Garmin smartwatches are some of the best in the business. With GPS sports models, versatile fitness trackers, and stylish fashion pieces, the Garmin line is as diverse as it is dependable. Indeed, with such a varied catalog, there's a Garmin watch for everyone.

The only problem with the company's wide-reaching portfolio is that it can be tricky to narrow down which Garmin is best for your needs and budget. That's why our team decided to combine our expert knowledge and create this list of the top Garmin watches. Smart tech is our specialty here at Pocket-lint, and we've researched and reviewed just about every Garmin model on the market. Narrowing down the options wasn't easy, but we're confident that you'll find the perfect pick below.

Best Garmin watch overall

The big change in the Forerunner 965 over previous models is the move to an AMOLED display. This makes this top running watch much more vibrant and engaging than older Forerunner devices. You have to pay a premium for it, but it's a better device as a result -- and battery life hasn't been sacrificed.

At its core, however, this is still a fully-functioning Garmin watch, offering more tracking than you can think of, making it the ideal partner for anyone training for just about anything. It's a great companion for running, dynamic workouts, and any other type of fitness training, while also offering smart features like music controls, payments and notifications. It's the complete package, but as the flagship in Garmin's portfolio, it's also quite expensive.

Best stylish Garmin watch

Many of Garmin's watches are on the larger side and have very fitness-focused styling. The Garmin Lily 2 offers a more stylish alternative while maintaining useful fitness features. The glass lens uses a unique etched-glass design, with different patterns available depending on the color you choose. That design, combined with the aluminum case, results in a very polished-looking watch that's ideal for wearing to work or to events you may want to look a bit nicer for.

Besides the looks, the Lily 2 is very compact and ideal for small wrists. The display is just 25.4 x 21.3 mm, which is large enough to see important information but still discreet. It only weighs 21.4 grams, which is so lightweight that I barely notice it on my wrist. It's available with or without Garmin Pay and comes with either a silicone, leather, or fabric strap.

Despite the fashion-focused design, the Lily 2 still functions as a capable fitness tracker. There is no built-in GPS, but Garmin's tethered GPS is surprisingly accurate. You can track a range of activities, including walks, runs, indoor rowing, HIIT, and a variety of dance styles. The watch can measure your heart rate all day and track sleep, stress levels, and blood oxygen saturation. It also offers women's health tracking right on your wrist and provides movement and meditation suggestions. Plus, it connects to your phone so you can receive notifications and control your music. It's a surprisingly well-rounded device that blends into daily life more than Garmin's other watches.

Best Garmin watch for hikers

When most people set out for outdoor adventures, they usually don't run extension cords along the trail to keep their devices charged. The Fenix 7 Pro Solar's battery life is one of the best on the market. In our experience, a full charge will provide well over two weeks of battery life, and the small solar panel can extend that by up to another week in the right conditions. It all depends on how you use it and how much sunlight it receives, but it undeniably offers impressive battery life in any case.

The long-lasting battery isn't the only reason we recommend the Fenix 7 Pro Solar. This premium pick comes at a high price, but you get what you pay for. It has all the latest fitness-tracking features, including sleep monitoring, comprehensive performance metrics, numerous sports apps, HIIT workout routines, and much more.

Should you take this pricey device far off the grid, you can rely on its compass and "multi-GNSS satellite systems" to find your way home (this latter tech is basically a fancy way of saying advanced GPS). It also features a built-in flashlight for after-dark adventures. Best of all, the Fenix 7 Pro Solar is noticeably slimmer compared to the Fenix line's previous iterations, so you can keep wearing it when you return to civilization without attracting strange looks.

Best budget Garmin watch

The Forerunner 55 may be an entry-level model, but it provides an extremely rich experience for beginners. For those who are just getting started with tracking their runs, there really is nothing better. It's definitely more limited outside of run tracking than the more premium models in the family, which are able to expand to advanced tracking for other sports and activities, but features like suggested workouts, Garmin's own PacePro feature, cadence alerts, recovery advice and the adaptive training plans available through Garmin Coach will help guide you towards that new personal best.

It also features a battery life that can last for 20 hours when tracking via GPS and around two weeks in normal use. The Forerunner 55 also benefits from being much cheaper, so if you only want your Garmin for training -- and not to wear it all the time -- it might be a solid choice.

Best Garmin watch for runners

The Garmin Forerunner 255 is technically Garmin's mid-range runner's watch. It's often the choice for those who want more than the Forerunner 55 but don't want to pay for the Forerunner 965. Fortunately, it offers most of the tracking that the top of the range does, only missing out on things like golf features, real-time stamina reporting, and live segment tracking.

Many also choose the Forerunner 255 because there's a Music version, so you can connect via Bluetooth and take tunes on the run. There's no touchscreen here like the 955, but you do get Garmin Pay, so you can buy that coffee on the way back from your workout.

The bottom line: What is the best Garmin watch?

Within the many families of Garmin devices are multiple generations, different case sizes, and standard or premium versions. This makes the task of ranking the top Garmin watches even more difficult since older models of premium lines (like the Fenix or Forerunner) are often still exceptional picks.

In fact, for those who have a rough idea of what Garmin device they're suited to, it's sometimes worth considering the last-gen model. These often age very well since Garmin supports discontinued devices with software updates and can come with a handy price discount. To help keep things simple and relevant for you here, though, our ratings largely reflect the current generation of Garmin products.

How did we choose the best Garmin watches?

Pocket-lint has tested most of Garmin's extensive lineup. The selections on this list are all devices that we have personally used, enjoyed, and would recommend to others. Since Garmin makes so many watches, we narrowed down our selection to the categories that most are looking for. We also selected watches at various price points to suit the needs of just about everyone.

FAQ

Q: Which type of Garmin watch is best for me?

Before you can really know which Garmin device is right for you, it's important to understand who each range is aimed at.

• Fenix -- Premium multisport watches for those who want the best of everything
• Venu -- Garmin's smartwatch line, providing an alternative to the Apple Watch and others
• Forerunner -- Top-tier GPS sports watches with a focus on catering for runners
• Vivoactive -- Everyday fitness watches that are best for gaining basic insights into all kinds of activity
• Vivomove -- Hybrid watches that can track activity discreetly
• Instinct -- Rugged GPS watch designed for the outdoors

Naturally, Garmin has plenty more devices for specific sports -- such as its Approach golf wearables, the Swim and Descent series' or the Vivo fitness bands -- but the above are the most common models we would recommend. If you are looking for something specific, the chances are strong that Garmin has a tracker for the job. Marq, Epix and Enduro also bolster the premium end of the market.

Q: What Garmin features do you need?

Garmin has a wide range of features, fully supported and accessed through the Garmin Connect app that runs on your smartphone. Fitness tracking is a given on all Garmin models, including steps, calories, GPS route tracking, heart rates, heart rate zones, coaching and sleep tracking for recovery. Some models offer color mapping, some will offer a touchscreen and some offer button controls only.

As you step up through the models, you'll find more advanced features. While all offer smartphone notifications, you'll get Garmin Pay on many models, support for music on top devices -- although on some mid-range devices, you'll have to choose a 'music' edition of the watch. Beyond that, high-end models offer a wider range of dynamics for athletes -- especially runners -- so you can get more out of your workouts and recovery.

There's also a wide ecosystem of devices supporting Garmin, including additional sensors such as a heart rate strap for greater accuracy, along with bike sensors for those in the saddle. While many watches will support these sensors and integrate the data into Garmin Connect, it's again worth checking that your watch of choice will do everything you need it to.