10 Best Garmin Smart Watches 2025 in the United States

The Garmin epix Pro (Gen 2) Sapphire Edition, designed for larger wrists, stands out with its 1.4-inch always-on AMOLED display that offers excellent visibility. The scratch-resistant sapphire lens and titanium bezel contribute to its durability, making it a reliable companion for various activities. Its battery life is impressive, lasting up to 384 hours, ensuring you won't need frequent recharges. However, this can vary depending on usage, particularly with GPS and other intensive features active.

The built-in LED flashlight is a handy addition for night training, offering variable intensities and strobe modes for better visibility. Advanced training technology like hill score and endurance score features provide detailed insights into your physical activity and progress, making it a great tool for serious athletes. The smartwatch also supports multi-band GPS and multi-GNSS with SatIQ technology for accurate positioning and navigation, even in challenging environments, which is a significant plus for outdoor enthusiasts. Health and wellness monitoring features, including HRV status, Pulse Ox, and advanced sleep monitoring, give a comprehensive view of your health, though it's worth noting that these are estimations and not medical-grade measurements.

Smart features like notifications, music control, and compatibility with both Android and iOS ensure it integrates well with your daily life. While the advanced features and durable build justify the higher price, it might be more than necessary for casual fitness users who don't need detailed performance metrics. The watch is water-resistant and offers various activity profiles for different sports, enhancing its versatility. Despite its robust build, the 88-gram weight might feel slightly heavy for some users.

The Garmin tactix 8 is a robust and feature-packed smartwatch designed especially for tactical and outdoor use. It stands out with its 1.4-inch solar-charged display, titanium bezel, and sapphire lens, making it very durable and scratch-resistant. Its battery life benefits from solar charging, which can extend use during outdoor activities. GPS accuracy is excellent due to multi-band GPS with SatIQ technology, ideal for precise navigation in challenging environments.

Heart rate monitoring is comprehensive and includes advanced health tracking like sleep, respiration, Pulse Ox, and an ECG app. Water resistance is strong, supporting dives up to 40 meters, making it suitable for swimming and diving. Smart features cover a wide range, from tactical functions like jumpmaster and stealth mode to general fitness tracking and compatibility with a companion app for managing profiles and targets. The watch also offers aviation navigation and preloaded maps, making it versatile beyond just fitness.

The watch excels in durability and specialized features, though its weight is slightly on the heavier side at 95 grams, which might feel bulky for casual users. The memory is limited, and the smartwatch operates on Garmin's OS, which is user-friendly but may feel different if you're used to other platforms. For those seeking a top-tier tactical smartwatch with broad outdoor capabilities and premium build, this model is a strong choice. However, if you prefer a lighter, simpler everyday smartwatch, this might be more than you need.

The Garmin Instinct 2X Solar Tactical Edition is a sturdy and rugged smartwatch designed for outdoor and tactical use. It stands out with exceptional battery life thanks to its Power Glass solar charging lens, which can extend usage significantly—up to 'infinite' in smartwatch mode when exposed to sufficient sunlight. This makes it ideal for extended trips or outdoor activities where charging options are limited. GPS accuracy is enhanced by multi-band signal reception, offering better and more reliable positioning than standard single-band devices, which is useful for navigation and outdoor sports. Heart rate monitoring is continuous and paired with advanced health tracking like sleep and respiration monitoring, though the data is an estimate rather than medical-grade.

The watch is built tough, meeting military standards for shock, thermal, and water resistance, so it can handle harsh environments and water exposure without worry. Its display is moderately sized at 1.27 inches and benefits from solar charging, but it may not be as vibrant or sharp as high-end smartwatch displays, which might affect readability in some lighting conditions. The built-in LED flashlight and SOS strobe are practical smart features for nighttime visibility and emergencies.

While it covers many fitness and outdoor needs with built-in sports apps and sensors, its memory and storage are limited compared to other smartwatches, and it’s primarily geared toward users who prioritize durability and battery life over a sleek, tech-heavy smartwatch experience. This watch is well suited for adventurers or tactical users who require a reliable, long-lasting GPS companion with solid health tracking and robust build quality.