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11 Advanced GPS Watches for Runners

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Today’s GPS watches have all the sport-specific features to track every stride on the roads, but they’re also jammed with other sensors and technology—pairing with your smartphone—to keep you connected the rest of the day, too. Here are some of the top-of-the-line watches runners will want to check out.

And make sure you bookmark this page. We’ll keep all of our latest reviews of new GPS running watches here once we put them through their paces. Looking for more basic watches? Check out 6 Basic Watches for Runners.

See the Watches

Suunto Spartan UltraSuunto Spartan Ultra

1/11
Suunto

Suunto Spartan Ultra
Released:
 September 2016
(From $699; amazon.com)

A premium all-day watch featuring rock-solid construction, a touch-sensitive sapphire glass display, smartwatch functionality and activity tracking, and multi-sport modes for competitive athletes.

Why We Like It: The Spartan Ultra got off to a rocky start, with limited functionality for a watch in this price range. But Suunto has laid out an impressive road map of updates, including customized sport modes, training insights and charts, and rest/recovery indicators. Out of the box, you’ll enjoy 80 sport options, spot-on GPS tracking—in any challenging terrain—and a 26-hour battery that’ll get you through a week’s training without plugging in. Sync the watch with Suunto’s Movescount smartphone app to transfer workouts wirelessly to an online platform for even more insights into your training. A slimmer “sport” model starts at $549, but doesn’t include an altimeter like the Ultra.

Bottom Line: A rugged precision tool for trail runners
Connectivity: Bluetooth, USB
Battery Life: 26 hours

11 Advanced GPS Watches for Runners

Garmin Fenix 3 HRGarmin Fenix 3 HR

2/11
Garmin

Garmin Fenix 3 HR
Released:
 January 2016
(From $599; amazon.com)

This backcountry-quality watch charts your every step when you’re running trails, roads, or races, and can keep watch over your pulse via optical measurements at your wrist or when using a chest strap. Plus, it has casual qualities like steps and sleep tracking, and notifications when paired with your smartphone.

Why We Like It: The oversized build may be too big for some runners’ tastes, but we love the easy-to-read display and enormous battery it packs. Even with the optical sensor reading your heart rate continuously, you’ll still realize up to 16 hours of GPS tracking—disable the optical sensor or adjust the GPS sampling rate to extend the watch’s life to 40 hours. If you typically run in mountains or on steep trails, the built-in barometer can give you precise altitude readings and warn you of approaching bad weather (signaled by quick changes in air pressure). Another handy feature: vibrating alarms can silently rattle you awake for an early morning run so you don’t disturb your sleeping partner.

Bottom Line: A do-it-all trainer for high-mileage runners
Connectivity: Wifi, Bluetooth, ANT+, USB
Battery Life: 16-40 hours

11 Advanced GPS Watches for Runners

3/11

 

Apple Watch Series 2
Released:
 September 2016
(From $369; apple.com)

The first Apple Watch was largely viewed as a fun accessory for your iPhone, though it lacked key features that runners wanted. The second iteration has built-in GPS tracking and a waterproof construction that instantly makes it a one-watch solution for runners.

Why We Like It: The Watch Series 2 is still an extension of your iPhone, but you can now leave that behind when you set out for a run and not miss a step. The native Workout app records your latitude and longitude points directly to the watch to give you real-time distance and pace, and later to chart a map of where you traveled. (Third-party apps like MapMyRun, Runkeeper, and Strava are still working on updates to their apps to leverage this new functionality, but expect those to roll out in the near future.) Our tests found GPS to be on par with more advanced, sport-specific watches, and the optical heart-rate monitor was precise when strapped on snugly. Plus, it has the stylish looks to seamlessly transition from the office to gym, and back, making it the only watch you may need. Of course, with continuous heart-rate monitoring and smartwatch functionality, you’ll quickly drain the battery, so it must be charged nightly. See our complete review here.

Bottom Line: A stylish timepiece that keeps in step with you on daily training runs.
Connectivity: Bluetooth
Battery Life: 5 hours

11 Advanced GPS Watches for Runners

4/11

 

Garmin Forerunner 735XT
Released:
 May 2016
(From $450; amazon.com)

Typically, Garmin’s triathlon-worthy watches have been tanks—big square units that can keep water out yet still keep ticking long into a 70.3 race. The 735XT is its smallest yet, rivaling the rest of its Forerunner running watches but still delivering all the multi-sport functionality a triathlete could ask for.

Why We Like It: In addition to GPS, the 735XT looks for Russian GLONASS satellites for a quicker, more accurate fix. (This feature is also available on the Suunto Spartan Ultra and Garmin Fenix 3 HR.) We’ve found rock-steady tracking with the watch in cities and suburbs, and the optical HR sensor continues to amaze us with how accurately it reads when compared to a chest strap. The battery truly does measure up to the 14-hours reported life—long enough for any marathon, though it may fall short for 100-milers or full Ironman races.

Bottom Line: A powerful multi-sport watch that pairs as well with a wetsuit as a business suit.
Connectivity: Bluetooth, ANT+, USB
Battery Life: 14 hours

11 Advanced GPS Watches for Runners

Polar V800Polar V800

5/11
Polar

Polar V800
Released:
 June 2014
(From $500; amazon.com)

The company’s first GPS multi-sport watch was introduced back in early 2014, but some smart updates have kept it a solid choice for competitive athletes. In addition to measuring distance and speed, it can track your heart rate in a pool (with optional chest strap), tracks cadence from your wrist, and packs a barometer for real-time elevation readings.

Why We Like It: Polar has long made heart rate-based training a key focus of its products, and the V800 is no exception. When tethered to a chest strap, you can follow workouts based on HR zone, plus see how a specific workout affected your system and how long you need to recover. Pair it with the Polar Flow smartphone app to send your workout data to the company’s online training log platform to further analyze your runs. From that system, you can set up a personalized training program Polar calls “Running Program” and get live guidance from the V800—the program tailors your training plan based on your recent training history and current activity level. The watch also gives you some rudimentary navigation cues if you want to follow a route—export a GPX file from a service like Strava, import to Polar Flow, then send to the watch. Plus, you can get it in a royal blue (pictured) or deep red version to really give it a sporty appearance many current watches lack.

Bottom Line: A solid choice if you base your training efforts on heart rate.
Connectivity: Bluetooth, USB
Battery Life: 13 hours

11 Advanced GPS Watches for Runners

Garmin Forerunner 630Garmin Forerunner 630

6/11
Garmin

Garmin Forerunner 630
Released:
 October 2015
(From $400; amazon.com)

The 630 is getting a little long in the tooth now (released in fall 2015, it might be available at a discounted price more regularly), but it’s still Garmin’s top-of-the-line GPS running watch. It doesn’t have an optical heart-rate sensor, but does give you all-day activity tracking and smartwatch notifications, along with a color touchscreen and advanced running form measurements.

Why We Like It: Pair the 630 with an HRM-Run chest strap to get more accurate VO2 max estimates, as well as measurements about your running form, like cadence, stride length, and ground contact time balance (letting you know if one foot stays planted longer than the other). The touchscreen has been improved from earlier versions and won’t respond if the watch isn’t tethered to your wrist, plus you can lock the screen so it won’t respond to water and shirt sleeves mid-run.

Bottom Line: Accurately tracks all your movements—running forward, bouncing up and down, or tossing and turning in bed.
Connectivity: Wifi, Bluetooth, ANT+, USB
Battery Life: 16 hours

11 Advanced GPS Watches for Runners

Suunto Ambit3 VerticalSuunto Ambit3 Vertical

7/11
Matt Rainey

Suunto Ambit3 Vertical
Released:
 January 2016
($469; amazon.com)

While few of us may dream of conquering Mont Blanc, the Ambit3 Vertical is the tool we’d take along if we tried.

Why We Like It: Beneath its brightly colored shell, it has insanely technical features for high-altitude running. The enormous, 2-inch, black-and-white display shows maps of an intended climb, and the watch delivers subtle vibrations whenever wearers veer off course. A finely tuned barometric altimeter verifies elevation, and a combination of a protruding antenna on the thumb side of your wrist with support for GPS and Russian GLONASS satellites delivers excellent accuracy and acquisition time no matter where you run. Our testers especially loved how it answers the age-old question, “Are we there yet?” It displays simple charts of the vertical we already conquered and the sucky incline we still had to hoof. The Vertical supports external sensors like a heart-rate strap ($50) or Stryd’s running power meter ($199).

Bottom Line: Best for mountain goats.
Connectivity: Bluetooth, USB
Battery Life: 15 hours

11 Advanced GPS Watches for Runners

Garmin Forerunner 235Garmin Forerunner 235

8/11
Matt Rainey

Garmin Forerunner 230
Released:
 October 2015
($250; amazon.com)

Easy to use, but powerful enough for almost any competitive runner, the Forerunner 230 delivers great value.

Why We Like It: The Forerunner 230 is kind of like the Nike Pegasus of GPS watches. When asked for a watch recommendation, we almost always include it in our short list. It’s not cheap, but it won’t break the bank either. It’s not so jam packed with a dizzying array of features, yet has enough to satisfy the vast majority of runners. And, it’s as accurate as anything else we’ve tested. Whether deep on singletrack or in the urban canyons of New York City, we got a satellite lock quickly. It pings both GPS and GLONASS satellites, strengthening its signal in challenging situations. (A version with an optical heart-rate sensor, the Forerunner 235, costs just $80 more, and we found it to work well on a range of testers, regardless of skin tone, hair, or body shape.) In either case, algorithms in the watch suggested how long we should rest before our next hard workout. Testers raved about the ease of wirelessly uploading runs and all-day activity stats to iOS and Android phones, and syncing with Strava, MapMyFitness, and Endomondo.

Bottom Line: Dollars for data, this is one of the best deals for a GPS watch.
Connectivity: Bluetooth, USB
Battery Life: 16 hours

11 Advanced GPS Watches for Runners

Motorola 360 SportMotorola 360 Sport

9/11
Matt Rainey

Motorola Moto 360 Sport
Released:
 January 2016
($300; amazon.com)

Call it overkill, but we enjoyed the computer-like capabilities of the Moto 360.

Why We Like It: Thanks to built-in wifi, we were able to set work reminders while walking back from the shower by simply speaking into the watch face, leaving us feeling like extras in a sci-fi running flick. But the smartwatch is also a reliable training partner, thanks to onboard GPS and tracking apps like Google Fit. For all those features, though, battery life was abysmal, lasting only four hours. We also missed sport-specific options, like a lap button to quickly record splits during an interval workout, and the ability to set vibration alerts for mile splits.

Bottom Line: Best for multi-taskers
Connectivity: Bluetooth, wifi
Battery Life: 4 hours

11 Advanced GPS Watches for Runners

Samsung Gear S2Samsung Gear S2

10/11
Matt Rainey

Samsung Gear S2
Released: September 2015
($299 plus wireless contract & activation fee; amazon.com)

Some of us run to escape the daily clatter. But for those who prefer to stay plugged in at all times, this diminutive wristwatch secretly packs a tiny 3G phone and messaging app.

Why We Like It: Forget your phone, this smartwatch has all the connectivity you need built-in. How is that helpful? Take one tester who, when running long, easily called her babysitter using the speakers and microphone. The watch is bolstered with onboard GPS and supports apps like Nike+ and Under Armour Record to chart your workouts. There are a few drawbacks, however: we drained the battery in just three hours, it doesn’t support heart rate monitoring, and the operating system requires a Samsung phone to get set up.

Bottom Line: If you need to be reachable on an everyday training run, the Gear S2 has you covered.
Connectivity: Bluetooth, 3G
Battery Life: 3 hours

11 Advanced GPS Watches for Runners

Epson RunsenseEpson Runsense

11/11
Matt Rainey

Epson Runsense SF-810
Released:
 January 2015
($300; amazon.com)

The printer-maker hit the fitness hardware scene with a long-lasting GPS watch that also has an optical heart rate monitor.

Why We Like It: The Runsense can be maddeningly nonintuitive to operate, but its long battery life makes it worth the effort. In testing, we got 20 hours, which meant we weren’t nursing a charge from the car cigarette lighter on our way to the starting line. The Runsense also has an accurate wrist-based heart-rate sensor and a built-in sensor to measure stride length and cadence. Though Epson includes Bluetooth for uploading workouts, the software to sync with popular apps proved fussy.

Bottom Line: Longer battery life than similarly priced running watches.
Connectivity: Bluetooth, USB
Battery Life: 20 hours

Basic Running Watches

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