Training for your next marathon? ‘Tis the season for it. Some of the biggest marathons of the year are only a few weeks away, including the Chicago Marathon and the New York City Marathon on Oct. 11 and Nov. 1. One of the best brands for tracking your runs is Garmin, and October Prime Day, which is a week away, offers several deals on Garmin’s top devices.
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Also: Best October Prime Day deals 2026: Save on TVs, smartwatches, and more tech
At ZDNET, my colleagues and I test smartwatches all year, and Garmin makes some of our favorite models. Several of the watches on sale now made our list of the best Garmin smartwatches we’ve tested, including our top pick, the Garmin Fenix 8 Pro, and the affordable Garmin Forerunner 165. Read on for our favorite Garmin watches that are on sale for October Prime Day.
Also: Garmin’s new Fenix 9 Pro gives me a reason to leave my phone at home
The best Garmin smartwatch deals for October Prime Day
Matthew Miller/ZDNET
for $1,099 (save $100)
Garmin Fenix 8 Pro
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Expert Take
Our pick for the best Garmin watch you can buy has also been one of our bestselling July Prime Day deals, though it’s not currently at the same all-time low price of $950 that it was during that sale. The Fenix 8 Pro is the latest flagship model that connects seamlessly to Android and iOS smartphones, in addition to golf club sensors, bike sensors, and more. Just about every sport is covered with an updated smartphone experience, so you can customize the watch settings on your phone and sync them over to the watch.
The smartwatch features a vibrant AMOLED display for ultra-readability, and an LED flashlight, which reviewer Matt Miller says “makes the Fenix 8 Pro an essential tool in my collection.” The smartwatch isn’t discounted by much a week ahead of October Prime Day, but I’ll keep an eye on its price closer to the deals event, as it’s likely to drop.
Review: Garmin Fenix 8 Pro
Ready to run with the 47mm Garmin Epix Pro / Garmin/ZDNET
for $571 (save $429)
Garmin Epix Pro (Gen 2) Sapphire Edition
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Expert Take
ZDNET smartwatch reviewer Matt Miller spent weeks running, swimming, biking, walking, sleeping, and living with the Garmin Epix Pro (Gen 2), and called it “a near-perfect sports watch.” Along with tons of fitness tracking features, the watch includes a bright AMOLED display, detailed maps, and a handy LED flashlight, making it great for evening workouts.
This 50% off discount is back down to the lowest price we’ve ever seen it, which hasn’t happened since last Black Friday — so if you’re looking to buy one, now is the best time.
Review: Garmin Epix Pro (Gen 2)
Matthew Miller/ZDNET
for $200 (save $50)
Garmin Forerunner 165
Get it now
Expert Take
The Forerunner 165 is our pick for the best Garmin watch for casual runners and pickleball players. Our reviewer Matt Miller notes that even at this more affordable price, Garmin’s Forerunner 165 includes a brilliant AMOLED touchscreen display for that elegant Android smartwatch visual experience found in Samsung and Apple smartwatches.
Review: Garmin Forerunner 165
Matthew Miller/ZDNET
for $347 (save $103)
Garmin Instinct 3
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Expert Take
The Garmin Instinct 3 is one of the less expensive Garmin smartwatch on this list. It’s currently discounted by $103, taking the price to $347. Despite its low price, its battery life is sky-high at 18 days. It also features a vibrant AMOLED display and a built-in LED flashlight with different intensities and strobe modes, making it great for running at night.
Review: Garmin Instict 3 Solar
Matthew Miller/ZDNET
for $377 (save $81)
Garmin Venu 3S
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Expert Take
The Garmin Venu 3S is similar to the Garmin Venu 4, but has a bit of a smaller size if you’d like your smartwatch to take up less real estate around your wrist. It’s also nearly $200 cheaper.
Review: Garmin Venu 3S
Prime Day Garmin Watch FAQs
Wasn’t there already a Prime Day this summer? And another one in the spring?
Allow me to remind you that Prime Day is now a quarterly event, as Amazon has gotten even more voracious with these days-long deals events. There’s the Spring Sale in March, Prime Day in June, October Prime Day, and Black Friday, which now lasts a week, for some reason.
When is October Prime Day?
This year, October Prime Day runs from Tuesday, October 6, through Wednesday, October 7.
How did we choose these October Prime Day Garmin deals?
I spend lots of time writing about technology. I also think most of these sales events are marginally helpful for shoppers. It is more an opportunity for big retailers to reignite interest in their own products (and sell inventory) than it is an opportunity for shoppers to get good deals. Still, good deals exist during these events, so I’ll tell you about them when I see them. And if you just so happen to be in the market for one of these devices, I’ll lead you in the right direction.
I use established price comparison tools and trackers to determine whether the deal is actually on sale and how frequently it drops. As someone with great familiarity with these products, I also remember the prices of these products and when they’ve gone historically lower or higher. This helps me determine if it’s actually worth buying. If it’s not, I’ll tell you so.
What are the best October Prime Day deals so far?
ZDNET editors will be tracking October Prime Day deals before, during, and after the sale. Here are our favorite deals across categories now:
- Prime Day TV deals
- Prime Day laptop deals
- Prime Day phone deals
- Prime Day deals under $25
- Prime Day tablet deals
- Prime Day all-in-one computer deals
- Prime Day SSD deals
- Prime Day Sam’s Club deals
- Prime Day Costco deals
- Prime Day Nintendo deals
- Prime Day Bluetooth speaker deals
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