As the World Cup kicks off across the U.S., Canada and Mexico, scientists have predicted that extreme heat could play a decisive role in determining the outcome.

Nearly half of the scheduled matches — especially those in more southerly areas of the U.S. and low-lying parts of Mexico — have at least a 50% likelihood of "performance-impairing heat." To prepare, many teams have been training intensively in hot conditions, and during the tournament, they will have access to cold-water immersion tubs, ice vests and misting fans to help cool players down if they overheat.

Compared with these major sporting events, which have resources to adapt to extreme heat, community sports participants and recreational exercisers often have fewer options. This lack of adaptability may increasingly affect when, where and how people can safely exercise, especially as climate change makes extreme warming events more frequent and intense.

"The majority of people who play sport for competition or just for fun, recreation and leisure have a fraction of that power [of professional sports organizers] but face greater challenges and harms," Jessica Murfree, an assistant professor in the Department of Exercise and Sport Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, told Live Science.

How hot is too hot for exercise?

Sports governing bodies typically use wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) to assess heat risk. It measures the combined impacts of temperature, humidity, direct sunlight and wind speed on the human body.

Taking humidity into account is key because, with more water in the air, it's harder for sweat to evaporate off the skin and cool the body. WBGT was developed by the U.S. military in the 1950s to prevent heat-related deaths in training camps. Nowadays, it also shapes safety guidelines for outdoor workers, as well as athletes.

The American College of Sports Medicine divides the U.S. into three regions to account for varying levels of heat acclimatization and defines WBGT ranges that pose a "very high" risk in each region. That threshold is a WBGT of 82.2 degrees Fahrenheit (27.9 degrees Celsius) or higher in Southeastern and Southwestern states, 79.9 F (26.6 C) in Central states, and 76.3 F (24.6 C) in Northern regions.

For unacclimatized individuals and those with poor physical fitness, the health risk jumps at lower thresholds.

Gulf Coast states — particularly Southern Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida — tend to experience the highest WBGT values. High-risk conditions begin in May in South Texas and South Florida, before expanding northward and peaking in July and August. Studies suggest the number of extreme humid heat events has more than doubled in most parts of the U.S. since 1980, and that globally, climate change added roughly three weeks' worth of dangerous humid heat in 2024 alone.

An individual's overall health and fitness, hydration levels and amount of exertion need to be considered, and systemic factors like socioeconomic status also come into play, Murfree said. For instance, lower-income families are more likely to live in hotter urban environments and lack access to air conditioning, meaning they may already be experiencing heat stress at home.

While high humidity and heat make it so sweat can't evaporate easily, the body has other means to cool down. It also sends more blood to the skin, arms and legs, allowing heat to be released through the skin. But physical exertion in extreme heat makes this more difficult.

"We only have a limited amount of blood in our body, and we're simultaneously trying to use it to fuel the reactions in our muscles to be able to facilitate exercise, as well as send it to our skin to help us cool down," said Grant Lynch, a research fellow in the Heat and Health Research Centre at the University of Sydney.

When the body can no longer get rid of extra heat, symptoms of heat exhaustion ‪—‬ including dizziness, nausea, headache and muscle cramps ‪—‬ may set in. If the body continues to overheat, this can progress to heat stroke, a serious and potentially fatal medical emergency where a person's core body temperature rises to 104 F (40 C) or above. Heat stroke can cause central nervous system dysfunction and delirium, convulsions or coma.

In the U.S., exertional heat stroke is a leading cause of preventable death during sport and exercise and is a particular concern for youth athletes. Children, including teens, produce more heat relative to their body weight than adults do while sweating less. Additionally, they may feel less able to advocate for themselves on the playing field if they start to feel ill, Murfree said.

Reducing health risk in hot weather

The body can acclimate to extreme heat, to some extent. At the University of Sydney’s thermal ergonomics laboratory, researchers use a climate chamber to test the body’s capacity to adapt by increasing its blood plasma volume and lowering heart rate and resting temperature.

"We would have them come in for anywhere from five to 14 consecutive days of exposure," Lynch said. "They would be cycling or running for between 90 minutes to 2 hours every day, and the conditions would be [95 F to 104 F] 35 C to 40 C in the room for that entire duration."

The benefits achieved through this kind of heat acclimation aren't permanent. Research suggests that, for every two days spent in a cool environment, one day of heat acclimation is lost. For people exercising just a few times a week in hot weather, "it's pretty unlikely you are physiologically adapting as much as you think you are," Lynch said.

While WBGT is considered the "gold standard" for heat safety monitoring, the special device required to measure it may not be accessible to every community sports organization or individual person exercising. The danger, Lynch said, is that many people focus on ambient temperature alone to determine risk, when multiple factors are involved and can compound.

Sports Medicine Australia, the country's national body for sports medicine and sports science, developed a tool to calculate risk and suggest safety precautions. It combines data automatically extracted from weather stations — including ambient temperature, humidity, wind speed and solar radiation — with sport-specific information, such as typical uniforms and duration of activity.

Generally speaking, the sports body recommends staying hydrated before, during and after physical activity; wearing lightweight and breathable clothing; taking frequent rest breaks using ice towels and misting fans when possible; and delaying or cancelling games when the risk level gets too high. If someone begins to feel overheated, immediate action is important to prevent further heat strain.

"The most important thing to do, without a doubt, is to stop or reduce the intensity of the activity you're performing, seek shade, go into an area where you are not exposed to direct sunlight, and then douse the skin with water," Lynch said.

Heavy sweating, painful muscle cramps, nausea, dizziness, and cool, pale, clammy skin are all signs that someone may be suffering from heat-related illness. Heat stroke symptoms include a very high temperature; hot, dry skin or profuse sweating; confusion; and loss of consciousness. These symptoms should prompt immediate cooling with a cold water bath and emergency medical care.

While rescheduling events to cooler parts of the day is an option, heatwaves are already increasing in most regions and that trajectory is expected to continue as average global temperatures rise. So, some researchers and sports organizations are exploring infrastructure changes that could help: stadiums with shaded and green spaces, schoolyards with grass instead of concrete, and artificial turf with a built-in irrigation system for use in school sports fields.

Murfree said she would like to see heat safety training introduced in schools in areas prone to extreme heat in the U.S., similar to existing fire safety education.

"Sport often asks us to push ourselves harder, be faster and tougher," Murfree said. "It's OK to take breaks, stop, slow down, reschedule and advocate for our bodies and our wellness in the heat."

This article is for informational purposes only and is not meant to offer medical advice.

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Amazfit is the king of budget-friendly fitness trackers. This may be a very bold statement, true, but we are standing fully behind it — we have reviewed enough of the company’s wearables to know that they offer excellent value for money.

Take the Amazfit Active, for example. This unassuming smartwatch costs less than $90, but it has enough features to rival devices three times its price. In fact, we liked this model so much that we included it in our guides to both the best fitness trackers and the best budget fitness trackers. That said, the Amazfit Active may need to concede its position now that we have our hands on something even better — the Amazfit Active Max.

Design-wise, the Amazfit Active Max is a huge step up from the Active model — both in terms of its looks and its functionality. It is more durable, more customizable and richer in features, and can last up to 25 days on a single charge. Plus, it comes with a brighter 1.5-inch AMOLED display and over 170 workout modes.

All that, and it costs only $169.99. Needless to say, we were excited to put the Amazfit Active Max through its paces.

Amazfit Active Max smartwatch review

Amazfit Active Max: Design

• Relatively well built and scratch-resistant
• Comfortable to wear all day
• Removable silicone straps allow for customization

Design-wise, the Amazfit Active Max beats the Amazfit Active on all counts. It is beefier, more intuitive to use, arguably better-looking, and if our experience is anything to go by, more comfortable to wear. What's more, this smartwatch comes with detachable straps, meaning it is slightly more customizable than its older counterpart. We also liked that the Amazfit Active Max did not catch on clothing, aggravate the skin or overload our wrist in any way.

That's not to say this smartwatch is designed to perfection, but rather that any infractions are pretty minor. For example, this smartwatch is only available in black and with just one screen size. This means that individuals with petite wrists or very muscular arms (or simply those who fancy something more colorful) may not find the Amazfit Active Max a particularly good fit. However, we would not consider this a deal-breaker when talking about such an affordable fitness tracker.

Besides, you can still add a personal touch to your Amazfit Active Max. There are plenty of replacement straps available online, and they are far less expensive than similar accessories from more high-end brands. For example, you can get a simple silicone band for as little as $5, while some of the more stylish nylon or faux leather straps tend to cost under $20. To put this into perspective, Whoop can charge as much as $49 for one of its official replacement straps.

Build quality also scored highly in our books. We tested the Amazfit Active Max for over a month, during which time we frequently exposed it to harsh winter conditions and close contact with steel gym equipment. The result? Not a single scratch, nor any other wear-and-tear damage.

This is somewhat surprising, given that this smartwatch is crafted from aluminium alloy (a material that is far less robust and durable than titanium, for example) and has no Sapphire crystal or Gorilla glass for added protection on the screen. While the Amazfit Active Max may not be tough enough to withstand extremely harsh conditions, it should not fall apart at the earliest convenience, either.

This Amazfit Active Max also proved impervious to rain and sweat. This smartwatch is rated 5ATM for water resistance, meaning it can be safely taken swimming in shallow waters or worn in the shower. This does mean it is not waterproof enough for high-speed water sports or freediving, but again, this is not something we would complain about at such a budget-friendly price.

Amazfit Active Max: Display

• Bright 1.5-inch AMOLED screen
• Easy-to-read, responsive touchscreen
• Plenty of free watch faces in the Zepp app

The Amazfit Active Max features a bright 1.5-inch AMOLED display. It looks slightly more colorful and vibrant than the screen used in the older Active model, even though the specs of the two displays are not that far apart. We suspect that the improved screen visibility may have something to do with the differences in glass layer design between these two models. The one in the Active was overly thick and chunky, while the one in the Active Max is visibly sleeker and generally easier to read through.

All in all, we found this display easy to read and navigate. The touchscreen was responsive, but not overly so (rain droplets did not tend to activate it by accident, for example), and the smartwatch did not ever lag during complex tasks. True, the Amazfit Active Max does have a slight tendency to collect fingerprint marks, but that is something we frequently see in AMOLEDs anyway.

The extensive watch face customization deserves a special mention here. The Amazfit Active Max offers dozens of free “skins,” has countless more available to purchase and even allows you to create custom watch faces using your own pictures. We liked that — there is enough diversity to suit the aesthetic demands of most people, and there are far more options available than we would expect from a budget-friendly fitness tracker anyway.

Amazfit Active Max: Features

• Wide range of health and fitness stats
• Single-band GPS, compass and altimeter
• Basic smartwatch capabilities

The Amazfit Active Max genuinely surprised us with its wide range of features. This smartwatch offers way more than other wearables at this price point, and it is versatile enough to be worn practically everywhere. It can keep you company in the gym, on a running track and even while grocery shopping or camping.

Starting with the health stats, this smartwatch measures all the essentials, including heart rate, HRV (heart rate variability), sleep, stress, skin temperature, steps and movement. It also tracks some of the more advanced metrics — for example, training load, sleep apnea risk and PAI (Personal Activity Intelligence, a point-based measurement of one's level of physiological exertion). All collected data points are then available to view in the subscription-free Zepp app.

We have said it before, but we will say it again — we like the Zepp app. It may not have the depth and complexity of the Suunto or Garmin Connect apps, for example, but it is easy to understand and very accessible to beginners. All metrics are presented clearly and explained in sufficient detail, with no complex terminology or unnecessary bits of information that add no practical value to the user.

We also like that the Zepp app’s personalized lifestyle tips tend to hit the mark — they are typically very actionable and genuinely helpful, and could be especially beneficial for those new to exercise.

Speaking of beginner-friendly features, the Active Max is the first Amazfit wearable to introduce the BioCharge score. This novel metric replaces the traditional Readiness score, providing a more well-rounded assessment of one's "internal battery" based on sleep, HRV, stress and recorded activity levels. It may not be the most accurate or "science-y" method of depicting one's post-exercise recovery, but again, it is designed more to help casual exercisers make sense of their fitness stats than to guide a professional athlete.

Moving on to workout modes, the Amazfit Active Max comes with over 170 different activities, including the "classics" such as strength training, mountain biking and combat sports, as well as some of the more novel or niche activities — HYROX training or snow shoveling, for example. Eight activities can be detected automatically, and these include walking, running and swimming. From our experience, this automatic workout detection is not flawless (it hardly ever is in fitness trackers), but it is accurate enough to keep your activity logs in relative order.

One of the most interesting aspects of the Amazfit Active Max is its AI-driven Zepp Coach. If you are not sure what to do on any given day, this chat box can act as your pocket-sized personal trainer, providing you with lifestyle guidance and personalized workout plans — yet another feature that can benefit exercise beginners.

Moreover, the Amazfit Active Max comes with a good selection of outdoor-oriented features, such as built-in GPS, compass, altimeter and a large selection of offline maps, as well as most of the basic smartwatch capabilities. For example, it can do voice commands, reply to your text messages, connect to third-party devices (such as a camera, cadence meter or speedometer) and even pay for your shopping using the Zepp Pay app feature.

Amazfit Active Max: Performance

• Long battery life
• Fairly accurate heart rate measurements
• Some workout logs may not be entirely accurate

The Amazfit Active Max delivers solid performance through and through. While it is not the most accurate or longest-lasting smartwatch we have ever tested, it is reliable enough to suit most people's needs and preferences. Besides, it does seem to perform better than many other fitness trackers in this affordable price range anyway.

According to the manufacturer, the Amazfit Active Max lasts up to 25 days in smartwatch mode, 10 days with Always-on and 64 hours with continuous GPS usage — and we can confirm that this is largely true. While the GPS mode seemed to be draining the battery slightly faster than indicated, it was not by a particularly huge margin. All in all, this unassuming smartwatch is a real workhorse, making it a good option for long trips, camping and endurance sporting events.

The Amazfit Active Max also does a relatively good job with its tracking accuracy, particularly when it comes to heart rate measurements. During one workout, we wore both the smartwatch and a Polar H9 chest-strap heart rate monitor in order to compare the data collected by these two devices. The differences between the readings were not overly significant, and even when our heart rate reached around 150 bpm (the level at which most fitness trackers start struggling with accuracy), the Amazfit Active Max still managed to be relatively reliable — on average, only 10 bpm off what the Polar H9 detected.

The Amazfit Active Max’s sleep quality assessments, stress levels and training load measurements were also relatively accurate. Calories burned, on the other hand, seemed way off the mark — but then this measurement is notoriously difficult to calculate properly, and even some of the more expensive smartwatches tend to fail at capturing it properly.

Step count and certain workout logs (such as your stroke rate in indoor rowing, or sets and reps in strength training, for example) also seemed to be slightly imprecise. The Amazfit Active Max appeared to consistently underestimate or miscalculate our movements, albeit not to a huge extent. Still, it is something we would take into account if tracking workouts in precise, painstaking detail was our priority.

Finally, the GPS tracking. It is not bad, but it is not great either — and that is because it is only single-band. For general purposes, single-band GPS should work well for most people. If you want to be more precise with your distances and geo-tracking, however, you may be better off with a device equipped with dual- or multi-band GPS.

Amazfit Active Max: User reviews

At the time of writing this review, the Amazfit Active Max had been on the market for less than a month. As such, the user reviews for this model were still relatively sparse. The initial testimonials appeared to be largely positive, though — on Amazon, for example, this smartwatch was rated at a solid 4.6 out of 5 stars.

The Amazfit Active Max tended to be praised for its visually appealing design, long battery life, useful features and good value for money. As one customer commented: "Had a Garmin Fenix 6X Pro for 4 years and while it is a great watch, it was more than I needed. Decided to give Amazfit a chance and saw this new release. Honestly, I could not be happier with it. It does everything I need and more! Also, I like the app better than Garmin Connect. I would never have slept in my Fenix, it's a very heavy watch, I sleep with this one without any issue at all."

Negative reviews, though few and far between, focused predominantly on individual faulty units and a "cluttered" display. One user said: "They really need an overhaul on their user interface. It just looks cheap compared to Samsung. Also the free watch faces are a joke and the paid ones aren't much better. Wore it for a few days and returned it."

Should you buy the Amazfit Active Max smartwatch?

The Amazfit Active Max has nearly everything a casual exerciser may need or want, and is way more affordable than similarly designed smartwatches from more high-end brands. True, it does not have an ultra-durable design or sophisticated workout logs, but then this is not something we would expect from a fitness tracker at such a low price point.

✅ Buy it if: You are a casual exerciser looking for a good-quality, versatile smartwatch that does not cost a fortune.

❌ Do not buy it if: You want something sturdier, bigger and/or more geared towards outdoor activities in extreme environmental conditions.

Amazfit Active Max: Related products

The Garmin Vivoactive 6 is a great alternative to the Amazfit Active Max, especially for beginner and casual exercisers. Both of these smartwatches are relatively similar in design, functionality and tracking performance, but the former comes in a wider range of colors and is compatible with more third-party apps. That said, it is also nearly twice as expensive — the Garmin Vivoactive 6 costs approximately $299 and is rarely on sale.

If you are looking for something more durable and waterproof than the Amazfit Active Max or Garmin Vivoactive 6, consider the Amazfit T-Rex 3. This smartwatch can sustain the water pressure of up to 328 feet (100 meters), meaning it can easily withstand open-water swimming, snorkeling and high-speed water sports, plus it is certified for freediving up to 45 meters. The best part? It only costs $100 more than the Amazfit Active Max.

Want something even more budget-friendly? Then you can't go wrong with the Xiaomi Smart Band 10. For less than $50, this fitness tracker offers comprehensive tracking features, an exceptionally sleek design and up to a whopping 21 days of battery life. However, it is nowhere near as rugged and smartwatch-like as the Amazfit Active Max.

Amazfit Active Max: How we tested

We spent over a month trying and testing the Amazfit Active Max, looking into its design, features, day-to-day tracking performance, battery life, ease of use and value for money. We wore this smartwatch during the day, while sleeping and when doing a range of activities, from indoor rowing and high-intensity strength training to dancing and hiking outdoors. Finally, we compared the heart rate measurements taken by the Amazfit Active Max with the data we obtained using a Polar H9 chest-strap heart rate monitor.

Running is a very simple sport — at least, so the theory goes. Yet the world of running kit has become increasingly complex and increasingly expensive in the last few years.

Shoes have reached new pricing peaks (a $500 racing shoe you can only wear once, anyone?) and gadgets have gone wild, with devices measuring everything from skin temperature to your carbohydrate usage. For beginner runners, it’s a bewildering array of choices and products that all claim to be the one thing that will really improve your running.

Take it all with a hefty pinch of salt, because there really are only a few running "must haves" — and even these don’t need to be expensive. The rest fall mainly under the umbrella of "nice to have, but hardly essential."

After all, the most important way to improve your running is simply to run more — though when it comes to kit, from the best Garmin watches for tracking your progress to the top treadmills for home training, we can certainly help navigate those choices.

Good running shoes

Firstly, and most importantly, when we say good running shoes, we mean good for you. We are all individuals, with our own unique style of running, called our "gait." So the best running shoes for you are the kind that best support your body's individual mechanics.

Unfortunately, that does sometimes mean that, while you love the look of a particular pair or brand, you might find they just happen to torture your toes. It’s best to get to a specialised running shop and have your gait analysed by an expert who can recommend the type of shoes you need. Once you know that, you can shop around a bit online, too.

Most people fall into one of three categories: they may overpronate (meaning the foot turns inwards when it strikes the ground), underpronate (meaning it turns outwards), or run in a "neutral" way. A good shoe choice will counteract any exaggerated movement, helping to prevent injuries.

A good running watch

I know a few exceptionally good runners who only use an old-school digital Casio. So there's definitely no obligation for runners to go high tech if all you care about is keeping an eye on the time and how long you’ve been running for.

However, many people do like to track their runs, and for beginners it can be really motivating to see progress, either in times getting quicker or distances getting longer. And, of course, you might want to share with friends or fellow runners on social media — and for that, you do need something a bit more advanced.

But even the cheaper running-focused smart watches now offer complex metrics, many of which you will probably never look at (how many people really need to know about their ground contact time?).

Here are a few suggestions, but you can also work out your budget, then check out our full guide to the best running watches to find what would work best for you.

Good running socks

Socks are similar to shoes in that if you suffer from tender toes or are prone to blisters, then ones that work for you will be worth every penny.

Just because someone you know can buy those super cheap multipacks online doesn’t mean you can get away with it. I certainly can’t. But whether you prefer a thick or double layer of padding, or a thin-but-reinforced sock, is entirely down to personal preference.

It can also be dependent on weather conditions. Thicker socks might be suitable for icy weather, whereas in the heat, you might want a thinner sock.

Cold weather running gear

January — right in the depths of winter — is a popular time to either start running or pick up a lapsed running habit. But if there's one thing that will send you scurrying back indoors, it's the wrong gear. Frozen fingers or icy ears aren't just an annoyance — they can sap your motivation and lead you to give up.

You could, of course, go wild with any number of items of running apparel, from expensive jackets to buffs to polar fleece-lined ear warmers. But the most important thing is simply to make sure that you are well enough dressed for winter running to keep you motivated — and warm.

Always bear in mind that you will warm up during your run, so don't overdo it. From long experience, I'd say it's often the accessories that make the big difference, so here are a few products that are worth every penny.

A good night's sleep

OK, you can’t — alas! — purchase a guaranteed night's shut-eye. But if there’s one thing that will improve your running and your recovery, it’s getting enough good quality sleep. So anything that helps is, in my view, worth your money.

If you suffer from noisy neighbors or just have the ears of a bat and wake at the slightest sound, you might want to try sleep headphones. Most of us, after all, wouldn't put a price on a good night's rest.

For more sleep headphones, see our guide — and for more recovery aids for those tired and aching muscles, check out our guides to the best foam rollers and the best massage guns.

The non-essentials

Expensive supplements

Probably the best supplement you can spend your money on is vitamin D. Around a billion — yes, a billion — people in the world are vitamin D deficient, and governments around the world urge us to supplement it, particularly in climates where the dark winters are long and you spend a lot of time indoors. But many people don’t. Vitamin D deficiency can leave you feeling exhausted and lethargic, so it’s a no-brainer, really.

What you probably don’t need are super high-end supplements with unproven ingredients that offer vague but untested benefits. If you have a deficiency, then you should absolutely address it (vegans, for example, are more likely to have a B12 deficiency as it’s mainly found in meat and dairy products). Anything else is probably an optional extra.

You also don’t need protein powder after every run, whatever the ads might say. Being actually protein-deficient is almost vanishingly rare, so as long as you eat a decen,t balanced diet, and can eat relatively soon after your run, save yourself some money.

Gels and drinks — and a vest to carry it all in

As a very rough rule of thumb, you don’t need gels until you are running for 60-90 minutes or more. Before then, your body has enough glycogen stored to provide you with the carbs you need. So if you are just starting out on your running journey, it really is something you don't need to think about.

In winter, you probably don't need to worry too much about dehydration, either. Beginner runners are unlikely to be doing distances that require any water to be carried with them, at least to start with.

Of course, everyone is different, but generally speaking, if you are running a few miles, then it's far more important to be hydrated beforehand. Don't drink huge amounts of water just before you run, though — just top up throughout the day. No one likes running with a stomach full of sloshing liquid.

When it comes to vests, they are actually really useful, even for short runs, if you need to carry a phone, keys and more. But you definitely don’t need one to carry gels and sports drinks if you are only running shorter distances.

Expensive race shoes

Since Nike first introduced the carbon plate to the world of racing shoes, they have exploded on the scene. Do they give an advantage? The science — and a lot of world records — suggests yes, but potentially at a cost.

That might be financial (they are expensive) or it might be physical (some carbon-plated shoes are simply not suitable for certain types of running gait, even if they are “the fastest”).

So if you can afford them and have a big race goal, by all means, go for the best type for you. But — barring a decent amount of test running in them to check they won’t cause issues — save them for race days.

High tech gadgets

From lactate monitors to devices for measuring skin temperature, there's a wide array of tech now available for runners. And many of these gadgets are marketed or hyped on social media, with the line that they are used by the fastest runners or the top Olympians.

Which may well be true, but ask yourself — are you actually an Olympian? Do you need the most minuscule of marginal gains that such monitoring might give you? Is running your full-time job? If the answer is no, then you can probably save some money. They might make for a fun luxury present, but they most certainly aren't essential.

Garmin makes many of the best fitness trackers. There are dedicated models for divers, hikers, mariners and even truck drivers. But the number one audience for these watches? Runners.

Any Garmin watch available will make a decent run tracker. A great one, even. Some are truly made for the job, though, and some others shine in a specific style of running discipline. For example, we don’t think Garmin’s lowest-end watches are ideal for triathlons, because the ones a step or two up have modes designed to track the entire event. Those who take part in multi-day running events or epic ultramarathons will also need to consider battery life more than most.

But it’s also important to find a watch you can simply get on with, as England Athletics coach Stuart Sahan, who offers personalised run coaching over at Run Fit Coach, told us. “From a runner's perspective, ease of use is key. A good watch should show clear pace, time, and heart rate without being overcomplicated,” he said.

Here, we’ll take a look at the top recommendations among current Garmin watch models for 2026. From the best Garmin watches for tight budgets and beginner runners to the one we’d don for an ultramarathon, there’s something for every type of runner.

• On the hunt for running footwear? Don't forget to check our guide to the best running shoes

The quick list

The best Garmin running watches we recommend in 2026: Tried and tested by a running enthusiast

Best Garmin running watch for beginners

The best affordable tech makes you ask, “Do most people really need any more than this?” That was the impression the Forerunner 165 left.

This watch can easily take you from not running at all, through the 5K distance, to training for and completing a marathon. And it’s all because Garmin got so many of the essentials right with this watch.

First up, while it doesn’t have the latest GPS and heart rate tech, it does provide reliable stats and data 99% of the time. It’s still fairly recent hardware. You can also use Garmin’s daily Suggested Workouts to effectively act as a running coach — minus a real coach’s monthly fees!

And while the Forerunner 165 doesn’t have the very longest battery life in the family, we found it can last around a week of solid use — Garmin claims up to 11 days for lighter use. The OLED screen is lovely, too. It’s colourful and just as sharp-looking as the far more expensive watches, just lacking the next-level brightness of the Forerunner 570 and 970.

Where’s the catch? While it comes in some fun colors, the Forerunner 165 isn’t the most luxurious watch. Its casing is Garmin’s basic (but surprisingly resilient) “fibre-reinforced polymer.” Fancy plastic, basically. And the glass isn’t as scratch-resistant as that of higher-end watches.

You also miss out on on-watch maps, and have to pay a supplement to get music support, which only gets you 4GB of room for tracks — like an MP3 player from 2007.

The Forerunner 165 also lacks some of Garmin’s most useful stats, Training Load and Training Readiness. These really help balance a truly packed exercise schedule. But the watch does have the next best thing: Body Battery balances your sleep, stress and activity to signal when you may be getting run-down.

This will also feed into the workouts the Forerunner 165 suggests. Can you ignore these? Of course, but one of the real strengths here is how close you can get to a digital personal trainer if you embrace the 165’s features — albeit a trainer who won’t shout you off the couch.

• Read more: Garmin Forerunner 165 review

• Back to the top ⤴

Best Garmin running watch for ultramarathons

The last couple of years have seen Garmin invest heavily in OLED screen tech and smartwatch features. But the Garmin Enduro 3 is here for those who prefer a slightly more traditional style, and would rather prioritise battery life.

It uses a large, 1.4-inch (35 mm) transflective MIP screen instead of OLED. Put it next to an OLED and its colors will look quite dull, the image a little low-resolution. But it has one massive advantage. The Garmin Enduro 3’s screen gets clearer in direct sunlight, while using no additional power. It feeds off sunlight rather than competing with it. Thanks to a solar element in the screen, its battery is even charged while under sunlight, leading to battery life of up to 90 days.

That’s in ideal conditions without masses of GPS usage. But this is still our number-one recommendation for multi-day events, running holidays and ultras. Battery life is also far more consistent than the trendy OLED crowd, as only music playback is a real battery killer here.

The Enduro 3 has 32GB storage for tunes, podcasts and audiobooks. And that room can also be used to store map data. There’s enough room for many countries’ worth here, although we do prefer the presentation of maps on Garmin’s OLED watches.

In other areas, the Garmin Enduro 3 is a high-spec watch. It has excellent 10ATM water resistance, and a Sapphire screen covering for top-tier scratch resistance. And despite being fairly large, with a 2-inch (51 mm) diameter, everyone we showed the watch to commented on how light it feels. At 2.2 ounces (63 g) with strap, it’s suitable for all-day, all-night wear, although we typically prefer something a little daintier for sleep tracking.

Garmin classes this as an adventure watch. It’s ideal for an outdoors life, and can help out in the dark too, thanks to its integrated LED flash. But it’s just as capable for simple run tracking as the core Forerunner models. Our takeaway from a few weeks living with it is how low-maintenance it is, with almost zero upkeep required.

• Read more: Garmin Enduro 3 review

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Best Garmin running watch for triathlons

The Garmin Forerunner 970 is a great all-round running and fitness watch, but it does have some skills tailored for triathletes.

First up is the all-important multi-sport mode. There are specific triathlon and duathlon profiles, and you can create your own additional modes if your particular event is a little different from the norm.

Garmin Coach, which you access through the Forerunner 970’s Connect phone app, also lets you sign up to a training plan designed to best prepare you for the rigors of a triathlon.

What stood out most when we used the Forerunner 970 in person, though, was its brightness. This watch has an exceptionally bright screen, making Garmin’s best-ever showcase for one of the company’s best-ever features, its map support.

Maps could become invaluable for the more adventurous triathlons, where the run or cycle sections are the kind in which it’s possible to get slightly lost. The Forerunner 970 has a superb activity screen (among many) that displays map data and stats on a single screen too.

We have found this newly supernova-style screen can shorten battery life from the quoted 15 days. But we’re not talking about anything close to the limited stamina of the Apple Watch series.

The 5ATM water resistance is strong enough for surface-level swimmers. But if you’re a swimmer first and a triathlete second, we’d recommend the Fenix 8 instead as it has much better water resistance.

New for this generation of Forerunners, the 970 introduces extra features to further optimise your training. It was the first watch with Garmin’s Running Tolerance, designed to let you keep at the bleeding edge of your limit without excess risk of overtraining or injury.

You can also hook it up to a Garmin HRM 600 chest strap to see Running Economy metrics, which can signal whether you need to put more effort into your form.

Garmin’s other higher-end watches can arguably make just as good triathlon trackers. But as of early 2026, none of them can display your stats mid-race with quite the clarity of the Forerunner 970.

• Read more: Garmin Forerunner 970 review

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Best Garmin watch for trail running

The Fenix 8 is generally considered the flagship of Garmin’s line-up. Sure, you can get more expensive models, but they tend to be specialists for fields like diving, hunting or for mariners.

What marks this out from the rest? It’s not only available with hard-but-light titanium metal highlights and a scratch-resistant Sapphire crystal, it competes with the Apple Watch Ultra on water resistance. As well as a 10ATM rating, it is certified for dives at a depth of up to 131 feet (40 metersU).

The watch actually has special buttons made for the job: ones that use haptic feedback instead of an actual clicker mechanism to avoid water ingress. Why do you need those for trail running? You don’t, but it’s all part of the Fenix 8’s tougher-than-most personality.

We also like the Fenix 8 for its long battery life, despite using a once highly power-sapping OLED screen. And this display is ideal for navigating by map. As with all the top Garmin watches, the Fenix 8 can store vast areas of map data on its internal storage. This can be used not just to display pre-planned routes, but to navigate on the fly, searching for points of interest or just picking a waypoint on the Fenix 8’s screen. The watch is smart enough to be able to calculate routes with no additional help from your phone.

And, a trail running favourite, you can judge your effort by running power rather than pure pace. While we tend to rely on heart rate when considering effort level during a workout, running power takes into account both the terrain and your speed. And you don’t have to wait for your heart rate to catch up before figuring out whether you’re pushing too hard or not.

We find the Fenix 8 typically lasts for more than a week of at least moderately heavy real-world use. It outdoes a Forerunner 970 here, if not the legendarily long-lasting Enduro 3. One of the neat parts to the Fenix 8 family, though, is how many members it has. You can get MIP screen versions, as well as the OLED style we reviewed, and a lower-cost Fenix E. Garmin has tried to cater for most folks just within this series.

In September 2025, Garmin further filled out this series with Fenix 8 Pro watches. These have satellite messaging and there’s an incredibly bright microLED version too. But as they are extremely expensive, and there are additional subscription costs for satellite services, the standard Fenix 8 is likely a better fit for many.

• Read more: Garmin Fenix 8 review

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Best budget Garmin watch for runners

The Garmin Forerunner 55 isn’t a watch we actively recommend to huge numbers of people these days, not since the Forerunner 165 arrived. But it’s still a worthy watch that at the very least deserves some context.

It has been around since 2021, making it the longest-standing model in the current Forerunner range. And its enduring popularity isn’t a fluke.

This is a no-nonsense watch that isn’t too large, lasts up to two weeks off a single charge and provides the key features most runners need — and some more for good measure.

For example, despite being a bottom-rung runner’s watch the Forerunner 55 will still provide you with daily suggested running workouts. And you can get a more structured workout plan through the free-to-use Garmin Coach feature in the Garmin Connect app on your phone.

The Forerunner 55 uses an MIP screen, the kind that used to be found in just about every Garmin watch. This style isn’t natively lit but gets clearer as the ambient light level increases. And there is of course a front light to let you see the display in the dark.

It’s this tech that will provide long and stable battery life even if you are about and about most of the day. That would put additional strain on the battery of an OLED Garmin watch, whose screens need to get brighter in sunny environments.

What are the issues? The Garmin Forerunner 55 doesn’t have a barometric altimeter, so can’t track the stairs you climb each day. It’s a stat we think the less obsessive runners who want some of the fitness tracker flavour will miss.

The Forerunner 55 also has an older-generation heart rate sensor. While decent, this gen was slower to react to changes and could at times put out some questionable BPM numbers during the first few minutes of a run.

We’d recommend the Forerunner 165 if you can afford it, but there’s still some charm to this older model.

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Best Garmin running watch for comfort

Want a Garmin watch that doesn’t feel or look like an outright “runner’s watch”? Pick up a Vivoactive 6. It’s exceptionally light at just 1.3 ounces (36 g) with strap, has a moderate diameter of 1.65 inches (42 mm), and its 10.9mm thickness is similar to that of an ordinary watch.

You wouldn’t mistake it for one, thanks to its eye-catching OLED screen, but there’s a sense of minimalism here we instantly appreciated. A big part of that is the relative lack of buttons.

A classic Garmin is operated using five side buttons. The Vivoactive 6 only needs two, because you largely control it with the touchscreen.

While we found this occasionally led to our accidentally ending an exercise after just taking a short road-crossing break, you get used to the switch of control styles after a while. And there are few other Garmins we’ve preferred to use for sleep tracking, just because the Vivoactive 6 is such an innocuous presence on your wrist.

Despite clearly aiming for mainstream appeal, the Vivoactive 6 does have solid runner’s cred. Its heart rate hardware is the same as the Forerunner 165’s. It is of course a full GPS watch, and with music storage as standard, you can leave your phone at home if you want.

It’s swim-ready thanks to 5ATM water resistance, and can last for more than a week if you don’t use the Always-On screen mode.

Caveats? The Vivoactive doesn’t have classic Daily Suggested Workouts for running — just walking — or an altimeter, which counts the flights of stairs you climb each day.

But you can send planned routes to it for breadcrumb-style navigation. Getting such a useful feature in a watch with a clear lifestyle angle is excellent, and should dramatically lengthen how long it takes you to outgrow the Vivoactive 6 as you develop as a runner.

• Read more: Garmin Vivoactive 6 review

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Best Garmin watches for runners: comparison

Contributing experts & product testers

Best Garmin watches for runners: Frequently Asked Questions

Latest updates

How we tested these Garmin running watches

How we test the best Garmin watches for runners

There are an awful lot of Garmin watches to pick from. But answering just a few core questions can whittle down that number massively. Let’s get to it.

Do you need maps? Only fairly expensive and high-end Garmin watches have on-watch maps. It’s a great feature that lets you download entire landmasses of map data to your watch. But plenty of people may actually end up just as happy with “breadcrumb” trail navigation, where you work out a route on your phone and send it over to the watch wirelessly.

Do you want OLED or MIP? These are Garmin’s two main screen types. MIP is the battery-saving old guard, OLED the newer kind. And only the Enduro range is yet to get an OLED entry. We like OLED gloss, but you can’t beat Garmin MIP watches for length and consistency of battery life.

Do you need 10ATM water resistance? All Garmin watch water resistance looks good on paper. 5ATM means a watch can withstand depths of 50 meters. But it doesn’t mean it can withstand the additional pressures of movement at that depth. We feel more comfortable recommending 10ATM watches to committed swimmers, while the Fenix 8 is even prepped for diving at up to 40m depth. Will a 5ATM Forerunner 970 die if you take it in the pool? Absolutely not, it’s designed for pool swimming. But don’t take one scuba diving.

Do you want athlete-geared stats? Garmin watches become more serious tools when stats like Training Load and Training Readiness enter the picture. These are available in the Forerunner 265 and up. They can be used to more accurately judge when you are at risk of exercising too much, or if you are slacking (over the period of a week, for example) without realising. It makes your watch feel more like a personal trainer, minus the expense. But many people own these high-end watches and make no good use of these stats.

How much do you care about smartwatch features? A proliferation of smartwatch features is one of Garmin’s most recent trends. This saw watches like the Forerunner 570 gain a speaker and mic, letting you take calls and talk to your phone’s assistant. If you’re not too fussed about these, it’s a good reason to consider an older model in a sale. Find the Forerunner 965 cheaper than the Forerunner 570? It’s arguably an altogether more capable watch.

It’s not always easy to tell what Garmin’s series names are about. What separates a Fenix from a Forerunner, from an Epix? But with the Garmin Enduro 3, you may be able to guess! The Enduro family is all about class-leading stamina. And as a high-end range, you also get most of the key features of a watch like the Fenix 8.

Friendly smartwatch fluff is what the Enduro 3 lacks. There’s no mic and speaker combo, no OLED screen option. However, this might just be the best buy of all Garmin’s watches for the veteran Garmin fan. It’s a chunk cheaper than either the last Enduro or the new Fenix 8, with only fairly minor concessions involved.

Garmin Enduro 3 smartwatch review

Garmin Enduro 3: Price and availability

The Garmin Enduro 3 launched alongside the Fenix 8 in August 2024. In an unusual move for a Garmin watch, the Enduro 3 actually costs less than its predecessor. But it’s still not exactly cheap.

A Garmin Enduro 3 costs $899/£769 — down from $1,099/£929 in the previous generation. This makes it slightly more affordable than the Fenix 8, the 51mm version of which costs £1,039.

Garmin Enduro 3: Design and screen

• Surprisingly light and comfortable to wear
• Lackluster transflective screen
• No option for an AMOLED screen

The Garmin Enduro 3 is a big watch. It has a 51mm face and is a wrist-dominator. This will, and should, put off some potential buyers. It’s big because it needs a big battery, and there is no smaller option here.

For such a giant watch, though, the Enduro 3 will seem surprisingly light. It weighs 2 ounces (57 grams) case-only, which is also lighter than the Enduro 2 (2.25 oz/ 64 g).

Is it a watch to wear to bed? Probably not, but it avoids the sense the Enduro 3 is trying to escape from your wrist during runs, which can happen with heavier watches.

This low weight is no mystery. The Enduro 3 casing is largely made from Garmin’s ultra-hard plastic resin, with a titanium bezel on top. There are no stainless steel plates to dramatically bump up the weight. We also lose the titanium back panel of the Enduro 2, which may be a cost-saving measure. But it makes no real difference when this part sits on your wrist all day anyway.

In the flesh, the Enduro 3 doesn’t seem like a huge stylistic or build downgrade from a Fenix 8. There’s no option of an AMOLED screen here, though. The Garmin Enduro 3 is a classic transflective screen watch. This means it requires ambient light to be seen, or the basic front light, like an old digital watch.

These displays barely use any power, feeding into the Enduro 3’s “long-lasting” angle. But they don’t look as sharp, as colorful or anywhere near as bright as a rival AMOLED.

Unlike an AMOLED watch, though, the Enduro 3 displays its clock face all day as standard. If you value smartwatch sheen over a purely practical approach, you probably don’t want this watch.

The screen hides a special skill, though: an invisible solar-charging panel. In earlier generations, Garmin’s solar panels had a slight grey-red appearance, but there’s zero sign of it here — it’s hidden in the black screen surround.

It’s also reportedly far more effective, and doesn’t affect the reflectivity of the screen like some older iterations. We can’t give a full account of how well the solar charging works as the Enduro 3 was reviewed mostly in a not-all-that-sunny London. But we can confirm it’s fun to check out how many “K Lux” the watch recorded on those sunny days — you can see a graph throughout the day on the watch itself.

Garmin Enduro 3: Battery life

• Approximately a month of battery life in smartwatch mode
• Approximately 60 hours of battery life in the multi-band GPS mode
• Up to 90 days of battery life in solar-charging mode

Now seems a good time to talk about how long the Enduro 3 really lasts. In a word: ages.

The figure quoted by Garmin is 36 days of general use, which can be upped to 90 days with sufficient sunlight exposure. In 16 days, the watch lost 61% of its battery, suggesting a total usage time of around 26 days based on our experiences.

Sure, that’s not quite Garmin’s figure. But then reviewing a watch generally involves fiddling about with it more than you might ordinarily. It’s this, where you actually ask the Enduro 3 to do some work, that will make an Enduro 3 fall away from its maximum potential stamina a bit.

Battery loss from GPS-tracked runs is quite significant, too. I saw a 4% loss from an hour of running, which is more than you might expect going by Garmin’s own numbers, which suggest 60 hours of use even when using the most demanding Multi-Band mode.

This wasn’t a one-off either. One of my last long runs was a three-hour effort, or 3.5 hours including time spent doing some shopping mid-way through. That saw the battery drop from 27% to 13% — again, at least a 4% per hour loss of charge. Those training for an ultramarathon should take note to avoid disappointment.

But almost a full month of use between charges? It’s still strong. And this is still a top pick for the ultramarathon crowd.

Like other Garmins, the Enduro 3 uses a four-pin physical socket to charge. Nothing new there.

Garmin Enduro 3: Features

• Comprehensive tracking features
• 10ATM water resistance

One of the key questions for prospective Enduro 3 owners is what this watch lacks that the non-OLED screen Fenix 8 has?

The answer amounts to a handful of “cherries on top.” The Enduro 3 has 10ATM water resistance but is not dive-ready like the Fenix. You shouldn’t submit it to more than ordinary swimming.

There’s no speaker or microphone, meaning it can’t play music without being connected to wireless headphones and it can’t interact with a digital assistant. That’s largely useful for setting kitchen timers, though, so it's not the greatest loss.

The Enduro 3’s actual fitness feature chops are, like other top-end Garmins, impeccable and encyclopedic. And the attention to detail in the various activity modes is an order of magnitude greater than that of cheap fitness watches that boast of their 100+ modes.

For example, the Climbing mode lets you set the grading system and difficulty for each session. And, of course, it has an altimeter for judging altitude and, in lighter style, how many flights of stairs you climb each day.

At the hardcore end, you can download countries’ worth of map data (for free) and use the Garmin Connect app to calculate a decent run route of whatever distance you like. And on the lighter side, the Enduro 3 has loads of workouts built in, including little animations to remind you of the moves.

This is a hardcore exercise watch, but it’s not just about the hardcore stuff. You can use it like a personal trainer, too. As well as offering daily suggested workouts for running and cycling, you can let Garmin make a dedicated training plan, including one based on an event like a marathon, on a specific date. It will also fiddle with the plan based on how well-rested the Enduro 3 thinks you are.

All of this is included with a top-tier Garmin watch. Sure, it doesn’t come with hundreds of presenter-led workouts, but it is still extremely valuable.

The Garmin Enduro 3 is a solid watch for general wellness, too. Its sleep tracking is solid, and measures heart rate variability as well as classic sleep stages (light, REM, deep, awake). You get to see this data each morning as part of your Morning Report — a multi-page pop-up of vitals. And if you want to lean on your Enduro 3 even more, the Sleep Coach in the Garmin Connect app suggests how much sleep it thinks you need each night.

Garmin has been quite late to a health feature seen in other watch series, like the Samsung Galaxy Watch, though — ECG. The Enduro 3 does support the ECG app, but it’s only available in the U.S. and a handful of other countries, thanks to the way these features need to be assessed by the relevant health authority. Those in the UK and Europe are out of luck, for now.

Garmin Enduro 3: Performance

• Accurate heart rate measurements
• Reliable GPS tracking

The Garmin Enduro 3 shares its core fitness-tracking tech with the other flagship Garmin models, including the Fenix 8.

This means an Elevate 5 heart rate array and a Multi-Band GPS. The Elevate 5 was introduced in the Fenix 7 Pro generation, and has four additional green LEDs that fire up during tracked exercise to improve accuracy.

The only significant issues I had were when wearing, for the first time of the season, a long-sleeved base layer that kept trying to work its way under the watch body. It's otherwise reliable enough for stat fiends to be able to seriously consider retiring their chest strap HR monitors.

As in the Fenix 8, it was a little less hot at the only moderate, but frequent, spikes of gym workouts, but heart rate data is arguably less interesting in that context anyway.

GPS reliability is great, and as ever, the Garmin Enduro 3 has an auto mode that switches up to the most effective (but most battery-sapping) Multi-Band mode automatically when needed. This can really help out when in tricky environments like skyscraper-packed cities, under dense, soaked tree canopies, or steep valleys.

As with the Fenix 8, I found triangulating GPS takes longer than some watches of the previous generation. This does seem to have calmed down a bit with software updates, though, and at last check took just over 10 seconds to do the job. It could be faster, but it is not a deal-breaker.

Should you buy the Garmin Enduro 3 smartwatch?

The Garmin Enduro 3 is one of the ultimate low-maintenance fitness watches. You can use it for around a month before needing a charge, and possibly a while longer if you live somewhere nice and sunny.

Like other high-end Garmin watches, the Enduro 3 is positively feature-packed. And unlike most, the Enduro series actually became cheaper this year.

Watches with transflective MIP screens like this one are getting less appealing to many, though, as rivals like the Forerunner 965 and Fenix 8 prove you don’t necessarily lose that much by opting for the glossier style. But some will prefer the low-key screen of the Enduro 3, especially given its battery life benefits — at least when not actively tracking outdoor exercise.

✅ Buy it if: You need a sports watch with ultra-long battery life and excellent tracking accuracy.

❌ Don't buy it if: You want something glossier or more budget-friendly.

Garmin Enduro 3: Related products

If you like the basic Enduro 3 premise but want to spend less, consider the Garmin Forerunner 955. It has shorter battery life and no solar charging, but similar features, including downloadable maps.

Or you can strip back some of the higher-end stuff and get up to “unlimited” battery life with the Garmin Instinct 2X Solar.

Alternatively, take a look at the Coros range. Its top-end Vertix 2S watch offers stellar battery life of up to 38 days. It’s significantly cheaper, too, although we find Garmin’s latest designs tend to provide better stat accuracy than Coros’s best.

Garmin Enduro 3: How we tested

The Garmin Enduro 3 was worn for several months, almost constantly for much of that time. It was mostly used as our primary watch and employed extensively for fitness tracking.

This mostly consisted of running, hiking, indoor cycling and gym workouts. We used the suggested workouts on and off, and also used the Enduro 3 for sleep tracking, if not every single day (as mentioned earlier, many folks will find it a little bulky for 24/7 wear).

Renpho is widely known for its affordable massage guns, body measuring tapes and smart scales, many of which have landed in our round-ups of the best health and fitness products we have tested. This company has been a global powerhouse in the wellness industry for nearly a decade now, and has amassed legions of loyal fans worldwide. And now

Renpho has ventured into the highly competitive world of fitness trackers with the release of its first-ever smart ring — the Renpho Lynx.

At a glance, this tiny wearable has plenty to offer. The Renpho Lynx is available in two color options and eight different sizes, and unlike most (if not all) smart rings out there, it comes with a portable charger case and up to 12 days of battery life. It tracks heart rate, sleep, stress and many more fitness stats as well as 30 different activities, such as swimming, weightlifting and basketball.

All that, and it is reasonably priced for a smart ring ($229) and does not require a subscription. On paper, the Renpho Lynx looks like it could make its way into our guide to the best smart rings — but can it live up to our expectations and deliver on performance? We were keen to find out.

Renpho Lynx smart ring review

Renpho Lynx: Design

• Light, but clunky and uncomfortable to wear
• Utilitarian looks may not appeal to everyone
• Durable and difficult to scratch

The Renpho Lynx comes in two color options, black carbon and silver titanium, and is available in eight sizes (6 - 13). If you are unsure about the correct fit, you can request a sizing kit before purchase — this costs around $2 to $4 (depending on the retailer), which can then be later deducted from the price of the ring. The range of customization here may not sweep you off your feet, but there are enough options to suit a relatively wide range of potential users.

Our testing unit came in silver titanium, size 12. We have mixed feelings about its design, to say the least.

On the plus side, the Renpho Lynx feels very light yet surprisingly durable. We tested it for about three weeks, exposing it to harsh winter conditions and a range of different workouts, and it has not sustained a single scratch. That's impressive, given that most smart rings we tested showed signs of wear-and-tear in the first few weeks of testing. The Renpho Lynx is very practical in its design, making it a good pick for those who do contact sports or a lot of manual handling throughout the day.

That's where the good things end, though.

Most importantly, we did not warm to the rather “masculine” and utilitarian looks of our Renpho Lynx. When it comes to smart rings, style and appearance do matter a lot — they are still a piece of jewellery at the end of the day. Many people wear them when they need something sleeker and more elegant than a chunky fitness watch, and often to complement work attire or formal clothing. The Renpho Lynx, however, looks unappealingly basic and, dare we say, cheap.

We did not find it particularly comfortable to wear, either. Though light, this smart ring felt clunky and unpleasantly uneven on the inside. Even after three weeks of wearing it, we still can't get used to its presence on our finger. The Renpho Lynx is also relatively thick — it measures around 3.04 mm in width. To put that into perspective, the Oura Ring Gen 4 is approximately 2.88 mm wide, while the width of the Ultrahuman Ring AIR can measure as little as 2.45 mm.

Renpho Lynx: Features

• The app is basic, but it does not require a subscription
• Tracks heart rate, sleep, stress, steps, calories and more
• Comes with a portable charger case

The Renpho Lynx has no display, so as is the case with all screenless wearables, it can only work when it is connected to the app first. Unlike many others, however, it does not require a subscription to do so.

The Renpho Health app is entirely free of charge and is available to both iOS and Android users. This is where you can access all of the stats collected by the smart ring, such as your step count, calories burned, sleep length and quality, heart rate and HRV (heart rate variability), stress levels, SpO2 (blood oxygen) and menstrual cycle predictions.

Each morning, the Renpho Lynx will then use these data points to calculate your Health Index — a daily assessment of your health and fitness status, measured in percentage points. While this sort of a green light/red light system may not be overly scientific, it is simple and easy to understand — not to mention helpful for fitness beginners who may not yet have a good understanding when to push on with intense exercise and when to take a much-needed rest.

That said, we are not big fans of the Renpho Health app. Yes, it feels "clean" and easy to navigate, but it lacks nuance or any genuinely useful lifestyle guidance. We were particularly dismayed by the daily tip section that accompanies your Health Index — it is usually short, overly general and devoid of any practical application ("Good effort! Try to find things that make you feel good"). As such, the Renpho Lynx may not be a good option for fitness beginners or those who require a deep understanding of their health indicators and post-exercise recovery.

It is not all doom and gloom with the Renpho Lynx, though. One feature that scored highly in our books is its portable charger case, which turned out to be an absolute lifesaver for storing and charging the ring on the go. It is compact and portable, but not so small that it’s likely to get lost in the backpack somewhere or fall out of your pocket by accident. We would love to see more smart ring brands follow suit in that regard.

Renpho Lynx: Performance

• 7 to 12 days of battery life
• Inconsistent tracking accuracy
• No major app connectivity issues

According to Renpho, the Lynx comes with approximately 7 to 12 days of battery life, and the charging case can add another seven days on top of that. That claim rings largely true. Our testing unit would last approximately eight to nine days on a single charge, with at least three hour-long training sessions recorded per week. Since real-time workout tracking can be very energy-intensive, it is fair to assume that the Renpho Lynx would probably last much longer without it.

That said, there is no option to add workout logs retrospectively, as is the case with most other smart ring models. The Renpho Lynx also does not have an automatic workout detection. This is a big oversight — the elevated heart rate from exercise can then be easily misconstrued as a sign of stress, and disrupt your overall readings in the process.

Next, the tracking accuracy. This is where the Renpho Lynx suffered a particularly bad blow in our tests. However, this needs to be viewed in the context of how we measured it. Smart rings, the Renpho Lynx included, usually do not produce continuous heart rate measurements in the way fitness watches do. Therefore, it is not fair to validate them using our "go-to" method for testing wrist-worn wearables, which is to wear them alongside a highly precise chest-strap heart rate monitor and then compare the two sets of data.

Instead, we resorted to comparing our Renpho Lynx to the medically-graded Whoop MG band and the premium Oura Ring Gen 4 smart ring. Both of these two screenless fitness trackers have shown us a good degree of accuracy in the past, but again, we can't vouch for them being correct 100% of the time.

Even so, the discrepancies were just too big to brush off. The Renpho Lynx did produce relatively accurate heart rate measurements during periods of rest or low-intensity, steady-state cardio exercise, true, but anything else would easily throw them off the mark. With High Intensity Interval Training, the heart rate measurements were downright unreliable.

The sleep quality assessments did not impress with their accuracy, either. The Renpho Lynx was generally good at picking up when we fell asleep, but it seemed to have a hard time detecting when we woke up. One time, we were lying awake and motionless in the morning, and that was somehow enough to trick our smart ring into thinking that we were asleep. Not just that, but we were also supposedly in the deep sleep stage. This is not the norm, either — both the Oura Ring Gen 4 and Whoop MG marked that period as us being awake.

Lastly, the Renpho Lynx seemed to have a slight tendency to overestimate our step count and calories burned. In all fairness, though, that seems to be the case with most smart rings.

The app connectivity, on the other hand, works exceptionally well. We have tested enough smart rings to know that they can be very temperamental in that regard, either by disconnecting from the app or struggling to sync the data for no apparent reason. This smart ring, however, did not cause us a single connectivity issue.

True, it took us a good few seconds each morning to establish the app connection, but again, that's something to be expected from a device this small.

Renpho Lynx: User reviews

At the time of writing this review, both Renpho's and Amazon's customer reviews placed the Renpho Lynx at a 4.4 out of 5 stars rating. This smart ring tended to be praised for its long battery life, subscription-free app and integration with other Renpho products. Tracking accuracy and size options, on the other hand, received rather mixed feedback, while some users also reported that the battery life is shorter than advertised.

One happy user commented: "I have tried several smart rings, [...] but this one from Renpho is the best! I paid about $187, there is no monthly subscription fee, it is very accurate and it connects to the app on my phone with NO ISSUES. I didn't order the ring sizer. I just ordered the same size as all of the other rings I previously purchased and it was a perfect fit. The absolutely best thing about it is that the battery life lasts 9 - 10 days between recharging."

Negative reviews tended to mention poor sleep quality assessments and low heart rate tracking accuracy during intense workouts, as well as temperamental app connectivity and issues with Renpho's customer service.

One disappointed user said: "While it's comfortable and I love the battery life, it's useless for tracking activity. It consistently gives me anywhere from about 35% to 50% too many steps. [...] Then, the battery seems to be very touch and go, sometimes a day will run you 7-8% and some other days it will run 15% no idea why. If the battery is below 30% exercise mode cannot be run at all. I understand it is a measure to protect the battery/device, but it really makes no sense to me to limit functionality at such a high threshold."

Should you buy the Renpho Lynx smart ring?

The Renpho Lynx does not live up to its promise. It has some strong points, such as its relatively long battery life, durable and lightweight build, and a subscription-free app. However, it comes with too many performance hiccups and design shortcomings to fully justify its price — unless you really need something tough and long-lasting. But if you prioritize tracking accuracy and in-depth personalized health insights, the Renpho Lynx may not be the best option.

✅ Buy it if: You want a utilitarian, durable smart ring that provides basic fitness stats.

❌ Do not buy it if: You are a fitness beginner looking for your first smart ring, or a serious exerciser looking for complex deep dives into their sleep patterns and post-exercise recovery.

If the Renpho Lynx smart ring is not for you

The Amazfit Helio is an excellent alternative to the Renpho Lynx. It offers similar build quality and a comparable set of tracking features, but it comes with more personalized health insights and notably better tracking accuracy. Not to mention, it costs just $199 and is frequently on sale for as little as $109. However, it also comes with far fewer size and color options.

If you have access, consider the Ultrahuman Ring AIR. While it is currently banned from being sold or imported into the United States due to a patent infringement ruling by the U.S. International Trade Commission (in favor of rival Oura), this neat smart ring is still available in the U.K., E.U. and Australia, second-hand or from third-party sellers. It is subscription-free, stylish, ultra-comfortable to wear and jam-packed with useful features.

Looking for something more premium (and do not mind spending over $349)? Then you can't go wrong with the Oura Ring Gen 4. It has been our "go-to" smart ring for the past year or so, and for a good reason. It is exceptionally accurate and well-designed, and it continually impresses us with its durable build and genuinely useful assessments of sleep and post-exercise recovery. The biggest downfall? The Oura Ring Gen 4 requires a monthly subscription.

Renpho Lynx: How we tested

We spent two weeks testing the Renpho Lynx, assessing its design, battery life, features, ease of use, app connectivity and value for money. We wore this smart ring during the day, while sleeping and when hiking, rowing indoors or performing low-intensity strength workouts. We also checked online user reviews for any mentions of potential performance issues.

Finally, we assessed the tracking accuracy of our Renpho Lynx by comparing its steps, sleep and heart rate measurements with the data we obtained using two relatively precise screenless fitness trackers: the Whoop MG band and the Oura Ring Gen 4 smart ring.

It is an all-too-familiar cycle: As the New Year starts, we are brimming with motivation, promising ourselves that this is the year we finally get fit. We go to the gym regularly, diligently track our workouts and fill our schedules with fitness classes two weeks in advance. But then reality sets in. Life gets busy, motivation drops, and our fitness goals start fading into the background. For many, that ultimate surrender comes around 'Blue Monday' — the third Monday in January. This is when we tend to crumble under the weight of unrealistic expectations and fading motivation, and finally consign our fitness goals to history.

The good news is that this vicious cycle can be broken. Behavioral science is getting ever closer to understanding what makes us kickstart and maintain an exercise routine, and what derails or slows down our efforts to form new habits — and we can use that knowledge to our advantage.

With that in mind, we asked experts in psychology, physiology and fitness coaching for their advice on how to successfully establish an active lifestyle in 2026. Here are six simple, science-backed tips that can help you finally get fit.

• Related: What to buy to start a fitness journey (and save some money in the process)

1. Start small

This is the most important one. If you want to succeed with your New Year's fitness resolutions, do not overload yourself from the get-go. When you set a lofty goal like "work out every day," you are more likely to get anxious about it, procrastinate and, ultimately, abandon it altogether.

Instead, focus on tiny habits, a concept popularized by the Stanford behavioral scientist B.J. Fogg — scale the behavior down to something so small it feels almost effortless.

"Psychologically, starting small works because it avoids triggering the brain’s threat response, which is activated when the perceived cost of a change is high. Tiny, manageable goals create early mastery experiences that boost dopamine and strengthen self-efficacy: the belief that ‘I can do this,’ Dr. Michael Swift, a British Psychological Society media spokesperson and clinical director at Swift Psychology, a counselling service in Birmingham, U.K., told Live Science by email. "Even a few minutes of movement is enough to begin building the neural pathways that underpin habit formation."

Top tip: Forget the marathon: start with a stroll or a 15-minute bodyweight workout in your living room. The goal here is not to train like an athlete from day one, but to successfully repeat a new behavior. Consistency beats intensity every time in the habit-formation phase.

"People tend to set the bar really high when they are starting a new exercise routine. It is important to choose a program that you will enjoy, and that is going to fit into your lifestyle and be sustainable long term," Michelle D’Onofrio, a Pilates instructor and co-founder of Yatta Studios, a chain of boutique exercise studios in the U.K., told Live Science by email.

It is also worth noting that this slow-burn approach has tangible benefits for your muscular health and general well-being. "Your body adapts to new physical stress through progressive overload — gradually increasing intensity, duration, or frequency so muscles and cardiovascular system can adapt safely," D'Onofrio said.

If you do too much exercise too soon, you are more likely to struggle with brutal bouts of DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) and even painful injuries.

• Related: Best exercise equipment for beginners 2026: Everything you need to start your fitness journey
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2. Schedule and stack it

Motivation is a fickle fuel source — it starts bright and intense, but fizzles out quickly. Scientists know that our actions are heavily automated, with most of our behaviors being cued by time, location or preceding events.

Exercise is no different. If you plan and schedule your workouts in advance, you give yourself a powerful cue and a direct call to action that helps when your motivation inevitably runs low. This is why people who create and follow a specific plan detailing when, where and how they would exercise are more likely to follow through than those who do not plan their workouts at all, according to a 2013 meta-analysis published in the journal Health Psychology Review. This phenomenon is called "implementation intention."

Top tip: Move exercise from a vague "I should" to a non-negotiable appointment. Use time blocking — put your exercise session in your daily calendar, just like a meeting with your boss or a school class, then set a reminder. Simple yet effective.

“Too often people think a gym session has to be a massive time commitment, or that they need to overhaul their lives completely to exercise. That’s rarely realistic and often backfires," Steve Chambers, a senior personal trainer and gym manager at Ultimate Performance in Manchester, U.K., told Live Science by email.

"Start by mapping out your real-world schedule (work hours, family, social commitments, sleep, stress etc), then build a custom plan that fits around your life, not the other way around," Chambers advised.

When planning a new activity, use habit stacking. In essence, this is the practice of piggybacking a new exercise routine onto an existing habit. For example, "After I get home from work and put my keys down, I will immediately change into my workout clothes." This method uses the established neural pattern of the old habit as a runway for the new one.

"Habits form through the cue-routine-reward loop. You are more consistent when exercise is tied to a stable anchor such as 'after breakfast' or 'after work'," D'Onofrio said.

Also, tie in temptation bundling — combine doing something you ought to do with doing something you love. "This could mean that you only listen to your favourite playlist or podcast whilst doing your workout," Rex Fan, a lead behavioural insights advisor at Bupa Health Clinics in the U.K., told Live Science by email.

This also means that you should remember to reward yourself. "When you structure in your workout, why not also structure in something nice to look forward to afterwards? It could be anything from a nice coffee to a phone call with a friend," Fan said.

• Related: Best fitness trackers 2026: From smart rings to multisport GPS watches
• Related: Best budget fitness trackers 2026

3. Make exercise fun

If you frame exercise purely as a punitive tool for weight loss, or penance for all the hours spent watching your favorite TV show, your brain will subconsciously resist it. Doing something because it feels good is far more sustainable than doing something out of guilt or peer pressure. If you want to increase your chance of succeeding with your New Year's fitness resolutions, make exercise as fun and engaging as possible.

"From a neuroscience perspective, the brain repeats what it finds rewarding, and attaching positive emotion to movement accelerates habit consolidation. Pairing activity with something enjoyable, such as music, a favourite podcast or the satisfying tick of crossing off a plan, enhances the brain’s reward circuitry and reinforces the behaviour," Swift said.

Top tip: This one is simple — do what makes you happy. If you are not a fan of gym workouts or the thought of going for a run makes you queasy, consider dancing, martial arts or some of the more atypical sports, such as frisbee, futsal, Quidditch or trampoline. Every movement counts.

As Dr. Nicolas Berger, a senior lecturer in exercise physiology at Teesside University in the U.K., told Live Science by email: "Dancing on your own, with your friends, or partner is a brilliant way to improve coordination and cardiovascular fitness, which is low impact but good for your joints and bones. It also brings massive social benefits, improving mental health as well as self-confidence. It’s one of the best ways to do exercise without feeling like it is."

If going to a Zumba class or hopping on a trampoline does not appeal to you, consider some of the less strenuous activities you can do in the great outdoors. “Is there a sea or lake nearby? Rent a kayak or rowing boat, even a pedalo. This all helps with upper body, lower back and core strength," Berger said. “Any outing where you have to walk a lot and maybe carry a backpack is beneficial. If it is interesting, you will not notice it is exercise.”

All in all, by making exercise easy, accessible and rewarding, we work with the brain rather than against it, giving new routines the best possible chance to take root, Swift concluded.

• Related: Best running headphones 2025: Unleash the power of music
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4. Optimize for convenience

Human behavior is often governed by "friction costs" — the more steps, decisions or effort required to start a task, the less likely we are to do it. Our brains naturally gravitate toward the path of least resistance, and exercise is no different. If you want to increase your chance of succeeding with your New Year's resolutions, identify and remove or minimise any potential barriers and hurdles that can slow you down on your fitness journey.

"One of the strongest findings in behavioural science is that motivation is unstable, so the goal is to design the behaviour to require as little activation energy as possible," Swift explained. "Reducing friction by laying out clothes the night before, choosing an activity with minimal setup, or linking movement to an existing cue engages the brain’s habit system, which favours predictability and ease. When a task feels simple, the prefrontal cortex does not have to work as hard to overcome resistance, making follow-through far more likely."

Top tip: Identify your potential barriers and challenges (lack of time? no access to exercise equipment? poor sleep?), then make a plan to remove or minimize them as much as possible. In simpler terms, make starting your workout as easy and frictionless as possible. For example, the night before your scheduled exercise session, place your workout clothes by the bedside and your water bottle by the door. Have your workout video bookmarked or your podcast playlist ready. If morning gym travel is the hurdle, join an online fitness class from the comfort of your living room.

The hurdle is almost always in the starting, not the continuing. Getting over that initial friction is half the battle.

• Related: Best sleep trackers 2026: From smart rings to fitness watches
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5. Embrace imperfection

All-or-nothing thinking is a major hurdle to succeeding on your fitness journey. You miss one day of training, convince yourself you have failed and abandon the entire effort. However, getting fit is a marathon, not a sprint. Sometimes a little self-compassion goes further than bashing yourself for not living up to your expectations.

"When people interpret lapses as normal variability rather than personal failure, they are far more likely to resume," Swift said.

Top tip: Try the "two-day rule." It is simple: never let yourself skip your planned exercise for two days in a row. Life happens. You’ll get sick, work will run late, or motivation will dip. Permission to miss one day is crucial to prevent shame and the subsequent spiral. But by committing to not missing a second day, you build resilience and prevent a lapse from becoming a collapse. This builds self-compassion and a flexible, sustainable mindset, which is far more durable than rigid perfectionism.

“In practice, that means: Accept that progress won’t always be linear. There will be plateaus or regressions. That doesn’t mean failure. Be forgiving of slip-ups, but don’t give up! If you fall off the wagon, then get on again next session." Chambers said.

6. Involve others

Last, but not least: involve other people. According to a 2017 systematic review published in the journal International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology, social support can have a small but significant impact on helping you stick to your new exercise routine long-term. Whether it is the local running club, a guided Pilates session or working out with your gym buddies, having someone to check in with you on a regular basis can be a huge motivator. It does not even have to be someone you are particularly close to.

"Sharing your intentions with someone you trust, like a fitness coach or health adviser, can help you to stay closer to your goals. Speaking to a health adviser may also help you to prepare for the physical demands of a new workout, depending on your individual health," Fan said.

Top tip: Train with a partner (friend, spouse) or have a regular “gym buddy.” Join a fitness class, whether in your local leisure center or online. Start a fitness blog. The options are endless!

"If you know someone’s counting on you, you are more likely to show up. Having a system of external accountability dramatically raises the odds that you won’t just ‘fall off the wagon," Chambers concluded.

Small changes in exercise, sleep and dietary habits could do wonders for people's health and possibly extend their overall lifespan, a large U.K. study suggests.

The research, published Jan. 13 in the journal eClinicalMedicine, sought to find the smallest possible lifestyle improvements that could measurably lengthen people's lifespans. The researchers searched within data collected from almost 60,000 people in the UK Biobank cohort, a repository of medical and lifestyle data from hundreds of thousands of U.K. adults.

The team linked the participants' documented habits to their theoretical overall longevity and health, as calculated using statistical modelling. They found that people who slept as little as five extra minutes daily, engaged in just two extra minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per day, and added a half serving of vegetables per day tended to live significantly longer than the worst performers — meaning those whose sleep habits, exercise, and nutrition patterns put them in the bottom 5% of the overall cohort.

The former group had an extra year of overall lifespan compared with the latter, according to the statistical model.

That's not to say that adding a few minutes of exercise or sleep and making small changes to diet will guarantee an extra year of life, Stephen Burgess, a statistician at the University of Cambridge who was not involved in the study, told Live Science in an email.

"By itself, this study does not prove that these habits improve health," he cautioned. "They model what might happen to our life span if changing these factors does improve health."

Interestingly, the data suggested that improvements across several aspects of well-being are "greater than the sum of their parts," lead study author Nicholas Koemel, a dietitian and research fellow at The University of Sydney, told Live Science. For instance, to gain one additional year of lifespan through sleep alone, the study suggested a person would have to sleep an extra 25 minutes per night — a luxury many cannot afford. But very small improvements in sleep, exercise and diet may have a significant combined effect.

Koemel said the findings suggest that "healthy habits work better as a package."

"Each one of our behaviors has an interlinking impact on what we do," he said. "If we have a poor night's sleep, we oftentimes eat differently, we move differently. And we see that across all of these different behaviors."

Per the model, the study participants with the most optimal combination of these behaviors — at least 40 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise, seven to eight hours of sleep per day, and an overall healthy diet — were predicted to live an extra nine years, overall, and live nine extra years in good health, compared with the poorest 3% of performers.

By their very design, studies like these, known as cohort studies, need to be taken with a grain of salt. They compare two groups retroactively rather than asking people to change their habits and seeing how that change affects their health. As such, they can never conclusively prove that one particular change caused an associated effect; they can only draw a link between the two.

For instance, sleep and exercise habits were measured for only up to a week in the UK Biobank cohort, and the data assume that people kept up those same habits in the long run. Similarly, diet was assessed only at the beginning of the study, rather than monitored over time. So it's possible that the participants changed their habits after these assessments were taken, which would weaken the possibility that their habits improved their lifespan.

All of this leaves room for the possibility that it was not these lifestyle differences, but rather some other factor that wasn't measured, that caused the improvement in lifespan.

It may be, for instance, that one group is wealthier, and it so happens that this makes it easier for that group to exercise, sleep well and eat well. But ultimately, that difference is partially explained by the wealth, not only the behaviors, Burgess explained. It is also possible wealthy people might live in a less polluted area than poorer people, which could contribute to the difference in lifespan. There's no way of telling from this study alone.

"The overall message that small changes in these factors are likely to be beneficial is probably correct," Burgess said. "But whether the exact numbers are accurate or not is less clear."

Koemel agreed, saying that more research is needed to confirm the findings. Still, the idea that even tiny changes in lifestyle could have large effects could offer an interesting alternative for those looking to improve their overall well-being, he suggested.

"New Year's resolutions oftentimes fail because we're pushing too hard," he argued. "We're trying to go to the gym every day. We're trying to be perfect." This research suggests there may be a "different path to get from A to Z," by making smaller changes across several areas of well-being that can build up to healthier habits while improving overall health.

This article is for informational purposes only and is not meant to offer medical advice.

Suunto is slowly carving a formidable niche in the world of outdoor and multisport smartwatches. We can attest to that — last year, we tested the running-focused Suunto Race 2 and Suunto Run. While we had some minor quibbles with them, we were generally impressed by their stylish design, advanced workout-tracking features and long battery life. This year, we got our hands on something even better — the Suunto Vertical 2. This high-end adventure smartwatch has eerily similar specs and functionality to the ultra-premium Garmin Fenix 8, but costs around $300 less ($599 to $699, depending on the model).

The Suunto Vertical 2 boasts a durable design, up to 20 days’ battery life and multiple advanced navigation tools and workout-tracking features. It is a tough cookie, built for those who frequently venture off into the great outdoors and do not want to skimp on safety and reliability. Plus, it looks unusually stylish for an adventure watch.

We were keen to put the Suunto Vertical 2 through its paces and see whether it can make its way into our round-up of the best fitness trackers on the market.

Suunto Vertical 2 smartwatch review

Suunto Vertical 2: Design

• Heavy, rugged build
• Stylish and fairly comfortable to wear
• 10ATM water resistance

Right off the bat, the Suunto Vertical 2 scores highly for its customizability. This adventure watch is available in two options, with a stainless steel finish or a more durable and heat-resistant titanium finish, and it comes with a range of removable silicon straps in gorgeous earthy colors. Should you wish to shake things up even more, plenty of other leather and nylon straps can be found at Amazon and other third-party retailers. There is something for everyone here.

Our testing unit came in stainless steel and with a Pine Green strap. First impression upon unboxing? Having tested multiple clunky smartwatches in the past (we are looking at you, TicWatch Atlas), the Suunto Vertical 2 feels like a welcome change. It is rugged in the full sense of the word, but at the same time, it manages to stay exceptionally sleek and, dare we say, stylish. While this smartwatch is designed primarily for outdoor explorations, it will not look too out of place in more mundane circumstances.

That is not to say that the Suunto Vertical 2 is a great option for 24/7 wear. Weighing a solid 3.07 oz (87 g), it is still a formidable piece of machinery, and you can definitely feel its presence on your wrist. To put that into perspective, the Fenix 8 weighs "only" about 2.82 oz or 80 g. We found it quite cumbersome, too. While we did not mind wearing it in bed, some people may find the sheer size of this smartwatch to be too disruptive for comfortable sleep-tracking. However, we got used to wearing the Suunto Vertical 2 pretty quickly, as it is actually quite comfortable to wear, or at least more comfortable than many other models that sat on our wrist before.

The Suunto Vertical 2 also feels well built. This smartwatch did not sustain any scratches or wear-and-tear damage after two months of testing, nor was it ever fazed by being exposed to freezing January temperatures and cold water. Even occasional bumps from a steel barbell did not cause us any issues. Given how durable this smartwatch is, you can easily forgive its heaviness.

Lastly, the silicone strap. It deserves a special mention here — it is pleasantly soft and flexible, has a beautiful green shade to it, and has never caused any skin irritation.

Suunto Vertical 2: Display

• 1.5-inch AMOLED display
• Relatively easy to read and navigate
• Responsive to the touch, even in cold temperatures

The Suunto Vertical 2 features a big, colorful 1.5-inch AMOLED display. There are upsides and downsides to this. AMOLED screens are vibrant and pixel-dense, but they also tend to drain the battery much faster than, for example, the transflective MIP displays employed in many other adventure watches. When this type of screen is employed in a model whose functionality is rooted in long battery life, it needs built-in dimming features that preserve its energy use — and the Suunto Vertical 2 is no different. While its AMOLED display is by no means difficult to read, it can still feel uncomfortably dark and lacklustre at times.

Look past this, however, and you should not feel disappointed. The touchscreen display in the Suunto Vertical 2 is responsive (but not nearly as prone to accidental swipes as was the case with the Suunto Race 2) and, in our experience at least, seemingly immune to lags and other performance issues caused by exposure to cold temperatures. The interface looks good, too. It is loaded with stats and widgets, but still easy to read and navigate — even though it could take annoyingly long to scroll to the sports mode we wanted.

Suunto Vertical 2: Features

• Advanced navigation and mapping capabilities
• Over 115 sports modes
• No contactless payments, music storage or voice commands

The Suunto Vertical 2 is a full-on fitness and adventure watch, with its features centered around outdoor explorations and smashing workout PBs. Unlike the Fenix 8, for example, it can't be used for more "mundane" activities such as paying for your groceries or storing your favorite tunes. It also does not have a built-in microphone and voice recognition, nor can it answer a call from your mobile phone.

It is not a deal-breaker, though. The Suunto Vertical 2 has almost everything you may need or want on a hiking trail or running course, and its lack of advanced smart features does not overshadow these impressive capabilities.

To start with, the Suunto Vertical 2 comes with a comprehensive set of navigation tools, from a built-in LED flashlight to detailed offline maps and reliable dual-band GPS that supports all major satellite systems. Features like breadcrumb tracking, route planning and “find back” (a GPS navigation tool that retraces your steps and guides you back to your starting point — a lifesaver when you have gone off-trail or the weather obscures your path) make this smartwatch a particularly good companion for off-grid adventures.

Its range of workout-tracking tools is also impressive. The Suunto Vertical 2 comes with over 115 sport modes and an in-depth set of fitness stats for each of those activities, as well as continuous heart rate monitoring, blood oxygen sensing, sleep quality assessments and many more useful measurements.

As fitness buffs ourselves, we thoroughly enjoyed diving into our health and fitness stats after each workout. Exercise beginners, however, may feel a bit overwhelmed by the Suunto app. It does not offer the same level of holistic wellness coaching or AI-powered trend analysis as some of its competitors, and it could be information overload for those unfamiliar with complex fitness terms.

Suunto Vertical 2: Performance

• Up to 20 days of battery life in smartwatch mode
• Relatively accurate measurements
• Good app connectivity

According to the brand, the Suunto Vertical 2 can last up to 20 days in smartwatch mode, 65 hours in Performance mode (default multi-band GPS mode, with highly accurate navigation), 75 hours in Endurance mode (all-systems single-band GPS, less accurate), 110 hours in Ultra mode (all-systems single-band GPS, disabled heart rate measurements) and 250 hours in Tour mode (lowest GPS accuracy). Understandably, we could not thoroughly test every one of these modes and can't say for sure, but these claims seem pretty accurate. The battery life on the Suunto Vertical 2 is staggering, and we have barely had to charge this smartwatch at all.

Accuracy-wise, the Suunto Vertical 2 is a big step up from the Suunto Race 2 and a particularly solid performer for navigation, sleep and heart rate measurements. During one workout, for example, we wore it alongside a more precise Polar H9 chest-strap heart rate monitor. We found that both of these devices produced similar measurements, especially during periods of rest and steady state cardio. True, the accuracy did tail off slightly during high-intensity activities, but that is something we have observed in nearly every wearable we tested.

It is also worth noting that some of its tracking can be inconsistent at times. For example, the Suunto Vertical 2 appears to frequently overcount steps and overestimate the calories burned. However, these issues are rather minor and do not have a major impact on the overall user experience.

Lastly, the app connectivity seems very good. We had no issues with connecting our Suunto Vertical 2 or syncing the data between the devices. Again, that's not something we can confidently say about other smartwatches we tested before.

Suunto Vertical 2: User reviews

At the time of writing this review, Amazon's customer reviews placed the Suunto Vertical 2 at a solid 4.4 out of 5 stars. Buyers at the Suunto US website, on the other hand, rated it at a slightly higher 4.78 stars. This smartwatch was generally praised for its rugged build, extensive and accurate navigation features, and a handy built-in flashlight.

One happy user said: "I previously had the Suunto Peak Pro and this has been a very enjoyable upgrade. The screen brightness and readability alone are fantastic. I have put the watch through the paces with multi-sport and strength training, as well as on a recent 48-hour ski tour hut trip, on which maybe 15% of the battery life was used from start to finish. Though bigger than the Peak Pro, the weight and size are hardly noticeable. Heart rate and GPS access and navigation are well within standards."

However, the tracking accuracy receives mixed feedback, and some users also complained about its confusing interface and basic sleep-tracking features.

Should you buy the Suunto Vertical 2 smartwatch?

The Suunto Vertical 2 is an excellent no-nonsense smartwatch for outdoor enthusiasts and fitness pros. It offers a combination of outdoor-focused features, reliable tracking performance and rugged design, all at an approachable price and without pricey subscriptions. Plus, it is unusually stylish and customizable. This smartwatch may have skimped on smart features and extra frills, but it does a good job of the essentials.

✅ Buy it if: You are a keen explorer or outdoor fitness enthusiast looking for a reliable adventure watch, especially if you often venture on multi-day hiking or camping trips.

❌ Do not buy it if: You seek a day-to-day smartwatch with contactless payments, music storage and an extensive app ecosystem, or do not tend to spend much time in the great outdoors.

Suunto Vertical 2: Related products

The Coros Vertix 2 is one of the most suitable alternatives to the Suunto Vertical 2. Both of these smartwatches offer roughly the same features at a very similar price, but the former comes with slightly longer battery life and a more straightforward interface.

Looking for something more premium and do not mind splashing the cash? Then you can't go wrong with the Garmin Fenix 8. The direct and most formidable competitor to the Suunto Vertical 2, this high-end smartwatch offers similar ruggedness and tracking features, but it also throws in a bunch of smart features, a rich app ecosystem and the ability to use more advanced dive modes. It costs anywhere between $799 and $1,199 (depending on the model), but it is well worth the money if you are not willing to cut any corners.

On a budget? Consider the Amazfit T-Rex 3 or its more advanced sibling, the T-Rex 3 Pro. While this smartwatch does not have as advanced and comprehensive mapping and fitness-tracking features, it offers excellent battery life, durable design and good accuracy — and it costs "only" $279.99.

Suunto Vertical 2: How we tested

We spent over two months trying and testing the Suunto Vertical 2, assessing its design, features, tracking performance, battery life, app connectivity and ease of use. We wore this smartwatch during the day, while sleeping, and when doing a range of activities, from hiking outdoors to indoor rowing and high-intensity strength training. Then, we compared the sleep, steps and heart rate measurements taken by the Suunto Vertical 2 with the data we obtained using a Polar H9 chest-strap heart rate monitor and our Whoop MG screenless fitness tracker. Lastly, we gave our verdict on its overall functionality and value for money.

Choosing from the best fitness trackers available can feel overwhelming at times — how can you differentiate them? How do you know if they have all the features you're looking for? This is why we spend weeks testing fitness trackers, to help gather the information you need to make an informed decision.

When it comes to the Motorola Moto Watch Fit, there was a lot to like and only a few things that turned us off. However, when you consider the price of this fitness tracker, there isn't much to grumble about. We loved the amount of yoga types you could select from, the personalized workout screen that took minutes, if not seconds, to sort, the Velcro-adjustable strap, the battery life, the sleep tracking and the durability of the Gorilla Glass screen.

While the accuracy of the stress monitor was questionable, and the tracker was unable to determine when all workouts were paused or finished, there was still a lot to like about this budget fitness watch. So much so that we wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to newbies to the fitness tracking world, keen yogis or those looking to make tracking their fitness as easy as possible.

It's in tough competition with the Xiaomi Smart Band 10 in our eyes. The Smart Band 10 shines with an extra week of battery life compared to the Motorola Moto Watch Fit, but otherwise, these fitness trackers are very similar. So how did the Motorola Moto Watch Fit perform during our testing period? Read on to find out.

Motorola Moto Watch Fit review

Motorola Moto Watch Fit : Design

• The Velcro strap is a nice touch
• Screen is a great size, durable and resistant
• Lots of personalization features

There is a lot to like about the Motorola Moto Watch Fit, especially as it seems to be a fitness watch with numerous personalization features, which make this watch more compatible with you than you first realize.

For example, there is the standard personalization of the watch faces, with a huge amount to select from. However, beyond this, the Velcro strap design, while initially appearing somewhat cheap-looking, is actually a blessing in disguise. It allows you to get this watch to fit your exact wrist size, reducing the number of times it may slip down your wrist during exercise. While the silicone straps on other fitness watches are good, they tend to leave you with only a few options for sizing. The whole of the band on the Motorola Moto Watch Fit is available to use as a Velcro band, meaning even those with smaller wrists can get this watch to fit snugly.

While we love the Velcro strap, we aren't too keen on the color. Currently, it appears this watch is only available with this color strap, a dark green with a yellow race stripe down the center, which is a little disappointing. Motorola does note you can swap this band out with any other compatible 0.86-inch (22 mm) band, although it appears these need to be sourced elsewhere than Motorola.

The personalization feature we feel it's important to note is the fact that you can add and remove workouts on the workout screen with a simple touch of the Add and Remove buttons. Even the most uninterested person in tech could easily adapt their workout screen within seconds. This means that hitting go on a workout involves the minimal amount of faff possible — a real godsend compared to wading through tons of workouts until you find the one you want (and then that one appearing again on your workout screen for future reference).

Furthermore, there is a wide range of workouts available to choose from, including differentiation of yoga types. This gives this watch massive appeal to yogis who can now distinguish between their Ashtanga practice and their restorative or Yin Yoga. It might not seem like a big deal to non-yogis, but different types of yoga require different levels of energy, with some being more dynamic and others more slow and steady, meaning stats per yoga session can vary widely. With the Motorola Moto Watch Fit, you can now capture your yoga sessions far more accurately.

Another great feature of this watch is the screen, with a 1.9-in OLED display that's a good size without being too bulky. The visibility is great in all light conditions, and we found it to be sufficiently durable and resistant to dust and other particles for a budget fitness tracker. After two weeks of continuous daily testing, there wasn't a mark or scratch to be found on the screen, which is possibly thanks to its Gorilla Glass.

The screen itself feels quite slender on your wrist, and there are minimal external buttons, meaning this watch isn't prone to getting stuck on clothing while working out (one of our bugbears!) There is one button on the side that can be used to turn the screen on (if you don't have always-on mode activated) and to pause workouts. Other than that, most operations are handled by swiping or touching the screen.

Motorola Moto Watch Fit: Performance

• Outstanding battery life for a budget fitness tracker
• Sleep and heart rate monitoring are largely accurate
• The stress monitor appears to be inaccurate

For a budget fitness tracker, the Motorola Moto Watch Fit performed well. It logged most of our workouts accurately, including the length of time we were exercising for, the length of the walks we took and our heart rate. It also has exceptional battery life, offering two weeks on a single charge, and we can attest this was the case for our testing period. We never needed to charge it during our two-week testing period and still had 32% of battery life at the time of writing this review. However, we should note that we had the "always-on" feature turned off during this period, as a personal preference. Having this feature on would certainly drain the battery faster.

While walking outdoors, with the watch using its own built-in GPS, the watch automatically acknowledges when you have paused and when you start walking again. This is a great feature that allows you to stay present in your surroundings, rather than having to constantly stop and start your workout whenever you pause to look at something on your walk. You also have the option to pause workouts by tapping the screen or pressing the button on the side, which is perfect for indoor workouts when automatic acknowledgement of a pause in a workout doesn't work.

Although overall we were impressed with this watch's performance, we did notice a few nuances in its accuracy functions. The Motorola Moto Watch Fit can't recognize when you have finished a workout, so it's important to remember to finish your workout manually. To do so, it's a simple swipe to the right when on the workout screen and a press of the Finish button. Unlike other budget watches we've reviewed, such as the Xiaomi Smart Band 10, you only need to tap the Finish button rather than hold it down to end a workout. This made ending workouts quick, which we liked.

The reason we say to end your workouts promptly is that, when doing a yoga class, we forgot to end our workout and realized an hour later, after having sat down for lunch. The watch had continued monitoring our "workout" and couldn't distinguish between us doing yoga and eating lunch! This was slightly disappointing, but as this is a budget fitness watch, it was understandable.

Another feature that left us unsatisfied was the stress monitor. The stress monitor appears to use your heart rate as a monitor for your stress. Currently being six months pregnant means our heart rate is always higher than average, with a resting BPM of somewhere between 90-100bpm. This put us in the Medium category for stress; however, we did not experience any level of stress during our testing period, as we were on holiday. Consequently, we found this measurement unreliable and void, which was a shame.

However, being pregnant also meant that we could tell the heart rate monitoring on the Motorola Moto Watch Fit was largely accurate. Capturing our resting BPM often in the 90s, and our exercising BPM reaching a maximum of 142 when doing light exercise, we felt happy that this aligned with our current heart rate due to the pregnancy.

While we found the heart rate monitoring to be impressively accurate for a budget fitness tracker, we were also surprisingly happy with the sleep monitoring function. Again, being six months pregnant, we are often up in the night for toilet trips. The watch accurately captured our awake windows, including how long we were actually awake for. Not only this, but we found the sleep data to be interesting to look at the following day, with it capturing the length of our sleep, the time spent in deep sleep, light sleep and REM, our awake periods and sleep heart rate. The data also gives you an idea of the quality of your sleep.

Motorola Moto Watch Fit: Functionality

• Simple interface is ideal for beginners
• Lack of smart features
• Additional useful features

Overall, we felt the Motorola Moto Watch Fit did a great job, especially for a budget fitness tracker. The combination of the design, including many personalization options, and strong performance allows us to confidently give this fitness watch 4.5 stars out of 5. We would happily have given it five stars if some of the features provided more accurate stats.

However, we can't fault the interface of this fitness watch. There are only six actions required to get what you want from this watch. These are:
• pressing the button on the side to activate the screen
• tapping the screen to wake it up
• swiping right to access the main menu (including workout features)
• swiping left to access your daily activity goals
• swiping up for any notifications
• swiping down for the quick menu, including water lock, torch and sleep mode.

It really is as simple as that — once you've spent a few minutes familiarizing yourself with these actions, you can confidently move around the watch. We think it's a good option for beginners to fitness tracking.

As far as we can make out, the Motorola Moto Watch Fit is primarily a fitness tracker, as it lacks smart features such as NFC payments. While we didn't personally miss these features, those looking for a fitness tracker-cum-smartwatch may want to look elsewhere. This is a "basic" fitness watch — as you'd expect at this price.

While the primary function of this fitness watch is to track your workouts, there are some additional features that are handy to have. These include breathing exercises, a torch and 5ATM water resistance. There is sadly only one breathing exercise, but you can increase how long you want to practice it for by increasing the number of minutes. For those looking for more of a rounded approach to their health and fitness, the inclusion of breathing exercises is a nice touch that can help people destress and unwind — especially as health isn't just about the workouts we do.

The 5ATM water resistance and water lock function mean you can wear this fitness tracker while swimming. It also has its own "Pool swimming" workout mode — great news for those who prefer working out in water rather than on land.

Previously, we haven't felt the need to use the additional features, such as a torch, when reviewing fitness trackers. However, due to our pregnancy and many trips to the loo each night, we can say that having a torch on your wrist is actually a worthwhile thing! It's bright enough to light up a room and safely walk in the dark — we only used it indoors, but this feature might also prove useful when rooting around in the car or trunk when returning home in the dark from the shops, for example. It unfortunately won't suffice for using outside while exercising, as it turns off after a few minutes.

Overall, we feel the Motorola Moto Watch Fit is a fantastic budget fitness tracker that feels more premium than it is. Some of its features are outstanding, and only a few could be a tad better.

Should you buy the Motorola Moto Watch Fit?

The Motorola Moto Watch Fit has some impressive features, such as its personalization abilities, multiple yoga workout options, 5ATM water resistance, built-in GPS, user-friendly interface, extensive battery life and useful additional features, to name a few. We found the benefits and ease of use of this watch far outweighed the few things we noted as disappointments. It's also worth remembering that this is a budget fitness tracker, and as such, it can't be directly compared to the likes of Garmin watches, which are renowned for their accuracy but cost considerably more.

Saying that, there are a few groups of people who would particularly like this tracker. Beginners to fitness trackers will find the interface accessible, while the accompanying app is also a breeze to look through and understand — there is nothing overly complex in the data that could overwhelm those new to the world of fitness tracking.

Keen yogis will also be delighted with the ability to choose more than just "Yoga" on their workouts. The variety of yoga types means yogis can accurately capture their workout and look back at their data knowing exactly the type of yoga they practised at the time. This is useful as not all yoga requires the same amount of energy and thus calories burned and heart rate measurements may look quite different depending on the style being practiced.

Finally, this watch will appeal to anyone looking to make fitness tracking easy. With the ability to personalize your workout menu and set the strap to your exact wrist size, all the faff is removed, and it literally takes a second to start and end your workout.

If this product isn't for you

While we think the Motorola Moto Watch Fit is a great budget fitness tracker, it may not suit your needs. If you're looking for a slender fitness watch, the Xiaomi Smart Band 10 is a good option, receiving 4.5 out of 5 stars in our review and featuring as the best budget fitness tracker in our best fitness trackers guide. We complimented its slender design, which allowed it to be unobtrusive, both during workouts and to wear at night, and it features over 150 workout modes. Plus, the battery life is around 21 days — a tad better than the Motorola Moto Watch Fit.

If you have more money to spend but are new to fitness tracking, consider the Garmin Vivoactive 6. With a similar battery life of 11 days, accurate fitness tracking and exercise animations, the Vivoactive 6 is a great introduction to Garmin's fitness tracking technology without feeling overwhelmed.

Depending on your needs and budget, you might want to try the Garmin Fenix 8 if you're looking for a reliable fitness watch to track your workouts — we rate it as the best fitness tracker for tracking workouts. However, this might be a bit too expensive for some, especially if you're new to the fitness tracking world.

If you're a keen runner, we rate the Garmin Forerunner 965 as the best running watch. But the TicWatch Atlas is a great competitor to some of the more expensive models available, and may suit anyone looking for a great Garmin alternative.

January is one of the best times of the year for upgrading your running shoes. However, even some of the most experienced runners can be left confused by the sheer number of available discounts, never mind those who are only just starting their fitness journey. Do not worry, though. In this deluge of January fitness sales, we managed to find a real gem. The New Balance Fresh Foam X 1080 V14 are excellent everyday running shoes, suitable for both the pros and first-time runners — and they have just hit their lowest-ever price.

Save up to 69% on the New Balance Women's Fresh Foam X 1080 V14 running shoe at Amazon. Men's collection has also been discounted, with up to 39% off on selected sizes and colors.

Kate Carter, our long-standing running expert, gave them a solid 4.5-star rating in her New Balance 1080 V14 running shoes review. We also included them in our guide to the best running shoes for supination as the best option for everyday runs. Trust us when we say you will be hard-pressed to find a better offer in this price range.

Kate has clocked hundreds of miles in her New Balance Fresh Foam X 1080 V14 — the pictures above clearly show how much she has worn them out over the past year or so! But what makes these running shoes so special, then? The answer is simple. Hardly any other trainer delivers such an impeccable combination of comfort, cushioning, durability and functionality. The New Balance Fresh Foam X 1080 V14 does just as well in marathon training as it does for casual hiking and recovery runs. It is a real workhorse.

That said, the New Balance Fresh Foam X 1080 V14 may not be for everyone. These running shoes are extremely well-cushioned, meaning they were designed to prioritise comfort over responsiveness. As Kate pointed out, they may not have enough bounce and power transfer to see you through speedwork and racing competitions. When it comes to anything else, however, the New Balance Fresh Foam X 1080 V14 is a fabulous pick — and now, you can get this excellent daily trainer at its lowest-ever price.

Key features: Fresh Foam X platform, drop 6 mm, heel stack height 38 mm, forefoot stack height 32 mm

Product launched: October 2024

Price history: Before today's deal, the lowest price on the New Balance Women's Fresh Foam X 1080 V14 running shoes was $67.34, and for the better part of last year, the price sat at $164.95. Today's offer from Amazon brings the price down to $51.30, which is the lowest price we have ever seen.

Price comparison: Amazon: up to 69% off | New Balance: up to 21% off | REI: up to 20% off

Review's consensus: The New Balance Fresh Foam X 1080 V14 is widely praised for its robust cushioning, breathable design and durable build, with many reviewers considering it one of the best-value daily trainers on the market. Many testers also commended its extensive functionality and a wide range of color options. Negative remarks, though few and far between, often revolved around its level of cushioning, and some reviewers also complained about the lack of notable upgrades to the previous Fresh Foam X 1080 model.

Live Science: ★★★★½ | Tom's Guide: ★★★★ | T3: ★★★★

Featured in guides: Best running shoes for supination

✅ Buy it if: You are a casual runner looking for comfortable, well-cushioned running shoes.

❌ Don't buy it if: You want highly responsive, racing-focused running shoes, such as the New Balance Women's FuelCell Rebel V4 (now up to 55% off at Amazon).

Check out our other guides to the best telescopes, binoculars, star projectors, cameras, fitness trackers, running shoes, rowing machines and more.

January is peak season for fitness sales, with major discounts on gym memberships, fitness trackers, activewear and beginner-friendly exercise equipment. No wonder — it is a perfect opportunity for retailers to clear inventory and capitalize on all those "New Year, New You" resolutions.

For an exercise novice, however, this endless sea of workout gear and gadgets can be downright overwhelming. But if that is you, do not worry! You do not need a gym's worth of exercise equipment, a high-end Garmin watch or a professional athlete's wardrobe to begin. Starting simple is often the most effective strategy for a long-term lifestyle change — not to mention that it is much easier on the wallet.

With that in mind, we rounded up a list of essential, science-backed purchases for a beginner, prioritizing ease-of-use, safety and versatility. Plus, we sprinkled in some fitness deals to help your post-Christmas budget go that little bit further.

Here’s what to buy (and what to skip) to launch your fitness journey in strategic fashion — and save yourself some money in the process.

The essentials: Gear that gets you out the door

Before investing in a premium running watch or one of the best rowing machines, focus on the basics. Buying the right footwear and workout clothing is an essential first step on your fitness journey. This is not about fashion; it is about comfort and safety.

Footwear: Your most important investment

This is your non-negotiable purchase. Appropriate footwear helps you maintain good foot health, reduces the risk of injuries and boosts your overall well-being, according to a 2024 review published in the journal Applied Sciences. Choose shoes that are stable, comfortable to wear and suitable for your intended activities.

That said, do not get bogged down in premium brands and ultra-specialized shoes. Start with a quality pair of all-purpose trainers or cross-trainers. The best beginner-friendly options have a good balance of cushioning and stability for a mix of gym workouts, walking, jogging and low- to moderate-intensity aerobics. Good looks are just the cherry on top.

Workout clothing: It is all about comfort

Workout clothing should help you withstand the demands of intense exercise, not actively impede your attempts to get fit. Look for synthetic, moisture-wicking fabrics like polyester or spandex — they help regulate body temperature and prevent sweat from lingering on your skin, while cotton, for example, holds sweat and can cause chafing.

Then, focus on freedom of movement. A well-designed piece of activewear will allow for freedom of movement and not slip off or irritate your skin during intense workouts. Start with a few core pieces to build a rotation: a few tops and bottoms, several pairs of sports socks and, for women, a couple of good-quality sports bras.

Again, there is no need to invest in premium brands and highly specialized activewear; affordable lines from major retailers work perfectly fine. Comfort here is key — if you feel good, you are more likely to get moving.

The best retailers for finding deals on beginner-friendly workout clothing:

• Puma: Now up to 60% off on Puma Essentials and Puma Elevated Essentials
• Adidas: End of Year Sale with up to 60% off on shoes and activewear
• Reebok: End-of-Season Sale with up to 50% off selected styles
• CRZ Yoga: A budget alternative to Lululemon, now with up to 81% off on yoga pants, leggings, tops and jumpsuits
• Target's All in Motion: A highly-rated line of affordable workout clothing, running shoes and exercise equipment
• Amazon's Aurola: Soft and versatile workout tops and bottoms for under $35

The home-gym starter pack: Simple, space-savvy exercise equipment

While you may be tempted to splash out on a premium treadmill or super-smart exercise bike, hold off on the big purchases for now. You can build remarkable strength, endurance and mobility with basic, space-savvy equipment too, and at a much lower cost. A yoga mat, adjustable dumbbells and resistance bands, for example, are very beginner-friendly, offering maximum versatility with a minimal footprint.

If you are not entirely sure how to use them, look up beginner-friendly home exercise video tutorials or join an online fitness class. January fitness sales are not just about physical gear — many fitness apps and services are discounted, too, or offer free taster sessions. There is also plenty of good-quality content that is entirely free of charge.

Fitness trackers: A source of useful data and exercise advice

A well-chosen fitness tracker can provide a lot of valuable feedback and positive reinforcement in the early stages of your fitness journey. Counting your daily steps, tracking an active workout and reviewing your past activities can help you make more sense of your workouts and general progress.

Training by "feel" is hard for beginners, and continuous heart rate measurements provide objective data on your efforts. It helps you understand zones: are you in a moderate, fat-burning zone or pushing into high intensity? This ensures your easy days are genuinely promoting recovery and your hard days are truly effective.

Moreover, the goal-setting and "closing your rings" features (a visual representation of your progress towards your daily exercise goals) leverage gamification, and this in itself can be a powerful motivator. Not to mention, many fitness trackers come in handy outside of the gym or running track, too.

However, do not get swayed by the trends here. A basic Fitbit, Garmin or Apple Watch SE will track steps, heart rate, sleep, and active minutes just as well as the more advanced and expensive models. They also tend to be more beginner-friendly in terms of their user interfaces and the language they use to describe your fitness stats.

What NOT to buy (right away)

The allure of a shiny new machine is strong, but impulsive buys often become expensive clothes racks. Here are some tips on how to avoid costly mistakes as an exercise beginner.

Hold off on major equipment. Do not start by buying an expensive treadmill, elliptical, or full home-gym system. Use your foundational gear or a gym trial for one month at least. If you have consistently stuck with your routine, then research what machine would best suit the activities you have genuinely enjoyed.

Avoid over-specialization. You do not need cycling shoes until you are sure indoor cycling is your go-to sport. Similarly, you do not need Olympic weightlifting shoes for general strength training. Let your sustained interest guide niche purchases, not the other way around.

Beware of fads and "quick fix" gadgets. If a product promises insane results with minimal effort, it is likely selling a fantasy. Sustainable fitness is built on consistent effort, not electrical muscle stimulators, ab belts or dodgy supplements. Stick to the good-old healthy diet and regular workouts, and you will be primed for success in 2026.

The bottom line

The goal of your initial purchases is not to equip a pro athlete from the get-go, but to minimize barriers to exercise and help you establish healthy habits. Every item should make it easier to say "yes" to your workout and harder to make an excuse.

This New Year, invest first in the basics that support consistency. Let your proven dedication over weeks and months, not your initial January enthusiasm, guide your future investments. Your journey starts not with the fanciest gear, but with the first step taken in the right shoes.

We hope that our list will help you do just that.

Featuring as the 'best alternative' (to typical watch-style fitness trackers) in our guide to the best fitness trackers for swimming, the FORM Smart Swim 2 takes swimming goggles to the next, purposeful level. At first glance, they look like everyday swim goggles, but they're so much more. Replacing your everyday swim goggles, they feature a digital readout that gives you real-time data like your heart rate, distance and split times. You have the option to sign up for a premium subscription, where you can create your own training plans and utilize ready-made workouts and technique tips.

We love that this device is integrated into something you would ordinarily use in the pool. There is no need to remember an additional device, such as a watch or training band. It is also inherently swim-specific. There aren't heaps of menus, workout types, or other distractions you would find on a multi-sport device. If swimming is the only exercise you're interested in tracking, these could be a good fit.

The Smart Swim 2 comes with five interchangeable nose bridges and adjustable straps to help you achieve a secure fit. Once you have fitted the goggles to your face, the optical heart rate sensor sits snugly against it. In our hands-on FORM Smart Swim 2 review, we found the heart rate readings to be spot on, with no missed or erratic readings, unlike some swim trackers we have reviewed.

While these aren't the most comfortable swimming goggles in the world, as they require a tight fit to ensure data accuracy, they are about as comfortable as any other swimming goggles we've worn for extended periods in the water. They all need to be snug to the face to ensure a leak-free swim after all.

While testing, we found that the reduced peripheral vision takes a little while to get used to, as does switching between looking 'at' the data and looking 'through' the data, as this is likely something you haven't done before. We quickly adapted to it, and over time, it just became part and parcel of our swimming experience.

• Our experts have reviewed and rated the best fitness trackers, running shoes, rowing machines and more. Everything you need to kick-start your 2026 fitness routine.

The real strength of the FORM Smart Swim 2 is the hands-off real-time feedback in the pool. If, like us, you're prone to losing count of your laps/lengths in the pool, you can relax into your swim and not have to think about the numbers. Turn detection, automatic pause detection and lap counting work with impressive accuracy, taking the guesswork out of tracking swims. You can connect and sync your data with third-party platforms, such as Strava, if you wish.

The accompanying app provides structure through workouts and training plans, but access to the full range requires a subscription, priced at around $15 (£13) per month or $99 (£84) per year. In the grand scheme of things, though this may seem a bit annoying, it is still great value.

Key features: Customizable transparent 'in-eye' display for metrics such as heart rate tracking, number of lengths, lap split times and overall distance.

Product launched: April 2024.

Price history: The price was consistently $279 (aside from a few flash-sale drops) but has been $199 since the start of November, possibly because consumers are now favoring the updated Form Smart Swim 2 Pro.

Price comparison: Amazon: $199 | Walmart: $223.73 | Best Buy: $199

Reviews consensus: The Smart Swim 2 goggles have a rating of 4.1 out of 5 on Amazon, with many users reporting significant improvements in their swimming technique and overall experience. A frequently mentioned benefit is the 'swim straight' feature, which is particularly useful for helping open-water swimmers stay on track.

Live Science: ★★★★½ | T3: ★★★★ | Toms Guide: ★★★½

✅ Buy it if: Your primary focus is data logging or improving your swims. These are purpose-built for swimmers.

❌ Don't buy it if: You want to track multiple sports, for that, you'll be better off taking a look at one of the best fitness trackers. Our favourite overall, the Amazfit, is on sale for just $119.99 with a 40% discount right now.

Check out our other guides to the best budget fitness trackers, sleep trackers, smart rings and much more.

If you're looking to get back into exercising, or are just starting out, the Xiaomi Smart Band 10 may be the best fitness tracker for you. This fitness tracker does a great job of tracking your workouts and summarizing the data in an easy-to-understand format, without overcomplicating anything. The interface is user-friendly, and even those who aren't into tech should be able to navigate around this smartwatch in no time at all.

While this is a budget fitness tracker, that doesn't mean it's lacking in features. You can do more than just track your workouts with this smart band: you can also track your sleep, stress levels, heart rate and so much more. There's also no shortage of sports modes — with 150+ to choose from, you're bound to find the workout you want on this watch.

While the Xiaomi Smart Band 10 has a few features the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 doesn't, such as underwater real-time heart rate monitoring, running courses and a larger screen, there are also plenty of similarities between the two. Both offer three weeks of battery life, and neither has its own built-in GPS, for a start. But how does the Xiaomi Smart Band 10 perform compared to its predecessor, which we placed in our best budget fitness trackers guide?

Xiaomi Smart Band 10 fitness tracker review

Xiaomi Smart Band 10 fitness tracker: Design

• Strap is difficult to put on alone
• Charger is USB-A – we'd prefer USB-C
• Comfortable to wear, day and night

The Xiaomi Smart Band 10 is a small yet surprisingly well designed fitness tracker. Unlike other smartwatches, with huge watch faces that protrude from your wrist, the Xiaomi Smart Band 10 is nice and sleek. With a face that measures only 1.72 inches (44 millimeters) diagonally, ultra-thin bezels of just 0.07 inches (2 mm) and a weight of 0.56 ounces (15.95 grams), this fitness tracker is barely noticeable when it's being worn.

The screen is an AMOLED display and performs well in direct sunlight — not once did we struggle to see the details on the screen in any light. But while the slender screen is a welcome relief from bulkier fitness trackers, we did find the strap rather annoying to put on alone.

Our sample was the Midnight Rose variation and came with a light pink TPU strap, where you need to press the button into the strap. However, due to the strap's flexibility, it's hard to tighten the strap and push the button in without losing tightness, and we found it easier to have someone help us. After a while, we managed it alone, but this was frustrating at first.

Saying that, you can change the strap if you find this irritating. There's a quick-release button on the back, which you can press with a fingernail and release the strap with no fuss. There are many alternative options, including leather, metal and silk knitted straps, as well as the option to turn it into a pendant.

We liked how many watch faces there are for you to download for free on the Mi Fitness App, and there are even more if you are happy to pay a little. This means you can personalize your watch and change things up if, like us, you get bored with the same image as your watch background.

As we've already mentioned, the watch face is slender and unobtrusive. There are also no buttons that can be accidentally pressed during mid-workout, or that will interfere if you have your wrist bent in a Pilates, yoga or exercise class, for example. With other fitness trackers we have sometimes found the buttons an irritation during classes, or they have caught on long-sleeve tops. You don't have this issue with the Xiaomi Smart Band 10, so you can trust your data will be not be ruined by accidental presses.

Apart from our slight irritation with the strap at the start, the only other annoying thing about the design of this watch is that the charger is a standard USB-A connector rather than USB-C. For some, this might not be an issue, but we had to hunt around the house to find a charging plug with a USB port — most other items in our home require USB-C, so receiving a new fitness tracker with what we'd call an outdated port was surprising. This meant we couldn't easily charge it while at our laptop, for example, which would have been nice.

This is only a minor issue, but it's something to be aware of if you're thinking of buying one.

Xiaomi Smart Band 10 fitness tracker: Performance

• Accurately recorded most health stats
• Incredible battery life for a budget tracker
• Location tracking performed poorly

Let's start with some of the basic requirements of a comfortable and reliable fitness tracker. The screen was durable and didn't mark during a testing period in which we wore it every day for two weeks (plus many other days after this, on and off, mainly because we liked it). There is not a single scratch or mark to be found — impressive for a fitness tracker that only costs a little over $45.

However, the light colored pink TPU strap did start to look a bit dirty, mainly around the loop where the strap slides together. This isn't very noticeable but there's a slight color change towards a gray. But, seeing as you can personalize this watch with other straps, this isn't a huge problem.

Our main negative was the comfort of this watch — we loved the slender screen, but you need to have this watch done up really tight to get it to stay in place. Tightness also aids the accuracy of the stats, but it felt too tight to be comfortable sometimes. When we chose to wear it on the looser notch, this inevitably meant the tracker would slide down our wrist during exercise, sacrificing the accuracy of the data. Of course, it could just be that our wrists were of a size in-between the available notches, and perhaps a different strap would have worked better.

But let's look at the positives of this amazing budget fitness tracker. The battery life is utterly astounding. We only needed to charge it once in three weeks. That's two weeks of testing the watch every day and night — we did one form of exercise every day, sometimes two, plus we wore it to bed every night — and then a last week when it was on and off our wrist on an "as and when" basis. That's incredible battery life and something that astounded us, given this watch's low price.

Another positive aspect of this watch's performance is related to the sleep tracking. We found it satisfyingly accurate in capturing when we fell asleep and when we woke up, plus any times we were disturbed during the night. The Mi Fitness app provides detailed information, capturing your sleep and wake times, quality of sleep, length of sleep, stages of sleep you experienced and for how long, and your average heart rate. Plus, there is the sleep improvement plan you can do to help improve the quality of your sleep.

However, where the Xiaomi Smart Band 10 fell a bit short was on its location tracking. While we didn't need to know the location of the walks we took with our dog, for example, we noticed the location tracking struggled as soon as we were in the countryside. And when we say countryside, we mean not the middle of nowhere but on the edge of a large town.

Seeing as the Smart Band 10 doesn't have its own GPS and relies on your smartphone's GPS, you will not be able to track your runs or walks if you lose phone signal. However, when walking around our local high street or neighbourhood, the smartwatch could locate us accurately.

Aside from this, we thought the Smart Band 10 did a good job of capturing our health stats, including BPM (when stationary and when exercising), max BPM when exercising and the start and end times of our workouts. We had no way of knowing if the calories burned were accurate, but when using the watch during walks, the step counts appeared to be accurate for the length of the walks we did, as did the average pace.

Xiaomi Smart Band 10 fitness tracker: Functionality

• Easy-to-use interface
• 5ATM water resistance
• 150+ sports modes for every form of exercise

There are so many functions to this fitness tracker that we're sure it will take you a while to get your head around everything it has to offer. Some functions you will find useful and come back to often, and some you may use once or twice and then forget about.

There is a wealth of data you can capture on this fitness tracker, but the interface itself is easy-to-use, and you'll be navigating around the watch within minutes. The only thing we found tricky at first was locating where the 150+ sports modes were — some are placed in obvious categories whereas others were hidden.

One clever thing this watch does, though, is that once you've located your training or sports mode a few times, it pops it into the menu you first see when clicking on the 'workout' tile on the main menu. So, realistically, you only have to go rooting around once or twice — after that, your most-used workouts are just a press away.

The Smart Band 10 has 5ATM water resistance, making it suitable for swimming. Plus, there is now real-time underwater heart rate monitoring, something the Smart Band 9 does not have.

While there are many things this watch can do, you can also monitor your stress levels, your oxygen levels and heart rate whenever you feel like it. Not only this, but with every workout you do, the watch can calculate your vitality score and training state, offering personalized recovery times in between your workouts. This will be useful if you are trying to return to fitness and an exercise routine, as well as for those training for a specific purpose, so you don't end up overdoing it.

For those looking for some guidance on runs, this watch has various running courses you can follow, from basic to advanced. These are easy to locate from the main menu, and once you've selected the one you would like to do, the watch gives you guidance on how long to run/walk for, helping you to slowly build your stamina. This is great for those looking to start running, allowing them to pace themselves to avoid overexertion.

One thing this watch lacks is the ability to detect when a workout has ended. This meant that a few times, our data was skewed as we forgot to stop our workout at the end of a class. Sometimes we ended up with data covering the walk back to the car, for example. While this isn't a huge problem — and understandable for a budget fitness tracker— it's important to remember to stop the watch whenever you finish working out.

The problem was that we often forgot we had it on in the first place, due to how lightweight it is!

Should you buy the Xiaomi Smart Band 10 fitness tracker?

We loved this budget fitness tracker, which would suit those starting out on their fitness journey, or those who aren't into tech and want to keep things simple. The interface is easy to navigate, the data and stats are digestible and we could not fault the battery life, which reduced any faff around having to remember to charge it regularly. The watch did a good job of capturing our health data after workouts, and we particularly liked the sleep data and sleep improvement plan. For beginners, the running courses and guidance are a fantastic way of building stamina.

There were a few things we may have changed if we were designing it, such as the strap and charging cable, but these are things others may not have an issue with. Overall this fitness tracker performed well, especially for the price.

If this product isn't for you

If you want a budget fitness tracker with a larger, squarer screen, the Amazfit Active may suit. Offering a 1.75 inch (4.4 cm) screen, the same water resistance of 5ATM, built-in GPS and 27 days of battery, this is a strong rival to the Xiaomi Smart Band 10.

If a larger screen is a priority for you, the Redmi Watch 5 offers a 2.07 inch (5.3 cm) colorful display.

If you're a runner, the Garmin Forerunner 165 will provide everything you need to sufficiently track your runs. Plus, being part of the Garmin family means you'll be getting quality without breaking the bank.

Alternatively, if you have the money to spend, the Garmin Vivoactive 6 may be a good option: we rated it the best for beginners in our best fitness trackers guide, as it offers guided walking workouts.

With Christmas less than two weeks away, now is the time to focus on gift shopping. But what should you buy for the gym enthusiast in your life? The standard sweater or scented candle may not cut it, and finding a gift that complements their passion can be truly daunting if you are not versed in an active lifestyle. The best fitness gifts are those that show you understand and support their dedication to self-improvement. They should either enhance their training, optimize their recovery, or simply make their gym life a little more efficient and enjoyable.

Confused? Do not worry. We have curated a list of the 23 best fitness gifts, blending practicality, innovation, and a touch of luxury to help your favorite athlete level up their training routine in the New Year. You can trust us here — we have worked in the fitness industry for more than a decade now, and know a thing or two about what constitutes a great fitness gift. With these ideas, you can skip the guesswork and give your loved one something they will truly make use of.

• Related: The best gifts for nature lovers and outdoor explorers

Massage guns and recovery tools

Forget basic foam rollers — the real game changers for post-exercise stiffness and muscle knots are percussion massage guns. These powerful handheld devices deliver targeted percussive therapy (rapid pulses or vibrations to the muscles), helping to alleviate soreness, increase blood flow and improve range of motion after intense workouts. If your loved one trains hard for a sporting event and/or tends to struggle with DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness), giving them one of the best massage guns will show that you care just as much about their rest and well-being as you do about their effort.

• More buying advice: Theragun vs Hypervolt: Which is best?

Running headphones and sports earbuds

Every fitness buff knows that the right soundtrack can turn a good workout into a great one. Noise-cancelling headphones are a perfect gift for a gym lover — they will block out the clanging weights, distracting conversations and underwhelming gym playlists, immersing them fully in their own auditory zone and helping them achieve their best. Make sure that the headphones are fully sweatproof, with a customizable fit and a good battery life, and, most importantly, are compatible with your intended recipient's phone.

Mind you, if your fitness lover is more of an outdoor than an indoor exerciser, they may prefer one of the best bone conduction headphones instead. They have an open-ear design that allows for situational awareness, making them a better choice for runners and hikers. They are also the only headphone type that can be used underwater — if your loved one is a swimmer or triathlete, they will surely appreciate it.

Gym essentials: Gym duffle bags, water bottles and towels

An active lifestyle is not cheap, and not just because of the steep gym membership costs. The devil is in the details: you may need a reusable water bottle to keep you hydrated between sets, a towel to wipe out your sweat from the cardio machines, an ultra-grippy yoga mat to help you step up your Pilates sessions, a gym bag to keep all your bits and pieces in one place... The list goes on. This is why gym essentials make for fantastic gifts. If you can give your fitness-obsessed loved one something that will help them cut the costs of keeping fit, they will not be disappointed.

Fitness trackers: Smartwatches, skipping ropes and swimming goggles

It is not just Garmin watches and smart rings — these days, fitness trackers come in all shapes and sizes, from innovative digital skipping ropes that count your jumps to smart goggles that measure your stroke rate and other vital stats when doing laps in a pool. Choosing the best fitness tracker for your loved one can be a daunting task, but it is worth the effort. Gym lovers love to keep track of their workout endeavours, and they will always appreciate a gift that helps them make sense of their fitness stats and identify areas for improvement.

• More buying advice: How to choose the best smartwatch for your loved one, according to an expert: The ultimate Christmas gift guide

Fun fitness gifts: Games and trinkets

Fitness gifts do not have to be serious, quite the opposite. The tongue-in-cheek presents are a particularly good option if your loved one already has every possible gym item available, or if they are in dire need of workout inspiration. This Christmas, bring a smile to their face with a fun music boxing machine, fitness board game or a set of coasters shaped like weight plates.

Apple recently unveiled its all-new Apple Watch Ultra 3, and as the flagship model when it comes to the Apple smartwatch range, it's also one of the most expensive and best fitness trackers on the market.

For Cyber Monday, we have spotted a massive discount on the superseded Apple Ultra 2 with $200 off — now at its lowest ever price on Amazon.

The Apple Ultra 2 is down to just $599.99, from the MSRP of $799.99, and that's the cheapest it's been since launching back in February last year. Therefore, we'd fully expect this price not to last much longer, and would suggest grabbing it while you can.

If the Ultra 2 is a step too far as far as price, then we have scoured the major online retailers and found alternative Cyber Monday Apple deals, including the Apple Watch Series 10 has a massive $150 discount at Walmart — down to just $279 from $429.

The Apple Watch SE (Gen 3) is down to just $199 from its MSRP of $249 on Amazon, and that takes the best-selling Apple Watch down to its best price since it launched back in September.

• We are currently hunting high and low for all the best Black Friday deals of 2025 so be sure to check out every deal we've found over on our main hub.
• Our experts have also reviewed and rated the best telescopes, binoculars, star projectors, cameras, fitness trackers, running shoes, rowing machines and more.

While we haven't managed to get our hands on these exact models for review, we have reviewed previous models. In our Apple Watch Ultra review, we gave it five out of five stars, stating that it was the "best Apple watch yet". However, the Ultra 2 superseded this watch with more impressive features. And now that the Ultra 3 has been released, you can get the Ultra 2 for an absolute steal of a price at $599.99. What's not to love?

In our Apple Watch Series 8 review, we praised the software features which saw Apple enhance their fitness tracking approach. Plus, we put it as the best all-rounder in our best running watches guide. The Series 10 boasts more enhanced features again, such as a water temperature sensor, the S10 chip, wrist and flick gestures, slightly increased low power mode battery life and quicker fast charge.

The Apple Watch SE received four out of five stars in our review, with our review noting it would suit those "looking for a larger-screen Apple Watch without breaking the bank". Now, with a further $50 off a newer version of the SE range, the Watch SE (Gen 3), this Cyber Monday, this watch is more than worth the investment. You'll get even better features than that of the SE, including always-on display (which we highlighted the lack of as an irk in our SE review), sleep apnea notifications, wrist temperature, enhanced cycle tracking with ovulation estimates, 5G capability, S10 chip plus so much more.

Products launched: Ultra 2 September 2023, Series 10 September 2024, SE (Gen 3) September 2025.

Price history: These Cyber Monday deals make these Apple watches some of the lowest prices they have ever been.

Price comparison: Ultra 2 at Walmart $749 and Best Buy $599 | Series 10 at Best Buy $340 and Amazon $392 | SE (Gen 3) at Walmart and Best Buy $249

Reviews consensus: While we haven't reviewed these models, we have reviewed their predecessors, giving them between four and five stars. Being impressed as we were with the older models, we have no doubt these watches are worth getting, especially with such fantastic discounts.

✅ Buy it if: You are a keen Apple Watch fan and have been looking for a bargain for a while — these are some of the best Apple Watch deals we've seen this weekend.

❌ Don't buy it if: You'd prefer a more serious fitness tracker. One of the best Garmin watches may suit you more.

Check out our other guides to the best fitness trackers, budget fitness trackers, smart rings, sleep trackers and much more.

Black Friday is the best time of the year to hunt for discounted activewear. At the end of a day, when else can you snap up a new pair of gym leggings or running shoes at half price or less? The problem is, a mad rush to secure the best fitness deals can easily lead to costly mistakes. A "bargain" that does not fit, perform, or suit your lifestyle is no bargain at all — it is just going to drain your wallet and clutter your wardrobe.

Trust us when we say we know a thing or two about activewear blunders. As fitness professionals with nearly 14 years of experience under our belt, we have done a fair share of those ourselves. The silver lining, though, is that you can learn from our experience. Below, you will find the five most common mistakes people make when shopping for activewear on Black Friday, plus a bunch of tips on how to avoid them. Follow these guidelines, and you are more likely to save money and find workout clothes that can genuinely enhance your fitness journey.

#1 Aspirations over reality

Do not worry, we have all done it at some point. We see a massive Black Friday deal on a pair of top-shelf running shoes or a heavy-duty hiking jacket and think, "This is it, this will finally make me the athlete I have always wanted to be." However, this aspirational shopping is almost always bound to end with buyer's remorse. That ultra-premium fitness gear will ultimately end up collecting dust if it is not useful or practical for your day-to-day activities.

The solution is to always shop for your current routine. Be ruthlessly honest with yourself and focus on the things you actually need and use the most. If you are a novice runner, for example, invest in a well-fitted pair of daily trainers first. That running backpack or premium running watch, as much as they may be enticing, can wait until you establish a good training routine and get a good understanding of what you actually want and need to rack up the miles successfully.

#2 Price over fit

A $100 pair of running shoes for $50 sounds like a fabulous deal, doesn't it? However, that same shoe in the wrong size or not suitable for your foot type is a waste of $50. Plus, you are likely to get blisters, cause yourself muscle aches or even end up messing up your gait. When you focus primarily on the price, it is easy to ignore the two most important factors in activewear: fit and functionality.

The solution is to know your specs and stick to them at all times. When shopping for running shoes, for example, make note of your foot size, width, and arch type. If you are unsure, get a gait analysis (many running stores provide this service for free) and/or identify two to three shoe models that worked well for you in the past and look for models that closely resemble them.

When hunting for workout clothes, on the other hand, make note of your waist, chest and hip measurements and use them as your reference point, but also pay attention to the user reviews — they are the best source of information on the fabric quality and potential size discrepancies (for example, leggings made of high-compression fabrics often run small).

#3 Getting swayed by fake discounts

The harsh truth is that Black Friday deals are not what they used to be. These days, many retailers engage in deceptive pricing tactics, hoping that the false sense of urgency will push you to make a hasty purchase. Unfortunately, it is a common practice to inflate the "original" price to make the discount seem larger than it really is. Do not get swayed by a fake deal — before you click "add to cart", make sure that it is the real thing.

The solution? First and foremost, research price history using price tracking tools, such as CamelCamelCamel for Amazon listings. Also, do not automatically discard older models. Activewear brands release new products annually, and often, there is not that much of a difference between last year's version and the current one (this particularly applies to running shoes). The prices, however, may differ wildly.

However, doing all this legwork yourself can be exhausting; sometimes it's better to concentrate on your exercise regimen and staying rested and well. That's why we have an entire team dedicated to finding you the best Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals on the best fitness gear.

#4 Shopping with your eyes

Not everything that glitters is gold — this statement could not be truer when it comes to activewear. That workout top may look great in the pictures, but it is not guaranteed that you will enjoy wearing it. Similarly, a pair of thick, non-breathable leggings designed for winter running will be stifling in a yoga class. Workout clothes are engineered with specific fabrics for specific purposes, and buying based on looks alone is a recipe for discomfort.

The solution is to always match the fabric to the intended activity. For example, moisture-wicking materials, such as polyester, propylene and nylon, are good for high-intensity endurance activities. That is because they actively pull the sweat away from your skin to keep you dry and comfortable during workouts. Compression fabrics, on the other hand, work better for gym-based resistance training — spandex being the main example here. If you are unsure whether a specific fabric will suit your fitness routine, look for clues in the product's user reviews. Many happy buyers are keen to share their experiences and provide pictures of themselves wearing it.

#5 Forgetting to check the return policy

Many online retailers, particularly those selling heavily discounted items, shift to a "final sale" or "no returns" policy for Black Friday purchases. That amazing deal on shoes that are half a size too small? You might be stuck with them. It is also worth noting that certain items of clothing may not be returnable at all — sports underwear and bikini bottoms tend to fall in that category.

The solution is simple. Before you make the purchase, read the fine print and shop at retailers with an established return policy. Companies like REI, Zappos, and many dedicated running brands often stand by their products and allow returns or exchanges, giving you peace of mind if the fit does not turn out to be that great.

Black Friday is technically over, but the Black Friday Weekend sales are in full swing, and as we approach Cyber Monday, we expect plenty of big discounts on the horizon.

One Garmin deal I've spotted is on the Garmin Forerunner 970 — this newly released premium smartwatch has $100 off and is at its lowest-ever price.

In his Garmin Forerunner 970 review, our tech expert, Andrew Williams, scored it with an impressive 4.5 out of 5 stars. Andrew has tested a vast range of the best Garmin watches and the best fitness trackers, too, and he highlighted the Forerunner 970 as being an outstanding high-end smartwatch.

Stand-out features that really stood out for Andrew included the 1.4-inch AMOLED touchscreen, which he noted as being one of the brightest in any of the Garmin smartwatch range.

The newly added LED flash and voice assistant support, although not essential for everyone, was a welcome addition too, and Andrew summed up his review by stating that the Forerunner 970 was a world-class runner’s and fitness watch.

It's worth noting that a host of US retailers are matching the Amazon Forerunner 970 discount. If you wish to shop elsewhere, you'll find more details below.

• We are currently hunting high and low for all the best Black Friday deals of 2025 so be sure to check out every deal we've found over on our main hub.
• Our experts have also reviewed and rated the best telescopes, binoculars, star projectors, cameras, fitness trackers, running shoes, rowing machines and more.

There is plenty to like about the Garmin Forerunner 970. To start with, the stunning AMOLED display is beautifully bright and colorful. Bigger, brighter screens normally mean lower battery life. Sure enough, in Andrew's testing, he came nowhere near the claimed 15 days of battery life. Andrew reported that the 970 with the always-on mode switched on was powered for around 4-5 days. This can be extended further by switching off always-on and also lowering the display brightness setting.

Accuracy was also excellent, as you'd expect from a Garmin watch that features much of the same level of internal tech as its Garmin Fenix 8 sibling. Advanced multiband SatIQ GPS and Elevate Gen 5 heart rate sensor delivered what Andrew called the best Garmin has to offer, and in his opinion, amongst the best in any wearable fitness tracker.

Elsewhere, the host of useful smartwatch features ticks all the boxes for usability, with NFC payments, offline music playback and voice control. Andrew noted that the Garmin Forerunner 970 at full MSRP was on the costly side, and that stopped it from being awarded the flawless score. With this Black Friday Weekend discount, it's now an even more appealing smartwatch package worth snapping up fast ahead of Cyber Monday.

Key features: 1.4-inch AMOLED display, 32 GB of internal storage, dual-band GPS, up to 15 days of battery life in smartwatch mode and up to 26 hours in GPS mode, built-in LED flashlight, speaker and microphone

Product launched: May 2025

Price history: The price of the Garmin Forerunner 970 has firmly sat at $749.99 since its release in May this year. Today's offer from Amazon and other major retailers brings the price down to $649.99 for the first time.

Price comparison: Amazon: $649.99 | Walmart: $649.99 | Best Buy: $649.99 | Garmin: $649.99 | REI: $649.99 | Dick's Sporting Goods: $649.99

Reviews consensus: The Garmin Forerunner 970 is universally praised for its exceptional accuracy, lightweight design, bright display and comprehensive set of workout tracking features, with many reviewers considering it one of the best running smartwatches on the market. The only major complaint was that it cost a rather steep $749.99, and some testers were also disappointed at its limited size and color options.

TechRadar: ★★★★½ | Android Central: ★★★★½ | Tom's Guide: ★★★★½ | T3: ★★★★½ | Live Science: ★★★★½

Featured in guides: Best running watches, Best Garmin watches

✅ Buy it if: You want one of the latest Garmin watches at its best-ever price.

❌ Don't buy it if: You are looking for something slightly more affordable, such as the older Garmin Forerunner 965 (now 25% off at Amazon), or something with a better waterproof rating — the Garmin Instinct 3, for example (also on sale, also with a 25% discount).

Check out our other guides to the best fitness trackers, budget fitness trackers, smart rings, sleep trackers and much more.

Every Black Friday, we see newly-released Garmin watches go on sale for the first time — and this year is no different. While last year belonged to casual exercisers, in 2025, it is the runners and triathletes who get dibs on the best deals. These two models were only released in May this year, but they have just been discounted for the first time.

First, the Garmin Forerunner 970 — this premium running smartwatch is now $100 off and at its lowest-ever price. The same deal can be found at Walmart, Best Buy, Garmin, REI and Dick's Sporting Goods.

Then, there is the Garmin Forerunner 570. The price of this more budget-friendly model has also been slashed by $100 at Amazon, Walmart and other major retailers.

Both options are excellent, and we were in two minds as to which one should take the spotlight here, but we decided to go with the former. We gave the Garmin Forerunner 970 a higher 4.5-star rating and included it in our guides to the best running watches and Garmin watches.

• We are currently hunting high and low for all the best Black Friday deals of 2025 so be sure to check out every deal we've found over on our main hub.
• Our experts have also reviewed and rated the best telescopes, binoculars, star projectors, cameras, fitness trackers, running shoes, rowing machines and more.

There is plenty to like about the Garmin Forerunner 970. To start with, it is exceptionally accurate thanks to its advanced multiband SatIQ GPS and Elevate Gen 5 heart rate sensor. As Andrew Williams, our trusted reviewer, succinctly put it: "We’re basically looking at a quality level the best Garmin has to offer in terms of GPS and HR accuracy, which is also among the best found in any wearable at present."

Then, there is the beautifully bright and colorful 1.4-inch AMOLED display, a surprisingly lightweight design and a host of advanced features. For example, it is one of the handful of Garmin watches that come with a built-in LED flashlight, speaker and microphone. Not to mention, it has a host of useful smartwatch features, such as NFC payments, offline music playback and voice control. All in all, the Garmin Forerunner 970 is a full package, and now you can get it for $100 less.

Key features: 1.4-inch AMOLED display, 32 GB of internal storage, dual-band GPS, up to 15 days of battery life in smartwatch mode and up to 26 hours in GPS mode, built-in LED flashlight, speaker and microphone

Product launched: May 2025

Price history: The price of the Garmin Forerunner 970 has firmly sat at $749.99 since its release in May this year. Today's offer from Amazon and other major retailers brings the price down to $649.99 for the first time.

Price comparison: Amazon: $649.99 | Walmart: $649.99 | Best Buy: $649.99 | Garmin: $649.99 | REI: $649.99 | Dick's Sporting Goods: $649.99

Reviews consensus: The Garmin Forerunner 970 is universally praised for its exceptional accuracy, lightweight design, bright display and comprehensive set of workout tracking features, with many reviewers considering it one of the best running smartwatches on the market. The only major complaint was that it cost a rather steep $749.99, and some testers were also disappointed at its limited size and color options.

TechRadar: ★★★★½ | Android Central: ★★★★½ | Tom's Guide: ★★★★½ | T3: ★★★★½ | Live Science: ★★★★½

Featured in guides: Best running watches, Best Garmin watches

✅ Buy it if: You want an elite GPS sports watch.

❌ Don't buy it if: You are looking for something slightly more affordable, such as the older Garmin Forerunner 965 (now 25% off at Amazon), or something with a better waterproof rating — the Garmin Instinct 3, for example (also on sale, also with a 25% discount).

Check out our other guides to the best fitness trackers, budget fitness trackers, smart rings, sleep trackers and much more.

While you've more than likely heard of Garmin (the Fenix 8 is also on sale today with $250 off), Apple and Fitbit Smart Watches, you might not have heard of Suunto. But that should change.

We have been using this watch daily since our hands-on Suunto Race review back in August 2024. We reviewed the "Race" but later switched to the "Race S" for personal use because it was a better fit for us (a 45 mm case with a 1.32-inch screen versus a 49mm case with a 1.43-inch screen). Because of the size difference, there are a couple of changes in the materials used and in specifications like water resistance, but for everyday use and functionality, they are largely the same. Some users might prefer the bigger screen for viewing maps.

The Suunto Race is now $296, down from $399 at Amazon, and the Suunto Race S is $279, down from $349 at Amazon.

The Suunto has been excellent for us. It offers comprehensive fitness and health tracking, covering all the essentials such as heart rate, sleep, calories burned and oxygen levels.

One of the things we love most is the GPS + navigation features. The built-in GPS, compass, and altimeter make it an excellent hiking companion. Of course, you shouldn't head out into the hills without a backup plan, but the ability to glance down at your wrist to check if you're still on the right trail has been a game-changer. The 'breadcrumbs' functionality also gives peace of mind: you can retrace your exact steps back to the right place should you veer off course. We love downloading GPX and KML routes onto the watch to follow in new destinations, as well as to track our own. We have done so all over the world including China, Kyrgyzstan, Morocco and Wales to name a few.

• We are currently hunting high and low for all the best Black Friday deals of 2025 so be sure to check out every deal we've found over on our main hub.
• Our experts have also reviewed and rated the best telescopes, binoculars, star projectors, cameras, fitness trackers, running shoes, rowing machines and more.

The battery life is excellent; we don't get the same 'battery anxiety' that we have with previous watches. We even completed a five-day Great Wall of China trek, tracking every step, and there was still plenty of juice left in it at the end!

Overall, it is practical for everyday use with smartwatch-style functionality like showing phone notifications and controlling your media, but it's best for taking it out on adventures with you, where you would have otherwise used a map!

Key features: Heaps of trackable sports from running to. AMOLED display, optional Always-on mode, GPS, compass, altimeter, water resistance 50/100M, all the fitness tracking you could want

Product launched: October 2023

Price history: This is the lowest price we have ever seen for either the Race or the Race S.

Price comparison Suunto Race: Amazon: $296.65 | Suunto: $299 | REI: $319

Price comparison Suunto Race S: Amazon: $279 | Suunto: $299 | REI: $319

Reviews consensus: 65% of Amazon reviewers gave this watch the full five stars, and they love it for the same reasons as us: Excellent battery, accurate GPS, and its suitability for outdoor activities. Some users complain about its heart rate accuracy, though we have never experienced this and have always found measurements to be reliable, even when tested against a MyZone heart strap with its ECG sensor.

TechRadar: ★★★½ | Toms Guide: ★★★★ | Live Science: ★★★★½ | T3: ★★★★

✅ Buy it if: You want a formidable GPS sports watch that does not cost an arm and a leg.

❌ Don't buy it if: You can afford to have the very best. Which we think is the Garmin Fenix 8 - which also happens to be at its lowest ever price of $849.99 right now.

Check out our other guides to the best budget fitness trackers, sleep trackers, smart rings and much more.

The tree canopy is shrinking across thousands of California schoolyards, which may leave children more vulnerable to the harmful effects of extreme heat, according to a recent study.

In the research, published in the journal Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, scientists looked at snapshots of more than 7,000 public schools in urban areas across the Golden State. The analysis included schoolyards and the areas immediately surrounding them. One image, taken in 2018, provided baseline information about each school's existing tree canopy. The next, taken in 2022, showed whether that canopy had increased, decreased or stayed stable.

Across the schools evaluated, the majority saw some amount of tree-canopy decline between the two time points. "A major important takeaway is that across the state, most schools (85%) experienced tree canopy loss during the study period," Dr. Lindsey Burghardt, chief science officer for the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, who was not involved in the work, told Live Science in an email.

Some schools lost more than 40% of their canopy cover over the four-year period, according to the report. This percentage change was relative to each school's baseline tree cover, so these declines were "even more concerning" to see in areas that had poor canopy cover to begin with, the authors wrote.

Past research had already shown that tree cover on California's school campuses tends to be lower than the average canopy cover across the cities in which they're situated. "The urban tree canopy cover in California is pretty low, but in school grounds, it's even lower than the average, on the city level," study co-author Alessandro Ossola, an associate professor in the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of California, Davis (UC Davis), told Live Science.

Given the amount of time children spend at school, these campuses are an important venue for kids to exercise and play outdoors, the authors argue, and Burghardt agrees.

"The existing literature confirms that increasing temperatures in schools affect children's ability to learn and play, and this can affect their physical and mental health in childhood and beyond," she said. "Young children's bodies heat up more quickly than ours, and they are less able to cool themselves by sweating." This overheating can affect multiple bodily systems, undermining cognitive function and concentration, activating the body's stress response, and driving dehydration that can injure organs, particularly in children with existing chronic conditions.

But as average temperatures rise due to climate change, droughts and extreme heat events are expected to become more frequent, prolonged and severe across California. In urban centers, those effects can be amplified in "heat islands," where buildings and roads emit more heat than would landscapes with more natural features, like trees and bodies of water.

"The impact is exacerbated because there's so much built infrastructure that actually accumulates the energy and then radiates it out again," said study co-author Luisa Velásquez Camacho, a postdoctoral scholar at UC Davis. Trees cool their surroundings, both by providing shade and by releasing water into the air from their leaves, she told Live Science.

"A tree is like an air conditioning unit because it's actually providing evaporative cooling," Ossola said. By comparison, artificial shade structures, which are notably expensive to install, can end up radiating heat across a playground rather than cooling the air as a tree would, he said.

"It's [like] the broiling function in the oven, when it comes from the top," added study co-author Moreen Willaredt, another UC Davis postdoc.

In summary, trees can be powerful mitigators of heat, so the researchers wanted to take stock of the state of trees located around California schools. The dataset they used enabled them to examine changes in the trees' canopies with a "fine degree of resolution," Burghardt said.

Areas of canopy loss were dispersed across the state, but there were pronounced clusters in the Central Valley and certain parts of Southern California. Hard-hit counties included Tulare, Fresno and San Bernardino, which generally had relatively poor canopy cover at baseline. In the Central Valley, the study authors suspect that prolonged drought conditions and frequent extreme heat events may have contributed to this decline, but their study wasn't designed to pinpoint the exact drivers of the trend.

About 15% of the schools included in the study saw their tree canopies increase, generally by more than 20%, "highlighting areas of remarkable canopy recovery or growth," the authors wrote. Imperial County and San Joaquin County stood out as having marked increases, and some pockets of growth were also spotted in the Central Valley, suggesting that there's a "mosaic" of trends across that region.

The study authors hope their work informs future greening initiatives to help create and restore canopy cover at schools. "What we are trying to do is to essentially see where the gaps are, and [find] opportunities to prioritize the limited amount of trees going into the ground," Ossola said.

"I agree that this is an important next step," Burghardt said. "All children deserve to learn and play in an environment that supports their healthy development, and access to safe greenspace is a key element of a healthy developmental environment."

Want to give your loved one a smartwatch, but are utterly confused as to which model would suit them most? We understand. With such a mind-boggling array of fitness trackers available, it is easy to make an honest mistake and invest in something that will ultimately end up collecting dust. Picking a smartwatch for yourself is hard enough, never mind if you are buying one for someone else.

Do not worry, though — this is where we can lend a helping hand. Below, you will find some general guidelines and specific recommendations that can help you choose the best fitness tracker gifts for your friends and family.

You can trust our advice. Having worked in the health and fitness industry for nearly 14 years now, we have a good understanding of what makes people stick to their fitness tracking routine, and which smartwatch features are just gimmicks that bring no real value to their lives. We have also reviewed nearly two dozen fitness trackers, so we know a thing or two about what constitutes a good quality smartwatch.

From budget fitness trackers to some of the best Garmin watches, here are the best gifts to look for this holiday season.

General rules when buying a smartwatch as a gift

Make sure it is compatible with the recipient's phone: Smartwatches are generally compatible with both iPhone and Android devices, but some models may only work with one type of operating system. For example, the TicWatch Atlas — a great budget-friendly alternative to the pricier Garmin Forerunner 265 or Fenix 7 — is not compatible with iOS and only works with Android 8.0 or higher.

Think about what they will use it for: Smartwatches come in all shapes and sizes, so make sure your gift matches their lifestyle and has genuine potential to bring value into their life. For example, check whether it comes with a reliable GPS (a non-negotiable feature for outdoor enthusiasts), long battery life (something that is very cherished by busy individuals) or a high waterproof rating (a must-have for keen swimmers and triathletes).

Lean towards customizable options: Smartwatches with interchangeable straps and bezels allow for more personalization, and therefore are more likely to suit the recipient's sense of style. Even if your choice of design does not end up landing well with them, they can still change it to one of their liking.

Add a personal touch: Some brands allow you to create a custom watch face or even engrave the back of the smartwatch with a message of your choice. If that is not possible, write a handwritten note to include with the gift. It is the intention that matters!

What to buy fitness enthusiasts — go for the top brands

Fitness enthusiasts are the most difficult people to buy smartwatches for. They know their fitness trackers inside out, they can tell the difference between a good and bad model, and they often have very specific demands and requirements when it comes to their functionality and tracking performance. Before you make the final purchase, make sure you have done your research beforehand.

Pick a smartwatch that can make a genuine difference to their lifestyle and exercise performance, and ideally one that is generally regarded as accurate and of good build quality. Mind you, many exercise enthusiasts like to share their fitness stats with others, so compatibility with apps such as Strava or Nike Run Club will not go amiss here.

If in doubt, go for market-leading brands such as Garmin, Apple and Samsung. Their smartwatches tend to produce accurate fitness measurements and often come with wide app compatibility and highly customizable designs. They do not even have to be ultra-expensive: Many excellent Garmin watches fall under the $200 threshold, and they are typically even cheaper during the holiday sale.

Take the Forerunner 165, for example. We gave this sleek running watch a full five stars, yet it is priced at a very reasonable $250. To put that into perspective, Garmin's signature Forerunner 965 running watch costs nearly three times as much.

• Related article: Best Garmin watches 2025: From basic fitness bands to powerful adventure smartwatches

Gifts for busy adults — functionality is the key

Whether the person you are buying for is a mom of three kids, a business owner who spends most of their time at work or a university student who juggles classes with a full-time job, all busy adults have one thing in common — they do not have much time to spare. If your loved one is forever on the go, their smartwatch should reflect that.

Ideally, it would also offer solutions to make their life easier and more convenient. When choosing a fitness tracker, prioritise a long battery life, useful day-to-day features (for example, contactless payments and calendar integration) and robust stress monitoring features.

The Garmin Venu 3 is a good example here. It is an excellent all-rounder for time-strapped adults — stylish, lightweight and comfortable to wear — but more importantly, it boasts up to two weeks of battery life and comes with a good selection of handy smart features. While it is relatively pricey (it costs approximately $449), the Venu 3 can provide plenty of benefits to your busy-bee loved one.

If you are looking for something more affordable, however, consider the Amazfit Active ($99) or Amazfit Balance ($159) instead. The smartwatches made by this Chinese brand may be suspiciously affordable, but we can attest to their superb value for money and thoroughly recommend them to those on a tight budget.

• Related article: Best fitness trackers 2025: From smart rings to multisport GPS watches

Gifts for elderly relatives — focus on ease of use and health metrics

Looking for a fitness tracker for your grandparent? Prioritise devices that are easy to use, relatively accurate and equipped with safety features, such as an SOS button and automatic fall detection. The display is another important factor — many elderly people struggle with small, data-cluttered screens and complex user interfaces, so you may need to keep that in mind when choosing your gift.

Feature-wise, pay more attention to the health metrics than fancy mini-apps and advanced phone integrations. Elderly people tend to use fitness trackers primarily to monitor their heart rate and daily step count, and they often intend to share that data with their healthcare providers.

As such, they are likely to prefer a smartwatch that offers reliable, robust health tracking measurements, ideally equipped with ECG monitoring that can alert them to signs of atrial fibrillation (a type of irregular heart rhythm). There are plenty of good smartwatches that fit these criteria, including the market-leading Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 and Apple Watch Series 11, and the ultra-stylish Withings ScanWatch 2.

If these top-shelf models fall outside of your budget, check out the Redmi Watch 5 or Fitbit Versa 4 instead. Both of these smartwatches offer a good level of tracking accuracy and a big, easy-to-read display, and they both cost less than $150.

• Related article: Best Fitbit watches 2025: Tried and tested

Gifts for outdoor enthusiasts — it's all about the GPS

For outdoors-y types, the feature that matters most is accurate geolocation. Focus on smartwatches that offer multi-band GPS systems as well as useful tools like an altimeter, barometer and compass. More advanced features, such as built-in flashlights and on-watch maps, are a nice addition too, particularly for those who like multi-day hiking trips or camping in remote locations.

The second most important aspect is durability. The smartwatch needs to withstand the demands of your intended recipient's lifestyle — in practice, this could mean opting for wearables with scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass displays, and/or those that are made out of rugged titanium and certified to military-grade standards. Consider its waterproof rating, too. If your loved one loves swimming and water sports, we would recommend a smartwatch that is at least 10ATM-certified.

There are many smartwatches we could recommend to outdoor enthusiasts, but if we were to pick just one, we would go for the Garmin Fenix 8. It is easily one of the best-performing and most durable outdoor watches on the market, and the go-to pick for explorers all across the globe. Anyone would be delighted to receive it as a gift.

However, we also need to emphasize the jaw-dropping price of the Fenix 8, as some models cost way above $1,000. If you are hunting for something more affordable, think about the Suunto Race 2 or Amazfit T-Rex 3. They are good quality GPS smartwatches, but they do not cost a small fortune.

The Garmin Fenix 8 is on every outdoor explorer's wish list this holiday season, and for a good reason. This premium smartwatch has everything a professional athlete or serious hiker may ever need or want, from military-grade durability and dive-resistant build to exceptional tracking performance and on-watch topographic maps. There is only one problem — the price of this gold standard of adventure watches typically goes well into four digits. Well, not anymore. It's on sale this Black Friday weekend, but stock is limited.

The Garmin Fenix 8 is now $250 off and at its lowest-ever price at Amazon. The same deal is also available at Walmart, Best Buy and Dick's Sporting Goods.

To say that we love this watch would be an understatement. We gave it a glowing 4.5-star rating in our Garmin Fenix 8 review and named it as the best option for tracking workouts in our guide to the best fitness trackers. It also takes the top spot in our round-up of the best Garmin watches. It is a real treat for any fitness pro.

• We are currently hunting high and low for all the best Black Friday deals of 2025 so be sure to check out every deal we've found over on our main hub.
• Our experts have also reviewed and rated the best telescopes, binoculars, star projectors, cameras, fitness trackers, running shoes, rowing machines and more.

So, what makes this smartwatch so exceptional? First and foremost, the Garmin Fenix 8 is one of the toughest and most feature-packed wearables on the market. At the end of the day, how many other smartwatches can sustain extreme temperatures, falls from heights and scuba diving of up to 40 meters? Exactly. The Garmin Fenix 8 is a tough cookie, ready to take you through some of your wildest adventures.

Plus, it boasts some of the most comprehensive outdoor-oriented features of all fitness trackers that have ever graced our wrists. Whether it is the stacks of pre-loaded maps, reliable GPS navigation or excellent running route planners, rest assured the Garmin Fenix 8 will keep you on track, no matter where you are or what you are doing. For just $749.99, this smartwatch is not to be missed.

Key features: 1.4-inch 454x454 AMOLED display, multi-band GNSS, 10 ATM water resistance, dive-resistant up to 40m, titanium bezel, Sapphire Crystal screen protection, up to 16 days of battery life, 24/7 health and wellness monitoring.

Product launched: August 2024

Price history: Before today's deal, the lowest price on the 47 mm Garmin Fenix 8 was $799.99, and for the better part of this year, the price sat at $999.99. Today's offer from Amazon and several other major retailers brings the price down to just $749.99, which is the lowest price we have ever seen.

Price comparison: Amazon: $749.99 | Walmart: $749.99 | Best Buy: $749.99 | Garmin: $849.99 | Dick's Sporting Goods: $749.99

Reviews consensus: The Garmin Fenix 8 is one of the best adventure watches ever made. With its excellent combination of military-grade durability, advanced tracking features and high-octane performance, this rugged beauty offers everything a professional athlete or serious outdoor adventurer may ever need or want. Reviewers all across the board praised the Garmin Fenix 8 for its sleek design, dive-ready water resistance, ultra-long battery life and a mind-boggling array of topographic maps, and many testers considered it their 'go-to' for tracking workouts. That said, they also complained about its sky-high price tag.

TechRadar: ★★★★★ | Tom's Guide ★★★★½ | Advnture ★★★★★ | Live Science ★★★★½ | T3: ★★★★

Featured in guides: Best fitness trackers, Best Garmin watches

✅ Buy it if: You are a professional athlete, diving enthusiast or outdoor explorer looking for an ultimate workout-tracking tool.

❌ Don't buy it if: You want something more basic and affordable, such as the Garmin Instinct 3 (now 22% off at Amazon).

Check out our other guides to the best budget fitness trackers, sleep trackers, smart rings and much more.

Coros may not be the biggest or most well-known brand, but it has long established itself as the maker of some of the best budget-friendly running watches. It has also successfully ventured into the world of affordable adventure watches. The Coros Apex 2, for example, has some of the best mapping features we have seen in GPS wearables, yet it is priced at a very reasonable $349. To put that into perspective, some of the best Garmin watches with similar specifications cost twice as much. Coros tends to offer good value for money for outdoor enthusiasts like ourselves, which is why we happily took the opportunity to test one of its newest sports watches, the Pace Pro.

The Coros Pace Pro is, as its name suggests, designed primarily for runners, cyclists and other endurance athletes. Admittedly, we are not the target audience for this sports watch — if we ever run, we tend to do it in the gym or on a treadmill at home, and we have not owned an outdoor bike in more than a decade. What we do love and practice often, however, is hiking. The Coros Pace Pro offers a good mix of outdoor-friendly specifications, including a dual-frequency GPS, offline maps and a solid 20 days of battery life in watch mode. By the looks of it, it could be a great walking companion, and we were more than eager to test it out on a four-day walking trip to the Exmoor National Park in southern England. Here's our verdict on the Coros Pace Pro — from the perspective of an experienced hiker.

Coros Pace Pro: Review from a hiker's perspective

Coros Pace Pro: Design

• Bright 1.3-inch AMOLED display
• Relatively light and unobtrusive
• Plastic watch case and mineral glass display

Adventure watches are the crème de la crème of fitness wearables: they are the most rugged, the most advanced and packed with some of the fanciest features. For outdoor fitness buffs like ourselves, these gems of technology can be indispensable on a hiking trail.

We only have one major problem with adventure watches — hardly ever do we find them comfortable to wear. The Coros Pace Pro is a different ball game, though. It looks and feels far less bulky and intimidating than many watches we have used before, and we could easily wear it all day without feeling fatigued or distracted by all the complex machinery on our wrist. This alone made us warm to this watch immediately.

The Coros Pace Pro was not only refreshingly light and unobtrusive, but we also found it very easy to read. The 1.3-inch AMOLED display was bright, colorful and had great visibility in both dark and light conditions. We had plenty of sunshine during our trip and we do not recall a single time when we struggled to see what was on the screen. That was another big plus point for us.

We liked its silicone band, too — and that is not something we can confidently say about the majority of watches we had hiked with before. Most outdoor-focused wearables come with extremely thick, rigid bands that are difficult to pull and tighten with one hand. The Coros Pace Pro, however, was nothing like that. The silicone band felt surprisingly pleasant to wear. It did not slide, pinch or aggravate our skin, even in high temperatures and with sweat trapped underneath it. This watch may have been crafted with long distance runners in mind, but its design proved to be very hike-friendly, too.

Having said all that, there is one huge caveat when it comes to the Coros Pace Pro — the durability. While it is true that our testing unit survived our hiking trip with no scuffs or scratches, we also suspect it would not be so lucky in more extreme conditions. Two reasons: its 5ATM water resistance and a relatively fragile build.

5ATM certification means that this watch can withstand water pressure of up to 50 meters (164 feet), which is pretty much a standard for running watches these days. Most adventure watches, however, are certified 10ATM, meaning they can sustain twice as much water pressure. But what does that mean in practice? The Coros Pace Pro can be safely exposed to rainwater or used for shallow swimming, for example, but it will not be suitable for high-impact water sports or diving.

This small-but-significant stat has a knock-on effect on what you can and can't do during your hiking trip. If you spend most of your time on dry land and in relatively sunny conditions, just like we did on our trip to Exmoor, you will most likely be fine. But if you want to take it up a notch and combine walking with dips into streams or waterfall explorations, the Coros Pace Pro may not be the best option here.

Then there is the not-so-durable build. Most adventure watches are encased in sturdy titanium or metal, which makes them quite impervious to dust, drops from heights and many other minor accidents. They also tend to come with Gorilla glass, sapphire crystal or other scratch-resistant features on the display. The Coros Pace Pro, however, is made largely out of plastic and features a somewhat fragile mineral glass display. While this design is suitable enough for walking, different activities — climbing the rocks, for example — may potentially cause some damage to the watch.

Coros Pace Pro: Features

• Altimeter, compass and dual-band GPS
• Offline maps
• Limited smart features

The Coros Pace Pro has a dual-band GPS, accelerometer, gyroscope, barometric altimeter and electronic compass — this running watch can tell you where on the planet you are, what your altitude above sea level is, and where to go next. That is a good deal of useful geolocation and movement-detecting features, and even hikers who are used to far more expensive adventure watches should not feel like they are missing out on anything important.

Navigation-wise, the Coros Pace Pro may not be as advanced and versatile as the ultra-premium Garmin Fenix 8, for example, but it covers all the necessary basics and more. The Coros app allows users to create custom routes with topographical and landscape maps, which then can be sent directly to the watch. It can also read GPX files, provide turn-by-turn directions, and retrace your steps with back-to-start navigation. Again, a very hike-friendly set of features.

The Coros Pace Pro also has a lot to offer from a fitness standpoint. It can measure a wide range of health stats, from heart rate and sleep duration to blood oxygen levels and training load, and therefore it is able to give a detailed overview of physical exertion during a hike and a solid estimate of the post-exercise recovery afterwards. Plus, all of its metrics are displayed in an easy-to-understand manner and explained in sufficient detail in the app. In that sense, the Coros Pace Pro is quite beginner-friendly.

On the other hand, the Coros Pace Pro does lack many smart features. For example, it does not have NFC payments or music streaming support. However, these features are not critical to a good hiking experience — or at least they did not make that much of a difference to ours. The Coros Pace Pro also does not have a built-in flashlight or solar charging lens, but then we do not necessarily expect such features in a fitness tracker at this price point.

Coros Pace Pro: Performance

• High GPS accuracy
• Relatively long battery life
• Heart rate measurements may not always be accurate

The Coros Pace Pro has excellent battery life, period. We wore it in GPS mode for approximately six hours a day, with the remaining 18 hours in the watch mode, and yet we did not have to charge it even once during our four-day hiking trip. That is a big plus point for us — there is nothing more frustrating than having to tone down your hiking logs purely because of your watch not having enough energy to fully record them. Of course, we can name at least a dozen adventure smartwatches that boast a longer battery life than the Coros Pace Pro, but then these models also tend to be way more expensive.

The GPS accuracy in this watch was also top-notch. The Coros Pace Pro did a great job mapping our hiking routes and calculating the distance covered, with only a few very minor discrepancies along the way. It also appeared very accurate at calculating our elevation gain and average speed. We found this running watch very useful for reviewing our past hikes and using that information to plan for future trips, especially in relation to training load and rest times.

We were also pleasantly surprised by its resistance to high temperatures. During our Exmoor trip, we spent many long hours exposed to blazing sunshine, but at no point did our Coros Pace Pro overheat and shut down, even temporarily — something that many other running watches in this price range have done to us before. Overall, we were quite satisfied with the performance of this sleek watch.

On the downside, though, the Coros Pace Pro can be annoyingly inconsistent with its heart rate measurements — that is, in comparison with our Whoop MG, a screenless wearable which has shown to be relatively accurate in that regard, or at least more accurate than most other fitness wearables we tested. We simultaneously wore both of these fitness trackers on two of our hikes, then compared the collected measurements.

We noticed that the Coros Pace Pro seems to have a tendency to overestimate heart rate, especially when it goes above 140 bpm (beats per minute) — during some of the more intense climbs, for example. This is something to take into account if you like hiking in the mountains or prefer difficult, very energy-intensive trails. If you want a device that can measure your cardiovascular load with a high degree of precision, the Coros Pace Pro may disappoint you here.

Should you buy the Coros Pace Pro as a hiker?

The Coros Pace Pro is a sleek GPS sports watch designed with serious athletes in mind, and distance runners in particular. While it lacks some advanced features, its robust sports tracking capabilities and an exceptionally comfortable fit easily make up for these shortcomings. It is a good option for casual hiking, too.

✅ Buy it if: You are a casual hiker or looking for a quality running-hiking watch combo. The Coros Pace Pro is unobtrusive, comfortable to wear and brimming with robust workout-tracking features, and we thoroughly enjoyed our time testing it during our hikes.

❌ Do not buy it if: You tend to hike in harsh conditions and challenging environments, or if you are looking for a watch that you can wear while diving into streams and exploring waterfalls. The Coros Pace Pro is a great pick for casual hikers, but for those who prefer more high-octane adventures, it may not be durable or waterproof enough to keep up with their lifestyle.

If the Coros Pace Pro is not for you

Choosing a hiking watch will largely depend on where and how you intend to use it, and how much money you can spend on it. If you like the idea of a lightweight, budget-friendly running watch that can also accompany you on easy to moderate hikes, consider the Coros Pace 2. Just like the Coros Pace Pro, it combines a sleek, comfortable design with good tracking accuracy and up to 20 days of battery life in watch mode, but it is cheaper by a whole $150.

If you are a novice hiker seeking guidance on how to kickstart and maintain your walking routine, then take a look at the Garmin Vivoactive 6. We named it as the best option for hikers in our guide to the best Garmin watches, and that is because it is one of the handful of models from this brand that features suggested walking workouts and beginner-friendly workout tutorials. Plus, it costs $299, making it $50 cheaper than the Coros Pace Pro.

For seasoned hikers, however, we would recommend the Garmin Enduro 2. With up to 46 days of battery life, numerous workout-tracking features, rugged build and excellent on-watch maps, this adventure watch will keep up with your outdoor adventures no matter where in the world you are. However, this little gem of technology can set you back by as much as $900.

Coros Pace Pro: How we tested

We tested the Coros Pace Pro out on a four-day walking trip to the Exmoor National Park in southern England. This beautiful part of the world is a perfect testing ground — Exmoor has a varied landscape, with plenty of hills and rock formations, and some of the best walking trails in the whole of the United Kingdom. We wore this watch day and night throughout the trip, diligently recording our adventures and often facing scorching temperatures and strong winds.

Amazon in November is one of the best places to hunt for discounted Garmin watches. The Black Friday sale has not even started yet, but the online giant has already treated us to some excellent early deals. The price of the wallet-friendly Forerunner 265, for example, has just been slashed by a third, while the runners' favorite, the Forerunner 965, is now a huge 25% off. The offer that takes the cake for us, however, is the one on the Garmin Instinct 3.

The Garmin Instinct 3 Solar GPS smartwatch is now 22% off and at its lowest-ever price at Amazon.

Released in January, the Instinct 3 is one of Garmin's best adventure smartwatches to date, and an excellent budget-friendly alternative to the ultra-premium Fenix 8. It is also one of our all-time favorites. Andrew Williams, our experienced fitness tech reviewer, has given it a strong 4-star rating in his Garmin Instinct 3 review, and we also named it the best option for triathletes in our guide to the best Garmin watches.

• Our experts have also reviewed and rated the best telescopes, binoculars, star projectors, cameras, fitness trackers, running shoes, rowing machines and more.

The Garmin Instinct 3 has won our approval on several accounts, but what impressed us the most was its relatively light build. Most GPS smartwatches with such high-octane specifications — 10ATM water resistance, 24 days of battery life and built-in LED flashlight, to name just a few — are heavy and uncomfortable to wear. Not the Instinct 3, though. While still a relatively bulky wearable, it does not weigh your wrist down and you can comfortably wear it in bed.

Moreover, the Garmin Instinct 3 packs an excellent range of tracking features. This GPS smartwatch will easily keep up with your outdoor adventures, whether you are a triathlete prepping for the next season, an avid hiker or a seasoned marathon runner. The Garmin Instinct 3 may not have the advanced mapping features and smartwatch capabilities of the Fenix 8, but it is surely the next-best thing if you are not willing to spend a four-figure fortune. For less than $350? It is simply a steal.

Key features: 1.3-inch 416 x 416 AMOLED display, 10ATM water resistance, dual-band GPS, 4 GB internal storage, up to 24 days of battery life.

Product launched: January 2025

Price history: Before today's deal, the lowest price on the Garmin Instinct 3 Solar was $399.99, and for the better part of this year, the price sat at $449.99. Today's offer from Amazon brings the price down to $349.99, which is the lowest price we have ever seen.

Price comparison: Amazon: $349.99 | Walmart: $449.99 | Best Buy: $449.99 | REI: $450

Reviews consensus: The Garmin Instinct 3 received a lot of positive feedback across the board, with most reviews praising this rugged GPS smartwatch for its highly accurate navigation features, long battery life and vibrant display. Many testers also appreciated its relatively light, comfortable build and intuitive button-based controls. Negative remarks, on the other hand, often revolved around the lack of a touchscreen, full topographic maps and onboard music storage. Some testers also complained about the relatively high price of the Garmin Instinct 3.

TechRadar: ★★★★½ | Toms Guide: ★★★★½ | Android Central: ★★★★ | T3: ★★★★

Featured in guides: Best Garmin watches

✅ Buy it if: You want a rugged GPS adventure smartwatch at a reasonable price.

❌ Don't buy it if: You want advanced mapping features, music storage and other frills typical of premium smartwatches (and if that is what you are after, consider the Garmin Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar, now a huge $350 off at Walmart).

Check out our other guides to the best fitness trackers, smart rings, sleep trackers, budget fitness trackers and much more.

The Concept2 RowErg needs no introduction. This iconic rower is beloved by athletes and regular exercisers alike and has been used in professional indoor rowing competitions for over 40 years. It is one of our favorites, too. For three years running, we have named it the best option overall in our guide to the best rowing machines. There is just one issue with the Concept2 RowErg — the price. This model costs around $990 and is hardly ever on sale, placing it on the expensive end of the spectrum. However, for those who do not have the budget for it, there is now a worthy alternative. Meet the Merach NovaRow R50.

The Merach NovaRow R50 and the Concept2 RowErg are eerily similar in design and functionality. Both of these rowing machines come with a sturdy frame, 10-level air resistance flywheel, basic LCD display and Bluetooth connectivity. Plus, both can be connected to third-party apps like Kinomap, asensei or EXR. However, the Merach NovaRow R50 is more affordable. It costs $639.99, approximately $350 less than the Concept2 RowErg and is regularly on sale across major online retailers.

Merach NovaRow R50 review

Merach NovaRow R50: Set up and usability

• Relatively straightforward assembly
• Cannot be stored upright
• Suitable for taller individuals

The Merach NovaRow R50 can be put together in less than an hour from opening the box. This rowing machine comes largely preassembled; all you need to do is screw in the front legs, slide in the rail and insert the batteries into the LCD display. All tools and instructions are included in the package. Given some of our previous harrowing experiences with assembling exercise equipment, it was a refreshingly straightforward process.

That said, we would not call it easy. The Merach NovaRow R50 is a formidable piece of kit, both in size and in weight — it is heavier than the Concept2 RowErg by a solid 29 lbs (13.1 kg), for example — and while it could be put together by a single individual, it is far safer and easier done with another person around. Sliding the monorail into the flywheel can be a particularly tricky part of the assembly. These two parts need to be perfectly aligned to click into place, and that requires a surprising amount of strength and dexterity. This two-part design also has some significant ramifications for storage.

Unlike some other rowing machines, the Merach NovaRow R50 cannot be stored upright. If you want to minimize its footprint after each use, you can only do it by detaching the rail and placing it next to the flywheel. This constant process of putting it together and apart can be time-consuming and laborious, and even prove to be a deal-breaker for those who live alone.

On the bright side, this formidable design makes it exceptionally height- and weight-inclusive. The Merach NovaRow R50 is suitable for people weighing up to 350 lbs (158 kg) and it can accommodate individuals as tall as 6 feet 10 (208 centimeters). Quite impressive specs for a rowing machine at this price point.

Merach NovaRow R50: Design

• Two-tone display with basic metrics
• Soft, comfortable seat
• Adjustable footplates with six sizing options

Design-wise, the Merach NovaRow R50 is a mixed bag. On one side, it looks great and is surprisingly comfortable to ride. On the other, it has an underwhelming display and limited features.

Starting from the positives, this rowing machine has a much softer seat than the Concept2 RowErg, as it is made mostly of well-cushioned foam leather rather than tough plastic. We found it way more pleasant to sit on, especially when it came to longer, more endurance-based workouts. We also liked the handle. It was firm, grippy and slightly longer than the one in the Concept2 RowErg. It never aggravated our skin or got in a way of our smart ring.

The adjustable footplates also earned our approval. While we would prefer them to be slightly more flexible, they did not cause any pain or discomfort, either. Since they come with six different sizing options, it was relatively easy for us to find a good fit. That said, we would not recommend using them without proper training shoes.

What we did not like about the Merach NovaRow R50 was its basic two-tone LCD display. It comes on a handy collapsible arm and provides all the key rowing stats needed to assess rowing performance (time, time/500m, distance, calories, total strokes, SPM or Strokes Per Minute, wattage, and, if connected to an external heart rate monitor, also the heart rate), but we also found it difficult to read. The screen had poor visibility at times, especially in very bright conditions or under direct sunlight, and the display constantly flicked between different metrics. This can be particularly annoying if you want to target specific stats during a workout.

The phone holder could also use some improvement. According to the brand, it can fit devices measuring up to 11 inches. However, its small and narrow frame may not stop your tablet or phone falling out of the machine during some of the more vigorous workouts.

Merach NovaRow R50: Features

• 10-level air resistance flywheel
• Free Merach app with basic guided workouts
• Compatible with several third-party apps

The Merach NovaRow R50 is an air resistance rowing machine, meaning it creates resistance with a large mechanical flywheel. The faster you row, the faster its internal fan spins and the more challenging the workout. Most air resistance rowers feature 10 levels of intensity, which are then manually adjusted with a small lever located on the side of the flywheel — and this model is no exception.

The Merach NovaRow R50 is also Bluetooth-enabled, so it can be connected either to an external heart rate monitor, or to mobile apps, such as Merach, Kinomap, Apple Health, Google Fit and Fanton Fite. The designated Merach app is completely free, which is a big plus point given that most other compatible apps are hidden behind a paywall. That said, we did not think it was nearly as fun to use.

The Merach app is quite basic in design, and its main purpose is to track rowing stats collected during your training sessions. While it also allows you to participate in challenges and watch some guided rowing workouts, these features are nowhere near as robust and engaging as those in other fitness apps we tried. If you want races against other users or immersive virtual workouts in beautiful locations, you may need to invest in additional app subscriptions. The Kinomap app, for example, costs $11.99 per month or $89.99 per year.

Merach NovaRow R50: Performance

• Smooth rowing strokes
• Relatively quiet even at high speeds
• Good app connectivity

Performance is where the Merach NovaRow R50 shines the brightest. This rowing machine delivers a great workout experience, and in some ways, it is even better than the Concept2 RowErg. True, it has limited functionality and yes, some of the design solutions may not appeal to everyone, but we still think it is an excellent pick for budget-conscious rowing enthusiasts. Here's why.

We tested the Merach NovaRow R50 for three weeks, putting it through a range of different workouts, from slow recovery rides to intense HIIT (High Interval Intensity Training) sessions and, every time, we were quite satisfied with the results. The rowing strokes felt smooth and balanced and at no point did we experience any cable jarring or delayed response from the flywheel. Even at very high speeds, the Merach NovaRow R50 worked well and without interruptions. There was a significant difference in resistance between each concurrent intensity level.

We also appreciated how quiet it was. Air resistance rowing machines are notoriously loud and disruptive, especially at high rowing speeds. The aforementioned Concept2 RowErg, for example, can reach up to 100 dB — equivalent to sounds made by a lawnmower or juice blender. However, when we measured the Merach NovaRow R50 with a decibel-counting Sound Meter app, we did not register more than 77 dB. This is on par with noise on a busy street or inside a moving car.

The Bluetooth connectivity did not disappoint us, either. The Merach NovaRow R50 quickly and efficiently connected with the Merach app, and we experienced no lags or data transfer problems. All in all, this rowing machine has no major performance issues.

Merach NovaRow R50: User reviews

At the time of writing this review, Amazon's customers gave the Merach NovaRow R50 4.5 out of 5 stars, while the buyers at the Merach US store awarded it a near-perfect 4.8 score. This rowing machine was generally praised for its quality build, smooth strokes, ease of assembly and great value for money. Negative remarks, on the other hand, often revolved around the quality of the display and stiff footplates.

As one user commented, "The foot rest on the Merach is a much stiffer plastic that is a little harder to adjust and not very comfortable on the heel due to being a little too stiff and sharp. Not a deal breaker, but especially since I prefer to workout barefoot, less comfortable. [...] The monitor is another issue. I would just greatly prefer to be able to lock the screen onto showing meters/time, or calories/time, etc. Instead, what it does is scroll back and forth through all the metrics every 5 seconds which is a bit annoying as it seems to be always showing whatever one I don't care about when I glance up at the screen. [...] Even given those two less than ideal things, it is still a great machine and I am loving using it. It is a surprisingly solid for the price, and truly feels like all the parts came out of the same factory as the more expensive machines."

Should you buy the Merach NovaRow R50?

✅ Buy it if: You want a sturdy and well-performing rowing machine at a reasonable price. The Merach NovaRow R50 may not be the most advanced or feature-packed rower on the market, but it offers a great workout experience and top-notch durability for less than $650.

❌ Don't buy it if: You are looking for a smart rowing machine. There is plenty to like about the Merach NovaRow R50, but it does not feature a touchscreen, immersive workouts, games, races and other fun frills typical of premium rowers.

If the Merach NovaRow 50 is not for you

The Concept2 RowErg is a perfect alternative to the Merach NovaRow R50. This rowing machine is continuously impressing rowers with its smooth strokes, sleek design and data-tracking prowess. However, it costs around $350 more and it can also be relatively noisy.

If you would rather invest in a quieter, magnetic rower, consider the ProForm 750R instead. It may not have a flashy touchscreen display, myriad of connected apps or other frills, but it is sturdy and delivers a comfortable rowing experience for less than $600.

Need something foldable? The Echelon Smart Rower is a great option here. It is stylish and easy to store, plus it comes with a vast range of classes available via the Echelon app. The caveat? It is slightly more expensive than the Merach NovaRow R50 — it costs between $700 to $900, depending on the retailer.

How we tested the Merach NovaRow R50

We tested the Merach NovaRow R50 for nearly three weeks, carefully assessing its setup, usability, design, durability and features. We checked how comfortable and easy to use it was, and gave our verdict on its overall functionality and value for money.

Most importantly, we put this rowing machine through a wide range of workouts — including gentle active recovery rides, intense lung-busting sessions and guided workouts — to fully assess its exercise performance and share our thoughts on the overall user experience. Moreover, we measured its noise levels with the Sound Meter decibel-counting app to check how it compared to other rowing machines we tested.

Suunto may have been trailing behind Garmin and Coros for years, but this once-forgotten brand is rapidly surging in popularity — and for a very good reason. In the last two years, it has released some of its best sports watches to date, including the Suunto Run, an entry-level pick for casual runners, and the more premium Suunto Race, which is a budget-friendly alternative to the Garmin Forerunner 965 and a personal favorite of one of our experienced reviewers. Suunto is now making even bigger waves — the brand has just released the Suunto Race 2, and by the looks of it, it is their best sports watch yet.

Specs-wise, the Suunto Race 2 beats its predecessor on all accounts: it has a faster processor, a larger and brighter display (1.43 inch vs 1.5 inch), more accurate heart rate sensors, a slimmer and lighter design (83 g vs 76 g), longer battery life (16 days vs 18 days) and more robust tracking features. However, it is also more expensive. The original Suunto Race costs $399, the price of the Suunto Race 2, on the other hand, is set at $499 for the stainless steel or $599 for the titanium model.

While not too budget-friendly, the Suunto Race 2 could still be one of the best-value fitness trackers out there. This sports watch is a close match for the Garmin Forerunner 970, and in certain aspects — the battery life, for example — it even outperforms it. However, it is cheaper by around $250. But can the Suunto Race 2 match its performance?

Suunto Race 2 sports watch review

Suunto Race 2 review: Design

• Durable stainless steel or titanium finish
• Removable silicone straps in four different colors
• Large and chunky, but comfortable to wear

The Suunto Race 2 sports watch is available in either stainless steel or titanium, and both of these options come with their own set of silicone straps. The stainless steel version can be purchased with either a black, grey, blue or coral orange strap. In the version with a titanium finish, the strap is either black or 'trail' (brown). Right off the bat, the Suunto Race 2 earns a big plus point for having so many customizable options.

Our testing unit came in a stainless steel finish and with a coral orange strap. Our first impression? We were almost taken aback by how gorgeous it looked. The Suunto Race 2 is exceptionally sleek and elegant, almost 'feminine', and inconspicuous enough to go with a wide range of outfits. It felt very light and comfortable to wear, too. We have tried and tested enough outdoor sports watches to know that such a beautifully crafted design is a rarity among models with similar specifications. Therefore, if you are tired of the chunky monstrosities that weigh down your wrist, the Suunto Race 2 should definitely land on your radar.

The Suunto Race 2 not only looks great, but it is also well-made. This stainless steel watch is tough enough to sustain dust, falls and temperatures as low as -5℉ and as high as 130℉ (-20 to 55℃). It also has some serious waterproof credentials. The Suunto Race 2 is rated 10ATM, meaning that it can withstand a water pressure of up to 100 meters. For contrast, the much pricier Garmin Forerunner 970 is rated just 5ATM (up to 50 meters). What does that mean in practice? This sports watch can be safely used by swimmers and triathletes, for example, but it is not waterproof enough for deep-sea diving or high-impact water sports.

We can vouch for its durability. We tested this sports watch for nearly two months in different scenarios and conditions, and it has not sustained any scratches or wear-and-tear damage throughout that time. Admittedly, we did not expose our Suunto Race 2 to any extreme environmental conditions (an undeniable perk of living in England). Still, we have put it through enough high-intensity workouts to know that an occasional bump, fall or smack from a barbell is unlikely to faze it.

Suunto Race 2 review: Display

• Bright and colorful 1.5-inch AMOLED display
• Scratch-resistant sapphire glass
• Not-so-intuitive user interface

Bright, easy to read and with good visibility in direct sunshine, the 1.5-inch AMOLED display is one of the biggest advantages of the Suunto Race 2. It is relatively durable, too — the screen is covered with a layer of scratch- and shatter-resistant sapphire glass. Not to mention, it simply looks good. Suunto offers several watch faces to choose from, and while they may not be as unique or customizable as the ones we have seen in Apple or Samsung Galaxy watches, for example, we still liked them a lot. They were elegant, easy to understand and did not suffer from the clutter of too many data points.

Still, we have some small complaints here. Starting with the touchscreen, it felt just a bit too responsive for our liking. It seems like almost anything could set it off, and we have seen on multiple occasions how our long-sleeved clothing or droplets of rainwater would accidentally mess with the watch interface. Secondly, the staining. As with most glass-reinforced displays, the screen on your Suunto Race 2 is bound to collect fingerprints and sweat stains. It is not a deal-breaker, sure, but something to take into account if you like to keep your watch faces pristinely clear.

Lastly, the user interface. We just could not get used to it. That is not to say that the Suunto Race 2 is difficult to navigate — the touchscreen is used alongside a rotating bezel and a set of buttons located on the right side of the watch, making it quick and easy to toggle between features. The problem seems to be in the not-so-user-friendly layout of features. If you want to pick a sports activity, for example, you often end up scrolling for a few minutes just to get to where you want to be. It would make a huge difference to the user experience if sports activities were grouped by type and accessed differently.

Suunto Race 2 review: Features

• Over 115 sports modes
• Dual-band GPS and offline maps
• Limited smartwatch capabilities

The Suunto Race 2 is a sports watch through and through. It tracks over 115 activities, including the more mainstream options like cycling and swimming, and some more niche sports, such as horseback riding, wheelchair and parkour. Interestingly, this watch even tracks mermaiding (yes, you read that right), and that surely is not something we have seen in a fitness tracker before.

Still, the Suunto Race 2 is primarily a running and hiking watch. Unlike most fitness trackers, it breaks down these two activities into more specific disciplines: running, trail running (mountain and standard), vertical running, track running, walking, hiking, trekking, nordic walking and mountaineering. The differences here may be small to some, but significant to professional runners and individuals who want to track their training sessions in more detail.

In addition, the Suunto Race 2 is equipped with some handy navigation tools. This sports watch features a dual-band GPS, compass and altimeter, and it comes with an offline map functionality. You can either create mapped activities or download ready-made maps straight to your watch from the Suunto app.

Speaking of the Suunto app, this is where you can access your fitness data. We liked this platform — every tracked workout is analyzed in sufficient detail, with a wide range of sport-specific stats and presented in an easy-to-understand format. In that sense, the Suunto app is a close match for the Polar app, a platform well-regarded for its detailed analysis of exercise performance. Unlike the Polar app, however, the Suunto app also throws in snippets of personalized fitness coaching. As a result, it is more suitable for beginners or those unsure how to progress their training.

That is pretty much it when it comes to features. The Suunto Race 2 does not have any advanced smartwatch capabilities or mini-apps that would increase its overall functionality in day-to-day situations. For example, it will not store music, pay for your groceries or allow you to customize or install additional apps. If you are looking for a smartwatch in the full sense of the word, you may be better off investing in one of the best Garmin watches.

Suunto Race 2 review: Performance

• Long battery life
• Reliable navigation tools
• Heart rate tracking can be imprecise at times

According to the brand, the Suunto Race offers up to 18 days of battery life in smartwatch mode, and up to 55 hours in GPS mode — and that sounds about right. Our testing unit would typically last two weeks on a single charge. Slightly shorter than advertised, yes, but then we tracked at least four hour-long exercise sessions a week and frequently used a GPS mode. Overall, we had no complaints.

The app connectivity or processing speed also did not cause any issues. The Suunto Race 2 has never lagged, frozen or shut down for no apparent reason, and we have never experienced any delays or disruptions in data transfer between the watch and the Suunto app. If there is anything to pick on, we would say that some of the software updates can take longer than expected. While it can be mildly annoying (some of the watch features can be disabled during the installation), it did not really have that much of an impact on our overall user experience.

What had an impact on our user experience, however, was the tracking accuracy. On one side, the Suunto Race 2 does a great job with its GPS navigation. This sports watch utilizes five satellite systems (GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS, BEIDOU), which is what many of the top-shelf Garmin and Coros watches do, and it shows. While the navigation is not 100% accurate (as it never really is in fitness trackers in general), our testing unit proved to be quite reliable for calculating our distance and elevation gain. The Suunto Race 2 also did a relatively good job of assessing sleep quality and measuring ambient temperature.

On the other hand, the step count, calories burned and heart rate tracking could use some improvement. When we compared the data obtained with our Suunto Race 2 to information collected by our Oura Ring 4 and the highly accurate Whoop MG fitness tracker, this sports watch appeared to frequently miscalculate our step count, sometimes by as much as 1,000 steps, and its calorie count seemed way higher than it should be.

Its heart rate sensor did not impress us, either. During one workout, we simultaneously wore the Suunto Race 2 and the more reliable Polar H9 chest-strap heart rate monitor, then compared the data recorded by both these devices. While the heart rate remained relatively accurate at rest and during moderate-intensity activities, the measurements got more flaky and chaotic above 140 bpm (beats per minute). While we have observed this trend in many fitness wearables, we would expect just a bit more precision for a watch in this price range.

Suunto Race 2 sports watch review: User reviews

At the time of writing this review, Amazon's customers gave the Suunto Race 2 a near-perfect score of 4.9 out of 5 stars, while Suunto's reviews placed it at a slightly lower 4.2-star rating. This sports watch earned a lot of praise for its easy-to-read display, sleek design and comprehensive workout tracking features, with some users noting that it was a significant upgrade from the previous Race model. Mixed opinions and negative remarks, on the other hand, often revolved around the heart rate accuracy of the Suunto Race 2.

One buyer commented, "Another wonderful watch from Suunto. It has a beautiful screen with crisp, sharp edges and bright colors, which make it easy to read. Also, the Suunto phone software is easy to use. As a Garmin escapee, eight years in the Garmin camp, I find the Suunto ecosystem refreshingly simple compared to the growing complexity that seems to be engulfing Garmin these days."

However, they also noted, "The HR monitor works great for running, but when I’m on the skierg, rowing machine, doing wallballs, etc., the HR monitor is inaccurate. I put on my wife’s Garmin on my opposite wrist and it worked perfectly, but my Race 2 was saying HR was 140 when I knew I was in the 170s on the Garmin. [...] Also, I don’t like wearing a watch when I sleep and I wish the Suunto app would allow you to manually add sleep data. 4 stars till I can figure out this HR monitor issue."

Should you buy the Suunto Race 2?

✅ Buy it if: You are looking for a sleek and durable sports watch with long battery life, or a more budget-friendly alternative to the Garmin Forerunner 970. The Suunto Race 2 does a great job as a fitness tracking tool, especially when it comes to endurance-based workouts like trail running or indoor rowing. It is also more affordable than many other sports watches with similar specifications.

❌ Don't buy it if: You want advanced outdoor-oriented or smartwatch features, such as solar charging or contactless payments. The Suunto Race 2 is a great fitness tracker, but it lacks the functionality to be anything other than that.

If the Suunto Race 2 isn’t for you

If you are looking for something slightly more affordable than the Suunto Race 2, we would recommend the Coros Pace Pro. This running watch offers 20 days of battery life in smartwatch mode, reliable GPS and superb workout tracking features, all at $150 less. However, you will have to compromise on the build quality here.

Looking for something even cheaper? Check out the Garmin Forerunner 165. It is a perfect entry-level running watch and one of the very few wearables we gave a full five stars, and yet it costs only $199. That said, the Forerunner 165 is nowhere near as durable or feature-packed as the Suunto Race 2.

If you are not concerned about the budget, the Garmin Forerunner 970 seems like an obvious alternative here. While it costs a whopping $749, its excellent tracking accuracy and robust outdoor-oriented features easily make it one of the best running watches or triathlon watches on the market right now.

How we tested the Suunto Race 2

We spent nearly two months trying and testing the Suunto Race 2 sports watch, looking at its design, features, day-to-day tracking performance, battery life, ease of use and connectivity with third-party devices. We wore it during the day, while sleeping and when doing a range of workouts, from stretching and casual strolls to high-intensity indoor rowing and weightlifting in the gym.

Finally, we assessed the accuracy of our Suunto Race 2. We compared its heart rate measurements with the data we obtained using a Polar H9 chest-strap heart rate monitor, then checked how well its GPS systems tracked a walking route in our local area.

Hiking in the fall is pure bliss. The temperatures are pleasantly mild, the trees come out in a myriad of beautiful colors, and the soft, low sun gives everything a beautiful, warm undertone. There is only one issue — the wet and rainy weather that turns mild hiking trails into slippery obstacle courses. Do not let that put you off, though. All you need is a good waterproof hiking shoe and the wonders of nature are up for grabs.

Save up to 53% on the Columbia Women's Konos TRS OutDry Mid hiking shoes at Amazon. Men's collection is also on sale with discounts going up to 46%.

With Black Friday ahead of the corner, you do not even have to spend a lot to get one. Take this deal, for example — our 'go-to' pick for rainy fall weather, the Columbia Konos TRS OutDry Mid hiking shoes, has just dropped to its lowest-ever price.

We are big fans of these hiking shoes. The Columbia Konos TRS OutDry are waterproof and durable, and they grip the surface exceptionally well, even in wet conditions. At the same time, they are not too heavy or rigid. We also found them very well-cushioned and comfortable to wear, and they have never aggravated our feet or caused us any blisters.

Looking for something more suited for trail running and casual walks? Do not worry, you will not be left empty-handed. The Columbia Konos TRS OutDry hiking trainers have also been heavily discounted, with up to 47% off on the men's collection. The women's collection is also on sale with discounts going up to 34%. They are just as waterproof, comfortable and lightweight as their Mid counterpart, but their open-ankle design makes them less suited for steep, challenging terrains.

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We have tried and tested our Columbia Konos TRS OutDry Mid hiking shoes on multiple terrains and in many different scenarios, and they have never disappointed us. They performed just as well in the Welsh hills as they did on our city break in southern France. Always comfortable, always grippy, and dare we say, always stylish. Now, you can get these excellent all-rounder hiking shoes at their lowest-ever price at Amazon.

Key features: 14 sizes (7 - 15 for men, 5 - 12 for women), mesh upper, TechLite+ foam midsole, OutDry membrane, Adapt Trax outsole

Product launched: September 2024

Price history: For the better part of this year, the prices of the Columbia Konos TRS OutDry Mid hiking shoes have fluctuated between $90 and $130. In August, they went under $90 for the first time, and they have been steadily dropping ever since. Today's offer from Amazon brings them lows we have not seen before.

Price comparison: Amazon: $63.70 | Columbia: $130 | Macy's: $120

Reviews consensus: The Columbia Konos TRS OutDry hiking shoes received a lot of praise for their reliable waterproofing, lightweight design and good traction on slippery trails. Many reviewers also found them stable and comfortable to wear, and noted that they offer good value for money. Negative remarks, on the other hand, often revolved around their build and durability. The consensus is that the Columbia Konos TRS OutDry hiking shoes are best suited for casual hiking and trail running, but are not rigid or protective enough to withstand highly technical or steep terrains.

Advnture: ★★★★½ | Tom's Guide: ★★★★½ | T3: ★★★★

✅ Buy it if: You are looking for a comfortable all-rounder hiking shoe that will not be fazed by rain and puddles.

❌ Don't buy it if: You want a hiking shoe that can help you conquer rugged mountain terrains and other difficult trails, or a winter boot (such as the Columbia Burnsider, now 25% off at Amazon).

The New Balance Fresh Foam X 1080 V14 running shoe is the king of easy runs and recovery walks, and one of the best daily trainers for conquering your mid-week treadmill workouts. It's durable, stable and highly breathable, but most importantly, it's well-cushioned and very comfortable to wear. The best part? The New Balance Fresh Foam X 1080 V14 has just been discounted for the first time since its release in October last year.

Save up to 50% on the New Balance Men's Fresh Foam X 1080 V14 running shoe at Amazon. Women's collection has also been heavily discounted, with up to 37% off on most sizes and colors.

This running shoe is also a personal favorite of our running expert. Kate Carter gave them a near-perfect 4.5-star rating in her full New Balance 1080 V14 running shoes review, and named it the best option for everyday runs in our guide to the best running shoes for supination. The 1080 v14 is an excellent buy even at full price, but with this Amazon deal, it is simply a steal.

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The New Balance Fresh Foam X 1080 V14 running shoe won our reviewer over with its comfort, cushioning and durability, and it has been her go-to daily trainer for the past year. In the words of Kate Carter herself, "If you want an all-round shoe that can be worn almost anywhere, and in almost any conditions, look no further. It's a shoe that can do a casual parkrun, a tempo session, a long run and almost everything else." And who are we to argue with an expert?

There is a caveat, though. While the New Balance Fresh Foam X 1080 V14 may be so soft that it gives the feeling of walking on the clouds, this also means that it can be just a bit too cushioned for some people. As our reviewer pointed out, it may not be the best option for speedwork and racing. When it comes to anything else, however, the New Balance Fresh Foam X 1080 V14 is unlikely to disappoint — and now, you can get this excellent all-rounder at its lowest-ever price.

Key features: Fresh Foam X platform, drop 6 mm, heel stack height 38 mm, forefoot stack height 32 mm

Product launched: October 2024

Price history: The price of the New Balance Fresh Foam X 1080 V14 has remained at $164.99 since its release in October 2024. Today marks the first time Amazon has put these running shoes on sale, offering up to 50% off on men's and up to 37% off on women's collection.

Price comparison: Amazon: up to 50% off | New Balance: up to 21% off | REI: up to 20% off

Reviews consensus: One of the best daily trainers on the market, the New Balance Fresh Foam X 1080 V14 gets a lot of praise for its plush cushioning, breathable upper and durable construction. Many reviewers also applaud its versatile design and bouncy platform, and generally consider it good value for money. Negative remarks vary depending on the tester, but they primarily concern the level of cushioning. Some reviewers also complained about the lack of significant upgrades to the 1080 V13 model.

Live Science: ★★★★½ | Tom's Guide: ★★★★ | T3: ★★★★

Featured in guides: Best running shoes for supination

✅ Buy it if: You want a comfortable, well-cushioned running shoe for everyday runs and strolls.

❌ Don't buy it if: You are looking for a responsive, racing-focused running shoe, or something under $50 (such as the Adidas Racer TR23 Sneaker, now up to 46% at Amazon).

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Looking for an ultra-advanced adventure smartwatch, but do not want to spend a small fortune on the Garmin Fenix 8? Consider the Garmin Enduro 2 instead. It is just as durable, advanced and rich in features as its more widely known counterpart. The Enduro 2 used to be just as expensive, too, but since it has been discontinued to make space for the newer Enduro 3, its price has been steadily dropping over the last few months. Now, this ultra-premium watch is the cheapest it has ever been.

The Garmin Enduro 2 has just been discounted by $81.95 at Walmart, bringing it to its lowest-ever price. Spend $2 more, and you can get a similar deal at Amazon.

Andrew Williams, our trusted reviewer, has given this watch a strong 4-star rating in his full Garmin Enduro 2 review, and if it were not for its sky-high price at the time of testing, he would have given it a perfect score. With this excellent Walmart deal, however, that one drawback is out of the window. Hurry, though, the stocks may run out any minute now.

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The Garmin Enduro 2 has everything you may ever want or need from an adventure smartwatch, from an ultra-rugged design and precise sensors to solar-charging capabilities and advanced workout-tracking features. It is also rated 10ATM for water resistance, and thanks to its superb multi-band GPS, it will help you find the way even in the most remote corners of the planet. Hands down, this sleek watch is a real treat for outdoor explorers and endurance athletes.

However, what the Garmin Enduro 2 truly excels at is the battery life. It is one of the handful of adventure watches that can last up to 34 days on a single charge. With solar charging on top, that goes up to 46 days. Understandably, we named the Enduro 2 as the best option for long trips in our guide to the best Garmin watches. The best part? Now you can get this excellent watch for just $548 at Walmart.

Key features: 1.4in 280 x 280 MIP screen, 10 ATM water resistance, up to 34 days of battery life, titanium casing, 32GB internal storage, multi-band GPS

Product launched: August 2022

Price history: Before today's deal, the lowest price on the Garmin Enduro 2 was $579.95, and for the better part of this year, it was typically priced between $649.99 and $599.99. Today's offer from Walmart brings the price down to $549.95, which is the lowest price we have ever seen.

Price comparison: Amazon: $549.95 | Walmart: $548 | Best Buy: $749.99

Reviews consensus: The Garmin Enduro 2 is the crème de la crème of GPS adventure smartwatches. Not only is it exceptionally durable, accurate and jam-packed with advanced tracking features, but it is also surprisingly light and comfortable to wear. The best part? It lasts up to 34 days on a single charge, which is more than most other models on the market. Most reviewers gave the Garmin Enduro 2 a full five stars, despite its high price at the time of testing.

TechRadar: ★★★★★ | Live Science: ★★★★ | T3: ★★★★★

Featured in guides: Best Garmin watches

✅ Buy it if: You want an adventure watch that does not cut any corners.

❌ Don't buy it if: You are looking for something less rugged and more budget-friendly (such as the Garmin Instinct 2 Solar, an excellent mid-range sports watch that is now $73 off at Best Buy).

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Walking treadmills are an excellent way to ramp up your step count and stay active when the weather outside takes a turn for the worse. Plus, walking treadmills tend to be lighter and more portable, and typically cost less than the 'regular' treadmills designed for speedwork and endurance runs. The best part? Now that the Prime Day sale is coming to an end, you can get one of these clever machines at an even lower price. We have spotted quite a few good offers on treadmills so far, but in terms of value for money, we think this one takes the cake.

The Urevo Strol 2E Smart Treadmill is now 29% off at Amazon, bringing its price down to just $206.99.

This cardio machine impressed us so much that we gave it a strong 4-star rating in our full Urevo Strol 2E Smart Treadmill review, and included it in our guide to the best walking treadmills. It is sleek, quiet in use and surprisingly well-made, and for just $206.99, this budget treadmill is a total bargain.

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Now, the Urevo Strol 2E has some downsides, too. To start with, it is not a good pick for sprinters or taller individuals. This treadmill is best suited for walking and light jogging, and that is because its speed is limited to 6.2 mph (10 km/h). It has a relatively short and narrow tread, making it somewhat uncomfortable to use for individuals with a long stride, and its maximum user weight stands at just 265 lbs (120 kg).

However, you would be hard-pressed to find a better value in this price range. The Urevo Strol 2E outshines its competitors with a good quality build, a quiet, powerful motor, and connected apps, and now you can get this budget gem for just $206.99. But hurry, Prime Day has already finished, so we don't expect this deal to last much longer.

Key features: weight 58.64 lbs (26.6 kg), max user weight 265 lbs (120 kg), LED console, top speed 6.2 mph (10 km/h), horsepower 2.25 HP, remote control, safety clip, phone mount

Product launched: December 2024

Price history: For the better part of this year, the price of the Urevo Strol 2E fluctuated between $219.99 and $279.99. Today's offer from Amazon brings the price down to $206.99, which is the lowest we have seen it since Black Friday.

Price comparison: Amazon: $206.99 | Walmart: $206.99 | Urevo: $289.99

Reviews consensus: The UREVO Strol 2E Smart Treadmill is generally praised for its space-savvy design, easy-to-use controls and great value for money, with many reviewers considering it one of the best budget-friendly options for small or crowded apartments. However, this treadmill also tends to be criticised for its short and narrow tread, and many testers were left underwhelmed by its smart features.

Live Science: ★★★★ | T3: ★★★★

Featured in guides: Best walking treadmills

✅ Buy it if: You are looking for a walking pad or a basic 2-in-1 treadmill for casual runs.

❌ Don't buy it if: You are a seasoned runner looking to elevate your power, endurance and general exercise performance. The Urevo Strol 2E is a great budget pick, but it lacks the speed range and functionality of the more premium models. If you want something more advanced, consider the NordicTrack T treadmill instead — it is more powerful and richer in features, and now also 25% off on Amazon.

Check out our other guides to the best treadmills, best rowing machines, best exercise bikes and much more.

Picture this: You excitedly buy a new smartwatch. At first, you can't get enough of it — you wear it day and night, track your every move and check all fitness reports. Fitness tracking becomes a part of your day-to-day routine. However, this newfound enthusiasm does not last long, and within months or even weeks, you end up abandoning your smartwatch or smart ring altogether. Sounds familiar? If it does, rest assured that you are not alone. Evidence suggests that many people struggle with long-term fitness tracking, regardless of whether they use a premium Garmin watch or a budget-friendly fitness band.

For example, a 2016 Gartner survey found that as many as one-third of smartwatch owners in the US have abandoned their devices. According to a more recent 2024 LocalCircles survey, only a fifth of users who purchased their fitness trackers were still using them regularly, and a staggering 79% of respondents reported having at least one unused device at home. What is even more interesting is how quickly we seem to cast them away. For example, in a small 2017 experimental study, half of the participants who were asked to record their activity stopped using fitness trackers within the first two weeks of the experiment.

But why? Why do we struggle so much with long-term fitness tracking, and is there anything we can do to prevent our shiny new smartwatch from collecting dust? We asked the experts.

The answers to these questions are not straightforward, and that is due to the habitual nature of fitness tracking.

Fitness tracking is an acquired behavior, and, like all behaviors that are not innate to our nature, it is created and reinforced through a process of repetition, feedback, and reward. This complex habit loop can be easily interrupted by a myriad of different factors. “Fitness tracking is about the interaction between a person, technology, and the environment in which that person is living and working. All three of those aspects will affect their decision to use fitness trackers continuously," Judy Van Raalte, a professor emerita of sport psychology at Springfield College, Massachusetts, told Live Science.

That said, evidence also suggests that some factors may have a greater impact on our long-term use of fitness trackers than others. Here are four common reasons why many of us abandon fitness trackers — according to science.

Reason 1: You have a tracker, but no clear fitness goals

Even the fanciest smartwatch will not last long if you do not have a well-defined idea as to why you want to use it in the first place. When you set specific, measurable goals — for example, 10,000 steps a day or 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise a week — your fitness tracker becomes a valuable tool for monitoring and improving these metrics over time, rather than just a gadget for keeping up to date with your stats. While it may sound obvious, many people buy fitness trackers primarily to help motivate themselves to exercise. However, this approach rarely works if they have no internal drive to begin with.

"Fitness trackers get abandoned due to a general lack of exercise motivation. People, and sedentary individuals in particular, do not tend to switch to an active lifestyle overnight," Selen Razon, an associate professor of exercise science at West Chester University, Pennsylvania, told Live Science. “It is seeing progress or a sense of mastery over desired outcomes that makes people stick with the tracking tools,” Razon said.

This view is widely shared among fitness professionals. “There is no initial warrant for a fitness tracker to be proactive in what it is doing unless its user genuinely wants to make a change to their lifestyle,” Lewis Paris, a London-based certified personal trainer and the director of Lewis Paris Fitness, a corporate wellness company, told Live Science. People who are not as goal-oriented, on the other hand, are less likely to stick to fitness tracking, Paris said.

Potential solution: First, focus on the 'why', not 'how'. Think of the reasons why you want to improve your fitness and what you want to achieve with your fitness tracker. Then, write down one to three specific and measurable goals that you can easily monitor with your wearable (for example, 'eight hours of sleep a day' rather than 'better sleep', or '6,000 steps a day' instead of 'move more').

Reason 2: You have clear goals, but not the right device to measure them

When buying a fitness tracker, it is easy to get swayed by popular trends or peer pressure. However, what worked wonders for your friends or professional product testers may not necessarily have the same effect on you. Fitness trackers come in a mind-boggling variety of forms, and half of the success lies in picking a wearable that fully reflects your needs, preferences, and fitness abilities. At the end of the day, the fitness tracker that you end up using the most is the one that brings the most value into your daily life.

Functionality of the device is a key factor here. "For example, users of the Whoop band will likely have different fitness goals than users of the Oura ring or a Garmin smartwatch, and that is because the Whoop band is centered on precise measurements of exercise performance, while the Oura ring focuses on recovery and sleep metrics,” Paris said. If your fitness tracker is not measuring stats in a way that is relevant to your needs and goals, you will not have the incentive to stick with that wearable long-term.

Device quality is another important factor here. Studies have shown that poor data accuracy and reliability may be among the primary reasons users abandon fitness trackers, according to a 2022 systematic review published in the journal Behaviour & Information Technology. This factor is particularly important for athletes and advanced exercisers. “For very avid users who are knowledgeable about their fitness, the inaccuracy of fitness trackers can be frustrating, especially when they share the results with others,” Van Raalte said.

Moreover, it is not just about how the data is collected, but also how it is presented to the user. “Some people just do not work well with raw data. They do not understand it or do not see the benefit of knowing such things," Paris said. "Types of wearable tech that provide clear, structured feedback on what is working well may be more effective," he explained.

How your fitness tracker motivates you is another important factor to consider. "For instance, some may really enjoy the constant reminders to exercise, or competing with others through their tracker use, while for others these [features] can be turn-offs,” Razon said.

Potential solution: Think carefully about what you would want your ideal device to be like, then spend some time researching the products that fit your criteria the most. Look at various product reviews and online user testimonials for practical insights, but also bear in mind that their experiences with the product may not be exactly the same as yours.

Reason 3: You do not share fitness stats with others

Humans are social creatures, and this also applies to fitness tracking. Social comparison (a natural human tendency to evaluate our own abilities and opinions by comparing ourselves to others) can be a powerful driving force behind long-term fitness tracking, according to the review mentioned before — and our experts wholeheartedly agree. “When people are able to compete with other users, or if they know that their friends and family can track their achievements, they may be more motivated to use a fitness tracker in the long term,” Razon said.

The allure of sharing your fitness stats may also partially explain why advanced fitness trackers appear to have more long-term users than the more basic, budget-friendly wearables, Van Raalte said. “It is not necessarily because they come with better technology or a nicer display, but because premium smartwatches tend to enable more social interaction, such as engaging with other people on dedicated forums or posting their runs or rides or fitness on Strava and other apps," she said.

Potential solution: Choose a fitness tracker that allows you to share your fitness metrics with friends, family or dedicated communities online. Alternatively, find an 'accountability partner' — someone who can support you in staying committed to your fitness goals through regular check-ins, encouragement and honest feedback.

Reason 4. Your fitness tracker is not fun to use

What comes to your mind when you say 'fitness tracking'? We can bet a top dollar that is not 'fun'. However, perceived enjoyment can be a significant factor in determining whether or not we stick to our fitness trackers in the long term, according to the review. But how can you make fitness tracking fun, exactly? Two words: gamification and interactivity, according to a 2021 study published in the journal SAGE Open.

Gamification is a term used for incorporating game elements, such as point scoring and competition with others, into non-game environments. In the case of fitness tracking, it can mean taking part in virtual challenges and receiving awards for achieving specific fitness goals. Interactivity, on the other hand, is about how fitness trackers engage your attention to enhance your user experience. For example, when our wearables suggest the next exercise plan or modify their advice based on your performance. “Features that remind or nudge people to move, as well as the ones that give them positive reinforcements based on desired behaviors — earning badges based on step count, for example — promote continuous use of fitness trackers,” Razon said.

Potential solution: Choose a fitness tracker that offers fun, engaging features and/or access to third-party fitness platforms, or one that can help you create your own exercise routine (with the help of, for example, an AI-driven coach).

This article is for informational purposes only and is not meant to offer medical advice.

Many of the best fitness trackers can perform well in the water but there are nuances to what they can do. The main difference is their water resistance rating, ideally with you wanting more than 5ATM (submersible up to 50 meters) and even some of the best budget fitness trackers can offer this. Some will be able to offer you customizable workouts, track your strokes and pace and give detailed data, whereas others will only be able to track your swimming distance through GPS.

Leo Gebbie, a Wearables Analyst, told us that more advanced smartwatches can offer deeper insights, which "can help more advanced swimmers to better track their performance in the water. Smartwatches with GPS also tend to offer an open water swimming mode." However, Leo warns against their accuracy: "The GPS signal is essentially lost every time the watch dips below the water, meaning it is far harder to obtain a smooth track of where a user has swum."

We've narrowed down our favorites to help you choose a fitness tracker to suit your swimming routine. Garmin watches haven't made an appearance in this guide, especially as we haven't personally reviewed their best fitness tracker for swimming, the Garmin Swim 2. But if a Garmin is what you're after, our best Garmin watches guide may be more relevant.

The quick list

The best fitness trackers for swimming we recommend in 2025

The best fitness tracker for swimming overall

The Polar Grit X is a solid fitness tracker that we mainly tested for runs and workouts but it does have great water resistance up to 100m. It has a range of battery life depending on what you're using it for, with the most being 100 hours in power-saving mode. Of course, if you're using it for open water swimming, you will be using the GPS and this brings it down to 40 hours which is still more than adequate, albeit a bit of a pain. Although it has a Gorilla Glass screen and stainless steel bezel, it's light weighing only 64g.

Price: The Polar Grit X is one of the more expensive fitness trackers out there, even though it is now considered an older model. It normally comes in around the $379 mark which sounds steep but it still packs a punch and is worth the investment if you don't mind not having the latest fitness tracker tech.

Water resistance: The reason we've rated this as the best overall is because of its amazing water resistance. You can wear this fitness tracker down to depths of 100m which means it is suitable for many types of swimming and what's even better, it is wearable in both pools and open waters.

Accuracy: What's surprising about this fitness tracker is its accuracy even though it is not the latest release. We tested it in runs and workouts and found it had decent stat accuracy with our reviewer commenting that for heart rate and location tracking, it worked "if not perfectly". It also performed well during our test workouts in recording our distances and locations, performing similarly to the Garmin Forerunner we tested against. For swimmers, the Polar Grit X can track your swims and identify your swimming style from four types with Polar noting that 'Freestyle' is the only swim style recognised for open water swims. The tracker can also record your times, pace, distance and rests for each swim.

However, one thing it lacks compared to newer models like the Garmin Epix 2, is multi-band GPS. Multi-band GPS uses different frequencies to reduce the errors caused by obstacles such as tall buildings or trees. This technology can help fitness trackers' accuracy when you're in more challenging environments. As the Polar Grit X doesn't have this, it's worth bearing this in mind if you swim in disused quarries or remote locations as accuracy may be affected.

Battery life: The Polar Grit X has various battery life depending on what you're using it for. For swimming, the GPS will be enabled so you can expect a mediocre battery life of 40 hours before it needs charging.

Design: The Gorilla Glass and stainless steel bezel make the Polar Grit X a highly durable fitness tracker that will last a long time. Even though it has the stainless steel bezel and Gorilla Glass screen, it remains light at 64g meaning it won't become too cumbersome while swimming. We also noted in our review that there was minimal use of color for the display and that sometimes the interface wasn't that intuitive so this is something to bear in mind if you lack patience.

Read more: Polar Grit X

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The best budget option

Xiaomi are a great option for anyone looking for a budget fitness tracker. We previously rated the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 quite highly, but have since tested the Xiaomi Smart Band 10 and can see where improvements have been made (and awarded it four and a half stars out of five in our review). The Smart Band 10 offers running courses, real-time underwater heart rate monitoring and sleep improvement plans — things that were not covered by its predecessor. Of course, the interesting one there for swimmers is the real-time underwater heart rate monitoring. Plus, it has 5ATM water resistance so you know it’s safe to swim with it on.

Price: This fitness tracker is unbelievably cheap for what it offers, coming in at $45. That’s staggering when it offers 150+ workout modes, 5ATM and 21-day battery life plus so much more.

Water resistance: With water resistance of 5ATM, you can safely swim with this fitness tracker on your wrist. In reality, this means the tracker can withstand pressure to the equivalent depth of 50 meters, which is more than sufficient for your average swim. While you can wear this watch for open water swimming, one thing to be mindful of is the fact that it doesn’t have its own GPS, so it will rely on your smartphone’s GPS. More expensive models have their own on-board GPS, therefore tracking may be a little more inaccurate if open water swimming.

Accuracy: As noted above, open water swimming tracking may be slightly less accurate than pool swimming due to the lack of independent GPS. However, we generally found the workout tracking on this fitness tracker to be accurate and, although we haven’t tested it in the water yet, we expect it to be good at capturing your lengths and turns in a pool.

Battery life: This is one of the best features of the Xiaomi Smart Band 10 — a genuine 21-day (or near enough) battery life. We only had to charge it once during our intensive testing period and even then, it had 17% remaining battery. For $45, you won’t be disappointed with the battery life, and when it comes to swimming, even if you go every day, you won’t have to worry about your tracker running out of juice partway through a swim.

Design: The slender and unobtrusive design of the smart band is ideal for those not wanting to feel they are wearing a bulky fitness tracker in the pool. With no external buttons either, there is nothing that will irritate your wrist or be accidentally nudged, leading to inaccurate readings. The straps are also interchangeable, so you can find the perfect one for your swims.

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The best alternative to a watch

The FORM Smart Swim 2 has been classed as the world's first smart goggles and if this is the starting point for this tech, we're excited to see where it goes in the future! There is a small unit on the side of one of the lenses which is where the tech lives. From here, a digital readout appears when you put the goggles on. As soon as you're in the water, the goggles are doing the work. It gives you real-time feedback on your heart rate, split times and distance and so much more. You can personalize this information to suit your needs. The great thing about these smart goggles is that you can focus on swimming while the tech captures all the information.

Price: We'd recommend these smart goggles for serious swimmers looking to improve their technique as they do not come cheap. They sell for around $279 so it's a big investment if you don't go swimming often.

Water resistance: Being a pair of swimming goggles, these are suitable for both pool and open water swims. They come with replaceable eye seals for added comfort and to secure the fit helping to reduce the chances of any water leaking in.

Accuracy: Our reviewer was impressed with the accuracy of the FORM Smart Swim 2 goggles and loved how the second you got in the water, they started tracking automatically. There was no need for her to press any buttons if she paused with it also detecting turns seamlessly. Our reviewer did mention ensuring you get the nose piece to fit properly as this is important for connection and thus accuracy of the data. It comes with 5 interchangeable nose pieces to help you get the perfect fit.

Battery life: These smart goggles have 14 hours of battery life on a single charge which is more than adequate for a swim or even a few! Our reviewer found a ten-minute boost before a swim gave two hours in the pool.

Design: Upon opening, you need to connect the goggles to the FORM app on your smartphone. The app guides you through the process of fitting the nose pieces. Once you're set-up, you can configure the app to show the data you want to see while swimming. The unit can be moved from the left or right eye and the display can be seen for prescriptions up to -3.

Read more: FORM Smart Swim 2

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The best for beginners

With the Coros Pace Pro being made with endurance athletes, runners and cyclists in mind, it more than suffices as a fitness tracker you can use while swimming. With 5ATM water resistance, you can wear this watch in pools or open water. There are various water sports modes you can choose from, such as open water swim, pool swim or flatwater. With endurance athletes as one of the main customers of this watch, it has been designed with triathletes in mind. So why are we recommending it as the best for beginners? That comes down to its easy-to-understand metrics that can be viewed in the app, which are all explained in good detail.

Price: The Coros Pace Pro typically costs around $299. So while being quite pricey for beginners, it is a good investment for those wanting to use a fitness tracker for more than just swimming.

Water resistance: With 5ATM water resistance, this means you can swim in pools and open water to a depth of 50 meters. What this means in reality is that the watch can withstand pressure equivalent to a depth of 50 meters. And, while 5ATM may not be the best water resistance for an adventure watch such as this in terms of endurance events, it more than suffices for your average swim. You can also wear this watch when showering, in the rain and it can easily withstand light splashes.

Accuracy: Overall, we found the accuracy of the Coros Pace Pro to be good. We mainly tested it during hiking, but found the GPS tracking to be great. This bodes well if you wish to use the GPS tracking for open water swimming. However, we did find that the heart rate measurement may not always be as accurate. When it comes to swimming, the watch uses its accelerometer and internal compass to detect turns when in pool swim mode, and it also captures lengths swam.

Battery life: The Coros Pace Pro offers good battery life with either 20 days when in watch mode or 38 hours when in GPS mode. Depending on what you’ll be using this watch for (and whether or not GPS is important to you), you will get varied battery life out of it. For pool swimmers, GPS isn’t necessary, so you may get the extended 20-day battery life.

Design: While most adventure watches are bulky and sometimes a little uncomfortable to wear, the Coros Pace Pro sets itself apart as we found this light and comfortable on our wrist — a bonus when in the water, too. The display is bright and colorful, with good visibility in various lighting conditions, which is ideal when under blaring swimming pool lights or in bright daylight when open water swimming. The silicone strap was also comfortable to wear.

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The best for subtlety

The Whoop MG has an unusual design compared to other fitness trackers due to there being no screen. This is refreshing as screens dictate so much of our lives — it's wonderful to be allowed to be present during a swim. The lack of a screen wasn't that much of an issue for us, although our reviewer did note it better suits activities where you don't need to check your stats during the session, swimming being one. The Whoop MG is great for swimming as there is no need to faff with buttons and screens before getting in the water, all you need to do is get in and swim. The tracker sends the data to your phone through a Bluetooth connection so you can browse in-depth fitness data from your swim afterwards, perhaps over a coffee.

Price: The Whoop MG is based on a monthly subscription service. You can pay for various memberships with the 24 month membership working out around $16 per month whereas the annual is around $19 a month. However, you can get a one-month trial for free.

Water resistance: This fitness tracker has the lowest water resistance rating of our selection, with it being submergible in depths of 10m. Whoop also say it can only be submerged for a maximum of two hours. This is still sufficient for swimming but ensure your swim as shallow and kept shorter. Our reviewer did test this tracker during a wild water swim and it held up fine. However, Whoop advise it's best used in chlorinated water.

Accuracy: The highlight of the Whoop MG is the strain and recovery scores. We found the strain and recovery scores a good tool for knowing how prepared we were for exercise and for help in adjusting our workouts. There are also individual metrics that the tracker monitors. With all of this data, it helps you to understand yourself better and make better habits. It does more than just monitor your swims — it can let you know how much you can handle in your next swim and which behaviours might be hindering your performance.

Battery life: Whoop states a solid battery life of 7-8 days which, with 24/7 health monitoring, is impressive. It is also more than sufficient for those wanting to take it swimming. We loved how we could charge the battery pack independently of the sensors so you never lose health tracking.

Design: People won't know you're wearing a fitness tracker with the Whoop MG — it's so subtle in its design. The strap is also unlike other fitness trackers being a 'SuperKnit' design. You can tighten or loosen the strap like a rucksack strap before placing it over your hand onto your wrist. Another highlight of the Whoop MG is the daily journal as this helps you log things outside of your exercise to help you see patterns in what you're eating, drinking or doing and how this is impacting your recovery score.

Read more: Whoop MG

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The best for customization

The Apple Watch Series 8 is a great fitness watch for swims. It has a water resistance rating of 5ATM meaning it is water resistant to 50m and suitable for swimming but not heavy-duty watersports or diving. Depending on the exact model of the Apple Watch Series 8 that you get, the weight can be anything from 32g to 52g — a reasonable weight for a swim. The GPS is also good on this watch and although we didn't test it in the water, it should be able to track your outdoor swims with ease.

Price: The Apple Watch Series 8 sells for around $250 which isn't bad considering what this watch has to offer with specialist swimming workout modes.

Water resistance: This watch has a 5ATM water resistance rating meaning you can use it for swimming. Apple says you can use this watch for both pool and open water swimming with its own mode for open water swimming.

Accuracy: The Apple Watch Series 8 has good accuracy in terms of its stats and measurements. Our reviewer particularly liked that there were more mid-exercise statistics offered, compared to previous models, for a deeper dive into your health and workouts. The GPS on Apple Watches is always great which bodes well for any outdoor swims you might want to track.

Battery life: This is where this watch falls short — only 18 hours of battery. This isn't surprising seeing as Apple watches are renowned for lower battery life. There is a low-power mode that turns off WiFi and 4G and the 'Always-on' display mode. It also reduces the amount of notifications from your iPhone. This feature can save you some battery which is why it may suit those wanting to use it for particular workouts, like swimming, or for those not bothered about tracking every second of their day.

Design: We found the watch comfortable to wear with the strap causing us very few problems. Our reviewer was impressed with the graphics with him commenting that the "on-screen graphics are even richer than what you’d see in a high-end Garmin." Sadly, we found the app menu to be overloaded with icon dots and no titles making it harder for those unfamiliar with Apple watches to know what each app does. However, the USP of the Apple watch is the fact that it works with third-party apps so you can plan a swim training session on one app and sync it to your watch for when you're in the pool. Even better, if you'd rather not use third-party apps, you can customize your workouts straight on your watch. Best of both worlds.

Read more: Apple Watch Series 8

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The best multisport watch

Being a close contender with the Garmin Forerunner 970, the Suunto Race 2 is one of the best multisport watches currently available. It has an extensive array of workout tracking features, including various swimming modes such as pool and open water swims and the ability to track over 115 workouts — and even includes those you may never have heard of, such as mermaiding! Plus, it costs less than other premium watches, such as Garmin watches, so there’s plenty to like.

Price: The Suunto Race 2 typically costs around $499, which sounds like a lot, but this watch offers a huge amount for this price. Plus, it’s $250 cheaper than its close competitor, the Garmin Forerunner 970.

Water resistance: While 5ATM is more than sufficient for pool and open water swims, the Suunto Race 2 offers 10ATM. This effectively means it can withstand pressure down to the equivalent of 100 meters. So, not only is it ideal for pool and open water swims, but you can also wear this watch when partaking in various water sports, such as snorkelling.

Accuracy: The GPS navigation on the Suunto Race 2 performed well. This watch has five satellite systems (GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS, BEIDOU), which is what places it up with the Garmin and Coros watches. Open water mode uses this GPS to track your swim. We generally found the tracking to be accurate on this watch across both workout modes and sleep. Sadly, some features were less accurate, such as calories burned and step count. Furthermore, the heart rate tracking was a bit iffy at times, which may be a bugbear when it comes to swimming. However, the swimming modes on this watch capture stroke count and heart rate, as well as having extra features, such as SuuntoPlus Swim Sections & Drills, for those looking to enhance their performance.

Battery life: Offering either 18 days in watch mode or 55 hours in GPS mode, the Suunto Race 2 gives you great battery life, which takes the faff out of having to constantly pop it on charge.

Design: With its stainless steel or titanium finish, this watch is durable, making it ideal to wear for a variety of sports. You can also swap and change up the straps, which is a nice customization. We liked this watch’s design as it felt more feminine than other sports watches, with its sleek and elegant design. During our two-month testing period, it never scratched or showed any signs of wear and tear.

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Best fitness trackers for swimming: Comparison

Our expert consultants

Best fitness trackers for swimming: Frequently Asked Questions

How to choose the best fitness tracker for swimming for you:

Consider where you'll be swimming: Most fitness trackers can handle pool swimming so as long as you have sufficient water resistance for swimming, you can choose any of our favorite fitness trackers in this guide. However, for those of you more likely to engage in open-water swimming, be sure to check the manufacturer's guidance before purchasing. Some fitness trackers perform better in pools than in open water. You will also want to check the GPS function of any fitness tracker you're thinking of buying for open-water swimming. As mentioned by Leo Gebbie, our expert, the GPS signal is lost every time the arm dips below the water so you will want decent GPS tracking to ensure a more accurate distance is captured.

Consider the battery life: You may want to wear your new fitness tracker all day, every day, to track your other health stats as well as your swims. If you're not likely to have anywhere to charge it every day, for example, you're on the go a lot, we suggest going for one that lasts longer. If charging on the go isn't an issue for you, battery life won't restrict you much, apart from having time regularly where the watch can't track your health stats.

Level of swimming: Some fitness trackers are more suited to those partaking in triathlons or undertaking serious training to improve whereas others are sufficient for the everyday person who is looking to increase their fitness. Be sure you choose a fitness tracker based on your level of swimming and the sort of data you will find useful to improve your swimming. The level of detail you may want may be different to someone else. Rather than get carried away in the tech and what the watches can do, consider if you need it to do it for you. Otherwise, we may have a great fitness tracker but you may not be using many of its functions!

How we tested these best fitness trackers for swimming

How we test the best fitness trackers for swimming

Location: All of the fitness trackers in this guide have been tested and reviewed by our expert team here at Livescience. Our reviewers tested these fitness trackers during home workouts, gym workouts, hiking and runs. The Whoop and Form Smart Swim 2 were tested in the water. Although we haven't tested all of the fitness trackers in this guide during swimming sessions, we did our research as to how they performed for others in the water. We can vouch for them being reliable fitness trackers and decent brands with them featuring in our best fitness trackers guide.

Length of time tested for: Our reviewers had the products for a while, with most being tested for over a month during various workouts and worn day-to-day to capture the health stats. The trackers were also worn during sleep. The Form Smart Swim 2 are the exception with them only being tested in the water.

What tests do we do: The majority of these fitness watches were tested in the gym, during home workouts, hiking and runs. The Whoop and Form Smart Swim 2 were tested in the water. The Whoop was tested during a wild swimming session whereas the Form Smart Swim 2 was tested in the pool and open water.

Expertise of writers: All of our reviewers have years of experience in the health and fitness world.

Products we've also tested

Here are some other fitness trackers we've tested. They are all suitable for swimming and as none of the Garmins we tested made it into this guide, we've included a couple below in case you're a big Garmin fan.

The Suunto Run is a great, affordable fitness tracker running watch that has a seriously compelling array of features at a relatively low price.

Garmin-baiting highlights include breadcrumb navigation of routes and offline music playback. They make the Suunto Run a serious alternative to a Garmin Forerunner 165 Music, for less money.

Heart rate accuracy is perhaps the key drawback of this otherwise punchy watch. It’s no use for weights-based gym sessions, and while run tracking results are much better, you can’t always trust its readings in the first handful of minutes of a workout.

The Suunto Run was released in June 2025 and costs $249/£199/$449. Suunto keeps things simple, with no extra sizes or models, and no added costs, whether you want a yellow, orange or black finish.

Suunto Run: Design

• Steel bezel
• Mid-size 46mm diameter casing
• Easy-adjust fabric strap

The Suunto Run may be a conspicuously approachable fitness watch, with a price to match, but Suunto has not reverted to using cut-price materials to achieve that.

It has a stainless steel bezel and Gorilla Glass screen protection. The main part of the casing is tough plastic, but Suunto still offers a few snappy-looking colours to avoid any sense of a generic build or appearance.

We have highlighter yellow, but the Suunto Run also comes in orange and plain black.

If we were to compare the Run with its nearest Garmin competitor, the Forerunner 165 Music, the Run clearly wins on materials. That Garmin has a plastic “polymer” bezel and unspecified “chemically strengthened” glass, not Gorilla Glass from Corning.

The Suunto Run’s strap is also a hit for both look and feel. It’s a free-moving velcro fabric strap, one that can be adjusted to any length. It’s light, comfy and some may find it preferable to a classic silicone watch strap. It does need to be done up fairly tight to get decent heart rate results, though, as it’s naturally less grippy than a rubbery silicone strap.

This watch weighs just 36g, light enough for 24/7 wear. However, it’s not a truly petite design. The 46mm Suunto Run looks about right on our wrist, but some of you may be after something a little dinkier. There’s no smaller option.

The watch is rated at 50m/5ATM water resistant, so you don’t need to take it off when you have a shower or go to the swimming pool. But it’s not ready for scuba diving.

Even the controls go beyond the basics, too. The Suunto Run is a touchscreen watch, with two buttons on the side, next to a clicky rotary dial, which is handy for rapidly flicking through your daily stats or through the many exercise tracking modes.

Suunto has also nailed the Run’s haptics, with a little “click” like vibration as you use the crown to scroll through menus. Haptics are often a little crude in cheaper watches, but they feel great here.

Suunto Run: Features

• Dual-band GPS
• Route guidance but no mapping
• Training load and VO2 Max stats

The Suunto Run has a fairly large 1.32-inch AMOLED screen with a high pixel count of 466 x 466 pixels. Like all of today’s OLED watches, it’s sharp and clear. And while it doesn’t fill out as much of the face as an Apple Watch, that’s the norm for these exercise-focused watches.

This screen is bright enough for comfortable use outdoors, without the incredible brightness we’re seeing in some of the latest models. It’s perfectly fine for an affordable watch like this not to be at the vanguard of tech progress. However, its “raise to wake” gesture is a little sluggish, making it feel as though you’re left waiting a second to see your stats when out for a run. Not ideal.

So what can it do? The Suunto Run has a heart rate reader with the extra red LEDs required for blood oxygenation readings. It has a barometric altimeter for altitude data, and a temperature sensor too.

It, of course, has its own GPS chip for location tracking and even has 4GB of onboard space for music or podcasts.

These can be played through a pair of wireless headphones (or a speaker) only, as there’s no onboard speaker in the Suunto Run. You need to feed it digital files too, as there’s no support for streaming service downloads, which you do get in the Forerunner 165 Music.

What makes this a next-level tracker for runners is its navigation suite of features. While the Run lacks full on-watch maps, you can devise routes on Suunto’s phone app and sync them to the watch so you can see where you’re going.

It uses standard GPX file data, so you’re by no means limited to Suunto’s route creation software either. We used the Trail Router app a bunch of times during testing, for example.

Suunto also provides some decent athlete-friendly stats. There’s VO2 Max, one of the best ways to judge your progress over time, and training load, which Suunto calls Progress. The watch also shows you a recovery percentage, to give you an idea if you might be overdoing things.

A virtual coach is what the base Suunto Run experience lacks. While the stats give you some idea of how tired you may be, the watch doesn’t tell you exactly what sort of workout you should be doing in order to make progress at a decent rate. Suunto’s version of it is called SuuntoPlus, and it’s used with other watches from the brand, but not this one.

However, if you want to use a third-party training app like Runna anyway, the Suunto Run does let you create your own guided interval sessions. You just have to make them yourself, in the Suunto phone app. This is an area where the Garmin Forerunner 165 has a real advantage, though. Its coaching features are loads better at the time of review.

Suunto Run: Performance

• Good GPS performance
• Flawed HR accuracy
• Predictable major battery life loss in always-on mode

Suunto says the Run watch lasts up to 12 days off a charge, or for 20 hours of GPS-tracked activity. We’ve found that around an hour and a half of run tracking takes 10% from the battery, although how much you check your stats will change power use a bit.

To get anywhere near Suunto’s 12-day claim, you’ll need to avoid the “always on” screen mode, which displays the time all day. With that mode, you’re looking closer to 3-5 days, depending on how much exercise tracking you do. It’s fairly swift to charge, reaching 50% in just over 21 minutes, while it hits 100% after 68 minutes.

There’s good news on the tracking front, as the Suunto Run has dual-band GPS. This is where the location chip can use two sets of location frequencies, giving the watch a better chance of locking onto your signal even in challenging areas like dense forests or high-rise-packed cities.

Tracking accuracy was good in testing, with no loss of signal and very similar results recorded to the Garmin Forerunner 970. Initial triangulation could be a touch faster, though.

The heart rate readings are more of a mixed bag. In some runs, the Suunto Run’s results look perfect fine. However, on many runs the watch was very wide of the mark for the first few minutes of tracking, before finally returning to reality.

This typically plays out with the Run either recording a far too high or too low result for up to five minutes, in the worst examples. Dodgy early readings were something very common among these watches a few years ago, but the best have banished the effect. Suunto hasn’t quite yet.

The Suunto Run was also routinely very poor at recording weightlifting-based gym sessions. What you should see here is loads of short, sharp heart rate spikes during these sessions, but the Run watch largely just recorded a spike-free, meandering mush. It does just fine with longer sessions on the bike, elliptical or stepper, but just isn’t up to the task at short intervals.

Suunto Run: User reviews