Pioneers of wearable tech

Thanks to their functionality and convenience, smartwatches have become very much indispensable and go hand in hand with our smartphones as with our everyday lives. And its no secret that Garmin is one of the top brands leading the charge in advancements in wearable tech. Founded in Kansas in 1989, and currently incorporated in Schaffhausen since 2010, the company has always been a pioneer in creating smart devices and it’s showing no signs of slowing down. If you’re looking for a smartwatch with great performance and reliability, its likely a Garmin that you should be looking to. But with a wide variety of smartwatches in their inventory, finding the right one for you can be intimidating. However, fret not, as we have, as we often do, narrowed down the top 10 (in our opinion) Garmin smartwatches that money can buy.

GARMIN VIVOMOVE HR PREMIUM GOLD GM-010-01850-9C HYBRID SMARTWATCH

We’re starting off with a rather interesting and fetching smartwatch; The Vivomove HR. Its one of the best-looking smartwatches in the market now, and in a relatively uncontested field of  , is certainly the best one too. As the name suggests, it combines both an analogue and a digital sub-dial that shows essential information such as the time, heart-rate, steps and call notifications. There’s no GPS however, so you’re gonna have to depend on your phone instead if you want an accurate running/cycling tracking, but you do get a good array of overall health tracking. It is a touch screen too, adding an interesting blend of modern technology with ‘old-school’ timekeeping. The hidden digital display technology responds incredibly well and is home to a wide array of features too. If you’re looking for a serious activity tracking smartwatch, this might not be the one for you. But if its style and practicality that you’re looking for, its hard to find one better than this one.

GARMIN FORERUNNER 645 GM-010-01863-80 SMARTWATCH

The Forerunner 645 was the first Garmin to introduce music features, add on a slew of other useful features such as payment support, barometer/altimeter, activity tracking and many more. It is a proper performance smartwatch for runners and it shows in its abilities. Capable of providing data such as height elevation, cadence, stride length, ground contact time and balance, vertical oscillation and vertical ratio too, it packs one hell of a punch for runners. Throw in a convenient music streaming feature which allows you to sync and access your offline playlists from Spotify and it’s the perfect companion for your daily runs. And even if you’re not going for a run, its simple and stylish design makes it an incredibly versatile and handsome piece of kit too. Overall, it’s one of the best performance smartwatches money can buy these days and certainly one of the most versatile all-rounders as well.

GARMIN VIVOACTIVE 4S SLATE & BLACK GM-010-02172-19 SMARTWATCH 

The Vivoactive 4S is a sports focused smartwatch, developed to provide the benefits of quick access notifications and smart features along with a jack-of-all-trades sports tracking that supports up to 20 different activities. It’s also a watch that brings more than fitness smarts to your wrist. A clear upgrade to the Vivoactive 3 and 4, it boasts a relatively reasonable trans-reflective display that is given a glossy screen, giving it a more stylish look and feel. It supports Garmin Pay, and Spotify and as you’d expect, is capable of having third party apps installed via Connect IQ. You will get a decent fitness tracking, and sleep tracking which is aided by the Pulse OX sensor that will deliver advanced sleep stages and information on your respiration as you sleep. Pretty hardcore stuff there. In terms of sports tracking, you get running, cycling, swimming, golfing, strength, cardio, elliptical, indoor rowing, yoga and many more. Overall, the Vivoactive is a great all-rounder, with better than average specs, especially at this price point and is certainly worthy of your consideration.

GARMIN FENIX 6X PRO SOLAR TITANIUM GM-010-02157-5F SMARTWATCH

The Fenix range is the pinnacle of Garmin’s line-up and the Fenix 6 series is undoubtedly one of the best sports smartwatches you can buy today. The watch is built to tackle the great outdoors and look good doing it. Featuring modes to track hiking, climbing, cross country skiing, cycling, swimming, running, indoor workouts, triathlons, golf and much, much more. Water resistance rating is up to 10ATM, so it’ll easily survive laps in the pool with you. The model also features tracked metrics to the extreme, offering full insights for VO2 Max, race prediction, stress scores, training effect and training status. You don’t need to be an expert to know that these are seriously useful and meaningful data. Runners will absolutely adore the PacePro feature which uses a library of user generated GPS routes to help you pace your runs, even up and down hills. And for trekkers, the TOPO mapping feature allows you to see what’s around you, including major trails and navigate to points of interests right from your wrist. All in all, if you’re looking to get the best performance outdoors smartwatch, the Fenix 6X is gonna be your best option.

GARMIN VENU BLACK AND GOLD GM-010-02173-39 SMARTWATCH

If its style you’re looking for, then it’s to the Venu that you’ll be looking to (or the Vivomove HR too). Its pretty much the same watch as the Vivoactive 4 we’ve looked at previously but with a glossy Amoled display. Making it much more legible during your night time runs and notifications and health data looking really great too. In terms of fitness/sports and health tracking, its similar to the Vivoactive 4. Running, cycling, swimming, golfing, strength, cardio, elliptical, indoor rowing, yoga and many more. There is also a support for reading heart rates underwater as well. It’s a neat little smartwatch that offers plenty of great specs in a beautiful package, though battery life may not be on par with the Vivoactive 4. This is still undoubtedly the better looking one out of the two. So, if you’re looking for a nicely speced smartwatch that not only performs well, but looks good too, then the Venu should be your go to.

GARMIN VENU SQ MUSIC GM-010-02426-82 NAVY/LIGHT GOLD SMARTWATCH

There’s no hiding what Garmin has its sights set on when developing the Venu SQ; The Apple Watch. What it essentially is, is a watered down Venu with all the features you’d come to expect but at a much lower price point. You do get (as the name suggests) music compatibility too, as well as a slew of trackers and GPS too. Pretty staple stuff from Garmin, and that’s not even a complaint. Running, cycling, swimming, heart monitors and many, many more are just some of the base features that this smartwatch is capable of. Add that with an incredibly user-friendly UI and what you have is an incredibly capable smartwatch at an ‘Apple-watch’ killing price of well under $400. Really, if you like the aesthetics of the Apple watch but want something a bit more affordable without compromising on the features, then the Garmin Venu SQ Music is certainly for you.  

GARMIN FENIX 6S SAPPHIRE SHALE GRAY GM-010-02159-8P SMARTWATCH

The Garmin Fenix 6a is part of the very strong lineup of flagship smartwatches from the brand and for good reason. It has an extremely premium finish to its materials, from the brushed bezel to the matte finished case, polished buttons and sapphire crystal screen, it also packs a punch with its wide array of features. Equipped with a heart-rate and pulse monitor, GPS, ABC Sensors, smart notifications, Garmin pay services, multi-satellite support and multi-sport watch OS, there will be almost no situation in your life where you won’t find this watch useful for. Of course, the design plays an equally significant factor in choosing this watch, it’s a proper good-looking piece of kit. With a shale gray vintage style leather strap paired against a gray case with a brushed gold bezel and sleek, unobtrusive buttons. The Fenix 6S certainly looks the part of a flagship model, and with its features, it goes like one too. If you’re in the market for a high-performance smartwatch that not only packs a punch in its features, but looks fantastic too, then the Fenix 6S in shale gray is surely for you.

GARMIN LEGACY HERO FIRST AVENGER GM-010-02174-49 SMARTWATCH

We all love superheroes, don’t we? Well with the Legacy Hero series, paying tribute to our favourite superheroes, we ought to take a look at the one that celebrates one of the most iconic on-screen super-hero; Captain America. Now right off the bat, the Legacy series features the same software and specifications as the Vivoactive 4 and the Venu, so you get the usual Garmin Pay and Spotify compatibility. Along with the trackers for running, cycling, swimming, golfing, strength, cardio, elliptical, indoor rowing, yoga and the lot. Though the main difference would be that the Legacy series offers a bit more fun in its design compared to the other 2. This one features Cap’s iconic deep blue colours on its case and trim, with his recognizable shield on the screen and bezel as well. Its subtle, yet instantly recognizable and that’s what makes it work so well as a tribute piece. If you’re looking for a smartwatch to show your love for these on-screen heroes or are just looking for a handsome and nicely speced smartwatch in general, then the Legacy Hero series is certainly for you.

GARMIN INSTINCT SOLAR CAMO EDITION GM-010-02293-56 LICHEN CAMO SMARTWATCH

The Garmin Instinct Solar is a rugged sports smartwatch that shares a similar DNA with the Fenix range. Though the current Instinct has been given an update to be solar powered, that only means better news for hikers and outdoors types in terms of a more significant battery life and performance. The Instinct already provides many of the power-saving modes featured on the Fenix as well, making it an even more indispensable companion on your adventures. The Instinct is capable of tracking hiking, running, swimming, cycling, climbing, skiing and even boating along with other types of outdoor pursuits. Built to withstand the toughest of elements, the Instinct has all the usual functions you would come to expect from a high-end Garmin smartwatch. A GPS for plenty of mapping coverage, barometric altimeter to measure elevation when you’re climbing up mountains as well as a heart rate monitor and an oximeter. Which can be used to check elevation against blood oxygen on its new Acclimatisation widget. It should come as no surprise that this tough as nails outdoor smartwatch places a large emphasis on features that will come in incredibly handy when you’re trekking or hiking. If you’re looking for a rugged and dependable outdoors smartwatch, it’s hard to do better than the Instinct Solar.

GARMIN SWIM 2 SLATE GM-010-02247-60 SMARTWATCH

There’s no other way of saying this, the Garmin Swim 2 is a massive upgrade over the first Swim as far as its capabilities can go when you’re in the water. It is also the most affordable Garmin you can buy to use in the open waters or swimming pool. If the Fenix or the Forerunner are too cost inhibitive, then the Swim 2 is certainly the one to go for, for a smartwatch that you can reliably use underwater. Of course, there are a swathe of other features the Swim 2 is capable of when you’re using it on the land. It is capable of tracking distance, track lengths, stroke count and SWOLF too. It can also detect stroke type, offer pace alerts, critical swim speed insights as well as a useful auto rest feature. It’s a great entry level smartwatch though, even if you’re not using it for swimming, and is a great entry into the world of Garmin smartwatches as well for those looking for a reliable smartwatch without having to break the bank.

Smartwatches for you and me

Whether you’re looking to spend over a thousand on a flagship smartwatch with all the features, trackers and performance that you will ever need, or an entry level daily wearer with better-than-average specs. Garmin certainly has you covered. A reputation as solid as this isn’t had from dumb luck, it is earned from developing and designing ground-breaking and reliably usable products for the masses for years. And Garmin is undoubtedly the brand to go for, if you’re looking for your next smartwatch. Browse our collection of Garmin smartwatches now.