(Better as in Phone tap to pay has an extra layer of security that card tap to pay does not. But also yes, cynically, better for Apple because Apple gets a small cut in Phone tap to pay to help pay for that extra layer of security.)
Using an Apple Watch for tap to pay is really nice, for what it is worth.
I wear a garmin when I work out but otherwise want a mechanical watch with no tracking or distractions.
But if you have to pass a card because some business still feels that they have to touch your cards in this age, the EMV chip on the titanium card is just fine. They should just insert the card after a second or two of wondering why it doesn't tap. If their reader only takes tap to pay, then their reader needs to placed in a more convenient place for you to tap things like your phone or able to be passed to you for you to do what you need to do to pay.
No one should be physically handling my payment method anymore but me. It's not a great service to walk 20 feet away from me with my credit card just to make a payment at some hard to reach terminal. In fact it's a security risk for skimming and card stealing (and always has been).