The Best Garmin Watches For Training And Everyday Life

Garmins aren’t conscionable multisport behemoths anymore. | Illustration by Will Joel / The Verge

Few brands are arsenic synonymous pinch outdoor sports arsenic Garmin. You’ll find these fittingness trackers and smartwatches connected dozens of wrists astatine immoderate 5K, marathon, aliases Ironman. You’ll besides find Garmin devotees among divers, thru-hikers, golfers, kiteboarders — you sanction it. But these devices aren’t just for athletes. The company’s made important strides successful its manner offerings, truthful sloppy of your fittingness level, there’s a Garmin for everyone.

If you’re coming from a much accepted smartwatch, Garmin’s halfway strengths dishonesty successful fitness, GPS, adventuring, and durability. These are hardy devices that are meant to withstand nan elements and past weeks connected a azygous charge. Several models travel pinch offline maps, precocious navigational features, and much training metrics than immoderate different platform. Garmin devices thin to beryllium connected nan pricier side, and the institution announced successful March that it would statesman putting its newest features down a paywall. That’s a bummer fixed Garmin spent years publicly stating it had nary volition of charging its users extra.

Garmins aren’t excessively shabby connected smarts, either. While much fitness-focused than thing from Apple, Google, aliases Samsung, there’s capable to get you nan basics for illustration notifications and past some. For example, astir Garmins person autumn discovery and information features, and several Garmins released since 2023 person an FDA-cleared EKG feature. (You’ll request a telephone connected hand, however, arsenic only 1 Garmin exemplary has cellular connectivity.) Many Garmin devices besides support offline euphony playback and travel pinch a mini third-party app ecosystem.

There are a lot of Garmin watches to take from. No, seriously, location are six awesome lineups, and each has a multitude of models. But nary worries — I trial respective Garmins each twelvemonth and tin thief constituent you successful nan correct direction.

The champion Garmin for runners

Sizes: 42mm w/ 18mm straps; 46mm w/ 22mm straps / Weight: 39g (42mm); 47g (46mm) / Battery life: Up to 15 days (42mm); 13 days (46mm) successful smartwatch mode / Display type: 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 running watches, and a batch of them are great. But nan Forerunner 265 aliases 265S (if you person petite wrists) strikes an fantabulous equilibrium betwixt price, characteristic set, artillery life, and a vibrant OLED display.

That said, nan Forerunner 265 / 265S is simply a spot of an overseas duck. It comes a specified 9 months aft its predecessor, nan Forerunner 255, and is, successful galore ways, beautiful overmuch nan aforesaid watch. The main quality is nan 265 has an OLED show compared to nan 255’s memory-in-pixel screen. Usually, that intends worse artillery life, but successful this case, we sewage astir a week connected a azygous complaint pinch nan always-on show enabled. Without it, you tin get up to 15 days. Given that OLED is easier to publication and just, well, looks nicer, that gives nan 265 lineup an separator complete nan 255.

The 265 besides has dual-frequency GPS (also known arsenic multi-band). The gist is you get overmuch much meticulous maps successful challenging environments for illustration cities and dense forests because you tin entree some nan L1 and L5 outer frequencies. And moreover pinch dual-frequency GPS enabled, you still don’t suffer a full batch of artillery life. I wore it during a half marathon pinch that and nan AOD enabled, and I still had complete 80 percent artillery by nan clip I sewage home. This is besides an fantabulous price, arsenic nan mostly of multi-band GPS watches costs good complete $600.

My main title is that $450 (outside of a deal, astatine least), while not bad for Garmin, is still a batch erstwhile you see that’s nan aforesaid value arsenic smarter smartwatches pinch awesome moving features. Some runners won’t care. But if you’re connected a fund — aliases you’re caller to moving and consciousness iffy astir spending that overmuch — past see nan Forerunner 165 series. It starts astatine $249.99 (add different $50 for onboard music) and does almost everything nan 265 bid does. The main things you’re missing are dual-frequency GPS and a fewer much niche athletics profiles. But if you’re mostly sticking to running, gym equipment, cycling, swimming, and hiking, you’re covered.

Neither has each of Garmin’s training features, but it’s sewage what you’ll request to tally thing from a 5K to a afloat marathon. That includes a Race Predictor, which gives you an estimate of what your champion clip would beryllium based connected your existent training. You tin besides usage PacePro to fig retired your pacing strategy for a race. You besides get Garmin’s Training Readiness characteristic to thief gauge load and recovery, Garmin Coach plans, and a big of moving shape metrics. It besides supports offline euphony and information features for illustration autumn detection. The only point they deficiency is precocious mapping. (They still person trackback, point-to-point navigation, and real-time breadcrumb way support, however.)

On nan different hand, if your fund allows, you could besides see nan Forerunner 570 and Forerunner 970, which were released successful June and costs $549.99 and $749.99 respectively. Both models person a built-in speaker and microphone, OLED screen, tegument somesthesia sensors, flashlight, and built-in EKG scholar pinch atrial fibrillation detection. They besides springiness you a regular evening study pinch suggestions connected really overmuch slumber you should get, positive a digest of your upcoming events, workouts, and nan weather. You besides get entree to Garmin Coach, a free multipart workout program, which allows you to upload your people and person notifications erstwhile you’ve deed definite region benchmarks.

While some smartwatches person a batch successful common, they do person immoderate cardinal differences, nan main being that nan 970 has maps. The Forerunner 570 comes successful 42mm and 47mm sizes, and Garmin says its artillery lasts up to 10 aliases 11 days based connected which exemplary you prime (with nan always-on show off.) The Forerunner 970 only comes successful a 47mm size, and Garmin says it tin past up to 15 days per charge. The Forerunner 970 besides includes 3 exclusive metrics: moving tolerance, moving economy, and velocity measurement loss.

These 3 devices will springiness you a play maximum mileage proposal (with nan action to set it up aliases down), and measure moving efficiency. The moving system and measurement velocity nonaccomplishment features require Garmin’s $169.99 HRM 600 bosom complaint monitor.

The Forerunner 570 is simply a definite measurement up from nan Forerunner 265, but not a large capable leap to urge it to everyone alternatively of that model, particularly because it doesn’t connection offline maps. The Forerunner 970 whitethorn beryllium overkill for each but nan astir avid runners, but it’s bully to spot Garmin continually adding caller features to nan apical of its line.

Read my afloat Garmin Forerunner 265S review.

The champion Garmin for endurance sports

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

The Epix Pro will get you astir fittingness features that Garmin has to offer. You person topographical maps, turn-by-turn navigation, and much training metrics than moreover a seasoned triathlete would cognize what to do with.

The Pro is much size-inclusive than nan standard second-gen Epix, which only comes successful 47mm. You tin get nan Pro successful that size, too, but it besides comes successful 42mm and 51mm. This was a awesome title I had pinch nan second-gen Epix, and you emotion to spot companies really return this benignant of point seriously. The champion portion is that nan Pro models commencement astatine nan aforesaid value arsenic nan regular Epix did. You’ll person to salary $100 other for materials for illustration titanium and sapphire crystal, but that’s besides existent of nan modular Epix.

That said, it muddies nan waters if you’re trying to prime betwixt nan Epix Pro, Fenix 7, Fenix 7 Pro, and now, nan Fenix 8. The main quality is nan Epix watches each person OLED displays. One logic I for illustration OLED is that they’re overmuch easier to publication indoors — where most of america walk nan mostly of our time. The Fenix 7 series’ memory-in-pixel displays (plus star charging if you opt for it) let for weeks and weeks of charge, but nan smallest Epix Pro tin get astir 10 days pinch normal usage. The 47mm and 51mm Pro models tin spell longer betwixt charges owed to bigger batteries, but I felt that nan 42mm has capable juice to fulfill astir usage cases. Garmin besides has truthful galore battery-saving modes and options that I highly uncertainty this will ever beryllium an issue.

Not helping matters is nan truth that nan Fenix 8 lets you take betwixt an OLED aliases a MIP display. You besides get smart features for illustration an onboard sound assistant, nan expertise to return calls from nan wrist, and nan Garmin Messenger app. The main problem is nan starting value is now $350 much (barring immoderate deals) than nan modular Fenix 7 and correct astir connected par pinch nan Epix Pro. My individual emotion is nan Fenix 8’s smart features are conscionable okay and that you’re really not missing overmuch by not having them. We besides often spot discounts connected older models, truthful I would put connected my bargain-hunting chapeau for a discounted Epix Pro aliases Fenix 7 Pro while inventory is still available.

But really, nan winning characteristic of nan Epix Pro is nan hands-free flashlight. It’s truthful useful successful my day-to-day life, and each you person to do is double-press a button. It’s arsenic agleam arsenic your smartphone, comes pinch a reddish ray action if you want thing easier connected nan eyes, and tin enactment arsenic a strobe successful an emergency situation. The Fenix 7 Pro and 8 watches besides person a flashlight, truthful a batch of this is going to travel down to individual penchant for nan display, price, and whether you attraction astir smart features.

If you’re group connected nan astir artillery life possible, I urge nan Fenix 7 Pro complete nan modular 7 for a fewer reasons. Its MIP show is somewhat brighter, each sizes person nan flashlight, and, for illustration nan Epix Pro, it has an updated sensor array. I besides urge it complete nan MIP versions of nan Fenix 8 because it comes successful much sizes, and costs astir $300 less. Especially since nan Fenix 8’s smart features are a spot half-baked.

Read my afloat Epix Pro review.

The champion Garmin connected a budget

Sizes: 40mm w/ 20mm straps / Weight: 19g / Battery life: Up to 5 days / Display type: “Hidden” OLED touchscreen / GPS: Tethered GPS / Connectivity: Bluetooth, Ant Plus / Water resistance: 5ATM / Music storage: N/A

What I emotion astir about nan Vivomove Sport is that it doesn’t look for illustration what astir group expect from a Garmin. It’s a hybrid smartwatch, which intends it looks for illustration a regular watch but tin way fittingness and present notifications. Garmin’s hybrids are besides unsocial successful that they each usage an OLED show that stays hidden until you request it.

This is champion suited for a casually progressive personification who wants style and worth successful a lightweight package. Think wellness, much truthful than fitness. It gets you continuous bosom complaint monitoring and humor oxygen level monitoring, and tin moreover supply abnormal bosom complaint alerts. You besides get entree to much in-depth metrics for illustration respiration rate, fittingness age, stress, and Body Battery, which is Garmin’s instrumentality for visualizing really well-rested you are. For smart features, you get each nan basics, for illustration notifications, alarms, and timers.

The Sport isn’t rather arsenic full-featured arsenic immoderate different Garmin watches you’ll find connected this list. For instance, you’re giving up built-in GPS successful favour of tethered GPS done your phone. There are nary contactless payments, nor is location a microphone aliases speaker for taking calls connected nan wrist. But this is a fund pick, and you get a lot, considering this is an entry-level gadget that could walk for a Swatch astatine a glance.

I don’t emotion that nan artillery life is short for a hybrid, astatine astir 3 to 4 days. Even so, that’s still overmuch amended than what you’ll get connected an Apple Watch aliases Wear OS 4 watch. If you’re consenting to walk about $100 more, nan $269.99 Vivomove Trend has much chic materials, gets you much surface existent estate, and wireless Qi charging. Otherwise, this is simply a awesome manner wearable that tin service arsenic a classier replacement to your emblematic fittingness band.

If you for illustration thing newer to nan Sport that’s besides stylish, nan Garmin Lily 2 is different bully option, particularly if you’ve sewage peculiarly mini wrists aliases for illustration thing highly lightweight. The swipe and pat gestures are still a small fiddly to usage — which was besides nan lawsuit pinch nan first-gen exemplary — but nan caller creation is a nosy measurement to lightly show your fitness without bogging yourself down pinch notifications. Garmin besides offers nan Lily 2 Active, which adds a beingness button, GPS, and support for much sports search for a starting value of $299.99.

Read my afloat Garmin Vivomove Sport review.

The champion Garmin to switch a Fitbit

Sizes: 40mm w/ 20mm straps / Weight: 38g / Battery life: Up to 11 days / Display type: OLED touchscreen / GPS: All-systems GNSS / Connectivity: Bluetooth, Ant Plus / Water resistance: 5ATM / Music storage: 4GB (for Music Edition)

If you were disappointed by nan Fitbit Sense 2 and Versa 4, nan Venu Sq 2 is nan adjacent champion point (and, successful immoderate ways, better).

At a glance, nan Venu Sq 2 could easy beryllium mistaken for an Apple Watch. On nan wrist, you’ll announcement it’s made of plastic, but it still looks rather chic and highly lightweight. The surface is bright, easy to read, and looks amended than immoderate Versa aliases Sense ever did.

The characteristic group is besides awesome for nan price, pinch built-in GPS, a ton of watch faces, emergency information features, and contactless payments. If you salary $50 much for nan Music Edition, you’ll besides get astir 500 songs worthy of storage, but we wouldn’t urge it. This doesn’t person cellular connectivity and, therefore, isn’t genuinely standalone. You’ll astir apt beryllium carrying your telephone pinch you anyway.

As for wellness features, nan Venu Sq 2 fundamentally has everything you’d get connected a Versa aliases Sense smartwatch but pinch Garmin’s wealth trove of metrics arsenic well. That includes bosom complaint tracking, humor oxygen tracking, strength minutes (how overmuch mean workout you get successful a week), accent tracking, hydration tracking, respiratory rate, play tracking, and Garmin’s betterment feature, Body Battery. As acold arsenic fittingness goes, you besides get entree to Garmin Coach, which provides free 5K, 10K, and half marathon training plans. You emotion to spot it.

Another large leg-up Garmin has complete Fitbit? None of these features aliases metrics are locked down a paywall, moreover if Garmin’s AI-powered insights and a fewer different expanded features will only beryllium disposable arsenic portion of Garmin Connect Plus ($6.99 a period / $69.99 annually).

Read my afloat Garmin Venu Sq 2 review.

The champion Garmin smartwatch

Sizes: 41mm w/ 18mm straps; 45mm w/ 22mm straps / Weight: 40g for nan 3S; 47g for nan 3 / Battery life: Up to 10 days for 3S; 14 days for 3 / Display type: OLED touchscreen / GPS: GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO / Connectivity: Bluetooth, Ant Plus, Wi-Fi / Water resistance: 5ATM / Music storage: 8GB

Garmin has shored up nan smarts successful its watches complete nan past respective years, and nan Venu 3 bid is nan smartest (and astir affordable) of nan bunch.

The Venu 3 bid comes successful 2 sizes: 41mm and 45mm. Like nan Venu 2 Plus, it has a microphone and speaker. You tin return calls straight from nan wrist and rumor commands to your phone’s integer adjunct via Bluetooth. It’s not nan aforesaid arsenic having Siri, Bixby, Amazon Alexa, aliases Google Assistant built straight into nan watch, but it’s a clever workaround that useful good for hands-free control. It besides supports information features for illustration autumn discovery and unrecorded tracking, arsenic good arsenic contactless payments.

Like different OLED Garmins, nan show is some vibrant and easy to read. As for wellness and fitness, you get a bully operation of basal and much precocious features and metrics. It has Garmin’s latest bosom complaint sensor, which enables FDA-cleared EKG and AFib discovery features. Overall, it leans a spot much connected nan wellness and wellness broadside of things, pinch strength minutes, humor oxygen monitoring, slumber tracking, play tracking, abnormal bosom complaint alerts, and accent tracking. As for training, you still get built-in GPS, VO2 Max, bosom complaint zones, respiration rate, and downloadable training plans via Garmin Coach.

New to nan 3 and 3S is simply a slumber coach that factors successful metrics for illustration bosom complaint variability and caller activity to find your slumber needs. It besides yet adds nap detection, a characteristic that’s been agelong overdue for nan Garmin platform. The Venu 3 bid besides adds audio-guided meditation sessions, and you tin position really these sessions straight effect your metrics. From an accessibility standpoint, this besides adds a wheelchair mode.

Technically, nan Fenix 8 is somewhat smarter successful that it adds an on-board sound assistant. However, it is besides much than double nan value and not what I’d see a bully worth for nan mean athlete. It’s much for group who walk hours upon hours training each week.

This is nan Garmin for you if you want nan platform’s in-depth training without sacrificing nan productivity of a smartwatch. The main things it’s lacking are cellular options and a robust third-party app ecosystem. That said, it’s sewage Spotify, Amazon Music, and Deezer for offline listening. It’s besides a bully action if you’re fed up pinch MIP displays and want a smarter Garmin alternatively than a full-on smartwatch.

Read my afloat Garmin Venu 3S review.

Update, August 18th: Adjusted pricing / availability.