Smartwatch for sport: Best Sports Watches of 2023

Garmin Forerunner 955 Solar review

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

The Garmin Forerunner 955 Solar is the best Forerunner yet

(Image: © Matt Evans)

TechRadar Verdict

The Garmin Forerunner 955 Solar is a phenomenal fitness watch, ranking among the best we’ve ever tried. We love the design and layout of the watch, its UX is classic Garmin, and it’s stuffed to the brim with features. The solar battery also lives up to its formidable reputation, and the new Daily Readiness functionality is very useful. It’s fast becoming my go-to daily activity watch, and possibly my favorite Garmin yet.

Why you can trust TechRadar
We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

Two minute review

This is our full review of the Garmin Forerunner 955 Solar. We’ve gone hands-on with the brand new watch (and its smaller sibling, the 255s) to give you a comprehensive overview of its features. We’ll save you a little bit of time and say this is the best Forerunner yet. 

It looks good, chunky and rugged without feeling extraneous. It performs brilliantly, It tracks your metrics accurately, and it packages the information in a useful way that can strengthen your training protocol and improve your health and fitness.

Its GPS tools are excellent, with particular emphasis on cycling and running, warning users of upcoming inclines and helping them navigate through adventures off the beaten track, all with full-color maps and turn-by-turn navigation. This is supported by Garmin’s multi-band GNSS abilities, which the Forerunner can access for pinpoint accuracy.

New features such as Training Readiness and older ones such as Garmin’s Body Battery score help and support recovery effectively, counting down the hours until you’re fully recovered and adjusting those calculations after each good night’s sleep. Good recovery is essential for everyone from casual park runners to high-performance triathletes and ultra-runners, and the Morning Report on my recovery quickly began to inform my day’s training. 

This is all supported by a battery that lasts well over two weeks and 49 hours in GPS mode, supported by Power Glass solar technology, and loads of storage space for all your favorite music and routes. 

In my three weeks with the watch, I honestly loved it. It’s the best Forerunner, and maybe the best running watch, I’ve worn so far.

• Garmin Forerunner 955 Solar (Black) at Amazon for $539.99

Garmin Forerunner 955 Solar: Price and release date

The Garmin Forerunner 955 is out now, with one version packing a Power Glass solar charging lens, which helps extend the Forerunner’s battery life, and another version without the solar lens. 

The 955 Solar is priced at $599.99 in the US, £549.99 in the UK and $899 in Australia. The Forerunner 955 without a solar option costs $499. 99 in the US and £479.99 in the UK, costing $799 in Australia. 

(Image credit: Matt Evans)

Garmin Forerunner 955 Solar: Design

• Rugged, tough design
• Touchscreen and buttons
• Now-standard Garmin UX

The watch feels suitably hefty and rugged, and I’m not worried at all about taking it on the roughest adventures, but light at just 52 grams. It’s also comfortable on the wrist, coming as it does with a soft silicone strap perfect for swims (the watch, as you’d expect from a product geared towards triathletes, is 5ATM water resistant). The Garmin Forerunner 955 Solar shares a lot of design DNA with many of Garmin’s classic features, such as the metal casing and five-button functions. 

Anyone who’s used a Garmin watch like the previous Forerunners, the Epix or Enduro will be familiar with the button setup: up, down and ‘light’ buttons on one side, and a ‘confirmation’ and a ‘back’ button on the other.  With a 46.5mm screen and 260 x 260 pixels, everything is crystal clear and bright. 

True HD would have been nice at this price point, but this isn’t an Apple Watch and you’re not playing games on here: the information is clearly presented and not stressful to read, and that’s probably the most you can ask for a specialist fitness tool. 

Like the higher-end Fenix watches, Garmin has also added a touchscreen here. This is my first touchscreen Garmin, and I found in my first few weeks with the watch I didn’t often use the feature, sticking to the buttons which are perfectly fine to navigate on their own. Since then, I’ve begun to use the touchscreen and buttons in different settings, swiping left and right and keeping the buttons as tactile mid-workout controls. 

There were exceptions, such as flicking through the options in my list faster, if I wanted to grab the weather or Training Readiness scores closer to the bottom, and maps to reorient myself with a thumb and forefinger.  

Design-wise, the watch’s UX and Garmin Connect orientation follow the pre-existing Garmin model, with few meaningful changes. If you’ve used a Garmin watch, and especially a Forerunner watch before, you’ll be familiar with the customizable menu widgets, although the 955 gets a few nice new watch faces. 

However, while there’s no need to unnecessarily reinvent the wheel, there are a few changes here: such as the daily recommended workouts changing if you’ve got a race coming up. Pop your race into Garmin Connect, and depending on the length of the race and the time you have, GC will recommend you daily workouts, like a training plan generated on your wrist based on previous performance. A neat trick. 

• Design score: 5/5

(Image credit: Future)

Garmin Forerunner 955 Solar: Features

• Big health and GPS tracking improvements
• Accurate when measured against rivals
• Useful recovery tools

The Garmin Forerunner 955 is full of just as many fitness features as the other premium Garmin watches, such as the Enduro and Epix ranges.  To start with, it promises more mapping accuracy than ever, with multi-band GNSS and SatIQ technology offering tracking across several different satellite systems. During our tests, we certainly found the watch to be as accurate as any other benchmark we threw at it, testing it alongside a Polar watch and Google Maps on my Oppo phone. 

You can set routes with turn-by-turn directions, so you don’t have to stop to think about where to turn next. Like other Garmins before it, you can set distance and time targets with the accompanying Garmin Connect app, and we particularly love having the Forerunner automatically calculate a circular route, guiding us through it back to our doorstep. The turn-by-turn directions were simple to follow, and the full-color map readouts worked just fine. 

PacePro and ClimbPro offer on-route guidance, warning you in advance about challenging hills and elevations. 

(Image credit: Matt Evans)

What is brand new is some of Garmin’s innovative new software features such as HRV status, which provides detailed information of how your heart rate varied while you sleep, leading to more accurate sleep tracking overall. It forms part of the Training Readiness score, a revamped feature from previous models which acts like Polar’s Nightly Recharge or Fitbit’s Daily Readiness score, offering you a simple colored gauge to show you how ready for hard training you are. 

Both these widgets are easily accessed in Garmin’s main widget menu by default, but they’re also served up to you in the Morning Report, a wrist-mounted morning digest including the upcoming weather, your sleep patterns for the previous night, and your Training Readiness score. The Morning Report details the weather, your sleep quality, and your Training Readiness score. This is a neat trick to instantly bring you into your day: should you attempt that long run, or wait and do some light accessory training?

It’s a useful tool and helped me, more than anything else, adapt my training around my statistics over the last few weeks. A high Training Readiness score has pushed me to complete 10-mile runs on days I was only planning to do six or seven, and stopped me from taxing my body too much when I ought to be resting. On the last day of a trail running festival in west Wales, my push notification cited a very low Training Readiness score, when I had one more run left. That notification encouraged me to take things down a notch, and my body felt all the better for it

However, on the day in which I had a terrible night’s sleep, I really could have done without this reminder. I knew I had an awful night’s sleep, and I didn’t welcome the notification. If you find yourself getting anxious about your health data, getting push notifications with sleep updates could end up being counter-intuitive, doing more harm than good. It also doesn’t tell you much about how this Training Readiness score is generated, only that it involves your HRV status, sleep quality and Body Battery scores.

If you’re not in a position to alter your behavior based on the previous night’s sleep, or you have a big race coming up and you’re pushed a poor Training Readiness score, it’s a shortcut to feeling terrible. Nevertheless, you have the ability to disable the feature in ‘settings’ if you don’t want the notification every morning.

• Features score: 5/5

Garmin Forerunner 955 Solar: Performance

• Battery life performs as expected
• Training modes and recommended workouts all useful
• Recovery tools are peerless

I loved every minute of training with this watch. It was intuitive to use, having worn multiple Garmins before this, and my GPS tracking and calories burned matched up well with my phone’s GPS and the details collected on the MapMyRun app on my usual 6km testing route, so I’m satisfied to the watch’s accuracy with its Multi-Band GPS software. Likewise, the heart rate accuracy matched up well with my Polar Vantage V2, my standard “everyday” watch.

The TracBack feature is great, allowing you to retrace your steps back to your start point, and although I used it on a route I knew well rather than when I was lost on the trail, I was pleased with the simplicity of it all. You only have to tap the route once you’re all done on the Garmin Connect app to zoom in, with heat maps illustrating the points during which you ran slower and faster.  

The training modes were great and easy to use, with daily predictions for different distances such as 5k and 10k, along with the recommended workouts, providing goals to hit, racing you against yourself. The training load featuring more prominently is also a good idea, telling you if you’re currently detraining, maintaining your current load or providing a little push notification if you’re overtraining. I had all of these pop up during my time with the watch. 

As a runner, it allowed me to analyze my performance like never before. That’s my main discipline, but if you’re a cyclist and swimmer, the metrics here are equally impressive: swimming features both open water and pool functionalities with stroke count and average pool lengths in addition to time and distance.

 The strength training mode was fine, counting my reps with reasonable (but occasionally glitchy) accuracy, but it remains a sore point on Garmin in general, and not necessarily the fault of the Forerunner as that’s not what the device is for.

The solar charging battery was fine. It’s not quite as powerful as the Garmin Enduro which had a frankly ridiculous time of 60 days, but the watch lived up to its promises of a 20-day charge with moderate use, using it on GPS mode for runs several times a week. I got sixteen days before the battery was running dangerously low, and I put it back on charge again, which took under an hour. If you loathe charging your smartwatch every few days, this is going to be one of the best multi-sport watches you can buy. 

• Performance score: 5/5

Buy it if…

You’re passionate about running, or triathlons

If your main discipline is an endurance sport, particularly running, the Garmin Forerunner 955 Solar is one of the best watches for you on the market right now.

You want a watch that lasts ages

At twenty days of battery life, the Power Glass puts in the work and really squeezes the most of the Forerunner 955’s extensive amount of juice.

Don’t buy it if…

You don’t like running

Sure, it’s a really comprehensive fitness watch. But if you’re not hitting the streets or the trail, you’re really not going to get the most out of this watch. 

You want an entry-level watch

This is a premium fitness watch stuffed with features. If you’re just dipping your toe in, consider one of our best fitness trackers instead. 

Also consider

 Garmin Enduro
If you only want to charge your watch a handful of times a year rather than once a month, this is the watch for you. No music capabilities, but the Enduro is fully kitted out for all manner of endurance athletes. 

Polar Pacer Pro
The next evolution of my former “baseline” everyday multi-sports watch, the Polar Pacer Pro offers me tons of fantastic running metrics and a simple, pleasant interface, all in a sleek metal case with that satisfying big red button “go” button attached.  

Garmin Forerunner 955 Solar: Price Comparison

$568.99

$539.99

View

$599.99

View

$609.99

View

Show More Deals

powered by

Matt is TechRadar’s expert on all things fitness, wellness and wearable tech. A former staffer at Men’s Health, he holds a Master’s Degree in journalism from Cardiff and has written for brands like Runner’s World, Women’s Health, Men’s Fitness, LiveScience and Fit&Well on everything fitness tech, exercise, nutrition and mental wellbeing.

Matt’s a keen runner, ex-kickboxer, not averse to the odd yoga flow, and insists everyone should stretch every morning. When he’s not training or writing about health and fitness, he can be found reading doorstop-thick fantasy books with lots of fictional maps in them.

Garmin Vivoactive 4 review | TechRadar

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

The Garmin Vivoactive 4 is a solid fitness watch, more affordable than a Forerunner

(Image: © Future)

TechRadar Verdict

The Garmin Vivoactive 4 puts the tech smarts of the watches used by the ultra-marathon-running elite into a more accessible wearable. You may not get all the pro-style advice of a Forerunner, but you do get the rest.

TODAY’S BEST DEALS

Cons

• –

  ANT+ HR broadcast mode does not work well yet

• –

  No Performance Condition/training load monitoring

• –

  Spotify/Deezer integration should be more friendly

Why you can trust TechRadar
We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

Garmin Vivoactive 4: Two-minute review

Garmin Vivoactive 4 specs

Price: $300.00 / £249.99 / AU$497.95
Size: 45.1 x 45.1 x 12.8 mm
Display tech: 1.3″ MIP screen, 260px x 260 px
On-board GPS: Yes
Max battery life: Up to 8 days

This is TechRadar’s Garmin Vivoactive 4 review. The fitness watch is part of Garmin’s rapidly expanding range of its best running watches with touchscreen features, and sits in the middle of the lineup in terms of both price and features.

The Vivoactive 4 is still significantly cheaper than the company’s Fenix and Forerunner flagships, and smart changes to the controls mean you are much less likely to accidentally pause and stop exercise tracking with touchscreen swipes and prods. 

It’s a great alternative to some of the best fitness trackers and a good entry-level “true” watch, as long as you’re happy to miss out on some of the month-to-month monitoring stats offered by Garmin’s more advanced devices.

It’s possible that we might see a new Vivoactive 5 in the coming months, hopefully with updated hardware for the same launch price. Alternatively, Garmin might choose to do what it did with the Instinct, and release a slightly updated version with added solar charging to keep the battery topped up for long durations.

If you’re not sure whether to opt for the Vivoactive 4 or save some cash by picking up the previous model, see our complete comparison: Garmin Vivoactive 3 vs Garmin Vivoactive 4.

• Garmin Vivoactive 4 (Black) at Amazon for $199

Garmin Vivoactive 4: Price and release date

(Image credit: Future)

The Garmin Vivoactive 4 was announced in September 2019 at the IFA conference and it is a follow-up to 2017’s Vivoactive 3.  

It was priced at $349.99 (£259.99, AU$499.99) at launch, but can now be snapped up for around $300. That’s a little more than the Garmin Forerunner 645 Music, and loads less than either a Forerunner 945 or Fenix 6. 

The Vivoactive 4 is a good route to Garmin watch tracking without blowing a huge hole in your finances. If you want a more affordable alternative, you could opt for the Vivoactive 3, though this older model is now starting to get quite outdated.

• Dimensions of 45.1 x 45.1 x 12.8 mm
• 5ATM water resistance
• Gorilla Glass 3 screen protection

The Garmin Vivoactive 4 looks fairly similar to the Vivoactive 3 and Foreunner 645. A band of silver, but not chrome-bright, metal sits around the edge of the watch. Its screen is protected by Gorilla Glass 3 tech, but it’s not recessed like the Fenix 6’s, making it slightly more vulnerable. Every bit of such protection adds to a watch’s dimensions, though.

Image 1 of 4

(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)

We switched to the Vivoactive 4 from using the Forerunner 645 Music. It’s the watch we use to track runs week-to-week. 

The Vivoactive 4 is larger, and it’s significantly so. But just buy a Vivoactive 4S if a slim watch is what you want as it has similar features with a slightly smaller screen and battery. 

This is a comfortable watch to wear, but again the Forerunner 645 wins out slightly here. The Vivoactive 4’s standard silicone band is thicker and has less “give” than the Forerunner’s. The lighter and smaller a watch is, the less likely you are to notice it is even there on your wrist after a few hours. 

We find we tend to take the Vivoactive 4 off for a few hours each day. You only end up with angry-looking indentations on your wrist if you do the strap up extra-tight. 

There’s no need to take it off, apart from to charge, if you are happy to wear it all day. The Vivoactive 4 has 5ATM water resistance, sufficient not just for showering but swimming too.

Garmin Vivoactive 4: Screen

• 1.3-inch 260 x 260 transflective MIP screen
• Clear in bright sunlight, needs front light indoors
• Always-on display

The Garmin Vivoactive 4 has a 1. 3-inch screen of 260 x 260 pixel resolution, the same specs as the Fenix 6. 

This display won’t look too impressive to those who haven’t owned a Garmin or similar watch before. These are transflective screens, meaning they reflect light so they become clearer on a bright day. 

(Image credit: Future)

This is the polar opposite of the LCD and OLED screens used in a lot of other smartwatches. They have to increase brightness to compete with sunlight, rather than being ‘powered’ by it.

The Garmin Vivoactive 4 also emits light, so you can see the display in a dark room. But this light only comes on when you interact with the watch or give it a wrist flick towards your face. This screen uses very little power when non-lit, and displays content 24/7, until the battery dies. 

This is still the best kind of screen for outdoor run training. You don’t have to worry
about flicking your wrist so you can see your pace mid-run. It’s just there, on-screen, the whole time. And there’s no battery tax involved.

Garmin Vivoactive 4: Interface and controls

• Improved touchscreen implementation
• Fairly simple, flat interface
• Two hardware buttons

The Vivoactive watches have fewer buttons than those in the Fenix and Forerunner series, because they are a touchscreen trackers. Garmin has put two buttons on the Garmin Vivoactive 4, rather than the one on the Vivoactive 3, though. 

This is likely a response to complaints it is far too easy to accidentally pause or end a workout with the Vivoactive 3. 

During exercise, the Vivoactive 4’s screen is used to flick through information screens. But to pause and stop tracking, you use the buttons. The result? We’ve had zero of the issues many Vivoactive 3 owners have experienced. 

You might assume the Garmin Vivoactive 4 feels more like a smartwatch than the very exercise-focused Forerunners and Fenix products. The interface is much the same here, though. 

You flick up and down from the watch face to access both extra info screens and apps. The Vivoactive 4, just like other Garmins, uses the Connect IQ app store to add software to the watch. A few years ago we half-thought this app store might get more of the kind of apps you see on Wear OS or an Apple Watch. But this interface shows that is not aim. 

For example, if you install Flappy Bird, a poor-quality clone of a mobile game that blew up in 2013, it starts running automatically when you flick to its “info” page, above the clock face. We may not have cancelled a run tracking session by mistake with the Garmin Vivoactive 4, but we have accidentally loaded Flappy Bird a dozen times or more. 

Steer clear of apps like this and you’ll be fine.

Garmin Vivoactive 4: Exercise tracking

• Solid tracking of location and heart rate
• Broadcast HR mode needs work
• Screen is great for mid-exercise stat checking

The Garmin Vivoactive 4 is an excellent fitness tracker. Switching from the Forerunner 645 Music, you actually get several more stats to pore over. There’s Pulse OX, which measures SPO2, Body Battery and Respiration. We’ll dig into these more in a bit. 

But the one missing part might actually be more important for some of you. It’s called Performance Condition, a stat that judges how well do you compared to your baseline every time you track an exercise. This is judged, roughly, by mapping heart rate against exertion. It’s not always 100% reliable but is a great motivating stat when using the Forerunner and Fenix watches. 

(Image credit: Future)

Whenever we run with a Forerunner while hungover or lightly under the weather, you can bet Performance Condition will pick up on it, and end up with less-than-stellar figures. Garmin could have added this stat to the Vivoactive as it doesn’t rely on a dedicated sensor. Garmin left it out because this is meant to be a rung or so below the higher-end Forerunners, and we miss it.

The Vivoactive 4 also misses out on “training load” stats, seen in the Gamin Connect app with a Forerunner. This tells you whether you’ve worked hard enough in the last seven days to improve or maintain your fitness. And at the end of a workout it does not tell you the recommended interval before working out again, based on the vigorousness of exercise. 

Do you want your tracker to really apply the pressure, and tell you when you’re not quite putting the effort in, even when working out regularly? The Vivoactive 4 does not do this to the same extent as a Fenix 6 or Forerunner 645. 

The basics are sound, though. GPS tracking seems as good as that of any Garmin watch. It may seem to place you on the wrong side of the road on occasion, or suggest you walked through a building, but the connection is solid and GPS lock-on happens within a few seconds following the first triangulation in an area. 

Heart rate tracking is mostly good, with one obvious issue. Recording during exercise is reliable for a wrist-bound sensor. The Vivoactive 4 tracks changes in exertion reasonably quickly while you run. There are no unexpected dips or peaks, and Garmin does not smooth out the data so much it becomes an artist’s impressionist take of you heart rate over time. It tends to be a little slower on the update during the first few minutes of tracking, but this is nothing new.

Broadcast mode is where we had issues. This is where the Vivoactive 4 sends out its heart rate data over ANT+, to effectively act like a heart rate strap. We used this mode for an indoor cycling session on Zwift and it failed. The heart rate reading should have been around 137-150bpm most of the time, but it hung around 90 to 100 for a full hour. Whatever algorithm Garmin currently uses for broadcast mode does not seem to work very well. 

We’re sure Garmin will address this in an update, though, as it is clearly not a fundamental problem with the hardware. 

The Vivoactive 4 lets you track a huge number of exercises, more than 20. And others can be added through a Connect IQ download. Some simply have different displays of data, the bits you’ll see on-screen while actually tracking.  

There is some deeper stuff here too, though. The Vivoactive 4 has golf tracking complete with data for specific courses. And the watch can act like a coach through Garmin’s Workouts. These tell you the exercises to perform, right on your wrist, and are most useful for gym style workouts. 

The Vivoactive 4’s large screen is also a great canvas for exercise data. When running, for example, the default view shows the duration, distance, pace, and your heart rate. They are all comfortably laid-out on one screen. It seems less cramped than our usual Forerunner 645, even if the shift from a 1.2-inch screen to a 1.3-inch one doesn’t sound all that grand. 

There’s no Garmin Performance Condition stat to look at like there is on top-end watches. That means the Vivoactive 4 does miss out slightly on intuitive week-to-week performance monitoring. 

In its place you are given a stack of other bits of “health” data. Pulse OX measures your SpO2, the oxygen saturation level in your blood. This involves a slightly different heart rate sensor hardware. A run tracker’s optical heart sensor typically fires a green light into your skin, then records the light level witnesses by a little sensor that sits alongside. SpO2 records two sets of results, one using infrared, to also calculate your oxygen saturation. 

(Image credit: Future)

You can see the difference by comparing the Garmin Vivoactive 4 and Forerunner 645. The 645 has three small green LEDs arranged around one light sensor module. The Vivoactive has two larger light sources and two sensors. 

Many of you may not find your SpO2 results all that interesting. If you’re in reasonably good health, you’ll likely see consistent results above 95%, shrug your shoulders and pay little attention to Pulse OX. And if it’s significantly lower, it is time to visit your doctor, not up your training regime. 

The Garmin Vivoactive 4 also measures how many times you breathe in a minute, throughout the day. It does so algorithmically, using your heart rate and heart rate variability. We didn’t find this data particularly useful, much like Pulse OX. However, it may be of more interest if you suspect you may have sleep apnea. But, yet again, this is something to talk to your doctor about. Garmin Connect can only get you so far. 

Body Battery is the extra data field you might actually find useful. It creates a graph of what it believes to be your body’s fuel reserves. Sleeping tops it up. Exercise and general stress deplete it. This relies heavy on heart rate variability, so it is a little more interesting than something that simply makes the graph drop more quickly based on time and exercise sessions. 

Performance Condition out, Body Battery in: this is one of the key differences between the Vivoactive 4 and one of Garmin’s higher-end watches. This is a slightly more ‘lifestyle’ leaning tracker, but the depth of recorded data is still otherwise great. There’s less of a sense Garmin’s stats are smudged and smoothed into vagueness than with almost all other tracker brands.  

Other info the Garmin Vivoactive 4 records includes your sleep and the number of floors you climb each day, using the watch’s altimeter.

The sleep data is broken down into the usual REM, deep sleep and light sleep stages, but you can also look through your pulse oximeter and breathing data for each night. This seems, in part, a way to pack in more than rival trackers. But it is supporting evidence if you want to have a science-based moan about the bad sleep you had last night.

Garmin Vivoactive 4: Other features

• Music support is welcome, if a bit clunky
• Garmin Pay lacks support in the UK
• Limited app library

Music is perhaps the most important extra feature of the Garmin Vivoactive 4. There’s a $50/£50 difference in price between the standard Forerunner 645 and Forerunner 645 Music, but here you get music streaming as standard. 

And that means 3.6GB of storage to add podcasts, playlists and albums. You can plug your Vivoactive 4 into a laptop to add files manually. The file system pops up when you do, and there are separate folders for podcasts and music.

The band also supports Deezer and Spotify, for which you’ll need a Premium subscription to either service. Judging by the many one-star app reviews on Connect IQ, Garmin hasn’t made the process of linking up your account smooth enough. We had to spend a while working it out too. 

Once the Vivoactive 4 app is installed you need to dig into the watch’s settings menu to find the Music Provider setting, which then routes through to your phone to prompt the account link-up. But why can’t we do this directly from Connect IQ?

Garmin’s music service integration is clunky. But once you are up and running it works perfectly well, and even implements little tiny renditions of album art. There’s no speaker on the Vivoactive 4. You hook up a pair of wireless headphones directly, letting you run without your phone. 

Garmin Pay is the other techy feature. This lets you make wireless payments, much like Apple Pay or Google Pay. In the US it supports a bunch of important banks, including Chase, Bank of America and Wells Fargo. UK buyers are less lucky. Santander is the only household name on the list.

Image 1 of 2

(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)

If your bank doesn’t support Garmin Pay, you can’t use it. Check out the list before buying a Vivoactive 4. 

The watch can also handle some smartwatch basics. Notifications from your phone apps come through, and you can choose which do, if any. The Vivoactive 4’s screen is a perfectly good way to read an email header or a quick WhatsApp message, and you can reply to them with pre-specified canned replies. 

You can’t dictate messages through a mic or talk to a digital assistant here. We meant it when we said “smartwatch basics”. 

There are also screens for the weather, your upcoming calendar entries, and you can track your water consumption if you like. Connect IQ lets you add more of these micro-apps too. Our advice: don’t treat the Vivoactive 4 like a smartwatch, or expect it to do much beyond the simple stuff.  

The more apps you have installed, the more the interface seems weighed down. Remember, there’s no specific area for apps here. They either end up on the workout menu, which is fine, or in the carousel of screens that sit above and below the watch face. You only want to keep pages you actually use here, or it starts to feel like a rubbish dump you never want to visit. 

Our current layout includes just the heart rate readings from the last four hours, the body battery display, music controls and notifications. Avoid Connect IQ’s tiny (we really mean tiny) selection of games. They are all bad, and very old. Third-party apps you may find useful include the period tracker and Pomodoro, a productivity technique where you work in intense 25-minute stretches. Pomodoro also runs as an exercise activity, so does not clog up the Vivoactive 4.

We are fairly content with the watch’s limited app library. Even with a touchscreen the Garmin Vivoactive 4 does not feel like an ultra-quick, high power smartwatch. Screen transitions are ‘digital’, with none of the physics-based effects used in an Apple Watch to make its software feel more organic and responsive.

Garmin Vivoactive 4: Battery life

• Four to five days battery life with regular tracked runs
• Up to eight days use with no active tracking
• Proprietary charger port

Garmin says the Vivoactive 4’s battery lasts up to eight days of standard tracking, where you do not use GPS, for six hours of GPS tracking with music or up to 18 hours without music. 

It lasted four days for us, including two hours of GPS use during two run sessions and another hour of heart rate broadcasting for an indoor cycle session. We did not stream music during the runs. 

Our real-world experience is clearly a way below Garmin’s own claims, given our GPS use only tots up to 11% use of the battery according to the official specs. However, the Vivoactive 4’s longevity is a little better than the smaller Forerunner 645 Music’s. And as we were reviewing the watch, we likely played around with the interface more than we would three months into owning it. 

Exercise every other day and it should last a little over half a week, at least. Still, there’s no real battery efficiency progress here, and the Vivoactive 4 is shown up by the Huawei Watch GT 2. It lasts over a week even with several GPS-tracked runs. But we’d rather train with a Garmin watch than a Huawei. 

The Vivoactive 4 uses a plug-in charger, a little proprietary cable just like that of the Vivoactive 3 and Fenix 6. Charging from zero to full takes an hour or so. 

Garmin Vivoactive 4: Verdict

(Image credit: Garmin)

The Garmin Vivoactive 4 is a slightly more accessible alternative to Garmin’s high-end Forerunner and Fenix running watches. It offers all the basics, including great GPS, heart rate tracking and music streaming for less money than a Forerunner 645 Music. And an awful lot less than a Forerunner 945 or Fenix 6.  

What do you lose? This is partially touch-operated watch. But unlike the Vivoactive 3, it doesn’t introduce many annoying issues. 

You also get less advice about your performance and training. None of this relies on hardware, but Garmin needed to keep some distance between the Vivo and Forerunner/Fenix watches.  

In its place are stats to do with your general health. Body Battery is not a bad way to make sure you don’t run yourself into the ground and breathing/SpO2 figures add yet more stats to the gumbo.

Buy it if

You want the big picture
The Garmin Vivoactive 4 is a good watch for those who want to exercise regularly, and track that exercise accurately, but are not too worried about making sure every session counts. 

You’re on a budget
The Garmin Vivoactive 4 is a good watch for those who want to exercise regularly, and track that exercise accurately, but are not too worried about making sure every session counts.  

Don’t buy it if

You’re after specific improvements
Want to push yourself to shave seconds off your minutes-per-km each month? Or really focus on your performance throughout a session? A Garmin Forerunner is probably a better watch than a Vivoactive 4.

You want longer battery life
Garmin’s stable is chock full of long-lasting running watches, including solar powered options. If you want something you can take on long journeys without bothering to think about charging, check out the Enduro.

First reviewed: January 2020

Also consider

Has our Garmin Vivoactive 4 review got you looking at its competitors? Here’s a trio of suggestions to examine:

Polar Vantage V2
A great multi-sport option perfect for runners. It doesn’t hold music, but it can offer very sophisticated metrics and boasts an advanced suite of running features. 

Garmin Forerunner 245 music
The entry-level, cheaper Forerunner in Garmin’s stable offers a great package of its key running features, plus one of its models holds music. A great alternative for serious runners. 

Coros Pace 2
The Coros Pace 2 is a mid-range, feature stuffed running watch with a very competitive price tag. Excellent satellite positioning makes it a comparable alternative to the Garmin ecosystem of watches.

• On a budget? We’ve tested and ranked the best cheap fitness trackers

Garmin Vivoactive 4 : Price Comparison

5 Amazon customer reviews

☆☆☆☆☆

$329.99

View

$249.99

View

$349.99

View

$349.99

View

Show More Deals

powered by

Andrew is a freelance journalist and has been writing and editing for some of the UK’s top tech and lifestyle publications including TrustedReviews, Stuff, T3, TechRadar, Lifehacker and others.

SPORT WATCH – Train to the next level! |

313.90
€
/ PC.

-5% WITH CODE

In stock

Smart watch Garmin Vivoactive 4S 40mm, gold

• Brand:
  Garmin

Delivery

Pickup

138. 58
€
/ PC.

-5% WITH CODE

In stock

Smart watch Garett Men Style, black

• Brand:
  Garett
• Screen size:
  1.28″
• Battery capacity:
  295 mAh
• Operating time after charging:
  7 day

Delivery

Pickup

119.79
€
/ PC.

In stock

Smart watch Huawei Watch Fit 2, gold/pink

• Brand:
  Huawei
• Screen size:
  1.64″
• Charging method:
  Magnetic charger
• Operating time after charging:
  10 day

Delivery

Pickup

439.20
€
/ PC.

In stock

Suunto smart watch, black

• Brand:
  Suunto
• Screen size:
  1.97″
• Charging method:
  Magnetic charger
• Operating time after charging:
  2nd day

Delivery

Pickup

106. 69
€
/ PC.

In stock

Smart watch Huawei GT 3 SE, black

• Brand:
  Huawei
• Screen size:
  1.43″
• Battery capacity:
  451 mAh
• Charging method:
  Wireless
• Operating time after charging:
  7 day

Delivery

Pickup

113.99
€
/ PC.

In stock

Smart watch Huawei Watch Fit 2, black

• Brand:
  Huawei
• Screen size:
  1.64″
• Charging method:
  Magnetic charger
• Operating time after charging:
  10 day

Delivery

Pickup

304.50
€
/ PC.

In stock

Smart watch Garmin Instinct 2S, red

• Brand:
  Garmin
• Screen size:
  0.79″
• Charging method:
  Magnetic charger
• Operating time after charging:
  21 days

Delivery

Pickup

114. 49
€
/ PC.

In stock

Smart watch Garett Kids Sun Pro 4G, blue

• Brand:
  Garett
• Battery capacity:
  800 mAh
• Charging method:
  USB
• Operating time after charging:
  2nd day

Delivery

Pickup

491.00
€
/ PC.

In stock

Smart watch Garmin Forerunner 955, black

• Brand:
  Garmin
• Screen size:
  1.3″
• Charging method:
  Magnetic charger
• Operating time after charging:
  15 day

Delivery

Pickup

24.89
€
/ PC.

-5% WITH CODE

In stock

Smart watch Riff T55-PI, pink

• Brand:
  Riff
• Screen size:
  1.54″
• Charging method:
  Magnetic charger

Delivery

Pickup

26. 99
€
/ PC.

-5% WITH CODE

In stock

Smart watch Riff T500, black

• Brand:
  Riff
• Screen size:
  1.4″
• Operating time after charging:
  7 day

Delivery

Pickup

133.27
€
/ PC.

In stock

Smart watch Garmin Vivosmart 5 Small/Medium, black

• Brand:
  Garmin
• Charging method:
  Magnetic charger
• Operating time after charging:
  7 day

Delivery

Pickup

91.47
€
/ PC.

In stock

Fitness bracelet Fitbit Inspire 3 FB424BKBK, black

• Brand:
  Fitbit
• Charging method:
  Magnetic charger
• Operating time after charging:
  10 day

Delivery

Pickup

149.60
€
/ PC.

-5% WITH CODE

Smart watch Garmin, black

• Brand:
  Garmin

Delivery

Pickup

422. 87
€
/ PC.

Smart watch Coros Apex 2, gray

• Brand:
  Coros
• Screen size:
  1.2″
• Operating time after charging:
  17 day

Delivery

Pickup

133.99
€
/ PC.

-5% WITH CODE

Fitness bracelet Fitbit Fitbit Charge 5 Gift Pack FB421BKBK-EUBNDL, black

• Brand:
  Fitbit
• Screen size:
  1.04″
• Charging method:
  Magnetic charger
• Operating time after charging:
  7 day

Delivery

Pickup

212.90
€
/ PC.

-5% WITH CODE

Smart watch Polar Ignite 2, gold

• Brand:
  Polar
• Battery capacity:
  165 mAh
• Operating time after charging:
  5 day

Delivery

Pickup

212.90
€
/ PC.

-5% WITH CODE

Smart watch Polar Ignite 2, black

• Brand:
  Polar
• Battery capacity:
  165 mAh
• Operating time after charging:
  5 day

Delivery

Pickup

499.00
€
/ PC.

-5% WITH CODE

Polar Grit X Pro smartwatch, gold/beige

• Brand:
  Polar
• Screen size:
  1.2″
• Battery capacity:
  346 mAh
• Charging method:
  Magnetic charger
• Operating time after charging:
  7 day

Delivery

Pickup

469.43
€
/ PC.

Smart watch Polar Vantage V2 + h20 Heart Rate Monitor GPS M/L, gray

• Brand:
  Polar
• Screen size:
  1.2″
• Battery capacity:
  346 mAh
• Operating time after charging:
  7 day

Delivery

Pickup

212. 90
€
/ PC.

-5% WITH CODE

Smart watch Polar Ignite 2, black

• Brand:
  Polar
• Charging method:
  Magnetic charger

Delivery

Pickup

958.00
€
/ PC.

Info. product sheet

Smart watch Garmin 010-02582-61, black

• Brand:
  Garmin
• Screen size:
  1.3″
• Charging method:
  USB
• Operating time after charging:
  16 day

Delivery

Pickup

1,300.72
€
/ PC.

-5% WITH CODE

Smart watch Garmin Tactix 7 Pro 010-02704-11, black

• Brand:
  Garmin
• Screen size:
  1.4″
• Battery capacity:
  420 mAh
• Charging method:
  USB
• Operating time after charging:
  28 day

Shipping

Pickup

349. 00
€
/ PC.

-5% WITH CODE

Smart watch Coros Apex Premium Multisport 42mm, gold

• Brand:
  Coros
• Screen size:
  1.1″
• Charging method:
  Magnetic charger
• Operating time after charging:
  30 day

Delivery

Pickup

379.00
€
/ PC.

-5% WITH CODE

Smart watch Garmin Forerunner 745, red

• Brand:
  Garmin

Delivery

Pickup

619.00
€
/ PC.

-5% WITH CODE

Smart watch Garmin Fenix ​​6S, silver

• Brand:
  Garmin

Delivery

Pickup

311.90
€
/ PC.

-5% WITH CODE

Smart watch Garmin, gold

• Brand:
  Garmin

Delivery

Pickup

469.00
€
/ PC.

-5% WITH CODE

Smart watch Polar Vantage V + h20, white

• Brand:
  Polar
• Screen size:
  1. 2″
• Battery capacity:
  320 mAh
• Operating time after charging:
  7 day

Delivery

Pickup

424.00
€
/ PC.

-5% WITH CODE

Suunto 9 Baro smartwatch, white

• Brand:
  Suunto
• Operating time after charging:
  5 day

Delivery

Pickup

297.99
€
/ PC.

-5% WITH CODE

Smart watch Polar Ignite 3, black

• Brand:
  Polar
• Screen size:
  1.28″
• Battery capacity:
  215 mAh
• Operating time after charging:
  5 day

Delivery

Pickup

126.95
€
/ PC.

-5% WITH CODE

Smart watch Garett Kids Sun Pro 4G, pink

• Brand:
  Garett
• Screen size:
  1.3″
• Battery capacity:
  720 mAh
• Charging method:
  USB
• Operating time after charging:
  2nd day

Delivery

Pickup

277. 90
€
/ PC.

-5% WITH CODE

Smart watch Polar Vantage M2 GPS S/L, black/grey

• Brand:
  Polar
• Screen size:
  1.2″
• Battery capacity:
  230 mAh
• Charging method:
  USB
• Operating time after charging:
  5 day

Delivery

Pickup

459.00
€
/ PC.

-5% WITH CODE

Smart watch Polar Grit X, black

• Brand:
  Polar
• Screen size:
  1.2″
• Battery capacity:
  346 mAh
• Charging method:
  Magnetic charger
• Operating time after charging:
  7 day

Delivery

Pickup

372.81
€
/ PC.

Smart watch Garmin Forerunner® 255S Music GPS 41mm 010-02641-32, black

• Brand:
  Garmin
• Screen size:
  1. 1″
• Charging method:
  USB
• Operating time after charging:
  14 day

Delivery

Pickup

409.00
€
/ PC.

-5% WITH CODE

Smart watch Garmin Instinct 2 Camo Edition 010-02626-03, black/grey

• Brand:
  Garmin
• Screen size:
  1.62″
• Charging method:
  Magnetic charger
• Operating time after charging:
  28 day

Delivery

Pickup

345.00
€
/ PC.

Smart watch Garmin Instinct 2 Solar 010-02627-06, blue

• Brand:
  Garmin
• Screen size:
  1.62″
• Charging method:
  Magnetic charger
• Operating time after charging:
  28 day

Delivery

Pickup

459.00
€
/ PC.

-5% WITH CODE

Smart watch Garmin Instinct 2S Solar 010-02564-02, green

• Brand:
  Garmin
• Screen size:
  1. 25″
• Charging method:
  Magnetic charger
• Operating time after charging:
  21 days

Delivery

Pickup

319.00
€
/ PC.

Smart watch Garmin Venu 2s 010-02429-12, gray

• Brand:
  Garmin
• Screen size:
  1.1″
• Operating time after charging:
  10 day

Delivery

Pickup

185.00
€
/ PC.

-5% WITH CODE

Smart watch Garmin Forerunner 45, red

• Brand:
  Garmin
• Screen size:
  1.04″
• Operating time after charging:
  7 day

Delivery

Pickup

428.27
€
/ PC.

-5% WITH CODE

Polar Vantage V M smartwatch, white

• Brand:
  Polar
• Screen size:
  1.2″
• Battery capacity:
  320 mAh
• Operating time after charging:
  7 day

Shipping

Pickup

129. 95
€
/ PC.

-5% WITH CODE

Fitness bracelet Fitbit Charge 5, black

• Brand:
  Fitbit
• Charging method:
  Magnetic charger
• Operating time after charging:
  7 day

Delivery

Pickup

181.99
€
/ PC.

-5% WITH CODE

Smart watch Garmin Vivomove 3 44mm, black

• Brand:
  Garmin

Delivery

Pickup

389.00
€
/ PC.

Smart watch Garmin Forerunner® 255 Music GPS 46mm 010-02641-30, black

• Brand:
  Garmin
• Screen size:
  1.3″
• Charging method:
  USB
• Operating time after charging:
  14 day

Delivery

Pickup

39.90
€
/ PC.

-5% WITH CODE

Smart watch Extra Digital Q15TCW, pink

• Brand:
  Extra Digital
• Screen size:
  1. 54″
• Battery capacity:
  300 mAh
• Charging method:
  USB

Delivery

Pickup

370.83
€
/ PC.

Smart watch Garmin Venu 2s, gold

• Brand:
  Garmin
• Screen size:
  1.1″
• Charging method:
  POGO Pin
• Operating time after charging:
  12 day

Delivery

Pickup

129.95
€
/ PC.

-5% WITH CODE

Fitness bracelet Fitbit Charge 5, blue

• Brand:
  Fitbit
• Charging method:
  Magnetic charger
• Operating time after charging:
  7 day

Delivery

Pickup

282.17
€
/ PC.

Smart watch Garmin Venu Black Slate Grey, blue/grey

• Brand:
  Garmin
• Operating time after charging:
  5 day

Delivery

Pickup

314. 00
€
/ PC.

Smart watch Garmin Venu Black Slate Grey, black/grey

• Brand:
  Garmin
• Operating time after charging:
  5 day

Shipping

Pickup

TOP 10 Best Running & Sports Smartwatch of 2023 you don’t have to. However, if you’re a novice runner, the sheer number of features can be intimidating when you’re trying to make a choice, from GPS to multi-sport support, solar charging, and even a flashlight.

We’ve done a thorough search to select all the best running smartwatches according to your needs – route tracking, calories burned, heart rate zone measurements and of course how they track your heart rate.

03/06/2023 Update

New models have been added to the ranking of the best watches for running and sports.

Other important features of a smartwatch for running and sports should include detailed information about your achievements, including pace, cadence and speed. Knowing this information can help you set yourself up for longer runs or speed up to beat any personal records. While features like GPS and biometrics, including calories burned and VO2 max, can help your overall health.

Affiliate program

Share links to ratings, reviews and get rewarded. Anyone can start, but to get started we will give 990 points (1 point = 1 ruble) , learn more

In this ranking, we looked at the best running watches for each type of runner and budget. If you don’t need a dedicated running watch but still want to track your fitness level, here’s our ranking of the best fitness trackers.

1

Garmin Forerunner 955 Solar

The best watch to take your running to the next level

Compatible with OS: Android, iOS
Features: audio playback
Additional functions: barometer, alarm clock , gyroscope, compass, stopwatch , timer, pedometer
Heart rate monitor: built-in
Monitoring functions: accelerometer, blood oxygen measurement, calorie monitoring, sleep monitoring, continuous heart rate measurement, thermometer
Waterproof rating: WR50 (5 ATM)
Phone calls: incoming call notification

Pros

• Many features
• Battery life
• Classic Garmin design

Cons

• Some features require additional devices

Let’s get down to business: Forerunner 955 Solar is the best Forerunner and smartwatch for running today. They look good, perform brilliantly, track your performance accurately, and display the information in the right way to improve your health and fitness.

Their GPS tools are excellent, with a particular focus on cycling and running, alerting users to upcoming climbs and helping them navigate adventures. This is supported by Garmin’s multi-band GPS capabilities, which Forerunner can access for high accuracy.

New features like Training Ready and Body Battery effectively help and support recovery, which is important for everyone from casual park runners to high-performance triathletes and ultramarathoners. It’s all backed by a long-lasting battery, backed by Power Glass solar technology, and plenty of storage for all your favorite music and routes.

2

Garmin Vivoactive 4

The best running watch that looks good

Compatible OS: Android, iOS
Features: USB, audio playback
Additional functions: vibration, gyroscope, compass, stopwatch, timer
Heart rate monitor: built-in
Monitoring functions: accelerometer, calorie monitor, sleep monitor, physical activity monitor, continuous heart rate measurement, thermometer
Glass type: scratch-resistant

Pros

• Workout tracking with full GPS
• Music streaming on the watch
• Beautiful design 900 15

Cons

• No training load control

This smart watch, GPS running watch or fashion watch? Answer: three in one. It’s the first Garmin watch that doesn’t really look like a runner, rivaling the likes of the Apple Watch and Android Wear. Sure, technically they’re not as powerful as some of the entries in this ranking, but in terms of offering the best value for money – attractive looks and features – they’re hard to beat.

As you can probably imagine, like all the best running watches, it has all the intelligence of Garmin, which means full GPS and heart rate tracking, multi-sport support, and even music streaming to the watch for Deezer and Spotify (although the interface could stand some improvement here).

All this plus a battery life of four or five days with normal use or 18 hours of GPS use (six if you also listen to music). In terms of design, this running watch has a stainless steel bezel and a comfortable rubberized strap that can be changed according to the occasion.

A huge selection of watch faces and app options are available on Garmin Connect, which is open to developers, which means new exciting additions are constantly being added.

3

Garmin Fenix ​​7

Best Premium Running Watch

OS Compatible: Android, iOS
Additional Features: Gyroscope, Compass, Stopwatch, 912 Timer 57 Heart rate monitor: integrated
Monitoring functions: accelerometer, blood oxygen measurement, calorie monitoring, sleep monitoring, physical activity monitoring, continuous heart rate measurement, thermometer
Waterproof rating: WR100 (10 ATM)

Pros

• New learning tools available
• Superb navigation
• Extra strong

Cons

• Low contrast screen
• No hands-free microphone

The Garmin Fenix ​​7 is a smart running watch packed with advanced training tools to help you optimize your weekly workouts and refine your strategy during races. It keeps all of the best features of the Fenix ​​6 but adds some great new tools like a real-time stamina meter that shows you how your energy level drops over the course of a run so you can tailor your efforts accordingly.

There’s also a new graph showing how your training efforts affect your predicted race time – a great motivator to push yourself a little harder.

While it still features Garmin’s traditional five-button layout, it’s the first touchscreen Fenix ​​watch, an addition that made panning maps easier. GPS accuracy has proven to be exceptional, and Garmin has made a whole host of map packs available for download through the new Fenix ​​7 manager.

It’s not just a runner’s watch though – in addition to a full set of profiles for road, trail and indoor running, there’s also a huge range of training tools for cycling, swimming, hiking, climbing and dozens of other activities . It’s even a tournament-legal golf watch with thousands of preloaded course maps.

The Fenix ​​7’s color display isn’t as bright as the Venu 2 Plus and Epix (Gen 2) OLED screen, but it’s easy to read in most lighting conditions and contributes to impressive battery life performance. Solar versions last even longer on a single charge, and an additional sapphire crystal protects against scratches when you’re running down the beaten track.

4

Garmin Instinct 2

The perfect watch for serious distance runners

OS compatible: Android, iOS
Additional features: compass, stopwatch, timer 9125 7 Heart rate monitor: built-in
Functions monitoring: accelerometer, blood oxygen measurement, calorie monitoring, sleep monitoring, physical activity monitoring, continuous heart rate measurement, thermometer
Color display: monochrome
Waterproof rating: WR100 (10 ATM)

Pros

• Extremely long battery life
• 9000 7 Advanced learning tools
• Highly accurate location tracking

Cons

• Doesn’t fit cards

The Garmin Instinct 2 is a fantastic running watch if you’ve ever laced up your shoes and were about to walk out the door and then realized your watch would run out of power before you were even done.

Instinct 2 battery life can be measured in weeks instead of days or hours, and under the right conditions, solar panels can last indefinitely. Tracking your workouts takes a bit more power, but on a sunny day, a two-hour run with all the sensors on will have little to no effect on the battery.

Instinct 2 is very durable, with a fiber reinforced resin case and bezel rather than the luxurious stainless steel found on some of the more expensive Garmin watches, meaning it’s lightweight and won’t resist bumps and drops, making it a good choice and for trailrunners. This time, Garmin has added some fun new colors to make sure you’re clearly visible when exploring forest trails.

During our tests, the only real downside we found is that the Instinct 2’s monochrome display (MiP) isn’t very suitable for cards. You can get directions in the Garmin Connect app or import routes from third-party sources, but the watch itself can only give you a vague idea of ​​direction. If you want to explore new places Fenix ​​7 or Epix would be the best choice, but otherwise Instinct 2 is easy to recommend.

5

Garmin Forerunner 255S Music

The best mid-range running watch for triathletes

OS compatible: Android, iOS
Additional features: compass, stopwatch, timer
heart rate monitor : built-in
Monitoring functions: accelerometer , blood oxygen measurement, calorie monitoring, sleep monitoring, physical activity monitoring, continuous heart rate measurement, thermometer
Waterproof rating: 5 ATM

Pros

• Accurate GPS and biometrics
• Full color maps
• Musical features

Cons 9 0003

• No real-time endurance
• No solar charge

If you like run as part of triathlon training, the Garmin Forerunner 255S Music is a great running smartwatch at a reasonable price if you can’t afford some of Garmin’s pricier products. Their location tracking and biometrics are extremely accurate thanks to the latest Garmin software and multi-band GPS, and they come with really useful training tools to help you get more out of your runs, bike rides and swims.

The Body Battery and Heart Rate Variability features give you a better idea of ​​whether you’re fully recovered by suggesting workout recommendations based on how ready or tired you are. They measure how well you’ve recovered from the previous day’s workload, which helps you get the most out of every workout.

We were also particularly impressed with the full color on-screen maps that make it easy to navigate the display, as well as the extensive customization options. For example, creating your own time or distance interval sessions is surprisingly easy.

There are bigger, more powerful running watches with more sport modes and longer battery life, but the Forerunner 255S Music balances this with a more affordable price point and is an excellent training tool for serious athletes.

6

Coros Pace 2

Lightweight, multifunctional mid-range running watch.

OS compatible: Android, iOS
Additional features: vibration, gyroscope, compass, stopwatch, timer
Heart rate monitor: built-in
Monitoring functions: accelerometer, calorie monitoring, sleep monitoring, physical activity monitoring, thermometer
Waterproof rating: WR50 (5 ATM) 900 03

Pluses

• Very light design
• Excellent satellite positioning
• High resolution color display

Cons

• Screen dark without backlight

The Coros Pace 2 is an excellent mid-range running watch, very light but packed with features. Weighing just 29g, it’s barely noticeable on your wrist, but includes several features we’d expect to find on more expensive running watches, including an “AI trainer” to help you manage your training load in preparation for competitions; interval, triathlon and multisport modes; and compatibility with third-party sensors such as chest heart rate monitors and pedometers.

Positioning is excellent, with GPS augmented with GLONASS and Beidou positioning (GALILEO support coming in a future update). If you happen to deviate from the radar (for example, in a tunnel), the watch will automatically calculate your cadence and stride length so you can keep track of your progress.

In independent testing, the only complaint was that the screen was a little dim and difficult to read in daylight without pressing the backlight button, which slightly reduces the impressive battery life, but that’s a minor issue. This is one of the best running watches out there and will serve runners well.

7

Apple Watch Ultra

The best running watch for iOS users

Ruggedness: waterproof, shockproof
Compatibility: iOS
Mon Recording: ECG, body temperature measurement, blood oxygen measurement , sleep monitoring
Operating system: Watch OS

Pros

• Best battery life among Apple Watch
• Action button 9 added0015
• Emergency siren

Cons

• Too big for small wrists
• Battery life lags competitors
• 9000 7

The Apple Watch Ultra is the best Apple Watch you can buy if you’re serious about working out running. In addition to the new watchOS features, the Ultra has a third button, the action button, which lets you pause the watch or adjust the watch on the move, which is a little easier when your fingers are sweaty or you’re wearing gloves. 9The 0003

Watch Ultra isn’t reinventing the wheel, Apple has added features that have been available in most of the best running watches for years, but the Ultra does feel like an update to the Apple Watch Series 8 in terms of running. Their 49mm screen is huge, especially on petite wrists, but it’s built for adventure – the bezel is made of titanium with a ridge around the screen for added protection. The display is made of sapphire crystal, and the watch has increased water resistance up to 100 m.

With 60 hours of battery life, it also has the headroom to keep up—something the best Apple Watch has been missing for the past few years. The watch looks beautiful and is easy to read even in direct sunlight. In addition, in training modes, the large screen allows you to display seven data fields instead of six. However, if you need longer battery life, recovery rates, or the ability to download maps to your watch, you might be better off buying one of the Garmin models on this list.

8

Polar Pacer Pro

Best value Polar running watch

Compatibility: Android, OS X, Windows, iOS
Monitoring: accelerometer, heart rate, calorie monitor , sleep monitoring, monitoring physical activity
Battery capacity: 265 mAh

Pros

• Training and recovery information
• Great companion app

Cons

• No full color maps on the watch
• No memory for music, only phone control

This is a simplistic, ultra-light running watch with no unnecessary smart device features. It’s a stunning watch at a very attractive price, but it lacks a couple of things that the premium models above on this list have.

Most important is Polar’s advanced running metrics and recommended workouts. This watch provides great workout recommendations, a fitness test, and all your run information including heart rate zones, calories burned by minute, detailed maps of your routes, hills, and the force you put in. Previous models introduced a fitness test that gives numerical values ​​for maximum VO2, maximum aerobic power, and maximum aerobic speed. Repeating the test later will give a measurable indication of how your fitness improves over time. 9The 0003

Pacer Pro is lighter than the Grit X and may be one of the lightest watches on this list at 41g. It also doesn’t feel like a plastic toy like many lightweight watches. But they don’t have enough memory for music, and despite built-in GPS and tracking features, they don’t display maps on the watch face, instead providing simple (theoretically) directional arrows that can be awkward to use. However, this is a great watch for the price.

9

Samsung Galaxy Watch5 Pro

Best Wear OS Running Watch

Compatibility: Android
Wireless: Beidou, Bluetooth, Galileo, NFC, Wi-Fi, audio output to Bluetooth devices
Monitoring: accelerometer, pulse measurement, blood oxygen measurement, calorie monitoring, sleep monitoring, activity monitoring
Battery capacity: 590 mAh

Pros

• Advanced GPS features
• Access to third party apps
• Excellent health tracking performance

Cons

• Battery drains quickly
• 9 0007 Requires Samsung Health to get the most out of it

Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro is very cool watch with many features perfect for runners, no doubt the best real Wear OS watch for keen runners and Samsung users.

Watch 5 Pro includes improved sleep tracking and a great body composition feature for overall health, as well as the Exynos W920 dual-core 5nm chipset with advanced GPS tracking, turn-by-turn navigation and the new Samsung Route Workout feature. This allows you to plan your route and share it with your friends so you can run the same path together.

They are well designed, with a user-friendly interface, a massive raised bezel to protect the screen, and IP68 water resistance. The large memory capacity ensures that you can load a lot of music into the watch. However, it’s a massive watch, bigger, bulkier, and heavier than many on this list, and it blocks certain features for everyone except Samsung Health users, so that encourages you to use it with a Samsung phone. The battery isn’t up to par either, betraying its true nature as a powerful smartwatch and secondarily as an economical sports tool.

However, if you’re already a Samsung user and want to have the best watch for life with lots of apps running, this is an amazing buy.

10

Garmin Enduro 2

Best Multi-Day Running Watch

Waterproof: Waterproof
Wireless: ANT+, Bluetooth, GPS, Galileo , Wi-Fi, GLONASS
Monitoring: accelerometer, measurement pulse, body temperature measurement, blood oxygen level measurement, thermometer, tonometer

Pros

• Great battery life
• Wide range of sports
• Good smartwatch features

Cons

9001 1

Garmin Enduro 2 is a watch -a beast that boasts all the usual Garmin features and one of the most impressive battery life we’ve ever seen. The old Enduro lacked the topographic maps that have since been added, making it difficult to find flaws in the Enduro 2’s design other than their obvious size and price.

The Enduro 2 can last up to 65 days in smartwatch mode and offers a whopping 140 hours of GPS battery life with solar power. And if you keep operations to a basic minimum, the Garmin Enduro 2 will work anywhere for up to a year.

All in all, the Enduro series gives you just about everything you want to track. It’s a tank, Christian Bale’s Batmobile among fitness watches. They provide advanced fitness tracking metrics as well as sleep monitoring. Features include a barometric altimeter, heart rate monitor, heart rate monitor, 24/7 fitness tracking, and smartwatch features like notifications and payments.

The price will be prohibitive for many buyers, but if you’re looking for a big watch with a real battery, the Enduro 2 is the one for you.

How to choose the best running watch

When buying a running watch, pay attention to the following points:

Appearance.