Garmin S42 Vs S62 – What’s The Better Golf GPS Watch

Garmin S42 Vs S62 – What’s The Better Golf GPS Watch

Comparing golf GPS watches is no easy task. These days, they’re loaded with features of all kinds and go well beyond helping you out with a map of the course you’re on. Without actually having them on your wrist and playing a round, it can be tough to determine which one is worth your money.

If you have been shopping golf watches though, you probably noticed that Garmin dominates the market. So in the following review we wanted to pit 2 popular Garmin golf GPS watches head to head to help you decide which is the better watch.

 

A Brief Intro

Both the Garmin S42 and the S62 were designed primarily for golfers. They are both part of the Approach series of golf GPS watches.

The S62 is a subsequent model and features more daily smart watch and health functions.

With the S62, Garmin wanted to release a watch that was more practical on and off the course. Still, the S42 has a lot to offer golfers of all playing levels.

 

Key Features of the Garmin S42

The Garmin S42 is a sleek, sophisticated, mid level golf GPS watch that looks like your regular smart watch, albeit slightly more rugged than the preceding S40.

However, it comes packed with truly helpful golf GPS features like green distances, custom target distances, hazard distances, shot tracking and auto-course detection.

The S40 came before the S42 and we are slightly disappointed that this watch hasn’t added a bit more to the party overal.

 

Key Features of the Garmin S62

The S62 sports a slightly larger touchscreen display and loads of features for use off the golf course.

There are available tracking profiles for skiing, snowboarding, paddle boarding, rowing, running, yoga, stair stepping, advanced heart rate monitor and all of the golf features mentioned with the S42.

It also accounts for slope, shows key stats like driving accuracy and even takes wind into account with the digital caddie.

 

Quick Comparison

	Garmin S42	Garmin S62
Touchscreen?	Yes	Yes
Display size	1.2 inches	1.3 inches
Battery Life	15 hours in GPS mode	20 hours in GPS mode
Greenview?	Yes	Yes
Material	Metal bezel, glass display silicone strap	Metal bezel, glass display, silicone strap
Bluetooth connectivity?	Yes	Yes
Smartphone notifications?	Yes	Yes
Preloaded courses	42,000+	41,000+

 

 S60 Vs. S62

The S62 has a couple of significant upgrades on the Garmin Approach S60.

First of all, they improved the battery life dramatically – the S60 lasted only 10 hours in golf mode while the S62 lasts 20 hours.

They also upped the display size a little bit with the S62 – the S60 had a 1.2” display.

 

S40 Vs. S42

There’s much less of a difference between the S40 and S42.

They both have the auto-shot detection feature and can be paired with Garmin TruSwing club sensors. The only difference is that the S40 comes in one extra color.

The battery and overall performance has improved slightly between the models.

 

S42 and S62 Physical Comparison

The first physical difference we noted between these 2 watches was the weight.

The S42 is lighter at 1.5 ounces while the S62 is 2.2 ounces.

The S62 basically comes in black or white while the S42 has a 3^rd rose gold/light sand color option.

They both have quick released and change bands for a different look and feel any time you want.

 

S42 and S62 Battery Life Comparison

We thought the S42 would actually last longer since it has less superlative features but that wasn’t the case.

The S62 gave us roughly 4 more hours of battery life in golf GPS mode than the S42 did.

 

S42 and S62 Features Comparison

The S62 has a few more advanced golf features like swing tempo tracking and tempo training.

It also comes with a virtual caddie mode that suggests clubs based on your performance, and when paired with the Garmin golf app, can even give you wind speed and direction data.

There are also more training and fitness features with the S62 including heart rate alerts and profiles for indoor cycling, yoga and cross country skiing.

The S62 also has a slightly better screen resolution at 260 x 260 pixels while the S42 features a screen resolution of 240 x 240 pixels.

 

Price Comparison

This is one of the few areas in which the S42 has the advantage. You can get the S42 for around $300 while the S62 will run you about $500.

 

S42 Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Less expensive
• Lighter weight
• Has more preloaded courses
• More color options
• Connects to satellites quickly
• Easy to take the strap off

Cons:

• Fewer fitness features
• Shorter battery life
• Lower screen resolution
• Smaller display

Overall Score: 92/100

Check Out More Reviews Here:

 

S62 Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Plays like distance
• Advanced running features
• Virtual caddie
• Better battery life
• Bigger screen
• 1GB memory

 

Cons:

• Heavier on the wrist
• Takes longer to charge
• More expensive
• Fewer color options

Overall Score: 98/100

Check Out More Reviews Here:

 

Other GPS Devices to Consider

Garmin S12 

The Garmin Approach S12 features amazing battery life at 30 hours in GPS mode.

It’s easy to read the screen even in direct sunlight and includes manual pin positioning, green view and dogleg distances.

Pros:

• Great battery life
• Very affordable
• Preloaded with 42,000 courses

Cons:

• No fitness features
• No handicap calculator

Overall Score: 96/100

Check Out More Reviews Here:

 

Garmin G12

The Garmin Approach G12 is actually a handheld GPS device. You can keep it in your pocket or clip it to your belt.

You can connect it to your smartphone and it’s tournament legal.

Pros:

• 30 battery life
• Bluetooth connectivity
• Round timer

Cons:

• Low screen resolution
• Small display size

Overall Score: 94/100

Check Out More Reviews Here:

 

Garmin G80

The Garmin Approach G80 is a larger handheld golf GPS device with a 3.5” touchscreen display. Plus, the G80 doubles up as a launch monitor.

Pros:

• Swing practice mode
• 15 hour battery life
• Green view

Cons:

• No fitness features
• Misses some iron shots

Overall Score: 93/100

Check Out More Reviews Here:

 

Final Assessment

This was a pretty easy call. The Garmin S62 has more features, functions more as a smartwatch and can actually help shave a stroke or two off your score.

Overall, we think it’s the better watch.

However, if you don’t care for all the advanced health and training features then you would be better off paying significantly less for the Garmin S42.

Both have the essential GPS golf watch features so check them out.