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Mar 22

The Best Fitness Watches of 2024 – GearJunkie

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Fitness encompasses a host of activities: walking, running, golfing, climbing all with different metrics to track. The best fitness watch or fitness tracker is one that supplements your workout regime, tracks the data, and fits with your lifestyle.

Our experts have been strapping on fitness watches of all kinds for close to a decade now, testing more than 45 of the best fitness watches and pulling together the best for every situation in this guide. These watches have been tested using standardized methods for comparing sensor accuracy, battery life, functionality, durability, and fit.

Beyond that, weve also taken these watches everywhere from the summits of volcanoes in the Pacific Northwest to the depths of the canyonlands of Utah and pushed these devices to the limit to see what breaks.

Besides our own personal testing, our resident fitness coach reached out to the clients he trains and other athletes for their insights and spent hours reading online reviews. We read spec sheets and compared them across brands and models.

Below are the best fitness watches, GPS watches, and fitness trackers based on our testing. To help you find the best fitness watch for your unique needs, weve included a buyers guide, a frequently asked questions section, and a comparison chart.

Editors Note: We updated our fitness watch guide on March 18, 2024, to include the Garmin fenix 7 Pro Sapphire Solar, Fitbit Charge 6, Polar Vantage V3, and Garmin vvoactive 5 all exceptional watches for your next adventure.

Best Overall Fitness Watch

Best Budget Fitness Watch

Best Mid-Tier Fitness Watch

Best Fitness Watch for Running

Best Fitness Watch for iPhone Users

Best Fitness Tracker

Best Off-Grid Solar Fitness Watch

Best of the Rest

GearJunkie knows fitness, and our testers know their watches. The team includes Cory Smith, an online running coach and freelance journalist with over 25 years of running and rock climbing experience. Hes an expert, from treadmills to shoes.

Our most recent fitness watch update saw contributor Ilana Newman saddled with more watches than she has wrists to put them on, putting them through the paces in southwest Colorado while trail running, backcountry skiing, and working through daily fitness regiments.

The San Juan mountains provided the perfect testing ground for this new generation of watches, and Newman is obsessed with training data and staying up to date on the newest outdoor gear.

Our experts have crafted a detailed testing regimen that aims to compare these watches on a level playing field, and its not uncommon to see our testers wearing three or more watches at once in order to give them a fair shake.

We compare track lengths, measure heart rate data against dedicated devices, challenge the satellite reception with difficult terrain, and run each of these watches completely dead all in the name of winnowing out the chafe and finding the best fitness watches available today.

Beyond their personal expertise, GearJunkie has solicited the opinions of fellow runners, hikers, and climbers. When the dust settled and the final grades came in, the list above represented the best fitness watches we could drum up. But know that fitness tech is constantly improving, and new functionalities are being added daily to some of these watches. As they improve, so does our coverage, and well continue to test them.

The fitness watch market can be overwhelming. There are so many options all of which might seem similar it can feel as though you need a college degree to tell them apart.

While finding the best fitness watch for you does require some thought and research, this handy how-to-choose guide has all the essential information compiled so you can make the best decision for your fitness watch needs.

We go into everything from GPS reception to how training data is used to provide health and performance predictions. Each brand of watch uses slightly different data and provides different features, each of which is more or less important to consumers. Well spell it all out for you so you can make an informed decision that works for your specific fitness, health, and performance goals.

There are three very distinct categories of watches, each with strengths and weaknesses. Smartwatches are basically small smartphones for your wrist where you can add apps and take calls without your phone.

The most popular smartwatches are Apple and Samsung Galaxy watches. Functionally, theyre geared toward convenience and health tracking, but they tend to fall short on battery life, GPS accuracy, and workout functionally.

GPS watches such as Garmin, COROS, Suunto, and Polar are designed primarily for workouts that require GPS functionality (running, cycling, hiking, swimming, etc.). They tend to have over triple the battery life of smartwatches and are very strong with workout features, metrics, and tracking.

While most will allow text and email messages, and many provide storage for music or access to streaming apps like Spotify, theyre limited in the scope of apps you can add and will not replace your smartphone.

Fitness trackers have the least functionality and only track health and fitness metrics such as resting and variable heart rate, sleep patterns, and steps. Most will need to stay connected to a phone for features like GPS tracking.

Todays fitness watches can track just about any activity imaginable, ranging from running to indoor rock climbing and even surfing. Weve found that watches labeled as outdoor or multisport not only tend to be able to track the more obscure activities but also do so with more detail and granularity. As a result, this increased level of functionality tends to come with a higher price tag.

Some more entry-level watches do allow you to create new activity profiles for sports that are not built-in, but most of the time these only allow you to track the basics like heart rate, time, etc.

For example, while you could track rock climbing with the Garmin vvoactive 5, it does not have a specific profile for it, so you would only get basic data logged for that workout by using a different activity profile such as cardio. The Garmin fenix 7 Pro, however, has specific rock climbing (indoor climbing, climbing, and bouldering) activity profiles that allow you to track each route, the grade of the route, and the length of each climb.

Backcountry skiing is another specific activity that testers found lacking on some of the lower-end watches, since a session includes both uphill and downhill travel, logging it without a backcountry skiing-specific activity profile creates an inaccurate representation. Even using cross-country skiing as a substitute on the Fitbit Charge 6 did not provide the same overall picture as using a backcountry skiing profile on a watch like the Polar Vantage V3.

Depending on the brand and the activity being tracked, you will be able to see different data both during the activity and in the activity summary after completion. If the watch supports navigation, and youre tracking an activity that involves moving, one screen will feature a map with your location.

High-end Garmin watches like the fenix 7 Pro series feature over 80 activity profiles with the ability to add more. The Polar Vantage V3 can hold up to 14 profiles on the watch and requires the Polar Flow app to edit or add more. COROS watches have about 30 activity profiles, but veer more towards technical outdoor activities instead of gym activities like Fitbit fitness trackers do.

All the watches we tested tracked common activities such as walking, running (outdoor, trail, treadmill), outdoor and indoor cycling, yoga, elliptical, general strength, and cardio sessions. If theres a less-common sport youd like to track, we suggest taking a look at the watchs spec sheet to see if its covered.

As fitness watches have gotten better at tracking health and fitness data, companies have been able to use that data to give guidance on training. As a full-time running coach, our tester Cory Smith finds this particularly interesting.

The top reason he sees most runners struggle is because they overtrain or under-rest. Garmin and Polar seem to have the best training and coaching insights, with COROS right behind them.

Garmin, as the leader in the field for training data and even coaching through the watch interface, has a few statistics that seem to be included across their newest watches, no matter how high-end it is. Even these baseline stats can provide a good overview of training readiness and recovery.

Recovery time, for example, is included on both the vvoactive 5 and the fenix 7 Pro. Garmins recovery time uses data from your past workouts, including your recent and long-term training load and Vo2 max. Other data, like sleep and stress tracking can also impact recovery time. Another now-standard piece of training data for Garmin is Heart Rate Variability Status (HRV), which tracks the time in between heartbeats to determine the level of stress your body is currently under, due to training load, life, lack of sleep, and more.

Garmin also uses all of the data it is constantly gathering during all-day tracking as well as activity tracking to provide workout suggestions. High-end watches, like the fenix 7 Pro or Forerunner 745, provide a specific workout each day in the Morning Report, with specific goals like base building, based on past activities and current training status.

Theres also the option to set up Garmin Coach on any Garmin Watch, which uses the Garmin Connect app to choose a training goal such as training for a half marathon and Garmin Coach will provide a training plan over an allotted time.

Polar uses similar data to provide data like Cardio Load Status which looks at short-term training load (strain) vs long-term training load (tolerance) to determine the effect of your training (detraining, maintaining, productive, or overreaching).

Health tracking is standard across fitness watches, from the most basic fitness tracker to the highest-end GPS watch.

Technology for health tracking has advanced a lot over the past few years, and certain features that used to be considered high-end are now available on just about every fitness watch, like SpO2 (blood oxygen saturation measured through red and infrared light), and Heart Rate Variability.

Every fitness watch measures heart rate and sleep, while some, like Polar watches, measure body temperature. Additional health data such as calories and hydration are available on most watches we tested but must be tracked manually.

The Apple Watch provides heart health alerts for low or high heart rates and also allows for medication reminders. All fitness watches provide menstrual cycle tracking, and many have integrated mindfulness into their interfaces, like the Garmin vvoactive 5.

Garmin watches now also track naps, along with overnight sleep. Each brand has its own way of summarizing a night of sleep, but most use a scale of 1-100 to rate the night of sleep while also tracking time asleep and sleep cycles.

For the most part, health tracking features are also standard across brands, but each brand also has features that synthesize data in unique ways, like Garmins Body Battery and Fitbits Daily Readiness.

Garmins Body Battery, for example, uses data from sleep, stress, rest, and physical activity to provide a score from 1-100 for physical energy. Your Body Battery will be highest upon waking and ebbs throughout the day depending on activity and stress (measured through heart rate variability).

Some Garmin watches additionally provide insights such as Easy Day: Your day has been easy so far and you have plenty of energy left for exercise or activity. Other brands have similar features with different interfaces.

If navigation and mapping are important to you, youll have to shell out some cash. You can get some basic navigation features like waypoint markers and tracking integrated into your phone without needing to go for top-of-the-line watches. But if youre going to be using your watch off grid and want to upload your own .gpx tracks, youll need to go for a higher-end Garmin, COROS, or Polar watch.

Entry-level Garmin watches like the Venu 2 and vvoactive 5 that include GPS but lack navigation often feature a back-to-start mode that allows you to use an on-screen compass to get back to where you started recording, without an on-screen map.

Watches with full GPS navigational capability and onscreen maps, like the fenix 7 Pro, Polar Vantage 3, or COROS Apex 2 Pro all allow you to download maps and .gpx tracks for navigation. They all come with basic maps installed, with the ability to add maps available through each brands app or website.

Garmins high-end watches like the fenix 7 Pro have a navigational feature called ClimbPro that shows the remaining distance for a section of uphill travel. Garmin watches also include pre-downloaded ski resort maps for 2000 ski resorts worldwide.

Garmin as well as COROS includes off-track alerts as well as turn-by-turn directions to a predetermined location.

If you want the most smartwatch features, an Apple Watch or similar will be the way to go. But most fitness trackers and GPS watches also include an assortment of smartwatch features.

After Apple and Fitbit, Garmin has the best smartwatch features, with other brands like Polar and COROS forgoing features like contactless payment for better heart rate tracking and outdoor-focused features.

Pretty much all fitness watches sync with your phone and provide notifications for texts and other alerts if you want. You can also turn this off if youre in the camp who seek fewer distractions.

Many Garmin and COROS watches also feature offline music storage, while lower-end watches have compatibility with music streaming apps like Spotify and have music controls. All Garmin watches now feature Garmin Pay and have the ability to download many third-party apps for various additional features through the Garmin ConnectIQ store.Some watches, like the vvoactive 5, even allow you to respond to Android phone texts through the watchs onscreen keyboard.

Most GPS devices are accurate within 1-3%. In our testing, all GPS-focused brands (Garmin, COROS, Polar, and Suunto) performed equally in GPS connection and accuracy. Connection time varied from 10 seconds to a couple of minutes, while distance was within the 1-3% margin.

Its important to keep in mind that location has a lot to do with GPS connection and accuracy. Accuracy depends on multiple satellites communicating with each other freely and reporting back to the watch.

Distractions such as buildings, trees, cliffs, and clouds can affect the satellites ability to pinpoint the sensor in the watch. We suggest asking fellow athletes in the area where youll be working out to find out how their watch GPS performs.

GPS isnt the only game in town when it comes to satellite navigation systems, and many new fitness watches are integrating other global systems to increase fidelity in their location technologies.

GLONASS is a Russian satellite navigation system that provides global positioning data in the same way that the GPS system does, and can provide more definition in high latitudes. Galileo is operated by the European Union and also offers full global coverage. The BeiDou Satellite Navigation System is operated by China and while originally only providing coverage to eastern Asia, went global in 2020. And finally, QZSS, a Japanese system, provides coverage over the Asia-Oceania regions.

Because different satellite systems have undergone multiple generations of satellites, each operates on a different frequency than the last. These older satellites are still functional and provide more data that leads to a much higher fidelity signal when combined with one another. This is multi-band GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) technology, and more and more fitness watches today are incorporating it into their builds.

Most outdoor-focused fitness watches now come with barometric altimeters and compasses that support their navigational capabilities.This is where the older term ABC watch comes from.

Barometric altimeters measure elevation through air pressure. They can also predict incoming storms and weather patterns.

Polar and Garmin both have options to set their watches to one of three settings: Automatic, Barometer, and Altimeter. Barometer locks the watch in a mode where all changes in pressure will be considered due to weather and changes in ambient pressure, while Altimeter considers all changes in pressure to be due to elevation change. Automatic determines the best mode for your current activity.

Pretty much all fitness watches that include GPS, even without full navigational capabilities, include a compass. This allows for back-to-start navigation and basic orientation without service.

Monitoring heart rate is one of the most basic features of any fitness watch or tracker, and pulse oximeters have become standard over the past few years. These two sensors allow users to keep track of training strain and overall health.

Each brand of watch uses a slightly different technology to analyze and interpret heart rate data, but they all use similar ways of measuring optical heart rate, known as photoplethysmography (PPG). A green light shines from the back of the watch, through your skin, and reflects off of red blood cells in your veins, measuring blood flow.

Pulse oximeters measure blood oxygen content, which is most useful at high elevations to determine adjustment to altitude and performance ability. Fitness watches use red and infrared light to estimate the percentage of oxygen in your blood. While useful especially for altitude training, watch pulse oximeters are not as reliable as fingertip pulse oximeters.

This is the most notable difference between smartwatches and GPS watches. On average, smartwatches need to be recharged every 24 to 48 hours, whereas GPS watches can last 5 to 20 days between charges.

These times are ever-increasing, thanks to the integration of solar charging on some of the more premium models. Solar charging, like with the Garmin fenix 7 Pro Solar uses a Power Sapphire lens to convert sunlight into power, extending the charge of your watch, depending on sun exposure.

A lot of factors influence how long your watchs battery will last, including what youre using it for. If youre using GPS tracking (and single GPS vs. multi GNSS mode matters), your battery will die faster. Most watches advertise battery life with and without GPS.

For example, the COROS Apex 2 Pro advertises 75 hours in GPS mode (GPS + QZSS) and 45 hours with five satellite systems (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, Beidou, QZSS), and 30 days for daily use without GPS tracking.

Charging time is relatively quick, with most offering a full charge in around 2 hours. If youre like us and hate having to constantly charge yet another device, we recommend a GPS watch with a longer battery life.

Outdoor and multisport watches are often larger and heavier because of the sheer number of features (and extended battery life), so much so that they can look too big and awkward on small wrists. If you prefer a smaller size, most brands (including Garmin, COROS, and Polar) offer smaller versions of flagship models.

The physical design of watches varies across brands, with some using a 2, 4, or 5-button layout, others using a dial and buttons, and others using no buttons at all.

Garmin tends to have 2, 4, or 5 buttons on their watches. Their lower-end watches tend to have fewer plastic buttons and premium watches feature more metal buttons. Each button can be programmed as hotkeys (press and hold) to access various screens such as music controls, settings, timer, alarm, and more. In our testing, we found that the Garmin buttons feel intuitive, but the left-side buttons can be hard to reach.

Polar uses a similar layout of buttons to Garmin, but we found the material used for their buttons to feel less satisfying and reliable when in use.

COROS and Apple use a combination of buttons and dials. The dial is useful for looking through lists at a glance, while buttons help make choices and find more in-depth information.

Most watches have ways to lock the button use, which can be convenient when you dont want your watch to change screens.Fitbit however, has mostly done away with buttons and uses haptic sensors on one side of the Fitbit Charge 6. Testing found this to be much less reliable compared to buttons on other watches, but it does provide a simple design.

These days, most fitness watches feature touch screens, although there are still some, like the Garmin Forerunner 745 that are button-only. But the type of screens depends on the watch and the brand.

There are two types of displays found on fitness watches AMOLED (Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diodes) and MIP (Memory in Pixel). AMOLED displays are brighter and perform better in low light, but are not always great under direct sunlight. These are your smartwatch screens that look more like a smartphone. They also use up battery quickly when always on, so they usually are lift or tap to wake.

MIP screens look duller at first glance, with colors showing up differently than on your phone. They use reflective LCD technology that depends on ambient light for visibility. This allows them to be always on and show up brighter in bright sunlight. They use less power than an AMOLED display.

Outdoor-focused watches typically feature an MIP screen since this is the battery-friendly option and allows for better visibility outside, while smartwatches tend to have AMOLED displays.Some watches are even offered in both styles (the Garmin Epix Pro is the same as the fenix Pro, just with an AMOLED screen.)

The actual material used for a screen also matters, especially if youre going to be using it for high-impact activities or just tend to beat up your belongings. Sapphire glass is one material used by Garmin, Apple, and other watch brands that is incredibly crack and scratch-resistant. Another common material for fitness watch screens is mineral glass, which is cheaper but scratches more easily.

Most fitness watches come with silicone watch bands that are easy to swap out. Alternative watch bands can be found through the manufacturer, or, depending on the type of watch, can be found through third-party sites. You can choose between various textiles, rubber, or even leather watch bands depending on your needs.

Silicone is the best for active use, although some designs do need to be cleaned and dried often to avoid the build-up of sweat and grime. Textiles or leather can look nicer.

Perhaps as important as the fitness watch itself is the depth and strength of its ecosystem. An ecosystem is composed of the watchs application, web portal, and supported third-party apps such as Strava and Spotify. To view your data, youll need to download an app on your phone.

As Garmin is the largest fitness watch company, it has the broadest and strongest sport-specific ecosystem. Garmins app and web portal, called Garmin Connect, displays just about all the performance and health metrics you need. Polars Flow app and web portal follow close behind Garmin, with COROS and Suunto following Polar. Amazfits Zepp app is a bit of an outlier, though it shows function and promise.

Price can give you a good measuring stick of the breadth of features of a watch. Entry-level fitness watches tend to focus on basic sports and tracking and cost under $200 retail. Both the Garmin Forerunner 55 and COROS Pace 3 are two of our favorite entry-level watches.

Entry-level watches are perfect for someone interested in casual fitness. More serious fitness people should expect to spend over $200. Moving up in price above $250 brings a huge difference in the look and feel of watches. Premium fitness watches fall in the $300-500 price range, with top-end watches above $500, such as the Garmin fenix 7 Pro Solar.

A fitness trackers primary purpose is tracking health data such as heart rate, sleep, steps, and calories. It uses sensors in the band or watch to monitor. Most fitness trackers need to be connected to your smartphone to access the data.

If you have an iPhone, we would recommend the Apple WatchUltra. Its the bestselling smartwatch, and everyone we spoke with absolutely loves it. If you dont have an iPhone, the Apple Watch will not work.

Fitbit is a great choice, but with Googles recent acquisition in limbo, the future of Fitbit as we know it today is in question.

This is a tough question to answer. It depends on what features youre talking about. In general, we found Apple watches to have the best health tracking, Garmin to have the best GPS tracking, and Polar to have the most accurate heart-rate monitor.

Weve logged hundreds of miles in the latest shoes this spring to help you find the best running shoes. These kicks fit every style and budget.

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The Best Fitness Watches of 2024 - GearJunkie

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