Ordinary smartwatches are great for communication and using apps, but dedicated GPS sports watches provide extensive customization of the user experience with a focus on training. You don’t have to be a professional triathlete to enjoy the Garmin Fenix 8 AMOLED, available starting at $1,100, and avid runners could easily train and excel using a value sport watch like the Coros Pace Pro, priced at $349.
With a sports watch, your sleep, resting heart rate, heart rate variability, and more can help calculate adequate recovery time for optimal training periods. Exercises and other activities to help you improve your fitness may be presented, while stress measurements, breathing exercises, blood oxygen monitoring, ECG measurements, and more are designed to help you improve your overall health and wellness.
What is the best sports watch right now?
After testing and living with more than 20 sports watches over the past year, the Garmin Fenix 8 AMOLED is my clear pick for the best sports watch available today. It is expensive, but there is not a single sport or activity that I am unable to track, including golf, fly fishing, indoor rowing, and more. The Fenix 8 AMOLED has a fantastic LED flashlight, a brilliant AMOLED display, long battery life, the ability to take calls from the wrist or record voice notes while you are out running, and much more. It does everything well, and is perfect for those who want a watch that is durable enough to last for years.
If the price is too high and the watch is too large, the Garmin Venu X1 is an excellent alternative, with a large display, thin form factor, and support for the vast Garmin ecosystem. The Amazfit T-Rex 3 also punches far above its price, and some have compared it to a Garmin model priced three times more.
Also: The best Garmin watches: Expert tested
The best sports watches of 2025
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Why we like it: The Garmin Fenix 8 AMOLED connects seamlessly to Android and iOS smartphones, in addition to golf club sensors, bike sensors, and more. Just about every sport is covered, including pickleball, with an updated smartphone experience so you can customize the watch settings on your phone and sync them over to the watch. One feature I use daily that ensures a Garmin will always be found on one wrist is the LED flashlight. I cannot express how useful this functionality is, which makes the Fenix 8 an essential tool in my collection.
Also: This Garmin beat my Apple Watch Ultra in almost every way (and it’s just as rugged)
Who it’s for: New communications features for the Fenix series include an integrated speaker and microphone that supports phone calls from the wrist, access to your connected phone’s assistant, onboard voice commands, and voice recordings, so if you are looking for a capable watch to serve as your sports watch and your primary smartwatch, the Fenix 8 AMOLED fits that bill.
You can also buy the watch in 43mm, 47mm, and 51mm sizes, with a variety of watch case and band color options too, so there is a model for every wrist size and personality.
Who should look elsewhere: The Garmin Fenix 8 AMOLED is an expensive smartwatch, and if you are not planning to run a full marathon, train for an ultramarathon, or focus on just a few sports, then there may be better options for you. The Forerunner 970 and Venu X1 pack in most of the functionality found in the Fenix 8 AMOLED at a lower price, designed with more affordable hardware elements.
Garmin Fenix 8 AMOLED (47mm) tech specs: Display: 1.4-inch 454×454 pixels | Battery Life (GPS tracking mode): 47 hours | Dimensions: 47x47x13.8 mm | Weight: 73 grams (titanium case with band) | Water/Dust Resistance: 10 ATM | Band Size: 22mm
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The Garmin Enduro 3 is the company’s ultimate GPS multi-sport watch, made with premium products and advanced sports tracking features. It is now crowned the battery champ for Garmin, with up to 320 hours in GPS mode with solar charging.
Why we like it: In addition to extremely long battery life and a superb LED flashlight, the Enduro 3 sports the latest Garmin user interface, which offers improvements over an already refined and optimized experience for athletes. The same black titanium with sapphire glass and amp yellow highlights is present, along with an ultra-comfortable UltraFit nylon band.
Also: My favorite Garmin sports watch ever just got a new version, and it’s $200 cheaper
Compared to the Enduro 2, the Enduro 3 has a longer battery life, twice the solar energy harvesting capability, the new Garmin Elevate fifth-generation heart rate sensor, new activity and mapping functions, and a redesigned user interface. Some of these software-related improvements could come to the Enduro 2, but the extended battery life and improved heart rate sensor are alone worth the upgrade.
Who it’s for: The Enduro 3 is built for those who participate in a variety of sports or who want a watch with a battery that lasts for weeks. It connects seamlessly to Android and iOS smartphones too, in addition to golf club sensors, bike sensors, and more. Just about every sport is covered, now including pickleball, with an updated smartphone experience so you can customize the watch settings on your phone and sync them over to the watch. Outdoor adventures are well supported with trail run VO2 max calculations, ultrarun activity, and adventure racing supported on the Enduro 3.
Who should look elsewhere: The Garmin Enduro 3 is only available in one size, so if you have smaller wrists, you should look at something like the Venu X1 or a Forerunner 570. The display is superb in well-lit environments, but the MIP is not as vivid as the newer AMOLED displays so if you want a vibrant color display, consider a watch with an AMOLED display.
Garmin Enduro 3 tech specs: Display: 1.4-inch 280×280 pixels MIP | Battery Life (GPS tracking mode): 320 hours with solar charging, 120 hours without | Dimensions: 51x51x15.7 mm | Weight: 63 grams (with Ultrafit nylon band) | Water/Dust Resistance: 10 ATM | Band Size: 26mm
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Amazfit continues to push the limits of quality tech you can buy for just under $235. The Amazfit T-Rex 3 far exceeded my expectations, and if I didn’t review watches for a career, I could probably be perfectly satisfied with the $235 T-Rex 3, which provides a comparable experience to watches priced two or three times as much. Several other wearable technology reviewers agree it is a fantastic watch that punches far beyond its low price.
Why we like it: The large 1.5-inch 480×480 pixels resolution AMOLED Gorilla Glass display is brilliant with up to 2,000 nits of brightness, making watch faces with lots of complications easy to view and interact with. I love that Amazfit added the ability to enable night mode, which changes everything on the display to one color, and with this watch, you get the choice of three colors.
Review: One of the best rugged smartwatches I’ve tested is also one of the longest lasting
The watch has a very large 700 mAh capacity battery that can provide up to 180 hours of continuous GPS tracking. Expect to go two to three weeks between charging as you enjoy tracking your activities, sleep, and more.
Unlike some other modern smartwatches, the Amazfit T-Rex 3 connects to external Bluetooth sensors and action cameras. All of the advanced metrics found in flagship sports watches are present with an integrated AI coach and a natural language voice assistant.
Who it’s for: The Amazfit T-Rex 3 is perfect for the multi-sport athlete who is not tied to a legacy ecosystem from Garmin, Polar, Coros, or Suunto. It is also very affordable, yet doesn’t compromise on performance or battery life, so it is tough to beat.
Who should look elsewhere: Amazfit is an up-and-coming company that is seeing great success with its wearables and partnership with Hyrox. If you want a watch with a broad community of support and challenges, then look to Garmin or Coros.
Amazfit T-Rex 3 tech specs: Display: 1.5-inch, 480 x 480 pixels AMOLED | Battery life: 27 days | Dimensions: 48.5 x 48.5 x 13.75 mm | Weight: 68.3 grams (w/o strap) | Water resistance: 10 ATM | LTE Cellular option: No
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The original Coros Pace was the first GPS sports watch I ever tested from the brand. Since then, the company has released a few new watches while continuing to provide software updates, leading all others in this level of support. The Coros Pace Pro is the company’s first with a modern AMOLED display, and it brings in nearly every flagship software feature for just $349.
Why we like it: The Pace Pro has a 1.3-inch 416×416 AMOLED color touchscreen display with a rotating dial that helps you easily navigate the watch interface. The watch incorporates a 22mm quick-release band system so you can swap it out with another band if you wish. It weighs 37 grams with the nylon band and 49 grams with the silicone band.
Also: The best training watch I’ve ever tried is the first Coros with a modern display
This watch provides 38 hours of battery life with GPS tracking, as Coros continues to set the bar for battery life. Track running, strength training, and even running power from the watch are supported.
Who it’s for: If you are looking for a lower-cost GPS sports watch from a company that will support the watch for years, then the Pace Pro is one to consider. The Pace Pro is also rather small and light so people with smaller wrists can enjoy a flagship experience with the watch.
Coros provides a fantastic smartphone application and website with free coaching and detailed analysis and reports, so data hounds will love diving into every detail of their health and wellness.
The AMOLED display makes mapping enjoyable and functional, with back-to-start, checkpoints, turn-by-turn, and location-saving navigational features. A new charging system is incorporated, which extends to a standard USB-C cable.
Who should look elsewhere: If you are looking for a large rugged watch or need one that lasts for more than 38 hours in GPS mode, you should consider something like the Garmin Enduro 3.
Coros Pace Pro tech specs: Display: 1.3-inch 416×416 pixels | Battery Life (GPS tracking mode): 38 hours | Dimensions: 46x46x12.25 mm | Weight: 49 grams | Water/Dust Resistance: 5 ATM | Band Size: 22mm
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Why we like it: The latest in its triathlete-tailored Forerunner series, the Garmin Forerunner 970 builds on the extensive training features from its predecessor and enhances the hardware with an LED flashlight so you can run safely in the dark. Other hardware features from the Fenix 8 are present on the Forerunner 970, including a microphone and speaker for calls from your watch, access to your phone’s voice assistant, and the ability to record voice notes while you run.
Aside from the impressive performance metrics like outlining your running routes, showing training effects, and measuring VO2 Max, the 970 adds running economy and running tolerance when paired with a Garmin HRM 600 heart rate monitor. Garmin also launched its new Evening Report features on the 970, so you can prepare for the next day as you begin your sleep.
Also: My favorite Garmin safety feature is coming to Forerunner models – and I can’t recommend it enough
Who it’s for: Improved GNSS tracking with multi-band and multi-frequency support, managed via SatIQ, ensures your exact location is always accurately tracked. Bold color mapping is available for turn-by-turn navigation, trail running, and more.
While the Forerunner 970 is focused on the runner and triathlete, it also offers full support for more than 30 activities, with the ability to customize the data screens and run reports on all of your sports.
Who should look elsewhere: If you are a runner but do not need all of the advanced metrics found in the Forerunner 970, the premium price point may not be worth it for your needs. There are other more affordable Forerunner models that may meet your needs, including the previous generation, the Forerunner 965.
Garmin Forerunner 970 features: Battery life (GPS): 26 hours | Display technology: AMOLED | Unique feature: Advanced training metrics and Evening Report | Size: 47 mm
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Why we like it: The Polar Grit X2 Pro is essentially the same watch as the Polar Vantage V3 in a rugged body that is also priced higher than the V3. It is the latest sports watch available from the company with a focus on multiple new sensors and features. If you are looking for the most exhaustive smartphone application and website for analyzing your data and running reports, then a Polar watch is the way to go for accessing that data. The custom training plans are fantastic, even for off-season training.
The watch has multi-band GPS, and tracking has proven to match other flagship sports watches. The GPS antenna design is a bit different than the Vantage V3 to accommodate the case design changes. The Grit X2 Pro provides blood oxygen, wrist-based ECG, nightly skin temperature, and more.
Also: I walked over 10,000 steps with 3 sports watches – this one was the most accurate by far
Polar continues to use an AMOLED display under curved Gorilla Glass 3 material. Offline maps are also provided for phone-free navigation and a new update just added points-of-interest. More than 150 sports profiles are included, so you can be certain that the Grit X2 Pro will track every activity.
Who it’s for: The Grit X2 Pro is built for outdoor adventurists with the first-ever Polar MIL-STD-810H certification that also has a 100-meter water-resistant rating, compared to 50 meters for the Vantage V3. You need to decide if this form factor is worth the $150 premium over the Vantage V3.
Who should look elsewhere: Polar is very focused on training and helping you achieve your fitness and sleep goals, but it has fewer smartwatch features than most other sports watches. The watch is rugged and large, too, so if you have smaller wrists, then the Polar Grit X2 is likely not your best option.
Polar Grit X2 Pro tech specs: Display: 1.39-inch 454×454 pixels | Battery Life (GPS tracking mode): 43 hours | Dimensions: 48.6 x 48.6 x 13.4 mm | Weight: 57 grams (without strap) | Water/Dust Resistance: 100m | Band Size: 22mm
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The Apple Watch maintained the same form factor and basic design for eight years, but all of that changed in 2022 when Apple released the radical new Apple Watch Ultra, built and optimized for the outdoor adventurer. The Ultra 2 builds on the Ultra with a new processor, a much brighter display, twice the storage capacity, and the use of recycled titanium materials. Apple also announced a matte black titanium Ultra 2 this year, with all of the same specifications and performance as the 2023 model.
Also: Apple Watch Ultra 2 vs. Watch Ultra: Is it time to upgrade?
Why we like it: The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is the most rugged and capable Apple Watch to date, and offers a bright, flat 49mm display made of scratch-resistant sapphire glass and 3000 nits maximum brightness. The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is larger than the Series 10, but the titanium case helps keep the weight down, and it is far lighter than competing sports watches.
Apple’s WatchOS 10 launched with APIs for custom workouts, and third parties have released new versions of applications to support this advanced training functionality. We tested the TrainingPeaks integration, and this capability is a serious shot across the bow of dedicated GPS sports watches. WatchOS 11 brought even more to challenge legacy sports watches with training load, a Vitals app to inform your readiness, sleep apnea detection, and a customizable Summary tab in the Apple Fitness app on your iPhone.
Who it’s for: Beyond the build quality and advanced training functions, no other smartwatch supports as many applications and utilities as an Apple Watch, clearly making it the best smartwatch available today. Its capability to serve as a primary means of communication also makes it tough to beat.
Who should look elsewhere: If you are not an iPhone user, then don’t even consider an Apple Watch Ultra 2 since it doesn’t connect to an iPad or MacOS computer. There are great options from Google and Samsung if you own an Android smartphone.
Apple Watch Ultra 2 tech specs: Display: 49mm, 410 x 502 pixels OLED sapphire glass | Battery life: 36 hours | Dimensions: 49 x 44 x 14.4mm | Weight: 61.3 g | Water/Dust resistance: 100m with IP6X | LTE cellular option: Yes
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Why we like it: The Suunto Run is one of the best GPS sports watches I have used in this price range. It shines with accurate location tracking, useful health/wellness data, and solid hardware. There are a few areas for improvement, but the reasonable price makes it easier to accept compromises, especially with the assumption that future software updates will streamline its performance.
The Suunto smartphone app is well-designed and provides one of the best user interfaces I have seen from a sports watch brand. It provides key weekly stats at a glance, while colorful, detailed results are just a tap away.
Also: One of the most gorgeous sports watches I’ve tested also has week-long battery life
Who it’s for: The Suunto Run is optimized for runners and is available in Black, Frost (white), Lime, and Coral. Running is one of my prime activities, so I appreciate the elegance of the Suunto Run with its minimalist design and user interface.
While the watch is focused on running, 34 sports modes are supported with run-specific modes for activities such as marathon running and track running, where laps around the track are accurately recorded.
Who should look elsewhere: If you are looking for a large, rugged watch or need one that lasts for more than 38 hours in GPS mode, you should consider something like a Garmin Enduro 3.
Suunto Race tech specs: Display: 1.32-inch 466 x 466 pixels AMOLED | Battery Life (GPS tracking mode): 30 hours | Dimensions: 46 x 46 x 11.5 mm | Weight: 33 grams (with fabric band) | Water/Dust Resistance: 5 ATM | Band Size: 22mm
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I chose the Garmin Fenix 8 AMOLED for its support for just about every activity/sport you can participate in, vibrant AMOLED display, ability to function as a smartwatch with a microphone and speaker, and LED flashlight. However, with an abundance of exceptional options available, this table can help you compare the best models based on pricing and special features.
| Sports watch | Price | Special features |
| Garmin Fenix 8 AMOLED | $1,100 | Gorgeous AMOLED touchscreen display, vast performance metrics |
| Garmin Enduro 3 | $900 | Extremely long battery life with solar, LED flashlight, every sport included |
| Amazfit T-Rex 3 | $200 | Personalized training plans, long battery life, rugged design and durability, affordable price |
| Coros Pace Pro | $349 | Vibrant AMOLED, lightweight, extensive features, long battery life |
| Garmin Forerunner 970 | $750 | Brilliant AMOLED, extensive recovery and training metrics, focused on triathletes |
| Polar Grit X2 Pro | $750 | A vast amount of data captured, lovely display, accurate GPS tracking, rugged design |
| Apple Watch Ultra 2 | $749 | 36 hours of battery life, action button for quick access to exercise apps |
| Suunto Run | $249 | AI coaching, custom training plans, and accurate GPS tracking |
It depends on your purpose for using it and how much money you want to spend. If budget isn’t a concern, then options like the Garmin Fenix 8 AMOLED or Apple Watch Ultra 2 provide you with beautiful displays and advanced performance metrics. Meanwhile, the Coros Pace Pro or Suunto Run are excellent starter watches with lots of features and affordable pricing.
| Buy this sports watch… | If you want or are... |
| Garmin Fenix 8 AMOLED | The best Garmin with a modern display, LED flashlight, and extensive support for a variety of activities |
| Garmin Enduro 3 | An athlete who participates in an extensive variety of sports, wants custom workout data screens, and uses your watch for everything |
| Amazfit T-Rex 3 | An ultra-rugged watch for less than $300, and one that also pairs well with the Helio Ring, so you don’t have to wear a watch for sleep tracking |
| Coros Pace Pro | An affordable option that supports flagship features and a modern AMOLED touchscreen display |
| Garmin Forerunner 970 | The best sports watch for runners and triathletes looking for a watch with a lovely AMOLED display |
| Polar Grit X2 Pro | Easy custom training plan creation that incorporates running with strength, stretching, and other workouts. Vast access to data for detailed reports |
| Apple Watch Ultra 2 | The best watch for Apple users with a rugged design, 36 hours of battery life, and an action button for quick access to exercise apps |
| Suunto Run | An affordable sports watch with a small and light body, long battery life, a brilliant display, and accurate GPS tracking |
Sports watches are designed to accurately capture data from training and race events to help us improve. They are also important for helping people evaluate their health and wellness, even if they are casual athletes who are not training for a specific event. Several factors will help you quickly narrow down available candidates, so let’s take a closer look and help you select the best sports watch for you.
- Battery life: Expect your smartwatch to last a full day and night, so you can track your sleep, and then charge it while you get ready for work. A few new smartwatches are now easily lasting 48 hours between charging, with some pushing that another day or two, so we are seeing improvements in battery life.
- Smartphone app and website: All sports watches include an associated smartphone application, and the overall experience with the watch can be dependent on the usability of the smartphone app. Some brands also have incredible websites to access your data for deep analysis and more. Polar provides one of the most extensive website experiences with its Polar Flow service. Coros and Garmin also provide useful website experiences, so you don’t have to spend too much time looking at a small display to track your performance.
- Price: Most sports watches are priced in the $500 to $800 range, but there are also some affordable models for casual athletes. Serious athletes are looking for a watch that captures accurate data so price is not as important as accuracy. The Amazfit T-Rex 3 bucks this trend with a low price and support for capturing an extensive amount of data and helping you understand and use that data to improve your performance.
- Accuracy: I’ve been using sports watches for a long time, and some of my worst experiences happened when I went out on a training session and then came back to find that the watch either never captured the data or it was lost when the session ended. It takes a considerable amount of time to complete a number of activities to test the accuracy and reliability of the watch. GPS accuracy is usually good with most watches today using dual frequency and multi-band GNSS, so when a watch isn’t accurate, it is fairly obvious. Heart rate accuracy is also important, but a reliable armband or chest strap is a more reliable method to capture the best heart rate data.
Exercise is a part of my life, and just about every watch in this list has been mounted on my wrist for extensive testing, primarily while running, indoor rowing, trail running, and biking. I’ve been an athlete my entire life and love spending many hours with each of these sports watches. When we test sports watches, we typically follow the same routine for each one to see which performs best.
- Daily wear: I wear the sports watch as my primary watch with data fields, applications, and other elements being tested as if it was my only watch.
- Workouts: Sports watches are first and foremost designed and sold to help track your activities and help you improve your health, wellness, and performance. I take my sports watch out for running with GPS, rowing on the Hydrow, biking on trails, and walking with the family. I track GPS and heart rate data, and then I evaluate the accuracy against proven GPS sports watches, typically a Garmin watch.
- Training plans: One of the reasons I started wearing a sports watch many years ago was to train for a half marathon. The ability to either use the watchmaker’s software to create a training plan or to import a plan from another service that syncs to the watch is essential for a sports watch. The watch can then guide you through your training plan and the ability for the watch to perform that function is key to our evaluation.
- Sleep and activity tracking: Sleep tracking has improved with watches over time and we evaluate them as compared to smart rings and other watches. Most sports watches today use sleep data, and other data captured while you sleep, to calculate your recovery metrics to help inform you of your preparedness for activities you plan to take part in that day.
Check out our full smartwatch testing methodology for more information on our testing process.
Latest information on sports watches in 2025
Apple is likely to offer an update to its Apple Watch Ultra 2 before the end of the year. Suunto and Coros have been pretty quiet for some time, so keep an eye on rumors of new watches from one or both of these companies.
This is a tough one to answer, and in many cases, you will find that people are pretty tied into one brand and then continue buying new models when they are released. Many of these sports watch brands have other products to offer that sync data between the watch and other products. For example, I ride bikes with a Garmin bike computer and also own a Garmin scale so purchasing Garmin watches makes a lot of sense for me.
Polar has heart rate monitors and a scale too while Coros just launched its first bike computer. Thankfully, many of these products appear as standard sensors so you can use a Polar chest strap with a Garmin watch and vice versa.
You can adapt to any watch over time so the major differentiator comes down to the smartphone, and possibly website, experience. Are you able to easily view your workout trends, develop and implement training plans, and improve your performance using the brands tools that are provided to analyze and understand all of the data that is collected by the watch?
I’ve spent decades using GPS sports watches to track running, biking, hiking, and more. While these capture an extensive amount of detailed data, battery life has risen to the top of my priorities. However, when Garmin released watches with an LED flashlight, those models became my preferred wearable and I use the flashlight daily.
Thus, a Garmin Enduro 3 is usually found on one wrist. It could be replaced by a Coros Vertix 2S if there was a flashlight since I don’t use that many of Garmin’s lifestyle features.
An Apple Watch Ultra 2 is on my other wrist and as Apple continues to include better support for training plans and advanced metrics then one day I may only wear one watch.
One aspect we have seen over the past few years that can be used to differentiate between these GPS watches is the update process. When you spend hundreds of dollars on a GPS sports watch and want to use it for years to track your progress, improve your performance, and run reports, it is important to stick with one company. Hopefully, that also means using a watch for years as well.
Garmin used to let me down with a lack of updates, but now supports an easily accessible public beta program and provides updates on a quarterly basis. The company has proven to update older models for a couple of years, so it is easier to recommend its watches today.
Coros set the bar over the past couple of years with limited hardware releases and major software updates that have added an extensive number of features. The company even released an update for the Vertix that added touch-screen capability. When you buy a Coros watch, you can likely count on it having the latest and greatest software for three years and having a battery life that will last you at least a week with sports tracking for several events.
Polar has also demonstrated an ability to provide software support and major feature updates for years, along with a longer period of time between hardware releases.
Apple is the leader in the smartwatch market and brings its excellent iPhone update process over to the Apple Watch. WatchOS 11 brought exciting new features to the Apple Watch and we are certain to see even more in 2025.
While smartwatches all have touchscreen displays, GPS sports watches tend to have either hardware button navigation or touchscreen navigation. Most watches also offer a combination of the two so you can decide when to use your preferred method.
It often comes down to what activities you engage in and the environment in which you perform them. For example, I run in the rain and the dark in the fall and winter, so touchscreens have been finicky for me in the past.
I can always rely on hardware buttons and even use them without having to look at the watch face. Touchscreen displays are often disengaged while working out, which is the best of both worlds.
Latest updates
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July 2025: We changed our pick for the Best overall sports watch from the Garmin Enduro 3 to the Garmin Fenix 8 AMOLED, thanks to the latter’s sheer number of sports support offered, excellent display, and LED flashlight. The Enduro 3 is now our pick for Best for endurance athletes, taking the title from the older Coros Vertix 2S, which fell off this list. The newer Suunto Run became our new pick for the Best value sports watch, overtaking the Suunto Race, which also fell off this list. We also updated text and pricing throughout the article.
Alternative sports watches worth considering
Smartwatches Reviewed & Compared
