There are plenty of fitness trackers and workout watches out there to choose from, but none of them have the same credibility that Garmin has earned. This has been a particularly…indulgent summer for me, so it’s time to lock in and start tracking some real workouts. Most of the cuts in this Garmin sale on Amazon match Garmin’s own store and REI penny-for-penny, which tells you the money is coming from the company rather than from one retailer clearing shelf space. A handful of models are cheaper on Amazon than anywhere else, so that’s the default if you want the best deal. I pulled the Amazon price history on everything below and checked each list price against what Garmin charges on its own site, because Amazon’s strikethrough prices on the Instinct and inReach lines are still anchored to launch MSRPs that Garmin cut months ago.
Garmin Venu 3 Fitness Smartwatch, 45mm $294.99 (was $449.99)
The lowest price Amazon has ever charged for Garmin’s health-first smartwatch
Garmin
See ItIf you want a Garmin for sleep tracking, daily stress and body battery readings, and the occasional run rather than for marathon training blocks, the Venu 3 is a great place to start. The $294.99 mark is the lowest Amazon has charged for it since it launched. The 45mm case comes equipped with a bright AMOLED display, Garmin rates the battery at up to 14 days in smartwatch mode, and it handles calls and voice assistant requests. Garmin has moved on to the Venu 4, which is why the 3 is finally affordable, and the older watch keeps the features most people actually open the app for. Garmin’s own store has it at $299.99, so Amazon is five dollars under the source.
Garmin Forerunner 55 GPS Running Watch $129.00 (was $199.99)
The cheapest way into real Garmin run tracking, and $71 under what Garmin charges
Garmin
See ItEven with the best intentions, running may not become the all-consuming hobby you envision. That’s where an affordable watch like the Forerunner 55 comes in. It does GPS pace and distance, wrist heart rate, suggested daily workouts, and about two weeks of battery, and it does all of that without a subscription. At $129.00 it matches its lowest recorded Amazon price, and it’s the widest gap I found between Amazon and Garmin in this sale, because Garmin still charges the full $199.99 on its own site. The plastic case and the button-only interface are the tradeoffs. Neither is a deal breaker.
Garmin inReach Mini 2 Satellite Communicator $249.99 (was $349.99)
Two-way texting and an SOS button that works where your phone shows no bars
Garmin
See ItAnywhere you hike, paddle, or drive past the last cell tower, the inReach Mini 2 turns a bad situation into a still-bad-but-solvable one. It runs two-way text messaging over the Iridium satellite network and triggers an interactive SOS to a staffed emergency coordination center. People at home can follow your track your entire journey. Garmin rates it for up to 30 days of tracking on a charge, and it weighs about 3.5 ounces. At $249.99 it ties its all-time Amazon low. The newer inReach Mini 3 is $399.99 if you want the color touchscreen, and either one needs an active Garmin subscription before it will send anything.
Garmin Instinct 3 AMOLED Rugged GPS Smartwatch, 50mm $349.99 (was $399.99)
A military-spec case with a bright screen and a flashlight built into the bezel
Garmin
See ItThe Instinct 3 is the watch for people who beat up their gear. The updated AMOLED version fixes the dim, low-contrast monochrome screen that hindered the previous model. The case is the same one Garmin tests to the U.S. military’s MIL-STD-810 standard for thermal, shock, and water resistance. The LED flashlight in the bezel sounds like a gimmick until the first time you need it inside a tent. This 50mm model is at $349.99, its lowest recorded Amazon price, and the 45mm version runs $299.00 for a smaller wrist.
Garmin fenix 8 AMOLED Multisport Smartwatch, 47mm $749.99 (was $999.99)
Garmin’s flagship at its lowest price ever, and $100 under what Garmin charges
Garmin
See ItThe $749.99 price tag isn’t light work, but it’s the least Amazon has ever asked for the 47mm AMOLED model of this high-end rig. It has a 1.4-inch AMOLED display behind a stainless steel bezel, a built-in LED flashlight, speakers and a microphone for calls, and a dive rating that lets it work as an actual dive computer. Garmin’s own store lists this size at $1,099.99 and has it on sale for $849.99, so Amazon is $100 cheaper than the source and $350 under list. If you want the titanium case and sapphire lens, the fēnix 8 Sapphire 47mm is $849.99, and the 43mm fēnix 8 is also $749.99 for a smaller wrist.
Best Garmin smartwatch deals under $300This is the tier where the sale does the most good, because a $200 Garmin does almost everything a $400 Garmin does for anyone who isn’t training for a race. The Instinct E at $199.99 is the rugged pick and the vívoactive 5 at $186.97 is the everyday one, and both are the cheapest ways into Garmin’s health tracking without stepping down to a fitness band.
- Garmin vívoactive 5 GPS Smartwatch, 42mm, Ivory $186.97 (was $299.99)
- Garmin vívoactive 5 GPS Smartwatch, 42mm, Black $186.97 (was $299.99)
- Garmin Forerunner 165 Running Smartwatch, 43mm $199.00 (was $249.99)
- Garmin Instinct E Rugged GPS Smartwatch, 45mm, Charcoal $199.99 (was $249.99)
- Garmin Instinct E Rugged GPS Smartwatch, 45mm, Electric Lime $199.99 (was $249.99)
- Garmin Instinct E Rugged GPS Smartwatch, 40mm, Charcoal $199.99 (was $249.99)
- Garmin Venu 3S Fitness Smartwatch, 41mm, French Gray $294.00 (was $449.99)
- Garmin Instinct 3 AMOLED Rugged GPS Smartwatch, 45mm $299.00 (was $349.99)
- Garmin Instinct 3 Solar Rugged GPS Smartwatch, 45mm, Black $299.99 (was $349.99)
Step up from the entry tier and you’re paying for training analysis, mapping, and multi-day battery rather than for a nicer screen. The Forerunner 265 at $349.99 is the sweet spot for anyone following a structured training plan, and the Venu X1 at $599.99 is the outlier of the group. Garmin specs it at 8mm thick with a two-inch display and a titanium caseback, which is a shape nothing else in the lineup shares.
- Garmin Forerunner 265 Running Smartwatch, 46mm, Black $349.99 (was $449.99)
- Garmin Forerunner 265S Running Smartwatch, 42mm, Whitestone $349.99 (was $449.99)
- Garmin Instinct 3 Solar Rugged GPS Smartwatch, 50mm $349.99 (was $399.99)
- Garmin Instinct 3 Tactical Solar, 45mm, Black $399.99 (was $449.99)
- Garmin Instinct 3 Tactical, 50mm, Black $449.99 (was $499.99)
- Garmin Instinct 3 Tactical Solar, 50mm, Black $449.99 (was $499.99)
- Garmin Instinct Crossover AMOLED, 46mm, Charcoal $549.99 (was $649.99)
- Garmin Venu X1 Thin and Lightweight Smartwatch, 51mm $599.99 (was $699.99)
- Garmin fēnix 8 Sapphire, 47mm, Titanium $849.99 (was $1,099.99)
- Garmin fēnix 8 Solar Sapphire, 47mm, DLC Titanium $849.99 (was $1,099.99)
- Garmin tactix 8 Premium Tactical GPS Smartwatch, 47mm $1,049.99 (was $1,299.99)
Satellite messengers rarely go on sale, and the whole inReach line is discounted at once here. The inReach Messenger at $199.99 is the cheapest way to carry an SOS button, and the Messenger Plus at $299.99 adds photo and voice messages for the extra hundred. Each of these requires an active Garmin subscription to send anything.
- Garmin inReach Messenger Satellite Communicator $199.99 (was $299.99)
- Garmin inReach Messenger Plus Satellite Communicator $299.99 (was $399.99)
- Garmin inReach Mini 3 SOS Satellite Communicator $399.99 (was $449.99)
If you ride on roads with cars, a rearview radar changes how the whole ride feels, and the Varia RVR315 at $120.99 is the cheapest entry into it. Garmin’s Edge computers are discounted across the range too, including the brand-new Edge 550, which is unusual for a unit this new.
- Garmin Varia RVR315 Cycling Rearview Radar $120.99 (was $149.99)
- Garmin Varia RTL515 Rearview Radar With Tail Light $149.99 (was $199.99)
- Garmin Edge Explore 2 GPS Cycling Navigator $267.99 (was $299.99)
- Garmin Varia RCT715 Rearview Radar With Camera and Tail Light $299.98 (was $399.99)
- Garmin Edge 550 Compact GPS Cycling Computer $399.99 (was $499.99)
- Garmin Edge 850 Compact GPS Cycling Computer $499.00 (was $599.99)
- Garmin Edge 1050 Premium Cycling Computer $599.99 (was $699.99)
Garmin still makes plenty of things that aren’t watches, and this is the corner of the sale most people skip. The Drive 53 at $99.99 is worth a look if you’d rather not burn your phone’s battery and data on navigation, and the Bounce 2 at $249.99 is a kids’ tracker that texts and calls without handing a child a smartphone.
- Garmin Drive 53 GPS Navigator $99.99 (was $149.99)
- Garmin Bounce Kids Smartwatch $119.00 (was $149.99)
- Garmin Striker 4 Fishfinder With Transducer $130.99 (was $159.99)
- Garmin Approach G12 Clip-On Golf GPS Rangefinder $134.99 (was $149.99)
- Garmin DriveSmart 66 6-Inch Car GPS Navigator $186.10 (was $249.99)
- Garmin Bounce 2 Kids Smartwatch, 43mm $249.99 (was $299.99)
- Garmin Approach G80 All-In-One Golf Handheld With Launch Monitor $349.99 (was $499.99)
The post Amazon just dropped our favorite Garmin running watches and fitness trackers to their lowest prices ever appeared first on Popular Science.