What Is the Best Garmin Watch Right Now? (2026)

In certain circles, the “best Garmin watch” doesn't refer to just a brand but a category definer, like Q-Tip or Band-Aid. From casual hikers to nationally ranked professional athletes, anyone who loves outdoor sports can glean useful information from the bevy of sensors, safety features, and sophisticated software that come with every Garmin watch. A few other fitness trackers have come close to replicating Garmin's durability, wearability, and reliability—notably Suunto and Coros—but the company remains the industry standard. And unlike an Apple Watch, a Garmin watch also works with both iPhones and Android phones.

While other smartwatches and fitness trackers now tout features like sleep tracking, blood oxygen measurements, and fall detection, these have been quietly and unobtrusively on Garmin watches for years. For almost a decade, I've tested dozens of Garmin watches while running, rock climbing, hiking, biking, and walking my dog. Our top pick for most people is the hybrid lifestyle Garmin Vivoactive 6 ($300), but the undisputed best Garmin watch, and the best sports watch period, is still the Garmin Fenix 8 AMOLED ($1,100).

Don't be scared by the high prices; the best part is that even though Garmin watches are costly, they age very well. That's that Midwest practicality for you (the company is based in Olathe, Kansas). Once you're set up with your Garmin, check out the rest of our outdoor buying guides, like the Best Merino Wool Clothing, the Best Electric Bikes, and the Best Gravel Running Shoes.

Updated March 2026: We've added the Garmin Venu X1 and added more information about the latest Garmin software features. We've also updated links and prices.

Best Overall

Garmin has a ton of entry-level lifestyle trackers that look just like regular smartwatches. Sorting through them can be difficult, especially since they come at a range of price points and feature sets. The entry-level Garmins start with the basic fitness-tracking band, which is the Vívosmart line. The last time this line was updated was in 2022, but as I said, Garmin devices age very well. For a mere $150, the Vívosmart 5 has features like a week-long battery life, connected GPS, incident detection, and a bright OLED screen.

From there, you can move up to the Vivomove line, which has a hidden display and no onboard GPS; to the midrange Vivoactive line; or to the premium Venu line. (Garmin still offers the Vivosport, but that launched in 2017 and is pretty old.) When it comes to Garmin's lifestyle lineup, the Vivoactive 6 offers the best value in terms of features and price, with a gorgeous, clear AMOLED touchscreen and access to all of Garmin's proprietary and excellent sensors and algorithms.

It has onboard satellite connectivity, a heart rate monitor, blood oxygen monitoring, a compass, a gyroscope, an accelerometer, a thermometer, and an ambient light sensor. It’s rated for water resistance at 5 ATM, so you can track water sports, and it has incident detection to alert your emergency contacts if you fall on a hike. This is Garmin's lifestyle watch, so the activity profiles are geared more toward golf and racquet sports. You can also use Connect+, Garmin's AI-enabled subscription service, for $70 a year.

One of the biggest pluses with Garmin is that its Connect software has always been free. I don't think you need Connect+ to take full advantage of the Vivoactive 6's capabilities, especially since this is an entry-level tracker. However, Garmin recently introduced new features, like meal tracking. As befits Garmin's expertise, Connect+ does offer the only useful AI-enabled fitness service I've tested so far.

Best Apple Watch Dupe

The Venu X1 is Garmin's answer to the Apple Watch Ultra (and priced comparably), with a few big differences. The first is battery life. While the Apple Watch Ultra can now stay powered on for a full three-day weekend, the Venu X1 lasts about a week without the always-on display. The case is also significantly thinner, measuring about 8 mm in depth compared to the Apple Watch Ultra's 12 mm. The 2-inch AMOLED display is also slightly bigger, if a little less crisp than the Apple Watch Ultra's wide-angle OLED. Like all Garmins, it works with both iOS and Android.

Unlike the Apple Watch Ultra 3, it doesn't have onboard satellite comms. And instead of a classy, 3D-printed titanium case, it has a polymer case. While you can take phone calls with the onboard speaker and mic, the Apple Watch Ultra's speakers and mic sound much nicer (though the Venu X1 sounds a lot better than the Garmin Venu 3 ($450), where my husband said that it sounded like I was calling him from the bottom of a barrel).

With all that said, I do like the Venu X1 a lot. The battery life makes a big difference—I like being able to take off for a three-day camping weekend without needing to bring a charger. The thinner case is much more comfortable to sleep with and fits better under multiple layers of shirt jackets, even if it does look cheaper. Garmin's sleep and biometric software is also better than Apple's; Garmin Connect and Active Intelligence are way more useful than Workout Buddy, and Garmin has preloaded maps you don't have to upload separately. The Venu X1's big bright screen is the best way to scroll and tap around the maps.

Get the Apple Watch Ultra if you have an iPhone and you like the ease of use in Apple's walled garden. But for a lot of people, the Venu X1 has a lot to recommend it.

Best Outdoor Watch

For several years, Garmin confused us all with the competing Fenix and Epix lines; the Epix was pretty much a Fenix with an AMOLED screen. Last year, Garmin consolidated the two, and the Fenix rules them all. It's the best sports watch that any WIRED reviewer has ever worn, from me to Brent Rose and Kieran Alger. There are also an incredible number of variants. Not only can you choose the case size—there's a 43-mm, a 47-mm, and a 51-mm version—you can also choose between the AMOLED screen, the solar-charging display, or the more affordable E version that doesn't have a flashlight, speaker, or mic.

Last year, Garmin introduced a Pro version that incorporates the inReach's satellite communications savvy. Not only does it cost at least $400 more than the Apple Watch Ultra and $200 more than the regular Fenix 8, but you also have to pay for the inReach subscription plan, which has several tiers and ranges from $8/month to $50/month depending on whether you want features like unlimited texting or sending photo messages.

What you get for this mind-boggling price is a sports watch that can do anything and everything. It has best-in-class battery life (every Fenix can last for weeks on a single charge, and up to a month with solar charging) and features like the depth sensor from Garmin's Descent line, which means this watch works as a full-on dive computer for scuba and free diving. It has a microphone and speaker for basic voice commands (although no onboard cellular connectivity), the surprisingly useful built-in LED flashlight, and Garmin's signature built-in topographic maps, 24/7 health monitoring, and tracking for over a hundred different activities.

I've taken the 51-mm version on pretty much every outdoor sport—snowboarding, trail running, mountain biking, and rock climbing. Every time I use it, its capabilities far outclass my own. I have irritated many a fellow climber by attempting to track route difficulty, duration, and falls while integrating my Body Battery metrics and so on. The danger is always that you'll spend more time fiddling with your Garmin Fenix 8 than you do with your actual sport. I have the version with the sapphire glass face and the titanium bezel, and have smashed it into rock faces with nary a scratch. If you're up for paying the price and want a good-looking watch that will last forever (I have friends who are still wearing their Fenix 5s and 6s, and honestly, they're fine), this is the one to get.

Best Running Watch

The Garmin Forerunner series launched in the early 2000s and has become the quintessential runner's watch. Like all Garmins, the Forerunner comes in a range of price points, each offering different features. Last year, Garmin released the Forerunner 570 ($550), a midrange model with no LED flashlight or onboard maps, and the Forerunner 970 ($750), which is the premium version. Before I go into detail about why the Forerunner 970 is the best option, I should also say that I have tested many previous Garmin Forerunners at various price points. If you're not a triathlete, the older Forerunners are still worth considering, and the entry-level $200 Forerunner 165 is aimed explicitly at runners, instead of including triathletes as the more expensive models do.

New updates to the Forerunner 970 include the 1.4-inch AMOLED touch display, the weirdly useful LED flashlight, the latest fifth-generation optical heart rate monitor, and the onboard speaker and mic for taking calls (which, again, do not sound that great, but they work). Reviewer Brent Rose tested the heart rate monitor against a chest strap, and it matched perfectly, which is amazing for a wrist-worn HRM.

As with the Fenix 8, Garmin's software really shines. Garmin introduced many new running-specific training features, like Acute Impact Load, which tracks how hard a run was, versus just how long or how fast you ran it—if you ran a super-hilly run and exerted yourself but were very slow, Garmin factors that into your recovery. It also now has Running Tolerance, which helps you avoid injury by taking your Impact Load and the actual number of miles you ran, and tells you how many miles it thinks you should be running. (It's worth noting here that Garmin's user base includes some of the top outdoor athletes in the world, so it generally doesn't think very highly of me or my abilities.)

You can only use some of the new running training features, like Step Speed Loss and Running Economy, if you wear the Forerunner 970 together with the Garmin HRM 600 chest strap ($170). I should also note that one of my favorite ways to use the Forerunner 970 is with the Oakley Meta Vanguard glasses. You can sync the Forerunner 970 to your Vanguard and tell it to auto-capture short clips every mile or so on your runs for your run-fluencer Instagram reels—or just to show your spouse that weird thing that was next to the road. (Only a few Garmin watches work with the Vanguard; check out the full list here.)

My Favorite Garmin Watch

Say you want all the backcountry functionality of the Fenix, but you're really put off by the price. Then you want an Instinct, which is one of Garmin's most popular lines. It offers the same multi-band GPS navigation capability, stellar battery life, and ability to survive in harsh environments as the Fenix 8. But it's also significantly cheaper, lighter, and just looks more fun (so retro-chic!).

Last year's updates to the Instinct line included a new AMOLED display that's scratch-resistant thanks to a metal-reinforced bezel, and a built-in flashlight. I took the Instinct 3 weightlifting, snowboarding, biking, and rock climbing, where I made certain to bang it repeatedly into a rock wall (along with my head and my glasses). It can record all of these activities and come through without a scratch. Like all other Garmins, the Instinct 3 comes in a variety of case sizes, price points, and capabilities. There are the 40-mm, 45-mm, and 50-mm case sizes; you can also get it with or without the AMOLED screen, and with or without solar charging.

The Instinct 3 won't be for everyone. It looks very chunky and does have trouble fitting under some of my jacket sleeves. While cheaper than the Fenix 8, $500 isn't precisely a bargain, and you might find it difficult to return to Garmin's traditional five-button watch navigation if you're used to the sleek touchscreen on Garmin's other models. However, if you're a Garmin traditionalist, this is the watch for you. I've worn some version of the Instinct since 2018, and this is my favorite watch.

Honorable Mentions

Garmin Vivosmart 5 for $150: Garmin's answer to the Fitbit basic fitness tracker has been around since 2022, but it's not outdated, and it is the cheapest Garmin tracker available.

Garmin Forerunner 265 for $350: This is Garmin's midrange Forerunner, released in 2023. All the Forerunners age well, and I think this model hits the sweet spot between features and affordability for most people who are not elite runners.

Garmin Lily 2 for $250: The Lily is Garmin's entry-level women's watch and was last updated in 2024. This is the watch you get if you want a fitness tracker that has a hidden screen and doesn't look like a Garmin at all.

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