Best GPS Watches: First introduced in 1999, GPS watches have come a long way. As more and more people become interested in their health or go out in search of adventurous experiences, the popularity of GPS watches is increasing.
People look for these watches for various reasons. Some people buy a GPS watch to track their endurance while running, while others use them for mapping their hiking routes, tracking weather conditions while backcountry skiing, or watching their loved ones. Let’s follow their movements while mountain biking in a remote location.
We’ve gathered all the necessary information from the styling to the specs and sports mode and put it down. Read on to find out which GPS watch is right for you.
9 Best GPS Watches
- Garmin fēnix 6 Pro Solar
Garmin is a leader in wearable technology and GPS navigation, so it’s probably no surprise that our favorite GPS watch is the Fenix 6 Pro Solar. This rugged and waterproof watch accesses GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo satellite systems to better track your movements while participating in sports and outdoor activities. It can take a while to learn how to navigate Topoactive Maps with the watch’s side button, but once you do, it’s a great tool to use when doing things like skiing or hiking in the woods. And with round-trip routes and turn-by-turn navigation features, you’re less likely to get lost.
The Fenix 6 Pro Solar includes 48 sports and exercise activities such as golf, running, and hiking, as well as skiing, mountain biking, surfing, and more. If you prefer to use the Fenix 6 Pro Solar for exercise, you’ll enjoy the animated workout sessions that are downloadable with the watch.
But perhaps the best aspect of the Fenix 6 Pro Solar is the security features. When you start an activity like hiking in the mountains or mountain biking, you can track your activities in real-time with your loved ones. And if the watch thinks you’ve had an accident or injury, it will send your location to emergency contacts for immediate assistance.
What we love that the Fenix 6 Pro Solar is that it has solar charging capabilities. Garmin advertises that with solar charging in smartwatch mode, you can get 9 to 10.5 days of battery life. You only get 25 hours indoors in GPS mode and 28 hours with solar charging. We’ve usually used the Fenix 6 Pro Solar in smartwatch mode and did about one to two daily activities. The watch usually lasts for 4 to 5 days on a single charge. In low-power mode, which uses low-power GPS, we could get a few weeks on a single charge, which would be suitable for camping or hiking in remote locations for a week or two.
The watch tracks your sleep, pulse, breathing, and heart rate 24 hours a day and allows you to record hydration and menstrual cycles. With smartwatch features, you can receive text messages and emails (and have quick, pre-defined responses), receive call notifications, manage music, and pay with a contactless payment solution.
Average battery life: 5 to 10 days | Display Size: 42mm | Water-resistance Depth: 100m
- Fitbit Charge 5
The Fitbit Charge 5 is perfect for those who only need a GPS watch to track basic fitness activities and personal health features like stress, heart health, sleep, and oxygen saturation. The price shows that there are only 20 exercise modes and a water-resistance depth of 50 meters.
Built-in GPS will track your speed and distance while you exercise. You can leave your phone at home, and your metrics will sync with the Fitbit app when you return. If you forget to start your workout on the Fitbit Charger 5, the watch will automatically recognize and record your workouts.
Android users can take advantage of quick setup, pairing, and pre-set replies to text messages. Fitbit says you can get up to seven days of battery life, but with notifications and frequent workouts, you’re likely to get four days of charge.
Average battery life: Up to 7 days, Average 3 days | Display Size: 0.58 x 1.04 inches | Water-resistance Depth: 50m
- Suunto 9 Peak Watch
The Suunto 9 Peak is the lightest, thinnest, and most durable watch Suunto has made – and it’s stylish, too. (We’ve got more compliments on the aesthetics of this watch than any other on the list.) The touchscreen is scratch resistant, making it a perfect watch to wear when engaging in sports.
With over 80 different sports modes, the Suunto 9 Peak is the ideal multisport watch. It has common sporting activities such as running and cycling and less common activities such as roller skating, paragliding, rugby, softball, table tennis, windsurfing, soccer, and parkour. What the clock records depend on the activity you are doing. So, for example, if you’re swimming, it will record your stroke rate, count, and type. However, whatever the sport, the Suunto 9 Peak will record your heart rate, pace, distance, and calories burned and let you track intervals.
The Suunto 9 Peak’s GPS features can track your movements and help you get back to your starting point with the “Find Back” function. If you want, you can create routes in the app and upload them to Peak 9. Whether you choose a pre-determined route or create your own, you may want to note points of interest, such as camping spots, caves, bathhouses, or animal trails, along a route.
One of the most impressive features of this watch is its battery capacity. After three weeks of testing (which meant I was getting smartwatch notifications, doing activities one to two times a day, and going through 24/7 tracking), I only had to charge the watch twice because the battery lasted for about ten days.
Average Battery Life: 7 days | Display Size: 43mm| Water-resistance Depth: 100m
- Amazfit GTR 3 Pro
If you are planning to wear your watch directly from your activity to work, if you don’t like the typically heavy and rugged look of most GPS watches, or if you want it as your fitness tracker and daily watch If the clock is doubled, the Amazfit GTR 3 Pro is a good bet. There is a lot of functionality to like this watch beyond its impressive 150+ sports modes. It connects with your Alexa device, can make Bluetooth phone calls, has navigation, and tracks health measures like blood oxygen and stress levels, heart rate, and menstrual cycles.
We also love that it is little more than a budget watch and offers an excellent value for what it does. The result: If you’re looking for an everyday GPS watch that you can wear in more formal settings, this is the best we’ve seen. Bonus: You don’t necessarily have to break the bank to wear it.
Average battery life: 12 days of regular use | Display Size: 1.45 inches | Water-resistance Depth: 50m
- Garmin Enduro
Garmin’s Enduro lasts longer outside. This high-end GPS watch offers unique aspects for endurance athletes, trail runners, and anyone looking to spend extended time doing activities. It has tons of features, but some of our favorites are solar charging capabilities, a trail run-specific VO2 max tracker, a ClimbPro feature that gives you real-time updates on current and upcoming climbs, and head and altitude optimization trackers, and A recovery consultant.
Yes, this watch is expensive. And we think it’s a little heavy. But if you’re an ultrarunner, trail runner, thru-hiker, mountain biker, or anyone else who wants to put out a high-quality watch for a long time while still tracking down some unique and cool features, this is a good pick.
Average battery life: 80 hours in GPS mode | Display Size: 1.4 Inch | Water-resistance Depth: 100m
- SkyCaddie LX5 GPS Golf Watch
Although some of the watches on this list will track your fitness while golfing, they don’t provide detailed information about the SkyCaddy LX5’s golf game. This Bluetooth and Wi-Fi-enabled watch come with 35,000 pre-loaded SkyGolf maps of golf courses around the world, so you can refer to the most detailed map of golf courses as you play.
With the touchscreen, you can zoom in on the fairway, view hazards, rotate the green to find the best shot, set the distance of the shot needed, and yardage to use based on arcs. You can choose the best club. In fact, this watch lets you play golf the ‘smart’ way by providing you with accurate information about the greens.
You can keep score on the SkyCaddy LX5 and track each shot you play, which club you used and how far you hit from it. Other features include step tracking, heart rate, a stopwatch, and a timer.
Perhaps the biggest drawback of this watch is that the battery life is only suitable for golfing for up to two rounds. Not to mention, if you want access to all the features, you’ll need to sign up for a plan after the 30-day free trial. Otherwise, with the ‘no annual fee option, you’ll only have access to limited front, center, and rear information in green.
Average Battery Life: Up to two rounds of golf | Display Size: 1.39-inch | Water-resistance Depth: 30m
- Garmin Forerunner 945
While the lightweight Forerunner 945 has activity modes such as skiing, hiking, and golfing, it was designed specifically for runners, especially those who like to participate in triathlons and running events. While in GPS mode, you can get up to ten hours of charge time. (In regular mode, you can get about seven days of battery life).
In addition to measuring and tracking VO2 max, heart rate, and pulse oxygen saturation, the Forerunner 945 tracks specific running measurements such as cadence, stride length, ground contact time, balance, and more. With full-color maps, you can easily navigate the route, although if you want help, the Forerunner 945 is equipped with a round-trip routing feature and it will have you in place when you follow a pre-determined route or course. There is turn-by-turn navigation.
For runners who don’t want to bring their phones on the run, the Forerunner 945 holds up to 500 songs and allows users to sync playlists from Spotify, Deezer, and Amazon. And like any Garmin GPS watch, you can take advantage of GarminPay and the Security and Live Track features. This model remains a favorite among our running-focused testers.
Average Battery Life: 1 week | Display Size: 1.2 Inch | Water-resistance Depth: 50m
- Polar Grit X Pro
Sapphire glass, which is tough and scratch-resistant, is usually an add-on or upgrade feature, so you’ll be glad to know that the Polar Grit X Pro comes with this durable screen material. On top of that, Polar claims the watch will withstand temperatures of -68 degrees to 122 degrees Fahrenheit so you can stay connected on a hike even in the world’s most extreme places.
Serious hikers can get up to 40 hours of battery power or up to 100 hours in Power Saver mode on multi-day hiking trips. Otherwise, expect a battery life of five to seven days on a regular daily basis.
The Polar Grit X Pro has an elevation profile and a trackback feature to make sure you never get lost. You can sync the route to your watch for turn-by-turn guidance if you wish. The dashboard is equipped with a compass and notes sunrise and sunset times, weather, and barometric altitude. We’re fans of the FuelWise feature, which informs you when to hydrate and eat carbs while hiking or doing activities.
Like many other watches on this list, the Polar Grit X Pro can receive text and email notifications have music controls, and monitors your sleep. It comes pre-loaded with 14 sports modes; however, it can hold up to 20 sports profiles.
Average Battery Life: Up to 7 days | Display Size: 1.2 Inch | Water-resistance Depth: 100m
- TickTalk 4 Kids Smartwatch
A cellphone for kids under the age of 12 can be too much of a responsibility, which is where TikTok 4 comes in. This durable kids’ watch has fun features—like activity trackers, step targets, kid-friendly music, and podcast streaming. However, what makes this watch special is that parents can always stay connected with their kids.
With GPS location tracking, parents can track their children’s whereabouts on one app. And whenever they want to see or speak to their child, they can make two-way messages or video calls on the watch’s 2X HD 5-megapixel cameras (which can also take photos and videos). The watch doesn’t have internet, games, or social media, and with 20+ parental controls, parents can rest assured that their kids are using the watch safely to stay in touch with their family.
The most reliable feature of the watch is SOS calling. When kids press the red button, TikTok 4 automatically calls a pre-set cell phone number of your choice. Remember that to access all these features; Parents must set up a pay-as-you-go plan (as little as $10) with the provided free SIM card.
Average Battery Life: 62 Hours | Display Size: 16mm | Water-resistance Depth: 1 meter, IP67
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