Looking for the best Garmin to track your runs? Whether you’re searching for the one with the best battery life for your ultra outings or you want something to kickstart your running journey, you’ve definitely come to the right place.
The Testers team has years of experience strapping on pretty much every big Garmin made for runners, so you’re in good hands if you’re ready to buy your first, or you’re looking to upgrade.
Jane, Nick and Mike take you through the top picks from the team, across a range of categories to give you the Garmin watches that we think are worthy of a place on your wrist. Enjoy.
CHAPTERS:
00:00 – Intro
00:56 – Best Garmin For Beginners
05:38 – Best Garmin Running Watch For Women
10:07 – Best Value Garmin Running Watch
13:32 – Best Garmin For Battery Life
17:32 – Best Garmin For Mapping And Trail Running
21:37 – Best Garmin For Runners (Money’s No Object)
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Okay hey it is Mike from the Run testers I'm
with that guy Nick Harris fry who's also here And we are going to be talking about watches we're
going to be talking about garming watches now we Know there are other brands that make watches and
good watches for runners But ultimately we know Most people are going to be looking at garmin's
watches and to be honest this year they've had a Lot out wouldn't say that maybe they've had the
most groundbreaking things but in terms of still Giving most Runners really strong options gin have
had very good launches this year so what we're Going to do in this video is take you through
our picks based on our testing and not just Myself and Nick but the entire team in terms of
what you know experience that we've had with Gan Watchers over the past year or so and before that
as well I'm going to give you our top picks across A number of categories and we'll kind of explain
why we've picked those watches for you as well Too so we are going to jump into straight away
and we're going to start with I think a really Important category and that is the best Garmin for
beginners now when we're talking about beginners We're obviously talking about people who are maybe
starting on their running journey and ultimately Maybe don't want to spend a lot of money because
there are some watches in this video that do cost A lot of money we don't necessarily think everyone
needs to spend a big amount of money on a running Watch so these are watches that are very easy to
use not massively expensive but do give you still Give you a scope in terms of extra features that
will make it useful outside of running but also Dayto day as well too so the first watch we have
decided to pick in this category for best Garmin For beginners is the Garmin 4Runner 55 the Gin
4Runner 55 it's probably gin's most affordable Running watch outside of the 45 um you're getting
um strong battery life you're getting all the Kind of core running features that you would
would want you're getting connect IQ support You're getting a bit more scope into training
features and daily suggested workouts now Nick Why is this a watch that we've decided to pick
in terms of this category i' say this is really Almost the classic running watch within the
garments range it's the one if you just want A fuss-free running watch it does the stats it
does them accurately it's small and light on The RIS it's probably one that a lot of people
will buy and not wear all the time necessarily And just have a watch they Chuck on it's lots
of Runners out there don't necessarily want All the advanced features we're going to talk
about but also for beginners it's really good Because it does have some clever features like
the suggested workouts the training plans you can Follow from your wrist which you are available
in lots of watches these days but it's nice to Have it at that price point and it is cheap like
the RP is you know I think still fairly high but It's one of those watches that now is always in
sales Black Friday recently it's going to start Dipping down towards that 120 130 Mark and maybe
even lower than that in the future so it's just a Good package like it's the kind of thing you know
it is great for beginners but like I say it's the
Kind of watch I often would recommend to uh like
Club Runners I know who just want I just want a Fuss free running watch I don't need to worry
about loads of stuff it's very simple easy to Use and effective and that's really important now
ging didn't update this kind of entry level watch In its range and ultimate probably might mean we
was going to see a new version next year but I do Think that still leaves the G 455 as a watch and
as Nick says has kind of generally dropped below That kind of retail price so and still makes
it a very strong watch to pick and we think a Good strong option for beginners now another one
we've picked out I think it's interesting the one That we're going to talk about next is because
we're seeing in terms of what G has done with His range is kind of build out and have more
kind of AMOLED style watches and give you a Bit more of a Smartwatch experience so there are
more options that that kind of fit that profile In garmin's range now if you're looking for an
affordable option that also gives you something On the Smartwatch and on the running watch front
that we think is going to do a good job we have Picked the Garmin Viva active 5 now the Garmin
Viva Active 4 was released quite a few years ago G decided to bring it back and obviously now it
has the venue series which is really regarded as Their Smartwatch or their kind of true Smartwatch
but while the vi active 5 doesn't have everything That the 3 has in term of Smartwatch features
generally in terms of the kind of run tracking Kind of support that you're getting here it's
very similar and although you're may be getting A smaller case design you're getting maybe a lower
resolution screen ultimately for me and what I've Seen so far and I think what Nick has seen as
well the performance on the G Vivo active 5 is Been pretty good and from a price point of view
and the value and in terms of what you're getting In Smartwatch features I think it's a good option
for beginners as well too what do you think Nick Yeah it's a really nice little watch and like
I said I haven't actually tested the venue 3 Like my has but in the past I've often leaned
towards the Vivo active as the cheaper venue And especially now you've got an AMOLED screen on
the Vivo active really good looking watch really Light when I was testing it on all my runs against
you know really big hitting gin watches like the Epic Pro you know it's not quite as accurate and
stuff like that but it's still a pretty good watch Doesn't necessarily go deep into all the training
side analysis uh training analysis side of things So much but doesn't need to and it's pretty solid
value looks good nice watched to wear all the time Again was in sale straight away so even after it
just got launched so it will be cheaper in the Future it's just a good competitive itive I think
uh lower end goodlooking watch that actually is Still a very solid Run Tracker because Garmin just
puts it Sports tracking on any of these watches Obviously and it's just reliable customizable
Sports tracking that you can use even if you're Quite a serious Runner maybe one option that
come in even cheaper is things like the venue Square series which is slightly confusing series
it's not not my favorite watch uh but it's not
Quite as good looking but there are some real
Bargains in that series as well but I think The Vivo active 5 like we've been talking about
is a bit more future proof a really up-to-date Watch that uh does everything you really want at
this price and looks good too cool so those are Our two kind of Stand Out options in terms of
what we're saying the best garming watches for Beginners hi I'm Jane one of the Run testers and
these are my best Garmin watch picks for women I'm really aware women can wear any of the watches
we mention in this video but for in my last year Of testing these are the watches that really stand
out for me I've got a more affordable one and I've Got a more expensive Pig but I'll start with my
affordable one and and it is the Garmin 4Runner 265 this is the S and that is one of the reasons
I picked it it comes in two different versions The 265 has a 1.3 in screen and the 265s has a
1.1 in screen and I just think that is such for Me I want to be able to control the size I want
to have a choice over what how big the bezel is And it fits really really nicely on my wrist I
wish the 965 came in two different versions so I Could pick a smaller version but it doesn't dig
in when I'm sleeping and when I'm wearing when I'm not on the rum but it still doesn't feel
too small when you are running there you can Still you've still got enough screen and you've
still got the five buttons when you are on the Rum Weight Wise the 265s is 39 G and the 265 is
47 G this is a really lightweight running watch And I really have loved running with it it's
definitely my watch of the year and it's £429 Or $449 so it's not it's not super cheap but it's
not one of the most expensive watches on on the Market from a female Health tracking perspective
this has got all of the features in fact it's got Most of the training features not from a female
Health tracking perspective if you're looking at This versus the 965 the only real difference is
the screen on the 965 is bigger and you get some More mapping capabilities but to be honest
mapping isn't something I use an awful lot On my running watch so I you know I would always
go for the 265 over the 965 personally but from A female Health tracking perspective this has
got the menstrual cyle tracking which you can Do from your wrist and it will show you where
you are in your cycle which is really helpful You obviously get more information on your Garin
connects app one thing to say about that is unlike Other watches on the market Garmin aren't doing it
by skin temperature they're literally just using An algorithm so if you have a regular Cycles
it might not be the most accurate for you and At the moment it doesn't sync with any other
tracking apps but still I like the option to Have it for my wrist and one one thing I've been
super impressed by which none none of the other You know Aura Apple none of the other brands on
the market are doing very well in my opinion it's Pregnancy tracking I have really really rated
garmin's pregnancy tracking it's had hydration Reminders to remind me to drink more it's told me
from my wrist where I am in my pregnancy and it's Paused things like training status which I would
find quite demoralizing during pregnancy so I've
Been really impressed I'm really impressed that
it's on the more affordable 4Runners as well As some more expensive watches so then my more
expensive pick again this is a super hard one but I would go for the Garmin epics Pro and I would
definitely go for the pro over the original epic Purely because you have different size options
this is the smallest 42 mm version so I would Definitely wear as with the older EP with the
epics not the pro you don't have the option to Pick between your bezel and obviously like I said
with the 4 and a 26 5 I prefer a smaller watch That doesn't dig in when I'm sleeping or just
sitting working not on the rum there are also Loads of different bezel options this is the gold
and kind of sand color and I've had so so so many Compliments for this watch it looks beautiful and
compared to the Phoenix it has a really beautiful AMOLED screen as well really really bright screen
really lovely the Phoenix is obviously amazing But for me I think the screen on the epics kind
of edges it ahead in my opinion because I don't Mind try charging my watch once a week whereas
if you're looking for a really long battery life Obviously the Phoenix 7 is the better pick for
you but you get loads of customization you get All of the top top top training features you get
the menstrual tracking you get pregnancy tracking And you can find like a really beautiful watch
that suits your style um so this would be my top Tier piit obviously it's expensive it's one of
the newest garments on the market at the moment It's 829 in the p and 929 in doll but if you're
looking for a really high-end watch this is my top Pick so next category is best value Garmin Running
watch so what we're looking for and we're not Necessarily talking about the only things that are
a little bit cheaper but we're also looking at the Top end and if you are looking for a feature
kind of ging watch but also you want to make Sure you're getting good value for money these
are the watches that we're talking about here So the first watch we've picked and this is kind
of an example of the fact that we're not always Going to necess say buy the latest watch and you
shouldn't rule out buying some older generation Watches which are still going to get supported
and have still been supported by Garmin um since They've launched so the first one we're going to
talk about is the Garmin 4Runner 255 so Nick why Have we picked the Garmin for 255 as a good strong
value option in garage range well the two for5 is Just it's pound for pound just such a strong
watch around it's so much cheaper than the 265 Which came out this year which obviously has an
AMOLED display you don't get that on the 255 but That really is kind of the key difference between
the watches there is a couple of extra features on The 265 including training readiness but 255 has
great Sports tracking M multiband support it's a Multiport watch getting breakr navigation extra
features like music storage if you get the music Version and you're getting it at such a lower
price compared to the 265 the price upgrade for AMOLED is very big in gin's range especially when
you're looking at sales and stuff like that and The 255 did drop down to I think below 200 in the
sales this year in Black Friday and that's just
So much watch for that price um no it didn't it
didn't dra that time the 255 I think dropped to Uh below £300 or $300 in the sales this year
and it's a really really great watch for that Money and obviously if you don't get AMOLED you
are going to get a slight battery bump compared To uh the newer watches because you've got that
slightly duller screen just still a perfectly fine Screen but we like AMOLED screens we not we're
going to talk about them a lot later in the video But if you don't want that the saving is there and
it's a really big saving for what is you the best Probably mid-range watch or lower mid-range watch
on the market in general I'd say yeah and that's The same story really for the other watch that we
want to talk about here and that is the Garmin for A 955 which essentially a bit like the 255 it is
getting the same relatively the same features as A 965 outside of not having that AMOLED display it
comes in under 500 so you can make a big saving by Not going from that AMOLED screen but ultimately
in terms of the experience in terms of the level Of features you're getting you're still getting
that multiband mode you're still getting that Kind of full mapping support and you still are
getting a very good quality screen and as Nick Kind of said with a 255 you are getting or going
to get a little bit more in terms of that battery Life you know when you kind of switch those C
Amal displays and you decide to use it always On you are going to see a Dro in battery life
is that if that's how you're going to use that Watch now in terms of these watches you're not
going to have that situation if you've got the Screen and you're going to have the screen on
24/7 yeah I'd certainly say actually just quick On 955 if you don't if you're not fussed about
the AMOLED and you're not fussed about build Materials you know you're talking like titanium
and Sapphire screens for the extra durability You get everything software wise that's on the
better garments so you know the more expensive Gars Sor I should say so that is fantastic
you are be paying sometimes up to like 500 Less than some of those watches um especially in
sales so if if really you're looking at features And features alone it's it's so strong on that
front the Garmin 4255 and the Garmin 4 955 our Kind of Top Value picks in terms of ging's
range and we think our strong options for Runners cool and then the next category is and
I think this is going to be one that I feel like I get AR this a lot when people ask me about
watches is the best garment for battery life Now this is really interesting because obviously
we have seen the emergence of more garments with AMOLED displays and that does have an impact
on battery life and the level of battery life We're getting but we are seeing G deliver pretty
good battery life on that front with those color Displays but what we decided to do is pick two
options and we're going to pick an AMOLED and non Amed AMOLED display easy for me to say um that we
think are going to deliver for people who really Want that big level of battery life whether that's
day-to-day battery life or when you are tracking I Think that's a really important thing here so the
first one we've picked out is probably is going to
Be a massive surprise is the Garmin injo 2 now
this is a very expensive watch but ultimately If you are looking for huge you know huge battery
life huge level of battery life day-to-day during Tracking this is watch that is going to give it
to you that's right isn't it Nick it's it's it's It lasts pretty much forever like if you got a
few weeks on a chart like even when I was peak Of marathon training you know I've been logging
over 100k each week it was lasting three weeks in A charge pretty comfortably obiously if you're
doing things like Triathlon it's going to come Down a little bit but um it's just that's what
the feature is here it's basically a phoenix 7x Plus with all that battery life and that's what
you're getting it's just more battery life than The standard Phoenix with the same feature
set slightly different design that is quite Nice to the yellow accents but it's just it's
built to endure very much uh very much that's His key selling point and the only reason to buy
it is the battery life really and it delivers on That front like you know' got some stats probably
on the multi ban tracking Mike what have we got Yeah 68 hours in multiband mode which is kind
of you know is up there above everything else That we've kind of that's going to be you know
Untouchable for now at least in terms of what Gin offers in their range and it feels like the
injo is going to continue to be the the Garmin Watch um in that range it's going to deliver those
kind of big battery number so that first pick for Battery life is the Garmin injur 2 and then as I
mentioned we wanted to pick an option that if you Are decided to go or you want that AMOLED display
but you also don't want to make massive sacrifices On battery life we do feel like there is an option
here again you probably are going to have to spend A little bit more money on it but we so we've
gone for the Garmin epics Pro and that's the 51 Millimeter option so that is the really important
thing it's the 51 the largest epics pro model that You can get that is not cheap that is £999 $999
so a lot of money but in return in terms of what You'll getting from that watch you are getting
up to 31 days uh kind of day to-day battery uh That's 11 days in always on mode if you've got
screen on 24/7 you're getting 82 hours of GPS Battery live 38 hours of multiband mode so in
terms of a big watch a watch that has a color Display in garments range this one can deliver big
numbers and it's it's showing great potential in Terms of what Garmin might have install for us
going forward yeah I mean I Ed the Epic Pro 51 Mm uh for Lo the one I really asked in because
when you saw the new epic Pro range it was the Most interesting watch to me because of that
battery life you know in real world usage with Lots of running it was lasting N9 10 days on a
charge with the always on screen on and garmin's Always on screen is pretty detailed compared to
what we've seen from people like polar and sunto Who are just launching their AMOLED watches you
can still see all like the complications you've Put on the that watch screen so so that's great
I ran an 8 Hour Ultra with it you know didn't Barely dented the battery life it's it's pretty
phenomenal for an AMOLED watch to be lasting that
Long but it is big and it is expensive and that's
kind of the story of battery life in garment range The bigger the watch the more expensive the watch
the better the battery life and I mean Fair the 965 AMOLED screen is seven days always on six
seven days last of me so if you want a still Very good battery life a little bit less then
there is that cool yeah so those are two options For best Garmin for battery life so that is the
Garmin injo 2 and the Garmin epic Pro 50 the 1 mm Version so next up is best Garmin if you are big
into your maps and big into your trail running so If you love kind of mapping and navigation
features and again this is something a bit Like Bach life people do ask me they want to know
about the mapping features and sometimes it's a Bit difficult to kind of deduce what Garmin offers
at the different price points but ultimately these Are the watches that we think offer the kind of
best full mapping experience that you're going to Get on a g in watch and again we picked something
that offers that am display which I think I feel Elevates the experience of using mapping on
ging watches but also something that gives you A more affordable route into that kind of full
mapping support as well too so the first watch We've picked is the ging 4 965 again this is was
launched this year this has an AM display this is Kind of not cheap again but it is not as expensive
as some of those kind of top end epics and epics Pro Models but this gives you that kind of full
mapping support that ding really has to offer and The kind of features that kind of come around with
it so Nick yeah why is this one that we you know We feel like from an amlo point of view is a good
option if you're kind of big into your mapping and Navigation features so obviously the 4Runner nine
series is the is the cheapest watch in the range To get M maps from Garmin and we have found of
all the stuff that the AMOLED really elevates On the watch the maps is almost the biggest it
really does make your roots shine really pop On the run it's so easy to follow the maps when
they're an AMOLED especially if you start hitting Dappled Forest cover which is always a bit of a
trickier one with the memory and pixel displays The 9×5 is AMOLED it's a bit cheaper than those
topw watches has really good battery life I used It for a long I think 51k run around Wales and
they had the route on there the whole time it's Fantastic get Klein Pro which is like the best
feature I love garmin's Klein Pro feature it's So good it basically picks out all the climbs in
the sents in your route so you can see them live During the climb and basically judge your effort
so you don't suddenly spurt thinking you're near The top of the hill then round the corner and
see there's another 300 MERS of climbing to go So yeah it's just really good and obviously 955
is another really good mapping one that's a bit Cheaper but the AMOLED display does make a big
difference only thing I say with the N9 series Compared to some of the more expensive ones is
they don't have saire screens and if you are a Big trail Runner who's constantly on slightly you
you know bad Trails you're brushing your arm like You might you might scratch that screen it's more
scratchable than the sapphire ones I've got a tiny
Scratch on mine from that long run in Wales uh so
that is something to look out for if you really Are looking for robustness the sapphire screen
as a trail run is probably the time it's worth The upgrade maybe and while we're talking about
Sapphire screens the other option is that leads Us into is the garming Phoenix 7 Sapphire solar
Edition is what we picked as the other watch to Look at if you are looking for a really strong
mapping kind of experience or that kind of those Strong navigation features as well now we did have
the kind of Seven Pro But ultimately feature set Wise It's not that hugely different the battery
life numbers AR massively different from what We've seen on seven so if you are looking for
a top kind of watch which kind of gives you big Battery life but also those kind of strong mapping
features all things that you expect to see from a Kind of top end Garmin the Garmin Phoenix 7 Sapp
solar Edition offers that gives you that solar Charging as well gives you as Nick mentioned
that kind of Extra Protection in terms of the Screen as well and the transor display is still
very strong and still offers very good visibility And those kind of brighter kind of you know out
outdoor kind of condition so you can still view Those maps in in in a very easy fashion as well
that is another watch to look at as well in this Kind of category and again you don't have the am
display but it's still going to give you a strong Mapping experience and strong set of features on
that front as well too yeah I think the only real Reason to look at upgrading to the 7 Pro is if
you are looking for the smaller Phoenix watches And you want that built-in flashlight which you
get across the 7 Pro range on the trails having An extra light is never a bad idea I I would
still personally as someone who's terrified Of the dark I would never go on the trails but
even if I was I'd have so many lights with me I'm Not sure the watch would be that relevant but
at the same time it's a handy thing certainly To have that light and it you know could be a
lifesaver at time so if you are someone who does Those Ultras where you run through the night um
and all that kind of stuff then maybe the the 7 Pro upgrade to a light might be worth it or you
could buy a light for a lot less than the price Difference uh and we're going to get to our last
category we've actually only got one watch in This category but this is if you really want
to spend big on a ging watch you really want A strong experience you want everything in terms
of features in terms of design you want that Amed Display you want that color display you want
that kind of great Smartwatch experience this Is a watch that we think you should buy now
we're not saying everyone should buy it but If you are looking for the best of the best
I we kind of feel in this range this is the Watch that we think you should be going for
so we've mentioned it already so far it is The Garmin epics Pro that's a 51 mm version as
we mentioned it is expensive it's under ,000 Under $1,000 but in terms of design materials
in terms of what you're getting here in terms Of protection of the screen the titanium in terms
of that design as well the level of features that
You're getting the flashlight all the kind
of mapping navigation Sports tracking the Training analysis that is all here and you've
got that kind of huge baty life that we talked About as well earlier too so you're not making
massive compromises in terms of that in terms Of having that AMOLED display as well so yeah if
you've got a lot of money to spend and you want A really strong experience you like a big watch
one with kind of strong materials and that kind Of big feature set then this is the one we would
say to look at yeah it's a pretty unreal watch I Really love using it uh day-to-day testing against
other watches is while I still got it on loan and Yeah it is Big you get used to it quite quickly
I would say if you're definitely against the big Watch I wouldn't necessarily say that the next
step down Money No Object would be one of the Smaller epices I think probably the 4 and a 965
has got really good battery life and it's such A smaller lighter watch if that is putting you
off the Epic then that would be another great Money's No Object watch but the epex pro 51 mm is
maybe where the future of sports watches kind of In evidence is what you can do with long battery
life AMOLED display all that rugged sports watch Quality uh in a watch that is pretty smart as
well so yeah pretty pretty hard to beat cool So that is our best monies no op watch to get
from Gins range if you are looking for The All Out expensive watch for your running Pursuit
so that is our video that hopefully you found That useful and you found something you've maybe
found your new running watch you found your new Garment that you're going to get you're going to
upgrade to um if you've got any questions about Anything we've talked about in this video and
obviously we've got reviews of these watches on The channel as well too so definitely go check
out we'll put links to those as well too but If you've got any comments in the meantime let
us know below as always like And subscribe hit That little bell to find out about our latest
videos and yeah we'll see you for next R Test's Video
