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Android Central
Android Central
Technology
Michael L Hicks

Early Black Friday Garmin deals — upgrade your workout for cheap

Running workout screen on the Garmin Forerunner 255 in front of a tree.

If you're on the hunt for Black Friday Garmin deals, you've come to the right place. The year's largest shopping event is still a few days away, but there are already a bounty of early offers to be found if you know where to look, and we've gathered a selection of our favorites below. 

Whether you want the classic fitness tracker or a cutting-edge smartwatch experience, Garmin is one of the best manufacturers of wearables in the business, combining useful specs and features with great options for nearly every budget. Sure, most of the early Black Friday deals below are for last-generation models, but there are some great options if you don't necessarily need the newest device. Needless to say, when the newest Garmin watches go on sale for Black Friday, you'll find those discounts here. 

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How to choose

How should you pick the right Garmin watch?

Pay close attention to Garmin watches' names. Most have the same core Garmin OS, health sensors, and GPS tracking capabilities; where they differ is in their specializations. We'll focus on the best Garmin watches below, without paying attention to deal prices, for you to compare against the ones that are on sale.

Garmin Forerunner watches are designed for runners and cyclists, primarily, and the newer models will judge your fitness level and tell you how long to rest and then how long and fast to run next time. The Garmin Forerunner 265 is our favorite mid-range option, while the Forerunner 965 is the best premium option of the bunch.

Garmin Instinct watches give you epically long battery life with the trade-off of lower-resolution displays; they also give you rugged shock-proof designs, along with some of the same training readiness data as Forerunner watches. The Instinct 2X Solar is your best option, with nearly 150 GPS hours thanks to solar recharging and a built-in LED flashlight.

Garmin Epix watches give epically long battery life too, but without the display trade-off or thick plastic look; instead, you have to accept how heavy they can be. 

Garmin Venu watches target more mainstream and first-time users, with their bright AMOLED displays for gym training, but may not have some of the more specialized fitness software of a Forerunner; the new Venu 3 takes the crown today. 

The Vivoactive series arguably falls into that same niche, only without the AMOLED focus and for a more affordable price. We have yet to review the Vivoactive 5, but it's essentially a Venu 3 with a few downgrades to give it a consumer-friendly price.

The Garmin Fenix series is its flagship lineup, but even when on sale, they'll cost you an arm and a leg. Otherwise, most Garmin models outside of these lineups are more specialized, such as the Approach for golfers or tactix for military types; they're harder to find on sale, typically, but are good options for people that know exactly what they want.

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