The best Garmin watches in 2024, tested by the RW editors

The Forerunner 265 delivers pretty much everything you’d want in a running watch without the price tag of Garmin’s more premium brands. There’s a wide range of features, a decent battery life (up to 13 days in smartwatch mode), accurate tracking and customisable workouts.

When it comes to display, the 265 has had a serious revamp from its previous iteration, with a sharp, colourful AMOLED touchscreen display that’s easily bright enough to work for outdoor runs on sunny days. The display alone puts the Forerunner 265 on par with smartwatch competitors, rather than simply being a dedicated athletic watch.

It’s pretty hardcore when it comes to features, too. It’s got the usual GPS, sleep tracking and fitness modes, but there’s also training status, training readiness and performance condition, which makes this feel like a real athlete’s watch. If you want to switch it up with cross training, you can also choose from over 30 activity profiles, including triathlons, cycling, swimming and more. On board-music has been standardised too, unlike previous models offline music is now included.

So what’s missing? Well, it’s lacking maps and smart assistant, but that’s about it. And if you can live without these features (which most people can), it really is an excellent all-rounder.

> Read our full Garmin Forerunner 265 review <

Smaller wrist? shop the 265S

If you’ve lusted after the bright, crisp display on the Garmin Forerunner 265 but the price tag is over your budget, the Garmin Forerunner 165 is here for you.

The Garmin Forerunner 165 drops into Garmin’s line up in between the entry-level Forerunner 55 and the Forerunner 265 and it’s now the cheapest Garmin Forerunner with a bright smartwatch-style AMOLED touchscreen.

Behind the impressive, snappy, responsive display, the Forerunner 165 serves up a pretty comprehensive array of Garmin’s regular run-tracking tools, with plenty to cater for training and racing. In fact, it offers the majority of core features you’ll find on the Forerunner 265 – including Suggested Workouts, adaptive Garmin Coach training plans tied to a target race and all the usual race time predictions, race pace tools and fitness benchmarking like VO2 Max estimates.

There are a handful of key omissions, though. There’s no accuracy-boosting dual band GPS and triathlon sports mode is missing. You’ll also have to forego some of Garmin’s training insights: training status, training load and training readiness readouts are all left out.

Even with those features taken out, when it comes to run-tracking the Forerunner 165 is more than a serious rival for pricier watches on performance and accuracy.

In tests, the Forerunner 165 held its own in tests against the Forerunner 265, Forerunner 965 and the Enduro 2 – all of which offer the accuracy-boosting dual-frequency GPS. The optical heart rate performance was relatively reliable, too.

You will pay a price for that punchy screen. The battery comes in at 19-hours of GPS runtime – that’s shorter than the Forerunner 55 (20 hrs), Forerunner 265 (20 hrs) and the Forerunner 255 (26 hrs).

We got between 5-8 days general training usage, with around 5-6 hours GPS run time. Without music a 1:25 half-marathon burned 11%, while a 4-hour marathon burned 21%. The juice drains faster if you use the music on the Forerunner 165 Music. But there’s still enough to cover most single-session distances.

Garmin still leads the way with additional smarts like contactless payments, WiFi syncing and offline music. All welcome extras at this cheaper end of the running watch spectrum. And if you want a happily reliable, largely fully featured run tracker, in a compact, comfortable package, this is a good value option.

> Read our full Garmin Forerunner 165 review <

If you’re new to running, there’s no point paying out for an entire suite of training features you’re not going to use. In this case, we’d recommend the Forerunner 55 as a great starting point. It comes with built-in (and accurate) GPS, optical heart rate monitoring, 20 hours’ GPS run time on a single charge and a general usage battery life that’ll get most runners through at least a week’s training.

There’s plenty of tools to cater for a wide range of running needs, with features geared towards the less experienced. This includes five running modes with track running and a virtual running mode for use with platforms like Zwift. There's also Garmin Coach adaptive training plans, daily suggested workouts based on your recovery, handy pace guidance for a selected course, cadence alerts to help with improvements in form and recovery advisor for advice on managing your rest between training efforts.

Beyond the run, you also get fitness, stress and body battery energy level tracking.

Sure, the screen is a little more low-quality than watches further up the Forerunner food chain, and there’s no offline music, notifications or Garmin Pay. But for beginners, this is an affordable entry-level option.

The Fenix 7 is arguably one of the most comprehensive multisport watches on the market, featuring advanced training features and top-notch navigation tools. We particularly love the Real-Time Stamina tool, which allows you to monitor and track exertion levels during training runs, rides or races. It gives you a live estimate of how you’re exerting energy during an activity, so you can gauge whether to push harder or hold back.

There’s military-style multi-band GPS, designed to improve GPS accuracy in areas where regular signals can struggle. Though we didn’t find the all-systems multi-GNSS mode made that much difference.

For ultrarunners and adventure athletes, the Up Ahead feature provides exact locations of aid stations, too.

It’s also packed with all the features you’d expect from a smartwatch – including smart notifications delivered right on the wrist, contactless payment, wrist-based heart rate, sleep and stress tracking. This is a watch designed to be worn all day, every day.

You’ll get between 57-73 hours of standard GPS run time which extends up to an impressive 289 hours with the right power save modes on and good solar conditions. In our tests, an hour’s full GPS run burned just 2% and we’d used just 50% after 15 days wear with 10 hours of training. That’s not the best battery in the business, but it’s more than enough even for most multi-day ultras.

> Read our full Garmin Fenix 7 review <

Fenix 7 (without solar)

Fenix 7S Solar

Fenix 7X Solar

If you want a running watch that can handle more extreme excursions, the Garmin Instinct Solar 2 is worth considering. It’s waterproof to 100m, thermal and shock resistant and has a scratch-resistant display and polymer-toughened case. And the best bit? It’s much more affordable than other Garmin models with similar specs.

It boasts an impressive suit of run-specific tracking, training and recovery tools, including VO2 Max estimates, training status, training load, post-run training effect readings and recovery time recommendations. For health and wellness, there’s Body Battery, Sleep Score, Advanced Sleep Monitoring, Menstrual Cycle Tracking and Stress Tracking.

It ticks all the boxes for safety too, including incident detection and live location sharing, making it well-suited to off-road ultras, plus urban running.

It’s also the cheapest watch to feature Garmin’s breakthrough solar-charging skills which garners energy from the sun. If you wear it in direct sunlight for three hours a day (or in 50,000 lux of light) it essentially never needs charging. Our office-dwelling tester couldn’t quite hit that daily quota of sunlight, so it lasted for around two weeks – still pretty impressive compared with an Apple Watch that doesn’t always last a day.

The lack of maps is surprising on a watch like this but the navigation skills are still strong. You get turn-by-turn breadcrumb and back-to-start navigation, along with distance to destination and future elevation for routes you load onto the watch. That’s particularly useful for trail runs and races.

Looking for something that bridges the gap between a running watch and a smartwatch? Enter the Venu 3. We’re not saying the likes of the Fenix and Instinct can’t be worn all day, but the Venu looks a lot more at home whether you’re exercising or not, and it’s smart enough for most occasions.

GPS is quick to triangulate, battery life is decent (just over an hour of running knocked off around 5% battery), and there are pre-loaded workouts available. Alternatively, you can create your own in the Garmin Connect app, much like with the Apple Watch. You can also configure alerts for heart rate, pace, time, distance, cadence and calories.

There are a few features missing that we’ve come to expect from some of the more 'running focused' Garmin watches – the Venu 3 doesn’t have a training readiness score or training status score, and there aren’t really any training-specific features on the Venu watches – you don’t get daily suggested workouts which adapt after every run or ride, recovery recommendations based on your latest training, or race predictions.

But just because the Venu 3 lacks some running-specific measurements, doesn’t mean it’s not a great watch for runners. In fact, if you’re the type of runner who also likes going to a weekly yoga class, dipping your toe into Reformer Pilates and conquering a strength workout, then you’ll probably love how versatile, smart – and pretty – the Venu 3 is.

From the wellness side of things, it’s got all the usual features you’d expect: heart rate tracking, sleep tracking, stress tracking and more. In fact, sleep has had a real overhaul. Not only does the Venu 3 give you a sleep score, but it also offers personalised tips on how much sleep you need and how you can improve. Another major improvement from the Venu 2 is the body battery feature which provides more information so you can understand exactly how the body battery is affected by what you do during the day.

> Read our full Garmin Venu 3 review <

Shop the Venu 3S

If you're used to a more mid-range Garmin on your wrist, the Garmin epix Pro will definitely feels like a step up in comparison. This is a running watch for front-of-the-pack runners – those who prefer more of a rugged build but don’t want to compromise on a super sharp display.

It's got a crystal-clear AMOLED touchscreen display and a whole host of advanced training features on top of Garmin’s usual 24/7 health and wellness monitoring. There's also a built-in LED flashlight for training in the dark, 30 new preloaded sport activities, and new training features including ‘hill score’ – which measures your capability for running uphill and assesses your progress based on your VO2 Max estimate – and ‘endurance score’, which looks at your ability to sustain prolonged efforts.

There’s no beating around the bush here – this is an expensive watch. But the epix Pro does feature a whole load of impressive features – including an optimised heart rate sensor and new weather map overlays. So if you’re currently thinking about upgrading from an older Forerunner (or, indeed Venu), this really is an excellent smartwatch.

Of all the Garmin wearables, the Vivosmart 5 is as basic as it gets – but that doesn’t mean it should be overlooked. For around £130 (or just under £100 if it’s on sale), you get a solid fitness tracker that’s capable of tracking runs, heart rate and stress.

The most obvious drawback is the lack of on-board GPS – you’ll need to piggy back off the GPS on your phone to monitor your route and pace. That being said, we’ve found the watches’ heart-rate readings are just as accurate as the premium Enduro 2, and you still have access to guided workouts and adaptive training plans in the Garmin Connect app.

The Vivosmart 5’s battery life should last you around a week, and since there’s no GPS or all-singing all-dancing features to drain it, this should stay fairly consistent.

Overall, we’d place the Vivosmart 5 just below the Forerunner 55. Both are geared towards beginners, but choose the latter if you’re looking for on-board GPS and guidance on your training; choose the former if you’re looking for something slender and discreet to track a couple of runs, as well monitor your overall health and fitness.

A world-class multisport watch, there’s not much the Enduro 2 can’t do. This hard-wearing hulk is built to handle off-road and ultrarunning adventures. In fact, it’s probably overkill for what most runners need, but if you can justify the hefty price tag, the battery life and features are pretty mind-blowing.

On paper it claims an unrivalled 80-hour GPS run time – extendable up to 300 hours in endurance mode. That’s boosted by solar-charging skills that harness the sun’s rays to power it up. In our tests, the watch lasted an astonishing 30 days on a single charge, with 30 hours of indoor and outdoor GPS-tracked workouts. An eight-hour ultra, using full GPS, burned just 10%. It’s not all battery, though...

The Enduro 2 offers Garmin’s complete suite of training tools and insights. That includes reliable heart rate and multi-band GPS (offering reliable tracking in remote areas) plus training effect, training load, recovery recommendations and training session suggestions.

Unlike the original Enduro, there’s topographic maps too, which make this newer version a better adventure watch. There’s also a new touchscreen and flashlight.

The main difference between the Enduro 2 and the Fenix 7 is battery life (the Enduro wins here), and while both are pretty rugged options, the Fenix 7 is a slightly more casual design.