The Best Fitness Watches of 2024

For fitness addicts and adventure professionals, the Garmin fenix 7 Pro Sapphire Solar ($900) is just dang hard to beat. It features advanced health monitoring, in-depth performance metrics, and over 80 activity profiles including surfing, backcountry skiing, golf, inline skating, and so much more. The tough-as-nails Power Sapphire screen is just the icing on the cake — resisting scratching even while rock climbing, and keeping your wrist-mounted companion going for days and days.

The five-button layout on the fenix 7 Pro is intuitive and programmable, and the touchscreen adds versatility for quickly blasting through menus. The transflective memory-in-pixel (MIP) display allows you to see the screen in the sunlight, and gives this watch impressive battery life (stats claim up to 18 days in smartwatch mode or 22 with solar, testing proved this to be accurate). 

Features such as training load and status, recovery time, endurance score, and HRV status help users plan and keep track of training efforts and performance. Those 80 activity profiles certainly got put to use in our testing as well, and we worked through everything from whitewater paddling to climbing and backcountry skiing. Each displays data sets unique to the activity at hand, meaning you’ve got your strokes-per-minute while paddling, and number of pitches while climbing.

Many activity modes feature navigation with maps preloaded on the fenix 7 Pro, or choose Navigate or Map to view maps without being in an activity mode. Preloaded workouts can also be used or use Garmin Coach to customize workouts for you. Our testing showed that watch-recommended workouts did adjust well based on use and ability. Unique features like ClimbPro help users adjust effort based on upcoming ascents.

You can also expect all the standard run, swim, cycle, and hike GPS watch features, and others, such as music storage (supports Spotify, Amazon, and Deezer) and Garmin Pay. The Garmin fenix 7 Pro Sapphire Solar comes in three different case sizes (42mm, 47mm, 51mm) and features several other options for screen type with/without solar, depending on your needs. For just about anything you want to do with it, the fenix 7 Pro is up to the task.

You’re going to have a hard time finding a more feature-packed GPS watch at this price point. A line-by-line comparison of features to Garmin, Polar, or Suunto watches would suggest a $300 price point, so $229 for the COROS Pace 3 is a steal. There are some sacrifices you’ll make for such a stunning price point, but we’ll get to that later.

Freshly updated, the Pace 3 builds on the shoulders of our previously awarded Pace 2, but jams in an impressive new slate of features — namely a redesigned chipset that adds Dual Frequency reception, a more accurate heart rate monitor, on-device music storage, and maybe most impressive of all: an added 8 hours of battery life. All this adds to up a watch that seems like it should command much more than the price it does, and it does it all well.

Let’s start with that dual-frequency tech. Normally seen on higher-end watches like the Garmin fenix 7 Pro, Garmin Forerunner 965, Suunto Vertical, and COROS Apex 2 Pro, this functionality siphons up satellite location information from multiple generations of GNSS systems, meaning the Pace 3 has a higher fidelity view in areas where location tracking has typically suffered, such as in dense cities or canyons.

When Senior Editor Nick Belcaster tested this watch side-by-side with other peer watches not running dual-frequency, he found the Pace 3 holding tight to the trail when he wove in and out of dense old-growth — while the other watches dropped out.

COROS also raided their tech closet and souped up the Pace 3 with the same next-generation heart rate monitor that the Apex series sports, and squeezed in a 236 mAH battery, which adds an additional 8 hours of run time in the standard GPS mode. That 38-hour run time is longer than any of the Garmin Forerunner line, and the watch does so while also only weighing 1 gram more than the previous Pace 2. Impressive.

So what’s been left off? For one, you’ll need to contend with the lesser glass in the screen, which is a scratch-resistant (read: not scratch-proof) Corning glass, as well as the polymer bezel, which won’t be indestructible. The mapping functionality, while easy to use, is a bit limited and lacks the detail of many mid-tier watches. And finally, it’s tough to match the fitness and workout planning metrics and tools that the Garmin ecosystem brings to the table, but COROS has made big improvements as of late.

Sliding in at an impressive $229 (only $30 more than the previous iteration), the COROS Pace 3 is nigh impossible to deny for the price. This is a watch that touts many of the same features of watches that demand hundreds more, and is very likely the best watch available currently for anyone looking to dip their toe into the fitness watch game.

While other giant-bezel watches can cram in more longevity, when it comes to a watch that is a common-sense size, has all the bells and whistles, and still trudges on with incredible battery life, the COROS Apex 2 Pro ($449) ticks all of our boxes for the best mid-tier fitness watch available today.

Newly updated, the Apex line from COROS is its middle-of-the-road offering, but you wouldn’t know that from looking at it. Within the 46 mm bezel is the full complement of activity tracking profiles, ABC (altimeter, barometer, compass) sensors, and antenna for a newly expanded five Global Navigation Satellite Systems.

Compared to the Apex 2, the Pro version got an extra infusion of satellite tech in the form of a Dual-Frequency chipset, which during recent testing we found made a tangible difference in old-growth forests and canyons. It also bumps up the internal storage from 8 GB to 32 GB, and tacked on even more battery life.

When put to the test, we verified that the Apex 2 Pro simply goes and goes. At a stated (and confirmed) 75 hours of battery life in the GPS-only mode, this watch can’t be touched by watches of the same size when it comes to longevity. Other watches, like the Garmin fenix 7 Pro Solar, can eke out more time by utilizing the sun, but command much more wrist real estate comparatively.

And while Garmin has consistently led the pack in terms of efficient app integration, we can now say that COROS has caught up. The COROS app is an enjoyable interface to use, and does an excellent job of displaying our recorded activities, tracks, and daily stats such as active energy, heart rate, and sleep metrics.

So how could the Apex 2 Pro be better? For one: we did find ourselves missing the helpful fitness stats, reports, and workouts that exist in the Garmin ecosystem. Garmin has made a big push toward synthesizing all of the data their fitness watches soak up, and we do wish that COROS will make the same pivot. Beyond that, in the age of mega-bright AMOLED screens, the colors of the Apex 2 Pro were a bit muted compared to watches of a similar caliber.

Ideal for the adventurer or fitness devotee who wants it all without carrying a calculator on their wrist, the COROS Apex 2 Pro lands as just about the perfect balance in our books.

Read Review: COROS APEX 2 Pro Review: This Sports Watch Sets Benchmark for Battery Life

Updated in 2023, the Garmin Forerunner 265 ($450) makes some huge strides on its predecessor. The updated AMOLED touchscreen is the big news here, and after use, we can say that the hype is definitely real. The colors are rich, the blacks deep, and the touchscreen is easy to maneuver. And that’s not even the half of it on this running-specific timepiece.

Like the other watches in the Forerunner series, the 265 aims to be your perfect workout partner — taking in training and health data and producing suggested custom workouts that angle to get you in shape for just about anything. Running is the big deal on the 265, but there are also activity profiles for just about anything you’re looking to get into.

On the wrist, the Forerunner 265 is quite comfortable — owed largely to the polymer case and silicone band. We found that during our test runs that the properly cinched-down watch wasn’t going anywhere, and didn’t inhibit us in any way. When it comes to moving through the menus, the new touchscreen is a smooth operator, and easily breezes you through where you’re looking to go.

When it comes to everyday use the 265 does provide a few niceties like Garmin Pay, but don’t get it twisted, this is definitely a sport watch first. For the runner who wants to lean into their training, the Garmin Forerunner 265 is a bleeding-edge option with the tech to back it up.

Apple is the best-selling smartwatch worldwide, and it’s clear why — it’s undeniably the best smartwatch (not GPS watch; we’ll get to that later) on the market. Everyone we spoke with who had one gave glowing reviews. “After literally decades of not trying a smartwatch, I recently bought an Apple Watch. I love it,” said one initial skeptic.

Now tuned for the outdoors and fitness market, the new Apple Watch Ultra ($799) is upgraded to take on the rough and tumble in your day-to-day, and boasts a larger 49mm titanium case, brighter 2,000 nits screen, increased water resistance (up to 100 meters), and an extended 36-hour battery life. You’re obviously going to pay for all those upgrades, but we’re convinced that it’s well worth it.

As with all the watches tested, the Apple Watch Ultra can track sleep, steps, and calories and puts it in an easy-to-understand format. Further sports integration offers up structured workouts in nearly everything from running to swimming to strength training and kickboxing.

These modes can be customized (choose your warm-up and recovery periods, etc.), and logs most all of the metrics we’ve come to expect in a fitness watch, such as heart rate, pace, distance, elevation, and more. For runs after work or a weekend strength training session, the Ultra has everything we need.

Having coached many runners who wear an Apple Watch, our resident trainer can say two things with certainty: The GPS is not great, and the battery life just isn’t there to compete with flagship watches. But now that the Ultra version brings on board a multi-GNSS chipset with multi-band technology, the location reception is tack sharp and on par with the rest of the field high-end watches, such as the Garmin fenix 7 Pro and COROS Apex 2 Pro.

The battery life issue, however, continues to be a ding, and with Apple’s large 49 mm always-on AMOLED screen, it’s tough to squeeze much more out of it without compromising greatly on functionality. While the battery life of the Apple Watch Ultra is given as 35 hours in normal smartwatch mode, that number goes down to about 12 hours in GPS tracking mode.

Still, if daily convenience and smartwatch features take precedence over a detailed fitness activity, the Apple Watch Ultra is for you. One big caveat — it only works with iPhones. If you don’t have an iPhone, we suggest the Garmin Venu 2 or Samsung Galaxy Watch 5. Both are similarly focused on fitness tracking while offering a wide array of apps and smartwatch features. But for the MacBook crowd, the Apple Watch Ultra is an easy go-to.

Read Review: Apple Watch Ultra Review: Silicon Valley’s Best Smartwatch Dropped, Drowned, and Frozen

Adorning the wrists of workout enthusiasts everywhere, the Fitbit Charge 6 ($150) takes the crown for the best fitness tracker. The sixth iteration is less expensive than the fifth when it was introduced and features a few useful upgrades. 

The Charge 6 reintroduces the haptic side button to the Charge line of trackers, which brings you back to the main screen when pressed. It also features a slightly curved AMOLED touchscreen, and battery life lasts up to 7 days — the perfect tracker to wear all week.

An optical heart-rate monitor for 24/7 monitoring is standard and provides accurate calorie-burn calculations, sleep and stress data, and heart-rate zones for working out. It tracks daily steps, calories burned, and active minutes to help you make informed health decisions based on hard data.

The Charge 6 has 40+ different sports modes for tracking including running, walking, biking and swimming, HIIT, yoga, skiing, surfing, indoor climbing, and golf. If you’re looking for finer details such as cadence, power, or rep-counting for weight training, you’re out of luck — one of our most notable issues with the Fitbit. A built-in GPS tracker allows you to go without your smartphone during an outdoor workout.

The Fitbit Charge 6 also now connects with third-party platforms such as Peleton, NordicTrack, and Tonal to integrate heart rate data with your workouts. 

A few bonus features not usually seen on trackers are the ability to get notifications (call, text, email, and calendar), control YouTube Music (since Fitbit was purchased by Google, Spotify is no longer controllable on Fitbit devices) use Google Maps and Google Pay. If you don’t need these features and you’re OK carrying your phone during activities that require GPS (such as walking, running, and cycling), we suggest the cheaper Fitbit Luxe.

Decked out with reception for the GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo satellite navigation systems, you’d think that the Garmin Instinct 2X Solar ($450) may well sprout an antenna array when in use. Couple that with its altimeter, barometer, and compass functionalities, and you have a wrist-bound information vacuum that we’d take on any remote adventure.

The newly updated Instinct 2X got an infusion of new features, including new multi-frequency GNSS reception across the GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo systems, as well as an LED flashlight that can be deployed for close-quarters work. And that’s not to mention the most exciting shift of all: an updated watch face that incorporates a new version of Garmin’s Power Glass and harvests 50% more solar energy than the previous version — keeping you off the charging cord for longer.

Garmin claims a respectable 40 days of power when in smartwatch mode, which then becomes theoretically unlimited (!) when the solar panel is in play. Functionally this will greatly depend upon your time outside and under direct sunlight, but it’s a bold shift toward total off-grid use.

We greatly appreciated the bevy of smart fitness features that Garmin was able to pack into this device, going beyond simple data and into a synthesis of things like Body Battery Energy monitoring, or tracking intensity minutes across a day.

There are a few concessions to hit the price point, such as an unremovable strap and plastic watch body, but the styling is dialed as with most Garmin watches, and with a little more care we expect the Instinct 2X to last as long as the rest.

With many of the bells and whistles we enjoyed in the Garmin fenix 7 Pro Solar, but in a smaller and cheaper package, the Instinct 2X Solar lives on our wrist when we’ve got a long and far day ahead of us.

Read Review: The Fitness-Tracking, Light-Shining, Do-It-All Smartwatch: Garmin’s Instinct 2X Solar Review

The Garmin Forerunner 745 ($500) is one of Garmin’s best running and triathlon watches, pinned between the pricier Forerunner 965 and the less expensive Forerunner 265. In terms of design, the 745 finds a perfect balance of size, weight, and materials, and easily lands as the most feature-rich fitness watch of the year.

It’s sleek and light without feeling cheap. It’s less bulky than the pricier Forerunner 965 and fenix 7 Pro and higher quality than the less expensive Forerunner 55 and 265. The 1.2-inch sunlight-visible, transflective, memory-in-pixel display is bright and easy to read in direct sunlight — the best of all the watches tested. Top that with crisp button action that makes navigating and viewing during your workout a breeze.

The 745 comes standard with all the features you would expect from an advanced GPS watch: built-in sport profiles with easy-to-scroll-through, customizable data fields; 21-hour battery life in continuous GPS tracking mode; pre-programmable workouts with customizable training zones; a wrist-based heart-rate monitor; and health tracking.

More advanced features you won’t find on most watches include phone notifications, a pulse ox sensor to measure blood oxygen saturation levels, 500-song music storage, auto pool swim stroke detection, and compatibility with Garmin cycling power meters.

You’ll also have access to Garmin training and coaching, which uses its health readings and workout data to give you actionable insights into recovery, training load, and performance readiness.

Our only dismay lies in the battery life — which is a little subpar for a watch of this price point at seven days in smartwatch mode and 21 hours in GPS mode. This will limit you to about one full day of GPS use in between charges, which without an easy-to-access outlet might mean bringing along a separate battery pack.

Bottom line: If you’re looking for a do-it-all premium sports watch for swim, bike, and road running with some smartwatch capabilities, the Garmin Forerunner 745 is the clear winner.

Suunto has jettisoned itself squarely amongst the leaders in the GPS watch world with the new Vertical ($629-839), a watch that hits almost all the marks when it comes to a feature-packed wearable with plenty of horsepower under the hood.

The Vertical salves all of the things that didn’t quite make the grade for us with the Suunto 9 Peak Pro (still an excellent watch, read below), including brightening up the screen, adding Wi-Fi, and incorporating dual-band GNSS reception, and really cements itself as a true flagship watch — landing amongst the Garmin Fenix 7 Pro Solar, and COROS Vertix 2.

Then there’s the new mapping functionality, something that Suunto hasn’t incorporated into a device since their Suunto 7 watch. The company has obviously taken the time to perfect it as well, because in the Vertical it’s an excellent rendition.

From the Suunto app, users are able to download (for free) shaded topographic maps for essentially the entire globe — directly onto the watch. These maps are sufficiently detailed for phone-free navigation, and can have routes uploaded to them from the app for course-making on the go.

And if all that wasn’t enough, Suunto also was able to boost its battery numbers by a substantial amount over the 9 Peak Pro, stretching the life in ‘Performance’ (all systems go) mode to an impressive 60 hours. We tested the Titanium Solar version of the watch, which leverages a solar watch face to juice up the Vertical on the go. This added feature will cost you (to the tune of $210), but it greatly extends your untethered time.

While the Vertical does not have any music-storing abilities on the device (a functionality the Garmin Fenix 7Pro boasts), it can control the music playing from your phone. This is a small ding in an otherwise iron-clad GPS watch, and the Suunto Vertical would be an excellent timepiece for anyone who lives on the cutting edge.

Read Review: Sunny Suunto: ‘Vertical’ Sports Watch Gets Solar Charging, Offline Maps

The Polar Vantage V3 ($600) is once again one of our preferred picks for running, even in a field dominated by Garmin. It’s not as jam-packed with features as most Garmins, but what it does offer it does very well — especially heart-rate monitoring.

The biggest new feature since the last model is the addition of offline topographic maps, bringing this watch closer in features to a Garmin adventure-focused watch. It also features over 150 customizable sports profiles.

In addition, the battery life has been extended to 61 hours in continuous GPS mode with the option of 140 hours in battery-saver mode. The screen has been updated to an AMOLED display. Sensors for SpO2, ECG, OHR, and skin temperature have been added to the Vantage V3. 

Like all watches, you get training and recovery insights based on your unique physiological data to help you make more informed decisions about when to push and recover. It comes with built-in, step-by-step running and cycling performance tests to establish training zones via heart rate, speed, and power (meter required for cycling), as well as test recovery.

If you’re a Strava Segment-hunter, the watch will notify you as you approach your starred Segments and give real-time performance data so you can crush your Segment PRs.

Polar Precision Prime sensor fusion technology “combines optical heart-rate measurement with other sensor technologies to rule out involuntary movement that might disturb the heart-rate signal and produce unreliable readings.”

We weren’t, however, as impressed with the Polar Flow app that is used to sync your activities online — which is a bit simple and often has issues syncing data between the watch and your phone. Additionally, the buttons and interface were not as intuitive as other watches we tested. But these issues aside, the Polar Vantage V3 is rightly up there with the Garmin Forerunners for our suggestion of the best running watches.

The Garmin Venu 2 Plus ($450) is proof positive that a savvy GPS watch doesn’t need to look like a piece of military equipment to get the job done. Take it from our editor: “I wanted something that I could wear to a dinner party or on a run. For me, the Venu 2 Plus does the trick.”

Part of Garmin’s Venu line, this smartwatch is aimed at folks who don’t need the full-tilt sports-centric features of the Forerunner line, but still want to be able to track their day-to-day activities. The main watch face can be populated with daily health stats to keep you moving, such as steps, heart rate, and your Body Battery level.

The Venu 2 itself is available in a number of different models, with the simplest being the Venu Sq 2 ($250), an affordable square-faced option. But for us, the 2 Plus is where it’s at, and for one simple reason: Voice Assistant technology. This watch pairs with your phone’s virtual assistant to respond to texts, set reminders, or even take phone calls right from your wrist. Very slick.

Perfect for everyday wearing, the Garmin Venu 2 Plus makes an adaptable companion for whatever you’re facing that day.

Read Review: Garmin Venu 2 Plus Smartwatch Review: Improve Your Fitness With Style

While it may not look much different on the outside, the Suunto 9 Peak Pro ($409) got a big upgrade in late 2022 when it comes to internal muscle. Compared to our previously reviewed Suunto 9 Baro, the Peak Pro leaps ahead in both tech and sustainability. And in 2024, the watch can be had for just over $400 — that’s $100 less than when it debuted.

The first watch from Suunto to have its carbon footprint calculated — and compensated for — the Peak Pro is made with 100% renewable energy, and has the lowest footprint of any GPS watch on the market at 16.5 lbs CO2e. That’s the same as driving a car roughly 27 miles.

Our testers have had issues with older versions of the Suunto 9 lagging during operation, but the Peak Pro gains a new processor, microcontroller, and user interface that greatly improves the pep in its step. It isn’t flawless (we noticed a bit of a stumble watching the arrow icon while following a route), but it is a great step forward for Suunto.

The battery also got a shot of extra juice, increasing to 40 hours in high-fidelity mode (a 50% increase) and up to 70 hours in battery-saving GPS mode. Then there’s the classic quick charge from Suunto — providing 10 hours of operation in just 10 minutes of charging.

While this is the flagship watch in Suunto’s lineup currently, we were a bit let down to see that it doesn’t incorporate multi-band GNSS reception, something we’re seeing becoming standard in high-end fitness watches. The satellite reception is otherwise impressive — receiving information from GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou, and QZSS birds — just not the bleeding edge.

A killer option for those who want to keep their impact in check, the Suunto 9 Peak Pro is a greatly improved model that checks all the boxes we’re looking for in the best fitness watches.

Read Review: Suunto 9 Peak Pro Smartwatch Review: Off-Grid Action Star

With its “been there” shape and “done that” materials, the Amazfit Band 7 ($50) didn’t exactly make a strong first impression. But after a week of walking, biking, and workouts, this small bit of tech showed itself to be as useful as it is affordable. 

The Band 7 retails for just under $50. For that price, you get sleep tracking, a heart rate sensor, blood oxygen monitoring, and stress measurements. Users will also be treated to a strong catalog of workouts, from strength training to cardio activities. 

The Band’s screen is bright and well-made, and the interface is straightforward. If you can navigate a smartphone, you can find your way around Amazfit’s software with a few swipes and taps. The watch itself is similarly clean, with a low rise and a comfortable (if a bit short) strap. 

While the GPS tracking and required Zepp app may not be as accurate as some options listed above, it’s perfectly acceptable for biking, long walks, or anything that takes you across the map instead of in circles. The audible cues routed through your earbuds (marking distance, time, and heart rate) also provide a nice touch of encouragement. Still, its 50m water rating and svelte construction are more suited to in-town exercise as opposed to the wilderness. 

This is the second smart device we’ve tested from Amazfit, the first being the outstanding T-REX2. And while it may be smaller than its full-size cousin, the Band 7 offers an incredible amount of function for the price. The screen lock can be a little touchy (especially when exposed to water drops), but for the most part, the Band 7 is as easy on the wrist as it is on the wallet.

The Garmin vivoactive 5 ($300) combines basic fitness, health tracking, and performance statistics with classic smartwatch features like music, smart notifications, and texting.

For the everyday athlete who doesn’t need all the features or the price point of a watch like the fenix 7 Pro, but wants data more than your average fitness tracker or smartwatch, the vívoactive 5 is a good option. If you’re looking for more outdoor-specific features like navigation and more in-depth training features, a higher-end watch would be a better pick. 

Some of the updates from the previous version include nap tracking, a new Morning Report, and an AMOLED screen compared to the MIP screen on the vivoactive 4. It also includes a new wheelchair mode, which tracks pushes and workouts. The vívoactive 5 also starts at a lower price point ($300) than the vívoactive 4 ($350). 

Features like sleep scores and tracking, energy monitoring, and basic training statistics the vívoactive 5 keeps you aware of any changes in your health or activity levels. The vívoactive 5 features up to 11 days of battery life in smartwatch mode and up to 5 with the AMOLED touchscreen in always-on mode. For those looking for a smartwatch with a little extra under the hood, the Garmin vívoactive 5 is an excellent option.