I Walked 10,000 Steps with the Apple Watch Ultra 4 vs Garmin Fenix 9 Pro — And I Was Not Expecting This

Introduction: The Ultimate Step-Count Face-Off

Hang around the Tom’s Guide fitness desk long enough, and you’ll likely find yourself strapped with a high-end fitness tracker and sent out to count your steps. While step counting isn't necessarily the definitive metric of absolute fitness or a device's overall capability, it remains a fantastic baseline. If a watch can get the core fundamentals right, it’s usually performing well on the more complex metrics, too.

For this rigorous test, we pitted the $799 Apple Watch Ultra 4 against the $1099 Garmin Fenix 9 Pro. Apple claims to have enhanced pedometer accuracy with its latest rugged adventure wearable. To find out how true that is, we strapped one device to each wrist and manually tracked 10,000 steps using a clicker tool across multiple walking sessions.

How the Test Was Conducted

Counting to 10,000 steps while navigating city traffic and managing everyday distractions requires a reliable counting method. The Apple Watch Ultra 4 was worn on the left wrist, while the Garmin Fenix 9 Pro secured the right. Both smartwatches utilize internal accelerometers to measure arm swing and body movement.

Typically, each arm swing correlates to two steps. Ideally, it shouldn't matter whether the watch sits on a dominant or non-dominant wrist, or whether you are holding a cup of coffee or walking with hands in pockets; internal accelerometers are engineered to filter this movement accurately. Because the native Apple Watch interface displays cumulative daily steps rather than workout-specific step totals, a third-party Pedometer+ app was installed on the Apple Watch Ultra 4 to track individual walking segments.

The Results: Apple vs. Garmin Step Accuracy

The test was divided into three separate walking sessions. Upon returning to the desk, the collected data was analyzed against the manually clicked counts. Here are the final numbers:

• Walk One: Manual (3,000 steps) | Apple Watch Ultra 4 (3,011 steps) | Garmin Fenix 9 Pro (3,016 steps)
• Walk Two: Manual (2,911 steps) | Apple Watch Ultra 4 (2,929 steps) | Garmin Fenix 9 Pro (2,936 steps)
• Walk Three: Manual (4,188 steps) | Apple Watch Ultra 4 (4,202 steps) | Garmin Fenix 9 Pro (4,222 steps)
• Total Results: Manual (10,099 steps) | Apple Watch Ultra 4 (10,142 steps) | Garmin Fenix 9 Pro (10,174 steps)

In years of conducting step-count comparisons, this proved to be the tightest race yet. With a mere 32-step difference between the two devices across more than 10,000 steps, the margin was virtually nonexistent. The Apple Watch Ultra 4 emerged as slightly more precise, missing the manual count by just 43 steps in total.

Beyond Steps: Feature Sets and Capabilities

While basic step tracking is a fun exercise, a comprehensive evaluation of the Apple Watch Ultra 4 and Garmin Fenix 9 Pro requires looking far beyond pedometers. Both devices are built for continuous 24/7 wear and rugged outdoor adventures, yet they cater to distinct philosophies.

The Garmin Fenix 9 Pro excels in endurance, offering 29 days of battery life in smartwatch mode and up to 54 hours during active GPS tracking, alongside a built-in multi-LED flashlight and extensive offline mapping capabilities. Meanwhile, the Apple Watch Ultra 4 functions as a powerful extension of your iPhone, bringing a bright display, robust safety features, and a newly updated heart rate sensor that makes it a top-tier choice for serious cross-training athletes.