Garmin Epix (Gen 2) vs Fitbit Luxe
🗓️ Release Year
1️⃣ Garmin Epix (Gen 2): 2022
2️⃣ Fitbit Luxe: 2021
🏃 Activity
1️⃣ Garmin Epix (Gen 2): The Garmin Epix (Gen 2) is a high-performance multisport GPS smartwatch designed for serious athletes and outdoor enthusiasts, featuring a stunning AMOLED display. It offers comprehensive activity tracking, including steps, distance, calories burned, and active minutes with personalized daily goals. Its extensive activity profiles and advanced performance metrics are tailored for a wide range of sports and adventures, providing detailed insights into every workout.
2️⃣ Fitbit Luxe: The Fitbit Luxe offers precise tracking for essential activities, meticulously recording steps, distance covered, calories burned, and Active Zone Minutes. When paired with a smartphone, it provides real-time pace data for connected GPS workouts. The inclusion of movement reminders and adaptable daily activity goals serves as a consistent motivator for users to maintain an active lifestyle and achieve their fitness objectives.
❤️ Health Monitoring
1️⃣ Garmin Epix (Gen 2): This device provides continuous heart rate monitoring, advanced physiological metrics including VO2 max estimation, performance condition, and training status. It also tracks respiration rate, Pulse Ox for blood oxygen saturation, and offers detailed sleep analysis, delivering critical health and recovery data essential for optimizing training and overall well-being.
2️⃣ Fitbit Luxe: This tracker incorporates continuous 24/7 heart rate monitoring powered by PurePulse technology, offering valuable insights into resting heart rate trends and cardiovascular activity. It also monitors heart rate variability (HRV) and skin temperature variations, contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of overall wellness and potential physiological changes.
🔋 Battery Life
1️⃣ Garmin Epix (Gen 2): The Epix (Gen 2) offers up to 16 days of battery life in smartwatch mode and up to 42 hours with continuous GPS tracking. While the vibrant AMOLED display impacts battery life compared to MIP displays, it still provides sufficient duration for multi-day activities and extensive training.
2️⃣ Fitbit Luxe: The Fitbit Luxe provides a practical battery life of up to 5 days on a single charge, contingent on usage patterns. Its quick recharge capability minimizes interruptions in tracking, ensuring the device is readily available for continuous health and fitness monitoring.
😴 Sleep Tracking
1️⃣ Garmin Epix (Gen 2): Advanced sleep monitoring on the Epix (Gen 2) tracks detailed sleep stages and utilizes the Pulse Ox sensor to monitor blood oxygen levels during sleep. This provides valuable data for assessing recovery quality and informing training decisions, especially important for athletes managing demanding training loads.
2️⃣ Fitbit Luxe: Comprehensive sleep tracking is a core function, analyzing sleep stages (light, deep, and REM) to provide a detailed Sleep Score and personalized insights aimed at improving sleep hygiene. The Smart Wake feature utilizes subtle vibrations to gently wake users during an optimal sleep phase, contributing to a more rested feeling upon waking.
📍 GPS Tracking
1️⃣ Garmin Epix (Gen 2): Equipped with advanced built-in GPS capabilities, the Epix (Gen 2) provides highly accurate outdoor activity tracking and navigation without requiring a paired smartphone. It supports multiple satellite systems and offers detailed preloaded mapping features, essential for exploring remote areas and navigating complex routes.
2️⃣ Fitbit Luxe: Leveraging a connected GPS feature, the Luxe pairs with your smartphone to provide real-time pace and distance data for outdoor activities such as running, walking, and cycling. This allows for accurate tracking of routes and performance metrics during these exercises when your phone is nearby.
🏋️ Workout Modes
1️⃣ Garmin Epix (Gen 2): The Epix (Gen 2) supports an extensive range of multisport and individual workout modes, including running, biking, swimming, hiking, trail running, skiing, strength training, and more. Its customizable profiles and extensive real-time data screens provide comprehensive metrics for performance analysis across diverse activities.
2️⃣ Fitbit Luxe: Supporting over 20 distinct exercise modes, including popular activities like running, cycling, yoga, swimming, HIIT, and strength training, the Luxe provides real-time statistics such as heart rate and calories burned. This allows users to effectively monitor their performance and intensity during various workouts.
💫 Exercise Recognition
1️⃣ Garmin Epix (Gen 2): The device includes automatic exercise detection for common activities like walking and running through its Move IQ feature, ensuring seamless recording of basic movements within the overall activity log, even during varied training days.
2️⃣ Fitbit Luxe: The integrated SmartTrack technology intelligently and automatically identifies and records common workouts, including walking, running, cycling, and swimming. This feature ensures that physical activities are accurately logged even if manual tracking is not initiated.
🍎 Compatibility
1️⃣ Garmin Epix (Gen 2): The Epix (Gen 2) is compatible with both iOS and Android smartphones, connecting via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi for seamless data synchronization and smart notifications.
2️⃣ Fitbit Luxe: The Luxe offers broad compatibility with both Android and iOS devices, connecting seamlessly via Bluetooth. For Android users, Google Fast Pair facilitates a rapid and straightforward setup process.
📲 App Support
1️⃣ Garmin Epix (Gen 2): Synchronization with the comprehensive Garmin Connect app is central to the Epix (Gen 2) experience, providing in-depth analysis of all tracked data, performance metrics, training insights, and recovery recommendations. The app allows for creating and syncing detailed training plans, courses, and customizing device settings.
2️⃣ Fitbit Luxe: Synchronization with the comprehensive Fitbit app provides users with detailed health insights, granular fitness tracking data, and overall wellness metrics. Interoperability with popular third-party platforms such as Google Fit, Apple Health, MyFitnessPal, and Strava allows for integration into existing fitness ecosystems.
💡 Smart Features
1️⃣ Garmin Epix (Gen 2): Beyond its primary focus on sports and outdoor performance, the Epix (Gen 2) includes practical smart functionalities such as on-wrist notifications, Garmin Pay for contactless payments, and on-device music storage with support for streaming services, offering convenience during training and daily use.
2️⃣ Fitbit Luxe: Key smart features include the reception of call, text, and app notifications directly on the wrist, enhancing connectivity and convenience. Essential modes like Do Not Disturb and silent alarms, along with customizable watch faces, offer personalization options for the user interface.
💦 Water Resistance
1️⃣ Garmin Epix (Gen 2): With a robust water resistance rating of 100 meters (10 ATM), the Epix (Gen 2) is engineered to withstand swimming, showering, and various water activities, making it suitable for serious water sports and providing durability in wet environments.
2️⃣ Fitbit Luxe: Engineered with a water resistance rating of 5 ATM (up to 50 meters), the Luxe is suitable for activities such as swimming, showering, and general water exposure. It is capable of tracking swim duration and estimated calorie expenditure during aquatic workouts.
⌚ Display Quality
1️⃣ Garmin Epix (Gen 2): The Epix (Gen 2) features a stunning AMOLED display with high resolution, offering vibrant colors, deep blacks, and exceptional brightness. This touchscreen display provides excellent readability in various lighting conditions, including direct sunlight, enhancing the visual experience for mapping and data review.
2️⃣ Fitbit Luxe: The device features a vibrant AMOLED touchscreen display with customizable clock faces, offering clear visibility and personalization. An always-on display mode provides quick and convenient access to key statistics and notifications.
👌 Ease of Use
1️⃣ Garmin Epix (Gen 2): The device offers a dual interface with reliable buttons and a responsive touchscreen, providing flexible and easy navigation through menus, data screens, and mapping features during both activities and daily use. The user interface is designed for intuitive operation and quick access to critical information.
2️⃣ Fitbit Luxe: Navigating the Luxe is intuitive via its sleek and responsive touchscreen interface. Seamless synchronization with the user-friendly Fitbit app streamlines the process of tracking and analyzing health and fitness data, making it accessible for daily use.
✨ Design and Comfort
1️⃣ Garmin Epix (Gen 2): The Epix (Gen 2) features a premium and durable design with a high-quality titanium bezel and stainless steel or DLC coating, built to withstand extreme conditions while maintaining a comfortable fit for all-day wear and extended outdoor use. The design balances robust construction with aesthetic appeal.
2️⃣ Fitbit Luxe: The Luxe stands out with its stylish and slim design, featuring a polished stainless steel case that exudes a premium feel. Coupled with a soft silicone band, it ensures comfortable wear throughout the day. The availability of interchangeable bands allows users to easily customize the look to match their personal style.
🩸 SpO2 Monitoring
1️⃣ Garmin Epix (Gen 2): An integrated Pulse Ox sensor allows for on-demand spot checks and continuous monitoring of blood oxygen saturation levels, particularly valuable for acclimatization at altitude, monitoring sleep quality, and assessing overall physiological status during demanding activities.
2️⃣ Fitbit Luxe: An integrated SpO2 sensor enables the tracking of blood oxygen levels specifically during sleep. This provides valuable data points related to respiratory health and can help identify potential disturbances during nighttime rest.
💖 ECG Functionality
1️⃣ Garmin Epix (Gen 2): It is important to note that the Garmin Epix (Gen 2) does not support ECG (Electrocardiogram) functionality.
2️⃣ Fitbit Luxe: It is important for potential users to note that the Fitbit Luxe does not support ECG (Electrocardiogram) functionality.
🧘 Stress Tracking
1️⃣ Garmin Epix (Gen 2): The Epix (Gen 2) tracks stress levels throughout the day based on heart rate variability and offers guided breathing exercises to help users manage stress and promote mental well-being alongside physical training and recovery.
2️⃣ Fitbit Luxe: Stress levels are assessed through the analysis of heart rate variability (HRV). The device incorporates guided breathing exercises, offering users practical tools for managing stress and promoting relaxation.
🩹 Recovery Tracking
1️⃣ Garmin Epix (Gen 2): The device provides advanced recovery insights, including a daily readiness score, recovery time advisor, training status, and training load focus, offering detailed guidance to help athletes understand their recovery needs and optimize their training schedule to prevent overtraining and improve performance.
2️⃣ Fitbit Luxe: The Daily Readiness Score provides a metric that evaluates the body's preparedness for activity based on analysis of sleep patterns, activity levels, and heart rate variability, assisting users in making informed decisions about training and recovery.
💳 Subscription
1️⃣ Garmin Epix (Gen 2): A significant benefit of the Garmin platform is that all features and data tracked by the Epix (Gen 2) are accessible through the free Garmin Connect app, requiring no additional subscription fees for core functionality or advanced training analysis, providing comprehensive value for a premium device.
2️⃣ Fitbit Luxe: Basic tracking and insights are available without a subscription. However, access to advanced sleep analytics, more personalized health insights, and an expanded library of guided workouts requires a separate Fitbit Premium subscription ($9.99/month or $79.99/year).
🏷️️ Price
1️⃣ Garmin Epix (Gen 2): $999.99
Check Garmin Epix (Gen 2) Price *2️⃣ Fitbit Luxe: $149.95
Check Fitbit Luxe Price ** If you buy through these links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you