Skip to main content

Father’s Day Smartwatch sale: Garmin, Samsung Gear, and Apple Watch deals

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Father’s Day is around the corner, but there’s still plenty of time to pick up a new smartwatch for Dad. Whether he’s trying to get in better shape, keep on top of his work appointments, or just is a gadget geek — it’s a great gift. We’ve scoured the web for the best deals on smartwatches and have found a few from Apple, Garmin, and Samsung that we wanted to share with you.

Most of our options are below $200, most marked down 30% or more. Which one you might pick really just depend’s on your Dad’s specific needs. Let’s take a look at these smartwatch deals.

Apple Watch Series 3 GPS — $199

best smartwatches apple watch series 3
Digital Trends

First up is the Apple Watch Series 3 GPS. While it’s not the newest model, with a sale price of $199 at Walmart, it’s roughly half what you’d pay for the Series 4. You’re still getting Apple’s great build quality, sleek design, and great upgrades over previous versions.

The Series three includes a snappier Apple S3 processor, making the watch some 70% faster than previous versions, and it includes more RAM and a barometric altimeter for enhanced activity tracking. Like the Series 2, it sports built-in GPS and a brighter display. We think this is an excellent deal at this price, and is one of the lowest prices we’ve seen so far for this particular model.

You’ll have the option to select either the black sport band with black case or the white sports band with the silver case. If you’re looking for deals on other Apple Watch models, be sure to check out our list of the best Apple Watch deals of June 2019. There’s also a great deal on the Series 4 on Amazon which you might want to check out, too.

Buy Now

Garmin Forerunner 235 — $200

Garmin deal roundup
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Garmin’s Forerunner 235 has been around for what could be considered an eternity in tech — nearly four years to be exact. But there’s a reason for this staying power: it really is a great activity tracking watch. The deal at Amazon is even better — a $300+ watch at launch, it’s now on sale for just $200 .

The 235 includes built in GPS, and is geared towards runners. Your time, pace, and distance are displayed on the watch face, and you can have the watch give you audio prompts to keep you informed of your lap times and pace when your smartphone is connected. While it doesn’t include apps like other smartwatches, the Forerunner 235 brings phone notifications to your wrist so you’re less distracted when on a run.

Battery life is also spectacular — Garmin says you can train for up to 11 hours without the need to recharge. For another great fitness-centric smartwatch, we recommend you check out our recent deals post on the Fitbit Ionic and Versa smartwatches.

Buy Now

Samsung Gear Sport — $190

Samsung Gear Sport review steps
Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Is your Dad a Samsung fan? Then we’d recommend the Samsung Gear Watch, which Amazon currently has on sale for $190 . The Gear series is a great alternative to the far more expensive Galaxy line, and the Sport is made for activity.

The Sport includes all kinds of fitness-forward features, including GPS, heart rate monitoring, calorie counting capabilities, personal fitness coaching, and more, and water-resistance of up 50 meters lets you track your swim as well. Navigating the device is as simple as spinning the bezel. For athletes, outdoorsmen, or anyone on the go, the Gear Sport is a great smartwatch choice.

Buy Now

Samsung Galaxy Watch — $279

Image used with permission by copyright holder

What can we say about the Galaxy Watch — it really has just about anything you’d need. The battery life is second to none: our review unit lasted four days on a single charge, the best we’ve seen in a fully-featured smartwatch. Right now Walmart is offering 15% off this great watch, bringing the price down to $279 .

An attractive design and top-notch display makes this a top choice, along with accurate health measurements and Samsung’s signature rotating bezel that makes navigation easy. It is a bit large, and we’d argue this is a better watch for those looking for good app support and an watch that will best interface with their Android phone, but this really is one of the best smartwatches out there.

Buy Now

Looking for other great stuff? We’ve found iPad deals, Fitbit alternatives, and the latest Prime Day news.

Ed Oswald
For fifteen years, Ed has written about the latest and greatest in gadgets and technology trends. At Digital Trends, he's…
Apple just dropped a new watch band and wallpapers for Pride 2025
Apple Pride 2025 collection.

Apple just announced its "2025 Pride Collection," which includes a new Sport Band for Apple Watch, a dynamic watch face, and a dynamic wallpaper that will be available for iOS and iPadOS. The watch band is available to order from today and the watch face/wallpapers will drop in upcoming software updates.

Apple has been releasing special edition watch bands for Pride Month for almost a decade now, each with a different take on the rainbow/multicolored design. This year's is pretty straightforward, making use of bold stripes of color just like actual pride flags.

Read more
Galaxy Watch 8 Classic could see the return of one of the best Samsung smartwatches
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic on a person's wrist.

Samsung offers some of the best smartwatches and has consistently offered great wearables for Android users, especially following the jump back to Wear OS in 2021. The next generation of Samsung Galaxy Watch could see the reintroduction of one of our favorite models, the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic.

We’ve always liked the Classic: the groundwork for this watch was laid in 2015, when the Gear S2 Classic landed with a round display and rotating bezel, but it was missing from the Galaxy Watch 7 options. Now, thanks to a listing on Bluetooth SIG, we have pretty solid confirmation that the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic will be reborn.

Read more
Revisit the Apple Watch’s launch ads from exactly 10 years ago
The first Apple Watch

Following years of speculation, Apple finally announced its intention to enter the smartwatch sector in September 2014, releasing the first Apple Watch the following year on April 24. 

Exactly a decade on, now is as good a time as any to revisit the ads that gave everyone their very first look at Apple's debut smartwatch.

Read more