When it comes to Garmin smartwatches there is a lot of great tech packed into a large variety of choices. We pick the top six options best suited to your specific needs.

Best For Marathon Training
Garmin Foreruuner 265

Why We Like It: We’ve long been fans of the 200 series Forerunners because they give runners nearly every feature we need, without any bloat, at a reasonable price. But, true innovation in watches seems to have stagnated a bit and now we’re seeing even the good, cheap watches get shiny new features and price tags. The Garmin Forerunner 265 is still a stripped-down version of the pricier Forerunner 965 but now it gets a bright AMOLED display. Forerunners have typically had a dimmer screen that’s great for battery performance. These new displays, however, are bright. To manage the battery, you can choose to disable the “always on” display or adjust the brightness (limited to three levels).

“I keep my display dark, but leave ‘gesture’ on, so the screen will light up when I actually raise my arm to look at it,” says tester Jeff Dengate. “On runs, I leave the display on all the time — I love that Garmin lets you set different settings for those two scenarios as well as when you’re sleeping.”

Other than the display, the 265 also features ‘Training Readiness’. It’s accessible by scrolling down through the widgets and gives you a score to let you know whether you can take on a hard workout. To do so, it factors in your sleep, recovery time, HRV status, acute load (how much hard work you’ve been doing), sleep history, and stress levels. In short, it knows what’s happening in your life 24 hours a day to tell you when to push and when to back off.

Best Update
Garmin Forerunner 255 Music Running Watch

Why We Like It: If you’ve been a devoted fan of the Garmin Forerunner 200 series, this is an upgrade worth making. The Forerunner 255 Music now comes in two sizes (41mm and 46mm) as well as versions that play music or don’t. Regardless of what model you choose, the 255 is still among the most featured GPS running watches, making it one of the best values. The 255 also supports triathletes for the first time — triathlon mode automatically adjusts your displays to show you the right metrics for your activity, plus tracks transition times.

The biggest new feature, however, is the multi-band reception, which allows the watch to receive two signals from a satellite simultaneously to filter out any inaccurate data points. We find this watch tracks as accurately as any other.

Best Solar
Garmin Fēnix 7X Pro Sapphire Solar 

Why We Like It: Garmin’s Fēnix models have always been rugged, indestructible timepieces used for trail running and, well, everyday running as well. One reason is that these watches, like this 7X Pro Sapphire Solar, have insane batteries — they’ll last 89 hours with just GPS active but still go for 16 hours if you’re streaming music, too. We find that we have to charge it only about once a week with regular use. It also has one of the biggest screens you’ll find on a GPS-running watch, one that’s capable of showing you up to seven different metrics on a single display.

All the new Pro models have dual-frequency reception, which Garmin calls “multi-band” GPS, to make your run tracking more accurate. In our testing, we’ve found the resulting maps after our runs completely align with the actual course we ran—no more errant zig-zagging as the watch loses signal. The biggest change for the Pro version, however, is that Garmin redesigned the heart rate sensor. We’ve found that the readings correspond closely to what we measure with a chest strap.

Another bonus feature on the 7X and 7X Pro models, which seems insignificant until you actually need it, is a flashlight. Whether your headlamp battery expires before you do, or you’re just navigating your dark house on your way to bed, you’ll find it helpful.

Best For Multisport
Garmin Forerunner 965

Why We Like It: Garmin updated the Forerunner 955 (both the Solar and non-Solar versions) to be more accurate than ever, thanks to multi-band reception. It leads to better pace estimates on your run and cleaner maps when you upload to your favourite digital training platform. This top-tier GPS functionality carries over unchanged to the new Garmin Forerunner 965.

The colour maps, also available on the Forerunner 945 and Fēnix models, are another handy feature. Displayed on the watch, these help you find your way around new cities without getting lost. (In the 965, they’re easier than ever to navigate; Garmin increased both the watch’s screen size and resolution from the 955.) You can even generate round-trip courses on the fly, with no computer required.

Best Battery Life
Garmin Enduro 2 Running Watch

Why We Like It: The Garmin Enduro 2 is no longer a stripped-down version of the Fēnix for the sake of longer battery life. The newest version of the ultra-endurance watch nearly doubles the battery life of the first Enduro during activity and lasts for 120 hours in normal GPS mode with optical heart rate active. Video producer Pat Heine-Holmberg used the watch for a month and a half, with GPS tracking on regular training runs and bike commuting to the office, as well as a 15-hour run in the mountains with navigation. He only had to recharge the watch once.

And it’s easy to fine-tune battery performance to your adventures, if you need even longer run time. The menu makes it easy to know how many hours you’ll gain or lose by turning different sensors on and off. Daily-use features like Garmin Pay, music apps, and a touch screen really make it a tool of convenience on the go. For trail adventures and ultra racing, the Enduro 2 now has access to more satellite systems (and multi-band GPS, like the 255 above), topo maps for navigation, and even a decent flashlight that is bright enough to use as an emergency backup if your headlamp fails on the trail.

All available from Garmin

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