This year, we’ve had two big releases from Garmin so far: the Garmin Instinct 3 and the Garmin Fenix 8. Both scored very highly in their respective reviews, and both have made their way onto our best Garmin watches list for 2025.
They also share another common trait: both Instinct 2 and Fenix 7 watches previously only came with memory-in-pixel (MIP) screens, a duller display than most watches, and one that conserves energy. When Garmin introduced a version of the Fenix with a vibrant AMOLED screen, which is less power-efficient but brighter, like a proper smartwatch instead of a fitness tool, it called it something else – the Garmin Epix Pro.
