During a demanding hike in North Cascades National Park, Garmin’s Instinct 3 proved superior in elevation accuracy, battery life, and comfort compared to Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, highlighting its appeal for serious trail users.
A hike in North Cascades National Park has become an impromptu proving ground for three of the most capable rugged smartwatches on the market, with one outdoor test suggesting that Garmin still has the clearest edge for serious trail use. In a comparison carried out on the Blue Lake Trail, the Apple Watch Ultra 3, Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 and Garmin Instinct 3 were all worn at the same time, alongside Strava on an iPhone, to see which device best handled distance, elevation and battery use on a demanding mountain outing.
The figures were close on distance and time, but they diverged sharply on ascent. Garmin’s reading of 1,050ft aligned almost exactly with the Washington Trails Association’s estimate for Blue Lake Trail, while Apple came in higher and Samsung overshot by a wide margin, recording 1,700ft of climb. That matters more than it might on a flat city walk: on mountain terrain, elevation gain is one of the most important measures of effort, and Tom’s Guide’s broader testing has repeatedly suggested that Garmin is more consistent than Apple when the route includes meaningful climbing. AllTrails places the route at about 920ft, still much nearer to Garmin than Samsung.
Battery life told a similar story. After a little more than three hours of hiking, swimming and stopping for snacks, both the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 had lost 18% of charge, while the Garmin Instinct 3 had used only 6%. That lines up with Tom’s Guide’s earlier comparisons, which found the Instinct 3 to be markedly more frugal than Apple’s rugged watch, and with product specifications showing Garmin’s much larger endurance margin in GPS mode. Apple has improved the Ultra 3 over the Ultra 2, with longer quoted battery life, satellite messaging and an emergency siren, but in this field test the Garmin still looked better suited to multi-day backcountry trips where charging is uncertain.
Comfort also worked in Garmin’s favour. The Instinct 3’s smaller, lighter build made it feel less obtrusive on a wrist during several hours of movement, while its rounded case sat more naturally than the chunkier rectangular designs of the Apple and Samsung models. For hikers and trekkers, that can be more than a matter of preference: over a long day, reduced bulk and weight can make a watch easier to forget, which is often the highest compliment an outdoor device can earn.
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