10 Best Garmin Heart Rate Monitor Watches 2025 in the United States

The Garmin Forerunner® 965 is designed for runners and multisport athletes who want detailed training feedback and reliable tracking. It features a bright 1.4-inch AMOLED touchscreen alongside traditional buttons, making it easy to view and control even on the move. Its heart rate monitoring is wrist-based and pairs well with other training metrics like cadence, stride length, and running power, helping you understand your performance better. GPS tracking is very accurate thanks to multi-band GNSS with SatIQ technology, which also helps save battery. Speaking of battery, it offers an impressive 23 days in smartwatch mode and 31 hours with GPS active, so it can easily keep up with long training cycles or races.

The watch is water-resistant and supports swim profiles, making it versatile for triathlon training. Smart features like daily suggested workouts, recovery insights, sleep tracking, and race planning add extra value for serious athletes wanting to optimize their training. It also supports multiple sports with customizable profiles and stores a large amount of data with 32 GB of memory.

While it has many advanced features, some of the training readiness and recovery metrics are estimations and might not be perfect for beginners who want simple, straightforward data. Its price and feature set might be more than casual users need. This watch is best suited for dedicated runners and multisport athletes who appreciate detailed insights and strong GPS performance in a lightweight, stylish design.

The Garmin fēnix 7 Pro Sapphire Solar is a robust multisport GPS smartwatch designed for athletes and outdoor enthusiasts who want detailed performance tracking and long battery life. Its standout feature is the solar charging lens, which extends battery life significantly by using sunlight, allowing for weeks of use in smartwatch mode without frequent recharging. The 1.3-inch round display is clear and responsive, combining touchscreen and button controls, making it easy to operate in various conditions.

It offers advanced heart rate monitoring along with additional health metrics like HRV and Pulse Ox, giving a good overview of your fitness and recovery, with readings that provide valuable insights though they are estimates and not medical-grade. GPS tracking is enhanced with multi-band GPS and SatIQ technology, improving location accuracy and battery efficiency, which is great for hiking, running, or skiing. The built-in LED flashlight is a useful addition for low-light training or outdoor adventures. Activity tracking covers a wide range of sports with specialized features like running power and new endurance scores, helping athletes better understand their training effects. Water resistance is designed to meet outdoor activity demands, making the watch suitable for swimming or rain exposure.

Smart features include Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, preloaded topographic and golf maps, and advanced navigation prompts, making it versatile for daily use and exploration. Although the watch is a bit on the heavier side at 73 grams, its sturdy titanium build supports durability. The combination of price and feature set makes it an excellent choice for serious multisport users who want in-depth data and long-lasting performance, while casual users might find it more complex than needed.

The Garmin vívoactive 6 is a versatile health and fitness smartwatch that stands out with its bright 1.2-inch AMOLED display, offering clear visuals for notifications and workout stats. It shines in tracking your heart rate continuously with wrist-based monitoring, and its built-in GPS accurately follows your outdoor activities like running and cycling. The battery can last up to 11 days in smartwatch mode, which is quite impressive, so you won’t need to charge it frequently. It also offers water resistance, making it suitable for swimming and other water-related exercises.

Beyond basic tracking, it provides personalized health insights such as Body Battery energy levels, sleep scores, stress tracking, and even nap detection, helping you understand your overall wellness better. The watch includes over 80 sports apps and animated workouts, along with smart features like notifications, alarms, and menstrual cycle tracking, which add convenience and motivation to your fitness routine. The watch weighs just 1.3 ounces, which is light and comfortable, though some users might find the 1.2-inch screen a bit small if they prefer larger displays.

While it offers many smart features, it runs on Garmin’s OS, which is simpler than some other smartwatch platforms and might have fewer third-party apps. The vívoactive 6 is well-suited for fitness enthusiasts and casual users who want detailed health metrics, reliable GPS, and long battery life in a stylish, comfortable design.