The number of Garmin running and fitness watches continues to grow, making the task of choosing the right device for you all the more difficult.
Our best Garmin GPS running watch for general users is the Forerunner 45, which impressed us with its size, comfort and the amount of data on offer – without costing an absolute fortune.
At the other end of the scale is the incredible Fenix 6S multi sport watch. Simply, this is the best fitness watch in the world – which you'd expect from a device with a $600/£600 price tag.
If you're a hiker that wants multi-day battery life and top tracking and mapping smarts, we've been really impressed by the Garmin Instinct and the new Instinct Solar. These showcase the best of Garmin's technology, deliver real world benefits for hikers and offer a big saving over the Fenix 6.
And if you're looking for the best Garmin smartwatch, we'd plump for the brilliant Garmin Vivoactive 4.
The breadth of Garmin's range means there's something for everyone, regardless of your budget. Below, we've tried our best to explain each of Garmin's running, outdoor and multi-sport watches. And if music playback is a key feature you want – we have a guide to music running watches too.
Update: This article was updated in February 2021 for the New Garmin Enduro, Garmin Lily and to reflect the latest changes in the sports watch market.
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New Garmin watches incoming:
Garmin Enduro
The newest Garmin sports watch doesn't come cheap, and is heavily aimed at ultrarunners. It's a reworking of the Fenix 6X Solar, and offers up to 80 hours GPS tracking, and a focus on ultra-distance events.
There's a number of new features to get excited about. VO2 Max has been reworked to account for running on trails, which is generally slower than running on the roads.
You can also mark time spent in rest stops and aid stations during races, and features such as ClimbPro, recovery and workout recommendations.
Our review is incoming – but this is certainly set to be a niche device for the most hardcore of distance runners. Even those that dabble in ultra distances will be better served by the Garmin Instinct Solar or Fenix 6.
Garmin Lily
Garmin has released its smallest smartwatch to date – aimed at women. It features a diminutive 34mm case and 14mm strap, making it the smallest mainstream smartwatch on the market.
It's hardly a fitness powerhouse. There's no GPS although you can borrow your smartphone's if you take it along for a run or ride. However, there's plenty of health and wellness features, with SpO2, heart rate, Body Battery (energy level metric) and advanced sleep tracking all supported.
And as you might imagine, it supports Garmin's cycle tracking (that's menstrual not two-wheels) and the all-new pregnancy mode that helps the watch make sense of your rapidly changing biometrics.
It's not the perfect sports watch for active females (look at the Fenix 6S or Forerunner 45S for that), but for more casual users looking for something slender, this has plenty of potential.
Garmin watches compared
| Price | Sports | VO2/ Analytics | Battery life (GPS no music) | Music | |
Forerunner 45 | $199.99 |
Running Cycling Cardio (gym) Yoga | No/No | 13 hours | No |
Forerunner 35 | $199.99 | Running Cycling Cardio (gym) Yoga | No/No | 13 hours | No |
Vivoactive 4 | $269.99 | Running Cycling Swimming Cardio (gym) Golf | No/No | 15 hours | Yes (500 songs) Spotify |
Garmin Venu | $399.99 | Running Cycling Swimming Cardio (gym) Golf | No/No | 20 hours | Yes (500 songs) |
| Garmin Venu Sq | $199.99 | Running
Cycling Swimming Cardio (gym) Golf Yoga | No/No | 14 hours GPS | Music version costs $249.99 500 songs. Spotify offline |
Forerunner 245 Music | $299.99 | Running Cycling Pool swimming Cardio | Yes/Yes | Up to 24 hours | Yes costs $349.99 (500 songs) Spotify offline |
Forerunner 645 Music | $349.99 | Running Cycling Pool swimming Cardio (gym) | Yes/Yes | Up to 14 hours | Yes costs $449.99 (1000 songs) Spotify offline |
| Forerunner 745 | $499.99 | Triathlon Running Cycling Swimming Cardio (gym) | Yes/Yes | 16 hours GPS mode | Yes (500 songs) |
Forerunner 945 | $599.99 | Running Cycling Pool swimming Cardio (gym) | Yes/Yes | 36 hours | Yes (1000 songs) |
Fenix 6 | $699 | Running (trail, treadmill) Hiking Climbing Biking Cardio (gym) Golf Snow sports SUP Rowing Kayaking Jumpmaster Tactical | Yes/Yes |
16 hours GPS 40 hours GPS in power saver | Yes (Pro versions only) Spotify offline |
Garmin Instinct Solar | $399.99 | Running (trail, treadmill) Hiking Climbing Biking Cardio (gym) Golf Snow sports SUP Rowing Kayaking Jumpmaster Tactical | No/No | GPS: 30 hours (38 hours solar) Max battery GPS: 70 hours (145 hours with solar) Expedition GPS: 28 days (68 days with solar) | No |
| Garmin Vivomove 3 | $219.99 | Running Biking (GPS from phone only) Pool swimming Strength training Cardio training Elliptical training Stair stepping Yoga | No/No | 5 days in smartwatch mode | No |
| Garmin Swim 2 | $249.99 | Pool swimming Open water swimming Running Biking | No/No | Smartwatch mode: Up to 7 days GPS mode: Up to 13 hours | No |
Garmin running watches
Garmin's running watches aren't just about running. Most will track other kinds of sports too, including biking, pool swimming and open cardio. All the company's fitness watches are now water resistant, too.
Top choice: Garmin Forerunner 45
Price when reviewed: $199.99 | Forerunner 45 specs page
The Forerunner 45 builds on the all the good work Garmin did with the 35, packing in plenty of features for a pretty great price.
It's now available in a round design that comes in 39mm and 42mm sizes. You're getting the same transflective display you get on all of Garmin's watches, water resistance up to 50 meters deep (but no swim tracking) and a heart rate monitor that should be good for most.
The Android- and iOS-friendly sports watch focuses its tracking skills on running and cycling, offering full satellite mapping support and the core metrics, as well as some advanced ones, like VO2 Max.
Smartwatch features include notification support, while Connect IQ compatibility only extends to bringing watch faces to the entry level watch.
If you're new to running and don't want to spend big, the Forerunner 45 (or smaller 45S) is the one to go for.
We love…
- The thin design
- Water resistance
- Great price
- More than enough metrics for even passionate runners
We don't love…
- Limited multi-sport features
- Limited battery life
- No music
In-depth: Read our full Garmin Forerunner 45 review
Garmin Forerunner 35
Price when reviewed: $169.99 | Forerunner 35 specs page
The Forerunner 35 has been upgraded in the shape of the Forerunner 45.
However, you can still buy it, and it's still worth considering for first time runners – especially at rock bottom prices. Savvy buyers can grab a Forerunner 35 for less than $100, and we can see the appeal.
Ideal for beginners, couch to 5k-ers and those who want a little more info on their regular runs without being overwhelmed by data, it also has activity tracking, bridging the divide between an inexpensive tracker and a serious sports watch.
It packs in all the bare essentials for runners: distance, pace, time, calories, splits and an optical heart rate monitor. Plus, it also delivers smartphone notifications to your wrist.
That's everything you need if you're a recreational runner who just wants to keep tabs on how far and fast you've gone. And it even does smartwatch notifications and better-than-basic fitness tracking, including tracking resting heart rate.
So what don't you get? There's not a wide range of other sports – just running, swimming and biking – and the data is simple. You won't get insights into training load, the effect of sessions or recovery. Also, things like cadence are out as well. But, if you're thinking about moving beyond tracking runs on your phone, this is the next step up.
We love…
- The price
- The simplicity
We don't love…
- Ugly as sin
- Light on features
- No music
In-depth: Read our full Garmin Forerunner 35 review
Garmin Forerunner 245 Music
Price when reviewed: $349.99 | Forerunner 245 specs page
The Forerunner 245 Music is the natural successor to the 235, which was just put out to pasture (and has been thoroughly superseded by the Forerunner 45). It still tracks running, biking, cardio and swimming, thanks to its 5ATM water resistance.
But the Forerunner 245 adds some serious new features – and is firmly a mid-range running device for those who have progressed in their training and are now starting to obsess over their PBs.
It leverages the optical heart rate sensor to take VO2 Max readings, which are then turned into insights on your recovery, the effect of each session and how much load you're putting your body through. It's also just been given the PacePro feature, which uses GPS data to pace races to your desired finishing times – even taking hills into account.
The built-in music player support works much in the same way as other Garmin watches, with music features outside of controlling playback from your phone. You can transfer over your own music or playlists from streaming services like Spotify and Deezer to the watch.
Then, you can pair some Bluetooth headphones and leave that phone behind. You've got enough for around 500 songs, which is not as many as the 945 can hold (1,000 songs), but it should still be enough for most.
Battery life is around seven days, though hammering the music features will dent that. But if you just save the audio for your workouts, it'll make it through the week. It does lack payment support and an altimeter, but, overall, it's a great running watch for anyone that has been looking for those music features, too.
We love…
- VO2 Max data
- Advanced training and recovery metrics
- PacePro
- Spotify playlists and MP3 playback
We don't love…
- Pricey
- Not so stylish
Wareable verdict: Our full Garmin Forerunner 245 Music review
Garmin Forerunner 645 Music
Price when reviewed: $449.99 | Forerunner 645 Music specs page
The Forerunner 645 Music was the first Garmin to offer music features and unlike the 245 Music, it comes with payment support and a more stylish design. It also has a barometric altimeter, which will please trail runners with all that elevation data. Check out our Garmin Forerunner 245 vs 645 guide for all the key differences.
For tracking, it will cover running, cycling, pool swimming (yes, 5ATM water resistance is here), walking and much more. If you're serious about running, you can tap into the likes of cadence, stride length, ground contact time and balance, vertical oscillation and vertical ratio. And no matter what kind of training you're involved in, you can also access the Training Status, Training Effect and Training Load features for aiding recovery between workouts.
But, crucially, while being a heavyweight in the tracking department, this was the first Garmin that allowed for music streaming directly from the wrist. There's enough storage to load 500 songs, while offline playlists can be accessed from Deezer, iHeartRadio and now Spotify.
Like the Vivoactive 4 (below) and the Forerunner 245, Garmin does offer a Forerunner 645 without music, and, again, that should save you some money if music isn't an essential feature for you.
We love…
- Spotify support
- More stylish look
- VO2 and advanced training analysis
We don't love…
- Forerunner 245 is better and cheaper
- No PacePro… yet
In-depth: Our full Garmin Forerunner 645 Music review
Best Garmin smartwatches
Garmin Venu Sq
Price when reviewed: $199.99 |Garmin Venu Sq specs page
We don't love…
- Poor, fiddly interface
- Screen isn't great
Read our full Garmin Venu Sq review.
Garmin Vivoactive 4
Price when reviewed: $269.99 | Garmin Vivoactive 4 specs page
The Vivoactive 4 is Garmin's sport focused smartwatch, designed to offer the benefits of notifications and smart features with a jack-of-all-trades sports tracking which supports up to 20 activities.
Like its main rivals, the Apple Watch Series 5 and Fitbit Ionic, this is a watch that's aiming to bring more than just fitness smarts to your wrist. An upgrade to the Vivoactive 3, it still boasts a relatively low resolution transflective display, but this time it's been given a glossy screen that makes the whole package a lot more stylish.
It still has Garmin Pay and support for Spotify, as you'd expect, and you can install apps via Connect IQ, which also does a roaring trade in watch faces and widgets, too.
In terms of sports tracking, it's pretty comprehensive – you get running (indoor, outdoor, treadmill), cycling (indoor and outdoor), swimming (pool only), golf, strength, cardio, elliptical, indoor rowing, yoga and more. That enough for you? And, yes, you guessed it, 5ATM water resistance is on board.
None are tracked with the insane level of detail used by the specialist Forerunner or Fenix devices though, so you'll miss out on stuff like recovery, training load, training status, VO2 Max and the like.
You will get decent fitness tracking, and sleep is aided by the pulse ox sensor that will deliver advanced sleep stages and information on your respiration as you sleep. Hardcore stuff.
And when you think that the Apple Watch Series 5 will only last a single day and won't get you through a marathon unless you turn off the heart rate monitor, the fact that this will give you a week in smartwatch mode with 13 hours of GPS is pretty excellent.
We love…
- Loads of tracked sports
- Shiny new display
- Crammed with features
- Music and Spotify
We don't love…
- Lack of VO2 Max
- Light on data
Full test: Garmin Vivoactive 4 review
Garmin Venu
Price when reviewed: $399.99 | Garmin Venu specs page
If you want to up the style stakes even further then the Garmin Venu could be your preferred option.
It's really the same watch as the Vivoactive 4, but with a glossy AMOLED display for those getting their eye turned by the Apple Watch. It's a nice bit of kit and the screen is really punchy – making those runs in the dark easier to read. And notifications and health data look really great, too.
In terms of sports and health tracking, you get the same as the Vivoactive 4. Running (indoor, outdoor, treadmill), cycling (jndoor/outdoor), swimming (pool only thanks to 5ATM water resistance), golf, strength, cardio, elliptical, indoor rowing, yoga and more – and there's support for underwater reading of heart rate.
It's a tidy smartwatch that gives you Garmin levels of sports tracking in a good-looking package. You sacrifice some battery life for the AMOLED screen, but you should still get five days of wear as a smartwatch with one or two shorter runs thrown in. GPS battery life is eight hours – so significantly less than the Vivoactive – but this is no doubt the better looking watch.
Check out our Garmin Venu vs Vivoactive 4 comparison.
We love…
- The screen
- The sports tracking
- Music and Spotify
We don't love…
- Lower battery life
- Touchscreen is a little fiddly
Read all about it: Full Garmin Venu review
Best Garmin multi-sport and triathlon watches
Whether you're a seasoned Ironman (or woman), dabbling in triathlon, or you just hate to be pigeon holed into one sport, these are the Garmin watches you need.
Garmin Fenix 6 Pro
Price when reviewed: $599 (6) / $699 (6 Pro)
Fenix 6 specs page
The Fenix range is the pinnacle of the Garmin line-up, and the new Garmin Fenix 6 is one of the best all-action sports watches you can buy.
The watch built for the outdoors features modes to track hiking, climbing, cross country skiing, regular skiing, cycling, swimming, open water swimming, running, trail running, indoor workouts, triathlon, golf and more. If there's something you want to track, the Fenix 6 series watches likely can.
If you love swimming, it's set for open water and pool dips with 10ATM water resistance.
All the new Fenix 6 models take tracked metrics to the extreme, offering full insights for VO2 Max, race prediction, stress scores, Training Effect and Training Status: they're all found here and they're seriously meaningful. Data-loving runners will be in heaven.
Runners will particularly love the PacePro feature, which uses a library of user generated GPS routes to help you pace your running races, even up and down hills.
And for trekkers there's the TOPO mapping, so you can see what's around you, including major trails, and navigate to points of interest right from the wrist.
There's also a new Garmin Fenix 6 Solar (and 6S Solar) which adds 4 hours of standard GPS tracking, upping tracking to 40 hours (from 36), with Max Battery mode at 93 hours (up from 72 hours) and Expedition Mode at 36 days (up from 28 days).
We love…
- Lighter design
- Incredible array of tracked sports
- So. Much. Data.
- Music and Spotify
We don't love…
- Crazy price
- Very masculine design
- Big Solar price increase adds comparatively little for most users
Wareable verdicts: Garmin Fenix 6 review | Garmin Fenix 6X review
Garmin Fenix 6S Pro
Price when reviewed: $529.99 | Fenix 6S specs page
We could have just thrown the Garmin Fenix 6S in with the Fenix 6 listed above, but it's worthy of its own place in this list of top Garmins.
The Fenix 6S scales back the case size to a more manageable 42mm case – down from 47mm on the standard Fenix 6. That's a game changer for female wrists, but also for anyone that doesn't like to feel encumbered with a large watch. We used it for Crossfit and loved the smaller form factor when throwing weights around.
But you barely make any sacrifices. The Fenix 6S still features the same epic array of sports tracking, including running, trails, cycling, and golf – and there's full access to Connect IQ for even more functionality.
The only real downside is battery life. The smaller case means a smaller battery, so you won't get the same insane longevity as a full-sized Fenix. However, we'd say the quoted 9 days as a smartwatch and 25 hours of GPS tracking will be enough for most people. You can also use power saving modes to up to 50 hours of GPS tracking if you're willing to give up accuracy, and this is best for walking or trail speed only.
But for our money this is a modest sacrifice for a smaller, cheaper Fenix.
We love…
Small 42mm case
The same tracked sports as Fenix 6
Music and Spotify
We don't love…
Shorter battery life than Fenix 6
Wareable verdicts: Garmin Fenix 6S review
Garmin Forerunner 945
Price when reviewed: $599.99 | Forerunner 945 specs page
The Forerunner 935 was our top running watch pick for a long time, but with even more functionality packed into the 945, its successor has taken the crown.
However, while it carries the Forerunner branding, it's an incredibly effective multisport watch designed for triathletes – and serious ones at that – aimed at those who run long, fast and need to pay particular attention to load and recovery.
The triathlon-friendly watch essentially squeezes in everything you get in the latest Fenix watch, including multi-sport tracking, payments, a built-in music player, navigation features and full color maps.
On the running front, it covers everything from the treadmill to trail running and provides plenty of metrics to pore over after your training session.
It still has stellar battery life, while the built-in heart rate monitoring and great new training effect, load and focus features make sure you're not over-exerting yourself.
It's another top notch multi-sport GPS watch that makes a fine running companion for serious athletes.
We love…
- Advanced analytics
- Triathlon tracking
- Cheaper than Fenix
- Music and Spotify
We don't love…
- Not quite as stylish as Fenix 6
- Big price tag
In-depth:Read our full Garmin Forerunner 945 review
Garmin Forerunner 745
Price when reviewed: $499.99 | Forerunner 745 specs page
The Garmin Forerunner 745 delivers rich sports tracking and the new training insights are useful as long as you make a chest strap your training partner. What's hard to ignore are the price and gripes with battery life.
Garmin sticks to its transflective display technology that has served it well on other watches to help give you good battery life and strong visibility in bright light.
It's the same 1.2-inch size and 240 x 240 resolution you'll find on the cheaper Forerunner 245.
It boasts 5ATM water resistance which means it's safe to swim with up to 50 meters, and it's suitable to take in the shower. As this is a watch aimed at triathletes, you do have open water and pool swim tracking support covered.
It covers running including a new track mode, which has also rolled out to other watches and serves big metrics for cycling and swimming too.
You also have profiles for other outdoor pursuits like skiing, hiking, rowing and kayaking. These bring point-to-point navigation with the ability to upload routes and follow breadcrumb trails in real time.
You do have a triathlon mode of course, which works in a similar fashion to how it does on the 735XT and the 945. And you can hit the back button (bottom right) to transition to different sports in brick sessions, customise the legs of your event or training, follow course navigation and access your training schedule and workouts.
The Forerunner 745 promises up to seven days in smartwatch mode, up to six hours with GPS and music in use, 16 hours in GPS mode and there's an UltraTrac mode giving you up to 21 hours. That's good going, but it has decreased from the 735XT and 945.
In short, this is a great triathlon watch – but if you can get a Forerunner 945 discounted this holiday season your money is better spent there.
Check out our Forerunner 745 in-depth review.
We love…
- Small, light design
- Useful recovery advisor feature
- Solid sports tracking
We don't love…
- Battery life isn't great
- Iffy sleep tracking
- Feels too expensive
Best Garmin outdoor watch
Garmin Instinct Solar
Price when reviewed: $399.99 | Garmin Instinct specs page
The Garmin Instinct is a rugged outdoor sports watch that comes with the same DNA as Garmin's Fenix range.
The Instinct has just been updated to the Instinct Solar, which offers hikers and outdoors types significant battery life improvements over the standard Instinct.
The Instinct already provides many of the power saving modes only found on the Fenix range. UltraTrac will extend battery life from 16 to 40 hours of hiking by reducing pings to the satellite, which is great for walkers and acceptable for ultra-distance trail runners.
The Instinct Solar changes things dramatically. GPS lasts 30 hours rising to 38 if you expose it to three hours of strong sunlight. There's also now Max Battery GPS mode, which lasts 70 hours and up to 145 hours with solar.
And finally, there's an Expedition battery setting that can provide tracking for 28 days, rising to 68 days with solar. Those are huge numbers and a big boost for the Solar Edition.
The Instinct will track running, hiking, cycling, swimming, climbing and even skiing, boating and other types of outdoor pursuits. There's also a new Instinct Solar Surf edition, which packs specialist tracking and things like tide times.
Built to withstand the toughest of elements, the Instinct has all the usual skills you'd expect to see from one of Garmin's outdoor-friendly watches.
There's GPS along with GLONASS and Galileo support to offer plenty of mapping coverage. There's a barometric altimeter to measure elevation when you're climbing up mountains, a heart rate monitor and the Instinct Solar adds a pulse oximeter, which it uses to check elevation against blood oxygen on its new Acclimatisation Widget.
Unsurprisingly, this hardcore outdoor aid places a big emphasis on features that should come in handy when you're trekking or hiking, including course navigation, the ability to import GPX routes and TrackBack, which guides you to the start of your workout using breadcrumbs.
Sitting in between the Vivoactive and Fenix ranges, it's priced at $299.99, with the Solar Edition rising to $399.99.
We love…
- UltraTrac GPS for long hikes
- General running and workout modes for everyday fitness
- Battery life on Solar Edition
We don't love…
- Not the most stylish
- Low-res display
- No music
Read more: Garmin Instinct review | Garmin Instinct Solar review
Garmin swimming watches
Garmin Swim 2
Price when reviewed: $249.99 | Garmin Swim 2 specs
The Garmin Swim 2 is in no uncertain terms a massive upgrade on the first Swim as far as what it’s capable of when you’re in the water.
It’s the cheapest Garmin you can buy to get open water and pool swimming features though it would be even more attractive at a slightly lower price.
If you can’t stomach paying for a top end Forerunner or Fenix, this is the swimming-focused Garmin watch to go for instead.
There are more metrics, settings to play with and of course a smattering of smartwatch features to make it useful when you're not swimming. The Swim 2 will track lengths, distance, pace, stroke count and SWOLF.
It can also detect stroke type, offer pace alerts, critical swim speed insights and a handy auto rest feature.
Many of these can be viewed in in real-time on the watch, but you'll get a better overview in the Garmin Connect app. Like most Garmin watches, it'll also play nice with Strava.
Check out our Garmin Swim 2 review.
We love…
- Easy to use
- Plenty of swim metrics
- Accurate tracking
We don't love…
- Basic smartwatch features
- Doesn’t have full Connect IQ support
- Screen a bit on the small side
Garmin hybrid watches
Garmin Vivomove 3
Price when reviewed: From $219.99 | Garmin Vivomove 3 specs page
The Vivomove 3 is undoubtedly one of the best looking smartwatches you can get your hands on, and, in a slightly weak field, is probably the best hybrid on the market, too.
It mixes an analogue face with a digital display on the dial that will show essential information such as heart rate, steps and call notificaitons – and you get a week of battery life.
There's no GPS, so those who want accurate run or cycle tracking will have to do so with their phone, but you do get a healthy array of overall tracking. Long-pressing the screen will bring up the option to select activities, at which point you can cycle between runs, cycles, walks, gym workouts and more.
It's definitely susceptible to the odd software hiccup, but generally the hidden screen technology responds extremely well and is home to a wide array of features.
We wouldn't recommend serious sporty types pick up one of the Vivomove 3 devices – they should turn to the rest of Garmin's range – but it's a more than capable fitness tracker for regular users.
Read our full Garmin Vivomove 3 review.
We love…
- Stylish design
- Software works beautifully
- Gamut of features
We don't love…
- Mild software hiccups
- Sleep tracking issues
- Style and Luxe models are pricey
This article was first published in July 2015. However, we update it frequently to reflect the newest Garmin devices, making sure that we've tested the latest and greatest devices available to buy.
