Walking for at least 30 minutes a day on most days of the week can help maintain or improve your overall health. It can strengthen bones, boost muscle power and endurance, reduce excess fat, and increase cardiovascular fitness.
To get the most out of power walking, wearing the right gear, such as a smartwatch, is important. Having a built-in pedometer that you carry wherever you go not only keeps track of your daily step count but also encourages you to walk more and to stay active.
And if you’re looking for a smartwatch brand or wearable that is truly top-end, then Garmin should be on your list. Garmin watches for walking are known for being affordable, stylish, have accurate tracking activity, and have more impressive battery life than other high-end smartwatches.
Choosing your ideal Garmin watch for walking need not be hard. Keep reading our review of the best Garmin watch for walking to help you pick the best option for your need, whether you’re into regular workouts or enjoy hitting the trails.
Top 5 Best Garmin Watch for Leisure Walking
1. Garmin Forerunner 35
Product Description
The Garmin Forerunner 35 is a built-in GPS watch that quickly tracks how fast and far you walked or where you walked or ran. This feature works together with satellites and it can track the location you walked on even if it was covered by a tree.
It has a 24/7 heart rate monitoring feature that allows you to check your heart rate all day and night. It has built-in vibration alerts to notify you of messages and other important prompts when you’re out walking or running.
With its smart connectivity feature, this Garmin GPS smartwatch auto uploads fitness data and tracks all day your steps, intensity minutes, as well as calories to remind you when to move.
The Garmin Forerunner 35 is now available in color black, white, frost blue, and limelight.
Pros
- Daily Step Counter
- Affordable
- High-resolution display
- With vibration alerts
- Updated display
- Smart connectivity
- Music controls
- Built-in GPS
- Wrist-based heart rate monitor
Con/s
- Planning workout programs in the Garmin app may be difficult
Interested? Check it out on this link!
2. Garmin Fenix 6
Product Description
Garmin Fenix 6 sports watch an always-on 1.3” display that is 18% larger than the previous Garmin Fenix models. It combines the best features of outdoor and fitness watches, such as the performance metrics that include walking, running, and cycling stats.
After each workout, this multisport GPS watch displays your recovery time to let you know if your body will be ready for another workout. It accounts for your training intensity and other factors, like sleep, daily activity, and stress.
Its rechargeable, internal lithium battery provides for up to 14 days of battery life when used in smartwatch mode, 48 days in battery saver mode, and 36 hours in GPS mode.
Pros
- With daily workout suggestions
- Displays recovery time
- Accurate Respiration tracking
- Expedition mode
- Smart notifications
- With performance data
- Up to 14 days battery life
- Robust and solid design
Cons
- Pushbutton only and not a touchscreen
- You may have to use the background light button to view the screen in direct sunlight
- Expensive than other smartwatches
Interested? Check it out on this link!
3. Garmin Instinct Solar
Product Description
The Garmin Instinct Solar is a GPS watch that monitors how your body uses energy by tracking your sleep, stress, and heart rate. It tracks your physical activities for walking, running, swimming, strength training, swimming, and more!
This outdoor smartwatch has a built-in 3-axis compass as well as barometric altimeter as well as global navigation satellite (GPS) systems so it can track even more challenging environments.
If you are a runner or a hiker, you will also appreciate the Pulse Ox2 feature of this watch as it gauges how well your body is taking or absorbing oxygen. This feature is most helpful for
sleep monitoring and altitude acclimation.
Pros
- Wrist-based heart rate monitor feature
- Best battery life, since it’s a solar battery
- High contrast display
- Gauges when your body is ready to be active or when it needs to rest
- Calculates stress level score
- Tracks activities for walking, running, and more
- 1.27 Inches screen size
- water resistance (rated to 100 meters).
- Advanced tactical features
Cons
- Battery needs sunlight to operate
- GPS feature can be a little bit confusing
- The number of features can be overwhelming if they’re running all at once
Interested? Check it out on this link!
4. Garmin Forerunner 45 GPS Watch
Product Description
One of the best Garmin watches, the Forerunner 45 displays accurate heart rate readings. It counts your steps, the intensity of your activity, and calories burned.
Its on-wrist heart rate monitor readings also monitor your sleep data. It has a built-in GPS system that gives you stats, including pace, distance, and intervals.
By accessing the Garmin Coach + Garmin Connect apps, you get to choose your race goal and get guidance from expert fitness coaches. The Garmin Connect provides notifications, like phone calls and incoming text messages too!
Pros
- 24/7 activity tracker
- HD screen protector film
- Built-in GPS tracks your walk and run
- Easy-to-use walking and running watch
- health tracker
- Garmin Coach + Garmin Connect provides smart notifications
Cons
- No music
- No swimming mode
- Not compatible with all sports apps than other Garmin watches
Interested? Check it out on this link!
5. Garmin Vivoactive 3
Product Description
Avid marathon competitors, runners, or even if you just love daily walks will appreciate the features that Garmin Vivoactive 3 has. You may even consider it as one of the most advanced sports watches today.
This walking or hiking watch likewise allows you to receive as well as respond to text messages, check your emails, and follow social media updates. It also displays who’s calling on your phone and you can answer or decline it while you’re out walking or running.
Pros
- Wrist-based heart rate
- Built-in sports apps
- Stylish design/ watch bands
- Corning Gorilla Glass 3
- Up to 7 days of battery life without GPS usage, 13 hours with GPS usage
- With music controls
- Has thermometer and compass displays
Cons
- Lacks advanced metrics
- Wrist heart rate not as detailed
- Only Android and not iOS users can respond to texts on the smartwatch
Interested? Check it out on this link!
What to Look for When Buying a Garmin Watch for Walking
1. Long Battery Life
Battery life is one of the most important features when looking for the best Garmin watch. It would be nice if the smartwatch can last for a day without needing a recharge so it can accurately count the number of steps you’ve taken during the day.
Just take note that having more apps in your smartwatch tends to be a battery killer. So, choose a Garmin watch that has better battery life.
2. App-Syncing
Most Garmin watches can sync with Garmin Connect to either use Garmin Connect app or Garmin Express to upload physical activity data to your account. That way, you can easily view your progress over the course of weeks, months, or years.
The App-synching feature likewise encourages you to do your best as the numbers/data increase. Aside from that, you can also link notifications from your smartphones, such as calendar appointments, directions, social media messages, emails, texts, or calls.
3. Built-in GPS Mode
A Garmin watch with a built-in GPS mode will provide you the data on how far you walk on a typical day or how fast you are walking or even running. This Garmin GPS feature likewise performs other functions, like monitoring your heart rate and tracking your sleep.
4. Multi-Sport Tracking Ability
If you are someone who also enjoys other workouts or sports, it would be nice to choose a Garmin watch that has a multi-sport tracking activity. That way, you can track your entire workout not just on the treadmill but even in the pool.
5. Durability
The toughest Garmin watches offer a range of nice features and also have better battery life. This is why you should always go for a smartwatch that is durable so it is reliable and will last you for a long time.
Bottomline: Which One Should You Buy?
If you’re looking for an easy-to-use smartwatch or fitness tracker for your daily walks, then you can choose the Forerunner 35. This is the most affordable watch than other Garmin GPS watches we listed and has a full suite of health and fitness features.
But if you prefer the high-end Garmin watch so you can use it in other sports, then choose the Instinct® Solar. It is built to endure longer. Thanks to its unprecedented solar charging battery life.
The Instinct® Solar likewise has ABC sensors, including an altimeter barometer, three-axis electronic compass. It also monitors weather changes, which is helpful when you’re outdoors. Its trackback routing feature takes the guesswork out during your return journey.
If you liked this article, you might want to check out our other reviews such as Best Garmin Watches for Hunting, Best Garmin Watches for Kayaking, and Best Garmin Watches for Trail Running at EvesWatch.com
Similar Articles:
My name is Eve Acosta and I’m the person behind this site. Watches are what get me ticking ;).
No, but seriously, I just love watches, I have over 30 myself. It’s an obsession of mine, which is why my husband recommended me to put my hobby into some good use and build this site – so I did.
My passion for timepieces came from the fact that my parents own a small chain of shops selling timepieces. I’ve worked at the shop since I was 11 and fell in love with the merchandise.
