The best sports watches of 2024: Expert tested and reviewed

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While smartwatches often include GPS and can provide casual athletes all they need, dedicated GPS sports watches track more data and provide extensive customization of the information displayed on the watch while working out. Most provide some basic smartphone notifications, but the emphasis is on focused sports and outdoor activity tracking.

Companies are also taking a broader look at your daily life so that sleep, typical activity, and more are incorporated into calculating 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.

Also: The best Garmin watches: Expert tested

What is the best sports watch right now?

After testing and living with more than a dozen sports watches over the past year, the Garmin Enduro 2 kept knocking those other watches out. Thus, when Garmin announced the Garmin Enduro 3 in August, I immediately placed my order, and will be reviewing this new model in September, so stay tuned for more on this latest Garmin watch. Like its predecessor, the Garmin Enduro 3 is expected to be a reliable and dependable companion that serves dutifully for long periods of time, and its large size, extended battery life, attractive color, and continued software updates make it my pick for the best sports watch overall. That superb LED flashlight also makes this watch one that is not going to easily be replaced.

The best sports watches of 2024

Garmin Enduro 3

Best sports watch overall

The Garmin Enduro 3 is the ultimate GPS multi-sport watch from Garmin, 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.

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: Forget Apple Watch Ultra: My favorite Garmin of all time just got exciting new features

The Enduro 3 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.

Garmin Enduro 3 tech specs: Display: 1.4-inch 280x280 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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Coros Vertix 2S

Best sports watch for endurance athletes

After testing out the Coros Vertix for myself a couple of years ago, I purchased the cool Ice Breaker model. Coros released the Vertix 2 in August 2021 with an improved larger display, longer battery life, onboard music support, dual-frequency GNSS, and Insta360/GoPro camera control. The new Vertix 2S looks about the same as the Vertix 2 with three new colorways to choose from, and the latest optical heart rate sensor with new GPS chipset.

Even with these new internals and the current economic environment, Coros was able to launch the Vertix 2S at the same $699 price as the Vertix 2. One of the best features of the Vertix 2S is the battery life, which lasts for weeks at a time, including up to 118 hours in GPS mode. There is something to be said for a watch that you can just wear and enjoy for weeks without fussing with a charger every day or two.

Also: Coros' Vertix 2S may be the most accurate, longest-lasting sports watch I've seen yet

Coros also has a powerful smartphone app and website with EvoLab metrics and widgets, customizable workout programs, training plans, muscle heatmaps, and more. The power of the Coros ecosystem is found in the potential of the software that you have full control over developing for your particular needs.

Like the watch itself, Coros regularly updates the smartphone application and the latest software lets you mirror your watch display on a smartphone. Thus, you can use your Coros Vertix 2S and paired smartphone as your bike computer. There are also many features for climbers, cyclists, swimmers, and runners.

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Coros Pace 3

Best value sports watch

The original Coros Pace was the first GPS sports watch I tested from Coros. 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 3 is the lightest GPS sports watch available, and despite its light weight, it packs a serious punch.

The Pace 3 has a 1.2-inch 240x240 color touchscreen display with a rotating dial helps you easily navigate the watch interface. The watch incorporates a 22mm quick-release band system so you can swap it out with your preferred band. The watch weighs in at only 30g with the nylon band and 35g with the silicone band.

Also: This is the lightest GPS sports watch I've tested, and I can't believe the price

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.

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Garmin Forerunner 965

Best sports watch for running

Garmin's Forerunner series is optimized for runners and tri-athletes, with long battery life, advanced running dynamics, standalone music playback support, Garmin Pay, and more. The latest Garmin 965 brings a lovely AMOLED display to the Forerunner series with every metric and option that a runner needs to excel in training and races.

Maps are available for hiking and skiing with point-to-point navigation, points of interest, Nextfork trail navigation, and more. Advanced training features include Load Ratio, Chronic Load, Acute Load, real-time Stamina, ClimbPro, heat and altitude acclimation, and much more. If you are a triathlete, the Forerunner 965 is clearly the preferred watch for your activity.

Also: Garmin Forerunner 265 vs 965: Which smartwatch should you buy?

The Forerunner 265 will likely meet the needs of most runners for $150 less than the Forerunner 965. However, I like big watches, and the Forerunner 965 is perfect for my wrist and my eyes.

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Garmin Fenix 8 AMOLED

Best sports watch for mapping

For a couple of years, Garmin carried the Epix line with an AMOLED display that stood apart from the Fenix series. In August, that changed, with the Fenix 8 now appearing with both AMOLED and solar MIP display options. Given that the Enduro 3 offers a solar MIP display and we are looking for the best GPS sports watch for mapping, the AMOLED models are best for this type of activity.

A big AMOLED display is key to viewing maps. In addition, Garmin provides accurate and detailed maps with multiple satellite options defining your precise location. You can buy the watch in 43mm, 47mm, and 51mm sizes, and it comes with a variety of watch case and band color options.

Also: Serious about fitness? This Garmin is a near-perfect sports watch

Touch screen capability is available, while the traditional Garmin five-button interface is also present to give you access to all options for navigating the watch. No solar options are available since the AMOLED display consumes too much battery power for solar to make much impact at this time.

The Garmin Fenix 8 AMOLED connects seamlessly to Android and iOS smartphones too, 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.

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Polar Grit X2 Pro

Best sports watch for extensive analytics

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 access 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. More than 150 sports profiles are included, so you can be certain that the Grit X2 Pro will track every activity.

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 m for the Vantage V3. You need to decide if this form factor is worth the $150 premium over the Vantage V3.

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Apple Watch Ultra 2

Best sports watch for Apple users

When the Apple Watch Ultra first debuted in 2022, many comparisons were made between it and sports watches from Garmin, Coros, and Polar. But that first-generation Watch Ultra, it turns out, wasn't quite ready to take over the wrist from dedicated GPS sports watches. Still, the potential was certainly there.

One year later, when the Watch Ultra 2 along with WatchOS 10 arrived, it became clear that Apple was continuing to develop its smartwatch platform into one suited for athletes. One feature revealed at WWDC was the introduction of APIs designed for exercise developers to send custom workouts directly into the Apple Watch Workout app.

Also: I spent a week with the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and here's what stood out the most

With the custom training plan integration into the Apple Workout app, deep integration into Apple Health, and extensive sensors in the watch, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 will have athletes questioning the need for a dedicated GPS sports watch. The Watch Ultra 2 comes with advanced metrics for stride length, ground contact time, and running power. Support for mapping has also been integrated and the last major hurdle to compete with other GPS sports watches is extending the battery life for longer than two days.

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 features a programmable action button, along with the right-side button and digital crown. The action button allows you to choose quick access to many apps, such as Workouts, Backtracks, and more.

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Suunto Race

Best value flagship sports watch

The Suunto Race 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 can 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

The software Integrates TrainingPeaks metrics and guidance, and AI-based coaching helps you attack your progress and recovery goals. Features like this prove that smartwatch makers need to provide more practical guidance to compete with GPS watch brands.

Heart rate tracking results showed higher heart rate readings than I've ever seen, including an obviously inaccurate reading of nearly 190 bpm, where other watches showed 30 bpm lower. We have seen heart rate issues with other watches in the past and it is possible that a software update can resolve the anomalies.

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We chose the Garmin Enduro 2 for its long battery life, support for just about every activity/sport you can participate in, 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 Enduro 3	$900	Extremely long battery life with solar, LED flashlight, every sport included
Coros Vertix 2S	$699	Built to withstand all environments, powerful smartphone app
Coros Pace 3	$229	Lightweight, extensive features, long battery life
Garmin Forerunner 965	$600	Brilliant AMOLED, extensive recovery and training metrics, lightweight
Garmin Fenix 8 AMOLED	$1,200	Gorgeous AMOLED touchscreen display, vast performance metrics
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 Race Titanium	$549	AI coaching, custom training plans, and accurate GPS tracking

It depends on your purposes for using it and how much money you want to spend. If budget isn't a concern, then options like the Garmin Epix Pro or Apple Watch Ultra 2 provide you with beautiful displays and advanced performance metrics. Meanwhile, the Coros PACE 3 is an excellent starter watch, as it contains custom workout screens, and the price is very reasonable.

Buy this sports watch…	If you want or are...
Garmin Enduro 3	An athlete that participates in an extensive variety of sports, wants custom workout data screens, and uses your watch for everything
Coros Vertix 2S	A rugged watch to withstand all environments and a generous battery life with extensive online Training Hub
Coros Pace 3	The lowest price option that doesn't compromise on features for most runners and athletes
Garmin Forerunner 965	The best sports watch for runners and triathletes looking for a watch with a lovely AMOLED display
Garmin Fenix 8 AMOLED	The best Garmin with a modern display, LED flashlight, and extensive support for a variety of activities
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 rugged design, 36 hours of battery life, and action button for quick access to exercise apps
Suunto Race	An affordable flagship sports watch with titanium casing, long battery life, 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.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.

FAQs

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 2 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 10 brought exciting new features to the Apple Watch and we are certain to see even more in 2024.

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.

This extensive list represents the best sports watches available. However, there is another option worth your consideration:

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