I recommend these Garmin smartwatches for almost every situation (and price range)

Jun 19, 2026 - 01:13

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I recommend these Garmin smartwatches for almost every situation (and price range)

Amazon Prime Day kicks off next week. Garmin smartwatches are great for athletes, outdoor enthusiasts, and those training for their first or next marathon. They can also be very pricey, so they're a convenient product to shop during Prime Day.

Also: I found 15 Amazon deals on editor-approved tech already live for Prime Day

Prime Day begins June 23 and ends June 26. It's four days again, so you have four chances to find a good discount on something you want.

I've been covering these deals events for over three years now, so I can confidently say I know how these discount-paloozas go. Ahead of the event, I'd suggest you think about household essentials or products just out of your budget that you'd be interested in shopping during the many days of Prime Day. While flashy, high-ticket items will go on sale, hit the front page of Amazon, and grab your attention, I'd recommend sticking to the stuff you know you need. That's how you can actually save money during a sales event.

The best Garmin smartwatches to shop

Whether you're a multi-sport athlete training for your next Iron Man or a marathoner honing your speed and pace, the Garmin Forerunner 970 is a crowd favorite for a few reasons. It's got a vibrant AMOLED display, so you can vividly see your watch's graphics in many environments and conditions. There's a built-in flashlight, which surprisingly comes in handy. It's a rugged watch built with carbon gray DLC titanium. Plus, it's got 15 days of battery life, so you'll worry about charging it twice a month, at most.

Without a discount, the Garmin Fenix 8 could run you around $1,000. But it's one of the best watches you can get from Garmin. The smartwatch also comes with a built-in flashlight and a vibrant AMOLED display for ultra-readability. The Garmin Fenix 8 is built more for outdoor adventurers looking for a rugged watch. One Amazon reviewer said that the watch's durability is "a tank."

The Garmin Venu 4, unlike the two Garmin watches above, serves a more casual smartwatch clientele. This would be a great first smart watch, or a capable device for tracking activity, sleep, and daily stress. It's not as rugged as some of Garmin's offerings, but it's also significantly cheaper. The watch offers 10 days of battery life, and it has a more attractive, neutral build that could blend in dressy clothing.

The Garmin Venu 3S is similar to the Garmin Venu 4, but has a bit of a smaller size if you'd like your smartwatch to take up less real estate around your wrist.

The Garmin Instinct 3 is the cheapest Garmin smartwatch on this list. It's currently discounted by $150, taking the price to $300. Despite its low price, its battery life is sky-high at 18 days.

Wasn't there already a Prime Day this spring?

Allow me to remind you that Prime Day is now a quarterly event, as Amazon has gotten even more voracious over making money through these days-long deals events. There's the Spring Sale in March, Prime Day in June, October Prime Day, and Black Friday, which now lasts a week, for some reason.

When is Amazon Prime Day?

This year, Amazon Prime Day runs from Tuesday, June 23, to Friday, June 26.

How did we choose these early Amazon Prime Day deals?

I spend lots of time writing about technology. I also think most of these sales events are marginally helpful for shoppers. It is more an opportunity for big retailers to reignite interest in their own products (and sell inventory) than it is an opportunity for shoppers to get good deals. Still, good deals exist during these events, so I'll tell you about them when I see them. And if you just so happen to be in the market for one of these devices, I'll lead you in the right direction.

I use established price comparison tools and trackers to determine whether the deal is actually on sale and how frequently it drops. As someone with great familiarity with these products, I also remember the prices of these products and when they've gone historically lower or higher. This helps me determine if it's actually worth buying. If it's not, I'll tell you so.