The Best Fitness Watches of 2026

If you’re looking to track every activity, stretch the limits of wrist-bound battery life, and integrate your fitness watch into your daily routine, the Garmin fenix 8 ($1,100-1,200) is the device to do it with. We’ve worn iterations of the line since we first reviewed the fenix 3, and they’ve only gotten better with every update.

So what’s new on the fenix 8? Plenty. For one, a depth sensor that operates down to 40 m and performs as an EN13319-certified dive computer. There’s also a new speaker and microphone, leaning into the realm of smartwatches and providing access to voice assistants. Finally, the updated solar screen increases battery life by ~25% in the different power profiles.

Besides the new, the 8 brings forward all of the activity tracking profiles we loved about the fenix 7, along with a selection of new ones to bring the total number to an impressive 112. These range from standards like hiking, biking, and skiing to the more niche XC skate skiing, wakeboarding, and table tennis (really). All of these profiles are tweakable, meaning you can change your data screens to suit how you use the information.

The general user interface is also spruced up a bit, and the watch is available in three different bezel sizes: 43, 47, and 51 mm. We put the fenix 8 into the hands of editor Seiji Ishii, a self-proclaimed data dork and exercise physiology graduate who shook it down for 4 months while cycling, rucking, and climbing. “It can do everything, and I mean absolutely everything, with precision, and it has proven durable in doing so,” he reported.

The big question is whether to go with the vibrant AMOLED screen or the solar-charging MIP option. We’re wearing the solar screen for several reasons. For one, the trade-off in recharging is too great to ignore for extended trips outside. Second, the MIP screen will be a more efficient option, even without the added solar cells. It is tough to ignore how good the AMOLED screen looks, however, so if your usage is more day-to-day, give it a look.

Breaking the $1,000 ceiling on fitness watches is a high bar, but we think if any watch is worthy, it’s the fenix 8. If you’re more of a single-activity person, a watch like the Garmin Forerunner 570 may be a wiser choice. But if your weekends take you from the mountains to the shoreline on marathon adventures, a do-it-all option like this is the way to go.

The newly-released COROS Pace 4 ($249) builds on its budget-friendly predecessor and locks down our recommendation for a spend-wise fitness watch yet again. This new version adds a beautiful AMOLED screen, somehow doesn’t lose out on any battery life for it, and only asks an additional $50 for it.

Editor Andrew McLemore put the Pace through its uh, paces, and found the updated AMOLED screen to be a worthwhile upgrade: “AMOLED displays just look awesome. They make it easier to quickly read and comprehend the complex data that’s now available on all these devices. Getting a better display on the Pace 4 while only raising the price $20 from the previous generation? That’s a pretty good deal,” he said.

The Pace 4 also adds a flashlight function, although it isn’t exactly the same as the built-in LEDs of the Garmin fenix, but instead a full-screen white mode that does provide a decent amount of light, just not as much. The 4 also adds a microphone, along with the ability to add voice memos to things like tracked activities.

Activity tracking is widely varied, with 27 different profiles to choose from, along with daily health stats, HRV monitoring, and REM sleep tracking. You won’t get quite as wide a variety as the brand’s higher-end Apex and Nomad lines, but it’s generally enough for most people to track their health and activity effectively.

The breadcrumb navigation mapping is an obvious budget pinch point, but for many folks who don’t need a map to run around the park, it’s not an issue. If mapping is something you’re after, you’ll need to upgrade to the Pace Pro ($349) or something like the Suunto Vertical ($499). For the money, though, the Pace 4 is everything we need it to be for a budget fitness watch. The older Pace 3 is still available, for you true budget hounds, and will save you $50 to get mostly the same watch.

Read Review: COROS APEX 2 Pro Review: This Sports Watch Sets Benchmark for Battery Life

While other giant-bezel watches can cram in more longevity, when it comes to a watch that is a common-sense size, has all the bells and whistles, and still trudges on with incredible battery life, the COROS Apex 2 Pro ($449) ticks all of our boxes for the best mid-tier fitness watch available today. If you need a bit more functionality than watches like the COROS Pace 4 or Amazfit Cheetah Pro offer, this is the watch to bump up to.

Newly updated, the Apex line from COROS is its middle-of-the-road offering, but you wouldn’t know that from looking at it. Within the 46mm bezel is the full complement of activity tracking profiles, ABC (altimeter, barometer, compass) sensors, and antenna for a newly expanded five Global Navigation Satellite Systems.

Compared to the Apex 2, the Pro version got an extra infusion of satellite tech in the form of a Dual-Frequency chipset, which, during recent testing, we found made a tangible difference in old-growth forests and canyons. It also bumps up the internal storage from 8 GB to 32 GB and tacked on even more battery life.

When put to the test, we verified that the Apex 2 Pro simply goes and goes. At a stated (and confirmed) 75 hours of battery life in the GPS-only mode, this watch can’t be touched by watches of the same size when it comes to longevity. Other watches, like the Garmin fenix 8, can eke out more time by utilizing the sun, but command much more wrist real estate.

And while Garmin has consistently led the pack in terms of efficient app integration, we can now say that COROS has caught up. The COROS app is an enjoyable interface to use, and does an excellent job of displaying our recorded activities, tracks, and daily stats such as active energy, heart rate, and sleep metrics.

So, how could the Apex 2 Pro be better? For one: we did miss the helpful fitness stats, reports, and workouts from the Garmin ecosystem. Garmin has made a big push toward synthesizing all of the data their fitness watches soak up, and we do wish that COROS will make the same pivot. Beyond that, in the age of mega-bright AMOLED screens, the colors of the Apex 2 Pro were a bit muted compared to watches of a similar caliber.

Ideal for the adventurer or fitness devotee who wants it all without carrying a calculator on their wrist, the Apex 2 Pro lands as just about the perfect balance in our books.

In an update to the brand’s uber-popular running watches, the Garmin Forerunner 570 ($550) adds a brighter AMOLED screen, speaker and microphone combo, and additional triathlon training that make this one of the best running watches out there.

Building on the Forerunner 265 (a watch that we’ve previously hailed as the running watch), the 570 got more than a name change, and is now a better daily driver for runners. Comparing the 265 to the 570 side by side, the new screen is noticeably brighter (as well as slightly larger across the two offered sizes), but still minimal enough as to not weigh us down on runs.

The new speaker on the 570 is loud and will prompt you with things like lap reminders, while the microphone allows you to use Voice Commands, and ask the watch to set things like timers or begin activities. In a surprising (but appreciated) function, the 570 will have you to turn the watch upside down after a water activity and pulse sound to clear the speaker — smart. 

New multi-sport modes have been added to the watch to make it a better triathlon watch, narrowing the gap between the 570 and the top-tier 970. Building workouts with multiple components is now possible, and we had good success with constructing multi-sport days that combined swimming with cycling and running.

Due to the brighter screen, battery life on the 570 does take a hit compared to the older 265 (a tested 9 days with a daily run, compared to the 11 days we could get with the previous model). This is certainly a watch for those who run and train for fitness (and are home every night to plug in), instead of endurance athletes. For those folks, bumping up to the Forerunner 970 or Enduro 3 makes much more sense. Those watches also add on ECG support and better mapping abilities (the 570 supports basic breadcrumb navigation).

To be sure, we still think that the Forerunner 265 is an excellent watch — and as long as it’s available, we recommend snagging it if the upgrades to the 570 don’t woo you. The price jump from the 265 to the 570 was a large one, and the added $100 might be tough to swallow for the relatively minimal feature additions. That said, if the latest and greatest in running watches is what you’re after, the Forerunner 570 is it.

Read Review: Apple Watch Ultra Review: Silicon Valley’s Best Smartwatch Dropped, Drowned, and Frozen

Apple is the bestselling smartwatch worldwide, and it’s clear why — it’s undeniably the best smartwatch (not GPS watch; we’ll get to that later) on the market. Everyone we spoke with who had one gave glowing reviews. “After literally decades of not trying a smartwatch, I recently bought an Apple Watch. I love it,” said one initial skeptic.

Now tuned for the outdoors and fitness market, the new Apple Watch Ultra ($799) is upgraded to take on the rough and tumble in your day-to-day, and boasts a larger 49 mm titanium case, brighter 2,000 nits screen, increased water resistance (up to 100 m), and an extended 36-hour battery life. You’re obviously going to pay for all those upgrades, but we’re convinced that it’s well worth it.

As with all the watches tested, the Apple Watch Ultra can track sleep, steps, and calories and puts it in an easy-to-understand format. Further sports integration offers up structured workouts in nearly everything from running to swimming to strength training and kickboxing.

These modes can be customized (choose your warm-up and recovery periods, etc.), and it logs most all of the metrics we’ve come to expect in a fitness watch, such as heart rate, pace, distance, elevation, and more. For runs after work or a weekend strength training session, the Ultra has everything we need.

Having coached many runners who wear an Apple Watch, our resident trainer can say two things with certainty: The GPS is not great, and the battery life just isn’t there to compete with flagship watches. But now that the Ultra version brings on board a multi-GNSS chipset with multi-band technology, the location reception is tack sharp and on par with the rest of the field high-end watches, such as the Garmin fenix 8 and COROS Apex 2 Pro.

The battery life issue, however, continues to be a ding, and with Apple’s large 49mm always-on AMOLED screen, it’s tough to squeeze much more out of it without compromising greatly on functionality. While the battery life of the Apple Watch Ultra is given as 35 hours in normal smartwatch mode, that number goes down to about 12 hours in GPS tracking mode.

Still, if daily convenience and smartwatch features take precedence over a detailed fitness activity, the Apple Watch Ultra is for you. One big caveat — it only works with iPhones. If you don’t have an iPhone, we suggest the Garmin Venu 2 or Samsung Galaxy Watch 5. Both are similarly focused on fitness tracking while offering a wide array of apps and smartwatch features. But for the MacBook crowd, the Apple Watch Ultra is an easy go-to.

Adorning the wrists of workout enthusiasts everywhere, the Fitbit Charge 6 ($150) takes the crown for the best fitness tracker. The sixth iteration is less expensive than the fifth when it was introduced and features a few useful upgrades. 

The Charge 6 reintroduces the haptic side button to the Charge line of trackers, which brings you back to the main screen when pressed. It also has a slightly curved AMOLED touchscreen, and the battery life lasts up to 7 days — the perfect tracker to wear all week.

An optical heart-rate monitor for 24/7 monitoring is standard and provides accurate calorie-burn calculations, sleep and stress data, and heart-rate zones for working out. It tracks daily steps, calories burned, and active minutes to help you make informed health decisions based on hard data.

The Charge 6 has 40+ different sports modes for tracking, including running, walking, biking, swimming, HIIT, yoga, skiing, surfing, indoor climbing, and golf. If you’re looking for finer details such as cadence, power, or rep-counting for weight training, you’re out of luck — one of our most notable issues with the Fitbit. A built-in GPS tracker allows you to go without your smartphone during an outdoor workout.

The Charge 6 also now connects with third-party platforms such as Peloton, NordicTrack, and Tonal to integrate heart rate data with your workouts. 

A few bonus features not usually seen on trackers are the ability to get notifications (call, text, email, and calendar), control YouTube Music (since Fitbit was purchased by Google, Spotify is no longer controllable on Fitbit devices) use Google Maps and Google Pay. If you don’t need these features and you’re OK carrying your phone during activities that require GPS (such as walking, running, and cycling), we suggest the cheaper Fitbit Luxe.

Our resident fitness trainer and ‘bio-hacker’ put the Whoop Band ($239) to the test for an entire year before rendering our verdict, and we’re sold. This low-key wearable isn’t quite all the watch that the rest of our suggestions are, but it also has a different purpose: recovery. Aimed at monitoring a few simple metrics and comparing them against your ‘stress’ level, the Whoop Band is a tool developed that athletes can use in training programs.

Unlike most fitness watches, which mainly track activities and workouts, the Whoop Band tracks health metrics that lend insight into your overall recovery state. These include sleep — Slow Wave Sleep (SWS), Rapid-Eye Movement Sleep (REM), light sleep, and time awake are all measured — as well as skin temperature, respiratory rate, blood oxygen saturation, resting heart rate, and heart rate variability (HRV).

Whoop also tracks daily activities (through smart tracking or customizable entries) and caffeine or alcohol intake. All of this is synthesized on the Whoop app and provided as raw data and a ‘Recovery Score,’ which can be used to know when to lean into your workout plan and dial it back.

The Whoop Band is a simple device with a dense optical sensor on the back of the device for siphoning up your biometric data. Otherwise, there is no screen and a simple textile band that stretches with you. After one year of use, our trainer found the Whoop to provide fascinating insights into his daily and weekly training efforts, and while the novelty faded after about 3 months, he still found utility for the whole year.

We did find that the device does underestimate the stress effect related to strength-related activities, such as climbing or weight lifting, which didn’t put as much of a ding in the recovery metric as we thought it should. The recovery status can be tweaked by adding data yourself after the workout, but we found it to be a bit annoying to have to adjust the data.

If you’re a high-level athlete locked into an intensive training program, the Whoop Band may be an excellent tool for measuring recovery. It’s a minimal device for those uninterested in full-on fitness watches who still want the data to inform fitness planning. You’ll need to pay for the subscription (ranging from $199 to $359 a year), but if you’re invested in your health, that might only be a blip on the radar.

320 is a lot of hours. That’s how long Garmin specs its Enduro 3 ($900) watch to run with GPS running — and the sun shining. This big-battery watch is made to go the distance, and if you’re after the longest running fitness watch out there, we think this is the one to snag.

We took this watch to Patagonia to test those claims, and while the sun was often in short supply, the watch did last the entire 2-week trip off the cord, and tracked more than a few multiday treks in between. The UI is the same version used in our top pick watch, and Garmin delivers in the personal tracking metrics as always.

In fact, the only real UI differences between this watch and the fenix 8 are the lack of a microphone/speaker and no dive functionality. Otherwise, it’s the same watch (just in a different case).

On a day that the sun was shining, we got the watch to charge at a rate of around 1% per 15 minutes — if you set the watch in a prime position. This seems to be the hack needed to really leverage your solar watch, and considering the watch only uses 1% per day when run in the battery saver mode, it’s easy to understand how this watch could run indefinitely, given perfect conditions.

The Enduro is more than a big battery, too: it has Garmin’s latest six-LED optical heart rate monitor, tracks almost 100 activity profiles, and puts it all behind a Power Sapphire glass and titanium bezel. We tracked an entire four-day trek along the Patagonian Icefield, and the watch easily led us over remote passes and through glacial labyrinths.

Satellite reception is top-notch and dialed in with both Multi-Band tech, which improves reception in deep recesses like canyons or cities, and Garmin’s SatIQ, a smart functionality that toggles between satellite modes to keep battery usage as low as possible. On-device mapping is the leading edge of the current generation and almost lag-free when scrolling quickly.

That battery does take up some wrist real estate, and the watch itself is a little over 1.5” thick, though we found it easy to get used to. The $900 price tag is also on the high end, though not as high as you’ll pay for the current generation Fenix 8. The Enduro 3 is instead for folks who simply need a watch to last and can sacrifice the latest and greatest features to get it.

While we’ve now pivoted our best budget suggestion to the new COROS Pace 4, there’s still a compelling reason to consider the $200 COROS Pace 3 while it’s still available. For one, it’s now $20 cheaper than it was previously, making this watch an even better value for the buck.

While the newer version added a super-bright AMOLED screen, it does soak up a good bit of juice to run full-time. For those who prefer the more neutral lighting of a Memory in Pixel screen, the older Pace 3 has got you covered. Even with all satellite systems running at high fidelity, the newer Pace 4 does run for longer (a claimed 30 hours) compared to the Pace 3’s 25 hours, so it’s a testament to COROS’ battery management to accomplish this, despite the pivot to a more battery-draining screen.

Both watches use the same set of five GNSS systems (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, Beidou, QZSS), and both benefit from Dual-Frequency reception, which aids in getting a signal in dense cover such as canyons or cities. Like the 4, the 3 can be navigated with simple breadcrumb maps, which will be enough for some folks. If not, you can bump up to the Pace Pro ($349).

So what’s been left off? For one, the lesser glass in the screen, which is scratch-resistant (read: not scratch-proof), and the polymer bezel, which won’t be indestructible. While easy to use, the mapping functionality is a bit limited and lacks the detail of many mid-tier watches. Finally, it’s tough to match the workout planning metrics that the Garmin ecosystem brings to the table, but COROS has made big improvements as of late.

Sliding in at an impressive $200 ($49 less than the newest version), the Pace 3 is nigh impossible to deny for the price. This watch boasts many of the same features as watches that demand hundreds more, and is likely still one of the better options available currently for anyone looking to dip their toe into the fitness watch market.

Read Review: Sunny Suunto: ‘Vertical’ Sports Watch Gets Solar Charging, Offline Maps

Suunto has jettisoned itself squarely among the leaders in the GPS watch world with the new Vertical ($499), a watch that hits almost all the marks when it comes to a feature-packed wearable with plenty of horsepower under the hood.

The Vertical salves all of the things that didn’t quite make the grade for us with the Suunto 9 Peak Pro (still an excellent watch, read below), including brightening up the screen, adding Wi-Fi, and incorporating dual-band GNSS reception, and cements itself as a true flagship watch — landing among the Garmin fenix 8, and COROS Vertix 2.

Then there’s the new mapping functionality, something that Suunto hasn’t incorporated into a device since their Suunto 7 watch. The company has taken the time to perfect it as well because, in the Vertical, it’s an excellent rendition.

From the Suunto app, users are able to download (for free) shaded topographic maps for essentially the entire globe — directly onto the watch. These maps are sufficiently detailed for phone-free navigation, and can have routes uploaded to them from the app for course-making on the go.

And if all that wasn’t enough, Suunto also was able to boost its battery numbers by a substantial amount over the 9 Peak Pro, stretching the life in ‘Performance’ (all systems go) mode to an impressive 60 hours. We tested the Titanium Solar version of the watch, which leverages a solar watch face to juice up the Vertical on the go. This added feature will cost you (to the tune of $210), but it greatly extends your untethered time.

While the Vertical does not have any music-storing abilities on the device (a functionality the Garmin fenix 8 boasts), it can control the music playing from your phone. This is a small ding in an otherwise iron-clad GPS watch, and the Vertical would be an excellent timepiece for anyone who lives on the cutting edge.

The Garmin Instinct 3 AMOLED ($500) is an update on a previous favorite of our team, and it’s only better now. Newly optioned in a beautiful AMOLED screen, the Instinct 3 is still just as get-er-done as the previous version — it just looks even better now.

The Instinct line keeps things accessible by holding back on a few metrics but leaning into the rugged durability and styling that appeal to many. Notably, the satellite reception is limited to three systems, and the battery life isn’t as dazzling as the upper-tier watches, but there’s considerable tech trickle-down from other Garmin watches that make this updated version a worthy one.

The big deal here is the AMOLED display, which is just as brilliant as the ones we’ve used on the Forerunner series. The touch sensitivity also appears to be better on this version of the watch, and the screen scrolls beautifully. There’s still a solar-charging MIP version ($400) of the Instinct 3 for loyalists, but we’ve been enjoying the deeper colors and better contrast.

On-watch mapping won’t blow you away (you get the standard breadcrumb-tracking style screens), but the watch does use Garmin’s SatIQ technology, which decides which GPS mode is ideal for the terrain you find yourself in. This means that the watch will toggle into Multiband mode when you’re in a city or tight canyons, which is a boon for battery life.

The new Instinct is also tougher, with a new metal band set into the bezel as reinforcement. The watch still meets MIL-STD-810 mil-spec standards and is rated to 10 atmospheres of water immersion. We found that the fiber-reinforced polymer bezel tended to glance off things we hit instead of scratching, and while the screen is only chemically strengthened glass, the raised bezel protects it well.

There’s impressive value in Instinct 3, too. For the same price as the COROS Apex 2 Pro, you get an AMOLED screen that pops in all conditions, whereas the COROS could, at times, be a little harder to see. That said, the battery life on the COROS when running single-band GPS is 75 hours, and while the 32 hours the Garmin can manage is decent, it’s the reason we think the Apex 2 Pro is a slightly better mid-tier watch.

If your workouts keep you closer to home (and you tend to get dirty doing them), we don’t see any reason not to stick with the rugged Instinct 3 AMOLED.

While your Garmin, COROS, and Suunto options dominate the fitness watch space, there’s always room for some friendly competition, and the Amazfit Cheetah Pro ($300) angles directly at the big dogs with a suite of features more often seen in watches hundreds of dollars its senior. 

With dual-band multi-GNSS reception, a 1.45” AMOLED screen, and navigation capabilities, the Cheetah Pro checks all of the boxes we’re looking for in a fitness watch that we can use for everything from days in the gym to long events outdoors. The watch also tracks 156 (!) different activities, and shuttles that info over to its app for post-workout breakdowns and training suggestions.

In practice, our testers found that while the feature set of the Cheetah Pro is exhaustive, the polish and execution left a little to be desired. For example, when tester Ian Atkinson ran a 24-mile route in the Canyonlands Needles District recently while comparing the Amazfit to the proven COROS Pace 3, the Cheetah lost satellite connection a number of times, while the COROS held strong.

While it’s no death knell, connection quality is certainly something we look for, and with watches getting just so good these days, we’re eager to see some improvement from Amazfit in this space. Further, while the Zepp app — used to provide training insights and plans — is a detailed offering, the AI training provided is a bit lacking, and advanced functionality is limited to paid subscriptions.

So, can the Cheetah Pro hack it? “I would say yes,” says Atkinson. “I was not gentle in my testing, and the Cheetah Pro withstood both ample amounts of sand and gritty rock. It just depends on what your standards are for a fitness watch.” For hundreds less than the competition, there’s much to enjoy on the Cheetah Pro, and if you’re willing to forgive some rough edges, it’ll track everything you get up to.

The Polar Vantage V3 ($700) is once again one of our preferred picks for running, even in a field dominated by Garmin. It’s not as jam-packed with features as most Garmins, but what it does offer, it does very well — especially heart-rate monitoring.

The biggest new feature since the last model is the addition of offline topographic maps, bringing this watch closer in features to a Garmin adventure-focused watch. It also has over 150 customizable sports profiles.

In addition, the battery life has been extended to 61 hours in continuous GPS mode with the option of 140 hours in battery-saver mode. The screen has been updated to an AMOLED display. Sensors for SpO2, ECG, OHR, and skin temperature have been added to the Vantage V3. 

Like all watches, you get training and recovery insights based on your unique physiological data to help you make more informed decisions about when to push and recover. It comes with built-in, step-by-step running and cycling performance tests to establish training zones via heart rate, speed, and power (meter required for cycling), as well as test recovery.

If you’re a Strava Segment-hunter, the watch will notify you as you approach your starred Segments and give real-time performance data so you can crush your Segment PRs.

Polar Precision Prime sensor fusion technology “combines optical heart-rate measurement with other sensor technologies to rule out involuntary movement that might disturb the heart-rate signal and produce unreliable readings.”

We weren’t, however, as impressed with the Polar Flow app that is used to sync your activities online — which is a bit simple and often has issues syncing data between the watch and your phone. Additionally, the buttons and interface were not as intuitive as other watches we tested. But these issues aside, the Vantage V3 is rightly up there with the Garmin Forerunners for our suggestion of the best running watches.

The Garmin vívoactive 5 ($300) combines basic fitness, health tracking, and performance statistics with classic smartwatch features like music, smart notifications, and texting.

For the everyday athlete who doesn’t need all the features or the price point of a watch like the fenix 8, but wants data more than your average fitness tracker or smartwatch, the vívoactive 5 is a good option. If you’re looking for more outdoor-specific features like navigation and more in-depth training features, a higher-end watch would be a better pick. 

Some of the updates from the previous version include nap tracking, a new Morning Report, and an AMOLED screen compared to the MIP screen on the vívoactive 4. It also includes a new wheelchair mode, which tracks pushes and workouts. The vívoactive 5 also starts at a lower price point ($300) than the vívoactive 4 ($350). 

With features like sleep scores and tracking, energy monitoring, and basic training statistics, the vívoactive 5 keeps you aware of any changes in your health or activity levels. The vívoactive 5 has up to 11 days of battery life in smartwatch mode and up to 5 days, with the AMOLED touchscreen in always-on mode. For those looking for a smartwatch with a little extra under the hood, the vívoactive 5 is an excellent option.

Hot on the heels of the already-impressive Vertical, the Suunto Race ($399) slides in hundreds less and better suited for the runners out there — all while boasting Suunto’s first AMOLED screen. This beautiful display is a showstopper and it’s not difficult to call this the best watch Suunto has ever made.

Like the split between MIP and AMOLED screens on otherwise similar watches, the Vertical and Race also share a lot of like features, but there’s also a good bit new on the Race. For example, the new digital crown bezel makes navigating through maps a breeze and moves away from the three-button layout for the Vertical.

HRV tracking has also been expanded to nightly surveying, and integrates with the newly added Suunto Coach functionality — synthesizing your workouts and providing feedback and suggestions.

The AMOLED screen can’t be ignored, however, and is a 466 x 466-pixel resolution unit that blows MIP screens out of the water when the light starts to wane. We especially noted this during map navigation, which is sharp when viewing turn-by-turn directions or zooming in or out of maps.

The processor on the Race is also top-notch, with none of the lagging that we’ve unfortunately dealt with on previous Suunto watches. Map and compass rotations are smooth, menu switching is clean, and post-workout screens flip through easily.

Like the Vertical, the Race has onboard map storage in either 16 GB or 32 GB capacities, depending on the variation you choose. These are non-routable maps, meaning your turn-by-turn route won’t update should you miss a fork in the trail, but the definition is still top-notch. The Suunto app allows for quick shuttling of maps over to the watch over Wi-Fi, and uses a smart map area picker that only downloads the sections you’ll need.

Stacked up next to the Garmin Forerunner 570 and Polar Vantage V3, the Race makes a compelling case for itself, with a much longer comparative battery life than the 265, and a more user-friendly button interface and app than the Vantage.

That beautiful screen will ding the battery life on the Race compared to the Vertical, however, with a 20-hour difference between both in the Endurance mode. Still, a full 40 hours in the highest-demand GPS mode is nothing to shake a stick at, and most runners will find this more than enough for weekend ultras.

For those engaged in endurance events, the Vertical’s longer battery life and available solar watch face may prove more tempting, but for casual and spirited runners alike, the Suunto Race has everything we’ve been wanting from a Suunto watch and more. It’s easy to say that this watch is well competitive with top-tier Garmin and COROS options, and we’re excited to see it.