10 Best Garmin Smart 2025 in the United States

The Garmin vívoactive 5 is an impressive health and fitness smartwatch, especially for those with an active lifestyle. Its bright AMOLED display offers clear visuals and enhances user interaction. With a robust battery life of up to 11 days, it ensures that users can track their activities without frequent recharging, which is a significant advantage for those who are always on the go. The inclusion of over 30 built-in sports apps caters to a wide range of fitness activities, making it ideal for fitness enthusiasts as well as casual users. Additionally, features like Body Battery energy monitoring provide personalized health insights, helping users understand their energy levels and optimize their workouts and rest periods. The watch also excels in sleep tracking, offering scores and coaching to improve sleep quality, which is particularly beneficial for health-conscious individuals.

While the vívoactive 5 offers a lot of advanced features, some users may find the abundance of data overwhelming if they are not tech-savvy or familiar with such metrics. The heart rate monitoring and health metrics are estimated rather than precise, which might not satisfy those looking for clinical-grade accuracy. Furthermore, although it has music downloading capabilities, users need a subscription to streaming services like Spotify, which could add to ongoing costs. The watch is designed primarily for fitness tracking, so those looking for more traditional smartwatch features like extensive app support may find it lacking.

The Garmin vívoactive 5 is an outstanding choice for fitness-minded individuals or those looking to enhance their health tracking. However, those who prefer a more straightforward smartwatch experience or require highly accurate health metrics might want to explore other options.

The Garmin Forerunner 55 is an accessible and feature-rich running watch, ideal for fitness enthusiasts looking for a reliable companion. With its built-in GPS, it effectively tracks your runs by distance and speed, ensuring you have accurate data. The heart rate monitor, although not a medical device, provides useful insights into your workout intensity directly from your wrist. One of the standout features is its impressive battery life, lasting up to 2 weeks in smartwatch mode and up to 20 hours in GPS mode, reducing the need for frequent charging.

This watch is also water-resistant, making it suitable for pool swims and other water-based activities. The Forerunner 55 supports a range of activities beyond running, including cycling, Pilates, HIIT, and more, which enhances its versatility. Smart features like customizable watch faces, data fields, and downloadable apps from the Connect IQ Store add a layer of personalization and connectivity that can be quite useful.

The display is compact at 1.04 inches with a resolution of 208 x 208, which might be smaller compared to some other models, but it's sufficient for clear visibility during activities. However, the absence of touch screen functionality and reliance on buttons might be considered less modern by some users. Despite this, its lightweight design (37 grams) ensures comfort during prolonged use. The Forerunner 55 also offers advanced training tools like daily suggested workouts and race time predictions, catering to runners who want to optimize their training. The Garmin Forerunner 55 excels in providing essential running and fitness features, making it a valuable choice for those looking to enhance their exercise routines without overly complicated technology.

The Garmin Forerunner 255 Music is a feature-rich GPS running smartwatch designed to cater to fitness enthusiasts, especially runners. One of its standout strengths is its impressive battery life, offering up to 14 days in smartwatch mode and up to 30 hours in GPS mode. This ensures you can go for long runs or training sessions without worrying about frequent recharging.

The always-on, full-color display is another plus, providing clear visibility even in direct sunlight, which is particularly useful during outdoor activities. The built-in GPS and advanced heart rate monitoring provide accurate tracking of your runs and overall health metrics, while the HRV status gives insights into your recovery and wellness. The smartwatch also supports music storage for up to 500 songs, allowing for a phone-free listening experience via wireless headphones, which is great for those who like to enjoy music while running.

Additionally, the Garmin Forerunner 255 Music offers personalized training plans and daily workout suggestions tailored to your performance and recovery, making it an excellent companion for race preparation and fitness improvement. However, the watch requires a subscription for services like Spotify, Amazon Music, and Deezer, which might be an added cost. It also lacks a touch screen, which some users might find less intuitive compared to other smartwatches. Furthermore, while it offers extensive activity tracking and smart features, it might be overwhelming for casual users who do not require such detailed insights and training plans. Given its balance of GPS, heart rate monitoring, battery life, and smart features, the Forerunner 255 Music is ideal for serious runners and fitness enthusiasts who want comprehensive tracking and training support.