When we started tallying up how many miles our group covered while testing watches, we ended somewhere around 4,000 miles. That\u2019s like running and cycling from New York to San Francisco, then turning around and making it back to Nebraska. Throughout all those miles, a diverse group of testers\u2014from everyday moms and dads to former Olympic Trials athletes\u2014obsessed over the features of a big batch of watches to find the very best.<\/p>\n
At a Glance<\/h2>\n
If you buy through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission. This supports our mission to get more people active and outside. Learn more.<\/em><\/p>\n $900 at REI $851 at Amazon<\/p>\n Weight:<\/strong> 2.2 oz with elastic nylon strap Pros and Cons <\/strong> After months of running and skiing, the Garmin Enduro 3 rose to the top of the test group and is possibly the best sports watch we\u2019ve ever tested, thanks to the feature-rich setup and a huge 51-millimeter screen.<\/p>\n The screen isn\u2019t AMOLED, but while bright AMOLED screens beam workout info at you in ultra high-def, over years of testing we\u2019ve come to love non-AMOLED screens both for their less-glaring brightness and because they have a much smaller energy draw and allow for mind-boggling battery life.<\/p>\n Case in point: The Enduro 3 allows for up to 36 days of smartwatch use (where you\u2019re just using the watch for notifications and other non-workout features) and up to 120 hours of GPS use. Throw in some solar charging and the watch will keep ticking for a reported 90 days of general smartwatch use (up from 46 days for the Enduro 2), and a staggering 320 hours (that\u2019s 13+ days) of GPS tracking. One tester said he went over a month between charges (longer during the abundant summer sun) with 24\/7 daily use and about an hour of activity tracking per day.<\/p>\n In addition to tracking nearly every sport or exercise imaginable (as diverse as wakesurfing and rugby), the Enduro 3 also comes with plenty of space for downloaded maps plus turn-by-turn directions so backcountry skiers or trail runners will never get lost. I have several hundred songs downloaded, which has helped me stay motivated on long, grueling road runs. Plus, the elastic nylon strap is the most comfortable we\u2019ve ever used; not once did testers get a rash and they raved that the adjustability created the perfect fit.<\/p>\n A 10 percent reduction in weight between the Enduro 2 and Enduro 3\u2014or about seven grams\u2014does not seem like a lot. But damn if I didn\u2019t notice that it was the lightest 51-millimeter watch I\u2019ve ever worn, which made a big difference, even if just mentally, when covering a lot of miles.<\/p>\n Like other top-end Garmin watches, the Enduro 3 comes with an ultra-bright flashlight that was equally helpful when peeing at night as it was one evening when I had to navigate a dark section of trail and didn\u2019t have a headlamp.<\/p>\n Garmin\u2019s software interface is not as good as Apple\u2019s\u2014and likely never will be\u2014but it\u2019s way better than what we\u2019ve seen from other competitors. Tester Jonathan Beverly found the mobile app\u2019s daily dashboard that tracked both fitness progress and training readiness to be intuitive, accurate, and valuable. \u201cWhenever I ignored its recommendations to rest, I\u2019d pay for it on subsequent days,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n $349 at Backcountry $349 at Amazon<\/p>\n Weight:<\/strong> 1.7 oz with silicone band, 1.3 oz with nylon band Pros and Cons <\/strong> Back in college, Jesse Armijo ran the USA Olympic Marathon Trials. More recently he had a streak of winning the Duke City Half Marathon four times in a row. He\u2019s currently training for the Black Canyon 100k Ultra in Arizona, and he organizes a youth running club for kids in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In other words, he\u2019s a talented and dedicated runner and was the perfect tester for the Pace Pro, which bills itself as the smart choice for serious athletes (especially those who pound the pavement or trails).<\/p>\n Jesse put hundreds of running miles on the watch and found that it was an excellent training partner during every one of them. It picked up a GPS signal almost as soon as he stepped out of his house so that he could get up and go, and he liked the small 1.3-inch face that gave him all the info he needed\u2014in a bright, beautiful AMOLED display\u2014 without looking ostentatious (he\u2019s a humble guy).<\/p>\n In high-quality GPS mode, the watch lasts up to 38 hours, which Jesse said was more than plenty, even for an athlete of his caliber who\u2019s often out training 10 or 20 hours per week. He found the software reasonably easy to navigate and liked built-in features like the effort-pace screen. This feature allowed him to see an adjusted pace that factored in hills and compared how hard he was working to his historical performances with similar conditions and terrain.<\/p>\n Jesse is a new dad, so affordability is important, and at just half the price of the Enduro 3, the Pace Pro is something he\u2019s happy to invest in. Our only niggle: Jesse wished the watch lit up its screen more quickly when he raised his wrist.<\/p>\n $799 at Best Buy $795 at Amazon<\/p>\n Weight:<\/strong> 2.2 oz Pros and Cons<\/strong> Category manager Jakob Schiller is not as hardcore an athlete as the other testers in this year\u2019s group and found that the Ultra 2 was perfect for a weekend warrior like him. He loved how the watch integrated into his everyday life, allowing him to quickly answer texts with Siri, easily control his AirPods, and answer a call on the watch just by double-tapping his pointer finger and thumb. But he was also impressed with the bright screen, detailed stats for every activity from skiing to swimming, and the well-designed watch faces that presented data and info in smart, easy-to-read displays. \u201cThe watch faces that launched with the Ultra 2 are not only a pleasure to look at but are also damn good at presenting both everyday and workout information\u2014plus they\u2019re easily customizable,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n This version of the Ultra is also carbon-neutral, and Apple is sharing the environmentally-friendly manufacturing technology it developed to help other companies build better products. Jakob, like everyone else, was disappointed, however, with the 36-hour battery life (with regular use, up to 72 hours in low power mode) but says he\u2019s rarely away from a charger for that long, so it isn\u2019t a deal-breaker.<\/p>\n Learn More<\/p>\n With 170+ built-in workout modes and AI-generated personalized training plans, the T-Rex 3 smartwatch from Amazfit is the perfect partner for the gym, pool, road, or trail. Track reps, sets, and rest time in strength training mode, and easily see all your workout data and sleep recovery information on the big, bright face. Plus, stay focused on your workout by fully controlling your watch with your voice and sending speech-to-text messages. With more than 3 weeks of battery life and a rugged body, the T-Rex 3 is always ready to go.<\/p>\n $469 at Suunto<\/p>\n Weight:<\/strong> 1.87 oz with silicone band Pros and Cons <\/strong> We\u2019ll be honest: Wearing a pro-model watch from Courtney Dauwalter is its own form of motivation. Just like wearing a pair of Jordans and being inspired by the GOAT himself, wearing Dauwalter\u2019s watch always gave us a little extra motivation, channeling the strength that she used to become the first person, man or woman, to win the Western States 100, Hardrock 100, and the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc trail running races all in the same year.<\/p>\n Meg Healy was the principal tester, and as an ultra-fit woman who\u2019s just about five-feet tall, she said the 45 millimeter form factor was perfect for her smaller wrists but never once lacked info thanks to the 1.32-inch screen that broadcast all the info she needed, no matter the workout. Healy, who loves to pack in multiple sports every day, said she also appreciated the wide variety of activity trackers built into the software that allowed her to keep track of everything from running to martial arts to horseback riding.<\/p>\n Healy\u2019s favorite part, however, was that the watch restarted her workout when she resumed after a pause, even if she didn\u2019t remember to manually do it herself. \u201cThis saved me from not tracking large chunks of many bike rides, hikes, and runs after I\u2019d stopped for traffic or to pick up after the dog,\u201d she said. The battery on the Race S is respectable, lasting up to 30 hours when talking to multiple satellites. You can get a less expensive steel Race S, but we loved the feathery weight of the nearly indestructible titanium.<\/p>\n One potential ding: Healy noticed that the heart rate monitor wasn\u2019t accurate at times and had trouble settling in, especially at the beginning of a workout. I didn\u2019t put as many miles in with the Race S as Healy, but had much better luck and found the heart rate to be as accurate as those of other watches.<\/p>\n See our extended review of the full-size Suunto Race.<\/p>\n From $424 at Amazon $550 at Best Buy<\/p>\n Weight:<\/strong> 2.1 oz for just the watch Pros and Cons <\/strong> Ever since Apple and Samsung launched beefed up sports watches we\u2019ve been waiting for these companies to put other sports watch manufacturers out of business. It hasn\u2019t happened because both Apple and Samsung have focused more on ultra bright screens, phone connectivity, and information delivery and less on battery life. That means everyone who\u2019s running ultras or exploring for multiple days at a time is still very loyal to the likes of Garmin, Suunto, and Coros.<\/p>\n The Galaxy Watch Ultra, however, gives us a glimpse of what could be coming because it\u2019s a big, flashy, daily watch that lets you track your workouts (from running and cycling to table tennis and orienteering), play music, control your thermostat\u2014and its battery actually lasts a couple days. Tester Andy Dean, who used the watch for over 1,000 miles, said he could track his bike commute to work in the morning, his run at lunch, and his bike commute home for two days without running out of battery. Samsung\u2019s Galaxy Watch 7 couldn\u2019t do that, nor could the Apple Watch Ultra 2 (which didn\u2019t get an update this year).<\/p>\n Those of you who can handle information displayed in your face all day will love the Ultra\u2019s sharp 37.3-millimeter AMOLED screen with 480 x 480 resolution that beams your calendar appointments, bank info, and a wide array of workouts at you in high-def.<\/p>\n We recommend buyinga third-party watch band for the Ultra because the one that comes with the watch is, frankly, junk. Dean found it to be highly uncomfortable when it was synched down, even just slightly to get accurate heart-rate readings. The band\u2019s silicone material also irritated his skin so much it forced him to leave the watch off for hours at a time, sometimes a full day.<\/p>\n $300 at REI $300 at Amazon<\/p>\n Weight:<\/strong> 1.4 oz with the silicone band Pros and Cons <\/strong> For those of us who need a playlist to keep ourselves going when things stretch past 30 minutes, and can attest that Run the Jewels and Avicii sound great at the 45-minute mark, the Forerunner 165 Music stands out as a top training companion. Lower on the price spectrum at $300, it still comes with 4GB of music storage so we can jam for an entire workout. For that price you also get a bright AMOLED screen, accurate GPS and multi-band connection, great phone connectivity, and a comfy strap that didn\u2019t chafe.<\/p>\n Meg Healy used the watch for multiple sports every day, putting in well over 1,000 miles. For her, the running metrics and coaching suggestions that Garmin provided were especially useful. Information about vertical ratio, stride length, and ground contact time helped her monitor her running form, and as a busybody she liked that the watch was not shy about recommending recovery days. \u201cThis watch is like having an opinionated but indulgent nanny who thinks you are very talented and dedicated but always working too hard. Honestly, it feels kind of nice to have that support and feedback as an adult.\u201d<\/p>\n Garmin says the watch should give users 19 hours of GPS use, and Healy said she was able to get several days of use at a time before charging. But on one multi-day backpacking trip, she said the watch died, leaving her without metrics, and firming up her opinion that the watch is designed for everyday runners and cyclists and not multi-day adventurers. She also wished the activity menu included recreational sports like soccer.<\/p>\n When buying a sports watch you need to decide who you really are. That sounds like some kind of spiritual question you\u2019d ponder at a retreat, but it\u2019s absolutely the best way to sort out what you need. Can you admit to yourself that you\u2019re a weekend warrior because you have a job and family? Or are you totally in and going to the top as an athlete? Maybe you disappear into the backcountry for a week whenever you get the chance.<\/p>\n It\u2019s necessary to categorize yourself because this will help you pick the watch that meets your goals. If your workouts are squeezed into lunch-hour work breaks, you don\u2019t need a watch that lasts for weeks on end without charging. If you\u2019re dedicated to really improving in your chosen sport, a higher-end watch with complex training options can be a real aid in achieving your goal. If you dabble in a variety of sports, you\u2019ll need a watch with a robust workout menu. And if you\u2019re an adventurer who regularly returns from trips with torn apparel and broken equipment, you need to prioritize a bullet-proof build.<\/p>\n Next, make sure you play with the watch you think you want\u2014at a local retailer, if possible, or borrow one from a friend\u2014before making a purchase. Spend time pressing buttons, and see how much effort it takes to find features and customize the watch to your preferences. All the top-end sports watches have menus that are fairly well organized, but each one is different. Little tweaks in how a watch allows you to access a workout or track data can be big motivators\u2014or frustrations\u2014when you\u2019re using the thing all day every day. Note: The menus used across a specific watch brand\u2019s line tend to be similar, so even if you don\u2019t find the exact model you want at your local retailer, you can still get a sense of how a brand organizes its software by playing with a different watch.<\/p>\n Over the years we\u2019ve discovered that the best sports watch testers are adventurers who are absolutely obsessed with being outside, but come at their chosen sport without much of an ego. They love sport for sport and aren\u2019t trying to prove anything. This balance is important because mild-mannered testers are great at digging into the features of a watch and providing in-depth feedback, but also know how to keep an everyday user in mind. There\u2019s no mansplaining, or sportsplaining, in our tester group.<\/p>\n In terms of breadth, the watches we tested for this round traveled the country and saw the tops of peaks, spent hot days in the desert, and were with us during the day as our testers did everything from training troops and teaching kids to counting fish and coaching sports.<\/p>\n Category manager Jakob Schiller was a gear editor at Outside and is now a columnist. The father of four kids and two dogs, he\u2019s a bit pinned down but still manages to run, ski, or bike every day and loves a good weekend-long adventure in the woods chasing elk, peak tops, or fresh turns.<\/p>\n One of the routes Jakob used when testing sports watches:<\/em><\/p>\n![\"Garmin](\"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Garmin-Enduro-3_h.jpg?width=730\")
Best Overall<\/h2>\n
Garmin Enduro 3<\/h3>\n
Face Diameter:<\/strong> 51 mm<\/p>\n
\u2295<\/span> Big but light
\u2295<\/span> Phenomenal battery life
\u2295<\/span> Feature rich
\u2295<\/span> Strap is the most comfortable on the market
\u2297<\/span> Pricey<\/p>\n![\"Coros](\"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Coros-Pace-Pro-watch_h.jpg?width=730\")
Best for Runners<\/h2>\n
Coros Pace Pro<\/h3>\n
Face Diameter:<\/strong> 33 mm<\/p>\n
\u2295<\/span> Small but mighty
\u2295<\/span> The screen is beautiful
\u2295<\/span> Fairly priced
\u2295<\/span> Ultra-quick GPS location
\u2297<\/span> Wake time isn\u2019t immediate with arm rise<\/p>\n![\"Apple](\"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Apple-Watch-Ultra-2_h.jpg?width=730\")
Best for Weekend Warriors<\/h2>\n
Apple Watch Ultra 2<\/h3>\n
Face Diameter:<\/strong> 49 mm<\/p>\n
\u2295<\/span> The best interface on the market
\u2295<\/span> Intuitive lifestyle functions
\u2297<\/span> Lousy battery life<\/p>\nPAID ADVERTISEMENT BY AMAZFIT
<\/span>Amazfit T-Rex 3 ($279.99)<\/h2>\n![\"Amazfit](\"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/amazfit-t-rex-3_h.jpg?width=730\")
<\/figure>\n![\"Suunto](\"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Suunto-Race-S-Titanium-Courtney_h.jpg?width=730\")
Best for Small Wrists<\/h2>\n
Suunto Race S Titanium Courtney<\/h3>\n
Face Diameter:<\/strong> 33.5 mm<\/p>\n
\u2295<\/span> Versatile functionality
\u2295<\/span> Tough as nails
\u2295<\/span> Perfect for small wrists
\u2297<\/span> Heart rate takes time to settle in<\/p>\n![\"Samsung](\"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Samsung-Galaxy-Watch-Ultra_h.jpg?width=730\")
Best for Everyday Use<\/h2>\n
Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra<\/h3>\n
Face Diameter:<\/strong> 37.3 mm<\/p>\n
\u2295<\/span> Battery lasts multiple days
\u2295<\/span> Delivers tons of information
\u2295<\/span> Pretty on the eye
\u2297<\/span> Just for Android users
\u2297<\/span> Watch strap is sub-par<\/p>\n![\"Garmin](\"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Garmin-Forerunner-165-Music_h.jpg?width=730\")
Best for a Budget<\/h2>\n
Garmin Forerunner 165 Music<\/h3>\n
Face Diameter:<\/strong> 30.4 mm<\/p>\n
\u2295<\/span> Feature-rich for the price
\u2295<\/span> Large music storage capacity
\u2295<\/span> Bright, easy-to-read screen
\u2295<\/span> Small and light
\u2297<\/span> Battery life limited<\/p>\nHow to Choose a Sports Watch<\/h2>\n
How We Test<\/h2>\n
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Meet Our Lead Testers<\/h2>\n