Garmin smartwatches are among the greatest within the enterprise. With GPS sports activities fashions, versatile health trackers, and trendy vogue items, the Garmin line is as various as it’s reliable. Certainly, with such a various catalog, there is a Garmin watch for everybody.
What is Garmin Connect and how do you use it?
See the well being and health knowledge out of your Garmin units in all its glory utilizing the Garmin Join app.
The one drawback with this wide-reaching portfolio is that it may be tough to slender down which Garmin is greatest on your wants and funds. That is why our staff determined to mix our skilled information and create this checklist of the highest Garmin watches. Good tech is our specialty right here at Pocket-lint, and we have researched and reviewed nearly each Garmin mannequin in the marketplace. Narrowing down the choices wasn’t straightforward, however we’re assured that you will discover the proper decide beneath.
Greatest Garmin watches in 2024: Our consultants’ favorites
Garmin Forerunner 965
1. Greatest Garmin watch total
Good and trendy
$559 $600 Save $41
The Garmin Forerunner 965 takes the superb smarts from the Forerunner 955 and offers it an outstanding AMOLED display screen and a extra refined look, all whereas delivering a stable battery life.
- New extra vibrant AMOLED show
- Titanium bezel provides type
- Battery life is spectacular
- Similar to the Forerunner 955
- Costly
The massive change within the Forerunner 965 over earlier fashions is the transfer to an AMOLED show. This makes this prime operating watch far more vibrant and fascinating than older Forerunner units. It’s important to pay a premium for it, nevertheless it’s a greater gadget in consequence — and battery life hasn’t been sacrificed.
Garmin Forerunner 965: Raising the game
Garmin brings an AMOLED show to its glorious Forerunner line, so it seems higher than ever — however how does it carry out?
At its core, nevertheless, that is nonetheless a fully-functioning Garmin watch, providing extra monitoring than you may consider, making it the perfect companion for anybody coaching for absolutely anything. It is an awesome companion for operating, dynamic exercises, and another sort of health coaching, whereas additionally providing sensible options like music controls, funds and notifications. It is the entire package deal, however because the flagship in Garmin’s portfolio, it is also fairly costly.
Garmin Venu 3 / Venu 3S
2. Greatest Garmin show
Basic look and efficiency
The Garmin Venu 3 is filled with options for health followers and common customers. It may go two weeks between fees and provides music and funds, so there’s actually not a lot it may’t do.
- Nice health, well being and restoration evaluation
- Lengthy battery life
- Easy design lacks character
- No wi-fi charging
The Garmin Venu 3 options an AMOLED show, so it’s extra like a smartwatch and fewer like a sports activities watch, with richer graphics and a extra vibrant visible show. Whether or not you select the Venu 3 or Venu 3S, you may obtain a gorgeous AMOLED touchscreen, with a complete array of health monitoring and well being options at your fingertips.
Garmin Venu: On your marks, get set, rest
The Venu 3 is a top-notch smartwatch that takes a extra holistic method to health monitoring, with a giant give attention to restoration too.
There’s additionally assist for Garmin Pay and downloadable music from Spotify, Deezer, or Amazon Music. You additionally get entry to the delights of Garmin Connect. Merely put, when you want a sporty smartwatch, this line of units is tough to beat. Now that the Forerunner 965 additionally provides an AMOLED show, this watch is much less distinctive — nevertheless it’s extra inexpensive and comes with an analogous set of options.
Garmin Fenix 7X Photo voltaic
3. Greatest Garmin for hikers
The ability of the solar on the wrist of your arm
With the Fenix 7X Photo voltaic, you may hike into the wilderness with out worrying a couple of charger or a cell sign, so long as you’ve got the premium funds to afford it.
- Extraordinarily sturdy
- The Photo voltaic panel can passively cost to increase the battery life
- Simple to make use of and customise
- Rugged but trendy design
- Extraordinarily premium worth
- Much less cumbersome than its predecesser, however removed from slim
After we set out for outside adventures, we often do not run extension cords alongside the path to maintain our units charged. The Fenix 7X Photo voltaic’s battery life is among the greatest in the marketplace, even in comparison with its fellow Fenix 7 fashions, the Fenix 7 and Fenix 7 Pro. In our expertise, a full cost will present properly over two weeks of uptime, and the small photo voltaic panel can prolong that by as much as one other week. All of it relies on how you utilize it and the way a lot daylight it receives, nevertheless it undeniably provides spectacular battery life in any case.
The long-lasting battery is not the one cause we advocate the Fenix 7X Photo voltaic. This premium decide comes at a excessive worth, however you get what you pay for. It has all the most recent fitness-tracking options, together with sleep monitoring, complete efficiency metrics, quite a few sports activities apps, HIIT exercise routines, and far more.
And do you have to take this dear gadget far off the grid, you may depend on its compass and “multi-GNSS satellite tv for pc techniques” to search out your manner dwelling. (This latter tech is principally a elaborate manner of claiming superior GPS.) Better of all, the Fenix 7X Photo voltaic is noticeably slimmer in comparison with the Fenix line’s earlier iterations, so you may maintain sporting it while you return to civilization with out attracting unusual seems.
Garmin Forerunner 55
4. Greatest funds Garmin
Garmin’s complete suite for much less
$184 $200 Save $16
An outstanding entry-level look ahead to runners, with plenty of intuitive options in a neat, compact design.
- A great deal of operating options
- Swimming options with waterproofing
- Join IQ assist
- Mainly the identical because the 45
- No mapping options
The Forerunner 55 could also be an entry-level mannequin, nevertheless it supplies a particularly wealthy expertise for newcomers. For individuals who are simply getting began with monitoring their runs, there actually is nothing higher. It is positively extra restricted exterior of run monitoring than the extra premium fashions within the household, that are in a position to broaden to superior monitoring for different sports activities and actions, however options like recommended exercises, Garmin’s personal PacePro function, cadence alerts, restoration recommendation and the adaptive coaching plans accessible by way of Garmin Coach will assist information you in direction of that new private greatest.
Garmin Forerunner 55: Bringing much more than the basics
The 55 nails the fundamentals, then provides extra worthwhile options that lacked within the earlier 45 mannequin. It is a really perfect starter runners’ watch.
It additionally encompasses a battery life that may final for 20 hours when monitoring by way of GPS, and round two weeks in regular use. The Forerunner 55 additionally advantages from being less expensive, so when you solely need your Garmin for coaching — and to not put on it on a regular basis — it may be a stable selection.
Garmin Epix (Gen 2)
5. Greatest outside Garmin
A watch constructed for coaching outdoor
$540 $800 Save $260
An outstanding decide for individuals who crave outdoorsy type and a premium smartwatch really feel.
- Extremely premium design
- Vivid and vibrant show
Garmin took a very long time to drop the second-gen version of the Epix, nevertheless it was well worth the wait. Close to the highest of Garmin’s watch lineup, the Epix blends the perfect parts of the Venu and Fenix traces into one premium smartwatch package deal. The AMOLED show is gorgeous to make use of and look at — particularly in direct comparability with the Fenix 7 — and battery life would not endure too tremendously in consequence.
Garmin Epix 2: Adventure goes premium
Our complete evaluation of Garmin’s luxurious outside watch, the Epix 2. We check out the design, efficiency and battery to see the way it stacks up.
It is nowhere close to the degrees of a few of Garmin’s premium outdoor watches, however you may nonetheless get a full week of cost even with the always-on mode enabled. As you are additionally in a position to obtain the outdoorsy look and entry all the identical monitoring modes as you’ll with Garmin’s multisport watches, this turns into an intriguing decide.
The one draw back, actually, is that with out gross sales it is not likely priced as an accessible possibility. That is truthful sufficient, after all, as a result of it is arguably the perfect that Garmin has to supply, nevertheless it’s troublesome to rank it any greater than this spot due to that lofty asking worth. So, whereas most are higher off with a Venu or Fenix watch, that is for individuals who do not wish to compromise. And it would not disappoint.
Garmin Forerunner 255
6. Greatest Garmin for runners
A wearable that will not gradual you down
One of many engaging issues in regards to the Forerunner 255 is the choice for a Music mannequin to take tunes on the run.
- Gentle and comfy
- Blends options and affordability
- Vivid and responsive display screen
- Music model prices further
- Music streaming drains battery rapidly
The Garmin Forerunner 255 is technically Garmin’s mid-range runner’s watch. It is typically the selection for individuals who need greater than the Forerunner 55, however do not wish to pay for the Forerunner 955. Thankfully, it provides just about all of the monitoring that the prime quality does, solely lacking out on issues like golf options, real-time stamina reporting and dwell phase monitoring.
Garmin Forerunner 255: A multi-sport marvel
Garmin’s mid-range possibility in its well-liked Forerunner lineup guarantees small however significant updates. Is it a prime sports activities watch to think about?
Many additionally select the Forerunner 255 as a result of there is a Music model, so you may join by way of Bluetooth and take tunes on the run. There is no touchscreen right here just like the 955, however you do get Garmin Pay, so you should buy that espresso on the best way again out of your exercise.
The underside line: What’s the greatest Garmin watch?
Throughout the many households of Garmin units are a number of generations, totally different case sizes and normal or premium variations. This makes the duty of rating the highest Garmin watches much more troublesome, since older fashions of premium traces (just like the Fenix or Forerunner) are sometimes nonetheless distinctive picks.
Garmin Forerunner 965
Editor’s Selection
$559 $600 Save $41
In truth, for individuals who have a tough thought of what Garmin gadget they’re suited to, it is typically price contemplating the last-gen mannequin. These typically age very properly, since Garmin helps discontinued units with software program updates, and might include a useful worth low cost.
To assist maintain issues easy and related for you right here, although, our rankings largely mirror the present era of Garmin merchandise.
FAQ
Q: Which kind of Garmin watch is greatest for me?
Earlier than you may actually know which Garmin gadget is best for you, it is necessary to grasp who every vary is geared toward.
- Fenix — Premium multisport watches for individuals who need the perfect of every part
- Venu — Garmin’s smartwatch line, offering a substitute for the Apple Watch and others
- Forerunner — High-tier GPS sports activities watches with a give attention to catering for runners
- Vivoactive — On a regular basis health watches which might be greatest for gaining primary insights into all types of exercise
- Vivomove — Hybrid watches that may observe exercise discreetly
- Intuition — Rugged GPS watch designed for the outside
Naturally, Garmin has lots extra units for particular sports activities — resembling its Method golf wearables, the Swim and Descent sequence’ or the Vivo health bands — however the above are the commonest fashions we might advocate. In case you are searching for one thing particular, the possibilities are robust that Garmin has a tracker for the job. Marq, Epix and Enduro additionally bolster the premium finish of the market.
Q: What Garmin options do you want?
Garmin has a variety of options, totally supported and accessed by way of the Garmin Join app that runs in your smartphone. Health monitoring is a given on all Garmin fashions, together with steps, energy, GPS route monitoring, coronary heart charges, coronary heart fee zones, teaching and sleep monitoring for restoration. Some fashions provide shade mapping, some will provide a touchscreen and a few provide button controls solely.
As you step up by way of the fashions, you may discover extra superior options. Whereas all provide smartphone notifications, you may get Garmin Pay on many fashions, assist for music on prime units — though on some mid-range units, you may have to decide on a ‘music’ version of the watch. Past that, high-end fashions provide a wider vary of dynamics for athletes — particularly runners — so you will get extra out of your exercises and restoration.
There’s additionally a large ecosystem of units supporting Garmin, together with extra sensors resembling a coronary heart fee strap for better accuracy, together with bike sensors for these within the saddle. Whereas many watches will assist these sensors and combine the information into Garmin Join, it is once more price checking that your watch of selection will do every part you want it to.
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