If you want better heart rate accuracy
Choose Huawei Watch GT 6 Pro. It scores 4.7 vs 4.1 for heart rate accuracy, with a 4.0 overall score.
Garmin Epix Pro (Gen 2) Review
Bottom Line
Choose the Garmin Epix Pro (Gen 2) for class-leading GPS, AMOLED mapping, long battery life, and rugged multisport tracking. Skip it if you mainly want a cheaper cycling watch, a simpler smartwatch, or polished health metrics.
Best for
Best for serious runners, hikers, multisport athletes, and outdoor users who want accurate GPS, detailed maps, long battery life, and a rugged watch-first training tool.
Not for
Not for people who mainly want a cheaper cycling device, a slick mainstream smartwatch, effortless phone integration, or simple menus without Garmin’s data-heavy learning curve.
Verdict
The Garmin Epix Pro (Gen 2) earns its premium reputation on the things outdoor athletes notice most: GPS accuracy, detailed AMOLED maps, battery life, durability, and the practical flashlight. Reviewers repeatedly describe its navigation and training platform as unusually deep, and several found the display easier to read than expected outdoors. The tradeoff is complexity and cost. Garmin Connect and on-watch menus can feel dense, Garmin Pay and phone features vary by region or platform, and some health/coaching metrics are less convincing than the core GPS and battery performance. It is strongest as a rugged multisport/navigation watch, not as a simple smartwatch.
Feature Scorecards
Summary
54 reviewed features-
Very positive 4.5-5.017 (31%)
-
Positive 3.5-4.426 (48%)
-
Neutral 2.5-3.49 (17%)
-
Negative 1.5-2.42 (4%)
Pros
-
GPS accuracy has the strongest agreement: reviewers repeatedly found it accurate, fast, stable, and among the best available on a watch.
-
Battery life is a major consensus strength, with reviewers repeatedly reporting multi-day to multi-week use and calling it impressive.
-
Display quality is one of the clearest strengths, with broad praise for the AMOLED panel’s clarity, color, readability, and appeal.
-
Mapping and navigation are standout strengths, with detailed maps, GPX loading, routing, and on-watch navigation repeatedly praised.
-
Outdoor visibility is excellent across sun, water, and low-light use, with repeated praise for AMOLED readability.
-
Durability is excellent across long-term wear, sapphire glass, and rugged use, with several reviewers seeing little or no visible wear.
Cons
-
ECG functionality was treated as a drawback in the review evidence because the feature was built in but not available at the time of testing.
-
Voice assistant quality scored poorly because a reviewer was disappointed that voice functionality does not make the cut.
-
Watch face quality scored low because stock watch-face data-field options were described as trivially small.
-
Third-party app support exists through Connect IQ, but reviewer evidence suggests the ecosystem lacks polish versus Apple Watch.
-
Wi-Fi connectivity is useful for syncing and map downloads, but the reviewer criticized the watch Wi-Fi hardware as slow for large transfers.
-
The user interface is powerful but divisive, with repeated complaints about confusing menus, underexplained options, and polish tradeoffs.
Compared With Category Average
Compared with other Smartwatches, this product is above average in size options, mapping and navigation, reliability, near average in display quality, workout tracking variety, below average in watch face quality, voice assistant quality, user interface.
Comparison summary
54 compared features-
Above average 0.4+ pts higher25 (46%)
-
Same as average within 0.3 pts21 (39%)
-
Below average 0.4+ pts lower8 (15%)
Largest category differences
| Attribute | This product | Category average | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| size options | 4.6 | 3.2 | +1.4 |
| mapping and navigation | 4.7 | 3.4 | +1.3 |
| watch face quality | 2.5 | 3.8 | -1.3 |
| reliability | 4.8 | 3.8 | +1.0 |
| voice assistant quality | 2.0 | 3.0 | -1.0 |
| GPS accuracy | 4.8 | 4.1 | +0.8 |
| user interface | 3.0 | 3.9 | -0.9 |
| contactless payments | 3.6 | 2.8 | +0.8 |
Consider This Instead
If you want better fit
Choose Apple Watch Ultra 2. It scores 5.0 vs 3.0 for fit, with a 3.9 overall score.
If you want better workout tracking variety
Choose Garmin Forerunner 965. It scores 4.8 vs 4.0 for workout tracking variety, with a 3.9 overall score.
If you want better user interface
Choose Garmin Venu 3. It scores 4.7 vs 3.0 for user interface, with a 4.1 overall score.
Compared in Reviews
Products reviewers directly compared with this model, grouped into quick takeaways.
- Worse: battery life The reviewer said the Epix Pro far exceeds Apple Watch Ultra 2 battery life.
- Similar: premium outdoor fitness watch capability The reviewer said the Epix Pro can compete head-to-head with Apple Watch Ultra.
- Similar: GPS accuracy The reviewer found Apple Watch Ultra and Epix Pro closely aligned in a difficult GPS test.
- Worse: fitness tracking The reviewer found the Epix Pro much better than Apple Watch for fitness tracking.
- Better: smartwatch slickness The reviewer said the Epix Pro does not match the slicker Apple Watch smartwatch experience.
- Better: value The reviewer considered the Forerunner 965 a better value pick in many scenarios.
FAQ
Is the Garmin Epix Pro (Gen 2) good for navigation?
Yes. Reviewers repeatedly praised its detailed AMOLED maps, GPX/course loading, on-watch routing, and GPS accuracy.
How good is the battery life?
Battery life is one of the strongest points. Reviewers reported everything from about six days with heavy always-on use to multi-week use depending on size and settings.
Is the heart rate sensor accurate enough?
Most reviewers found the optical heart rate sensor very good, especially for running and general workouts. A cycling-focused review still saw lag and spikes compared with a chest strap.
Is it a good smartwatch replacement?
It handles notifications, music, payments, apps, and basic phone features, but reviewers generally saw it as a sports watch first. Apple Watch and Samsung Galaxy Watch were considered slicker for smartwatch polish.
Are the new training metrics useful?
Training Readiness and recovery-style insights were praised. Endurance Score and Hill Score drew mixed reactions because some reviewers found them promising but not fully explained or actionable yet.
Is it worth the high price?
It depends on use. Reviewers found the price easier to justify for serious runners, hikers, multisport athletes, and backcountry users, but overkill for cycling-only or simpler smartwatch needs.
Sample Expert Reviews We Analyzed
These are a few of the reviews included in our analysis.
Video Reviews
YouTube - Isaac Brown
- Review score
- 4.5
YouTube - Alex Gear & Tech
- Review score
- 4.5
Article Reviews
techradar.com
- Review score
- 4.4
Top Smartwatches to Consider
Good if you want premium running features, long battery life, and maps for under $200. Skip it if you need flawless heart-rate data, multiband GPS, LTE, or richer app support.
Pros: pairing reliability, brightness
Cons: Wi-Fi connectivity, Bluetooth connectivity
Best for accurate running metrics, excellent coaching tools, a bright AMOLED display, and dependable battery life. Skip it if you need offline maps, music storage, contactless payments, multi-band GPS, or...
Pros: step counting accuracy, app ecosystem
Cons: Bluetooth connectivity, pairing reliability
Good if you want a compact, stylish Garmin with strong GPS, comfort, and week-plus battery life. Skip it if you need richer smartwatch apps, onboard music, bright always-on display, or...
Pros: health tracking accuracy, blood oxygen tracking
Cons: ECG functionality, onboard music storage
Best for luxury-watch styling, vivid TAG faces, solid build, and casual smartwatch use. Skip it if you need top fitness accuracy, call handling, LTE, or strong value.
Pros: contactless payments, pairing reliability
Cons: LTE connectivity, call handling