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The early Black Friday deals on fitness watches have begun, and you can find a ton of deals on Garmin watches in particular. The Forerunner, Instinct, Vivoactive, and Venu lines all have models on sale today at 20% off, or more. Older models are on sale as well.
Garmin’s Venu 3 smartwatch (and its smaller version, the 3S) are not only excellent fitness trackers, they also include true smartwatch functions like the ability to make calls via Bluetooth and send voice texts. The Venu 3 (45 mm) and Venu 3S (41 mm) are both on sale for $349.99, more than $100 under their usual price.
The Venu Sq 2, which has long been a favorite of Fitbit users migrating to Garmin (thanks in part to the square screen), is also on sale today at $149.99. This is an older model without quite as many of the fancy features of the Venu 3 (no voice calls, for example) but it’s still a very nice smartwatch at a great price.
If you don’t need voice calls, the Vivoactive 5 is a great, cheaper alternative to the Venu. (I’ve been wearing one lately, to test for an upcoming review, and I’d say it’s one of the best general-purpose fitness watches out there.) The Vivoactive 5 is $199.99 right now, $100 less than its usual price.
If you’ve been waiting for a good deal on a Garmin Forerunner running watch, now is your time. The older models (most ending in -55 or -45) have already had some price drops, and as of today the newer Forerunners (most ending in -65) are $50 to $100 off their usual prices.
The Forerunner 55 is a great basic running watch with GPS and heart rate tracking, and it has sleep tracking, too. As with all the Forerunners, it has physical buttons so you can stop and start laps without fumbling with a touchscreen, and running-specific features like race predictions and PacePro screens that can guide you to a specific finish time in a race. The Forerunner 55 still has the older style MIP screen, which is reflective in sunlight but uses a backlight (which can turn on when you flick your wrist) to show you the screen at night. It’s $149.99 now, $50 less than usual.
The Forerunner 165 is for runners who want something a little nicer than the 55, but still want a watch that’s pretty affordable. The 165 has an AMOLED touchscreen, bright and high resolution. It has a built-in compass and altimeter, can measure your HRV, and has tons of running analytics like training effect and running dynamics. It’s also got breadcrumb navigation features. It’s $199.99 or $249.99 for the Music version, both $50 off its usual price.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: This is a great running watch. It has everything the 165 has, plus extra analytics runners will love, like training status, training readiness, and training load. It’s also got multi-band GPS for better accuracy, and comes standard with the ability to store and play music. It comes in two sizes: The Forerunner 265 is 46 millimeters, and the Forerunner 265S (S for "small") is 42 mm. Both are $349.99 right now, which is $100 less than its usual price.
If you’re OK with the older style of screen (MIP, no touchscreen) and don’t need onboard music, the previous models, the Forerunner 255 and 255S, are both on sale for $249.99.
The 255 is the older version of the Forerunner 265, and has most of the same features. The biggest difference is that it has an MIP screen (reflective, low power, low resolution). Some Garmin devotees love the MIP screens, especially in bright sunlight; some prefer the newer AMOLED screens. I can't tell you what you'll like better, but I can tell you that the Forerunner 255 Music is $293.80 right now, down from $399, and still over $50 less than its newer sibling.
All of the 265 models can store and play music, while that feature costs extra in the 255—something to pay attention to as you're comparison shopping. There is also a 255S, with the smaller screen, for $249.99 but no music. As with many older-model tech items, it can be tricky to find the combination of features you want in a model that's still in stock. The only 255S I'm seeing with music is this refurbished model for $269.80, but there may well be others out there.
Garmin’s top-of-the-line Forerunner, the 965, is on sale right now as well. The 965 has everything the 265 does, plus extra analytics like an endurance score, and—this is the big thing for many of its fans—built-in maps. Its battery life is also through the roof: Where most Garmin watches last one to two weeks on a charge, the 965 gives you nearly a month. (23 days, versus 13 for the 265, according to Garmin’s official numbers.) The Forerunner 965 is on sale for $499.99 right now, $100 less than usual.
This one has an affordable older version as well. Snag a Forerunner 955 with the older style MIP screen for just $399.99, or the solar(!) version, which charges in the sunlight, for $499.99.
As the 255 is to the 265 (older, different screen, but still a great watch), so is the Forerunner 955 to the 965. If you're in the market for a budget version of this watch, you can pick up a Forerunner 955 for $399.99, which is $100 off its original price.
The Instinct line of watches are rugged and outdoorsy, popular among hardcore hikers and marketed to military members as well. The Solar models are just what they sound like, featuring an unlimited battery life if they get enough sunlight each day. (Without solar charging, they still both hold an impressive amount of charge—28 days for the 2 and 40 for the 2X).
The display is black-and-white, and it’s not a touchscreen. The 2X does have an LED flashlight built in, and both can give you information on the sun, moon, and tides. The Instinct 2X Solar is the larger watch, at a whopping 50 millimeters, while the 2 Solar is 45 mm. They are $349.99 and $299.99 right now, respectively—that’s $100 off the usual price for each.
This one isn't a watch, but it's worth mentioning if you often hike in remote areas and have loved ones worrying about you back home. The Garmin InReach Mini 2 is a small walkie-talkie-like device that can work even in places with no cell signal. It can help you navigate with maps, so that you can get back to your starting point, but more importantly it can work together with a satellite data plan to allow you to call a rescue team in a life-or-death situation. The InReach Mini 2 is $299 right now, down from a regular price of $399.
