Multisport watches are specifically designed for use in more than one sport. They offer the user accurate analytical data for sports like running, swimming, cycling (and many others). They usually have a GPS system to tell you about your distance, speed and pace. Of course, map your activity in a location, too.
Here are four recommendations for certainly some of the best multisport watches in 2020.
Table of Contents
- 1. Garmin Fenix 7X Multisport GPS Watch
- 2. Garmin Forerunner 945/LTE
- 3. Suunto 9 Baro or Peak
- 4. Polar Vantage M2
- 5. Polar Ignite 2
- 6. Coros Pace 2
- 7. Garmin Venu 2 Plus
- 8. Apple Watch SE or Apple Watch 7
- 9. Amazfit T-Rex Pro
- 10. Fitbit Sense
1. Garmin Fenix 7X Multisport GPS Watch
The Fenix 7 range is a nice advance on the 6 series, with more features, a touchscreen, and a longer battery life. Specifically, the Garmin Fenix 7X Multisport GPS watch is great for using every day during intense workouts as well as being reliable for navigating the wilderness. If you’re able to, it can dive with you up to 100m, which is seriously impressive.
The Fenix 7X certainly offers everything – GPS tracking for pace, time-keeping and distance. It has smartwatch capabilities like heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, step count and advanced navigation. Furthermore, with the addition of an optical heart rate tracker, a thermometer and a barometric altimeter, there’s really nothing it can’t tell you.
Finally, it offers a remarkable battery life considering all its functions. Up to The 7X solar model’s power management has been enhanced, and when combined with solar charging, it can run for up to 37 days in smartwatch mode and 90 days in battery saver mode. On a single charge, the normal Fenix 7 will last up to 18 days, while the Fenix 7 Solar will last up to 22 days. In battery saver mode, it can last up to 57 days, and with the solar model, it can last up to 90 days.
Advantages
- A full-featured GPS multi-fitness watch
- Good battery life
- Intuitive experience – easy to set up
Disadvantages
- Bulky design, heavy on the wrist
Check out the review of the solar version, here.
2. Garmin Forerunner 945/LTE
Garmin is the certainly the undisputed king of multisport watches and the Fenix 6 and Forerunner 945 both have a right to appear on the same list. You could also consider the 945 LTE model which offers standalone capabilities without having to carry your phone which can be useful for running, cycling, open water swimming, rowing and hiking.
The Forerunner 945 is an incredible piece of kit. It can track every sport you can imagine such as running, HIIT, strength training, swimming (including open water and diving up to 50m) and even skiing. However, if you do a sport that isn’t in the 30-strong indoor and outdoor sports list, you can create a custom one with your chosen metrics.
It has an optical heart rate monitor, pulse oximeter, thermometer, compass, accelerometer and gyroscope packed into a 13.7mm case. The design is certainly functional, not pretty.
It will track both health and fitness in minute detail, including intense sleep tracking to analyse your cycles as well as oxygen levels during the night. It will monitor your training sessions and Garmin’s unique ‘body battery’ will tell you about your energy levels.
There’s an accurate GPS system and, depending on the level of use, the battery can last an astonishing two weeks between charges.
Consequently, it’s aimed at serious triathletes who need painfully accurate data from a rugged watch.
Advantages
- Incredible number of features
- Accurate GPS mapping
- Round the clock heart and stress monitoring
- Use with Spotify or Deezer
Disadvantages
- Lacks smartwatch features; notifications are hard to reply to
- Strap is tricky to take off
3. Suunto 9 Baro or Peak
The 9 Baro from Sunnto is one of the ultimate multisport watches for adventurers. It has a robust design that can withstand extreme conditions including depths of up to 100m underwater, freezing weather, impact from a height, and intense heat and humidity.
As with all multisport watches the battery life is dependent on use, but you can expect around two to five days between charges. The handy thing is that it’ll tell you how much use you can expect before it dies (providing you stay in the mode you’re using at the time).
Tracking-wise, the 9 Baro will monitor sleep and activities with no less than 80 sport modes which cover running (including trail running and obstacle racing), cycling (including mountain biking), swimming (including open water) and triathlons. It offers barometric and GPS altitude data as well as optical heart rate monitoring.
Furthermore, it has smartwatch features like notifications for calls, texts, messages, emails and other social media.
Advantages
- Incredible battery life
- Hard-wearing design
- Powerful analytical data
- Can be used with Android and iOS
Disadvantages
- The app could use some work
- The on-screen menu can be tricky to read
4. Polar Vantage M2
The Polar sports watch is perhaps its most popular model, and in terms of data, pricing, and features, it comes closest to the superb Garmin Forerunner 245. We think of it as a mid-range offering.
To begin with, it’s attractive. Polar went for a smartwatch aesthetic, including an etched bezel and appealing metallic hues that make it far more unisex and fashionable than competitors. Black, gold, and brown case colours are available, which may be paired with silicone, textile, or leather bands.
The Polar, on the other hand, has depth to match its design. Aside from GPS monitoring more than 100 sports categories, the Training Load Pro and Cardio Load features are fantastic at showing the impact of exercises, as well as how much they’ve physically exhausted you, and all of this information is fed into the FitSpark adaptive training plans.
Rest and recuperation are important, and the Polar sleep monitoring provided some of the more useful insights and precision you’ll need
Also, it has the FuelWise function, which is designed for folks who are planning nutrition for longer races, marathons, or cycles. So you don’t crash, the Vantage M2 will advise you when to eat carbs and important nutrients.
In conclusion, the Vantage M2 is an excellent workout companion that also looks beautiful on the wrist. With 30 hours of GPS, the battery life isn’t bad, but some of the nighttime sensors deplete the battery.
This is a fantastic pick for individuals searching for daily sports watch with extensive training insights.
Advantages
- Cost-effective multisport watch option
- Accurate heart rate, sleep and GPS
- Great battery life
Disadvantages
- Lack of customisation
5. Polar Ignite 2
If the Vantage series is out of your price range, the Ignite 2 offers almost everything you could want to track your runs in a compact, lightweight package.
The first Ignite is still available, or the Ignite 2 has a comparable 43mm casing that weighs only 35g and is 8mm thick. The casing now has a smoother, more textured appearance, as well as a larger selection of straps, allowing you to replace the silicone band with something less athletic.
You’ll still receive built-in GPS, but Polar’s rapid fix GPS technology will help you get up and running faster. Polar also features the Precision Prime heart rate sensor seen on its more expensive watches, as well as the ability to attach an external heart rate monitor through Bluetooth if the accuracy isn’t up to par.
Polar added music controls, weather predictions, and watch face themes to its Vantage V2 and Grit X watches to increase smartwatch functionality. Although it lacks functionality like payments and music streaming. Though it does offer functions as a fitness tracker, including Polar’s Nightly Recharge data to help you assess your recuperation after a long day of training.
It’s a dependable tracker for runs, with basic stats and extra analyses including Training Load and Energy Sources, which displays if carbs, protein, or lipids were the primary fuel sources for your run. You’ll still get the wonderful FitSpark exercise recommendations, which you can follow along on your watch and use to fill in the training gaps between your runs when you need to put in strength or functionality.
In smartwatch mode, battery life is still approximately 4-5 days, with GPS battery life increasing from 17 to 20 hours. Lower power modes are now available to extend that while tracking at the price of GPS accuracy.
It’s a beautiful alternative to the Forerunner 45, and it contains a lot of functions that you won’t find on Garmin’s entry-level watch, including FitSpark.
Advantages
- High-end design
- GPS that is extremely precise
- Training aids that work
Disadvantages
- There isn’t a SpO2 sensor or always-on display
6. Coros Pace 2
Coros is a relative newcomer to the field of GPS running watches, but it’s swiftly making a reputation for itself, as evidenced by the Pace 2.
It’s a feature-rich sports watch geared for triathletes but has all the abilities to make it a competitive running watch without charging a premium.
All of the essential sensors and running profiles are included, as well as the ability to attach extra sensors like external heart rate monitors.
The Pace 2 may use the built-in heart rate sensor to get its own recovery measures in the form of AI Trainer. This gives you a percentage of your stamina and aerobic/anaerobic training impact numbers (0-6) to illustrate how well you’ve recovered.
Coros is releasing its new Evolab insights, which provide runners with the type of training knowledge and race prediction capabilities that you’d get on more expensive watches.
Coros has recently included strength training capabilities that count repetitions, allow you to create sessions, and show you if you’re concentrating more on your legs or your upper body.
It integrates with third-party programmes, such as Strava, and it has long battery life. In terms of GPS battery stats, it far outperforms the comparable priced Garmin and Polar watches. If you have roughly $200 to invest, you’ll have a hard time finding a watch that gives you more bang for your buck.
Advantages
- Build is extremely light
- Satellite placement is excellent
- Display with a high resolution
Disadvantages
- When the backlight is turned off, the screen stays dark
- Some functionalities are missing from the app
7. Garmin Venu 2 Plus
Garmin’s Venu offering is the company’s answer to the Apple Watch. The Venu 2 Plus still offers a colour screen and tracking functions that make it a perfect running companion.
This newest Venu is now available in two sizes, 40 and 45mm. The Venu 2 Plus has a larger, higher-resolution colour AMOLED touchscreen than the original Venu, but both use Garmin’s new Elevate optical heart rate sensor, which claims to provide more accurate readings.
You’ll receive built-in GPS and key running stats, as well as extras like running VO2 Max, which can be accessible in the Garmin Connect app.
It’s a smartwatch that connects to Android and iPhones. As such, it’ll provide notifications, a music player for 2,000 songs, and compatibility for streaming services like Deezer and Spotify. Payments are also available, as well as access to the Connect iQ Store, where you can add new applications, watch faces, and data fields.
It’s been found that the tracking accuracy to be dependable, and the larger screen and enhanced user interface made it a more pleasant watch to run with. Despite the addition of that additional sensor, we didn’t detect any increases in heart rate precision when running. At the very least, you can connect an external sensor.
If you use it with the display set to always-on, the battery life drops to around The battery life of the Venu 2 Plus has decreased somewhat from previous generations, with 9-10 days compared to 11 for the Venu 2.
The Venu 2 Plus is a good alternative to an Apple Watch if you want greater battery life and better run tracking.
Advantages
- AMOLED display with high resolution
- GPS with high accuracy
- Range of wellness tools
- Fitness tracking that is more advanced
Disadvantages
- Third-party app selection is limited
- Upgrades to the design
8. Apple Watch SE or Apple Watch 7
While the Apple Watch SE lacks the always-on display (and ECG/SpO2) for those who enjoy a bit of everything when it comes to working out, it has everything. Though it’d be remiss of us not to include the “full fat” version, the Apple Watch 7.
Either way, the Apple Watch’s built-in GPS is as precise as it’s ever been. Plus, Apple granted access to third parties such as Strava. You’ll be credited for activities in the superb fitness tracking capabilities.
For the first time, watchOS 7 introduced VO2 Max, which can be seen as a Cardio Fitness Score in the new Fitness app. Though, note the most recent version is now watchOS 8.4.2, which comes with more features than OS7.
The GPS battery life is roughly 7 hours, and that should be plenty for a marathon, however, our experience shows that it may struggle when all of its capabilities are active. There are power-saving options that will help the Apple Watch get through and this is one area where the always-on display is best avoided.
Apple claims an “all day use”, based on an overnight charge. Over the course of 18 hours, battery life is based on the following usage: 90-time checks, 90 notifications, 45 minutes of app use, and a 60-minute exercise with music streaming via Apple Watch over Bluetooth. During the whole 18-hour test, the Apple Watch Series 7 (GPS) was connected to an iPhone via Bluetooth.
For novice to intermediate athletes, this is a truly excellent sports watch.
For both…
Advantages
- Colour additions are fantastic
- Sleep tracking is now available
Disadvantages
- There isn’t a headline change
- Longer battery life is still required
- Siri is capable of firing autonomously
9. Amazfit T-Rex Pro
The Amazfit T-Rex Pro is one of the greatest sports watches you can purchase without breaking the bank, with a big display, built-in GPS and compass, and enough durability credentials to survive Jurassic Park. It’s much more affordable than a Garmin Instinct and other prominent GPS smartwatches at under $200, making it a viable option.
It has 100 sports modes, ranging from jogging and hiking to skiing, rock climbing, and snowboarding, with the majority of them being auto-detectable. Plus, a long battery life and sleep monitoring, all encased in an unbreakable shell. The T-Rex is a monster to be reckoned with, with all the capabilities you could want, and who doesn’t want a gadget nicknamed after a dinosaur?
Advantages
- Monitoring of heart rate and oxygen saturation
- Data outputs are easy to understand
- Battery life of one week
- Waterproof to 10m
Disadvantages
- No GPS navigation
- There isn’t any integration with third-party apps
- Unappealing design
- PAI scores might be perplexing
10. Fitbit Sense
Our final stop on the list of the 10 best multisport watches is the Fitbit Sense. Easily this is the best device on offer from the brand in 2021. Offering sophisticated health and wellness capabilities than the Versa series. The Sense can monitor electrodermal activity and skin temperature, in addition to having an FDA-approved ECG and blood oxygen readouts.
The Sense, as one of the finest Fitbits, works with iOS and Android. This includes a native app store, Alexa, and other features. It does, however, have GPS for tracking your outside activities. When it’s keeping a watchful eye on your position, the Fitbit Sense can last up to 12 hours, and it can last up to 6 days in ordinary smartwatch mode.
The Sense has 20+ preset sport modes, Active minutes, complete sleep monitoring steps, floors climbed distance, calories and menstrual cycle tracking, and stress management through a guided breathing session, just like other Fitbit smartwatches.
Advantages
- Logging of moods and stress levels in great detail
- Workouts with GPS onboard
Disadvantages
- Fitbit Premium is required for many tools
- Step counts aren’t always precise
As an alternative to the Sense, you could also consider the new Versa 3. We compare the Sense and Versa 3 here.
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