Instinct 3 AMOLED

I would go for either the Instinct 3 or Vivoactive 6. Both new watches are great, no issues. Vivoactive 6 is just in your budget range but isn't very 'rugged', which is the perfect desciption of the instinct 3 (which is a bit more pricey). You can go for the black and white screen of the Instinct E ($299), but the tech is a bit more dated, and if you are coming from an apple watch, im guessing you like the bright screens. Another option is the Epix 2 (refurbished) from amazon for $349 (what I would go for). This is their top of the line watch from a few years ago, but still very advanced with most of the new features. [https://www.garmin.com/en-US/p/1316397/pn/010-02936-00/](https://www.garmin.com/en-US/p/1316397/pn/010-02936-00/) [https://www.garmin.com/en-US/p/1555457/](https://www.garmin.com/en-US/p/1555457/) [https://a.co/d/fs1SPqL](https://a.co/d/fs1SPqL)

One vote for Garmin, but I'm heavily in their ecosystem (watches, bike computer, hrm, even weight scale & bp cuff). I used Garmin coach to go from 0 to 5k, and daily suggested workouts to do my first half marathon. Right now Amazon has the [Instinct 3 on sale for $299](https://www.amazon.com/Garmin-Instinct%C2%AE-Smartwatch-Metal-Reinforced-Flashlight/dp/B0DSC8JF59/). That's $150 off. It will do everything you want it to, and more. As a bonus, it has the built-in flashlight which you'll end up using way more than you ever thought you would. If I was in the market for a new watch today, that's the one I'd buy in your price range.

I think the "smaller" Garmins tend to feel even thicker because they need volume for the battery. I was going to suggest the 45mm Instinct 3 AMOLED but it may seem bulky to you too. It is much lighter than an Epix though.

venu 4 is most complete watch from named choice, and have flashlight. Need screen protector. and bezel is possible to scratch. don't buy venu 3 it's pretty big downgrade compared to v4. fr165 is perfectly fine starting watch for garmin. missing music, audio prompts and advance metrics like training status and training rediness compared to fr265s, but you need to wear watch 24/7 for this metrics to work correctly, and if you don't want to do it, fr165 is perfectly fine as workout watch. fr165 have 20mm strap, fr265s have 18mm strap that I don't like. Not sure how would you track kayakin, probably as cardio. Fr165 do have altmeter/barometar and track stairs but i think you can't directly access live data in widget, and on fr265s/i3 you can access widget directly. Probably because of software limitation. Another option in simular price/feature range as fr265s is instinct 3 amoled 45mm (if you can find it on discount) . More robust watch 10atm, flashlight, but doesn't have touch screen! and doesn't have music and audio prompts.

As a gift, I think it is a good choice. Battery life is fair, you can go out for a 5 to 7 days of travel without charger or cable for Venu 3. In the daily life, I usually charge it once every week, but it can definitetly last even longer than one week. I have Venu3, Instinct 3 AMOLED and one Apple Watch, but my favorite is still Venu3.