Garmin smartwatches are some of the best in the business. With GPS sports models, versatile fitness trackers, and stylish fashion pieces, the Garmin line is as diverse as it is dependable. Indeed, with such a varied catalog, there’s a Garmin watch for everyone.
What is Garmin Connect and how do you use it?
See the health and fitness data from your Garmin devices in all its glory using the Garmin Connect app.
The only problem with this wide-reaching portfolio is that it can be tricky to narrow down which Garmin is best for your needs and budget. That’s why our team decided to combine our expert knowledge and create this list of the top Garmin watches. Smart tech is our specialty here at Pocket-lint, and we’ve researched and reviewed just about every Garmin model on the market. Narrowing down the options wasn’t easy, but we’re confident that you’ll find the perfect pick below.
Best Garmin watches in 2024: Our experts’ favorites
Garmin Forerunner 965
1. Best Garmin watch overall
Smart and stylish
$559 $600 Save $41
The Garmin Forerunner 965 takes the excellent smarts from the Forerunner 955 and gives it a superb AMOLED screen and a more refined look, all while delivering a solid battery life.
- New more vibrant AMOLED display
- Titanium bezel adds style
- Battery life is impressive
- Very similar to the Forerunner 955
- Expensive
The big change in the Forerunner 965 over previous models is the move to an AMOLED display. This makes this top running watch much more vibrant and engaging than older Forerunner devices. You have to pay a premium for it, but it’s a better device as a result — and battery life hasn’t been sacrificed.
Garmin Forerunner 965: Raising the game
Garmin brings an AMOLED display to its excellent Forerunner line, so it looks better than ever — but how does it perform?
At its core, however, this is still a fully-functioning Garmin watch, offering more tracking than you can think of, making it the ideal partner for anyone training for just about anything. It’s a great companion for running, dynamic workouts, and any other type of fitness training, while also offering smart features like music controls, payments and notifications. It’s the complete package, but as the flagship in Garmin’s portfolio, it’s also quite expensive.
Garmin Venu 3 / Venu 3S
2. Best Garmin display
Classic look and performance
The Garmin Venu 3 is packed with features for fitness fans and regular users. It can go two weeks between charges and offers music and payments, so there’s really not much it can’t do.
- Great fitness, health and recovery analysis
- Long battery life
- Simple design lacks character
- No wireless charging
The Garmin Venu 3 features an AMOLED display, so it is more like a smartwatch and less like a sports watch, with richer graphics and a more vibrant visual display. Whether you choose the Venu 3 or Venu 3S, you’ll receive a beautiful AMOLED touchscreen, with a comprehensive array of fitness tracking and health features at your fingertips.
Garmin Venu: On your marks, get set, rest
The Venu 3 is a top-notch smartwatch that takes a more holistic approach to fitness tracking, with a big focus on recovery too.
There’s also support for Garmin Pay and downloadable music from Spotify, Deezer, or Amazon Music. You also get access to the delights of Garmin Connect. Simply put, if you need a sporty smartwatch, this line of devices is hard to beat. Now that the Forerunner 965 also offers an AMOLED display, this watch is less unique — but it’s more affordable and comes with a similar set of features.
Garmin Fenix 7X Solar
3. Best Garmin for hikers
The power of the sun on the wrist of your arm
With the Fenix 7X Solar, you can hike into the wilderness without worrying about a charger or a cell signal, as long as you have the premium funds to afford it.
- Extremely durable
- The Solar panel can passively charge to extend the battery life
- Easy to use and customize
- Rugged yet stylish design
- Extremely premium price
- Less bulky than its predecesser, but far from slim
When we set out for outdoor adventures, we usually don’t run extension cords along the trail to keep our devices charged. The Fenix 7X Solar’s battery life is one of the best on the market, even compared to its fellow Fenix 7 models, the Fenix 7 and Fenix 7 Pro. In our experience, a full charge will provide well over two weeks of uptime, and the small solar panel can extend that by up to another week. It all depends on how you use it and how much sunlight it receives, but it undeniably offers impressive battery life in any case.
The long-lasting battery isn’t the only reason we recommend the Fenix 7X Solar. This premium pick comes at a high price, but you get what you pay for. It has all the latest fitness-tracking features, including sleep monitoring, comprehensive performance metrics, numerous sports apps, HIIT workout routines, and much more.
And should you take this pricey device far off the grid, you can rely on its compass and “multi-GNSS satellite systems” to find your way home. (This latter tech is basically a fancy way of saying advanced GPS.) Best of all, the Fenix 7X Solar is noticeably slimmer compared to the Fenix line’s previous iterations, so you can keep wearing it when you return to civilization without attracting strange looks.
Garmin Forerunner 55
4. Best budget Garmin
Garmin’s comprehensive suite for less
$184 $200 Save $16
A superb entry-level watch for runners, with a lot of intuitive features in a neat, compact design.
- Loads of running features
- Swimming features with waterproofing
- Connect IQ support
- Basically the same as the 45
- No mapping features
The Forerunner 55 may be an entry-level model, but it provides an extremely rich experience for beginners. For those who are just getting started with tracking their runs, there really is nothing better. It’s definitely more limited outside of run tracking than the more premium models in the family, which are able to expand to advanced tracking for other sports and activities, but features like suggested workouts, Garmin’s own PacePro feature, cadence alerts, recovery advice and the adaptive training plans available through Garmin Coach will help guide you towards that new personal best.
Garmin Forerunner 55: Bringing much more than the basics
The 55 nails the basics, then adds additional worthwhile features that lacked in the earlier 45 model. It’s an ideal starter runners’ watch.
It also features a battery life that can last for 20 hours when tracking via GPS, and around two weeks in normal use. The Forerunner 55 also benefits from being much cheaper, so if you only want your Garmin for training — and not to wear it all the time — it might be a solid choice.
Garmin Epix (Gen 2)
5. Best outdoor Garmin
A watch built for training outdoors
$540 $800 Save $260
A superb pick for those who crave outdoorsy style and a premium smartwatch feel.
- Ultra premium design
- Bright and vibrant display
Garmin took a long time to drop the second-gen version of the Epix, but it was worth the wait. Near the top of Garmin’s watch lineup, the Epix blends the best elements of the Venu and Fenix lines into one premium smartwatch package. The AMOLED display is beautiful to use and view — especially in direct comparison with the Fenix 7 — and battery life doesn’t suffer too greatly as a result.
Garmin Epix 2: Adventure goes premium
Our comprehensive review of Garmin’s luxury outdoor watch, the Epix 2. We test out the design, performance and battery to see how it stacks up.
It’s nowhere near the levels of some of Garmin’s premium outdoor watches, but you’ll still get a full week of charge even with the always-on mode enabled. As you’re also able to achieve the outdoorsy look and access all the same tracking modes as you would with Garmin’s multisport watches, this becomes an intriguing pick.
The only downside, really, is that without sales it’s not really priced as an accessible option. This is fair enough, of course, because it’s arguably the best that Garmin has to offer, but it’s difficult to rank it any higher than this spot because of that lofty asking price. So, while most are better off with a Venu or Fenix watch, this is for those who don’t want to compromise. And it doesn’t disappoint.
Garmin Forerunner 255
6. Best Garmin for runners
A wearable that won’t slow you down
One of the attractive things about the Forerunner 255 is the option for a Music model to take tunes on the run.
- Light and comfortable
- Blends features and affordability
- Bright and responsive screen
- Music version costs extra
- Music streaming drains battery quickly
The Garmin Forerunner 255 is technically Garmin’s mid-range runner’s watch. It’s often the choice for those who want more than the Forerunner 55, but don’t want to pay for the Forerunner 955. Fortunately, it offers pretty much all the tracking that the top of the range does, only missing out on things like golf features, real-time stamina reporting and live segment tracking.
Garmin Forerunner 255: A multi-sport marvel
Garmin’s mid-range option in its popular Forerunner lineup promises small but meaningful updates. Is it a top sports watch to consider?
Many also choose the Forerunner 255 because there’s a Music version, so you can connect via Bluetooth and take tunes on the run. There’s no touchscreen here like the 955, but you do get Garmin Pay, so you can buy that coffee on the way back from your workout.
The bottom line: What is the best Garmin watch?
Within the many families of Garmin devices are multiple generations, different case sizes and standard or premium versions. This makes the task of ranking the top Garmin watches even more difficult, since older models of premium lines (like the Fenix or Forerunner) are often still exceptional picks.
Garmin Forerunner 965
Editor’s Choice
$559 $600 Save $41
In fact, for those who have a rough idea of what Garmin device they’re suited to, it’s sometimes worth considering the last-gen model. These often age very well, since Garmin supports discontinued devices with software updates, and can come with a handy price discount.
To help keep things simple and relevant for you here, though, our ratings largely reflect the current generation of Garmin products.
FAQ
Q: Which type of Garmin watch is best for me?
Before you can really know which Garmin device is right for you, it’s important to understand who each range is aimed at.
- Fenix — Premium multisport watches for those who want the best of everything
- Venu — Garmin’s smartwatch line, providing an alternative to the Apple Watch and others
- Forerunner — Top-tier GPS sports watches with a focus on catering for runners
- Vivoactive — Everyday fitness watches that are best for gaining basic insights into all kinds of activity
- Vivomove — Hybrid watches that can track activity discreetly
- Instinct — Rugged GPS watch designed for the outdoors
Naturally, Garmin has plenty more devices for specific sports — such as its Approach golf wearables, the Swim and Descent series’ or the Vivo fitness bands — but the above are the most common models we would recommend. If you are looking for something specific, the chances are strong that Garmin has a tracker for the job. Marq, Epix and Enduro also bolster the premium end of the market.
Q: What Garmin features do you need?
Garmin has a wide range of features, fully supported and accessed through the Garmin Connect app that runs on your smartphone. Fitness tracking is a given on all Garmin models, including steps, calories, GPS route tracking, heart rates, heart rate zones, coaching and sleep tracking for recovery. Some models offer color mapping, some will offer a touchscreen and some offer button controls only.
As you step up through the models, you’ll find more advanced features. While all offer smartphone notifications, you’ll get Garmin Pay on many models, support for music on top devices — although on some mid-range devices, you’ll have to choose a ‘music’ edition of the watch. Beyond that, high-end models offer a wider range of dynamics for athletes — especially runners — so you can get more out of your workouts and recovery.
There’s also a wide ecosystem of devices supporting Garmin, including additional sensors such as a heart rate strap for greater accuracy, along with bike sensors for those in the saddle. While many watches will support these sensors and integrate the data into Garmin Connect, it’s again worth checking that your watch of choice will do everything you need it to.
Trending Products
