These are the best Garmin smartwatches you can buy - Android - US apps and news

These are the best Garmin smartwatches you can buy - Android

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If you've ever searched for the best fitness tracker or best Android smartwatch, you might be familiar with Garmin, which designs various wearables that cater to both the smartwatch and fitness crowds. When you're looking for a perfect mix of both, the Vivoactive 4 is the best Garmin smartwatch you can buy. Whether you're a professional athlete or a first-time runner, there are many fantastic choices here. Best Overall: Garmin Vivoactive 4 The Garmin Vivoactive 4 might be a year old now, but it's overflowing with features that make it a worthy upgrade from the previous model. You'll now have your pick between two sizes: 45 mm and 40 mm. The larger model gives you an extra day of battery life in smartwatch mode at eight days. It'll last six hours when it's in GPS and music mode. The smaller model dips down to seven days and five hours, respectively. As for the good stuff, you'll have all of the essentials, like built-in GPS, smartphone notifications, Garmin Pay, and 5 ATM water r...

Best Overall: Garmin Vivoactive 4

The Garmin Vivoactive 4 might be a year old now, but it's overflowing with features that make it a worthy upgrade from the previous model. You'll now have your pick between two sizes: 45 mm and 40 mm. The larger model gives you an extra day of battery life in smartwatch mode at eight days. It'll last six hours when it's in GPS and music mode. The smaller model dips down to seven days and five hours, respectively.

As for the good stuff, you'll have all of the essentials, like built-in GPS, smartphone notifications, Garmin Pay, and 5 ATM water resistance. Music storage is now standard, which is something you had to pay more for with the predecessor. You'll have many of the same workouts, like strength, cardio, elliptical training, floor climbing, indoor rowing, and yoga. There's now a Pulse Ox sensor to track blood oxygen saturation levels and respiration tracking to monitor the number of breaths per minute. As a result, you'll have more insightful sleep data.

The Body Battery lets you check your energy levels during the day by gathering data from heart rate variability (HRV), stress, sleep, and activity. It'll help you schedule your workouts and rest periods at optimal times. There are over 40 on-screen workouts for strength training, cardio, yoga, and Pilates. Follow the animation on your watch as it demonstrates proper form and technique.

If you go with the larger 45 mm watch, you'll only have the color choice of slate or silver. You can find plenty of Garmin Vivoactive 4 bands that allow you to personalize your wearable further. It would've been nice to have a richer display at this price point, but the Vivoactive 4 uses the same transflective display as most Garmin wearables.

Pros:

Built-in GPS with great tracking features
5 ATM water resistance
Garmin Pay
Music storage
Good battery life
Pulse Ox sensor

Cons:

Pretty pricey
45 mm has fewer color options
Lackluster display

Best Overall

Garmin Vivoactive 4 GPS Smartwatch

$263 at Amazon
$350 at Best Buy
$291 at Walmart

Well-rounded smartwatch

The Vivoactive 4 offers activity tracking and other useful features, including Body Battery, Pulse Ox, and more.

Best Value: Garmin Vivoactive 3

If you're not worried about having the newest and best Garmin smartwatch, you can save some money by opting for the Vivoactive 3. It's not nearly as impressive compared to its successor, but it has a lot to offer. Most importantly, the unbeatable price tag makes the Garmin Vivoactive 3 an excellent value pick. As long as you don't mind it only being available in one size and a few other differences, you won't find a better deal than this.

The noteworthy features on the Vivoactive 3 include built-in GPS, smartphone notifications, Garmin Pay, multiple preloaded sports apps, and 5 ATM water resistance. This smartwatch also offers stress tracking, sleep tracking, and heart-rate monitoring. The battery will last for up to a week in smartwatch mode and 13 hours in GPS mode. As we mentioned, you'll be hard-pressed to find all of these features at this price point.

As you can see, it's not the worst thing in the world to select a smartwatch that's not the newest option on the market. You get a whole lot of bang for your buck here. One other difference that might affect your choice is that the Vivoactive 3 doesn't offer music storage as a standard feature. You'll have to spend a bit more to get a model that comes with music storage.

Pros:

Excellent value
5 ATM water resistance
Superior battery life
Built-in GPS
Garmin Pay

Cons:

Music storage isn't standard
No on-screen workouts
Only comes in one size

Best Value

Garmin Vivoactive 3 GPS Smartwatch (010-01769-01)

From $123 at Amazon
$123 at Best Buy
$115 at Walmart

Best bang for your buck

The Garmin Vivoactive 3 may not be the latest in its lineup, but it has plenty to offer at an amazing price.

Best Hybrid: Garmin Vivomove HR

For those searching for a reasonably priced hybrid smartwatch that offers a sleek and attractive design along with a good feature set, the Vivomove HR is ideal. Perhaps one of the most appealing aspects of this model is its surprisingly affordable price tag, which is a nice bonus if you're on a budget. This watch offers up to five days of battery life in smartwatch mode and an additional two weeks in regular watch mode.

While this is not a full-blown runner's watch by any means, it still has a lot to offer for the casual athlete who wants to track the basics. Whenever you record a workout, the Vivomove HR will track your heart rate, speed, distance, floors climbed, and pace. It will also track your sleep patterns and stress levels. It's disappointing that this wearable is equipped with an accelerometer and five ATM water resistance, yet it doesn't offer swim tracking. However, given that it's a hybrid smartwatch with a screen that doesn't work while underwater, it makes sense.

If you're happy with basic activity tracking and heart-rate monitoring features, the Vivomove HR is a great watch to have on your wrist. You won't have GPS or swim tracking, but that's a small price to pay for a budget-friendly hybrid smartwatch. Not to mention that there are a handful of dazzling color and style options to choose from, so it'll look good as it handles your tracking needs.

Pros:

Reasonably priced
5 ATM water resistance
Decent battery life
Stunning, stylish design
Activity, stress, sleep, and heart-rate tracking

Cons:

Lacks built-in GPS
No swim tracking
Touchscreen navigation can be tricky
Difficult to read in direct sunlight

Best Hybrid

Garmin Vivomove HR Hybrid Smartwatch

From $140 at Amazon
From $125 at Walmart
$290 at Newegg

Hybrid lifestyle

The Vivomove HR is an excellent hybrid smartwatch at a fair price. You can track steps, calories, distance, and heart rate.

Best Lifestyle Watch: Garmin Venu Sq

Those who want a bit of everything that Garmin offers without breaking the bank will appreciate the Venu Sq. As the name suggests, this is a square version of the original Venu. You might expect many differences to set the two apart, but that's not totally true.

The Garmin Venu Sq comes in a standard and a music edition, although you'll pay more for a music model with Wi-Fi. On the original Garmin Venu, all of the models have music storage and Wi-Fi. The budget-friendly, square-shaped model isn't quite as fancy, but it still looks and feels nice on the wrist. It comes in a 40mm fiber-reinforced polymer case with a 1.3-inch color LCD — no premium AMOLED screen or stainless steel bezel here. You do get 20mm interchangeable Garmin Venu Sq bands, making it easy to change up your look.

Surprisingly, those are the only major difference between the Garmin Venu and the Venu Sq. It lacks an altimeter and a gyroscope, so it won't be measuring elevation or angular velocity. Other than that, this new release from Garmin can do just about everything the original can. You'll have onboard GPS, heart-rate monitoring, activity and sleep tracking, over 20 preloaded sports apps, 5 ATM water resistance, Body Battery energy monitoring, and a Pulse Ox sensor for measuring blood oxygen saturation levels. You also have mobile payments with Garmin Pay.

If you don't mind having a watch without music or Wi-Fi (or accepting that you'll pay more for those perks), the Garmin Venu Sq is an excellent lifestyle watch with a reasonable price tag. It's not nearly as premium and stylish as the original Venu, but that may not be your highest priority in choosing a wearable.

Pros:

Onboard GPS
Heart-rate monitoring
5 ATM water resistance
Pulse Ox & Body Battery
Six days of battery life
Garmin Pay

Cons:

Music version with Wi-Fi costs more
Lacks altimeter, gyroscope

Best Lifestyle Watch

Garmin Venu Sq GPS Smartwatch (010-02427-00)

From $150 at Amazon
$150 at Best Buy
$150 at Walmart

For every lifestyle

Any lifestyle will benefit from the Garmin Sq with its lightweight design and useful features.

Best for Women's Fashion: Garmin Lily

The Garmin Lily is a small but efficient smartwatch specifically designed for women by women. It's not uncommon for some to feel like they have to choose between having smartwatch features and maintaining their sense of style. While this may not be the case for all women, this watch is great because it combines the two, so you're not forced to choose one over the other. The Garmin Lily may just be one of the best smartwatches for women.

One of the first things you'll notice is that this smartwatch has a monochrome display. If you're used to bright and shiny AMOLED displays, this might be a bit of a drag. However, the text and numbers are large, crisp, and easy to read. Not to mention, you'll enjoy up to five days of battery life on a single charge.

Other key features include heart-rate monitoring, 5 ATM water resistance, activity/sleep tracking, blood oxygen monitoring, and much more. You'll also be able to choose whether you want the Sport model with aluminum hardware and a silicone band or the Classic model with stainless steel hardware and a leather band. As you might've guessed, the Classic model is a bit more expensive.

It's worth mentioning that the Garmin Lily lacks a few key features. If you want a full-blown smartwatch experience, this might affect your final decision. You won't have built-in GPS, music storage, or NFC payments. Another issue for some users will be the proprietary T-bar lugs used for the proprietary band system. This means you'll need a special tool whenever you want to change the band, which is a bit of a hassle. Fortunately, there are still third-party Garmin Lily bands on the market. You just have to make sure they're the correct 14mm straps.

Pros:

Activity/sleep tracking
5 ATM water resistance
Music controls and notifications
Heart-rate monitoring
Up to 5 days of battery life

Cons:

Lacks built-in GPS, NFC payments
Monochrome display isn't for everyone
Proprietary bands

Best for Women's Fashion

Garmin Lily

$180 at Amazon
$180 at Walmart

A feminine smartwatch

If you want to enjoy the benefits of a smartwatch in the form of a fashionable wearable, you'll love the Garmin Lily.

Best for Runners: Garmin Forerunner 945

Looking for a reliable GPS running smartwatch that will never let you down? The Forerunner 945 fits the bill. This model takes a few key features from many of Garmin's high-end smartwatches and wraps them into a powerful package. Let's start at the top. It promises a whopping two weeks of battery life in smartwatch mode, 10 hours in GPS mode with music, and up to 60 hours in UltraTrac mode. The size is 47 mm, so it's large and in charge. It's also slim and lightweight, which is important for those intense workouts. You'll have a convenient 22mm quick release system when swapping out your Garmin Forerunner 945 bands that can be changed in a matter of seconds.

You can look forward to multi-sport tracking, updated training analysis, Garmin Pay, a built-in music player, GPS, and full-color maps. Some of the outdoor activity profiles include hiking, climbing, skiing, and kayaking. The training load analysis tells you how much time you've spent working in different aerobic and anaerobic zones. It even offers suggestions based on your performance to help you be more productive. It's also got the Pulse Ox sensor to track blood oxygen saturation levels, supporting advanced sleep monitoring and altitude acclimation.

It's easy to see why runners and serious athletes alike would praise all of the amazing features that the Forerunner 945 offers. Whether you're looking to track a simple long-distance run or a more complex triathlon, there are no limits to what you can do with this smartwatch. With that said, it's not the cheapest option out there, but the price tag is warranted. If you want the full experience, you'll need to invest in the Running Dynamics Pod for additional data, like stride length, vertical oscillation, and ground contact time.

Pros:

Built-in GPS, full-color maps
5 ATM water resistance
Endless activity tracking
Stress, sleep, and heart-rate tracking
Music storage and controls
Garmin Pay

Cons:

Quite expensive
Only one size option
Need Running Dynamics Pod for additional data

Best for Runners

Garmin Forerunner 945 (010-02063-00)

From $525 at Amazon
From $586 at Best Buy
From $535 at Walmart

A multisport lover's dream

There's a lot to love about the Forerunner 945, like advanced running metrics, multi-sport tracking, full-color maps, and more.

Best for Adventurers: Garmin Fenix 6

The Fenix 6 Series is another wearable that Garmin has released within the last year. Some users feel that the Garmin Fenix 6 is not all that different than the predecessor. The good news is that it's still packed to the brim with features. There are a few other models in the series, but we'll be discussing the standard Fenix 6, which is 47 mm. It's worth noting that the higher up you go in the Fenix 6 Series, the more expensive your watch will be. Given the different watch modes, battery life varies. Smartwatch mode lasts 14 days, GPS mode lasts 36 hours, Max Battery GPS Mode goes for 72 hours, Expedition GPS Activity gives you 28 days, and Battery Saver Watch Mode promises 48 days.

It's evident at first glance that the Fenix 6 isn't exactly an everyday lifestyle watch. It's big and very rugged, with good reason. It's built for challenging expeditions that require a durable device. While there aren't any major software upgrades from its predecessor, there are enough subtle changes to justify purchasing the newer version.

You'll now have your data organized into widgets. Tap a button on the home screen to sort through critical data, like last activity, steps, heart rate, notifications, music controls, weather, and calendar. GPS accuracy has been improved, and you'll also be able to get a heart-rate reading underwater. In addition to the basic activity tracking profiles for strength, cardio, elliptical training, and so on, there are also a ton of outdoor activity profiles. You'll have hiking, mountain biking, snowboarding, and more. It's clear that the Fenix 6 is the ultimate adventure companion.

There's not much you can't do with this smartwatch. It's not made with fashion as the highest priority, but that's not its purpose. If you're constantly looking to push the limits when you head outdoors for a workout, the Fenix 6 will be right there with you. It might be expensive, but it's easily the best Garmin smartwatch for adventuring and exploring.