Best GPS running watches (September 2019)
There are plenty of great fitness trackers on the market right now, each of which cater to different users with different needs. Just need to keep an eye on your daily activity levels? Maybe the Fitbit Charge 3 or Garmin Vivosport will suit your needs. Looking for something even cheaper than that? Xiaomi’s Mi Band 4 or Garmin’s Vivofit 4 might do the trick. But if you’re a more serious athlete that needs something more powerful — something that can track your long runs and not skimp on the handy watch features — what are your options? Today, we’re going to walk you through our list of the best GPS running watches on the market.
If you’re a serious runner and need something that will accurately track your routes, has a big, easy-to-read screen, a built-in heart rate monitor, and of course, a GPS, this list is for you. Some of the options on here are a bit pricey, but that’s par for the course in this segment of wearables.
Best GPS running watches:
- Garmin Forerunner 935 and 945
- Garmin Forerunner 645 Music
- Garmin Forerunner 245 Music
- Suunto 9 and Suunto Spartan Sport
Best cheap GPS running watches:
Best GPS smartwatches for running:
Editor’s note: We’ll be updating this list of the best GPS running watches regularly as new devices launch.
Best GPS running watches
1. Garmin Forerunner 935
The Garmin Forerunner 935 is a fantastic option for hardcore runners, swimmers, bikers, and triathletes. It provides advanced dynamics to help you improve your runs, such as contact time balance, stride length, and more.
It also comes with a two-week battery life in smartwatch mode, up to a full day in GPS mode, and up to 60 hours in UltraTrac mode. UltraTrac mode is a GPS setting that makes the watch track sensor data less frequently, allowing you to squeeze out some extra battery life if you don’t need all of your data recorded. If you need even longer battery life, the Garmin Forerunner 945 (review coming soon) affords 36 hours in GPS mode.
It’s a bit pricey, but we really think the high price tag is worth it.
2. Garmin Forerunner 645 Music
If you’re looking for the best GPS running watch on the market, the Garmin Forerunner 645 Music is one of the best. Although it has a clunky name, there’s nothing clunky about this watch — it’s packed with features, comfortable to wear, and is actually Garmin’s first wearable that supports onboard music storage.
The big news here is the ability to story music directly on the watch, which means you don’t need to take your phone with you on a run if you want to listen to music. Garmin says the watch can hold approximately 500 songs at one time, and you can also download offline playlists from select music services like Spotify. Once your watch is loaded up with music, just pair it with some Bluetooth earbuds and you’ll be on your way.
This is also a great option if you need a training watch. The Forerunner 645 Music comes with training features powered by Firstbeat, which will help you better prepare for a race by letting you know if you’re training productively, peaking, or overreaching.
3. Garmin Forerunner 245 Music
The Garmin Forerunner 245 Music is our favorite GPS running watch right now.
It comes with the third-generation Garmin Elevate sensor, the same one found in the new Garmin Forerunner 945. A great heart rate sensor isn’t the only thing this watch offers. The Forerunner 245 Music also offers accurate GPS and sleep tracking, a handful of advanced running features, onboard music storage, Garmin Coach training plans, and a battery that’ll last up to seven days.
If you’re looking for a GPS running watch that won’t cost you an arm and a leg, the Garmin Forerunner 245 Music is probably your best option.
4. Suunto 9 and Suunto Spartan Sport
Suunto makes some of the best GPS running watches out there, so it’s not surprising two of its watches made our list. Both watches will track over 80 different sport modes, and both feature 100M water resistance ratings.
If you’re looking for the best Suunto has to offer, the Suunto 9 is the watch for you. It has three battery modes which Suunto says will get you anywhere between 25 to 120 hours of GPS tracking, making this a great fit for ultra runners.
The Suunto Spartan Sport is a great multisport GPS watch for those looking to save a few hundred bucks.
Best cheap GPS running watches
1. Polar M200
If you’re on a budget, you can’t go wrong with the Polar M200.
This is a waterproof running watch with a built-in heart rate sensor and GPS that will track your speed, distance and route during a run, and will also keep tabs on your daily activity, steps, calories burned, sleep time and quality. This is also a sleek-looking device. In our opinion, it’s much better looking than its predecessor, the Polar M400.
Plus, this device also comes with Polar’s Running Index, which will show you how your running performance is improving overtime. In the Polar Flow app, you’ll get a Running Index score that’s automatically calculated after every run, based on your heart rate and speed data.
2. Polar M430
The Polar M430 is a relatively cheap GPS running watch that doesn’t skimp on the features.
It has a built-in GPS, 6-LED heart rate monitor, and a battery that will last up to 30 hours on a single charge. It’ll also display your smartphone notifications.
See also: Best Fitbit alternatives: Garmin, Misfit, Samsung, and more
Perhaps the most exciting aspect of the watch is its compatibility with the Polar Running Program, which will help guide your daily training and help you achieve your performance goals. You can upload daily training programs to your M430, access strength and core training videos, and even monitor your running progress via the Running Index feature.
Best GPS smartwatches for running
1. Garmin Vivoactive 3 Music
The standard Garmin Vivoactive 3 is one of our favorite multisport fitness watches. Naturally, the Vivoactive 3 Music made its way to our list right when it was announced. However, it may be outshined by the new Vivoactive 4 series, which will be available this month.
Everything you loved about the Vivoactive 3 is here, along with support for music storage of up to 500 songs. You can load up your favorite songs, or download playlists from Spotify.
Aside from a slightly redesigned bezel on the new watch (and music support, of course), the Vivoactive 3 and Music version are basically the same. That means you get a fantastic running watch with a built-in GPS, heart rate monitor, 5ATM water resistance rating, Garmin Pay support, and seven-day battery life. You can check out our full Vivoactive 3 review right here to learn more.
2. Fitbit Ionic
The Fitbit Ionic is the best Fitbit you can buy if you need something with a GPS. It’s an incredible fitness and sleep tracker, comes with a built-in GPS, allows you to pay for things from your wrist, and it’s water resistant.
Just like the Fitbit Versa and Versa 2, the Ionic has support for quick replies for notifications and female health tracking features. It’s just one hell of a fitness watch, and a good alternative to other Garmin and Polar watches.
So there you have it — our list of the best GPS running watches on the market! Did we miss anything? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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