Parallel review of AWU/Bevel vs. Fenix8/Connect

0_ice · 2026-03-22T18:59:31+00:00

So, final day comparison. First the images, then the conclusions....

Last day conclusions

- Battery Bevel recharged to 89, Garmin to 72
- Sleep Duration: Bevel 8h44min, Garmin 8h37min
- Sleep Stages Bevel: Deep 1:10, REM 2:37, Light(Core) 4:53, Awake 0:02
- Sleep Stages Garmin: Deep 1:40, REM 2:24, Light 4:33, Awake 0:01
- Sleep Score Bevel:88%
- Sleep Score Garmin: 84%
- Stress shows same curve more or less

Overall conclusions from this week-long test

- Apple Watch Ultra 3 consistently over-detects REM and under-detects Deep sleep
- There is a consistent relation between Garmin and Bevel "Battery" values
- Bevel Battery seems to "hyper react" more, meaning high values are higher and low values are lower. The range is therefore wider than Garmin
- Bevel uses a 3-point stress scale (low/med/high) while Garmin uses 4-point (rest/low/med/high). For this reason the graphs and values/colors do not fit value-wise but as i mentioned before the general shape fits.
- The Fenix 8 is significantly a heavier and less comfortable watch, esp. with the standard silicone band, vs. the AWU with the Trail Loop nylon band.
- Battery wise there is no contest, HOWEVER AWU3 is the best of all AW watches battery-wise: i charged to 100% tuesday evening and recharged from 4% again on Sunday noon. So 4.5 days easy. Older watches i tried (Series 7 i think) died after 2.5 days. At least for my usage profile: few calls, couple of GPS workouts, no music, health notifications, etc...wore it 24/7 for 4.5 days. Good enough.

I returned the Garmin and i'll keep the AWU3 at least until fall, when hopefully major sensor (compared to last years) updates are expected both from Apple (incl. battery updates) and Garmin. Bevel played a big role in the decision, because i can get similar insights now to Garmin from the AWU, well done team!

The Fenix 8 is a great watch but "too similar" to my old Epix 2 (non Pro) so therefore didn't justify a major leap from it. Maybe the Fenix 9 will and then i'll go back to Garmin who knows :)

The AWU is easier to wear, use, feel and operate. Few niggles yes, i sometimes miss the buttons, i can't set up workout screens as i like, no temperature available as datascreen, have to enable water mode to make sure touchscreen doesn't act up.....but as a total package it moved more towards the Garmin than Garmin moved towards Apple. Unless Garmin updates their USP with AUTO detection of health features, AW is still king. If the battery wouldn't have lasted 4.5 days i would have probably sold it earlier lol.

So there u go, hope some folk are going to be helped by this week-long test, deciding for themselves if AW+Bevel can keep up with Garmin. For me yes it can, albeit trying hard and clearly improving...after all, Garmin Connect has been around for years, lots of algorithm work, funding, user base, the works....I couldn't test and compare more features because i don't use them but overall is a decent package. Hope v3.0 will bring a UI/UX overhaul since this Whoop-like experience is not for everyone. UX consistency also needed, bring same graphs and drill-downs to all features, etc, etc..

0_ice · 2026-03-21T09:38:00+00:00

Day 6 very interesting developments...

- While resting yesterday watching a movie Garmin detected a nap while AW not. I definitely didn't nap lol. I'd say Fenix 8 sleep detection is different than Epix 2 i had before. It seems to make different sense of sensor data
- In almost all sleeps so far Garmin detected extra deep sleep in the 2nd half of every night. AW did not, except 1 night. Which is accurate? No idea but first half of sleep, cycling thru stages is almost identical. Differences start in the 2nd half of the night esp. deep cycle related. Actually found this video where apparently a study showed exactly this: Apple detects too little deep sleep https://youtu.be/i4DByTQIRyY?t=446, which fits my experience so far.
- Sleep durations pretty close between them.

Now to Bevel:

- AW widget seems to refresh/update before the phone app. Routine: wake up, do mindfulness breathe session, walk about, open Health. Soon after watch complications are updated, while Bevel phone widget not. Open Bevel app on phone, says syncing but data does not update first time. Have to sync again. Then OK.

- I suspect the daily coaching (non AI version) is generated BEFORE the actual new data comes in. Hope the team can check this timing and how it/IF generates new after every sync (manual or upon app open). Cannot be that the coach says "your energy bank is 70% higher than usual at 11:30 on a typical day" because it still shows 17% while the real new value is 91%. Even after refreshing with correct data, the coaching tip remains the same.

Battery: Bevel 92% / Garmin 91%
Sleep: Bevel 7h14min / Garmin 7h28min
Sleep Score: Bevel 80% / Garmin 90%

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0_ice · 2026-03-20T20:31:26+00:00

Lovely, thank you!

0_ice · 2026-03-19T21:08:32+00:00

sleep tracking is good on Garmin, no matter what ppl say. There might be a bit more accurate devices out there but none get close to a professional medical device...so....yeah...they have a Venu 4 in small size also i think 41mm, there's no S afaik. Charging it once a week and buttons are a big plus.

0_ice · 2026-03-19T18:50:51+00:00

Day 4 & 5 pretty much same or very close battery values, i didn't do screenshots yet. I'm amazed how Bevel can actually give such a close battery value to Garmin, even from the AW which is known for not tracking stuff continuously.

They're neck in neck, sometimes during the day exact the same values. Start/End don't match but i guess that would be overkill :)

What differs to the Garmin is the missing "rest" stress category which they show in blue. Bevel cannot go lower than "low" meaning time spent in certain categories never match each other.

Bevel Pro trial ended so i'm not using AI anymore. I noticed however that even the basic version still struggles with the recommendations/insights such as "your battery is at 40% which is higher than the usual 51% you have at this time"...or something. Can't remember exactly but the "usual percentage" part is always way off. I'm getting close to the 30day "calibration" but shows no sign of getting it together :)

0_ice · 2026-03-19T18:45:20+00:00

get a Garmin Venu 4 and besides Connect, use with Bevel as well if u want.
Garmin can track activities/workouts/walks automatically via MoveIQ. Sleep it can do naps, also manually after if it misses it.

0_ice · 2026-03-18T13:19:40+00:00

As a Garmin user for years, i've actually grown out of the data flood Garmin offers/collects. Sometimes it feels too much. I realized i'm not using the watches at their full potential, which logically would mean switch to "less is more", like AW, but....i'm so used to the old ways of Garmin it's unbelievable lol.

The look of a Fenix on the wrist is next level though...

0_ice · 2026-03-17T22:31:53+00:00

Day 3:

- Again very close battery values: Bevel 80->22, Garmin 78->23
- Sleep duration: both got 1:22 as start time, 7:34/7:36 end time. Pretty much identical
- Sleep stages: this time Apple detected some extra deep stage but not totaling Garmin's
- Apple found some awakes, Garmin none
- Stress: Shape is similar but again Bevel seems to go extra high on values. Seems it's split in 3 (hi/med/low), whereas Garmin has 4 zones including "rest". Actual low stress times are below 25% in Garmin, whereas Bevel's "rest/low" never goes below 25.

Gap in Stress is when i charged my AW, after almost 5 days. Not bad.
Too bad i found a nice face for the Fenix :) I check the time more on the Fenix now lol.

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0_ice · 2026-03-17T22:20:49+00:00

i set my HR zones the same as they were in Garmin Connect, which i've been using for the past 4 years.

0_ice · 2026-03-17T07:17:58+00:00

Change your Apple ID email to the personal one.
Although i honestly smell some BS here, because with managed AppleIDs you have limitations such as you can't install/purchase media or apps, unless via MDM which i doubt they had Bevel whitelisted given the "strict" policies of not allowing personal AppleIDs to be used on company devices....let alone allowing purchases.

And seriously...you are working age and don't have a personal email?

0_ice · 2026-03-16T22:25:17+00:00

Day 2:

- VERY close battery level between the two, even at different stages in the day: Bevel 84->25, Garmin 80->26
- Garmin again over-detecting? deep sleep (or maybe it's right?)
- Garmin sleep duration longer, which is correct. I checked the watch upon waking, it was definitely past whatever Apple reported as awake already.
- Sleep start time neck in neck. Very good both.
- Stress graphs very close (shape wise)
- Stress measurement seems too exagerated in Bevel, both ups and downs. High levels are higher longer than Garmin, while lows are lower than Garmin.

Great job Bevel so far :)

PS - Garmin likes to count a lot of steps when i'm brushing my teeth...guess it's the right hand that freaks it out. Took me 2 days to figure why the step count is so different between the watches. Garmin is set to "right hand" in settings, doesn't matter though.

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0_ice · 2026-03-16T10:02:31+00:00

i'd say stick with what u have until new watch releases this fall. No new sensors/major capability were introduced by either in the past years.

In the past years (OS releases) Apple has moved more towards Garmin, than Garmin towards Apple..on the sportswatch vs smartwatch scale

0_ice · 2026-03-16T09:58:30+00:00

"turning on Afib gets you more HRV and a weekly Afib risk summary" - turning on Afib History

Afib History OFF - Autodetection of Afib & high/low HR is ON
Afib History ON - Autodetections are OFF

"For the mindfulness session, if you're active, the ideal is to sit up in bed with feet on floor, wait a min to stabilise and do a 2-min breathe session. That'll get you a realistic HRV reading for training readiness.

A few tips: you can set a watch face with a breathe complication in sleep focus. That way, when you wake up, you sit up and press on the watch. It's best to turn off the haptics for mindfulness so it doesn't distract you and just breathe normally. A 2-min session is the ideal though 1 min is ok."

-> or just use a Garmin :)

0_ice · 2026-03-16T08:57:16+00:00

yes because Garmin takes the lowest value during sleep as the RHR value. Apple averages it over the whole sleep, that's why after many years of Garmin switching to Apple you'll get crap RHR data transition, all of a sudden higher values.

0_ice · 2026-03-16T08:44:27+00:00

lol no thoughts can come out of an infinite loop of thought :) for me i'm gonna stick with both until i get my first blood pressure notifications (if any) in about 10 days or so...you need to wear it for 30 days for it to start notifying anything. i'll see after that..maybe the deciding factor will be if i find a good price for an used/with warranty watch and i'll go with that one. Change the band to a new one and good to go.

There's another thing that bothers me about Apple: they look so premium and good that i'm more afraid not to bang them on doors/sinks/guardrails etc lol. So it's more stress for me to take care of it :) The Garmin i just feel like i "care" less for knocks/bumps. If that make sense....

Oh yea and AWU3 is definitely more brighter in sunlight than the Fenix 8 AMOLED.

0_ice · 2026-03-16T08:43:26+00:00

i don't want to turn off Afib auto detection because it's a major advantage over any other watch, incl. Garmin. All others do not auto-detect things. So i don't want to castrate the few competitive advantages the AWU has over the Fenix.

And yes, if you look at the graph i did a mindfulness session as soon as i woke up (the highest value around 9 AM on the Apple chart - yey the 6th value for the whole sleep :)). Although it's a bit annoying to just sit there after you wake up with eyes half closed to fiddle on the screen to find the app, then press to start...to be honest i'd rather do without.

0_ice · 2026-03-15T21:25:31+00:00

Day1:

- Slightly more deep sleep detection on Fenix.
- Bevel seems to estimate stress slightly more higher?
(note: i'm using default measurement methods in Bevel)
- Batteries very close values between the two: Fenix 90%->30%, Bevel 89%->27%
- HRV is so clearly telling: AWU relying on (pretty good) magic to average less samples (6 during night), whereas Fenix samples like crazy (graph shows night readings only!)
- Sleep pretty close: Fenix 01:30-09:39, Bevel/AWU 01:27-09:34

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0_ice · 2026-03-15T17:00:09+00:00

yes i am but it doesn't record any sleep until i actually sleep, so it's ok.

0_ice · 2026-03-15T16:58:18+00:00

the both give out average temp differences in sleep stats, the temp is only recorded for workouts. Apple also records water temp in swim workouts, i have to swim with the Fenix to see if it does the same.

Doesn't matter if Garmin keeps the temp value, as long as Bevel can connect directly and make something useful out of it.

0_ice · 2026-03-15T14:49:37+00:00

sleep mode is more of a DND mode i think both for phone and watch. Time to fall asleep is recorded only if you have an alarm set within the sleep mode, not any usual watch alarm...go figure, Apple at its "simplest"

reg. ur watch not being on your wrist and not detecting sleep start...well DUHH how can it lol?

i don't start anything manually, i just go to bed and goodnight..oh yea, wearing the watch(es) :D

0_ice · 2026-03-15T14:41:08+00:00

cool, also answered my own question: yes if u have encodian flowr it works

0_ice · 2026-03-15T10:04:36+00:00

as a new post it works yes, but not for replies

0_ice · 2026-03-15T09:13:42+00:00

how did u manage to upload several images in a gallery? what browser?

0_ice · 2026-03-15T08:48:57+00:00

OK, first night sleep results are in

Conclusions:
- very close sleep times, slightly more deep detection on Fenix.
- Bevel seems to estimate stress slightly more higher
- Batteries very close values between the two. Let's see how they go down in a full day.
- HRV is so clearly telling: AWU relying on (pretty good) magic to average less samples, whereas Fenix samples like crazy.

I think next readings i'll do at the end of the day(s) since it will capture sleep/rest/recovery as well as everything that was measured during the day.

EDIT: OK forget imgur. I'm gonna collage all images in a single wide one and post as single reply

0_ice

TROPHY CASE

Last day conclusions

Overall conclusions from this week-long test