The 5 greatest Garmin watches for 2025

Few manufacturers are as synonymous with outside sports activities as Garmin. You’ll discover these health trackers and smartwatches on dozens of wrists at any 5K, marathon, or Ironman. You’ll additionally discover Garmin devotees amongst divers, thru-hikers, golfers, kiteboarders — you title it. However these units aren’t simply for athletes. The corporate’s made vital strides in its life-style choices, so no matter your health stage, there’s a Garmin for everybody.

If you happen to’re coming from a extra conventional smartwatch, Garmin’s core strengths lie in health, GPS, adventuring, and sturdiness. These are hardy units that are supposed to face up to the weather and final weeks on a single cost. A number of fashions include offline maps, superior navigational options, and extra coaching metrics than every other platform. Garmin units are usually on the pricier aspect, nevertheless, and the corporate lately introduced it could start placing its latest options behind a paywall. That’s a bummer given Garmin spent years publicly stating it had no intention of charging its customers additional.

Garmins aren’t too shabby on smarts, both. Whereas extra fitness-focused than something from Apple, Google, or Samsung, there’s sufficient to get you the fundamentals like notifications after which some. For instance, most Garmins have fall detection and security options, and a number of of the most recent Garmins lately obtained an FDA-cleared EKG characteristic. (You’ll want a telephone available, nevertheless, as just one Garmin mannequin has mobile connectivity.) Many Garmin units additionally help offline music playback and include a small third-party app ecosystem.

There are a lot of Garmin watches to select from. No, severely, there are six main lineups, and every has a large number of fashions. However no worries — I check a number of Garmins yearly and can assist level you in the best course.

The perfect Garmin for runners

Sizes: 42mm w/ 18mm straps; 46mm w/ 22mm straps / Weight: 39g (42mm); 47g (46mm) / Battery life: As much as 15 days (42mm); 13 days (46mm) in smartwatch mode / Show sort: OLED touchscreen / GPS: All-systems GNSS and dual-frequency GPS / Connectivity: Bluetooth, Ant Plus, Wi-Fi / Water resistance: 5ATM / Music storage: 8GB

Garmin has many operating watches, and a number of them are nice. However the Forerunner 265 or 265S (when you have petite wrists) strikes a wonderful steadiness between value, characteristic set, battery life, and a vibrant OLED show.

That mentioned, the Forerunner 265 / 265S is a little bit of an odd duck. It comes a mere 9 months after its predecessor, the Forerunner 255, and is, in some ways, just about the identical watch. The principle distinction is the 265 has an OLED show in comparison with the 255’s memory-in-pixel display. Normally, which means worse battery life, however on this case, we obtained a couple of week on a single cost with the always-on show enabled. With out it, you’ll be able to rise up to fifteen days. Provided that OLED is simpler to learn and simply, properly, appears to be like nicer, that offers the 265 lineup an edge over the 255.

The 265 additionally has dual-frequency GPS (also referred to as multi-band). The gist is you get way more correct maps in difficult environments like cities and dense forests as a result of you’ll be able to entry each the L1 and L5 satellite tv for pc frequencies. And even with dual-frequency GPS enabled, you continue to don’t lose a complete lot of battery life. I wore it throughout a half marathon with that and the AOD enabled, and I nonetheless had over 80 p.c battery by the point I obtained house. That is additionally a wonderful value, as the vast majority of multi-band GPS watches price properly over $600.

My fundamental grievance is that $450, whereas not dangerous for Garmin, remains to be so much when you think about that’s the identical value as smarter smartwatches with nice operating options. Some runners received’t care. However in the event you’re on a funds — otherwise you’re new to operating and really feel iffy about spending that a lot — then take into account the Forerunner 165 sequence. It begins at $250 (add one other $50 for onboard music) and does nearly every part the 265 sequence does. The principle stuff you’re lacking are dual-frequency GPS and some extra area of interest sport profiles. However in the event you’re largely sticking to operating, health club gear, biking, swimming, and climbing, you’re coated.

Neither has all of Garmin’s coaching options, nevertheless it’s obtained what you’ll have to run something from a 5K to a full marathon. That features a Race Predictor, which supplies you an estimate of what your greatest time can be primarily based in your precise coaching. It’s also possible to use PacePro to determine your pacing technique for a race. You additionally get Garmin’s Coaching Readiness characteristic to assist gauge load and restoration, Garmin Coach plans, and a bunch of operating type metrics. It additionally helps offline music and security options like fall detection. The one factor they lack is superior mapping. (They nonetheless have trackback, point-to-point navigation, and real-time breadcrumb path help, nevertheless.)

The perfect Garmin for endurance sports activities

Sizes: 42mm w/ 20mm straps; 47mm w/ 22mm straps; 51mm w/ 26mm straps / Weight: 42mm: 63g chrome steel, 58g titanium; 47mm: 78g chrome steel, 70g titanium; 51mm: 98g chrome steel, 88g titanium / Battery life: 42mm: as much as 10 days (4 with AOD); 47mm: as much as 16 days (6 with AOD); 51mm: as much as 31 days (11 with AOD) / Show sort: OLED / GPS: All-systems GNSS and dual-frequency GPS / Connectivity: Bluetooth, Ant Plus, Wi-Fi / Water resistance: 10ATM / Music storage: As much as 32GB

The Epix Professional will get you each health characteristic that Garmin has to supply. And I imply every part. It will frankly be simpler to let you know what the Epix Professional doesn’t have: issues which are restricted to LTE smartwatches and a number of the new sensible options on the Fenix 8, like an on-board voice assistant. In any other case, you’ve obtained topographical maps, turn-by-turn navigation, and extra coaching metrics than even a seasoned triathlete would know what to do with.

The Professional is extra size-inclusive than the customary second-gen Epix, which solely is available in 47mm. You may get the Professional in that dimension, too, nevertheless it additionally is available in 42mm and 51mm. This was a significant grievance I had with the second-gen Epix, and also you like to see corporations truly take this type of factor severely. The perfect half is the Professional fashions begin on the identical value because the common Epix did. You’ll need to pay $100 additional for supplies like titanium and sapphire crystal, however that’s additionally true of the usual Epix.

That mentioned, it muddies the waters in the event you’re attempting to select between the Epix Professional, Fenix 7, Fenix 7 Professional, and now, the Fenix 8. The principle distinction is the Epix watches all have OLED shows. One purpose I desire OLED is that they’re a lot simpler to learn indoors — the place most of us spend the vast majority of our time. The Fenix 7 sequence’ memory-in-pixel shows (plus photo voltaic charging in the event you go for it) enable for weeks and weeks of cost, however the smallest Epix Professional can get round 10 days with regular utilization. The 47mm and 51mm Professional fashions can go longer between fees as a result of greater batteries, however I felt that the 42mm has sufficient juice to fulfill most use instances. Garmin additionally has so many battery-saving modes and choices that I extremely doubt it will ever be a problem.

Not serving to issues is the truth that the Fenix 8 enables you to select between an OLED or a MIP show. You additionally get sensible options like an onboard voice assistant, the flexibility to take calls from the wrist, and the Garmin Messenger app. The principle drawback is the beginning value is now $350 greater than the usual Fenix 7 and proper about on par with the Epix Professional. My private feeling is the Fenix 8’s sensible options are simply okay and that you just’re actually not lacking a lot by not having them. We additionally typically see reductions on older fashions, so I’d placed on my bargain-hunting hat for a reduced Epix Professional or Fenix 7 Professional whereas stock remains to be accessible.

However actually, the profitable characteristic of the Epix Professional is the hands-free flashlight. It’s so helpful in my day-to-day life, and all you must do is double-press a button. It’s as vivid as your smartphone, comes with a purple mild possibility if you would like one thing simpler on the eyes, and might act as a strobe in an emergency state of affairs. The Fenix 7 Professional and eight watches even have a flashlight, so a number of that is going to come back down to private choice for the show, value, and whether or not you care about sensible options.

If you happen to’re set on probably the most battery life doable, I like to recommend the Fenix 7 Professional over the usual 7 for a couple of causes. Its MIP show is barely brighter, all sizes have the flashlight, and, just like the Epix Professional, it has an up to date sensor array. I additionally advocate it over the MIP variations of the Fenix 8 as a result of it is available in extra sizes, and prices round $300 much less. Particularly for the reason that Fenix 8’s sensible options are a bit half-baked.

The perfect Garmin on a funds

Sizes: 40mm w/ 20mm straps / Weight: 19g / Battery life: As much as 5 days / Show sort: “Hidden” OLED touchscreen / GPS: Tethered GPS / Connectivity: Bluetooth, Ant Plus / Water resistance: 5ATM / Music storage: N/A

What I like most in regards to the Vivomove Sport is that it doesn’t seem like what most individuals anticipate from a Garmin. It’s a hybrid smartwatch, which suggests it appears to be like like a daily watch however can monitor health and ship notifications. Garmin’s hybrids are additionally distinctive in that all of them use an OLED show that stays hidden till you want it.

That is greatest suited to a casually energetic one that needs fashion and worth in a light-weight bundle. Suppose wellness, extra so than health. It will get you steady coronary heart price monitoring and blood oxygen stage monitoring, and might even present irregular coronary heart price alerts. You additionally get entry to extra in-depth metrics like respiration price, health age, stress, and Physique Battery, which is Garmin’s software for visualizing how well-rested you’re. For sensible options, you get all of the fundamentals, like notifications, alarms, and timers.

The Sport isn’t fairly as full-featured as another Garmin watches you’ll discover on this record. As an illustration, you’re giving up built-in GPS in favor of tethered GPS by means of your telephone. There are not any contactless funds, neither is there a microphone or speaker for taking calls on the wrist. However this is a funds choose, and also you get so much, contemplating that is an entry-level gadget that might move for a Swatch at a look.

I don’t love that the battery life is brief for a hybrid, at round three to 4 days. Even so, that’s nonetheless a lot better than what you’ll get on an Apple Watch or Put on OS 4 watch. If you happen to’re keen to spend about $100 extra, the $269.99 Vivomove Development has extra stylish supplies, will get you extra display actual property, and wi-fi Qi charging. In any other case, it is a nice life-style wearable that may function a classier different to your typical health band.

If you happen to desire one thing newer to the Sport that’s additionally fashionable, the Garmin Lily 2 is one other good possibility, particularly in the event you’ve obtained significantly small wrists or desire one thing extraordinarily light-weight. The swipe and faucet gestures are nonetheless slightly fiddly to make use of — which was additionally the case with the first-gen mannequin — however the contemporary design is a enjoyable method to evenly monitor your health with out bogging your self down with notifications. Garmin additionally presents the Lily 2 Lively, which provides a bodily button, GPS, and help for extra sports activities monitoring for a beginning value of $299.99.

The perfect Garmin to switch a Fitbit

Sizes: 40mm w/ 20mm straps / Weight: 38g / Battery life: As much as 11 days / Show sort: OLED touchscreen / GPS: All-systems GNSS / Connectivity: Bluetooth, Ant Plus / Water resistance: 5ATM / Music storage: 4GB (for Music Version)

If you happen to have been dissatisfied by the Fitbit Sense 2 and Versa 4, the Venu Sq 2 is the following neatest thing (and, in some methods, higher).

At a look, the Venu Sq 2 might simply be mistaken for an Apple Watch. On the wrist, you’ll discover it’s product of plastic, nevertheless it nonetheless appears to be like fairly stylish and intensely light-weight. The display is vivid, straightforward to learn, and appears higher than any Versa or Sense ever did.

The characteristic set can also be nice for the worth, with built-in GPS, a ton of watch faces, emergency security options, and contactless funds. If you happen to pay $50 extra for the Music Version, you’ll additionally get about 500 songs price of storage, however we wouldn’t advocate it. This doesn’t have mobile connectivity and, due to this fact, isn’t actually standalone. You’ll more than likely be carrying your telephone with you anyway.

As for well being options, the Venu Sq 2 principally has every part you’d get on a Versa or Sense smartwatch however with Garmin’s treasure trove of metrics as properly. That features coronary heart price monitoring, blood oxygen monitoring, depth minutes (how a lot average train you get in every week), stress monitoring, hydration monitoring, respiratory price, interval monitoring, and Garmin’s restoration characteristic, Physique Battery. So far as health goes, you additionally get entry to Garmin Coach, which offers free 5K, 10K, and half marathon coaching plans. You like to see it.

One other massive leg-up Garmin has over Fitbit? None of those options or metrics are locked behind a paywall, even when Garmin’s AI-powered insights and some different expanded options will solely be accessible as a part of Garmin Join Plus ($6.99 a month / $69.99 yearly).

The perfect Garmin smartwatch

Sizes: 41mm w/ 18mm straps; 45mm w/ 22mm straps / Weight: 40g for the 3S; 47g for the three / Battery life: As much as 10 days for 3S; 14 days for 3 / Show sort: OLED touchscreen / GPS: GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO / Connectivity: Bluetooth, Ant Plus, Wi-Fi / Water resistance: 5ATM / Music storage: 8GB

Garmin has shored up the smarts in its watches over the previous a number of years, and the Venu 3 sequence is the neatest (and most reasonably priced) of the bunch.

The Venu 3 sequence is available in two sizes: 41mm and 45mm. Just like the Venu 2 Plus, it has a microphone and speaker. You may take calls instantly from the wrist and challenge instructions to your telephone’s digital assistant by way of Bluetooth. It’s not the identical as having Siri, Bixby, Amazon Alexa, or Google Assistant constructed instantly into the watch, nevertheless it’s a intelligent workaround that works properly for hands-free management. It additionally helps security options like fall detection and stay monitoring, in addition to contactless funds.

Like different OLED Garmins, the show is each vibrant and straightforward to learn. As for well being and health, you get a pleasant mixture of fundamental and extra superior options and metrics. It has Garmin’s newest coronary heart price sensor, which allows FDA-cleared EKG and AFib detection options. General, it leans a bit extra on the wellness and well being aspect of issues, with depth minutes, blood oxygen monitoring, sleep monitoring, interval monitoring, irregular coronary heart price alerts, and stress monitoring. As for coaching, you continue to get built-in GPS, VO2 Max, coronary heart price zones, respiration price, and downloadable coaching plans by way of Garmin Coach.

New to the three and 3S is a sleep coach that components in metrics like coronary heart price variability and up to date exercise to find out your sleep wants. It additionally lastly provides nap detection, a characteristic that’s been lengthy overdue for the Garmin platform. The Venu 3 sequence additionally provides audio-guided meditation classes, and you may view how these classes instantly affect your metrics. From an accessibility standpoint, this additionally provides a brand new wheelchair mode.

Technically, the brand new Fenix 8 is barely smarter in that it provides an on-board voice assistant. Nevertheless, additionally it is greater than double the worth and never what I’d take into account worth for the typical athlete. It’s extra for individuals who spend hours upon hours coaching each week.

That is the Garmin for you if you would like the platform’s in-depth coaching with out sacrificing the productiveness of a smartwatch. The principle issues it’s missing are mobile choices and a sturdy third-party app ecosystem. That mentioned, it’s obtained Spotify, Amazon Music, and Deezer for offline listening. It’s additionally possibility in the event you’re fed up with MIP shows and desire a smarter Garmin quite than a full-on smartwatch.

Replace, April twelfth: Adjusted pricing / availability and up to date copy to replicate the introduction of Garmin Join Plus.