It wasn’t till I ran at 5 am in Cupertino that I realized this key feature was missing from the Apple Watch Ultra 4

Like many female runners, I tend to avoid running in the dark, especially at 5 am. Yet, unlike a lot of tech journalists, I found myself needing to sneak in a marathon training session before Apple’s keynote last week. As I woke up at 5 am to meet a fellow running-mad colleague, I noticed one pretty key feature missing from the Apple Watch Ultra 4 — a flashlight.Sure, the Apple Watch Ultra 4 has a flashlight that’ll allow you to stumble to the bathroom in the dark or plug your charger in without waking anyone else up, but unlike my friend’s Garmin Fenix 9 Pro, it’s not all that helpful in workout modes. (Image credit: Future)There’s one key difference between the flashlights on the two watches — the Apple Watch Ultra 4, like the Apple Watch Ultra 3 I had on my wrist, only lights up the screen. The Garmin Fenix 9 Pro, on the other hand, has a dedicated physical LED flashlight built into the watch housing. This was amazingly effective when lighting our way in the pitch-black on the San Francisco Bay Trail.In an attempt to add to our visibility, I switched the flashlight on, but it wasn’t all that helpful, and unlike my colleague’s Garmin, I couldn't see my workout stats with the flashlight on.Of course, this isn’t a problem I’ll encounter all that often, but it is one worth mentioning if you are deciding between the Apple Watch Ultra 4 and the Garmin Fenix 9 Pro for an outdoor adventure. While the Apple Watch Ultra 4 offers far greater smartwatch capabilities, if you find yourself, like I did, training in the dark, you’ll probably want the Fenix 9 (or the Fenix 8, Epix Pro, or Forerunner 970) on your wrist. Follow Tom's Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Alternatively, you can read our content on the Tom's Guide app available now for iOS and Android. More from Tom's GuideWe asked 368 people what they want from the Apple Watch Ultra 4. Here’s the resounding answer (and it’s not AI)Apple Watch Series 12 hands-on: A new heart rate sensor and a readiness score (at last)Apple Watch Ultra 4 is official: All the upgrades explainedGet instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.