(checked 2026-10-10)Small sample: 219 ratings (22% 1-star, 10% 2-star).
Experts rate its location tracking the best they tested: Parents calls it the best GPS watch, and Wirecutter got an arrival alert moments before its tester walked in. But it costs about as much as an Apple Watch SE 3, calls and texts must go through Garmin's app, and about a third of Amazon ratings are 1 or 2 stars, citing message delays, spotty LTE and battery.
Subscription: Required for LTE features: Garmin LTE plan, $10/mo (Parents)
Top complaints
- Message delays and dropped calls
Amazon's review summary says communication is mixed, with some owners reporting message and call problems. Low-star Walmart reviews describe significant lag between messages, horrible LTE, and calls and texts that rarely went through. Wirecutter isn't a fan of the communication either, since you can only send and receive calls and texts through the app.
- Battery shorter than hoped
Amazon's summary says battery life is mixed, with some owners saying it dropped from a week to 1-2 days. Several Walmart reviewers complain of short battery life. Parents lists up to 2 days.
- Expensive, and some screens are hard to read
Wirecutter says it's about as expensive as the Apple Watch SE 3, and Parents notes it isn't a budget pick. Parents also says the round screen sometimes cuts off text. Amazon's summary calls value mixed, and one Walmart reviewer says the GPS was always way off.
What owners love
- Accurate, real-time location
Wirecutter was impressed: a home boundary alert arrived moments before its tester walked through the door. Parents calls the GPS highly accurate with zero lag and praises live tracking, custom-radius safe zones and location history.
- Smoothest setup Parents tested
Parents' tester called setup 'by far the smoothest and intuitive' and said the child could use it immediately. Amazon owners also find it easy to use.
- Safety and fitness extras
Parents notes incident detection that alerts up to three contacts, plus school mode, heart rate, sleep tracking and swim-proofing. Wirecutter says it recorded time, distance, pace and route on a run.
- You want relatives to text the watch from their normal messaging app
- You're on a tight budget
- You need dependable messaging in weak-signal areas
- Parents who mainly want accurate, real-time location
- Active kids (workout tracking, swim-proof)
- Families on Android or iPhone
Scores (tap for why)
What experts say
- Parents: Best GPS (updated 2026-09-23): seamless setup, highly accurate real-time tracking and reliable communication. The con is a round display that crops some screens.
- Wirecutter (NYT): Worth considering for location tracking (updated 2026-08-11), but not for communication, since calls and texts go only through the app; about as expensive as the Apple Watch SE 3.