Top 3 Best Garmin Watches In 2025

Choosing the best Garmin Watch in 2025 can be a pretty daunting task. There’s a plethora of different models and variants, with options for runners, cyclists, golfers, and more. There are different sizes and shapes, solar-powered models, and they all have exciting names like Fenix, Tactix, Forerunner, and Instinct.

In general, Garmins offers the best health and fitness tracking in the business, with an emphasis on running and multisport events like triathlons. They perform equally well on Android and iPhone and are great for heart rate monitoring, training, tracking sleep, and more. This indicates that they are excellent substitutes for the top Android and Apple Watch smartwatches available.

Every Garmin available has been put to the test by us, including the recently released Garmin Instinct 3, which makes its debut as the top outdoor Garmin in our 2025 roundup. Here are all of our top choices, selected for you after being evaluated and tested by our professionals.

Table of Contents

• No 1 Garmin Forerunner 965
• No 2 Garmin Forerunner 165
• No 3 Garmin Fenix 8

Top 3 Best Garmin Watches In 2025

No 1 Garmin Forerunner 965

The Garmin Forerunner 965 is definitely one of the more expensive options from the company but that’s because it comes packing all the best features rolled into one wonder device. Of course these are the at-launch prices, so you can expect these to drop as new models come out.

It’s also worth taking sales into consideration as you can often find deals on even the best Garmin models during these times. The Garmin Forerunner 965 is all about that superb 1.4-inch AMOLED display which looks superb.

It’s not only rich with colors and crisp definition between light and dark, but it also has a fantastic 454 x 454-pixel resolution, plus it’s super bright.

All that equates to a screen you can read in any light or situation – including underwater – with lots of data at a glance. You can also activate the always-on display and since this is super low energy consuming that won’t even affect battery life much. Plus it’s all coated in a Gorilla Glass DX outer layer which should mean it stays scratch-free too. In our months of using this, including throwing it in bags, there’s not a mark on it.

No 2 Garmin Forerunner 165

The Forerunner 165 is a little pricey to be classified as a “cheap” running watch, but it’s a high-quality entry-level item. the Forerunner 165 is a middle-ground option that retains a lot of what makes the premium Forerunners really good training companions.

It’s got the AMOLED touchscreen, the ace Morning Report feature introduced in last year’s Garmin Forerunner 955, and Nap Detection as introduced in the Garmin Venu 3. As mentioned, the Garmin Forerunner 165 shares a lot of DNA with the other Forerunners in the range. The classic Garmin five-button configuration is here, with the three buttons on the right-hand side used to navigate up and down, or wake the watch’s screen when its motion detector isn’t active.

The user experience is the same as with most modern Garmin watches, with their list of widgets which you can easily navigate using either the touchscreen or the five-button system. It’s easily customizable, allowing you to add or reorder widgets as you see fit from Garmin’s library to tailor the watch to your own training style.

No 3 Garmin Fenix 8

The Garmin Fenix 8 was perhaps the most anticipated watch from Garmin in a very long time, and the reveal didn’t disappoint. The Garmin Fenix 7 series has been consistently rated among the best Garmin watches ever, and the Garmin Fenix 8 is packing most of Garmin’s best hardware features that were introduced in the years since the Fenix 7 was released.

Features like an AMOLED display, a microphone and speaker for calls, and an LED torch for attracting attention or running safely at night (and, er, for seeing in the dark) have been folded into the Fenix 8. It now has new waterproofing and an Apple Watch Ultra-style dive watch capability, cribbed from the Garmin Descent series.

The watch can act as a working dive computer for scuba activities down to 40 meters, although in our exclusive chat with Garmin product lead Jon Hosler he revealed that the watch can actually go beyond that depth. Unsurprisingly, it’s a fantastic watch.

It’s built like a tank without being too obnoxious, although it doesn’t deviate much from older Garmins (in fact, it looks almost the same as my Garmin Epix Pro at first glance). You know what you’re getting, and if you like Garmin’s existing stable of adventure watches, this is the best one yet.

Best Garmin watches for women vs men: Is there a difference?

Functionally, there’s no difference between Garmin watches for women and men: they’re generally unisex. Size, weight and style is a consideration for everyone, and where Garmin watches have multiple size options, we’ve outlined those options in our full reviews. Generally speaking, smaller sizes and lighter watches tend to be preferred by individuals with slimmer wrists, especially if they’re running watches.

Another aspect to consider are the features available, including women’s health tracking if it’s something you’re interested in. Most Garmin watches have the ability to track menstrual cycles using heart rate, skin temperature and other metrics it collects, but even if the watch features those options, you can choose to opt out or turn off the feature in Settings.

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