Garmin watches & buying guides
Compare Garmin watches, understand the product families, and choose the right model for your needs and budget.
EXTRA5The Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 Just Launched — Still Can't Beat Garmin on These Three Things
Series 12 and Ultra 4 just launched, and I got excited for about five minutes. Then I remembered why I still wear a Garmin: battery, buttons, and a watch band that fights you every single morning.
Day 13414Coros Matches Garmin on Almost Everything — Except These Two Things
Battery, training metrics, GPS accuracy: Coros is genuinely competitive. But there is no streaming music and no app store, and both are things you'd notice every single day.
Day 1339The Marathon World Record Was Set on Garmin's Cheapest Watch
Sabastian Sawe ran 1:59:30 in London — the first legal sub-two-hour marathon in history. On his wrist was not a fēnix 8 or a Forerunner 970, but a five-year-old entry-level Forerunner 55.
Day 13228Every Garmin Watch Still Coming in 2026
The fēnix 9 landed, but Garmin isn't finished. The Enduro 4, fēnix E2 and MARQ Gen 3 have all cleared certification — and one of them is a very good reason not to buy an Enduro 3 today.
Day 13033Overrated vs Underrated Running Watches
This one is going to upset some people. The fēnix 9, the Apple Watch Ultra, the Coros Vertix 2S and Whoop are all overrated right now — and the watch nobody talks about is the one I'd actually recommend.
EXTRA91Most fēnix 9 Features Are Coming to Older Garmins — I Didn't See That Coming
Stamina zones, the rucking suite, the indoor rowing overhaul and running power curves are all heading to the fēnix 8, Enduro 3 and Forerunner 970. Garmin has never done this before, and it makes the cheaper watches far more interesting.
EXTRA218Garmin Released the fēnix 9 — And I'm Underwhelmed
Three new lines, an all-titanium Pro, and no new sensor at all. I put the fēnix 9 next to the fēnix 8 in my own compare data: the base model has literally the same battery, and the outgoing fēnix 8 is currently the better buy.
Day 12411Your Apple Watch Battery Is Dying — And It's Costing You Your Sleep Data
Apple rates its watch batteries at 80% capacity after 1,000 charge cycles — roughly two to three years of daily charging. A one-day watch becomes a half-day watch, and the first thing you lose is sleep tracking.
EXTRA30Garmin Is Launching the fēnix 9 — Here's the Livestream
Garmin's "Play Harder" livestream airs Tuesday 25 August. The fēnix 9 has already leaked in 18 retailer listings, it's going to be expensive, and the upgrade looks incremental — but that's not the part that matters.
Day 12239Cheap Garmin vs Expensive Garmin: What Does $550 More Actually Buy?
A $299 Forerunner 170 and an $849 fēnix 8 run the identical training suite — Training Readiness included. Here's exactly what the extra $550 buys, and the four metrics you genuinely do give up.
Day 11915Don't Buy a fēnix 8 Today — the fēnix 9 Is Nearly Here
The fēnix 9 turned up in Garmin's own app code in June and cleared the FCC in August. Whether or not you want the new watch, that timing is exactly why you shouldn't buy a fēnix 8 this week.
Day 97151Which Garmin Should You Buy? The Lineup Explained
Forerunner, fēnix, Venu, vívoactive, Lily, or Instinct? A plain-English guide to what each Garmin family is built for, so you buy the right watch the first time.
Day 9383Garmin Forerunner 70 vs 170 vs 570 vs 970
The Forerunner 70, 170, 570, and 970 target very different runners. Compare their navigation, sensors, training tools, and daily features before paying for the wrong tier.
Day 8764Find the Right Garmin Watch With the Compare Tool
Garmin's catalogue is crowded. Describe your activities, required features, and budget to get a focused shortlist, then compare the watches side by side.
Day 7028Apple Watch vs Garmin: Which One Actually Tracks Sleep Better?
Scientific studies compared both against polysomnography — the gold-standard sleep lab test. Here's what the research says, and why Garmin still wins in the real world.
Day 6952Forerunner 165 vs 170: Is the $100 Difference Actually Worth It?
The Forerunner 165 and 170 run on the same hardware. The differences are a handful of software features. At $100 less, the 165 might be the best affordable Garmin you can get right now.
Day 65475 Apple Watch Features Garmin Still Cannot Match
Garmin is brilliant for sport, battery life, recovery and durability. But if you are moving from Apple Watch to Garmin, these are the five smartwatch features you should know you may lose.
Day 61649Which Garmin Should You Buy? Let the Compare Tool Decide
After five years of testing Garmin watches, I built a free tool that takes your preferences and budget and tells you exactly which Garmin fits — then lets you compare them spec by spec.
EXTRA28Forerunner 70 & 170: Garmin's New Entry-Level Running Watches
Garmin just refreshed the bottom of the Forerunner line with the 70 and 170. Here's what changed, what didn't, and why the 165 at $199 may be the smartest buy of all three.
Day 5841Garmin vs Coros: 3 Reasons I'd Choose Garmin Every Time
Coros makes solid sport watches that match Garmin's accuracy. But here are the 3 reasons I'd still choose Garmin — every single time.
Day 5014Garmin vs Apple Watch: Which Counts Your Steps More Accurately?
I wore a cheap Garmin and a cheap Apple Watch at the same time, manually counted 1,000 steps, and checked which was closer. Garmin was off by 5. Apple Watch by 20.
Day 434261Find Your Perfect Garmin: The Compare Tool
Not sure which Garmin to buy? The Garmin School compare tool lets you chat with an AI advisor, filter the full watch catalogue, and compare any watches spec by spec — all in one place.
Day 4260Top 20 Garmin Features Your Apple Watch Doesn't Have
Battery life is just the start. Here are 20 things your Garmin does that Apple Watch simply can't — from Body Battery to topographic maps to solar charging.
Day 3913Apple Watch vs Garmin: Which Heart Rate Is More Accurate?
I wore both during a walk to find out. The answer isn't what you'd expect — and the real difference isn't accuracy, it's frequency.
Day 307Apple Watch vs Garmin Battery Test: How Long Does Each Last?
I charged both to 100%, disabled always-on, and ran the same route. The results weren't even close — but the Apple Watch had one clever trick up its sleeve.
Day 2120Cheapest vs Most Expensive Garmin: GPS Accuracy Tested
Multi-band GPS on a Fenix vs single-band on a Vivoactive — the results are closer than you'd think, and the battery cost of multi-band is real.
Day 1921Venu 4 vs Vivoactive 6: Which Should You Buy?
I tested both for months. The Venu 4 is better in almost every way — but at $549 vs $299, is the $250 difference worth it? An honest comparison.
Day 1719Why Your Garmin Shows a Heartbeat When You're Not Wearing It
Put your Garmin on a table and it still shows a heart rate. It's not broken — it's how the optical sensor works. Here's the actual physics behind it.
Day 918How Does Your Garmin Know You've Climbed a Floor?
It's not GPS. It's a barometric altimeter — your Garmin measures tiny changes in air pressure as you go up stairs. Here's exactly how it works.
Day 816MiP vs OLED: Which Garmin Screen is Better?
MiP (Memory In Pixel) screens shine in sunlight and last longer. OLED is vibrant and bright like a phone. Understanding the difference helps you pick the right Garmin.
Day 326Goals: Apple Watch Rings — But for Garmin
Switched from Apple Watch and miss closing your rings? The Goals watchface brings that ring-closing satisfaction to Garmin with fully customizable metrics.