10 Best Garmin Smart 2025 in the United States

The Garmin Forerunner 165 is a well-rounded running smartwatch ideal for fitness enthusiasts looking for comprehensive tracking and smart features. It comes with built-in GPS, ensuring accurate tracking of pace and distance, and a wrist-based heart rate monitor for continuous heart rate tracking. The standout feature is its brilliant AMOLED touchscreen display, which, combined with traditional button controls, offers both ease of use and vibrant visuals. This smartwatch also boasts an impressive battery life, lasting up to 11 days in smartwatch mode and 19 hours in GPS mode, which supports long-term use without frequent charging.

Its lightweight design (43 mm) makes it comfortable to wear during various activities, including running, cycling, and strength training, thanks to its 25+ built-in activity profiles. Personalized daily workouts and Garmin Coach training plans are great tools for achieving fitness goals and improving performance. Additionally, the Forerunner 165’s health features, such as sleep and recovery tracking, provide valuable insights into overall well-being. Safety features like incident detection and Assistance provide peace of mind during outdoor activities.

Smart notifications ensure you stay connected by alerting you to calls and texts from your paired smartphone. Moreover, Garmin Pay allows for contactless payments, adding to the convenience of this smartwatch. However, some users might find the 1.2-inch screen size a bit small, and the Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity may not be sufficient for those seeking more advanced connectivity options. Despite these minor drawbacks, the Garmin Forerunner 165 excels in offering a comprehensive and user-friendly experience for anyone serious about their fitness journey.

The Garmin vívoactive 5 is a solid choice if you're looking for a versatile health and fitness smartwatch. It stands out with its bright AMOLED touchscreen that’s easy to read in most lighting conditions. One of its strengths is the impressive battery life—it can last up to 11 days on a single charge in smartwatch mode, so you won’t need to recharge frequently. The built-in GPS is reliable for outdoor activities like running and cycling, giving you accurate distance and route tracking.

Health monitoring is comprehensive, including heart rate, sleep quality with personalized coaching, stress levels, and even Body Battery energy monitoring that helps you understand when to push yourself or rest. For those interested in workouts, it offers over 30 built-in sports apps and tracks special activities like wheelchair pushes, which is a thoughtful addition. You can also download music directly to the watch and connect wireless headphones for phone-free listening—a nice smart feature for workouts.

While the health metrics are detailed, Garmin notes they are estimates rather than medical-grade measurements, so keep that in mind if you need precise data. The watch is light and comfortable, but some users might find the 1.2-inch screen a bit small if they prefer larger displays. Durability is good for everyday wear and exercise, though it’s not designed for extreme conditions like some rugged watches. Compatible with both Android and iOS devices, it offers a smooth experience for tracking fitness and health goals without overwhelming complexity. This makes it an excellent fit for fitness enthusiasts and those wanting to improve their daily health awareness with reliable tracking and useful smart features.

The Garmin Forerunner 265 is a solid choice for runners and fitness enthusiasts looking for a smartwatch that combines strong health and training features with reliable performance. Its bright 1.3-inch AMOLED touchscreen makes it easy to navigate, complemented by traditional buttons for more precise control. The watch offers impressive battery life, lasting up to 13 days in regular smartwatch mode and about 20 hours when using GPS continuously, which suits those who want long-lasting use without frequent charging.

GPS accuracy is enhanced by Garmin’s multi-band GNSS with SatIQ technology, ensuring good location tracking even in tricky environments like dense city streets or forests. This is important for runners or triathletes who rely on precise distance and pace data. In terms of health monitoring, it provides detailed insights such as sleep, heart rate variability (HRV), training readiness, and recovery status, helping users understand when to push hard or rest. It also offers over 30 activity profiles, covering a wide range of sports beyond just running.

Smart features include notifications for calls and texts, Garmin Pay for contactless payments, and safety tools like incident detection that can alert emergency contacts if needed (though this requires a paired smartphone and network coverage). The lightweight design adds comfort for daily wear and workouts. Some advanced health metrics are estimations rather than medical-grade measurements, so they should be used as general guidance rather than exact data. While the watch supports music, storage is limited to 8 GB, which might restrict how many songs can be stored offline. This watch is ideal for active people who want detailed training feedback, solid battery life, and smart features on their wrist, but may be less suitable if precise medical health tracking or extensive onboard media storage is a priority.