“Quality Comes At A Price” is an old saying and something that comes to mind when talking about Garmin watches. If you are into fitness trackers and smartwatches, you must have already heard of Garmin. They are famous for their top-notch products, which come at a high price.
However, they deliver what you pay for as their watches are always well built and come with all features that one would want in their smartwatch.
From running, jogging, marathons, outdoor adventures, watersports, and triathlon, you will find a watch for tracking each activity under this brand.
However, if you always wanted to have a Garmin watch on your wrist but could not because of its price, then there’s good news for you guys as we bring the top 7 best cheap watches from Garmin that you can flaunt on your wrist without ripping a hole in your pockets.
And by cheap, we mean the price and not the quality of the watches so you can rest assured. So, without further delays, let’s get rolling!
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Best Cheap Garmin Watch Comparison Table
IMAGE | PRODUCT | SPECIFICATIONS | VIEW ON AMAZON |
Best Budget Garmin Watch For Runners  | Forerunner 235 |
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Best Sports Garmin Watch  | Garmin Vivoactive 3 |
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Best Outdoor Watch  | Garmin Instinct |
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Best Watch For Women  | Garmin Venu Sq |
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Cheap Garmin Watches For Running, Golf, And Other Purposes
1. Forerunner 235
Garmin has lots of different categories of watches, like Vivosmart, Vivofit, Forerunner, Fenix, Approach, and Vivoactive. Each type of smartwatch is dedicated to a particular activity. Like Approach series watches are dedicated to golf lovers and similarly, the Forerunner series is specially crafted for the runners.
So if you are a runner and looking for a cheap Gramin watch for running under budget then the wait is over because the 235 Forerunner is the watch that you have been looking for for so long.
With integrated GPS and heart rate tracker, this watch is what every runner would like to have on their wrist while running. The built-in GPS helps the runner get detailed insights into their running, like distance, speed, etc. At the same time, the heart rate tracker on this Garmin helps them track their heartbeats during their run and their overall heart health.
Also, with the 44% larger LCD color display of 180x 180 pixels of this watch, it’s easier to see stats and information on the screen even in direct sunlight. So it’s also good for late morning and afternoon runners.
Also, if you use your smartphone for recording your lap times, you can get direct audio prompts on the watch after syncing it to the smartphone. So you don’t have to check your phone that often.
Once your phone is synced, you can also see incoming call alerts, email, text messages, and calendar reminders right on your wrist.
The battery life is also good on this watch. You get up to 9 days of battery life in general usage and up to 11 hours of training time with GPS enabled. Which we think is exceptional for a budget smartwatch.
You can also download helpful resources from Garmin’s Connect IQ Store for customizing your watch with watch faces, widgets, and data fields.
Last but not least, the build quality of this watch irrespective of its price is just commendable just like any other Garmin watch. It’s durable, and water-resistant, and will last long.
Who Is It For?
This watch is for ardent runners who want a smartwatch from a good brand with all the necessary features under budget.
2. Forerunner 35
Forerunner 35 is one of the cheapest Forerunner watches from Garmin that you can purchase from Amazon for under $100. It is an easy-to-use watch that comes with all the necessary features that a runner would require.
It has a built-in GPS for precisely tracking your runs and also comes with a 24/7 heart tracking monitor for monitoring your heart health. The good thing is that even though it costs you under 100 bucks, it still offers you a built-in GPS and heart tracker, which is incredible.
It also has a great Run/Walk feature for interval training that tells you when to run fast and when it’s time to slow down. Otherwise, you would have to download a particular app for interval training on your smartphone but not with this watch.
You can also sync it with your phone to receive text, app, and call notifications right on its screen. And once it’s connected to the phone, it also allows you to control your music directly from the wrist.
Other than tracking your daily activities like steps, distance, calories, etc. It also alerts you when you are sitting idle for too long and reminds you to indulge in some form of activity, which is an excellent feature to stay active all day long.
There’s one more feature that makes this smartwatch a bang for the bucks you pay. The watch automatically uploads all your recorded data to Garmin’s cloud storage. So you never lose your data and are always aware of your progress.
It’s a lightweight watch that fits on all wrists, even if you have smaller wrists. The feel however of this watch is not very premium like other expensive watches from Garmin but it’s quite comfortable for daily usage.
Who Is It For?
It’s a great watch for the beginner or daily runner but not that great for athletes and pro runners who are training for marathons.
3. Garmin Vivoactive 3
The third smartwatch on our list is the Garmin Vivoactive 3. It is for people who are looking for a sports watch under budget. Vivoactive 3 comes with 15 preloaded sports app that helps you stay active by enjoying your favorite sports.
You can use it for various sports activities like Golf, Cycling, Yoga, Snowboarding, Swimming, etc. With its built-in GPS, it accurately tracks details of your chosen sports activity without even connecting to your smartphone.
Apart from GPS, it also features an integrated heart rate monitor that helps you keep track of your fitness and stress levels. So that you always stay aware of your physical and mental health.
This smartwatch also comes with the Garmin Pay feature that allows you to make contactless payments on your purchase so that you can leave your cards, phone, and cash at home and still make purchases directly from your wrists.
Also, it comes with a chroma color display that is beautiful to look at and is also bright enough to be visible in broad daylight. Moreover, the display screen of this watch is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass so it won’t break or get scratches that easily.
Talking of the display, you can customize it as per your choice by downloading hundreds of free watch faces, and widgets from the Garmin app store.
Also, the watch comes with Bluetooth connectivity so you can connect your smartphone wirelessly to your smartwatch for receiving phone notifications on your wrist.
Apart from receiving notifications, you can respond to text messages and control music right from the watch screen. Also, the recently finished activities will be directly uploaded to the Garmin Connect online fitness community when the phone is paired with the smartwatch.
The battery is also good on this watch as you get 7 days of backup on one full charge. However, if you use the GPS continuously, then it will last up to 13 hours.
Who is it For?
Vivoactive 3 is an excellent cheap Garmin smartwatch for golf and other sports activity. So if you are into sports and looking for a budget smartwatch for tracking your daily sports activity, then you should definitely check it out.
4. Garmin Instinct
Garmin Instinct is an affordable outdoor watch made entirely for adventures like hiking, camping, and rock climbing. It is a rugged watch that is waterproof, shockproof, and thermal resistant, designed to withstand the toughest environments and climates.
Garmin Instinct can be called a cheap Garmin GPS watch as it has multiple global navigation satellite systems built-in like GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo for the most accurate outdoor navigations. With this smartwatch on your wrist, you can even track the most challenging locations that would not be possible with GPS alone.
It also features a 3-axis compass that helps find directions when you are hiking in unknown territories. Also, with its trackback feature, it’s easier to navigate the same route back to your starting point. So with this watch, there’s no chance of you getting lost in the jungles or mountains.
Also, you don’t have to worry about the watch getting drained out in the middle of the adventure as it can last up to 14 days in normal usage and up to 16 hours straight if you are using GPS continuously. It also has an Ultratrac battery saver mode that can sustain the battery for up to 40 hours.
When you are on an adventure, it’s hard to take out your phone regularly to see incoming notifications like texts, calls, and emails. But with this smartwatch, you stay connected with the world all the time as you receive phone notifications right on the watch screen when your phone is synced to it.
It also has a heart rate sensor that monitors your heartbeat and tells you how your heart is performing during adventures, and when you are at rest. Along with heartbeat, it can also track your daily activities and stress levels. So not just for outdoors but this watch is also great for monitoring your overall health.
Who Is It For?
This watch is for adrenaline junkies who were looking for a rugged watch for outdoor adventure like Hiking.
5. Garmin Venu Sq
Now after sports, outdoor, and running watches it’s time for a cheap Garmin watch for ladies. Garmin Venu Sq comes with a Menstrual Cycle Tracking feature much like you would find on the Fitbit watches for women.
This feature help women track their periods, log physical and emotional symptoms. However, this is not a built-in feature, but you’ll require to download the Garmin Connect app on your smartphone and then connect your smartwatch to it.
Other than the menstrual cycle, it has lots of other tracking features where it can monitor your stress, respiration, hydration, sleep, and blood oxygen levels. Having so many health tracking features on a budget watch seems like a dream but it’s true, and that’s incredible.
The watch also has a wrist-based heart tracking feature, which is there so that you can keep track of your heartbeats and be aware of your heart’s health.
Also, it comes with a beautiful color display that always stays on, so you can easily see the information on the screen with a quick glance. Not just the screen but the whole watch looks good and fits well on women with even smaller wrists.
It also comes preloaded with 20 different sports apps much like the Garmin Vivoactive 3. The sports it covers are running, cycling, golf, swimming, etc. However, it has one more crucial feature, and that is Mindful Breathing. Whenever you are stressed or feeling low, you can start the breathing activity, and it will give insights on how you are breathing so you can improve it.
And not to forget that with this watch you can leave your cash and card at home as it can also be used to make payments for purchases. And you can also pair it with your smartphone to receive notifications on your wrist.
The battery life is also decent, and you can expect it to last up to six days on a full charge.
Who Is It For?
This watch is for everyone who wants a complete smartwatch under budget with all the fitness and health tracking features. However, with menstrual cycle tracking, this watch also makes an excellent smartwatch for women.
6. Garmin Vivomove 3
All the smartwatches that we have discussed till now are digital. But how about a hybrid smartwatch that has all the smart features? Garmin Vivomove 3 is one such product that looks like a traditional watch but actually works as an amazing smartwatch.
It has a large circular dial as you would find on an analog watch. The circular dial also works as the screen of this watch where you see all the stats and information. However, the screen is always in hidden mode, and it only shows up when you need it. And that’s what makes Vivomove 3 a good hybrid smartwatch.
Also, this watch has every feature that you would find on a digital smartwatch (GPS, heart rate tracker, notifications). However, it doesn’t have GPS integrated; you’ll require to sync it to the smartphone and use the phone’s GPS.
But unlike GPS, it has Heart rate sensors built-in, which helps you in tracking your heart’s health and energy levels. However, the watch only features two optical LEDs for tracking heartbeats, and therefore, it’s not very accurate.
And like any other smartwatch, it can also be used to view phone stats like incoming texts, call alerts, emails, and social media notifications on the wrist. The battery is also decent with a 5-day battery backup, but it could have been better.
Also, the watch is available in many different color options and can be further customized with quick-release watch bands.
Who Is It For?
Vivoactive 3 is an excellent hybrid budget smartwatch for men and women.
7. Garmin Approach S10
If you are into golf or just started it as your new hobby, then a smartwatch for golf< can help you learn the game faster or enjoy it to the fullest.
With a golf watch on your wrist, you have a significant advantage over other players as it shows you vital insights like distance, swing speed and tracks your data that you could have missed otherwise. Overall it helps you know your course better and assists you in scoring a hole with fewer strokes.
However, golf watches are not always affordable, especially if they come from top brands like Garmin. Approach S10 is a lightweight, cheap, and easy-to-use Garmin watch for golfers who can’t invest much in a smartwatch at the moment.
Garmin Approach S10 comes with a bright, high-resolution display that is easily readable under the sun. So the information is always visible on the screen irrespective of the weather conditions on the course.
Also, the watch has a built-in GPS with 41,000 preloaded courses worldwide. The GPS tracks your location and selects the golf course automatically. Once the course is selected, it then provides the distance to the front, back, and middle of the green to better understand the course. It also shows you hazards and doglegs on the green to prevent injury during the play.
Also, it keeps a summary of the round on the screen, like your score, distance covered, and time taken to complete the round. So that you can stay focused on the game and not worry about the stats.
With this watch, you can play multiple rounds as it supports a rechargeable battery that will last up to 12 hours on a single charge when you are continuously using the GPS.
Moreover, after each game, you can upload your scores to the Garmin Express to keep track of your game throughout the season.
Who Is It For?
Garmin Approach S10 is an excellent watch for golfers worldwide looking for a cheap golf watch with all the necessary features.
What To Consider When Buying A Cheap Smartwatch?
Unlike premium smartwatches that cost you a lot of money, cheap smartwatches are affordable and provide you with great value for money. However, it would help if you are extra careful while buying a cheap watch because a brand can make a lot of compromises for cost-cutting, which results in the poor quality of the watch. But, here’s a few things that you can check in a cheap smartwatch before purchasing it, to be sure that you are buying the right product.
1. Build Quality
The build quality is sometimes compromised to reduce the price of the product. In the case of smartwatches, most cheap watches come with a delicate band that breaks too early. Also, affordable watches don’t feel that comfortable to wear due to the cheap products used in their manufacturing. So when buying a cheap smartwatch, make sure it is made of good material that is durable and comfortable.
2. Features
Other than the build quality, the features are the most compromised thing on a cheap watch. Unlike expensive watches where you get all the features you’ll ever require on a cheap watch, you only get basic features. So, look for a cheap watch that has all the features you want and then go for it.
3. Warranty and Customer Support
The cheap watches, like most other cheap products, aren’t built that well, and they tend to go bad too early. So if you buy an affordable product, make sure you buy it from a trusted brand like Garmin, Fitbit, or others because these brands provide you with a warranty on their products, or at least they provide good customer support if the product goes wrong.
Cheap Garmin Watches FAQs
What Is The Best Value Garmin Watch?
Garmin Vivoactive 3 and Forerunner 235 are the best value watches you can buy for under $200.
Where Are Garmin Watches Made?
Garmin watches are made in Taiwan.
How Many Years Do Garmin Watches Last?
Garmin watches are well built, and they can last up to a few years, depending on how you keep them.
How Do I Know If My Garmin Is Original?
You can check the authenticity of your watch by its serial number.
Are Garmin Watches Worth It?
Be it expensive or cheap, Garmin watches are totally worth it.
What's The Cheapest Garmin Watch?
Garmin Forerunner 35 is currently one of the cheapest watch for a runner that you can get for under $100.
