10 Best Garmin Watches

The Garmin Venu 4 is a stylish GPS smartwatch with a bright AMOLED touchscreen that’s easy to read indoors and outdoors. Its GPS is reliable for tracking outdoor activities like running or cycling, helping you map your routes accurately. The battery life is impressive, lasting up to 10 days depending on your usage, which means less frequent charging compared to many other smartwatches. Heart rate monitoring is continuous and detailed, including advanced features like ECG to check for irregular heart rhythms, although this function isn't available everywhere.

The watch excels at tracking a wide variety of activities with over 80 sports apps and offers personalized coaching to keep you motivated and improve your fitness. Sleep tracking is thorough, providing scores and advice to help improve your rest, along with stress and energy level insights to manage daily wellness. Smart features include on-wrist calls, text replies, music storage, and contactless payments, making it convenient for everyday use without needing your phone. The stainless steel build offers good durability and the watch is water-resistant, suitable for swimming and sweaty workouts.

Some advanced health readings are estimates rather than medical-grade data, and features like Pulse Ox and ECG apps may not be available in all regions. The 41mm size is compact and comfortable, but if you prefer a bigger screen, there’s also a 45mm option. This Garmin watch is well suited for fitness enthusiasts who want detailed health insights and a wide range of activity tracking in a durable, stylish device, with solid smart features for daily life.

The Garmin fēnix 8 is a robust choice for athletes and adventurers, offering a host of advanced features catered to multisport activities. One of its standout strengths is its impressive battery life, lasting up to 29 days in smartwatch mode and 84 hours in GPS mode, making it highly reliable for long adventures. The 1.4” AMOLED touchscreen provides a bright and clear display, while the watch’s stainless steel bezel ensures durability. Water resistance up to 40 meters and leakproof metal buttons make it suitable for various water activities, including scuba diving. GPS accuracy is another strong point, supported by multi-band GPS with SatIQ technology for precise navigation. The built-in LED flashlight is a handy addition for low-light conditions.

However, the watch is relatively bulky at 102 grams, which might be a drawback for some users. While it boasts advanced health and training features like heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, and Pulse Ox, it’s important to note that these metrics are close estimations and not meant for medical use. The smartwatch also includes smart features such as making calls directly from the wrist and voice control, enhancing convenience. With 32 GB of storage, users can store ample data and apps. Though its proprietary Garmin OS means app compatibility might be limited compared to other smartwatch platforms.

Ideal for sports enthusiasts and adventure seekers, the Garmin fēnix 8 is a comprehensive smartwatch that excels in durability, battery performance, and multisport tracking despite its heft and proprietary software limitations.

The Garmin vívoactive 5 is a solid choice if you want a smartwatch that blends fitness features with everyday health monitoring. It has a clear and colourful 1.2-inch AMOLED touchscreen, which makes it easy to navigate your stats and notifications. Battery life is impressive, lasting up to 11 days in smartwatch mode, so you won’t need to charge it constantly. Its built-in GPS is reliable for tracking outdoor activities like running, cycling, and swimming, and it supports over 30 sport profiles including wheelchair-friendly options—a plus for inclusive fitness tracking.

The heart rate monitor is wrist-based and works all day alongside other health insights like Body Battery energy levels, sleep score with personalised coaching, stress, and menstrual tracking. While swim tracking is supported, it is best suited for casual water use rather than deep diving. Smart features cover music control, smartphone notifications, and Bluetooth connectivity, fitting well with Android and iOS devices. The watch is lightweight and reasonably durable, suitable for active daily wear.

If you want a straightforward, health-focused smartwatch with strong fitness tracking and excellent battery life, the vívoactive 5 offers good value. For those who prefer a larger display or need detailed water resistance for serious swimming or diving, exploring other options might be beneficial.