Why This Smartwatch is More Popular than Garmin for Strava Runners

The hugely popular sports app Strava recently released the 2024 version of its app. Year of Sports: Trend Report and found that, surprisingly, Garmin was not the most popular smartwatch choice.

Instead, the Apple Watch was the best boot device on the platform.

The report, which collected user data on activities uploaded between September 1, 2023 and August 30, 2024, collected data on the most popular smart watch used to load actions. Apple Watch series took first place in loading running workouts, and Apple Watch SE in second place, and Garmin Forerunner 245 in third.

Interestingly, there was no mention of Google Wear OS smartwatches such as Pixel clock 3which speaks to Google and its hardware partner’s efforts to get sports tracking up to par.

Garmin watches took the top spot in Strava’s 2023 annual report, which only listed the most popular device to download. This was the Garmin Forerunner 235, the predecessor to the Forerunner 245. The presence of the Apple Watch above Garmin this time will be music to the ears of the folks at Apple headquarters, and not so much to Garmin and other more established sports watch makers.

As someone who has tested almost every Apple Watch since its introduction, including the newest ones. Watch Ultra 2 And Watch episode 10 – It’s no surprise that Apple’s smartwatches have received a lot of praise on Strava. Especially if you look at some of the other data contained in the Strava report.

Why Apple Watch wins over runners

Running is pure fun, and according to Strava, it’s the fastest-growing social sport on the platform. This brings people into the sport who wouldn’t normally think of joining others for an evening or morning 5K run. Strava says the number of running clubs has increased by 59% compared to the previous year. Strava also said that 5K runners tend to choose the Apple Watch, while long distance runners use Garmin instead.

Having joined several races organized by running clubs over the past few years, and seeing how these clubs have taken over my Instagram feed this year, I know that many of these club runs tend to peak at the 5K mark. Taking a look at the wrists of many of these runners, the Apple Watch truly dominates. When I went into the half marathon or marathon distance, there were definitely a few more Garmins.

I can see why the Apple Watch would be ideal for new runners or new runners who are facing a running or running club challenge. The only advantage Apple has over a dedicated running watch is how easy it is to use to track your run or workout.

Especially if you use Workout’s own app to do this. Apple’s Watch is now more effective than ever at monitoring your workouts, but it’s also easy to bypass its more advanced features like creating custom interval workouts or using a virtual pacemaker to make the process easier.

If you’re not yet a full-fledged runner, the Apple Watch does a great job of combining workout tracking and non-workout utility. The Watch’s two elements work in tandem rather than feeling more disjointed.

This is where most sports watches and other smartwatches are trying to catch up to Apple, with this seamless ability to go from recording a run during lunch to effortlessly switching to work mode or doing things like controlling your workout playlist.

The Apple Watch also tracks your runs well. This is especially true of the last few generations of the Watch series, as well as the SE series. My general running and racing tests with the Apple Watch Ultra and Series 10 in particular showed that Apple also has a watch that can compete with the best sports watches in areas like GPS accuracy and tracking metrics like heart rate.

Another factor here is that Apple ships more watches than Garmin and other watch brands, which means there are simply more Apple Watches on people’s wrists. Back in August of this year, the market analysis firm Canalis released data on global smartwatch shipments in the second quarter of 2024, with Apple accounting for 49% of the market, Samsung at 15%, and next in line Garmin at 11%.

Does this mean the Apple Watch is the watch of choice for runners and Garmin’s future is doomed? Well, not exactly, but it’s another sign of the company’s progress in making smartwatches a true alternative to sports watches. If an iPhone owner were to ask me now if there was a smartwatch good enough to track runs, I would happily recommend the Apple Watch, which wouldn’t be the case if we were talking about the Apple Watch Series 5 or older. .

According to Strava’s report, Garmin is still the preferred choice for long distance runs. Battery life will undoubtedly be a big factor here, as well as the richer training and analysis features offered right out of the box in most dedicated running watches that fall within the Apple Watch’s price range. These data downloads also only cover running, with cycling data downloads dominated by Garmin devices.

This data will simply give brands involved in indoor and outdoor workout tracking more focus on making sure Apple is making its mark and no longer falling behind the competition.

Check out the best current prices for the Apple Watch Series 10: