Garmin Doesn’t Have to Mean Pricey: These WIRED Favorites Are on Sale
Garmin watches are some of the best fitness trackers you can get, but they aren’t exactly cheap—some cost over $1,000. Thankfully, with some patience and brand know-how, you can actually get a great Garmin watch for less than $200. Right now, some of my favorite entry-level models, including the Garmin Vivoactive 5 and Garmin Forerunner 165, are over 20 percent off. If you’ve been thinking about trying out Garmin, now is a good time to buy.
For more wearable recommendations, check out our guides to the Best Garmin Watches, Best Smartwatches, Best Smart Rings, and Best Sleep Trackers.
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Garmin Vivoactive 5 for $198 ($102 Off)
The Vivoactive 5 is a great first Garmin watch, and it’s 34 percent off right now. It’s an older model (it launched in 2023), but you still have many of the brand’s best fitness and health features available, including in-depth fitness metrics, Body Battery (basically your energy score throughout the day), sleep coaching, and stress tracking. It’s also small, lightweight, and a little sleeker than some of the brand’s more outdoor-centric watches.
Garmin Forerunner 165 for $197 ($53 Off)
The Forerunner 165 is probably the best value per dollar for any runner looking to start using a Garmin watch. It has a bright, colorful touchscreen and Garmin’s classic five-button control layout—three buttons on the left side of the watch, two on the right. The ample buttons make it easy to control this watch, even when I’m running outside with gloves on. It has Garmin’s typical long battery life: up to 11 days. And it has many of Garmin’s detailed running and training metrics, including detailed running info, Garmin training plans, daily suggested workouts, and training effect (based on aerobic and anaerobic load).
Garmin Venu 3 for $299 ($151 Off)
This is a sneaky-good deal on an older Garmin watch from 2023. Think of the Garmin Venu like if the Vivoactive had a major glow-up. The Venu 3 has a stainless steel bezel that makes the whole watch look a little more classy, plus built-in speakers and microphones, so you can take a call from your wrist. Despite its age, it has Garmin’s latest Elevate 5 heart rate sensor built in, meaning more accurate data and an ECG sensor.
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