Confused about Garmin’s in depth vary? We allow you to decide the proper GPS accomplice
Garmin provides the trade’s broadest vary of operating and health watches. The great thing about that is that there are normally a number of watches for each kind of person – and at many various value factors.
Nonetheless, when you’re going to decide on the correct one in your wants and price range, it additionally means there’s lots to study: options, design variations, and which carry out greatest for various duties.
We’ve examined each Garmin watch accessible that will help you make the most effective shopping for determination. We’ve run, swam, slept, and lived with each watch on this checklist that will help you perceive the refined variations.
Fast look: Our prime picks in contrast
We beforehand advisable the Forerunner 55 right here, which remains to be a fantastic price range Garmin pickup. But, the Forerunner 165 provides an AMOLED display, nice battery life, correct GPS, Garmin coaching plans, and a smattering of Garmin’s efficiency analytics. It’s good for folks firstly of their operating journey.
For these beginning to fixate on their underlying operating information, the FR265 is a step up. It encompasses a crisp AMOLED show, first rate battery life, in-depth coaching evaluation, efficiency analytics, restoration guides, and adaptive coaching plans. Eager runners, cyclists, and swimmers are properly catered for with this one.
The Venu 3 provides a jack-of-all-trades Garmin sports activities monitoring expertise, with a slick AMOLED show that ought to fulfill these lusting over an Apple Watch or Samsung Galaxy Watch. The wellness options really feel extra helpful and intuitive right here, and the guts price accuracy is top-notch.
The king of multisport watches, the Fenix 8 vary is fairly untouchable. The long-lasting battery means you may spend all day on the paths and harness mapping and navigation options. Plus, each sport advantages from probably the most superior analytics on any Garmin. You’re additionally spoilt for selection, with double-digit variations comprising totally different case sizes, supplies, display tech, and show glass sorts.
The Fenix is the king of the Garmin vary, however many readers will (rightly) balk on the value. In these attempting occasions, we urge a have a look at the Intuition 2 Photo voltaic, a enjoyable, light-weight out of doors/health watch, with wonderful battery life and a few prime efficiency evaluation options.
Greatest Garmin operating watches
How we take a look at: Our reviewers stay with the look ahead to weeks, incorporating it into our day by day coaching regimes of operating, biking, swimming, and power periods. We take a look at the optical HR accuracy towards a chest strap, and GPS accuracy on recognized routes and towards a multi-band GNSS rival. Well being information is assessed towards an Oura Ring and Whoop 4.0. Listed here are our picks.
Garmin Forerunner 165
Launched in February 2024, the Forerunner 165 fills a much-needed hole in Garmin’s operating watch lineup and brings AMOLED show tech to an inexpensive value level. At 43mm, we discovered it gentle and comfortable to put on – and it ought to go well with ladies and men alike.
It’s good for newbie and intermediate runners, we discovered wonderful GPS accuracy. It doesn’t shrink back from offering efficiency analytics.
You get VO2 max estimates, adaptive coaching options, and Coaching Impact metrics, with the expertise additionally enhanced by updates to Garmin Coach. You may plan your races and use PacePro to get stay pacing methods, one other distinctive and wonderful characteristic.
Battery life is approach above a standard smartwatch, with round 17 hours of pure GPS time — and a few weeks as a smartwatch. Our exams noticed it final round per week, which is great contemplating the show kind and heavy utilization.
It packs Garmin’s last-gen Elevate 4 HR sensor, however accuracy was nonetheless good for regular runs and rides. We advocate a chest strap when you depend on low-latency HR information throughout periods, however that’s true of each watch.
The one main gripe is that Garmin has separated music options right into a extra premium model, so that you’ll have to pay extra to get Spotify offline on the wrist. Boo.
However this can be a prime Garmin GPS watch for many runners, and 90% of individuals will discover the combination of options simply what they want.
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Mild and vibrant design -
Correct HR and GPS -
Lengthy-lasting battery
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Pricier than rivals at this vary -
A separate version for music – why? -
Fairly sluggish GPS lock-on
Garmin Forerunner 265
Launched in March 2023, the Forerunner 265 is an excellent mid-point choice within the Garmin sports activities watch vary. It’s a greater match for triathletes than most different Garmin watches, too, on account of the extra superior swim/cycle monitoring.
It is available in a 46mm case dimension as commonplace, with the 41mm 265S variant a extra unisex choice and a fantastic match for females.
It builds on the FR165 (above) and provides Coaching Standing, Every day Readiness, Endurance Rating, Hill Rating. That joins Morning Report, Coaching Readiness, Coaching Standing, and Race Calendar. Briefly, there’s extra analytical information right here.
It additionally provides Garmin’s Multi-Band GPS/GNSS which carried out properly even in built-up areas. This implies it is going to be extra correct than the FR165. Nonetheless, you won’t discover that on most runs.
The one draw back is the battery life, which has been impacted by the transfer to AMOLED. We discovered it lasted round 4 days of heavy utilization between expenses.
Briefly, the FR165 seemingly fits most runners. If you would like one thing with much more evaluation and higher GPS for metropolis races in comparison with that watch, the FR265 is the one to go for.
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Show and UI are vastly improved -
Battery life stays excellent -
Nice accuracy throughout the board
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AMOLED will not be for everybody -
Identical monitoring expertise as FR255 -
Misses out on ECG {hardware}
Garmin Forerunner 965
Arriving in March 2023, the 965 is probably the most superior Forerunner in Garmin’s lineup – and is now much more premium with the transfer to AMOLED.
It’s not dissimilar to the cheaper Forerunner 265 (above) it arrived alongside. Nonetheless, refined variations make it a fantastic match for these delay by the worth of the Fenix/Epix vary – or those that need one thing lighter and simpler to run, cycle, or swim with.
The intense and punchy display does imply battery life has dipped barely, however Garmin has nonetheless finished very properly right here; the Forerunner 965 can energy round 6-8 days of comparatively heavy coaching in its always-on mode, which blows the competitors out of the water.
It’s additionally as feature-packed because it will get. Garmin’s full gamut of extras – together with superbly crisp offline mapping and entry to pre-loaded golf programs – joins the checklist of centered and detailed operating, biking, and swimming insights.
It’s additionally extremely correct. In our in depth take a look at, we discovered the Multi-Band GNSS accuracy, coronary heart price monitoring, sleep monitoring, and many extra line up with our anticipated baselines from a few of the most correct wearables available on the market.
All of it combines to make the Forerunner 965 a fantastic decide for individuals who need maps on the wrist for lengthy coaching runs/cycles – and the flexibility to mix a number of exercise sorts. It additionally options each single analytics metric you may want.
Nonetheless, that is actually for athletes that take efficiency significantly.
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Show and UI are a lot improved -
Battery life stays excellent -
Monitoring accuracy is tough to beat
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Liable to bumps and scratches -
Not vastly totally different to the FR265 -
Good options are extraordinarily primary
Garmin Forerunner 55
The Forerunner 55 is a small and cozy operating watch the place minimalism is the operative phrase. Nonetheless, the MIP display tech is a large downgrade on the Forerunner 165, so it’s actually for these desirous to pay as little as attainable.
Along with monitoring core metrics like tempo, time, and distance, there are additionally metrics for cadence, together with a cadence alert, which can notify you in case your steps per minute are outdoors of your required goal.
Garmin has included assist for Garmin Coach, which implies you are able to do guided run exercises from the wrist for distances like 5K and half marathon distance.
It’s additionally inherited Garmin’s PacePro pacing methods characteristic, which beforehand wanted mapping assist to operate. Whereas the Forerunner 55 lacks these mapping options, it could actually nonetheless harness PacePro to assist deal with races.
There’s additionally a concentrate on restoration, and the Forerunner 55 will advise you on how lengthy to relaxation after a session. It additionally provides day by day instructed exercises based mostly on logged periods and a helpful race predictor. But, the health analytics are restricted to VO2 max estimates, and that is solely seen in Garmin Join and never on the watch itself.
Our largest challenge with the 55 is that Garmin might substitute it quickly. It was launched in 2021, so a Forerunner 65 mannequin to pop up in 2025. However by way of sheer wearability, this can be a robust choice for low-tech runners.
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Small, gentle design -
PacePro and instructed exercises -
Full Join IQ assist
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Greatest HR accuracy with chest strap -
Low res display
In-depth: Learn our full Garmin Forerunner 55 evaluation.
Greatest Garmin multisport/out of doors watches
How we take a look at: We give Garmin’s out of doors and multisport watches to our marathon and ultrarunning testers, who take them out on the paths to check the battery life and mapping. They’re additionally swam with and given the usual overview of sensible and wellness insights.
Garmin Fenix 8
The Garmin Fenix is the king of the Garmin vary – however just lately the immense energy of the Epix/Forerunner 965 made it onerous to advocate. However no extra.
You may try the important thing variations between the Fenix 8 and Fenix 7, Fenix 8 and Epix Professional, and the Fenix 8 and Enduro 3.
The Fenix 8 comes with a full AMOLED show (with Sapphire choices) and a photo voltaic model that maximizes battery life and makes use of the older MIP show kind. That choice is for individuals who want each drop of juice for loopy ultraruns or through-hikes. When you’re that particular person, get the Enduro 2.
The Fenix provides each Garmin sports activities monitoring profile, metric, analytic, and information level all within the type of a badass journey watch. And that look is much more pronounced with the AMOLED show. In our exams, we will surely go for a Sapphire model, having scratched the AMOLED badly in testing.
Accuracy stacked up general with just a few query marks over the efficiency of the Elevate sensor in testing. Maybe the dimensions of the case causes some sign points. As ever, it’s good for a information of your health, however, when you’re coaching by way of coronary heart price, you need to get a chest strap.
The display makes the improved TOPO mapping a lot simpler to learn and use.
The Fenix 8 is the head of the Garmin vary as soon as once more.
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Nice AMOLED battery life -
Class-leading mapping and navigation assist -
A extra considerate method to power coaching
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It is much more costly than the Fenix 7 Professional -
Core efficiency not too dissimilar to earlier Fenix -
Coronary heart price monitoring throughout train nonetheless not flawless
Garmin Fenix E
The Fenix E is a lower-cost model of the Garmin Fenix collection, which occurs to be priced the identical because the Apple Watch Extremely 2. It provides the core Fenix performance and design, with rugged 10ATM water resistance, mapping, and an AMOLED show.
It provides all the important thing efficiency metrics usually discovered on a Fenix, so it’s way more geared in the direction of coaching for endurance occasions than one thing just like the Apple Watch Extremely. And it has the identical insane checklist of sports activities profiles as the correct full-fat Fenix.
However shopping for the Fenix E isn’t a no brainer. It’s disappointing to see some core options dropped — notably Multi-Band GNSS, Elevate 5 coronary heart price monitoring, and a sapphire display. Stuff that feels important at this value level.
It implies that the Garmin Epix/Epix Professional (beneath) and Forerunner 965 stack up favorably to the Fenix E, and might seemingly be picked up at a lower cost level.
As such, it appears like an issue center baby. It’s onerous to advocate given what else is obtainable in Garmin’s assortment of outside watches.
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It has that signature Fenix look -
Filled with coaching options and insights -
Affords good general battery life
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No multiband, flashlight or sapphire crystal -
Coronary heart price monitoring accuracy throughout train -
Identical-size Epix Professional provides extra new Fenix options
Garmin Epix (Gen 2) / Epix Professional (Gen 2)
Epix OGs will keep in mind the primary version that arrived in 2015, with the road reprised within the new Epix (Gen 2) in 2022 with a contemporary goal, after which once more in 2023 for the Epix Professional (Gen 2).
In 2024, nonetheless, Garmin solely confirmed to Wareable that the Epix line was being retired, given its key promoting level (the AMOLED show) was being adopted by the Fenix 8 vary.
But, with offers touchdown on the Garmin Epix, it stays an excellent choice. Primarily it’s a Fenix 7 with an AMOLED show, but the vary brings all the prime flagship options with out compromise – and the 1.3-inch, 454 x 454-pixel decision, shade AMOLED touchscreen creates a robust smartwatch really feel.
The Epix Professional (Gen 2) provides a flashlight, and the smaller and larger dimension choices to the vary (42mm/51mm), which makes it a correct member of the Garmin household.
The Epix doesn’t ignore the mapping, superior efficiency analytics, new stamina mode, improved GNSS monitoring, well being sensors, and sports activities modes of the Fenix, both.
In fact, battery life is diminished by the AMOLED show – however not as a lot as you’d suppose. The usual Epix 2 provides 16 days of battery life and 42 hours of GPS (with out the always-on show enabled), in comparison with 18 days/57 hours on the usual Fenix 7.
For day by day use, which incorporates day by day GPS use and the AOD turned on, we discovered that it lasted 6-7 days. Most individuals will like that compromise, we predict.
Don’t miss out when you can decide up the Epix for a tidy deal.
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Strong {hardware} additions -
Lastly accessible in three sizes -
Nice accuracy throughout the board
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Epix 2 and FR965 are higher worth -
ECG {hardware} not getting used -
Mediocre sensible options
Garmin Intuition 2/2X
Now not simply an outside watch, the Intuition vary is a enjoyable, all-action multi-sport watch. It’s a cut-price Fenix, with a plastic case and low-res display, with an enormous dose of Casio type added to the combination.
We adore it – and it’s an unsung hero of the Garmin vary.
The Intuition 2 delivers huge battery life, with as much as 30 hours of GPS monitoring, and much more, when you select Photo voltaic variations.
The Intuition 2 has damaged freed from being a easy lower-cost out of doors watch. There are profiles for observe operating, mountain climbing, biking, swimming, climbing, and even snowboarding, boating, and different kinds of out of doors pursuits. There’s now golf mode, too, which implies the Intuition sits nearer to the Fenix than most individuals notice.
Garmin has introduced over operating and coaching evaluation options from its Forerunner watches like visible race predictions, VO2 max estimates, Coaching Impact, and standing insights. There are day by day instructed exercises and a restoration advisor on board too.
You may add routes, real-time breadcrumb navigation, and TrackBack, however mapping doesn’t characteristic.
The brand new Intuition 2X comes with a much bigger 50mm case, solar energy as commonplace, a flashlight (nice for nighttime operating security and discovering your strategy to the bathroom whereas tenting), and multi-band GPS for higher accuracy. It additionally provides tons of Fenix superior analytics – and could be very a lot a sensible different for these trying to avoid wasting money.
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New exercise stats -
Nice battery life -
Extraordinarily versatile
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Design will not be for everybody -
Sleep monitoring questionable
Garmin Enduro 3
The Garmin Enduro 3 is the corporate’s specialist variation of the Fenix collection, and one constructed particularly for ultrarunners. And most of the people gained’t want the absurd 320 hours of GPS monitoring (within the longest mode + photo voltaic).
To place the Enduro 23s battery life into context, we’ve discovered utilizing the correct energy modes to trace your efforts will see it fortunately survive most week-long and multi-day endurance challenges. It additionally has sufficient fuel within the tank to cowl a month-long streak for anybody operating, using, or swimming for an hour a day, as properly.
Bodily, nonetheless, it’s a beast of a watch, and the 51mm case might be an excessive amount of for most individuals. It’s definitely not unisex. The brand new titanium-only construct is extra manageable than the stainless-steel from the unique – however we discovered it uncomfortable to put on.
There are profiles for operating, treadmill operating, indoor observe operating, path operating, extremely operating, and digital operating – MTB biking and swimming are additionally properly supported.
The extremely run mode has a intelligent relaxation timer, splits out how lengthy you spend at support stations, and the path VO2 Max estimate takes slower off-road runs into consideration and adjusts your studying accordingly.
In our exams, we received 20 days of utilization on a single cost. That included 8 hours of coaching, masking a mixture of indoor periods and out of doors GPS-tracked exercises in varied energy modes. On common, an hour’s GPS-only coaching with the Enduro 3 burned not more than 1%.
My 3-hour New Forest Marathon take a look at in All Programs + Multiband GNSS burned simply 5%. That extrapolates to 60 hours of monitoring in probably the most correct mode.
However in an 8-hour 5 Valleys Extremely Marathon in GPS-only mode the battery burned 14%. That’s shy of Garmin’s estimates – and exhibits there may be many elements concerned, together with the type of terrain and tree cowl that you just run in. However this can be a battery life monster, for individuals who want severe endurance.
Our solely actual criticism of the Enduro 2 is the dearth of an AMOLED show. It definitely is smart, given this system’s concentrate on large battery life, however, with the worth additionally rising massively on this technology, it does sting just a little.
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Unbelievable battery life -
Lighter design -
Boosted nav smarts/Offline music -
Value drop
Greatest Garmin smartwatch
How we take a look at: We put Garmin smartwatches by the identical paces because the sports activities watches, though they provide fewer efficiency metrics. We stay with them day-after-day to evaluate sleep and wellness monitoring accuracy, and evaluate coronary heart price to an EKG strap and battery life in varied situations.
Garmin Venu 3
The Garmin Venu 3 is an enormous enchancment over the Venu 2, with a slicker design and improved UI – in addition to a extra intuitive set of well being options.
It’s nonetheless a jack-of-all-trades sporty smartwatch – so there are a great deal of sports activities profiles, however none supply the extent of information and evaluation you may anticipate from a Fenix or Forerunner.
Your principal expertise with the Venu 3 is with the day by day suite of wellness metrics, displayed by way of widgets. It’s fairly in depth, with Physique Battery (vitality ranges), stress, steps, HRV Standing, exercise minutes, respiration price, sleep, sleep coach, and extra, all on show.
The Venu 3 additionally now has ECG, which has been enabled after launch.
We discovered coronary heart price and GPS accuracy to be top-notch, so whereas the Venu 3 isn’t a powerhouse of athletic efficiency evaluation, it does produce nice information.
As a smartwatch, it does a great job of masking bases, with notifications, Garmin Pay (with patchy financial institution assist), and offline Spotify syncing. It’s not the identical type of smartwatch expertise supplied by Apple and Google, however, with two weeks of battery life, (7-10 days of heavy use in our testing), it’s a improbable different.
The downsides are that the Venu 3 is fairly costly – and the Vivoactive 5 (beneath) provides most of its core options, at round half the worth.
For runners and athletes, the Forerunner 265 is an apparent different and is available in just a little cheaper.
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Wellness options lastly really feel helpful -
High HR accuracy -
Pretty display
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Actually expensive -
Sports activities monitoring provides primary metrics solely -
Some sleep accuracy niggles
Garmin Vivoactive 5
The Garmin Vivoactive 5 returns after a protracted hiatus, and is a vastly interesting different to the Venu 3. It actually ought to be the Venu 3 Lite.
At $299/£259, it’s practically half the worth of the Venu 3, and boasts the identical wellness monitoring, sleep options, and sports activities monitoring line-up because the flagship.
It’s not fairly as modern trying with an inferior AMOLED show, and aluminum case, and it makes use of the older Elevate 4 coronary heart price sensor. Aspect-by-side it’s fairly a visible downgrade. What’s extra, there’s no ECG on board right here. So there are sacrifices in selecting the Vivoactive 5.
It’s nonetheless a jack-of-all-trades, so that you get operating, swimming, biking, exercise, golf, and different exercise profiles however none supply superior metrics or efficiency analytics.
Swim monitoring is among the most full profiles, with stroke detection and effectivity scores, and the watch is 5ATM waterproof.
Battery life is superb, with 11 days as commonplace, and 5 days with the always-on show enabled.
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Offers Vivoactive a pleasant display improve -
Good sports activities monitoring for the worth -
Upgraded GPS setup
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Loses barometric altimeter -
Fairly plain look -
No Coaching Readiness metric
Garmin Venu Sq 2
The Venu Sq 2 is the most recent addition to the corporate’s smartwatch vary, providing a much less refined bundle that permits Garmin to supply the identical options because the Venu and Vivoactive 4 for much less.
You get the identical large array of tracked sports activities, together with operating, biking, swimming, gymnasium, yoga, strolling, pilates, and snow sports activities to call just a few. And there’s even breathwork, too.
You get GPS built-in, as properly, and there’s a SpO2 sensor that does spot checks. When you opt-in, there’s additionally night time and daytime blood oxygen monitoring.
It would observe stress, and we love the Physique Battery characteristic that research your readiness for train and might information you as to when to have a relaxation (or go onerous on a session).
All of the sports activities monitoring metrics are fairly primary, so that you gained’t get most of the VO2 Max and deep insights you’ll discover on the likes of the Forerunner 255.
The watch itself additionally lags behind the Vivoactive 4 and Venu and Venu 2 by way of construct high quality. It’s a plastic construct with, a boxy design.
It blends a touchscreen and two bodily buttons, and the interface that was as soon as a bit fiddly is now a lot improved. With a greater display this time round, too, it’s a a lot better expertise on the wrist – although the worth has additionally been hiked a bit.
There’s additionally a music model at $249/£229, which implies offline Spotify/Pandora playlists on the wrist. However for us, that takes it to a value level too far.
Garmin hybrid watches
Garmin’s hybrid watches current a shift away from the standard full-screen MIP or AMOLED panel, with bodily arms sitting above a smaller show.
Garmin Vivomove collection
Garmin’s Vivomove collection combines analog and smartwatch seems to be and when you don’t wish to go all in with the extent of sports activities monitoring accessible on a Forerunner or Fenix and nonetheless need a trendy watch, that is the choice for you.
The Sport is the most recent addition to the Vivomove household, providing the identical display setup, albeit with a lower-quality show and polymer case look.
Just like the Vivomove 3 or the Luxe, the Sport makes use of that digital show to point out off info like coronary heart price, stress, day by day health monitoring, and notifications and can be utilized for music controls too.
There’s no GPS, so those that need correct run or cycle observe could have to take action with their cellphone, however you do get a wholesome array of general monitoring. Lengthy-pressing the display will deliver up the choice to pick out actions, at which level you may cycle between runs, cycles, walks, gymnasium exercises, and extra.
It’s vulnerable to the odd software program hiccup, however typically, the hidden display know-how responds extraordinarily properly and is dwelling to a big selection of options.
Promised battery life is as much as 5 days and that’s precisely what we received. Consider it extra in health tracker phrases than sports activities watch phrases so far as how properly that battery shapes up.
We wouldn’t advocate severe sporty sorts decide up one of many Vivomove units – they need to flip to the remainder of Garmin’s vary – but it surely’s a greater than succesful health tracker for normal customers.
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Mild, enticing design -
Nicely built-in digital show -
Numerous information to view
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Simply the 5 days of battery -
Display a bit dim in vibrant out of doors gentle -
Lack of battery proportion standing
The Fenix 8 is the most effective Garmin accessible, however anticipate to pay $1,000 (or extra). Actually, the most effective Garmin for you is the one which has all of the options you want, and not one of the ones that you just don’t. You don’t wish to pay for stuff you don’t want.
Forerunner is the corporate’s operating watch line. Though, as you progress in value, they grow to be extra triathlon-focused. Venu/Vivoactive is the smartwatch vary, and the sports activities monitoring is extra primary. Fenix is the out of doors vary with a concentrate on sturdiness, battery life, and mapping.
When you’re trying purely on value, then try the Forerunner 45 and 55.
Most devoted sports activities watches are costly. The Coros Tempo 3 provides good worth, as does the Suunto Race S. Don’t overlook one thing just like the Huawei Watch Match 3 – an distinctive sport-focused smartwatch with good battery life, however not one for superior athletes.
Additionally take into account:
If Garmin isn’t floating your boat, try our greatest operating watch information. We’ve extremely rated the Coros Tempo 3, Suunto Race S, and the Huawei Watch Match 3.
This text was first printed in July 2015. We replace it continuously to replicate the most recent Garmin units, making certain we’ve examined the most recent and biggest units available for purchase.
