Whether or not you’re an off-the-cuff jogger or a critical path runner, having the precise GPS watch in your wrist could make all of the distinction. The perfect GPS operating watches do extra than simply monitor your tempo — they provide real-time metrics, superior coaching options that will help you hit your targets and, after all, GPS monitoring for exact distance measurements. Some fashions go even additional, with offline maps for navigation, sleep monitoring for restoration insights and good options like notifications and contactless funds.
For many who want further sturdiness and lasting battery life, higher-end sport watches — like a few of the finest Garmin watches — are constructed to deal with intense exercises, harsh climate and lengthy runs. In the event you're coaching for a marathon, triathlon or simply need a multisport choice that may sustain together with your way of life, these watches have the tech to help you.
With so many choices out there, from entry-level fashions to one of the best operating watches full of superior operating metrics, it may be difficult to seek out the precise match. That’s why we’ve rounded up our prime picks that will help you select the right GPS watch on your coaching wants.
Greatest GPS operating watches for 2025
Different GPS operating watches we examined
Polar Pacer Professional
The Polar Pacer Professional regarded and felt fairly much like our prime decide, and it mapped my outside runs precisely. Nevertheless, Polar’s companion app is leagues behind Garmin’s with a complicated interface and a design that feels very a lot caught prior to now. It’s additionally $100 costlier than our prime decide.
Amazfit Cheetah Professional
The Amazfit Cheetah Professional tracked my outside runs precisely and Zepp’s companion app has a training characteristic very like Garmin’s adaptive coaching plans that may define a routine so that you can full in preparation for a race or to realize a selected purpose. My largest problem with it was that its touchscreen wasn’t very responsive — it took a number of arduous faucets on the show to wake it, and sometimes the raise-to-wake characteristic didn’t work, leaving me looking at a darkish display screen.
What to contemplate earlier than shopping for a GPS operating watch
GPS pace and accuracy
A very powerful factor for a GPS operating watch to have is quick, correct GPS monitoring. That may appear apparent, nevertheless it’s fairly straightforward to get distracted by all the different good options most of those units have. Since most of them could be worn all day lengthy as customary sport watches, there’s a whole lot of (probably pointless) fluff that appears good on paper however received’t imply a lot if the core objective if the system is left unfulfilled. To that finish, I paid explicit consideration to how lengthy it took every system’s built-in GPS monitoring to seize my location earlier than a run, if it ever misplaced my spot and the accuracy of the generated maps. Additionally, the system must be good sufficient to allow you to begin monitoring a run whereas the GPS appears to be like on your location.
Exercise profiles and trackable metrics
It’s possible you’ll not be capable to suss out GPS accuracy simply by taking a look at a spec sheet (that’s the place this information will help), however you possibly can examine for options like supported exercise profiles. That’s one thing you’ll need to look into, even when your one and solely exercise is operating. Test to ensure one of the best operating watches you’re contemplating help all of the sorts of operating actions you love to do (outside runs, treadmill runs, and many others) and another exercises chances are you’ll need to monitor with it.
Most health wearables in the present day aren’t one-trick ponies; you’ll discover a wholesome variety of trackable train modes on any sport watch price its salt. That mentioned, the variety of exercise profiles could be straight proportional to a tool’s worth: the higher-end the product, likelihood is the extra particular, exact exercises it might monitor.
In an identical vein, you’ll need to examine the trackable metrics of any watch you’re contemplating before you purchase. Since we’re speaking about one of the best GPS operating watches, most will be capable to monitor the fundamentals like distance, coronary heart charge and tempo, and people are naked minimums. Some watches can monitor extra stats like pace, cadence, stride size, superior operating dynamics, cardio and anaerobic coaching impact, depth minutes and extra. In the event you’re already a critical runner who trains for a number of races annually, or if you happen to're a path runner who wants elevation and navigation options, you’ll need to dig into the spec sheet of the watch you’re contemplating to ensure it might monitor all your most crucial metrics.
Dimension and weight
It’s price trying out a watch’s case dimension and weight earlier than going all-in on one. GPS operating watches, and customary smartwatches as effectively, can have a number of totally different sizes to select from so that you’ll need to ensure you’re getting one of the best match on your wrist. I’ve a smaller wrist, so I are inclined to keep away from extra-large circumstances (something over 42mm or so), particularly if I intend on sporting the system all day lengthy as my major timepiece. Weight, alternatively, is rather less controllable, however usually smaller case sizes will prevent a number of grams in general weight.
For many who want sturdiness, significantly path runners or these tackling excessive circumstances, units like Garmin watches provide rugged builds that may deal with tough terrain, affect, and excessive climate.
Battery life
Not like common smartwatches, GPS operating watches have two varieties of battery life you’ll want to contemplate: with GPS turned on and in “smartwatch” mode. The previous is extra essential than the latter as a result of most GPS operating watches have stellar battery life when used simply as a sensible timepiece. You’ll be able to anticipate to get a number of days on a single cost, with some surviving greater than two weeks (with all day and evening put on) earlier than they want a recharge.
Battery life with GPS turned on might be a lot shorter by comparability, however any GPS operating watch price its salt ought to offer you not less than 10-15 hours of life with the GPS getting used repeatedly. The extra you’re prepared to spend, the upper that quantity usually will get, with some GPS operating watches lasting for 40 hours whereas monitoring your location.
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