Apple Watch Ultra compare.

Garmin S70 Sports AppsLearn MoreShared Running Features

Both watches has the following features and metrics for logging running workouts:

• Dual-Frequency GPS Tracking: Both watches use multi-band GPS to accurately track distance, pace, route mapping, and other metrics for outdoor runs. Enhanced accuracy in dense urban areas.

• Activity Profiles: Multiple running profiles are offered like road, trail, treadmill, indoor track, etc. to optimize tracking.

• Metrics: In addition to distance and pace, you get advanced metrics like cadence, vertical oscillation, VO2 max estimates, and training load/effect.

• Music Storage: Store playlists for phone-free running motivation and entertainment.

Exclusive Apple Watch Ultra Running Features

For runners, the Ultra provides more customization for interval training and competitions against virtual pacer targets or personal bests. Sophisticated form metrics help improve technique.

The s70 covers the basics well, but doesn’t have the advanced workout customization or running dynamics.

The Ultra adds advanced running tools like:

• Custom Workouts: Build customized workouts with any combination of intervals, distances, paces, splits, recovery periods, warmups and cooldowns. Great for tailored speed work.

• Pacer: Race against a target time goal with real-time guidance to speed up or slow down to match the virtual pacer.

• Race Route: Compete against a previous best time on a certain route and get prompts to stay on pace.

• Advanced Metrics: Get detailed insights into form with ground contact time, vertical oscillation, stride length, and other advanced running dynamics.

• Track Detection: Auto-detects when you start a workout on a track and optimizes pacing/distance.

Benefits for Runners

The Ultra unlocks tons of benefits for competitive and performance runners:

• Execute customized interval sessions for any training plan or workout structure.

• Improve form efficiency with detailed metrics like ground contact time and vertical oscillation.

• Virtually race against pace targets or prior best times.

• Get super accurate tracks thanks to auto-detection and enhanced GPS.

Verdict

The Apple Watch Ultra wins for serious runners needing robust customization, racing features, and form metrics.

The Garmin s70 is best for more casual runners looking for solid GPS tracking without advanced training tools.

Either watch will track your daily runs. But the Ultra gives competitive and performance-focused runners the edge.

Hiking and Climbing Features

Hardcore adventurers need a rugged watch packed with navigation and tracking tools. How do the Garmin s70 and Apple Watch Ultra compare for hiking, climbing, and outdoor trips? Let’s hit the trails.

Shared Hiking & Climbing Features

Both watches provide:

• Ascent/Descent Tracking: Both watches use their altimeters and GPS to track elevation gain and loss during hikes and climbs. This provides total ascent, descent, and elevation profiles.

• Music Storage: You can load playlists on either watch for listening offline when hiking off-grid.

Exclusive Apple Watch Ultra 2 Features

The Ultra comes with many additional advanced location/navigation capabilities including:

Apple Watch Ultra 2 CompassLearn More

• Compass: The Ultra’s compass provides detailed 3D views showing longitude, latitude, elevation, incline, waypoints for precise navigation, and cellular connectivity markers.

• Backtrack: Uses GPS data to visually map the path you’ve hiked so far. Lets you retrace your steps if ever lost or off course.

• Topographic Maps: Built-in topo maps show contours, bodies of water, trails, and points of interest for over 1000 parks and trails in the US.

• Emergency Siren: Activate the 86dB siren in emergencies to signal your location to others up to 600 feet away.

• Flashlight: You can turn the Digital Crown to temporarily double the brightness of the screen’s flashlight mode for improved visibility in the dark.

• Ruggedness – Operates from -20°C to 55°C and from -500m to 9000m elevation.

Benefits for Hikers & Climbers

The Ultra’s unique features provide hikers and climbers with:

• Detailed 3D compass views for precise navigation on trails.

• Backtrack to retrace your steps if lost or off the intended route.

• On-device topo maps to visualize surrounding terrain and landscape.

• Emergency siren to call out your position if injured or in danger.

• Boosted flashlight to illuminate night hikes or dark cave passages.

• Reliability even in extreme temps and altitudes.

The s70 lacks advanced navigation features beyond basic elevation tracking. But it still enables music playback for the hike.

Verdict

With robust navigation tools tailored for the backcountry, the Apple Watch Ultra is the top choice for hikers and climbers.

The Garmin s70 covers the basics like ascent/descent. But the Ultra’s trail-focused features give it the edge for outdoor adventures.

Swimming Features

For swimmers looking to track their time in the water, here’s how the Garmin s70 and Apple Watch Ultra swimming features compare:

Shared Swim Tracking Features

Both watches offer:

• Swim Profiles: Both offer pool swimming and open water swim modes to optimize tracking based on environment.

• Metrics: You get detailed stats like lap count, total distance, pace per 100m or yard, stroke count, stroke efficiency score (SWOLF), and calories burned.

• Stroke Detection: Automatically detects and records stroke type like freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly for each length.

• Underwater HR: Uses wrist-based heart rate monitoring without a chest strap, despite being submerged.

Exclusive Apple Watch Ultra Features

The Ultra adds a few extra capabilities:

• Pool Length Setting: Specify the exact pool length so laps and distances are measured accurately vs estimating.

• Auto Set Detection: Automatically segments and logs set intervals within a workout based on rest periods.

• Water Lock Mode: Locks the screen to prevent accidental taps from water droplets during swims.

• Open Water GPS: Uses GPS to track distance for open water swimming, not just pool lengths.

Benefits for Swimmers

Key benefits the Ultra provides:

• Increased accuracy for pool swim distance and pacing with customized pool length.

• Convenience of automatically logging swim set intervals.

• Avoid accidental screen presses mid-swim using Water Lock.

• Open water distance tracking via GPS for ocean, lake, and river swims.

The s70 lacks some of these advanced features like water lock and open water GPS. But both watches deliver robust swim tracking overall.

Verdict

The Apple Watch Ultra wins for swimmers needing GPS distances in open water and screen lock to prevent accidental taps from splashing water.

But the Garmin s70 still provides excellent drill and stroke analysis even without those extra features.

So choose based on your priorities – open water tracking or pool-based metrics. Both are great swim watches!

Cycling Features

For cyclists looking to track their rides, next we will look at how the Garmin s70 and Apple Watch Ultra cycling features stack up.

Shared Cycling Features

Both watches offer:

• Bike Profiles: Both have modes for road biking, mountain biking, spin class, and at-home stationary bike riding (such as a Peloton) to optimize activity tracking.

• Key Metrics: All the essentials are covered including speed, distance, elapsed time, elevation gain, heart rate, and calories burned.

• Alerts: Set custom alerts for time, distance, heart rate goals or when you burn a certain amount of calories.

• External Sensors Support: Connect ANT+ or Bluetooth speed/cadence sensors to record cadence, speed, and other additional metrics (s70 lacks power meter support).

Exclusive Apple Watch Ultra Cycling Features

The Ultra includes a few unique capabilities:

• Power Meter Connectivity: Pairs with Bluetooth cycling power meters to display real-time wattage output on your wrist as you ride. Critical for training and racing.

• Live Activity Sharing: Automatically streams workout data like pace, heart rate, and power to the Fitness app on your phone so you can share a live view of your ride. Great for remote training and group rides.

• Detailed Maps: Uses built-in mapping to provide turn-by-turn navigation for road and trail rides to keep you on the intended route.

• Crash Detection: If the watch detects you’ve been in a severe bike crash, it can automatically prompt emergency calling for faster assistance.

Benefits for Cyclists

Key benefits the Ultra provides cyclists:

• Real-time power data for training in specific zones and tracking fitness.

• Share live rides remotely with friends or coaches for motivation and pacing.

• Stay on course during rides using wrist-based GPS navigation.

• Prompt emergency contacts after a crash to get help faster if injured.

The s70 provides robust ride tracking but lacks power, live sharing, maps, and crash detection.

Verdict

The Apple Watch Ultra wins for cyclists needing power metrics, live activity sharing, navigation, and incident detection.

But the Garmin s70 still delivers core bike computer functions for basic ride tracking.

Choose the Ultra for high-end cycling features, or the s70 for solid essential tracking. Both great for spinning!

Final Verdict

We’ve covered a lot of ground comparing these two premium multi-sport smartwatches. After breaking down all the features side-by-side, how do we determine an overall winner?

For hardcore athletes and adventurers, the Apple Watch Ultra stands out as the top choice. The Ultra combines long battery life with advanced training features, rugged build, and enhanced outdoor navigation.

The Garmin s70 puts golf abilities first, packed with swing analysis and on-course features for lowering your handicap. It also lasts weeks between charges rather than just hours or days like the Ultra.

But there are strong cases to be made for both watches depending on your needs:

Reasons to Choose the Apple Watch Ultra

• Longer battery life for GPS activities
• More durable sapphire crystal and titanium design
• Additional sensors like ECG, SpO2, and temperature
• Built-in microphone and speaker for phone calls
• Cellular connectivity to use without your phone
• More safety features like fall detection and siren
• In-depth dive tracking and scuba support
• Robust navigation tools like compass, maps, and backtrack

Reasons to Choose the Garmin s70

• Weeks-long battery life in smartwatch mode
• Specialized golf swing analysis and tempo training
• In-depth running dynamics and VO2 max
• Gym activity profiles like strength, yoga, HIIT
• Garmin’s robust ecosystem of apps and widgets
• Rugged build with fiber-reinforced case
• Excellent display despite lack of sapphire glass

The Bottom Line

For multi-sport athletes and adventures, go with the Apple Watch Ultra. If golf is your top priority, choose the Garmin s70.

Both are incredible smartwatches overflowing with features. Your decision ultimately depends on which capabilities match your lifestyle and training needs.