The best Garmin watches for training and everyday life

3 months ago 6

Several Garmin watches connected a colorful background

Garmin whitethorn beryllium champion known for its hardcore fittingness watches, but it’s got an extended enactment of manner offerings, too.

Few brands are arsenic synonymous with outdoor sports arsenic Garmin. You’ll find these fittingness trackers and smartwatches connected dozens of wrists astatine immoderate 5K, marathon, oregon 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 careless of your fittingness level, there’s a Garmin for everyone.

If you’re coming from a much accepted smartwatch, Garmin’s halfway strengths prevarication successful fitness, GPS, adventuring, and durability. These are hardy devices that are meant to withstand the elements and past weeks connected a azygous charge. Several models travel with offline maps, precocious navigational features, and much grooming metrics than immoderate different platform. And though galore wearable companies person begun rolling retired subscriptions, Garmin has publically stated it has nary volition of charging its users extra. That’s a bully happening since Garmin devices thin to beryllium connected the pricier side.

Garmins aren’t excessively shabby connected smarts, either. While much fitness-focused than thing from Apple, Google, oregon Samsung, there’s capable to get you the basics similar notifications and past some. For example, astir Garmins person autumn detection and information features, and several of the latest Garmins precocious got an FDA-cleared EKG feature. (You’ll request a telephone connected hand, however, arsenic lone 1 Garmin exemplary has cellular connectivity.) Many Garmin devices besides enactment offline euphony playback and travel with a tiny third-party app ecosystem.

There are a lot of Garmin watches to take from. No, seriously, determination are six large lineups, and each has a multitude of models. But nary worries — I trial respective Garmins each twelvemonth and tin assistance constituent you successful the close 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 the Forerunner 265 oregon 265S (if you person petite wrists) strikes an fantabulous equilibrium betwixt price, diagnostic set, artillery life, and a vibrant OLED display.

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

Close-up of the Garmin Forerunner 265S connected the wrist of a idiosyncratic putting their manus into a overgarment pocket.

The 265 besides has dual-frequency GPS (also known arsenic multi-band). The gist is you get overmuch much close maps successful challenging environments similar cities and dense forests due to the fact that you tin entree some the L1 and L5 outer frequencies. And adjacent with dual-frequency GPS enabled, you inactive don’t suffer a full batch of artillery life. I wore it during a fractional marathon with that and the AOD enabled, and I inactive had implicit 80 percent artillery by the clip I got home. This is besides an fantabulous price, arsenic the bulk of multi-band GPS watches outgo good implicit $600.

My main ailment is $450, portion not atrocious for Garmin, is inactive a batch erstwhile you see that’s the aforesaid terms arsenic smarter smartwatches with large moving features. Some runners won’t care. But if you’re connected a fund — oregon you’re caller to moving and consciousness iffy astir spending that overmuch — past see the Forerunner 165 series. It starts astatine $250 (add different $50 for onboard music) and does astir everything the 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 grooming features, but it’s got what you’ll request to tally thing from a 5K to a afloat marathon. That includes a Race Predictor, which gives you an estimation 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 diagnostic to assistance gauge load and recovery, Garmin Coach plans, and a big of moving signifier metrics. It besides supports offline euphony and information features similar autumn detection. The lone happening they deficiency is precocious mapping. (They inactive person trackback, point-to-point navigation, and real-time breadcrumb way support, however.)

Read my afloat reappraisal of the Garmin Forerunner 265S.

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 with AOD); 47mm: up to 16 days (6 with AOD); 51mm: up to 31 days (11 with 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 volition get you each fittingness diagnostic that Garmin has to offer. And I mean everything. It would frankly beryllium easier to archer you what the Epix Pro does not have: things that are constricted to LTE smartwatches, similar the quality to marque calls. (This utilized to see EKGs, but Garmin has since pushed a firmware update that brings this diagnostic to its latest watches.) Otherwise, you’ve got topographical maps, turn-by-turn navigation, and much grooming metrics than adjacent a seasoned triathlete would cognize what to bash with.

The Pro is much size-inclusive than the standard second-gen Epix, which lone comes successful 47mm. You tin get the Pro successful that size, too, but it besides comes successful 42mm and 51mm. This was a large ailment I had with the second-gen Epix past year, and you emotion to spot companies really instrumentality this benignant of happening seriously. The champion portion is the Pro models commencement astatine the aforesaid terms arsenic the regular Epix did. You’ll person to wage $100 other for materials similar titanium and sapphire crystal, but that’s besides existent of the modular Epix.

Garmin Epix Pro with the flashlight against a colorful background

That said, it muddies the waters if you’re trying to prime betwixt the Epix Pro, Fenix 7, oregon the Fenix 7 Pro. The main quality is the Epix watches person OLED displays. One crushed I similar OLED is that they’re overmuch easier to work indoors — where most of america walk the bulk 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 the smallest Epix Pro tin get astir 10 days with mean usage. The 47mm and 51mm Pro models tin spell longer betwixt charges owed to bigger batteries, but I felt that the 42mm has capable foodstuff to fulfill astir usage cases. Garmin besides has truthful galore battery-saving modes and options that I highly uncertainty this volition ever beryllium an issue.

But truly the winning diagnostic is the hands-free flashlight. It’s truthful utile successful my day-to-day life, and each you person to bash is double-press a button. It’s arsenic agleam arsenic your smartphone, comes with a reddish airy enactment if you privation thing easier connected the eyes, and tin enactment arsenic a strobe successful an exigency situation. The Fenix 7 Pro watches besides person a flashlight, but the combo with the OLED show gives the Epix the borderline — and it’s wherefore I presently urge it implicit the Fenix lineup.

But if you’re acceptable connected the Fenix’s other artillery life, I urge the 7 Pro implicit the modular 7 for a fewer reasons. Its MIP show is somewhat brighter, each sizes person the flashlight, and, similar the Epix Pro, it has an updated sensor array. These are spendy watches, however. If you’ve got immoderate clip and savings are your apical priority, past I urge keeping an oculus retired for sales. We’re heading into highest smartwatch motorboat play — which means older models similar the modular Fenix 7 enactment volition beryllium discounted arsenic retailers effort to trim inventory.

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 astir the Vivomove Sport is it doesn’t look similar what astir radical expect from a Garmin. It’s a hybrid smartwatch, which means it looks similar a regular ticker 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 idiosyncratic who wants benignant 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 adjacent supply abnormal bosom complaint alerts. You besides get entree to much in-depth metrics similar respiration rate, fittingness age, stress, and Body Battery, which is Garmin’s instrumentality for visualizing however well-rested you are. For astute features, you get each the basics, similar notifications, alarms, and timers.

Garmin Vivomove Sport connected apical of a bluish brace of sneakers

The Sport isn’t rather arsenic full-featured arsenic immoderate different Garmins 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 determination a microphone oregon talker for taking calls connected the 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 the artillery beingness is abbreviated for a hybrid, astatine astir 3 to 4 days. Even so, that’s inactive overmuch amended than what you’ll get connected an Apple Watch oregon Wear OS 3 watch. If you’re consenting to walk astir $100 more, the $269.99 Vivomove Trend has much chic materials, gets you much surface existent estate, and wireless Qi charging. Otherwise, this is simply a large manner wearable that tin service arsenic a classier alternate to your emblematic fittingness band.

Read my afloat reappraisal of the Garmin Vivomove Sport.

The champion Garmin to regenerate 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 the Fitbit Sense 2 and Versa 4, the Venu Sq 2 is the adjacent champion happening (and, successful immoderate ways, better).

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

The diagnostic acceptable is besides large for the price, with built-in GPS, a ton of ticker faces, exigency information features, and contactless payments. If you wage $50 much for the 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 with you anyway.

Garmin Venu Sq 2 showing agleam timepiece look connected woman’s wrist

As for wellness features, the Venu Sq 2 fundamentally has everything you’d get connected a Versa oregon Sense smartwatch but with Garmin’s treasure 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 escaped 5K, 10K, and fractional marathon grooming plans. You emotion to spot it.

Another large leg-up Garmin has implicit Fitbit? None of these features oregon metrics are locked down a paywall.

Read my afloat reappraisal of the Garmin Venu Sq 2.

The champion Garmin smartwatch

Sizes: 41mm w/ 18mm straps; 45mm w/ 22mm straps / Weight: 40g for the 3S; 47g for the 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 the smarts successful its watches implicit the past fewer years, and the Venu 3 bid is the smartest of the bunch.

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

Person wearing the Garmin Venu 3S portion putting their manus successful a jeans pocket.

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

New to the 3 and 3S is simply a slumber manager that factors successful metrics similar bosom complaint variability and caller enactment to find your slumber needs. It besides yet adds nap detection, a diagnostic that’s been agelong overdue for the Garmin platform. The Venu 3 bid besides adds audio-guided meditation sessions, and you tin presumption however these sessions straight interaction your metrics. From an accessibility standpoint, this besides adds a caller wheelchair mode.

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