The Best Sports Watches

Whatever your preferred sport is, the right watch can enrich the experience. The best sports watches not only track your training in great detail, they also help you analyze it to make sure you are working in an effective manner to get fitter and faster.

I’ve reviewed a wide range of sports watches from Garmin, Polar, Coros, Suunto and Amazfit, along with the best fitness trackers and smartwatches from Fitbit, Apple, Samsung, Huawei and others. Based on that experience I’ve picked out my top sports watches across a number of categories. You’ll also find a buyer’s guide below to help get a better understanding of the core features of a sports watch.

How I Test Sports Watches

Over the past five years I have tested almost all the sports watches launched by Garmin, Coros, Polar and Suunto, as well as every generation of the Apple Watch and many other sporty smartwatches from brands like Samsung, Amazfit and Huawei. I test each watch I review for a minimum of two weeks and try to track a variety of sports in that time, though the bulk of my testing is done while running, since that is my main sport. I focus on GPS and heart rate accuracy, testing the latter against a chest strap, as well as evaluating them for comfort, ease of use, features like training analysis and music storage. 

The quick list

Here you’ll find the stand-out sports watches in the most popular categories, with a brief explanation of why they’ve been picked. Click on the watches to jump to more information in the buying guide below, where there are also other great options to check out.

The Best Sports Watches

Best Overall

The Forerunner 265 is a multi-sport watch that packs in almost all the best features Garmin offers while being cheaper, smaller and lighter than the likes of the Epix 2 and Fenix 7. It has a bright AMOLED display that doesn’t kill the battery life—during testing it lasted me four or more days with the always-on screen enabled, even when running around 7.5 miles a day—plus multi-band GPS for accurate outdoor tracking. 

It also has Garmin’s training readiness feature, which is a notable omission from the Forerunner 255 and one of the best examples of training analysis from any brand. Readiness gives a color-coded score out of 100 showing how ready to train you are, based on factors like your recent training, stress and sleep.

If you upgrade to one of Garmin’s top watches you get color maps plus longer battery life, and more rugged, metal designs, but for the most part the Forerunner 265 ticks every box you could want in a sports watch. And if you’re not fussed about the AMOLED display or training readiness, then the Forerunner 255 is a cheaper alternative that has every other feature of the 265.

Read more in my Garmin Forerunner 265 review

Best Value

The Coros Pace 3 steals the best value crown from its predecessor, the Coros Pace 2, even though the watch has risen in price a little. For the extra outlay, you get several useful updates, including more accurate multi-band GPS and a new-and-improved heart rate monitor, as well as music storage and a small increase in battery life. It’s a multisport watch that rivals the features and performance of devices that cost hundreds more, and there’s nothing as capable as the Pace 3 at its price.

Some won’t like the all-plastic build of the Pace 3 compared to watches with metal bezels, but it means that the Pace 3 is lightweight and comfortable to wear, and it’s amazing how much Coros has packed into such a small watch. Unless you want some of the top-tier features you get on more expensive watches, like AMOLED screens or maps, the Pace 3 will cover everything you need and more.

Read more in my Coros Pace 3 review

Best Smartwatch

Apple’s sportiest smartwatch ever is a lot more expensive than the standard Apple Watch Series 8, but boasts a longer battery life, an extra lap button, a more rugged build and dual-band GPS tracking. All those extra features made a surprisingly big difference during my testing of the two Apple Watches, as did the rugged design, since I didn’t smash it on anything (yet).

The Series 8 is still a top-notch sporty smartwatch though, with Apple’s recent watchOS 9 software update adding a triathlon mode and substantially improving the native sports tracking. However, the Ultra is the best you can get if you want a proper smartwatch with an attractive design that can rival the tracking of a sports watch. You’ll have to charge it every two days, rather than every two weeks like some sports watches, but I found it would reliably last two days even when running a marathon.

Read more in my Apple Watch Ultra review

Best For Runners

Although the Forerunner 245 is an older model, so it won’t get much in the way of software updates from Garmin, I’d say it’s still the best-value running watch out there—especially since it’s often in sales (keep a keen eye on Black Friday Garmin deals). The newer 255 and 265 watches have some welcome updates for triathletes and cyclists, but the 245 still ticks all the boxes for runners as an accurate tracker with some handy training analysis, and useful extras like breadcrumb navigation and music storage. 

Read more in my Garmin Forerunner 245 review

Best For Swimmers

The Swim 2 was named the top pick in our round-up of the best swimming watches. While I haven’t tested the Swim 2, its swim tracking is no different from that on the likes of the Forerunner 265 and 965, and the Swim 2 is a much cheaper dedicated device for swimmers. 

As you would expect, the Swim 2 tracks both pool and open-water swimming, recording a wide array of stats including SWOLF, stroke type and stroke count. You can also set up workouts to follow in the water, and it’s very light and comfortable to wear. 

Best For Beginners

The Forerunner 55 is Garmin’s entry-level running watch and it’s a great pick for beginner runners thanks to the suggested workouts and user-friendly training analysis it offers to help you get fitter. Runners of all levels could actually happily use the Forerunner 55 to track all their training, but I did miss some features from more expensive watches, like breadcrumb navigation and more detailed training analysis.

There is no multisport mode on the watch, but it tracks pretty much every popular activity individually aside from open-water swimming. If you are starting out on your sporting journey and have triathlons in mind, the Coros Pace 2 would be a better pick.

Read more in my Garmin Forerunner 55 review

Best No-Expense-Spared Watch

The Garmin Epix Pro range doesn’t offer a huge upgrade on the Garmin Epix 2. The new software features on the Pro watches are coming to the Epix 2 too, and the new hardware features, like an upgraded heart monitor and flashlight, are handy rather than essential. 

However, the Epix Pro’s 51mm model is a big step up because it offers sensational battery life for an AMOLED watch packed with all Garmin’s best features. Even with the screen in always-on mode and tracking outdoor activities almost every day, it lasted me more than 10 days.

If you turn the screen to raise-to-wake outside of your workouts you’ll go weeks without charging. That’s unprecedented for an AMOLED sports watch, and makes opting for the bright screen over the duller transflective display on the Fenix 7 Pro an easier decision.

That said, you pay more for the Epix Pro 51mm watch than the 42mm and 47mm devices, and it’s larger on the wrist too. I swapped in a nylon band to make it feel lighter because the silicone band it comes with makes the Epix Pro pretty hefty. If money truly is no object, opt for the titanium version of the watch to reduce weight.

Read more in my Garmin Epix Pro review

Best For Battery Life

If the idea of going weeks, or even a month, without charging your watch thrills you—and without sacrificing any of the top features available on Garmin sports watches—then the Enduro 2 is for you. With heavy use, running 60 miles (100km) a week, it lasted me 16 days on a charge. When training a little less and using a sleep mode to save battery at night, the Enduro 2 comfortably lasted more than three weeks.

The battery only gets better if you live in a sunny place and take full advantage of the solar panels on the watch. The Enduro 2 will last up to 46 days in watch mode in sunny conditions and offers 150 hours of GPS tracking in the sun. Even if you ramp up the accuracy using multi-band GPS you get up to 81 hours of tracking in the sun. 

It’s a large watch—though it feels reasonably light on the wrist if you use a nylon strap—and costs more than most, even within Garmin’s range of expensive devices, but the Enduro 2’s battery will make it the stand-out pick for those logging a lot of multisport training.

Read more in my Garmin Epix Pro 2 review

More Tried-And-Tested Recommendations

The Forerunner 965 is the best watch in Garmin’s range, providing all the company’s best features, including color maps, in a lightweight design with a bright AMOLED touchscreen. It delivers excellent GPS accuracy and useful training analysis, and the battery life is better than you might expect given the AMOLED display: The 965 lasted me seven days, even with the always-on screen enabled.

Though the design and battery life are better on the 965 than on the 265, the main reason to upgrade is maps and navigation features like ClimbPro, which show all the climbs and descents you have to tackle on your route. If you won’t use those maps much the Forerunner 265 is better value, but if cost is less of an issue then the Forerunner 965 is as good as it gets—unless you need the longer battery life available on Garmins with LCD screens, like the Fenix 7 or Enduro 2.

If you want maps and aren’t bothered by the AMOLED screen, look into the older Forerunner 955, which is regularly in sales for less than the new watch. The 955 has the same great tracking, training analysis and navigation features as the 965, with an LCD screen that’s not as vibrant as AMOLED, though it allows for more battery life.

Read more in my Garmin Forerunner 965 review

The Kiprun GPS 900 shares a lot of characteristics with the excellent Coros Pace 2, which is not surprising when you consider the GPS 900 is built on the platform of the original Coros Apex watch, and uses Coros’s software and app. It’s a full multisport watch with long-lasting battery life, breadcrumb navigation and useful training analysis.

It’s more expensive than the Coros Pace 2 and delivers the same sports tracking experience, but in a more attractive watch thanks to its metal bezel. Some may prefer the lighter, all-plastic Coros Pace 2, but the Kiprun GPS 900 is better suited for wearing outside of your workouts.

Read more in my Decathlon Kiprun GPS 900 review

The Vertical is the best watch that Suunto has made in years, with a number of important upgrades that make it competitive with the best devices from Garmin, Coros and Polar. Star features include the long battery life: The Vertical lasts 60 hours in the most accurate tracking mode that uses multi-band GPS, which I found to be highly accurate. 

There is a solar version of the watch that has an even longer battery life in sunny conditions. Turn the 24/7 heart rate monitoring off and the Vertical can last a year in watch mode.

Suunto’s useful maps feature means you can pick the areas you want to download to the watch. These color maps are bright and easy to see on the watch in all conditions, and great for following routes.

Navigating the Vertical’s user interface is done via a three-button set-up and the touchscreen, and in general it’s more laggy and frustrating than Garmin’s with five buttons. The Vertical still falls short of Garmin’s top watches, especially with regard to smart features like music storage, but it’s an appealing alternative to the Fenix 7 and Enduro 2 watches if you are shopping outside of Garmin’s range.

Read more in my Suunto Vertical review

Sports Watch Buying Advice

All the best sport watches featured above have a few features I consider essential, including built-in GPS for accurate outdoor tracking, an optical heart rate monitor to record your heart rate during activities, and a display that’s easy to read in all conditions. 

Looking beyond these core features, there are many others found on sports watches that can make them stand out from the crowd. Here are the features to look out for.

Battery life: Some sports watches last several weeks on a charge even when tracking activities every day, and some higher-end models from Garmin even have solar panels to extend their life further. At the other end of the scale, sporty smartwatches will tend to last just a day or two.

Bluetooth/ANT+ sensor support: While the best sports watches have lots of sensors on board to track your training, you may want to connect external sensors like footpods, cycling power meters and chest strap heart rate monitors to get the most accurate and useful data. It’s worth checking what type of external sensors are supported on your watch.

Maps and navigation tools: Many sports watches offer breadcrumb navigation to help you find your way along a preset route, but the best high-end watches offer color maps to make exploring new areas easier. 

Multi-band GPS: Also known as dual-band GPS, this mode is more accurate than traditional GPS tracking, especially in tricky conditions such as when under tree cover or between tall buildings. Multi-band GPS is available on many mid-range and high-end sports watches now, but it will use more battery than standard GPS.

Multisport mode: Triathletes and other multisport athletes will need this dedicated sports mode that tracks activities with multiple disciplines including transitions. It’s not always included on cheaper sports watches and smartwatches. It’s also worth looking out for an open-water swimming mode.

Music storage: Very useful for those who want to leave their phone behind. Music storage is an increasingly common feature on sports watches, with many linking to paid-for streaming services so you can download your music to the watch to listen to offline. You will, of course, need a pair of wireless Bluetooth headphones to stream the music too. Our selection of the best running headphones has plenty of great options for all budgets. 

Structured workouts: If you like to create your own workouts, or are following a training plan and want to add the workouts to your watch to follow, this feature allows you to program them into the watch either on the device itself or using the partner app, and then follow the steps from your wrist. This is a feature you should now see on even the cheapest sports watches and sporty smartwatches.

Smart features: Beyond music, many sports watches now offer notifications, weather forecasts and NFC payments. Smartwatches go further by having full app stores that can upgrade the sports tracking experience they offer.

Training analysis: Most dedicated sports watches now give you feedback on your training to tell you whether you have the balance between hard and easy workouts right, and some will use stats like heart rate variability to advise on how ready you are to train on a given day. To get the most out of this feature I strongly recommend buying a separate chest strap heart rate monitor, which will give far more accurate readings than an optical monitor on your wrist. Our guide to the best heart rate monitors explains why and has plenty of tried-and-tested products to choose between.

Training plans and suggested workouts: Many sports watches will now suggest workouts for you based on your fitness and recent training load. You can also sync full running training plans for 5K, 10K, half marathon and (sometimes) marathon distances to many watches, then follow the guided workouts from your wrist.