Whether you’ve just recently had the sudden motivation to begin running or if you’ve been training yourself to reach Olympian heights, a good quality running watch is a handy tool.
These watches aren’t your run-of-the-mill fitness trackers that only monitors the number of daily steps taken and hours slept. They also have GPS capabilities for accurate tracking of your speed and distance, with some even having heart rate monitors.
But, don’t be deceived by the name; many of these running watches also have an array of other sports programmed into it if you aren’t tied to just running.
It can get overwhelming with the plethora of running watches available to choose from. We’ve come up with a simple and straightforward list to help you make that decision easier.
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If you constantly go for running trails on hills or want to conquer a summit, you can rest assure that the Suunto 9 Baro will bear the elements of your expedition. This robust watch has been tested with thousands of hours of real use in the toughest of conditions by Suunto’s dedicated testing team and athletes from all over the globe.
In addition to its built-in GPS, the watch comes with a barometer that provides you with accurate altitude information and weather forecasts. Suunto 9 Baro also has intelligent battery modes to allow users to extend the battery life. In short, this watch has the battery endurance to stick with you through a long and arduous journey.
Going off the beaten track? The Garmin Fenix 5 has features like GPS and ABC (altimeter, barometer, and compass) sensors to make sure you always find your way. This is cause its outdoor sensors include both GPS and GLONASS satellite receptions to track your movements precisely even in the most remote areas.
With a built-in altimeter, runners can track their elevation data as well as check the barometer for weather condition predictions. Another one of its navigation tools include a tilt-compensated 3-axis electronic compass to keep your bearing whether you’re moving or not. To top things off, the Fenix 5 also has a 100m waterproof rating, making it suitable for swimming activities.
After a long run, your body would like to recover through a good sleep. The Fitbit Ionic is more than just a fitness smartwatch; it makes an efficient sleep tracker as well. By virtue of its long battery life and comfortable design, the watch is easily put to good use to track sleep.
With Fitbit’s new and improved sleep tracking algorithm, you can accurately record durations of your light sleep, deep sleep, and REM sleep cycles. Through its smartphone app, you can get access to more cool features like “Sleep Stages” that breaks down sleep patterns.
There’s also “Sleep Insights”, which gives you advice on how you can improve your sleeping routine. Additionally, the advanced sensors in the Ionic is said to be able to detect if you have sleep apnea.
If you fancy some dip into the pool after a run, the Garmin Forerunner 935 is your perfect companion no matter if you’re a serious competitive swimmer or not. This watch supports both open water and pool swimming modes, which when swimming mode is enabled, its accelerometer can detect each moment you hit the wall at the end of a lap.
By keying in the pool length in the watch, it even has the ability to calculate the total distance you’ve covered as well as your pace. In the open water swim mode, the watch utilizes the built-in GPS to accurately determine the distance swam. Once you’re done, you’ll get a good GPS track showing the route you took.
The Garmin VivoActive 3 offers a host of built-in sensors that can make any cyclist happy. That’s cause its GPS sensor delivers accurate tracking so you can record the distance travelled, pace taken, and more during your ride; pinpointing areas that needs improving.
VivoActive 3 also comes with an accurate heart rate tracking technology for continuous monitoring of your fitness and stress to help you understand how your body responds under different situations. Additionally, the watch also has Bluetooth and ANT+ connectivity so you have the option to add more bike accessories.
Pump up the extra motivation during your runs with some music courtesy of the Garmin Forerunner 645 Music. This watch comes with a built-in music player that pairs up with any Bluetooth wireless headphones, so you don’t even need to bring your phone along.
All you need to do to transfer music into the watch via USB from your computer and synchronise between files on the computer and the watch – easy enough. Thanks to a recent firmware update, you can even sync your Spotify playlists on the watch for offline listening.
The Garmin Forerunner 235 doesn’t get bogged down to complex level insights that will confuse runners who are just starting out. It keeps things simple with its straightforward and easy-to-understand interface. And, its thinness and lightness makes this a watch that will barely weigh you down during your runs.
Another thing to love about the Forerunner 235 is that it’s very speedy at picking up GPS signals as well as providing accurate results, which is perfect for off-road adventures. That’s not all; the Forerunner 235 tracks heart rate 24/7 so you can monitor your progress and identify if you’ve been overtraining or not.
The keenly-priced Honor Band 4 features a stunning, AMOLED Colour touchscreen that has great visibility even in bright sunlight; a feature that is notoriously skimped out by most other budget running watches.
Honor Band 4 has a “multi-sports mode” feature that will track accurate data of your running or training such as speed, distance covered, number of turns, and calories burned. Another highlight would be its accurate heart rate monitor that you can activate to work only when a tracked exercise begins or to measure your heart rate 24/7.