If you are looking for a Garmin watch you do not need to spend a lot of money to buy one. Some of the Garmin watches can cost over £500 or even £1000 to purchase but not all Garmin watches cost that much. Even though Garmin offers quality smart watches which are built to last, you can still buy these without spending too much money. If you are looking for a best budget Garmin watch, then read on!
When it comes to best Garmin budget smart watch there are a few different options. It also mostly depends on features you are looking for in a budget Garmin smart watch and your max budget. There are quite a few good budget options between £100 and £200. If you just want a Garmin watch with basic but reliable health & fitness tracking then the cost will be on the lower side i.e. closer to £100 . However, if you looking for extra features such as maps, Garmin pay etc then then cost will be a bit on the higher side i.e. closer to £200.
Best Budget Garmin Watch – Winner
Garmin Venu SQ2 offers similar features compared to Garmin venu 2 at a much lower price. Along with other features, it has bright AMOLED display, touch screen, Garmin pay and built-in GPS. It cost a little extra compared to Garmin Forerunner 55 but offers plenty of extra features. If you are looking for a budget Garmin smart watch specifically for running and do not mind no touch screen, then you can consider Forerunner 55 or Forerunner 255. Otherwise, we recommend Garmin Venu SQ2 as best Garmin budget smart watch. Venu SQ2 costs more than Forerunner 55 but less than Forerunner 255.
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Best Budget Garmin Watch – Our Verdict
One of the best budget Garmin smart watches currently is Garmin Forerunner 55 which offers basic health & fitness tracking. It also offers built-in GPS and connect to smart phone via Bluetooth. Forerunner 55 is compatible with IOS and Android. The battery life is good and can last up to 14 days, the screen size and resolution is decent. There are no issues seeing the screen in bright light or outdoors. It does not offer Garmin pay.
If you do prefer ability to make payments from your smart watch then you can opt for Garmin forerunner 255 which has slightly larger and brighter display and offers Garmin pay. However, it does cost a bit more compared to Garmin forerunner 55. The both watches have round display with rubber strap which are comfortable to wear. Both watches have 5 buttons three on one side and two on the other side but there is no touch screen.
If you prefer a budget Garmin watch with a touchscreen, then we recommend Garmin venu sq 2, which offers similar features including AMOLED display, touchscreen and Garmin pay but at less than half the price compared to Garmin Venu 2. The watch has square display, which provides better readability for text messages.
Buy Garmin Forerunner 55 if:
You are looking for a budget Garmin smart watch with offers basic features, built-in GPS and long battery life at low cost.
Buy Garmin Forerunner 55 at Amazon
Buy Garmin Forerunner 255 if:
you are looking for a brighter display and Garmin pay
Buy Garmin Forerunner 255 at Amazon
Buy Garmin Venu SQ2 if:
you are looking for a budget Garmin smart watch with AMOLED display, touch screen, built-in GPS, Garmin pay in addition to basic health & fitness tracking
Buy Garmin Venu SQ 2 at Amazon
Best Budget Garmin Watch – Forerunner 55 Full Details
The cheapest Garmin watch which provides value for money is Garmin forerunner 55. Forerunner 55 is one of the best selling smart watches on Amazon. It was released in 2021 but still has lot to offer. It provides basic smart watch features such as health & fitness tracking including heart rate monitoring, weather, message notifications & reminders, find my phone. It also includes built-in GPS, meaning it can track the route without relying on smart phones GPS. Garmin forerunner 55 is compatible with IOS and Android smart phones. The watch is light weight and suitable for running. It is easy to connect with a smart phone via Garmin connect app. The watch has MIP display and the screen size is 1.04″. MIP display means the display is highly visible in bright sunlight and consumes less power. The watch has five buttons; three on one side and two on the other to control the smart watch. The down sides of forerunner 55 smart watch are that it does not offer Garmin pay and does not have a touch screen.
Buy Garmin Forerunner 55 at Amazon
Garmin Forerunner 255 Budget Garmin Smart Watch Full Details
Garmin forerunner is a good quality budget smart watch which does not cost a lot compared to other Garmin models. It is one of the best selling smart watches on Amazon. The watch has a good-sized 1.3″ MIP display. The display type uses less power, meaning the battery can last longer compared to some of the models with AMOLED. Forerunner 255 does not offer touch screen. The watch has 5 buttons, 3 on one side and 2 on the other to control the smart watch. The screen is bright enough to be easily seen in bright sunlight without any problem. Forerunner 255 also offers built-in GPS and Garmin pay. The watch is compatible with Apple and Android phone. Once connected to a smart phone you can sync tracking data with the smart phone via Garmin connect app. You can also load more watch faces via the app. The watch monitors various health and fitness metrics, including heart rate, heart rate variability (HRV), sleep patterns, blood oxygen levels, running pace, stride length, and step cadence. Additionally, it tracks advanced data such as vertical oscillation, ground contact time, breathing rate, stress levels, recommended recovery times, and training load analysis.
Buy Garmin Forerunner 255 at Amazon
Garmin Budget Smart Watch – Venu SQ 2 full details
Garmin Venu SQ2 offers similar features compared to Garmin Venu 2 but at a much lower cost. The Venu SQ2 watch has 1.41″ AMOLED display with a touchscreen. The watch is compatible with both Android & IOS and connects to smart phone seamlessly. You can easily download the Garmin connect app from App store or Google play store. The Bluetooth connection is very stable and there are no connectivity issues. The watch has built-in GPS and tracks the exercise route without relying on the phone’s GPS. You can receive the phone notifications directly yo you smart watch once connected to a smart phone. The watch has a good battery life of upto 11 days. However, the battery life depends on the features you use most on the watch. On smart watch mode, with an average use it will last from 4-6 days. In the GPS mode the battery will last from 20 to 26 hours.
Buy Garmin Venu SQ 2 at Amazon
In summary if you are looking for a Garmin watch at low cost which offers premium features such as Garmin pay, AMOLED display, long battery life, built-in GPS etc, then you should consider Garmin Venu SQ 2. However, if you are after a budget Garmin watch specifically for running then you can consider forerunner 55 and if you required extra features such as Garmin pay then you can consider Garmin forerunner 255.
