Garmin is very popular with those who enjoy outdoor activities and the new Forerunner 970 is a perfect option for runners. Garmin appeals to multi-sport athletes, outdoor adventurers, and weekend warriors, so you can hike with a Garmin Instinct 3 or golf with the Approach S70. Garmin offers a sports watch for everyone with a price range from $200 to $1,600.
Garmin's smartwatches stand out with precise location accuracy. Its watches provide health and fitness tracker data for all smartphone owners, with a new Connect Plus subscription option for more insights and guidance on your health and fitness data. The new Garmin Venu X1 is unique with the largest display on a Garmin watch and competes directly with the Apple Watch Ultra 2.
What is the best Garmin watch right now?
I've tested nearly every popular Garmin watch on the market, evaluating their features, durability, battery life, price, and more, to help you determine which model is best for your fitness, wellness, and other tracking needs. I typically run, row, ride, hike, walk, sleep, compete, and live with the watches for weeks at a time before providing my final evaluation of the watch.
My current pick for the best Garmin watch overall is the Garmin Fenix 8 AMOLED thanks to its long battery life, AMOLED display, support for all Garmin activities, three size options, and LED flashlight. Garmin unveiled this watch last summer, and I published my review in November. I purchased a Garmin Enduro 3 due to the extended battery life, subtle always-on MIP display, and price, but keep going back to the Garmin Fenix 8 AMOLED due to the availability of a slighter smaller watch, lovely AMOLED display, ability to record voice notes on the run, and ability to answer calls from my wrist. The new Garmin Forerunner 970 brings a LED flashlight to the Forerunner series for the first time and offers other advanced features and functions that may soon see it beat out the Fenix 8 as the best overall Garmin watch. Read on for the rest of my tested picks for the best Garmin watches you can buy right now.
Also: Best budget smartwatch of 2025
Sort by All Health & wellness Build quality/durability Advanced features Applications Core functionality
The best Garmin watches of 2025
Show less View now at Garmin View now at Amazon View now at Crutchfield For a couple of years, Garmin carried the Epix line with an AMOLED display that stood apart from the Fenix series. In Aug. 2024, that changed with the Fenix 8 now appearing with both AMOLED and solar MIP display options, and the Epix branding retired. Given that the Enduro 3 offers a solar MIP display, has longer battery life, and is less expensive, the AMOLED Fenix 8 models are a top choice for mapping and communications. Why we like it: The Garmin Fenix 8 AMOLED connects seamlessly to Android and iOS smartphones, in addition to golf club sensors, bike sensors, and more. Just about every sport is covered, including pickleball, with an updated smartphone experience so you can customize the watch settings on your phone and sync them over to the watch. One feature I use daily that ensures a Garmin will always be found on one wrist is the LED flashlight. I cannot express how useful this functionality is, which makes the Fenix 8 an essential tool in my collection. Also: This Garmin beat my Apple Watch Ultra in almost every way (and it's just as rugged) Who it's for: New communications features for the Fenix series include an integrated speaker and microphone that supports phone calls from the wrist, access to your connected phone's assistant, onboard voice commands, and voice recordings so if you are looking for a capable watch to serve as your sports watch and your primary smartwatch then the Fenix 8 AMOLED fits that bill. You can also buy the watch in 43mm, 47mm and 51mm sizes with a variety of watch case and band color options too so there is a model for every wrist size and personality. Who should look elsewhere: The Garmin Fenix 8 AMOLED is an expensive smartwatch and if you are not planning to run a full marathon, train for an ultramarathon, or focus on just a few sports then there may be better options for you. The Forerunner 970 and Venu X1 pack in most of the functionality found in the Fenix 8 AMOLED at a lower price and designed with more affordable hardware elements. Garmin Fenix 8 AMOLED (47mm) tech specs: Display: 1.4-inch 454x454 pixels | Battery Life (GPS tracking mode): 47 hours | Dimensions: 47x47x13.8 mm | Weight: 73 grams (titanium case with band) | Water/Dust Resistance: 10 ATM | Band Size: 22mm Health & wellness 10 Build quality/durability 10 Advanced features 10 Applications 8 Core functionality 9 Pros Gorgeous, brilliant AMOLED touchscreen display
Extensive size and feature options
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