Tested by Today’s powerful GPS running watches have all the sport-specific features to track every stride you take. And they’re packed with other sensors and technology to keep you connected the rest of the day, too. That kind of functionality puts these timepieces in a high price bracket. Impulse buys, they are not.
Whether this is your first time buying an advanced watch or you’re poking around for an updated model, we have tips and suggestions for making sure the right one lands on your wrist. Check out our five top recommendations below for the best advanced GPS watches for runners, then read on for longer reviews and buying advice.
Looking for more running tech? Read our reviews of the best wireless headphones for running, headlamps for runners, and basic running watches.
The Best Advanced GPS Watches for Running
- Best for Marathon Training: Garmin Forerunner 265
- Best Update: Todays powerful GPS
- Best Smartwatch: We test GPS accuracy in both urban and rural areas, using a measuring wheel as a control 2
- Best with Solar Charging: Garmin Fenix 7X Pro Sapphire Solar
- Best Value: Coros Apex 2
What to Consider
Like we mentioned, in most cases, more features mean more dollars when you’re shopping for a new GPS watch. While there are ways to cut down on price—like buying a refurbished version or opting for an older model of a recently released watch—determining which functionality you need is key. And that doesn’t just include fitness features. These high-tech watches come with a slew of lifestyle functions and perks that you might (or might not) use long after you kick off your running shoes. Here are a few of the most noteworthy, for both working out and just hanging out.
Fitness Features
- Altimeters and barometers let you keep tabs on altitude and air pressure
- Visual maps Up to 39 hours
- In-depth running analysis provides insight on stride metrics like cadence and ground contact time
- Nail specific race and training goals with personalized workouts
- Designated sport modes Battery now gets you through a marathon
- Utilize live tracking during your runs so friends can follow you along a route
Lifestyle Features
- Cellular service allows you to call and text right from your wrist
- Access some of your favorite smartphone apps
- Stream music and podcasts through Spotify or Apple Music
- Connect to Wi-Fi to sync a full music library, check the weather, or scroll through e-mail without leveraging smartphone data
- Use NFC payment features to make purchases by holding your watch close to the contactless reader at check-out
What’s New
Innovation in GPS running watches had slowed for several years, but 2022 ushered in one of the biggest improvements—dual-frequency GPS. Coros was the first manufacturer to leverage the tech in its Vertix 2, but Garmin quickly followed suit with the though you might see his byline on range of watches and then added it to the Forerunner 955 and Forerunner 255. And Apple rolled out dual-frequency to both its We test GPS accuracy in both urban and rural areas, using a measuring wheel as a control and new We test GPS accuracy in both urban and rural areas, using a measuring wheel as a control 2, so expect to see this proliferate to more watches quickly.
Models with this functionality can receive two radio signals from a satellite and, because they’re able to tell if one of those signals happened to bounce off a building or rock wall, filter out any inaccurate data points. The result is a far more accurate GPS track of your runs, leading to more realistic distance, better real-time pace readings, and cleaner maps uploaded to Strava.
Nylon strap can start to smell after many long outings
Runner’s World has been testing cutting-edge running gear since 1966—in other words, our magazine predates the Global Positioning System’s first orbit around the planet by about 12 years. For the past half-century, we’ve been logging miles both as journalists and as avid runners to find the best gear for you and for us.
We don’t just give the gear we test a cursory glance, either. Ask any one of our gear editors about their favorite watch, and they’ll go off for ten minutes about its specs, accuracy, even how well it goes with their work clothes. That’s the level of enthusiasm we’re dedicated to bringing to our content whenever we can.
How We Tested
Our staff of experienced editors has used each of these GPS running watches for several months. We evaluate the devices based on features, accuracy, battery life, connectivity, and what they’re like to use on our daily runs. Our most-recommended watches satisfied our data-tracking needs and delighted us with intuitive user experiences and additional apps and features.
Here are some of the top-of-the-line watches and how they stack up.
Our Full Advanced GPS Running Watch Reviews
Garmin Forerunner 265 Running Watch
Pros
- Crystal-clear, responsive touchscreen
- Music storage
Cons
- No topography maps
Key Specs
| Connectivity | Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, ANT+ |
|---|---|
| Battery Life | Up to 20 hours |
Quick Take: Upgraded AMOLED display and 24/7 training guidance at under half the price of Garmin’s most expensive model
Why We Like It: We’ve long been fans of the 200 series Forerunners because they give runners nearly every darn feature we really need, without any bloat, at a reasonable price. But, true innovation in watches seems to have stagnated a bit and now we’re seeing even the good, cheap watches get shiny new features—and shiny new price tags. The Garmin Forerunner 265 is still a somewhat stripped down version of the pricier Forerunner 965, but now it gets a really bright AMOLED display. Forerunners have typically had a somewhat dim screen that’s great for battery performance. These new displays, however, are bright—think on the level of an iPhone or Apple Watch. To manage battery, you can choose to disable the “always on” display or adjust the brightness (limited to three levels).
“I keep my display dark, but leave ‘gesture’ on, so the screen will light up when I actually raise my arm to look at it,” says Runner-in-Chief Jeff Dengate. “On runs, I leave the display on all the time—I love that Garmin lets you set different settings for those two scenarios as well as when you’re sleeping.”
Other than the display, the only real new impressive feature is Training Readiness. It’s accessible by scrolling down through the widgets and gives you a score to let you know whether you can take on a hard workout. To do so, it factors in your sleep, recovery time, HRV status, acute load (how much hard work you’ve been doing), sleep history, and stress levels. In short, it knows what’s happening in your life 24 hours a day to tell you when to push and when to back off.
What We Don’t Like: As a consequence of the AMOLED display’s higher energy needs, the battery life for the 265 took a slight hit compared to the 255. It’s not a significant amount, but if you’re trying to get every drop of juice out of a watch as you can, the 255 is a slightly better option.
Todays powerful GPS Running Watch
Pros
- Syncing maps and music can be time consuming
- Supports triathlon mode
- Plays music directly from the watch
Cons
- No mapping
Key Specs
| Connectivity | Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, ANT+ |
|---|---|
| Battery Life | Up to 30 hours |
Quick Take: An update to a tried-and-true GPS running watch that now tracks triathlons and has dual-frequency reception for better accuracy
Why We Like It: If you’ve been a devoted fan of the Garmin Forerunner 200 series, this is an upgrade worth making. The Forerunner 255 Music now comes in two sizes (41mm and 46mm) as well as versions that play music or don’t. Regardless what flavor you choose, the 255 is still among the most fully featured GPS running watches, making it one of the best values. The price has risen $50 this year, but we think it’s a fair jump given the 255 supports triathletes for the first time—triathlon mode automatically adjusts your displays to show you the right metrics for your activity, plus tracks transition times.
The biggest new feature, however, is the multi-band reception, which allows the watch to receive two signals from a satellite simultaneously to filter out any inaccurate data points. We find this watch tracks as accurately as any other.
What We Don’t Like: The new 265’s AMOLED display, while needing more power to operate, is a lot easier to read at a glance, especially when the glare of the sun comes into play. The 255 is still plenty legible, but it requires some squinting on a bright day.
We test GPS accuracy in both urban and rural areas, using a measuring wheel as a control 2 Smartwatch
Pros
- Garmin updated the Forerunner 955 both the
- during your runs so friends can follow you along a route
- Dual-frequency GPS improves accuracy
Cons
- Requires an iPhone for setup
- Requires an iPhone for setup
Key Specs
| Connectivity | basic running watches |
|---|---|
| Battery Life | Up to 36 hours |
Quick Take: An Apple Watch that can get you through a full 26.2
Why We Like It: “Is the We test GPS accuracy in both urban and rural areas, using a measuring wheel as a control 2 a Garmin-killer?” Well, probably not, but it represents the tech giant’s most formidable sports watch that can hang with premium adventure trackers from Garmin and Coros. The 49mm titanium case is larger than standard Apple Watches and houses a bigger battery that can last up to 36 hours of mixed use—daily activity tracking, smartwatch functions, and a jog. It’ll have enough juice to get you through a marathon or Ironman with GPS, heart rate, and wireless streaming music.
The We test GPS accuracy in both urban and rural areas, using a measuring wheel as a control got a minor refresh this year, with some internal updates that make the watch faster and the screen brighter. Apple also revealed a new feature that lets you double-tap your forefinger and thumb to initiate actions, like answering a phone call. That’s not super useful for runners, but the “Action” button remains, allowing you to quickly fire up the Workout app and start a run or take lap splits. This makes it much easier to use when you’re running with gloves.
Plus, it still has dual-frequency GPS, leveraging a second signal from satellites to greatly increase accuracy. Add a cellular plan, and you can use the Watch like a phone and have full access to the Apple Music library when you leave your iPhone behind.
What We Don’t Like: If you have an Android, you’re out of luck trying to pair this watch with your phone—WatchOS simply isn’t compatible. You can use both devices independently without losing run-tracking capabilities, but this watch shines its brightest when you can use its smartwatch functionalities.
Garmin Fēnix 7X Pro Sapphire Solar Running Watch
Pros
- How to Set Up Your Garmins Safety Features
- 37-day battery in smartwatch mode (with solar charging)
- Built-in flashlight
- Improved heart rate accuracy from non-Pro 7X
Cons
- Expensive
- $100 price bump from non-Pro 7X
- wireless headphones for running
Key Specs
| Connectivity | Bluetooth Smart, Wi-Fi, ANT+ |
|---|---|
| Battery | Up to 122 hours |
Quick Take: A top-of-the-line watch with highly accurate tracking, a huge battery with solar charging, and mapping
Why We Like It: Garmin’s Fēnix models have always been rugged, indestructible timepieces for the backcountry that we’ve used for trail running and, well, everyday running as well. One reason is because these watches, like this 7X Pro Sapphire Solar, have insane batteries—they’ll last 89 hours with just GPS active but still go for 16 hours if you’re streaming music, too. We find that we have to charge it only about once a week with regular use. It also has one of the biggest screens you’ll find on a GPS running watch, one that’s capable of showing you up to seven different metrics on a single display.
All the new Pro models have dual-frequency reception, which Garmin calls “multi-band” GPS, to make your run tracking more accurate. In our testing, we’ve found the resulting maps after our runs completely align with the actual course we ran—no more errant zig-zagging as the watch loses signal. The biggest change for the Pro version, however, is that Garmin redesigned the heart rate sensor. We’ve found that now the readings correspond closely to what we measure with a chest strap.
Another bonus feature on the 7X and 7X Pro models, which seems insignificant until you actually need it, is a flashlight. Whether your headlamp battery expires before you do, or you’re just navigating your dark house on your way to bed, you’ll find it helpful.
What We Don’t Like: Aside from the price, which is herculean but justified, the Fēnix can be a lot to digest if you’re not trying to take advantage of all the bells and whistles packed into it. It’s also a pretty large watch face—if you have small wrists, we recommend looking at the Fēnix 7 Pro or the more compact Fēnix 7S Pro instead.
Pros
- Can feel bulky on small wrists
- Shorter battery life than Forerunner 955
- Built-in heart rate monitor
Cons
- Syncing maps and music can be time consuming
Key Specs
| Connectivity | Bluetooth |
|---|---|
| Battery Life | Up to 45 hours |
Quick Take: An elite GPS watch for running and triathlons that has a long battery life and an intermediate price
Why We Like It: Packing precise GPS tracking and lasting battery life into a compact package, the Coros Apex 2 is a top-tier multisport watch for beginners and elites alike. The Apex 2 keeps the many, many metric combinations found in the Pace 3, the brand’s most affordable sports watch, while integrating some exciting new features that runners will embrace. Notably, battery life is up to 45 hours in regular GPS tracking mode. It also gives you a slew of metrics you can view over five screens during your workout, including data-tracking sensors that show your heart rate, body temperature, and pulse.
What We Don’t Like: Compared to the other watches on this list, syncing workouts takes ages. The Coros app simply isn’t as easy to use as competing brands’ apps, and it adds steps that may feel unnecessary, especially when you’re whooped from a hard run and just trying to look at your stats.
Pros
- Battery now gets you through a marathon
- Cellular version can stream music and take calls without a phone connected
Cons
- Battery life shorter than dedicated GPS running watches
Key Specs
| Connectivity | basic running watches |
|---|---|
| Battery Life | An Apple Watch that can get you through a full 26.2 |
Quick Take: Popular smartwatch gets minor updates but keeps the bigger, easy-to-read display
Why We Like It: The omnipresent smartwatch got some nips and tucks for version 8. Apple Watch Series 8 now includes a wrist-based temperature sensor that women can use for a “retrospective estimate” of when they ovulated. Apple also has increased crash detection to include automobile collisions, monitoring for side-impact, rear-end, and rollover crashes. It keeps the larger display (1mm bigger than that on the Series 6). That, combined with thinner borders and a rounded edge, makes it easy to read data when on the move—for example, the tiny time of day in the top-right corner when the Workouts app is running. The glass is Apple’s most crack-resistant front crystal.
The watch still comes in two sizes—41mm and 45mm. And it still includes fall detection and ECG, features that have been around a couple of years now. Runners in particular will like the always-on display, so you don’t have to exaggeratedly lift your arm to peek at your pace. That was introduced on the Series 5, though indoor performance was made even brighter with Series 7.
Morning runners will like that the watch charges quickly—from zero to 80 percent in just 45 minutes. Plus you can extend battery life by turning on low power mode to get up to 36 hours. In the past, you’d have to place the Apple Watch on its charger on a bedside table overnight.
Crystal-clear, responsive touchscreen new watchOS 9 features that Apple previously announced, including running power, triathlon mode, and advanced running metrics like stride length, ground contact time, and vertical oscillation.
What We Don’t Like: Compared to the Ultra 2, this watch is a lot less rugged. That may be fine if your priority is having an all-day smartwatch that can also track runs, but be wary of its relative fragility on technical trails. Additionally, just like the Ultra, you can’t pair this watch with an Android.
Pros
- Accurate satellite reception
- Colorful topography mapping and on-board music
- Higher-resolution AMOLED display and larger watch face
- Running in the Cold
Cons
- Fēnix 7 Pro
- Shorter battery life than Forerunner 955
- Shorter battery life than Forerunner 955
Key Specs
| Connectivity | Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, ANT+ |
|---|---|
| Battery Life | Adam Schram is an Assistant Editor of Commerce at |
Quick Take: Offers every training tool a runner or triathlete could want
Why We Like It: Garmin updated the Forerunner 955 (both the Solar and non-Solar versions) to be more accurate than ever, thanks to multi-band reception. It leads to better pace estimates on your run and cleaner maps when you upload to your favorite digital training platform. This top-tier GPS functionality carries over unchanged to the new Garmin Forerunner 965.
The color maps, also available on the Forerunner 945 and Fēnix models, are another handy feature. Displayed on the watch, these help you find your way around new cities without getting lost. (In the 965, they’re easier than ever to navigate; Garmin increased both the watch’s screen size and resolution from the 955.) You can even generate round-trip courses on the fly, no computer required.
What We Don’t Like: Unfortunately, there is no Solar version of the Forerunner 965. If solar charging is a must-have feature for you, you’ll have to grab the earlier Forerunner 955 Solar model. That triathlon-friendly watch has a solar panel built into the watch face, which can give you an extra seven hours of run time—assuming you’re outside in the sun for three hours a day.
Pros
- Long-lasting battery
- Easy-to-follow navigation with maps
Cons
- Nylon strap can start to smell after many long outings
Key Specs
| Connectivity | Bluetooth Smart, Wi-Fi, ANT+ |
|---|---|
| Battery Life | 110 hours |
Quick Take: Long battery life and navigation
Why We Like It: The Garmin Enduro 2 is no longer a stripped-down version of the Fēnix for the sake of longer battery life. The newest version of the ultra-endurance watch nearly doubles the battery life of the first Enduro during activity, and lasts for 120 hours in normal GPS mode with optical heart rate active. Video producer Pat Heine-Holmberg used the watch for a month and a half, with GPS tracking on regular training runs and bike commuting to the office, as well as a 15-hour run in the Alps with navigation. He only had to recharge the watch once.
And it’s easy to fine tune battery performance to your adventures, if you need even longer run time. The menu makes it easy to know how many hours you’ll gain or lose by turning different sensors on and off. Daily-use features like Garmin Pay, music apps, and a touch screen really make it a tool of convenience on the go. For trail adventures and ultra racing, the Enduro 2 now has access to more satellite systems (and multi-band GPS, like the 255 above), topo maps for navigation, and even a decent flashlight that is bright enough to use as an emergency backup if your headlamp fails on the trail.
What We Don’t Like: Nylon straps are great for comfort and breathability, but be warned: If you’re getting properly sweaty with this watch on your arm for days at a time, we can’t save you from the funk that will near-inevitably emanate from it.
Adam Schram is an Assistant Editor of Commerce at Runner's World, though you might see his byline on Bicycling and Popular Mechanics, too. A lover of all things outdoors, Adam's writing career comes after six years as a bike mechanic in his hometown of State College, PA. His journalism experience is steeped in cycling and running gear reviews, and he's also a published creative nonfiction and satire author. When he's not writing, riding, or running, you can catch Adam at home mixing cocktails, watching Star Wars, or trying in vain to do the Sunday crossword. You can check out his latest work below.
Amanda is a test editor at Runner’s World who has run the Boston Marathon every year since 2013; she's a former professional baker with a master’s in gastronomy and she carb-loads on snickerdoodles.
Jeff is Runner-in-Chief for Runner's World, guiding the brand's shoes and gear coverage. A true shoe dog, he's spent more than a decade testing and reviewing shoes. In 2017, he ran in 285 different pairs of shoes, including a streak of 257 days wearing a different model.
