January 5, 2021 | Corey Smith
A good fitness watch can ensure that you track and record your exercise, and provide data to keep you in a better shape. We tested leading fitness trackers and GPS watches to find the best.
Fitness includes a series of activities from walking to running to golfing. All activities have different tracking indicators. The best fitness watch or fitness tracker is a watch that suits your exercise style, tracks data, and fits your lifestyle.
In addition to my own tests, I also contacted the clients and other athletes I coached, solicited their insights, and spent hours reading online reviews. I read the specification sheet and compared between the various brands.
According to my tests, the following are the best fitness watches, GPS watches and fitness trackers. It also includes a buyer’s guide and frequently asked questions to help you understand the condition of your fitness watch and make an informed decision.
Scroll through all of our recommended fitness watches, or jump to the category you are looking for:
In swimming, cycling and running, Garmin is an undeniable winner. Garmin is the largest sports watch manufacturer and the second most popular smart watch, second only to Apple. More than 85% of runners and triathletes I surveyed use Garmin and highly recommend Garmin watches.
The Garmin Forerunner 745 ($500) is Garmin's latest running and triathlon watch, between the more expensive Forerunner 945 and the cheaper Forerunner 245. In terms of design, the 745 finds the perfect balance between size, weight and materials.
It is stylish and lightweight, and does not feel cheap. It is smaller than the more expensive Forerunner 945 and fenix 6, but higher quality than the cheaper Forerunner 45 and 245. The 1.2-inch sun visible, transflective, bright pixel memory display and easy to read in direct sunlight—the best of all watches tested. The most important thing is the clear button operation, allowing you to easily navigate and view during exercise.
The 745 comes standard with all the functions of an advanced GPS watch: built-in sports content, easy to scroll, and customizable data fields; battery life in continuous GPS tracking mode is 16 hours; pre-programmed exercise with customizable training area; wrist-based heart rate monitoring Device; and health tracking.
More advanced features that you won’t find on most watches include phone notifications, a pulse oximetry sensor to measure blood oxygen saturation, 500 song storage, automatic pool swimming stroke detection, and compatibility with Garmin bicycle power meters. You can also access Garmin training and coaching, which uses its health readings and exercise data to provide you with actionable insights on recovery, training load, and performance readiness.
Bottom line: If you are looking for an all-round advanced sports watch that is suitable for swimming, cycling and road running and has some smartwatch features, then the Garmin Forerunner 745 is undoubtedly the winner. If $500 is a big pill and you can give up some more advanced features, I suggest you use Garmin Forerunner 245 or our best value winner Coros Pace 2.
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Apple is the number one selling smartwatch in the world for obvious reasons—it is undeniable that it is the best smartwatch on the market (not a GPS watch; I will talk about it later). Everyone I have spoken to has given enthusiastic reviews. "I haven't tried a smart watch in decades. I recently bought an Apple Watch Series 6. I like it," said an initially skeptical person.
Its biggest advantage lies in health tracking and smart watch functions. The new Series 6 watch ($499) is upgraded with a pulse cow that can track blood oxygen levels. I doubt how useful this is to ordinary people, but it's fun to track.
The watch’s heart rate monitor and electrocardiogram may be a more useful and potentially life-saving function. It can notify you of irregular heart rhythms and track heart rate variability, which is an indicator of overtraining. Like all watches tested, Series 6 can track sleep, steps, and calories and place them in an easy-to-understand format.
In terms of making daily life more streamlined, especially when your mobile phone is out of reach, Apple Watch dominates. Notifications are easy to read and reply directly on the watch. The App Store offers more applications than any other brand.
After coaching many runners wearing Apple Watches, I can say for sure two things: GPS is not very good, and it lacks the depth of functionality that more runner-centric watches have. The main lack is the ability to track and set speed training and interval training.
Nonetheless, if daily convenience and smart watch features take precedence over detailed fitness activities, Apple Watch Series 6 is for you. An important caveat-it only applies to the iPhone. If you don’t have an iPhone, I suggest you use Garmin Venu Sq or Samsung Galaxy Watch 3. Both are equally focused on fitness tracking, while providing various applications and smart watch functions.
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First of all, it is difficult for you to find an advanced sports watch with more outdoor features than the Garmin fenix 6 Pro ($700). Its sturdy nail-like design includes a clear, easy-to-view 1.3-inch LCD display, which is wrapped in a stainless steel, titanium or DLC coating frame of your choice, which has passed the heat and impact of the U.S. military standards And shock test. Waterproof.
It comes standard with more than 35 different sports modes (cross-country running, swimming, running, cycling, hiking, boating, skiing, golf, etc.), with unique data tracking functions, and can be used for backcountry skiing, cross-country skiing, mountain biking, and surf.
Navigation is simple and intuitive. I appreciate the widget layout. With the click of a button, you can quickly scroll through key data such as weather (including radar), downloaded music, past activities, training status, performance/health statistics, and notifications (text and email).
The battery life is impressive. The standard specification is up to 14 days in smart watch mode, up to 36 hours in GPS mode, and up to 48 days in power saving mode. With one hour of GPS activity every day, I can go online 7 to 9 days before I need to charge.
You can find all the GPS watch functions here, but you can look forward to all the standard running, swimming, cycling and hiking GPS watch functions and some smart watch functions, such as the ability to download up to 2,000 songs of music (supports Spotify, Amazon And Deezer) and Garmin payment.
Some of the outstanding features that I find particularly interesting include PacePro (a level-adjusted running pace guide), ClimbPro (displays information about upcoming ascents and where you are climbing), and the use of a barometric pressure trend indicator to warn of upcoming storms.
Surfline Sessions captures short videos of cycling in front of the Surfline camera, and can load ski and golf resort maps (more than 2,000 ski resorts and 41,000 golf course maps), and automatic swimming provides swimming pool swimming stroke detection.
Click here for more detailed information about all built-in running, cycling, golf and map functions.
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If you are looking for a great outdoor watch and the reduced price range is attractive, then Suunto 9 will be perfect for you. Suunto 9 ($399) has always attracted ultra-endurance and mountain athletes due to its excellent battery life, accurate tracking, and mountain-centric features.
It has three battery modes (performance, durability and super), and GPS tracking time ranges from 25 hours to 120 hours. Generally, when you select the power saving mode, the GPS satellite communication interval will be extended to save battery, which will affect the accuracy, but Sunnto will not. Suunto's FusedTrack function combines GPS and motion sensor data to fill the gaps in GPS intervals.
The watch uses a combination of buttons and touch screen for navigation. Its layout is very intuitive and straightforward, and navigation tracking is top-notch. Last summer, I drew a route (including trails and trails) on Mt. Conness in Sierras. I pre-loaded the route on the watch, and the tracking is completely normal. The process of descending the mountain deviated from the trail, if I deviated too far from the route, the watch will notify me, which greatly saves time.
The Suunto app is quite simple and low-key, with a clean, easy-to-read white background. It provides key data such as sleep, steps, calories, and activity. In the app, you can create routes and upload them directly to the watch. This is a great feature that can be used before you go hiking or trail running. You can also view the popular routes of all supported sports modes through the heat map, so you don't miss the best route.
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After testing all the watches, even after using Garmin for many years, Vantage V2 ($500) is still my top choice for running. It's not as feature-rich as most Garmins, but the features it provides are very well done—especially heart rate monitoring.
Some key features highlight the updates since its predecessor. Now you will get all the features provided by Polar's premium outdoor watch Polar Grit X, including the popular Hill Splitter (detailed data on climbing/descent) and FuelWise (refueling and replenishing reminders). In addition, the battery life is extended to 40 hours in continuous GPS mode, and can be used for 100 hours in power saving mode.
As with all watches, you can gain training and recovery insights based on your unique physiological data to help make more informed decisions about when to push and recover. It comes with a built-in step-by-step running and cycling performance test, which can establish a training zone through heart rate, speed and power (meters required for cycling). If you are a Strava Segment hunter, the watch will notify you when you are close to a starred segment and provide real-time performance data so that you can crush the segment PR.
I have been training with heart rate for more than 20 years. A number of laboratory tests have confirmed that my maximum heart rate is very low, so I can easily identify irregular peak heart rate readings. Among all wrist-based heart rate watches, the Vantage V2 has never exceeded the maximum value I know, which is something that other watches I have tested cannot tell.
Polar Precision Prime sensor fusion technology "combines optical heart rate measurement with other sensor technologies to eliminate unconscious movements that may interfere with the heart rate signal and produce unreliable readings."
At this price, it will be difficult for you to find a GPS watch with more features. Comparing features with Garmin, Polar or Suunto watches line by line will show that the price is $300, so $200 for this watch is great value for money! You will make some sacrifices for such an amazing price, but I will talk about it later.
Running is by far the most supported activity, followed by cycling and swimming. Its biggest highlight is battery life and power indicators. Pace 2 provides an amazing 30 hours of running time in GPS mode, 60 hours in UltraMax mode, and 20 days of watch life. It provides wrist-based running capabilities and will be paired with Stryd pods to enhance readings. You can also create exercises based on power through the app.
As with more expensive watches, you can get all the typical tracking data (steps, sleep, calories burned, 24/7 heart rate monitoring, exercise time and intensity). The app then uses this data to provide training load and fitness insights. In this app, you can also create exercises and push them to your watch for running, cycling, swimming, and strength training.
I have some dislikes about Pace 2. It is billed as "the lightest watch in the world". I found it very light and feels very cheap. And I don’t like fabric straps. I recommend using a silicone strap.
Functionally, there are only two buttons: the main rotary dial button and the smaller back button. I found it difficult to use the rotary dial buttons to scroll through the data field screen at runtime.
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Fitbit Charge 4 ($150) received more than 20,000 reviews and 4.5 points (out of 5 stars) on Amazon, and won the crown of the best fitness tracker. The title of the fourth iteration is the addition of built-in GPS, which is a huge upgrade to its predecessor, which means that it now does not require a smart watch to track distance through GPS. In continuous GPS mode, the battery life can be up to 7 days or 5 hours.
The optical heart rate monitor for 24/7 monitoring is standard and provides accurate calorie burn calculations, sleep data and exercise heart rate zones. It tracks daily steps, calories burned, and minutes of activity to help you make smart health decisions based on hard data.
It has up to 20 different sports tracking modes, including running, walking, cycling and swimming, HIIT, yoga, spinning and golf. If you are looking for finer details, such as the number of rhythms, strength, or weight training, then you are out of luck.
Some of the extra features that are not common on trackers are the ability to get notifications (phone calls, SMS, email, calendar), control Spotify (but only if your phone is within Bluetooth range), and the ability to download basic apps. If you don’t need these features and can carry your phone during activities that require GPS (such as walking, running, and cycling), I suggest you buy the $50 cheaper Fitbit Inspire 2.
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My heart keeps spinning, trying to track all the functions and functions of each watch, so Wahoo ELEMNT RIVAL ($380) gave me a breath of fresh air from the chaos. Wahoo advertised it as "a radically simplified multi-sport watch that provides seamless performance advantages." I agree. It is very easy to understand and navigate, and does not have features that 90% of us might never use.
First of all, it is a good-looking watch-light and easy to read. Maybe it’s bigger, but I don’t mind because it’s very light. The button action is smooth and crisp. Its function is really focused on triathletes.
The outstanding feature is the non-contact conversion and seamless connection with Wahoo's bicycle computer kits and components. All you need to do is touch "Start" at the beginning of the game, and the watch will automatically record and track the activity and transition time.
I was very impressed with the first version of the sports watch. Obviously, Wahoo has a solid team of hard-working technicians. I just didn't sell it for $380. At this level, market competition is too fierce, and well-known brands such as Garmin and Polar are in a leading position.
However, if you are a triathlete, already using Wahoo bicycle computers and want to stick to the brand, then this is a good choice. Read our full review.
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There are three types of watches, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. A smart watch is basically a small smart phone on your wrist where you can add applications and answer calls without a phone.
The most popular smart watches are Apple and Samsung Galaxy watches. Functionally, they are geared towards convenience and health tracking, but are often insufficient in terms of battery life, GPS accuracy, and exercise capabilities.
GPS watches, such as Garmin, Coros, Suunto, Polar and Wahoo, are mainly designed for exercises that require GPS functionality (running, cycling, hiking, swimming, etc.). Their battery life is often more than three times that of smart watches, and they are very powerful in terms of exercise functions, indicators and tracking.
Although most allow text and email messages, they are limited to the range of applications you can add and will not replace your smartphone.
Fitness trackers have the least features and can only track health and fitness indicators, such as rest and variable heart rate, sleep patterns and steps. Most people need to stay connected to the phone to use GPS tracking and other features.
This is the most significant difference between smart watches and GPS watches. On average, smart watches need to be charged every 24 to 48 hours, while GPS watches can be used for 5 to 15 days between charges. The charging time is relatively fast, and most can be fully charged in about 2 hours. If you hate having to constantly charge another device like I do, I would prefer GPS watches.
Remember, if you are interested in tracking sleep data, you cannot charge it while you sleep. Garmin fenix 6 has the best battery life, about 14 days without GPS, about 36 hours in continuous GPS mode. Apple Watch and Suunto 7 scored the worst, less than 48 hours based on usage.
Perhaps as important as the watch itself is the depth and strength of its ecosystem. The ecosystem of watch apps, portals, and supported third-party apps (such as Strava and Spotify) has been compromised. To view your data, you need to download an application on your phone.
Garmin is the largest fitness watch company with the most extensive and powerful sports-specific ecosystem. Garmin's application and web portal is called Garmin Connect, which displays almost all the performance and health indicators you need. Polar's Flow app and portal followed Garmin, followed by Coros, Suunto and Wahoo.
Today's fitness watches can track almost any activity imaginable, from running to indoor rock climbing and even surfing. I found that watches labeled "outdoor" or "multisports" not only tend to track more obscure activities, but they can also track them with more detail and granularity. Therefore, this increased level of functionality is often accompanied by a higher price tag.
All the watches I tested track common activities such as walking, running (outdoor, cross country, treadmill), outdoor and indoor cycling, yoga, elliptical machines, general strength training, and aerobic exercise. If you want to track a less common exercise, I suggest you check the watch’s spec sheet to see if it is covered.
From notifications of irregular heartbeats to alarms reminding you to rehydrate, nowadays fitness watches have an amazing number of features. To help you understand the features, I have listed some below.
According to my tests, cheap watches and trackers under $100 have all the basic functions and maybe some standard functions. Watches priced between US$150 and US$250 will have basic functions and most standard functions. Premium watches have basic, standard and more advanced functions.
As fitness watches get better at tracking health and fitness data, companies have been able to use this data to guide training. As a full-time running coach, I find this particularly interesting.
The first reason I see most runners struggling is because they overtrain or underrest. Garmin and Polar seem to have the best training and coaching insights, and Coros is close behind.
Price can be a good measure of the breadth of watch functions. Entry-level watches tend to focus on basic sports and tracking, and retail prices are less than $200. Garmin 35 and Polar Unite are my two favorite entry-level watches.
Entry-level watches are very suitable for people who are interested in leisure and fitness. More serious fitness professionals should expect to spend more than $200. A price increase above $250 can make a huge difference in the look and feel of the watch. The price range of high-end fitness watches is between US$300 and US$500, and the price of high-end watches is above US$500, such as Garmin fenix 6 Pro.
The accuracy of most GPS devices is within 1-3%. In my test, all GPS-focused brands (Garmin, Coros, Polar, Suunto, and Wahoo) performed the same in terms of GPS connectivity and accuracy. The connection time varies from 10 seconds to a few minutes, and the distance is in the range of 1-3%.
It’s important to remember that location has a lot to do with GPS connection and accuracy. Accuracy depends on multiple satellites communicating freely with each other and reporting to the watch. Interference factors such as buildings and clouds can affect the satellite's ability to accurately locate the sensors in the watch. I suggest asking other athletes in the area where you are going to work out to find out how their GPS watches perform.
Due to the multitude of functions, outdoor and multifunctional sports watches seem to be bigger and heavier, so much so that they look too big and clumsy on small wrists. If you prefer a smaller size, most brands (including Garmin, Coros and Polar) offer smaller versions of their flagship models. For example, Garmin fenix 6 Pro has three sizes: 42mm, 47mm and 51mm.
The main purpose of fitness trackers is to track health data such as heart rate, sleep, steps and calories. It uses sensors in the strap or watch for monitoring. Most fitness trackers need to be connected to your smartphone to access data.
If you have an iPhone, I would recommend Apple Watch. It is the best-selling smart watch, and everyone I have spoken to likes it very much. If you don't have an iPhone, Apple Watch will not work. Fitbit is a good choice, but with Google’s recent acquisitions in trouble, the future of Fitbit as we know it today is being questioned.
This is a difficult question to answer. It depends on the function you are talking about. In general, I found that Apple Watch has the best health tracking, Garmin has the best GPS tracking, and Polar has the most accurate heart rate monitor.
Are there any favorite fitness watches we missed? Let us know about future updates to this article in the comments below.
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Cory Smith is an athlete, online running coach, and freelance journalist based in Santa Barbara, California, specializing in content and equipment reviews related to running and rock climbing. He drew ideas, inspiration and expertise from being an elite runner and rock climber for more than 25 years. Check out his portfolio here.
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