Garmin’s Black Friday selection has arrived, and the price drops on three crowd-pleasers are more aggressive than expected: the base-level Forerunner 55, the do-it-all vívoactive 5 and the high-end epix Pro. If you’ve been wanting to level up your training watch or take the plunge into the Garmin ecosystem, these deals are some of the best value-per-feature we’re seeing on GPS wearables this season.
Why These Garmin Deals Are Worth Your Time
Price trackers that follow big retailers have marked new lows on a number of Garmin models, with the epix Pro falling into the mid-$500s depending on its size and material, the vívoactive 5 in the high $100s and the Forerunner 55 regularly priced near $150. Analysts at Circana have observed that GPS watches experience a surge in popularity every Black Friday, and historical trendlines analysis from Keepa and CamelCamelCamel show these holiday windows frequently become the benchmark for product pricing for the rest of the year.
Forerunner 55 is the best budget runner pick
The Forerunner 55 is still the best starting watch for those new to running or anyone who wants value. It’s light, comfortable and serves up coach-like guidance without the noise. You’ll receive daily suggested workouts, a VO2 max estimate, wrist-based heart rate tracking, cadence alerts and core modes for road running, treadmill running, track running, cycling, pool swims and general HIIT alongside yoga.
Battery life is a bright spot: up to about two weeks in smartwatch mode and around 20 hours with GPS tracking, more than sufficient for training blocks and race day for most athletes from 5K to the half-marathon. In testing from independent reviewers such as DC Rainmaker, GPS accuracy and optical heart rate performance on the 55 have proven consistently trustworthy for a watch at this price point. If you’re graduating out of a phone-only tracking process, it feels dramatic.
vívoactive 5 The Everyday Fitness All-Rounder
If you’re looking for a watch that resembles a smartwatch and acts like a coach, vívoactive 5 is the sweet spot. Its AMOLED display is sharp indoors and viewable outside, even as battery life extends well beyond the typical smartwatch. You’ve got Body Battery, Sleep Score, nap detection, stress tracking and Health Snapshot — perks that make casual fitness a habit for the long haul.
Garmin also included a variety of types and some thoughtful accessibility features, including a wheelchair mode that tracks pushes instead of steps and tailored workouts. The vívoactive 5 is also equipped with guided on-watch workouts for strength, HIIT, yoga and Pilates as well as NFC payments through Garmin Pay. While it lacks some advanced training metrics currently reserved for its higher-end lines, it’s hard to deny the scope of features available at this sub-$200 Black Friday price point — not to mention gym-goers, cross-trainers and commuters who want smart features without a daily charging routine.
epix Pro premium tracking at a rare price
The epix Pro is Garmin’s big gun for athletes who want it all: AMOLED screen, full-color maps, advanced training analytics and killer multi-band GNSS. SatIQ dynamically manages GPS modes to stretch battery life while maintaining high-precision location even in urban canyons and heavy tree cover. Size (42/47/51 mm) and case material will influence that, but multi-day endurance with heavy tracking should be in play. It’s the timepiece ultrarunners and mountain athletes turn to when terrain, navigation and reliability are concerns.
Outdoor extras sweeten the deal — they offer a built-in LED flashlight with four modes, night mode with Red Shift for night-vision adaptation, and advanced recovery tools including rest and Training Readiness to help balance total load and do smart workouts. At Black Friday lows in the mid-$500s for non-Sapphire models, you’re getting top-tier mapping and sensors at a price that historically hews closer to midrange competition. That’s why experienced reviewers and coaches often refer to the epix Pro as the “one watch to do it all.”
Price targets and what to expect from Black Friday
Sale price estimates thanks to recent Black Friday cycles and tracked lows: Forerunner 55 around $150, vívoactive 5 in the $180 to $199 range, and epix Pro in the $540 to $600 zone depending on size (and possibly material). See if the listing is for standard or Sapphire Titanium models, since materials and lens types can swing price by hundreds. Also verify watch size — bands and battery life can vary among 42/47/51 mm cases on epix Pro.
You can check against price histories from tools like CamelCamelCamel and Keepa to confirm a true low, look for ad scans from major retailers and watch out for open-box or refurbished tags if the price seems too good. Retailers frequently price-match on Black Friday itself, so set up alerts and be prepared to snap things up when your target lands.
Which Garmin watch is the best pick for you?
If you’re a beginning or intermediate runner who puts a premium on clean training guidance and long battery life but are short on funds, choose the Forerunner 55. Pick the vívoactive 5 if you’re looking for a colorful AMOLED smartwatch that can track daily health metrics, hit the gym and make payments — all without getting dragged into pro athlete-level complexity. If you can’t live without elite navigation, multi-band GPS accuracy and deep training analytics for long adventure days, step up to the epix Pro.
Bottom line: Buy here. Historical pricing and current listings indicate these Black Friday prices are at or near the absolute lowest we’ve seen this year, and Garmin’s ecosystem of training tools, maps and health metrics ensures that all three of these watches represent a smart long-term investment.
