Garmin - Forerunner 205

It’s kinda fun to be in both an Apple Watch ultra subreddit and this Garmin subreddit. In the AWU group it’s all about features, watch faces and how to go about”phone less”. In this group it’s all about comparing the battery life of a garmin watch to an Apple Watch. That amount of coping is insane. Tell yourself what ever you need to justify why you went with Gamin. I had garmin since the very first FR205 and have always loved my Garmin watches. Now I made the switch to AWU2 for various reasons and I can not see myself going back again anytime soon. And ye. I do charge my watch every other day - but I also do that with my phone. They just go in the charger when they need 🤷🏼‍♂️ it’s Really not a big deal.

The other thing that is noteworthy for me about Garmin is that I find the customer service incredible. If there is any issue with your watch/power meter, etc, support is great. Once you get through the "reset the device" nonsense, if it still doesn't solve the problem, they just send you a new refurb. Even if it's out of warranty. I had the FR 205 brick on a wrist. The sealing on that was shit and sweat seeped into the watch. Boom, new replacement. 310XT, the plastic on the buttons would wear through and water leaked in when swimming. Yep, new repalcement. Heck, I had a pair of Vector pedals go bad and not only did they send me new ones, they sent me the Vector 2s. They have my lifetime loyalty and goodwill for that, across 20+ device purchases for myself and my family.

So i have been ride or die with Garmin for close to 20 years now (started with the forerunner 205). I will be tempted to switch when Apple puts satellite capability in the ultra watch. For trail running this is the dream. They need to figure out battery life though and Garmin needs some sort of LTE solution as well. For now i am really enjoying my new 965.

Lots of options. Check out the Venu series, Vivofit, and Vivoactive. IMO the value-added aspects of the Forerunner are around running and other aerobic endurance sports. Are those relevant to you?

Forerunner can be a great alternative to Fenix if you're price conscious. Or just last generation Fenix. Do you care about maps?

Forerunner does that stuff too. In general, higher-end Garmins add, they don't take away. Are you serious about any of your sports? Like planning seasons, building for events, that kind of thing?

Changed my mind... I think without an explicit indoor rowing activity profile and VO2max, the extra analysis stuff on the Forerunner won't really work. Not sure if any of the watches have that. I know there are some accepted equations to estimate that stuff, though I think you'd also need a reasonably accurate power meter on your rowing machine. So yeah, Venu or whatever is fine.

You're probably going to get each brand's fans telling you theirs is the best. The Garmin Forerunner 200- or 500-series will give you great coverage of running and cycling. I'm less sure about swimming. I know people do it but I'm not much of a swimmer. I think there are some tricks to setting it up well. It should give you ok coverage of basketball. You'll see how it impacts your overall fitness picture. I found the weightlifting module unusable but people do use it. Must-have accessory - an external heart rate sensor. I think there's a right thing for swimming in particular. It should work fine for the other stuff. The handlebars adapter. If maps are important to you, within Garmin you really need two devices.

My opinion, go with the Forerunner. Check out all the chatter from people moving on from their Apple Watches - I get that some of the newer ones have much better support for running but you say you have an older one. And you're not going to want to carry your phone either. How much running have you done up to now?

i second that. wrist HR with F8 is also faulty for me like 30% of the times, could be because of a wrist or a strap. But i did not see any with F8 improvement compared to F6 or older forerunners

I second this. Exact same use case run 3x/week and weight train 3-4x/week. I found the epix pro gen 2 sapphire to be best utility and bang for buck. I tried the FR but was too run focused and I preferred the more tactical look. The fenix 8 was nice but at double the price with same sensor technology it didn’t felt worth it. You do forgo the mic and voice features but I didn’t need it and didn’t want a true smart watch but prioritized a fitness forward watch. 3 months in and I love my Epix pro gen 2 47mm

I use a Garmin Forerunner watch, and it displays heart rate while tracking activity. The reading is pretty visible to me even with slightly foggy goggles but ymmv. They have a lot of models with this capability, so maybe you can find one with a bigger screen. The default heart rate screen also has a colored Zone indicator, if that's easier to see & you're not looking for exact numbers https://support.garmin.com/en-US/?faq=kbOXNev7NS4DQcc3IjAV49

I use Garmin forerunner watch, sync Strava with Garmin Connect and sync Komoot with Strava. It works like a charm.

I have a Garmin Edge bike computer and chest based heart rate because I like to see my speed on the handlebars rather than having to look at my watch. It also navigates for me on more adventurous rides and race courses I'm unfamiliar with. For local social rides I just track on my Garmin Forerunner watch.

A Garmin head unit. You could buy used to reduce the cost. I do ride wearing my forerunner watch, however it is purely for heartrate (linkeded to display on headunit) In reality you could buy the headunit and an inexpensive chest heartrate monitor such as magene. I do however like that my watch provides lots of other daily data such as resting heartrate, steps and so forth. There is benefit to headunit + basic level sports watch.

Runs are the same concept as rides. Personally, I use purpose-built devices to record: Garmin Edge bike computer, Garmin Forerunner watch (they also both do navigation, connect to heart rate sensors, watch does music, etc.). When I stop an activity and hit save, it's uploaded to Strava before I can even get the garage door open. I don't want to carry my phone on a run, and I don't want to run down the battery on all-day rides.

Obviously a Fenix 8 Micro LED. For real though, Fenix/Epix watches will give you full golf functionality minus a feature or two which are reserved for the golf specific watches. If you are budget conscious I would look for a Fenix 7/epix 2 series watch. If you have money to spend, a Fenix 8 will be great for everything you can imagine. Forerunner watches do have some golf features but they are dumbed down a bit to basic distance to green and score keeping.

The same I was big on the Apple ecosystem and felt like it was a cool watch just because it integrated so well, but I never even downloaded any apps for it. All I ever used it for was timers and reminders and stuff like that and basic fitness tracking, and my forerunner does all the same stuffbut way better. Should’ve switched sooner

There is Garmin Swim (IMHO essentially it is a ForeRunner, but swim has been put in focus; review here https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2019/10/garmin-openwater-review.html). However, modern Garmin watches are all able to track pool swim as well as gym workouts (you might have to set exercises later in the app if you want to track muscle groups affected). Essentially ForeRunner is for runners mostly, Forerunner 9xx is focused on triathlon, Fenix is mostly for outdoors - but again, all of them can do almost the same. I’d go with Fenix if budget allows.

All true except advanced metrics. They are also present in Fenix (it has even more features for hiking) and Instinct. Forerunner is not more advanced. The rugedness is mostly about the bezel. In fenix and instinct it has a rim which gives extra protection to the screen. But that means rugged watches are more bulky what can be a problem in the gym. The real question is lightness of forerunner vs battery life of fenix /instinct

I’ve had and loved garmin forerunners and a coros pace. Slight preference for coros over garmin for battery life. Slight preference for garmin for multi-app interoperability.  I’m actually planning to buy an Apple Watch because it’s fine as a fitness tracker and has better health tracking capabilities on top of the fitness stuff. 

I have both and just got the forerunner. I really enjoy the fitness data from garmin. AW is just a superior smart watch and I am coming to the conclusion that I don’t need it any more. At my age I just need to focus more on my health and fitness.

Not having a screen doesn't really seem like much of a selling point. It's nice to have the watch function and access to other data bits on the screen. I have an older Garmin Forerunner that I've used for about 8 years.

I would personally always take a Forerunner over the Venu series, as I am pretty serious about my fitness. I don't really care much about smart watch features, just need a bare minimum. And the venu series seems to take tradeoffs with fitness features to accommodate the increase in smart features.

Running is just what the Forerunner targets to be the best choice for. It is a lighter watch, with all the GPS accuracy you can get. It doesn't focus on Golf or diving or being "rugged". So yes, a Forerunner would still be a great option for your situation, and it will just be a plus if you ever decide to run.

I would recommend the Forerunner series, I love it. Great for running, and a recent update even added Strength training to the Garmin Coach feature. It used to just be running plans. But aside from that you can make your own strength training workouts. I personally really enjoy the ability to make my own workouts and fill out the calendar in the app to have a custom training plan that I know works for me. But I believe the custom workouts/planning aspect should be universal to most watches though.

Many of the Garmin lineup support multi sport, and personally I've been on the Fenix track for over a decade now, currently on Epix Gen2. Handles swimming and running spot on paired with HRM-Pro. I have an Edge 1040 for cycling. Wife has a Fenix 8, it's super nice. Weight not an issue for me, Forerunner is a lighter model but gets a plastic case if I'm not mistaken. And go for the Sapphire screen.

In same boat. Floridian who knows you can’t touch anything after 10 minutes in the heat and I fear the button loss. Also have owned forerunners

I second this. My Garmin Forerunner has been going strong 4 years now.

Yes, they’re great. Make sure to download the connect app, that’s we’re all the useful data will be much easier to read.

The only time that I had issues with a Garmin watch they replaced the watch well over the warrant. I got a forerunner that lasted a lot (6 years?) and then I gave it to a friend. I'm sporting an almost 5 year old fenix and I got it second hand. The watches they make are sturdy

Garmin Forerunners are a great fitness watch.

Bought the forerunner as my running only watch and still use my Apple Watch the rest of the day. Apple Watch is a far superior smartwatch and Garmin is a far superior running watch.

I think if you primarily want to track those workouts and your alternative is not getting an Apple Watch, then it might be overkill in terms of money spent. I was coming from a forerunner and knew I wanted an Apple Watch so was going between an S10 and ultra 2 and don’t regret getting the ultra 2. Like you, I wanted the extra battery life and preferred the more rugged look

You can get a Fenix 7 Pro for less than that from John Lewis at the moment. It depends what you want from the watch. If you want sturdy and looks good then go for a Fenix, if you want lighter then go Forerunner. You won't get a Fenix 8 in that budget but the 7 Pro is still very good for the money.

I've been an Apple Watch user for more than 7 years. Currently have Ultra 2. But I just got a Garmin Forerunner and love it. It's a refreshing change with superior data for me. On a practical note, I can use Spotify in the Garmin and it hasn't glitched on me once. Apple Watch is a disaster with playing music at the same time as running and this has held true for years over several different watches, watchOS versions and headphones. I like to row and the Garmin counts the strokes per minute whereas the Apple watch gives you no data. The built in training plans on Garmin are much better than having to pay for a subscription to Runna or Fitness+. The recovery insights through the day are better for me than Apple and don't require a third party app. The Find my iPhone equivalent feature on Garmin works better for me. Good luck with your AW but I'm enjoying the Garmin experience and I say that as a diehard Apple user.

So I train with both the AWU2 and my Forerunner, and I’m a fan of each for different reasons. Never have I heard anyone complain about the GPS accuracy of an Ultra 2 though. I generally find my two watches are very close if I use them together but, if anything, the Ultra is always a bit closer to the mark, especially in areas that challenge GPS. Very odd what you’re saying here.

Where??? I’m really curious. All the reputable reviewers rave about Apple for accuracy of GPS (especially the Ultra, with its dual-band) and HR. Now when it comes to all the other fitness functionality it sucks big time haha. But, on the other hand, the Garmin is far worse from a smartwatch perspective and my AWU2’s cellular connectivity is above and beyond the thing I care most about on long, remote runs.

If you really end up getting into running, I would not suggest Vivioactive 5. The pace shown on the watch is NOT the pace you are running. You won’t see your actual pace until after you run and sync to the app. I’ve learned a way to know “appropriately” what pace I’m running by setting up the watch with .25 mile laps so it will show me the .25 average. Also, I start a separate run activity for both slower warmup and another one for the slower cool down. For weight workouts in the gym, I just use the cardio activity but it’s really just to see approximately how much time and calories I’m supposed earning. Pool workouts are decent for counting laps, just one lap off. Maybe the low-level Forerunner would have been a better option for my running. I’ve only had mine a few months but it’s durable. I’ve worn it doing lots of hiking, over rocks etc. But I’m also a little bit careful.

Coros or garmin pace or forerunner, if you like music while running get the garmin, if your more minimalist (smaller screen, simpler interface) get the coros

Yes because the Apple Watch battery is unlikely to make the distance of a marathon, let alone an Ultra (depending on how recent your watch is). Ask me how I know; lol. I trained with my Apple Watch but knew from my long runs that it wasn’t gonna make the distance of the full marathon so wore a Garmin Foreunner (an older style one at that that I found on Marketplace!) for race day. It didn’t even get below 50% battery!

I turn it off on my garmin forerunner as it drives me mad and once it’s off you never get notifications. Even after system updates and stuff. Easy peasy

I would suggest any Fenix or even any forerunner over any vivoactive or venu of you're serious about training. Sure you can get by with most basic stuff on those watches but if you get serious about training or want better features you'll have wanted at least a forerunner model

I think it very much depends on what you want from a watch. I’m a big data nerd too and I really do enjoy my Garmin. The other nice thing is that Garmin has a pretty wide array watches that can cater to a beginner or advanced runner. Me personally? I had a forerunner for many years before I upgraded to the Enduro line due to battery life during 100k+ distance races.

Came to say the same… I had an Apple Watch, replaced it with a garmin forerunner for 1 month it was the worst! So inaccurate and when I’d swim in pools it would so often double count my lengths… I went back to Apple Watch

None of the forerunners have a metal bezel. They’re all solid colours. The Venu just looks better period , imo

I’ve worn a lot of watches and trackers. For a beginning runner I would get a Garmin Forerunner. I’ve owned the entry level and the Epix Pro ($1100). Garmin is the most consistent running tool I’ve owned

Update I bought a forerunner and used it a couple times but ended up returning it for the Venu 3. I am happy with my choice!!!

I got the Venu 3s and couldn’t be happier! Tried out the forerunner but hated the way it looked and I feel like their running tools/stats are incredibly similar

I just switched from AWU it FR 970 and it’s really not even a question. I LOVE the forerunner so much more.

Just “downgraded” from a Fenix to a Forerunner (about a month ago) and love it. The battery life of the Forerunner isn’t as great but it’s still good, about 7 days on one charge (using GPS once a day). Forerunner is less bulky. I have zero regrets with the switch.

Go with a venu 3, all the important things is there, it has great accuracy comparable with forerunners, and it's adequate for your running needs, and also the design is more fitting for you.  But yeah, if I have to choose for myself I'd go with Forerunner because as a guy I like Forerunner better design wise, and I like to have all the features even though I might not need it. 

I have a Garmin Forerunner, hopefully soon to upgrade to Fenix. Anyway, it has the quickfit watch strap, so I have an orange band on it all the time, and for formal occasions I have the chestnut leather band, takes all of 30s to swap them over 👍🏻

I’d check Facebook Marketplace for a used Garmin Forerunner. They are good watches for running and biking, and they also have good sleep-tracking if you decide to wear it 24/7.

This was my experience, too-- went from Apple watch to Forerunner and I'm glad that I made the leap. The tipping point for me was that the Apple watch battery was draining so fast on my rides that I was losing data, and I was charging it twice a day.

The forerunner is the same internals and same 1.4" OLED screen as all the other high end garmin watches. The heart sensor is elevate 4 instead of elevate 5. Otherwise its the same watch with different styling. You can put whatever watch face on the watch you prefer. You want it to look like any other watch, just use that watch face. Just don't get the extremely outdated MIP screen that the zealots keep pretending is a good choice even though it doesn't save any battery anymore and is only offered on the obsolete watches. Some people can't afford the new OLED screens so they want to say they are inferior, when they are just poor and can't afford current tech that is obviously better. It really comes down to the styling of the watch case, if you want it to be super oversized 51mm or normally only slightly oversized 47mm or you want the colored accents or the flashlight or whatever. Its a personal styling decision at this point, get what makes you happy.

Love my forerunner and wished I had switched sooner to be honest

Definitely Garmin, specifically the Forerunner

I don’t know what you’re doing with your Ultra, but mine gets barely 2 days and I have the brightness on the lowest settings and no third party apps installed. My Garmin Forerunner gets 4-5 days on a single charge and if I turn off the AOD, that goes up to 15

Just about all the Garmin watches do what you're looking for. The only thing with the Instinct is that it's a pretty specific look. You're coming from an Apple watch, which is pretty much accepted as appropriate in any setting and with any attire. The Instinct definitely looks rugged and tough. The Forerunner is more generic looking.

No it’s definitely true. AW is famously terrible on battery life with no apparent justification. I get close to a month from my forerunner on standby - about 2 weeks with daily workouts.

It’s not though - and even if it was nobody wants that. The overwhelming majority of AW sold are non-cellular. I get notifications on my Garmin and that’s all I really need my watch to do in addition to fitness tracking. Battery life is hugely important for a wearable - I have an AW and I never use it because the poor battery life means I just don’t put it back on after taking it off. My forerunner is ugly and plasticky but the battery life lasts a really nice length of time and it is much better than AW at fitness tracking and I still get my notifications. I wouldn’t switch back to android, I really like my iPhone, but Apple has been pretty stagnant in innovation for best part of 10 years now. The Apple Watch just isn’t a particularly good product. It’s not a bad product, but it’s not good either.

Yes you can order plenty of bands online. I started with the Venu 2S and swapped to the Forerunner. They are the same size. Forerunner definitely has sportier bands. But I appreciate more activity modes, more training metrics and better battery life.

I’m an iPhone user and only use Garmin. I tried the Apple Watch and wasn’t a fan- Garmin had a better battery life and is just a great fitness teacher regardless of your fitness level. The Garmin website has a “quiz” to help you select a watch- I recommend that! I like the Vivomove series for just daily wear and have a Forerunner for running. Happy shopping!!

Forerunner or Enduro for all around "everything." Weights suck with any watch, but that's not specific to any model.

Don't underestimate the lightness of your watch. Especially 19 hours in, I just get tired of the heavy shit on my wrist. I'd go Forerunner or Enduro every time.

Garmin all the way if you are using android The tracking is really quite good and the features arent exactly advanced for a beginner, it walks you through basically everything Ive seen a few forerunners or vivoactive go on sale for slightly over 200. Abit higher than your budget but imo worth it, it will last you even when you are no longer a beginner

I would go Fenix personally if money isn't an issue. Better looking, better build, longer battery, and better (more waterproof) buttons. I really don't like the look of the forerunners so that may also be a big bias for me.

Funnily enough, a lot of people do more than just road running..... a forerunner is not great for swimming, cycling, heavy trail running etc. Ive run multiple half marathons in my fenix no issues as well as doing many other activities without the worry of cracking a plastic watch and having enough battery to do so. I also did say that I was bias towards the look.... but it still remains that I think forerunners look cheap.

I would go for either a venu or a forerunner depending on whether you want to use it for running or more general metrics. Both will suit your needs well but the forerunner will prompt you more to run and has more alerts etc on that department. Also decide on the size of your wrist, I had a bad experience with the 165s as it didn’t measure my hr properly because it was too big so if you have a small wrist go for one of the S versions!

Most of the training data is a gimmick anyway. Youll be fine with a venu 3. One of my friends is an ex Olympian Rower. Hè has a venu 3 I have a forerunner. He is in much better shape than I am. The Watch doesnt matter.

Brother gave me a used Garmin Forerunner a year ago as he upgraded. It's been awesome so I'd go second hand/refurbished from reputable source.

get a low digit garmin Forerunner, they do what you are looking for

I have the forerunner and I haven’t as it’s not rated for that kind of temp. However google searching has people going into the sauna with their Garmin without issue so it’s really a personal risk / reward scenario.

Basically any Garmin from the 255 and up. Fenix is the best but pricey so forerunner should be more than enough

I had a forerunner and only switched to an Apple Watch when I had to stop running. Garmin is a superior fitness watch. Especially if you are running every day. You can use both but it will screw your daily stats. You get a few more smart features (eg replying to texts)  in n the Garmin if you pair it to an Android phone as Apple deliberately don’t integrate well.  Oh, and the battery lasts days even when exercising a lot (weeks without excercise). 

For a long time, I only ran with my phone and used the Map My Run app, and then switched to Strava. I used live tracking on the apps as I ran, but I didn’t have a watch to see how it was going in real time. Both apps have voiceovers that tell you when you hit a mile and your pace.  I ran my first half marathon and had no clue what my heart rate was, which is what made me get a little more serious afterwards. I got a cheap Garmin forerunner to start with, and moved on from there! So you don’t necessarily need anything, but if you get more serious with it, a watch is nice to have! A running belt like Flipbelt or SPI belt is handy to carry your phone.

...and something good about the Forerunner is that there is one for every budget (unlike other Garmin watch ranges).

the cheaper forerunners and Fenixes are great for this, simple, cheap, reliable and near indestructible

I’ve had both fenix and forerunner. Even as a multi sport athlete ( although primarily a runner) I hands down love my forerunner way better.

If you want a sports watch with superb training feature and battery runtime, get a Garmin (Forerunner). If you want a smartwatch with some sports features, get an Apple Watch.

Honestly, garmin. I like the smaller forerunners. You can find my reply to a similar post last week/recently

I tried a Garmin Forerunner but couldn't figure out how to customize it (and I'm pretty tech savvy). Sold it to a triathlete. I'm a Samsung gal and I love my Samsung Galaxy 6. I easily customized it so that getting to the swim app is just one face swipe and a click. It auto detects my strokes pretty reliably and even though I don't do flip turns it knows when I switch direction and gets the distance right.

Probably Forerunner. I did a whole video on picking your Garmin: https://youtu.be/UuSZG52uOrg

Current/recent Forerunners aren't clunky and are a fine everyday wellness watch.

Forerunner. Any model. Any model from last few years up to now. Great range of watches. Loads out there pre-loved as runners do live to upgrade. FR 745 is vastly underrated / undervalued as a device for the non-elite level runner.

I’ve been double wristing it for about a year and a half since I got into marathon training. Garmin Forerunner on the right, rotation of analog watches on the left. It has completely killed any desire for a digital watch on my “nice watch” arm, and I get a question about it occasionally, but otherwise I don’t really think about it

I tried to switch but in the end I came back to Apple watch (I missed it's smart capabilities, it's nice and polished apps and the way it integrates in the Apple ecosystem). I do wear my Garmin Forerunner on my runs though along with my the Apple Watch.

For someone who is new and cares mostly about sleep tracking and GPS activities it’s honestly all kind of the same. You can run with an Instinct and you can hike with a forerunner. Choose based off of look, price, battery life for your particular activities. A Fenix or Instinct pretty much does it all and with great battery life. Doesn’t really matter in the end unless you care about very specific advanced metrics. I personally think most of the Forerunners are ugly so I gravitate towards Instinct because I’m also not willing to overpay for a Fenix when there’s other brands that cover 90% of a Fenix for half the cost. If you want to research alternatives: If you’re looking at an Instinct, check out Coros Nomad. If you’re looking at a Fenix check out Suunto Race 2 or Vertical 2 or upcoming Coros Apex 4.

Dammit I loved my Forerunner, I pool swam, ran, trail ran, hiked, OWS, you name it, and the watch is awesome. It holds music so I can run with just the watch. Tracking was great. The numbers were big enough to read I had it for 3 years, and the plastic bracket that holds the wrist strap pin broke. I am using my sons Google watch and I curse every time I have to look at it. I keep thinking I'll get used to it and eventually love it. Nope I hate it every day. So now I run with 2 fitness trackers, the Garmin without a strap, in my pocket and my every day Google watch on my wrist. Buy the Garmin

For almost every Garmin wach you can download TennisAI app from garmin store which would capture and recognize your strokes, measure power etc. If you are interested there are two versions of the app and I would recommend to check compatible devices list from the latest one as it has improved interface and match score tracking features ( https://apps.garmin.com/apps/0073ddf4-3ec7-436d-a598-d88cfd0d583a?tid=1 ). The watch shall be worn on the hand that holds the racket so ehen it comes to a device if you buy a havy model like Fenix or Epix (>80gr ) at first it will take you a few sessions to get used to it but if you buy something lighter like venu, forerunner or fenix S version it will not interfere with the game at all.  Also the square devices are in General poorly supported by developers.

Forerunners are much lighter weight and therefore much more comfortable to wear.

Hi! I was in the same boat when I switched from a Garmin Forerunner to the Apple Watch Ultra and missed the Body Battery feature. If you decide to get an Apple Watch, feel free to check out my free app, [BodyState](https://apps.apple.com/no/app/bodystate/id6479940325), which brings back that feature. We even have a [subreddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/BodyState/) if you're interested!

I would wait for the Ultra 3 in September. I’ve tried going to Garmin a few times (Forerunner, Fenix 8) but they never feel as good a quality and the UI is terrible IMO. Im similar to you, I run, strength train, walk and Hyrox and the AW does everything I need. The only thing against an AW is the battery life if you’re going on multi day hikes. If that’s not an issue then I’d pick an AW every day of the week.

I have a Garmin forerunner and it’s great for fitness tracking and everything else, I wear it all day every day. It will give you yardages to front middle and back, and it’s pretty accurate. I mainly use my range finder though so I don’t often use the watch for golf. I was thinking about making the switch to a more golf forward version and the epix pro is the top of my list. It has unbelievable golf functionality but is also a great fitness watch. The only better “golf feature” garmin is the S62 or similar, but they aren’t as convenient for fitness tracking IMO. Garmin kicks ass though, I highly recommend it. The site DC rainmaker is a good resource, that dude has reviews on every damn garmin product I think

Fenix or Epix and yes they integrate with iPhones. Some fitness apps will connect to Garmin. If you want a slimmer watch you can also go for the new forerunner.

The Forerunner but that is just my preference because I feel that the Instinct is the ugliest watch that Garmin makes. I see several have suggested the MIP solar version of the Instinct - I would say a huge no to that. Unless you are going to spend a huge amount of time outside the solar is useless and the MIP is dull and not great inside.

The fr is the better watch for running, it is a training device. The Venu3 is a lifestyle watch, a health and wellness device.

Apple Watch will do fine for a long time - only got a Garmin last year. However once you go to only having to charge your watch once every two weeks you just can’t go back to Apple. I have a Garmin Fenix (on the $$$ side) but I wear it every day as my normal watch too and have had zero issues making the switch. However there’s heaps in the range, I love accuracy, maps, long battery and lots and lots of data so I can overthink every run - so Fenix it is! The forerunners are great and the vivoactives are a good mid range model. There’s other brands like Suunto, Polar etc. For true accuracy on any wrist watch you may need a chest monitor. But if you really like your Apple Watch I found it pretty good unless you’re somewhere with not much reception

It does not sound like you do running or other outdoor activities, so I d recommend a vivoactive 5 or 6 mate. However, something like a basic Forerunner could also give you all plus some running support for a share of the vivo price. I started my first one with a vivomove HR which only gave me steps and basic gym rep counting (that was 8 years ago) then vivoactive 3 and now a FR965 because I do hike a lot and started running recently plus all the gym.

Go for the forerunner!!! No need for anything else

For running, the **Forerunners** win because they’re lighter, have better training tools (readiness, load, recovery, VO₂, etc.), and give you more run-specific metrics. The **Instinct/Fenix** are better for hiking/backpacking since they’re tougher, with longer battery and more rugged features. Animated workouts are more of a nice to have, useful if you like guided bodyweight or gym sessions, but most people don’t rely on them. Daily suggested workouts are hit or miss: they’re good for structure but not something to blindly follow. Maps are genuinely handy if you do trails or long hikes; on runs they’re mostly good for keeping you on a planned route. The 970 only records ECG if you start it manually, it doesn’t passively check like an Apple Watch. Smart features: you’ll see texts and calls, but RCS isn’t supported (just standard SMS/notifications). The mic/speaker are fine for quick replies or answering a call in a pinch, but not something you’d want to use all the time. Why Garmin? Mostly the depth of training metrics, reliability, and ecosystem, Coros and Suunto are good but Garmin still has the most polished data!!

They definitely do, especially Instinct 3 Tactical. If you have more spare cash, look into Tactix 8. Also, you most likely knew by now; stay away from running and lifestyle watches. Forerunner is not tough enough for sports like rock climbing.

I used my last Forerunner for 6 years before I changed to my current Venu 3s 2 years ago. The Forerunner was still working by then, I only changed because I wanted the Venu, not because the FR broke. In short, they last.

I’d definitely take a look at the Forerunner line. It’s going to be thinner and lighter than the Fenix, and generally carries most of the same (if not all) features. 

Forerunner if you care about run-specific metrics, the vivoactive 5 lacks them, the vivoactive 6 has some, but forerunner would be the go-to

I received an Apple Watch from my friend as a gift years ago. It did a lot of things reasonably well but it had limited battery life and I found many of the features distracting. Eventually the watch cracked after falling off a nightstand. I switched to a Garmin forerunner and loved it, good battery life, good athletic tracking, if I wanted I could control my music or read but not respond to a text (I have notifications off), I could also use it as a HR monitor for my bike computer (or track a ride with it but I like a HUD). A few years later I upgraded to a Fenix 6 and it’s still going strong 5 years later. I would never go back to an Apple Watch unless it could meet the same battery life expectations and was less easy to damage.

I had a 255, also a similarly slim wrist, and recently "upgraded" to a Vivoactive 6. Upgrade in quotes because I'm aware a lot of people don't consider that an upgrade, but it definitely was for me, for things I cared about, and ultimately it's only things you care about that matters. For me the biggest problem was how big and heavy the 255 was. I believe it's very similar size/weight to the 265, and the 955 is even larger/heavier (by a bit). I am also primarily a runner, but not a super serious one (one or two half marathons a year, a few weeks/months of half-assed training). The tracking and training features on the dirt cheap Vivoactive is more than enough for me, and I don't miss the more advanced features from the Forerunner at all. In fact, I still don't know what those are. I suspect very few people wearing Forerunners really benefit from the very specialized running features that the more "lifestyle" Garmin watches don't have, and I regretted falling into that trap and getting that Forerunner a few years ago. Either that or this sub is full of hardcore elite runners. On the Vivoactive, the OLED screen is much more beautiful than the MIP, and the new interface is so much more intuitive to use. The size also looks much less comical on my wrist. It's also much lighter, which I didn't really appreciate until getting this one. It "only" has 10 days battery life, but I just charge it when I notice it going below 20% when sat at my desk, and it really doesn't bother me at all. The 255 was purely a training tool. The Vivoactive gives me joy to wear and look at, in addition to being just as good a training tool for me. But that's a very subjective thing. If you don't like the Vivoactive aesthetic, there's also the new Venu 4/4S that looks more premium. So I think it mostly depends on whether you actually need the additional features. The map is the only feature I would care about in the 9xx, but I wasn't going to pay so much for that, when I never do long runs in unfamiliar places without my phone anyways.

Yeah every forerunner I’ve owned has been great. Also touch screens on a running watch are really annoying if you sweat a lot

Apple watch is pretty useless by the time you're trying to add sensors to your workouts. Look at wahoo and coros. Garmin forerunner is awesome if you want to splurge.

As a long time garmin devotee…their current pricing is just inexcusable. I’ve been a forerunner guy forever and it’s honestly a joke.

Made this switch a week ago. Love it. Wish the connectivity with strava/runna was better. Annoys me that theres no golf activity on the forerunner

If you want a cheaper option the Forerunner is good. Had two in a row. Heart rate, could record rides pretty accurately.

My forerunner lasts like 3 days 🫠

Garmin lily if smartwatch na close to iWatch (no personal experience, nakita ko lang sa friend ko). I have a forerunner naman, works well also. May sariling app.

If your priorities are Ant+ and a streamlined UI, you might consider returning your Fenix and going with a cheaper device from the Forerunner line. The Fenix line is the more "fully featured" option, but with that comes cost and a more clunky UI. The last two generations of Forerunners will all have Ant+ for less than half of the price.

Nice, yeah you summed it up pretty well! Haha. I’d actually recommend a Forerunner over a vivoactice but they would both suit your needs

Forerunner, and the version depends on your bidget

If you want to get healthy and get phone notifications and *maybe* do music or something, get a Garmin. Instinct 2 (gives music controls but requires a phone for the music itself) or a used Forerunner (I believe they're done of the cheapest models that do on-board music, Spotify, etc.) or what have you. If you want to do smartphone stuff on your wrist and *maybe* get healthy, go Samsung.

If you think you will become more ambitious with running, then forerunner's extra features are helpful to see your progress. It also gives you feedback on what to work on eg low aerobic and high aerobic. The Vivoactive is basically just a lifestyle watch, similar to apple's

Garmin Forerunner + Playrun App from IQ is working for me pretty smoothly.

I had the same debate - bought the venu & ended up returning it for the forerunner & have been beyond happy with my decision. the extra battery life alone makes it so worth it for me, but I also really love the additional metrics & the daily suggested workouts

I really love my Garmin. I use a forerunner which isnt the most stylish model, but battery life is really good and it has a lot of additional activity features I like (e.g. tracking outdoor swimming, biking , training plans etc). They have a paid subscription model but it is in no way necessarily, you get access to most features as part of the watch.

Well, it is not necessary, but definitely it helps. I’d recommend you to buy at least some basic Garmin Forerunner - it doesn’t cost much, has a decent battery life and is light. Regarding AW, for marathon, you should buy ultra, which is a lot of money. Whoops is more an add-on than running tracker. It’s not very comfortable to run with a phone and the watch shows live metrics, which is very useful. So yes, you should.

I switched. 1) no need to subscription (I'd have to pay for at least three apps to just remotely mimic what garmin does out of the box - cadence, bevel or athlytic and fitify) 2) ability to connect and use all my gear (I tend to use Engo Eyewear AND Stryd Duo pod together, which is hardly achievable on AW (I never managed to do it). 3) Garmin just works. No fiddling with apps like AW, just select the activity and go. 4) Five buttons! AW tended to behave erratically when sweated with long sleeve. Not Garmin. Or swimming workouts are accurate thanks to those buttons and drill log mode. 5) Battery good enough to withstand long run in winter (AW tended to have problems in 30+ km runs in cold, not Garmin) Forerunner asks me if to go to power saving mode, when there are "just two days left" :) 6) it is iphone independent. I can freely choose whatever phone I like 7) Garmin connect has bad UI, but the data trove is great. 8) ANT+ - lots of gear uses it 9) maps are in the watch offline, no need for data connection, like AW

I have all phone notifications disabled on my Forerunner and on my Garmin Edge. So it works just as you expected - it records my activities and syncs them to Garmin Connect / Strava afterwards.

My wife has the vivoactive 5. She recently started running and finds it rather basic compared to the running metrics and functionalities I get from my forerunner. The things she would like to have the most, that are not on the Vivoactive, are Daily Suggested Workout and breadcrumb trails.

Had an Apple Watch and currently have Garmin Forerunner Battery life Battery life Battery life Garmin all day.

No smartwatch does swimming or lifting particularly well, imo. The development of swimming software has always been secondary to the watch’s software for biking and running. That said, i do use and find acceptable the swim function on my garmin (I’ve had a swim 2, forerunner, and fenix). I don’t pay attention to stroke detection so I can’t speak to that but it does everything else you’re asking for.  For lifting, paper and pen is still king. I track my lifting workouts on my watch so i get “credit” for them and the workouts help me reach some of the silly little “challenges” garmin has, but it’s too fiddly, prone to errors, and doesn’t provide me the same information I get by writing down my lifts & how I felt. 

if you're trying a lot of new hikes, loading up hikes on the watch is great and I've liked it on my forerunner.

Yeah, the nice thing about the PW is that its user serviceable. You can change out the screen and battery. I hope other manufacturers decide to follow this example. It also has LTE and satellite and okay battery life. On the other hand, the forerunner has buttons which I prefer.

The forerunner is made for runners, it's the obvious choice here.

I have a Whoop band that I really like for tracking activities. It’s not a watch - doesn’t have a face to it at all - but I think it does a good job tracking sleep/activities and horse riding is an option for activity on it. You don’t pay up front for it - it’s a $35/month service fee. So while not a big expense up front, it obviously adds up over time, which is not necessarily for everyone.  I wear a garmin forerunner on my other wrist too. I like that as well, but I have to say I prefer the app and the data provided by the whoop. I basically only use my forerunner for the actual watch face at this point.  Edit: I just checked whoops website and they do offer a $399 up front fee for 2 year membership. 

The forerunner line is geared towards running and triathlon. They are excellent watches. You can get them relatively cheap used.

The forerunner will meet and exceed all your needs except one. What type of integration are you requiring? Basic smart notifications?

I was a Fenix guy until I bought a forerunner. I can't tell the forerunner is on my wrist. I love it.

Fourth for Garmin!!!(I have a forerunner) I love it!

Switched 5 years ago. Echoing the comment here: this is **not** a smartwatch, but a **sports/adventure watch.**  You won’t be reading your emails, getting texts, or calling a Uber, and the screen is nowhere near as responsive as the AW. If you’re looking for a phone one your wrist, Garmin is not for you. But if you’re training for a sports race, anything from a 5k to an ultramarathon, or even just trying to stay generally fit, the load tracking and suggested workout feature alone is worth it. The battery of data signals you get to tailor and improve your training is worth the switch alone, to a Foretunner or Epix or Fenix. Not even getting started on navigation in the mountains, which is really good — if you hike, camp, trail run, cycle, or generally enjoy being out, you will love your Epic or Fenix.

I’d also recommend going for a Forerunner. Forerunners are built for running and can be used for swimming. An Instinct 2 lacks for example Garmin Run Coach, which the Forerunners have.

IMHO Apple does fitness tracking better than Garmin. Esp. sleep tracking is more accurate, plus you get ECG on most Apple Watches. In the US, blood oxygen tracking is currently disabled for new Apple Watches. Btw. I am wearing both, Garmin and Apple (I like redundancy for marathons, plus my Apple Watch has LTE, while my Forerunner does not)

>It's actually not bad, it's just a compromise you MUST take I don't like compromises. So I wear an Apple Watch and a Garmin Forerunner.

I use both, Apple Watch and Garmin (one on each wrist). IMHO, Apple Watch does better health tracking and offers a wider range of devices to contribute data. As well as more apps. Apple really shines in sleep tracking and I have the feeling that Apple’s wrist based HR sensor is better than Garmin’s. I am using a Forerunner, so it’s not the newest Garmin tech, but my Apple Watch is a Series 8, so not the newest gen either). I really like Garmin for training. And the HRM Pro Plus is the best heart rate monitor I ever had.

What nags me most is that Garmin has x variants of their OS and you never know for sure, which watch gets which software features. Like training readiness is available on the Forerunner 265, but not on the 255 - although the hardware would absolutely permit it. Apple on the other hand usually ships software-only features to older watches that are still supported by the current version of watchOS. The reason why I also have a Garmin Forerunner is button operation and the OOTB training features. Apple needs really to learn that touch screen operation isn't ideal when you do certain sports.

Yes, serious overkill. Vivoactive is good for general health tracking and logging your runs or you could go for something more running specific like a Forerunner. For more all around fitness at a decent price, you can't beat the Vivoactive series.

Whoops focus during exercise is how much strain you are putting your body through.  I’d recommend getting a Garmin forerunner if you want a fully dedicated running watch! 

I've not yet had an issue with my Garmin Forerunner resetting during activities. The most important decisions to make are determining your budget, the activities you genuinely want to track, your goals, and your needs for multi-app use on a watch face (be honest with yourself - don't fall into traps of spending more based on unlikely "what ifs?". For me, I wanted to keep it simple - track runs, gym activities, steps, and heart-rate/pace trends. As a beginner, I decided on one of the lower-end Garmin's for their strong GPS and because it was good enough to meet 99% of my needs. I'll use money saved to buy the inevitable new, needed pair of running shoes.

Garmin forerunner, Fenix, epix, Enduro. And nothing else matters

Basically any modern smartwatch will do this. Your axes of choice are ecosystem, battery life, and price. The basic Apple Watch will do what you want, but because you’re using the GPS, the battery will be dead mid-day. I do not recommend any Apple Watch but the Ultra for an athlete or active person because of the awful battery life. If you want something cheaper than the Ultra, I’d look at the Coros Pace and cheaper Garmin Forerunner options. They’ll both cost about half and are really good products with roughly 5-10x battery life vs the basic Apple Watch.

Oh wow I didn’t know the Ultra 2 also had that issue. Honestly after getting a garmin watch, I don’t think I can go back.

The Fenix is much heavier than the Forerunner. I had a Fenix and switched to Forerunner because of the weight.

Whichever forerunner is within your budget is usually best if running is the priority

Garmin forerunner, whichever one you want they’re all good

I have the Fenix 8 amoled which I use for running and hiking, the sapphire glass is great so it doesn’t scratch and I love having topo maps standard. Cons is the price. Forerunner is a good option if price is an issue.

The best deals are on Mercari and Yahoo Auctions. I bought my Garmin Forerunner 2 years ago(?) used on Yahoo Auctions and it is still working great!

I just got a forerunner garmin after my Apple Watch couldn’t last a day. if you can, I’d definitely recommend getting one, maybe even with the holidays coming up. It tracks my sleep, workouts, stress - a whole lot more than my old Apple Watch!

I have an AWU: it’s a smart watch w/ mostly useless rudimentary fitness tracking metrics that don’t match at all with what training peaks, intervals, Strava, or Garmin Connect give for metrics & stats. Also, battery lasts less than 24 hours if you actually use your watch for tracking rides. I had a Garmin Forerunner: It was a legit fitness tracker that has useful metrics that align w/ 3rd party training platforms and also has some basic useful smart watch features. Seamless integration w/ Garmin Edge bike computer stats as well. When I upgrade watches, I’m going back to Garmin because I prioritize the fitness features more than the often annoying & useless smart watch novelty features that Apple caters towards for the general public. What do you prioritize? Novelty smart watch features (Apple), or useful training metrics (Garmin).

Garmin has the best batteries, forerunner as others said

Vivoactive and Venu (non X1, that thing should have had a name of its own) don't have the advanced running metrics. So it's Forerunner , then check whether the features you want are in Instinct, Fenix, Enduro or Epix if you like one of those better.

Vote for garmin forerunner. I’ve had three models, came back after trying Coros. I use for running, strength and CrossFit. I love it. Works well, easy to use, I like the recovery and body battery aspect as someone who also had whoop but was sick of having two things

I used my Garmin Forerunner and it was perfect. Only charged once after 6 days.

Fenix 7. Skip the screen on the 8 and go with one that holds up better in bright sunlight. HOWEVER, if these are truly your only options I’d say forerunner. Slightly less rugged, but has everything you need for a little less than Fenix series. Doesn’t have a flashlight though

If price isn't an issue check the Garmin line. They have watches for runners, climbers, n daily life. I'm not a runner but I got the forerunner since it matched well with my life style. Just pick the one that u like the most based on its features. Battery life is from 7 days to 15 depending on the watch n use. If price is an issue get the lower end ones, less feats but still very nice battery life

I use Strava and the Whithings app, paired with one of their smart scales and a few add ons. Apple Health can pull from both, and while I don't care about my daily steps (for example) they automatically pull from my watch (forerunner) into the various apps as well.

The Forerunner would be a watch I’d recommend for sure. There are a number of different models, so make sure you do your research. It also depends on how much you want to spend.

Depending on how much you want to interact with your watch, the lack of buttons on a Venu might be frustrating. For that reason a Forerunner might be better as you can lock the touch screen during runs and use the buttons.

Can't go wrong with Garmin imho. I've had a fenix and a couple of forerunners, and they've all worked great.

Fenix or Forerunner. They have precise data especially if you ride a horse

If you move all day, whoop will track it. Whether or not you are doing an activity whoop will count any increase in heart rate towards your "strain", and will give you sleep recommendations and adjust recovery based on that. The automatic activity tracking and auto sleep tracking are great. It's the most hands off device out there. Garmin only adds load when you are tracking an activity, so it can miss a lot if it's not a planned workout. But when you do track activities, it gives you much more information. Whoop is not a good activity tracker. It's a health tracker. You can really only see your heart rate zones for the activity. You can't see progression over time or compare it to previous workouts. For that you need garmin or Strava or something else. From what I can tell, Garmin is amazing at activities and good enough with health, while whoop does great with health but is poor for activities. Not sure if this helps, but it seems like there is no perfect option - Im going to have to make this same decision once my subscription is up.

I replaced my whoop with a forerunner and have been thrilled with the change; big up front cost yeah but it fully replaced all the recovery metrics I was using whoop for and got rid of the monthly subscription too

Get the forerunner it’s definitely more versatile and does the swim as well as the swim 2.. I have owned a Garmin for 20 yrs — have the Fenix 8 now

Forerunners are the gold standard of running watches. Pick any model. Been a Garmin FR user since 2009. No regret. There can be additional software that’s fun to use to analyze data other than Garmin Connect if you’d like but in terms of hardware, I’ve had no complaint in over 30,000 miles. That’s a lot of time worn…and I now wear it 24/7 to track sleep and stress and steps.

I have been trying to get going as a runner for a few years but kept getting injured... anyway I've had a Garmin Forerunner for a few years as well and I am happy with it. It's useful as an everyday watch but also has built in training programs. I'm going through one right now for a half marathon in May and it's going well. I did six miles yesterday (the farthest I've ever ran in my life) and I feel great today. It is durable, has great battery life, and for the money is a pretty good bargain imo. I would suggest it to anyone.

If you don’t wanna get a dedicated computer like the Garmin edge. Then get a forerunner or fenix.

Garmin forerunner You want more than just gps for time and distance, whether you realize it yet or not

For concept 2 you can use the forerunner to broadcast HR to a PM5, and have Ergdata sync to Garmin Connect. The HR data works well even off the wrist (I used to find that wrist HR sucked for rowing). I also broadcast HR to my cycling computer.

Ive had a few Fenix versions, they are great/ top of the range. Last few years ive been using forerunners which have all the functionality - 9xx series is great, or 2xx for something easier on the pocket. My activities include trail running, hiking, triathlons (and running/swimming/riding only), golf/disc golf. Navigation and battery are good, and glass is strong. Lifestyle is great for sleep, general hr tracking, step counts, tap to pay. The 955 i have also has great multimedia (music). Cant go wrong with a forerunner (solar if you are doing ultra's or multiday). Fenix is a nice splurge

>Its a Vivoactive by another name. ironically i've been looking at the FR series to upgrade my old vivoactive. lack of altimeter is deal breaker for me.