18 Best Fitness Trackers of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

The best running watch is probably the Garmin Forerunner. This series is one of Garmin’s oldest products and has a basic function Forerunner 55 ($170) Become rich Forerunner 965 ($500)Each has tiered specs and features — the cheaper ones have cheaper displays and no blood oxygen sensors, for example — but they all have access to multiple satellite systems to determine your precise location, as well as Garmin’s proprietary training algorithms, and Garmin’s suggested workouts are flexible.

The Forerunner has aged relatively well, which means that if you find last year’s model on sale, it’s a bargain (see: Forerunner 255). But I think the Forerunner 165 (8/10, WIRED Recommended) is a good compromise for most people. It’s in the price range, but it has everything you need: a bright AMOLED display, an altimeter for more accurate mileage, and a blood oxygen sensor. The sleep and exercise tracking is pretty accurate, and the battery life is decent. Garmin’s Morning Report is great, waking you up to a summary of your stats, including how well you slept last night, the weather, and how you’re prepared for the day. The Music version costs an extra $50 and can be a bit of a pain, but otherwise it’s a pretty solid option for even the most advanced runners.

★ Alternatives: I wish Garmin’s Forerunner series wasn’t so good! Colosseum Pace 3 ($229) This watch definitely deserves that spot. Coros uses a screen that doesn’t eat up much battery, so the Pace watch is incredibly light, durable, comfortable, and has a great battery life. I wore one for two weeks last fall and never had to charge it. It has dual-frequency GPS and seamlessly tracks interval runs. (I tried to see how long I could keep up with Eliud Kipchoge’s pace, and he’s a great guy.) One of their partners(The answer is, not too long.) It does everything more expensive trackers do, including breadcrumb navigation, but its 1980s look and dark screen might be off-putting to some.