Garmin s10 vs. s20: Which Garmin Approach Should You Buy?

Golf smartwatches are some of the very first models to hit the market when companies were still experimenting with their GPS capabilities and what they can make out of these technologies in terms of smartwatches.

Nonetheless, we’re far from these days, and golfing smartwatches today are incredibly evolved and inclusive, as we’ll see later on. Still, some models, especially if the same brand creates them, can be confusing due to numerous similarities.

Comparison Table

Models20s10
Autoshot Round AnalyzerYesNo
Heart MonitorYesNo
Sleep TrackerYesNo
PedometerYesNo
BluetoothYesNo
Preloaded Maps4100041000

Garmin s10 vs. s20: Full Comparison

Pre-uploaded Golf Courses

First of all, let’s talk about all of the fantastic golfing opportunities that these two watches open. They both come with 41,000 pre-uploaded golf courses from all around the world.

This doesn’t just improve your knowledge of the course, but it also helps you understand how the game will go on a more detailed level.

Display

As for the display, they both come with a 0.9×0.9 inch screen with a resolution of 128x128px. Although both watches have monochrome displays, the contrast level is perfect, and the screen is sunlight-readable.

As a result, you’ll never find yourself having trouble comprehending what’s on the screen.

Golfing Analysis

What about the happenings of the game? How will these two watches impact your performance and help you? Let’s talk about what they both offer in terms of similarities first.

They both come with Greenview, which shows you the layout of the green around you, and allows you to manually place the pin wherever you want to. Moreover, both watches calculate the distance between you and hazards, layups, and doglegs so that you can factor them in as well.

Last but certainly not least is that both watches are connected to the Garmin Express, which allows golfers to upload their scores and compare them to other golf enthusiasts as well.

Now that we’re done with the similarities let’s dive into what makes each watch stand out, starting with the s20.

In addition to all that we’ve discussed, this watch also comes with an AutoShot round analyzer. This feature allows you to review maps and analyze every single shot from every round. This will, of course, lead to more accurate and precise shots.

Additionally, it’s TruSwing compatible. When the swing sensor is activated, it’ll provide an inclusive calculation of the metrics and dimensions of your swing, which you can later review in order to better your technique.

Finally, the s20 also comes with a Stat Tracking option, which follows your performance throughout the game to give you a summary of all your hits, misses, and putts.

In the end, the s20 emerges as a clear winner in this point. This watch provides you with so much more data to work with before, during, and after the game.

Fitness Tracking

Whenever you purchase any kind of smartwatch, you’d want to get the most bang for your buck. Hence, extra features are always a welcome plus, and that’s exactly what Garmin thought about when they upgraded from the s10 to the s20.

They’ve decided to add fitness tracking options, which cover all kinds of exercise, not just golf. Consequently, the s20 comes with a calorie meter, a heart rate monitor, a step counter (pedometer), a sleep monitor, and a move bar.

All of these features work together in order to enhance the quality of your exercise. They’ll come in handy during golfing and when you decide to go out on a walk or a run just the same.

Moreover, using these sensors, you’ll be able to build a fitness profile for yourself. The said profile will allow you to understand your points of weakness and strength which is bound to improve the overall quality of your life.

Subsequently, the s20 is also a winner in this category as the s10 doesn’t offer any fitness tracking options.

Smartphone Notifications

All of the information that these two watches gather has to end up somewhere. Also, when you want to review it, you don’t want to be straining your eyes looking at your 0.9×0.9-inch watch.

That is why the s20 wins this case hands-down by offering smartphone notifications and Bluetooth connectivity to your phone. As a result, all of the information is transferred to a much bigger display that you can tackle and study at your leisure.

Sadly, the same can’t be said for the s10 as it supports neither smartphone notifications nor Bluetooth connectivity.

This connectivity comes in rather handy when you’re using fitness tracking options. When the move bar is way too low, you’ll receive notifications on your phone to get up and start moving.

Battery Life

The general battery life of these two watches is around 2 to 3 weeks if used in clock mode. This means that you’ll be using the fitness tracking options for the s20 and the GPS options for both quite rarely.

That’s not what we’re looking for, though. What matters is battery life in GPS mode, and both are rather impressive. Still, the s20 wins this point by offering 15 hours of uninterrupted GPS mode.

The s10 comes right behind with 12 hours of continuous GPS mode. So, the difference isn’t really that huge. Both watches will, undoubtedly, power through numerous golfing games.

Colors and Straps

Having a stylish smartwatch is something that everybody wants. Hence, we always pay specific attention to the color of the watch, the material of the strap, and how the whole thing looks on our wrist.

These two watches are simple, sleek, and smooth; they’ll go well with everything. The s10 comes in three different colors; black, granite blue, and powder gray. As for the s20, it comes in two colors only: black and blue.

Both watches come with incredibly comfortable and economically designed silicon straps that don’t strain against your wrist.

Read also: Garmin Fenix 5 vs 6: Full Comparison and Review

Price

Finally, we’ll speak about the price difference between these two models, and the normal conclusion that we’d arrive at is that the s20 must be pricier than the s10 due to all of the added features and pros.

That is entirely true as the price difference ranges around $70-$80 between the two models on average. As a result, we think it’s safe to say that if one can buy the s10, they can also go for the s20 without breaking the bank.

Final Thoughts

At the end of the day, the comparison of Garmin s10 vs. s20 has shown that both models are incredibly suited for golfing, and if that’s all that you want, then you might not even need the newer s20 model with all of its additions.

On the other hand, though, if you want to go above and beyond and score the whole package, then the s20 is a fantastic golfing smartwatch that does more than its requirements. Plus, having your watch alert you to when you ought to get up and start moving is pretty awesome.