Garmin - Vivoactive

I've been using Garmin watches since 2004. I've never had one fail, I've replaced them out of wanting a new feature or eventually losing battery life. Models: FR 201, 305, 225, vivoactive 1 & 3, FR 735XT, Edge 520+ 6 watches over 21 years. Plus pulling the 305 apart and replacing the battery (it still works - so did the 201 last I heard that the guy I'd given it to had passed it on)

Garmin Forerunner 265s is definitely accurate while OWSwimming, with its own factory "OpenWater" function. My previous Vivoactive 4 or Vivoactive 1 were very erratic, even trying different IQ apps.

I had an older generation Vivoactive and purchased the 165 music when it came out. The running features and metrics are worth it alone, but I also like the physical buttons. I looked at the 265 and 965 as well but the advanced metrics and better heart rate sensor wasn’t worth it for my needs, and I use a heart rate strap anyways.

I have had both the Garmin Vivo and Charge 5 and I am an android user so Apple watch is out for me. Durability wise Garmin but not sure how that compares to the Charge 6 as they fixed alot of the issues that the Charge 5 has. But wearing and comfort. Hands down the Charge 5. I have gone thru 2 charge 5 over the last 5 years and would still buy the charge 5/6 over Garmin for the comfort. The Charge 5/6 is much thinner on your wrist and surprisingly that makes a world of difference

You need to ask yourself what she’ll actually be using it for. If you’re just doing basic fitness tracking, then she likely doesn’t need a Fenix and a Vivoactive or Venu series would be the best bet for her. Use the website to compare devices with the activities she does regularly.

The Lily is not a place to start they are an insult and described by Garmin as a fashion watch it doesn't even have built in GPS unless you buy the Lily 2 Active, the Vivoactive series lack altimeters. Coming from an Ultra and running at a few marathons a year the Fr255/265/955/965 would all suit you at a reasonable price. Garmin has outdated software and the UI and UX is terrible but they track activities well. Any of these watches will give you a great deal of data that is fun to look at but around 80% of it is not needed. You can use the compare tool on the Garmin website to compare the features of 5 watches at a time. That is a good place to start. Are you set on a Garmin or would you be interested in another brand? Sunnto and Coros have great watches at far better price points and with better feature to price ratios. As for you U2 you can control what notifications you get (FYI you don't have to get any) and you would get a great deal more battery if you just bought a chest strap for your runs.

Venu 3, S for smaller wrists, in particular women, is probably the closest to a traditional smart watch experience with 'health and fitness' features.. "Style and design meet health and fitness" is pretty much the advertisement for it on the official page. Vivoactive series is also a slightly cheaper option..

Garmins are more fitness tracker than smartwatch. So if you're not really after those smartwatch features, maybe a Venu series or vivoactive series would do.

Vivoactive, venu, and currently have a forerunner

Just get one of the garmin watches with heart rate tracking. Their most budget one with a heart rate tracker, is their vivoactive, and it'll set you back maybe 200 bucks. But I'd personally spend a bit more and get the Forerunner 255. I currently have a 255, and it's fantastic. Battery life is about a week, but I also do a good deal of running. I imagine it'd go up to 10-14 days if I didn't use the GPS function while tracking my runs. It works with the Garmin Connect app, and that doesn't require a subscription at all. It'll also sync your activity data with Strava for additional tracking if you wanted.