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I tested Garmin’s most popular watches — here are the best for runners, health tracking and more
Forerunner? Instinct? Venu? Which one is right for you?
The Garmin Vivoactive 6 hits just the right balance of features and price that makes it the easiest option to recommend, especially for someone trying out the brand for the first time.
It’s a generalist smartwatch: it has many of the brand’s best features without specializing too heavily in one activity (like the Forerunner series). It has in-depth metrics for health, sleep and fitness activity, with staple Garmin features like body battery, workout recovery times, Garmin pace pro and Garmin coach (with running and strength training plans).
I love its workout animations — the watch will play short videos of a silhouette performing certain exercises during HIIT, cardio, strength, yoga or move alert activity. Animated move alerts, in particular, make taking breaks at my desk a lot more fun.
The upgrade: Garmin Venu 4
The budget alternative: n/a
Anyone who loves to run should look at the Garmin Forerunner series — they’re made with runners in mind. The Forerunner 265, despite newer options, is still my go-to recommendation: it has more than enough tools for runners and racers without costing nearly as much as newer models like the Forerunner 570 and 970.
The most important features in my mind are training readiness, training status and HRV (heart rate variability) status, which work in tandem to help optimize your training and recovery. Training Readiness combines multiple metrics to give you a top-level score about how beneficial your training will be. In practice, it helps me decide whether today is a rest day, an easy day or a day to push myself.
It has advanced running metrics like power, cadence, stride length and ground contact time, as well as multi-band GPS for the most accurate, consistent distance and time stats possible. It also connects to GPS quickly, usually within five seconds.
The upgrade: Garmin Forerunner 965
The budget alternative: Garmin Forerunner 165
If you don’t even want to think about charging your Garmin, look for a solar-powered model like this Garmin Instinct 3 solar. It’s a rugged, outdoor-focused fitness watch with many of Garmin’s notable fitness and health features, but with potentially unlimited battery life. That’s because the Instinct 3 has a solar panel built into the screen — get enough sunlight and the watch largely charges itself.
Part of this long battery life stems from the screen: it’s a monochrome memory-in-pixel (MIP) display, common on outdoor watches, but not common on many smartwatches. It is easy to see in light conditions, but nearly impossible to see in the dark — press the “Light” button, and the screen will light up for a few seconds.
If an MIP screen sounds like a dealbreaker, you can also get the Instinct 3 AMOLED, which has a more typical bright, colorful smartwatch screen and still gets up to 24 days of battery life.
The Garmin Enduro 3 and Garmin Fenix 8 (Solar) both get even better battery life than the Instinct 3 (and have solar MIP displays with color), but both cost over twice as much.
The upgrade: Garmin Enduro 3
The budget alternative: n/a
Garmin’s premium, do-it-all watch is the Fenix 8. It has a bevy of features only found in the brand’s high-end watches: things like a dive rating (up to 40 meters), offline maps, navigation and music, a built-in speaker and microphone for calls and music, a built-in flashlight and the list goes on. It’s also likely the most durable — it has a titanium case and sapphire crystal screen, two of the most durable materials you can put in a watch.
Outside of premium hardware (and software), I’d recommend the Fenix 8 if you are interested in diving, hiking and trail running: features like dive modes, ascent planning and stellar battery life make it well-suited to these activities.
All of that comes at a price: literally. The 47 millimeters AMOLED version that I tested (and linked above) costs $1,099. It’s also surprisingly heavy at 73 grams, heavier than every other watch on this list.
The upgrade: Garmin Fenix 8 Pro (AMOLED)
The budget alternative: Garmin Fenix 7 Pro, Garmin Forerunner 970
Aside from the Vivoactive, most of the Garmin watches I’ve mentioned so far look very…fitness watch-y. Not sleek. Not subtle. The Lily series is Garmin’s answer to anyone who wants something small and unobtrusive, similar to a Fitbit, but with Garmin’s software features.
The Lily 2 Active has a patterned lens that looks like a fashion accessory more than a smartwatch. When you tap or raise your wrist, the display turns on. It’s a little more finicky to use than other Garmins (especially ones with lots of buttons like the Forerunner), but it’s exceedingly lightweight and doesn’t feel out of place at more formal events.
The upgrade: n/a
The budget alternative: Garmin Lily 2
If you love everything about your Apple Watch but are considering trying out Garmin, I recommend the Venu X1. It’s Garmin’s most Apple-like watch, with a huge, bright square screen and a very thin case size (eight millimeters). But it has most of the same features as other pricey Garmins, meaning runners, racers, hikers and bikers won’t feel like they are “missing out” getting this model instead of a Forerunner or Fenix.
The Venu X1 does have less battery life than most other Garmin watches — up to eight days in gesture mode and only two in always-on mode.
The upgrade: n/a
The budget alternative: Garmin Venu 4
Even after you pick out which type of Garmin watch you want, there are still a few key factors you should keep in mind.
Many Garmin watches come in multiple size options: the Garmin Fenix 8, for example, comes in 43, 47 and 51 millimeter options. I have smaller wrists (about six inches), and have tested many smartwatches, so I know that I prefer my smartwatch to be between 42 and 45 millimeters. I err on the larger end if the watch can only be controlled via the touchscreen, and not buttons along the sides.
What size is right for you depends on your wrist circumference, but also personal preference. My advice: visit a store like REI or Fleet Feet in person; most have multiple Garmin watches you can try on, in my experience.
If you love one activity in particular: think running, diving or hiking, you should probably stick to a Garmin watch built around that activity. For divers: it’s the Garmin Descent or Garmin Fenix 8. For runners: it’s any of the Garmin Forerunner watches. For hikers and trail runners, there are a few options across the Forerunner, Instinct and Fenix lineup, depending on your exact needs. If you are more of a fitness generalist, the Garmin Vivoactive and Garmin Venu are the best options.
Most newer Garmin watches come with a bright, colorful AMOLED display, the kind of screen you see in the Apple Watch, Samsung Galaxy Watch, Google Pixel Watch and most Fitbits. But some Garmin watches, particularly those focused on battery life, solar charging and the outdoors, have a memory-in-pixel (MIP) display.
A MIP display is always on but barely uses any energy to power, so it typically allows for a watch with far greater battery life than one with an AMOLED display. MIP displays are easy to read in sunny conditions but become hard or nearly impossible to see at night or in darkness (unless you hit the “light” button to briefly activate the watch backlight).
I recommend an AMOLED display for most people — if you want an MIP display, you probably already knew it before reading this article.
I am a reporter at NBC Select who covers technology and fitness including recent stories on fitness trackers, wireless earbuds and cameras. I test new and popular Garmin watches regularly, using them to track stats for my health, sleep and exercise. I leveraged my experience using fitness trackers, smartwatches and smart rings to pick the best Garmin watches.
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