I've trained with the best sports watches for tracking your workouts — here are my top picks

I’ve been testing the best sports watches for a decade and as a keen athlete I know that if you find the right watch for you, it can really elevate your training. As well as tracking your activities accurately, the best watches will also provide training analysis to help you improve and avoid burnout, and they are rugged devices with long battery life.

Other features that stand out to me in a GPS sports watch are handy smarts like music storage and navigation tools that sometimes include offline maps. Having tested almost all of the top sports watches on the market I know which ones will suit different types of athletes and adventurers, and the advice below should help you find the perfect training partner.

I’m primarily a runner myself and my top pick for runners is the Garmin Forerunner 265, which is an attractive and accurate sports watch. My pick for those who want a more affordable device is the Coros Pace 3, which is an excellent multisport watch with a lightweight design. If budget is no problem and you just want the very best watch you can get, then the Garmin Fenix 8 offers the most impressive array of features in a durable and good-looking design with long battery life.

The quick list

The best sports watches available right now

Best sports watch for running

Garmin hit a home run with the Forerunner 265 — the successor to the popular Garmin Forerunner 255 — with its bright, beautiful AMOLED display and raft of useful running features that include accurate dual-band GPS tracking and insightful training analysis.

Running is my main sport and as a marathoner I found the Forerunner 265 provided all I needed during hard training blocks, offering most of the features you get on Garmin’s most expensive watches like the Fenix 8 in a lightweight package. The fact the Forerunner 265 also comes in two sizes is also a bonus, especially for those with thin wrists like myself.

The AMOLED screen and features like music storage and NFC payments give the Forerunner 265 the feel of a smartwatch, while it remains a sports watch at heart thanks to the extensive training tools you get with it, like suggested workouts, training plans and training analysis that helps ensure you’re working hard enough to improve without risking pushing yourself too hard.

If you want offline maps then it might be worth looking at upgrading to the larger Forerunner 965, and if you can live without some of the training analysis and the dual-band GPS on the Forerunner 265, then the cheaper Forerunner 165 is also an excellent running watch. The Forerunner 265 for me, however, provides the perfect balance of features, size and price to be ideal for runners.

• Read our full Garmin Forerunner 265 review

Best budget sports watch

The Coros Pace 3 is a lightweight multisport watch that’s ideal for runners and triathletes looking for a lightweight, no-frills tracker at an excellent price. Despite its small case, it packs in a lot of useful features and long battery life — it regularly lasted me five or six days of heavy use — and I found its dual-band GPS tracking to be as accurate as watches that cost several times as much.

You also get the same EvoLab training analysis that’s available on much more expensive Coros watches, which can help you keep your training on track to get fitter, and the Pace 3 also offers breadcrumb navigation and music storage, though the latter is a feature limited to drag and drop files, you can’t link it to a streaming service like you can with Garmin devices or smartwatches.

Although its all-plastic design won’t appeal to everyone, I like the look of the Pace 3, and it comes in a range of colors. The fact it’s so small and lightweight makes it comfortable to wear 24/7 too, especially with a nylon band. If you want an AMOLED display the Coros Pace Pro is a worthy upgrade, while other great value options include the Amazfit T-Rex line, which have AMOLED displays and offline maps but aren’t as impressive sports trackers as the Coros.

• Read our full Coros Pace 3 review

Best beginner sports watch

While it lacks some of the bells and whistles you get on newer, pricier Garmins, the Garmin Forerunner 55 is the best option for beginners. It's an affordable, accurate, GPS watch that tracks distance, speed and pace, and it also has useful extras for new runners like suggested workouts and some basic training analysis.

It’s a small watch but the battery life is pretty good, with the Forerunner 55 usually lasting me a week even when running every day. It also tracks your daily activity and sleep, and links to your phone to show notifications.

You don’t get a triathlon mode on the watch, so beginner multisport athletes will be better off with the Coros Pace 3, and if you want a better-looking device then upgrading to the Garmin Forerunner 165, which has an AMOLED screen, would be worthwhile. However, I found the Forerunner 55 certainly covers all the bases beginner and intermediate runners really need, and is often in sales now because it’s an older watch.

• Read our full Garmin Forerunner 55 review

Best sports watch for triathletes

The Garmin Forerunner 965 is a top-tier sports watch designed for triathletes runners who want all of the most advanced training tools on their wrists in a lightweight design with a bright AMOLED display. It’s more affordable and lighter than other top Garmins like the Fenix 8, while providing the same outstanding tracking and training analysis.

Despite being smaller than the Fenix and Enduro watches, the Forerunner 965 boasts a bright 1.4-inch AMOLED touchscreen, which is as large as Garmin screens get, and although it doesn’t have as durable a design as the Fenix it does have a thin titanium bezel. The screen is not made from sapphire crystal though, and I have scratched it slightly during my use, something I’ve never done with a more rugged Fenix watch.

Under the hood, you get loads of health sensors, plus a multi-band GPS antenna to ensure accurate GPS tracking. The Forerunner 965 also has all of Garmin's advanced workout metrics, including the Training Readiness Score, Morning Report and analysis of your long-term and short-term training load.

Battery life is also impressive. Even with the screen set to always-on and running every day, I found the Forerunner 965 would last me over a week on a charge, which is incredible for an AMOLED watch with such a large display. Unless you want the more premium metal design of a Fenix or Enduro, then the Forerunner 965 is the best sports watch going and the one I use most often myself when not testing new devices.

• Read our full Garmin Forerunner 965 review

Best sports watch for hiking

The Polar Vantage V3 is built for multi-sport athletes but it's also a top-notch option for hikers, trail runners and mountain sports enthusiasts looking to keep track of their adventures.

Whether you love to take to the outdoors on foot or via a set of skis, a bike, a snowboard, or something else altogether, the V3 has more than enough battery life to last you through a full day and is built tough enough to survive slips and falls. It also boasts dual-band GPS that I’ve found to be consistently accurate, even when you’re in the middle of nowhere, and offline maps so you don’t get lost in the great outdoors.

For sports like mountain biking and skiing, a Hill Splitter function parses riding data from time spent on the lift and does so with remarkable reliability. The bright AMOLED screen also makes it easy to see pertinent data, like pace, distance and duration at a glance, even in bright sunlight.

At the end of your adventurous day, the Polar app provides a handy post-adventure route map of your efforts with detailed stats. Plus, the V3 offers insights into rest and recovery to help get back out into nature and ready for another day of outdoor epicness.

• Read our full Polar Vantage V3 review

Best sports watch overall

The Garmin Fenix 8 is the brand's flagship GPS sports watch and while its price is prohibitive, if you simply want the best sports watch you can get then it’s the one to go for. The range of features it offers is extraordinary and upgrades on the Fenix 7 Pro include a mic and speaker and a diveproof design, along with a refreshed user interface, and the Fenix 8 comes in three sizes and two styles — one with an AMOLED display and one with a memory-in-pixel display and solar charging.

For my money, the AMOLED watch is the one to go for, because its bright screen doesn’t impact battery life too much — I tested the 51mm watch and it lasted me over 10 days on a charge with the screen always on while running 70-80 miles a week. The AMOLED display is brighter and more engaging to use during and outside of workouts.

As you’d expect from Garmin’s flagship, the sports tracking, training analysis and navigation features are all best-in-class. However, you do get a similar experience from older models like the Garmin Epix Pro, which you might find for a lot less in sales. If you don’t need the mic and speaker and don’t go diving, those watches might well be a better value option than the Fenix 8.

• Read our full Garmin Fenix 8 review

Best smartwatch

As long as you have an iPhone to pair with it, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is the best sporty smartwatch you can get, offering accurate tracking, some training analysis and, of course, all the outstanding smart features you expect from an Apple Watch.

The hardware makes it better for sports that the Apple Watch Series 10. You get a more durable titanium case and sapphire crystal screen, plus the Action Button which you can use to take laps and pause your workout. The Ultra 2 also has dual-band GPS tracking and double the battery life of the Series 10, and I’ve found it reliably lasts me two days on a charge even when tracking a marathon during that time.

Apple has also worked hard to improve the software on the watch for sports use. The native Workout app now has all the customization you need to show the data you want during training sessions, and the new training analysis feature will keep you on track to get fitter without risking burnout.

While the battery life, training analysis and navigation features still don’t match the best Garmin watches in particular, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is much smarter and access to the wealth of excellent sports tracking apps in the App Store can make the watch even more useful to keen athletes.

• Read our full Apple Watch Ultra 2 review

Best sports watch for Android

The Galaxy Watch Ultra is Samsung's toughest-built, longest-lasting smartwatch and the best GPS sports watch for Android smartphone users. It's also one of the best smartwatches overall.

The ultimate Android wearable for outdoor excursions, the Galaxy Watch Ultra uses the same impressive BioActive sensor as the Galaxy Watch 7 with advanced sleep, workout and recovery tracking. It also boasts accurate dual-band GPS location tracking, monitoring for health conditions including sleep apnea, and useful AI-backed wellness insights and tips.

Built from titanium alloy, the Galaxy Watch Ultra has a large, easy-to-view AMOLED touchscreen that maxes out at 3,000 nits, the same as the Apple Watch Ultra above. This makes it easy to view in direct sunlight, even when on the move. There's also a customizable 'Action' button and a protective bezel around the screen.

Price at $650, the Ultra is considerably more expensive than its sibling, the Galaxy Watch 7, which offers essentially the same features in a less robust package.

• Read our full Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra review

Best Coros sports watch

The Coros Pace Pro is the first watch from Coros to sport an AMOLED display, and it's a big upgrade on the fairly dull screens used on the brand's other watches. Along with that impressive screen the Pace Pro also has the fastest processor of any Coros watch, which makes navigating its menus and using its offline maps faster and easier.

While some will prefer a metal watch, I liked the all-plastic build of the Pace Pro, which makes it lightweight and comfortable to wear 24/7, especially when paired with a nylon band. The battery life is impressive too for a small AMOLED watch, with the Pace Pro lasting me six days on a charge with heavy use.

The GPS accuracy was spotless during my testing, which included a twisty 10K in the center of Paris where the Pace Pro outperformed the Garmin Forerunner 265 for accuracy, and HR accuracy has also been reliable for me.

While its smart features are limited compared to a Garmin watch, the Pace Pro is an impressive all-round sports tracker and good-looking enough to wear outside your training as well.

• Read our full Coros Pace Pro review

How to choose the best GPS watch for you

There's a huge variety of sports watches to pick from, and a fine line between smartwatches and the best sports watches, as many smartwatches come with fitness tracking features built-in. So, how do you decide on the best sports watch for your training?

Firstly, it's important to consider the activities you'll be doing and the features you really value. Runners will need accurate GPS tracking as a priority, and triathletes need a multisport mode, and everyone wants a bright screen that's clear to read in all conditions.

More adventurous types will need a durable watch with a waterproof case made from hardier materials than plastic. Long battery life is important for those tackling endurance sports, and if you're heading for the great outdoors then offline maps are also very useful.

You also have to judge how important smart features are for you, and whether you want a sporty smartwatch like the Apple Watch Ultra 2, or a specialist sports watch with some smart features like the Garmin Forerunner 265.

How I test the best GPS watches

I've been testing sports watches for a decade and have tried almost all of the models in Garmin, Suunto, Coros and Polar's ranges, along with every Apple watch and variety of watches from other brands. So I know what makes a watch stand out from the crowd, and I usually have at least two strapped to my wrists for testing during workouts.

I'm mainly a runner myself, and usually running 70-80 miles a week while training for a marathon, which gives me ample opportunity to test sports watches. I also test the watches with other sports like cycling and strength sessions.

I spend hours poring over GPS tracks and race measured courses to check the GPS accuracy, and compare heart rate readings to those of an external monitor like a chest strap or armband to check the accuracy of the optical sensor on a watch.

Along with accuracy I check how comfortable watches are for 24/7 use, which is especially important with very large sports watches like the Garmin Fenix 8, as well trying out the smart features and navigation tools to see if they're actually helpful and easy to use.

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