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GPS Watches

Garmin Fenix 6x Pro Solar Review

This could be the defining multisport watch of 2020. The Garmin Fenix 6x Pro Solar makes a big impact but has a lightweight touch being made from titanium. It carries every app and sensor you might possibly need inside, too.

The Garmin Fenix 6x Pro Solar takes the lead of the 6x thanks to the injection of solar charging. It quite literally does everything under the sun.

Background 

The Garmin Fenix 6x Pro Solar is like the Swiss Army Knife of multisport watches. With the natural development in technology, we see more and more functions on sportswatches. On this 51mm beast, you can track your general fitness as well as utilising coaching towards specific goals like marathon running or other fitness indications toward your health. This could be recovery time or VO2 max. If you’re connected via Bluetooth or Wifi, you can make the most of entertainment apps like Amazon Prime Music, Deezer or Spotify.

This isn’t really a sportswatch, it’s a fitness tracking weapon! Keen athletes with a penchant for the outdoors will love this. It packs in a bunch of training and navigation features as well as those nifty entertainment apps.

You might be sweating thinking about the battery life, hearing about all this? Here’s the innovation. The addition of solar charging has lengthened the battery life beyond expectation.

Garmin Fenix 6X Pro Solar (Gray DLC with Black Band) Power Bundle | HD Screen...
Garmin Fenix 6X Pro Solar (Gray DLC with Black Band) Power Bundle | HD Screen...
  • [GARMIN FENIX 6X PRO SOLAR] - Garmin fenix 6X Pro Solar Multi-Sport GPS Training Watch & USB...
  • [PLAYBETTER POWER BUNDLE] - HD Screen Protectors (4-Pack), PlayBetter 2200mAh Portable Charger &...
  • [36% LARGER SCREEN & ALL NEW PACEPRO] - Brand new upgrades for the fenix 5X Plus include a huge...
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6X Pro Solar VS 6 Pro

You might be wondering what the difference is between the Solar and its predecessor? The Solar has really built on the already incredible variety of sensors and algorithmic abilities. 

The 6x Pro Solar and 6 Pro are both able to deliver maps and music. They also both offer training coaches, and heart rate monitoring through the companion app.

The Solar has swapped out the previous steel case for a lightweight titanium. This has shaved a few grams off the weight. The clear difference is the battery life, thanks to the addition of Garmin Power Glass.

The quality of the build on the Solar is exceptional. The use of titanium and Torx screws give it a real rugged look. Garmin advertises that the Power Glass is scratch-resistant, but it’s not made from sapphire glass, there’s only so many knocks it can take before it’ll give in. Sadly, you can’t have both.

The screen also isn’t a touchscreen, which is why you get five buttons on it. They’re labelled, though, which users say is handy for getting right to using the watch and not spending days pressing the wrong buttons.

The ‘quick-fit’ straps are welcomed. They release with the touch of a button. They’re technically a dive watch and the silicone wristband keeps the HR monitor in place snugly.

The look is not at all subtle. Once you consider what comes inside this 51mm animal, you shouldn’t ever expect it to be sleek.

Garmin Fenix 6X Sapphire, Premium Multisport GPS Watch, features Mapping, Music,...
Garmin Fenix 6X Sapphire, Premium Multisport GPS Watch, features Mapping, Music,...
  • Fit for performance with rugged, sophisticated design that features a big 1.4” sunlight-readable...
  • Enhanced estimated wrist heart rate and Pulse Ox to support advanced sleep monitoring and altitude...
  • Advanced training features include PacePro for grade-adjusted pace guidance throughout your activity...
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Battery Life

The most important feature to discuss. The Solar is bringing an AK47 to a knife fight. If used as a smartwatch, you’ll get 21 days. Perhaps GPS is what you’re relying on for a big adventure, you’ll get 60 hours. If the watch is getting a feed of direct sunlight, though, it’ll get a boost from this. This boost will take you to an astonishing 46 days when in expedition mode. To put that into perspective, that’s a trip up and down Everest. 

In terms of harvesting the sunlight, it can absorb some when indoors but unsurprisingly the best impact comes from being outside.

Different modes offer different battery life length. It all depends on what modes you’re using and how hard you’re smashing the apps.

  • 21 – 24 days as a smartwatch
  • 60 – 66 hours in GPS mode
  • 15-16 hours using GPS and listening to music
  • 46 – 56 days in expedition mode (including GPS)
  • Up to 120 days in battery saving mode  

It offers an astronomical amount of sports, algorithmic calculations and sensors.  Listing them would take too long, but it covers a lot of pre-loaded activities from trail running, biking, hiking, swimming and even golfing. The latter uses the map settings in a similar way to the skiing mode, but the latter offers turn-by-turn navigation. They really have considered what’s needed from the user during the specific sport. During running, for example, it’ll monitor your VO2 max based on your changing altitude. 

Maybe you think that’s overkill? If you’re overwhelmed with the options, you can easily manage this data with the companion app. You can load a likely profile, or multiple profiles and upload those to your watch. By pressing a button you enter your bespoke list. The app will provide you with granular detail which you can choose to learn from.

Activity Tracking and Accuracy

Garmin has always been great at accurate activity tracking. The heart rate monitor on a Garmin has always been great at monitoring and the GPS has been able to pick up the location within a few yards. This isn’t a new thing, but they have certainly spent considerable time developing their sensors from previous models.

The Solar will display up to 6 data fields on-screen during a given activity. You’re able to pick these from the menu. Things like pace and cadence, lap times and heart rate. 

Verdict

The Fenix 6x Pro Solar isn’t unique, but it’s certainly refined. Garmin has gathered the best bits of their other models and integrated them together. You get everything you need quickly and easily.

The downside might be that it’s very data-heavy, maybe to the detriment of the user. You might not need sleep tracking, hydration checks and stress monitoring. It all depends on your needs.

Otherwise, the onboard coach, sensors, exceptional battery life and ability to connect your Bluetooth headphones for hours of music on an accurately-tracked run make this Solar watch an absolute winner.

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Nike+ Sportwatch: A capable, GPS-enabled wearable powered by TomTom

Runners

Nike is notorious for partnering with big brand names for producing wearables. After the huge popularity of its fitness band, the Nike+ Sportwatch appeals to seasoned runners and those with a high interest in fitness and athletic performance.

Designed and manufactured in collaboration with TomTom, this smartwatch has it all. But can it compete with peers such as Garmin Forerunner or the Fitbit? Read our Nike+ Sportwatch review to find it out.

Background

Nike never claimed the Nike+ Sportwatch is the offspring of the FuelBand – the two have little in common, after all. Yet, the success of the FuelBand has likely inspired the brand to come up with another wearable.

Like its predecessor, the Sportwatch doesn’t burst with features. It has a simple functionality that focuses exclusively on one thing alone. This timepiece was built with runners in mind, and it won’t bring too many benefits to other athletes.

That said, it does bring a breath of fresh air compared to the FuelBand – albeit there is no cute guy dancing for you when reaching a daily goal.

Features

If you buy a Nike+ Sportwatch and expect to find a feature-crammed gadget, chances are you’ll be more than disappointed. Nike stays true to its tradition of not making overly functional devices.

This could seem counterproductive in today’s world, but it’s actually a good thing, because the watch does what it’s supposed to do while remaining very easy to use.

The gadget is made in collaboration with sat nav heavyweight name TomTom. It obviously is GPS-enabled, and you can rest assured the GPS is highly accurate.

Needless to say, the Sportwatch uses the GPS function to track your speed, pace, distance, and burnt calories.

Connecting with your mobile devices, it allows you to share your session details online, either with your friends or with your virtual training community.

A thing that makes it stand out from the crowd is the smart shoe pod that goes into the Nike+-ready shoe sole and records your metrics on those instances when the GPS signal fails. If you don’t own a pair of such fancy sneakers, and don’t plan to buy one, the tracker can also be fastened to your running shoe laces with a small carrier you can buy from the brand.

This simple feature gains some points for Nike+ over Garmin’s Forerunner 410, which doesn’t track too much when satellite signal is unavailable.

Design

Brands rarely regard the aesthetic factor when building sports watches. Yet, Nike managed to make this wearable more attractive than others.

Its lines are inspired by the Apple Watch, albeit in a very rudimentary manner. The result is a sports watch with smoother lines and a hint of aesthetic appeal.

It’s not beautiful, but you can wear it with casual attire, too, without feeling like you’ve just left the gym.

The display is large enough to easily spot the time and metrics at a glance, but don’t expect fancy colours or AMOLED features. You’ll get a robust watch, though, that can withstand elements run after run and season after season.

Fitness Tracking

Did I say this is a sports watch for runners? Of course I did. So, don’t expect other fancy fitness tracking features. What you will get is the possibility to set up laps or interval workouts based on time or distance.

One big knock against the Nike+ is that you can’t change its training settings on the fly, but will have to connect it to a computer for the purpose. This is a huge negative, especially for athletes looking to do speedwork ladders and other similar workouts.

At least you’ll get a big high-five on the screen and the possibility to see your training metrics directly on the watch when the session’s over, in true Nike style.

Nike+ Sportwatch Advantages

  • Very easy to use GPS-enabled sports watch. Majorly designed for runners, although a recent firmware update added a cycling mode, too.
  • NikePlus website awaits you with a lively community of avid runners – the perfect place for finding daily motivation.
  • The smartwatch motivates you as well, by displaying a virtual high-five each time you reach your training goals.
  • A selection of bands and fairly fashionable design enhance value for money.
  • Very easy to configure and use straight out of the box.
  • The TomTom technology ensures accurate tracking of your speed, pace, and distance. A shoe pod takes over the GPS function when satellite signal is unavailable.
  • Nike+ Sportwatch is completely waterproof and suitable to use in all weather conditions.

Nike+ Sportwatch Disadvantages

  • No fitness tracking features apart from running and cycling.
  • Pretty basic design with grey, monochromatic screen and limited information displayed.
  • You have to connect the smartwatch to a laptop or PC for any changes you want to make.

Verdict

Nike didn’t intend to wow users with a super-smart watch when it launched the Sportwatch. It didn’t even try to address a wider pool of athletes.

The Nike+ is the running watch par excellence, competing with names like Garmin Forerunner, but without focusing on taking shares of market from the advanced multisport watches like the Polar.

What Nike wanted to do – and actually did – was to create a watch capable to gain users through its simple functionality. It delivers almost everything a runner needs at a low price point.

We must admit that in a world full of smartwatches, this was a smart strategy. Nike+ Sportwatch does its job well, is simple, cheap, and works for most runners. No doubt, a running watch to try if you want reliability at an affordable price.

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Garmin Fenix 5 Plus

Garmin Fenxix 5

Background

The Garmin Fenix 5 Plus is the recent offering from Garmin. The Garmin Fenix gained itself an incredible following leading on from its predecessor the Fenix 3, which was and continues to be a firm favourite for those into outdoor adventures. 

The Fenix 5 Plus is probably the most complete multisport watch on the market. It was an incredible offering and then Garmin upgraded it by adding music storage, the ability to use contactless payments and improved the navigation tools

Furthermore, the Fenix 5 Plus is one of a family of three with siblings the 5X Plus and 5S Plus).

""Shop Fenix 5 Plus Multisport GPS

Features

The Fenix 5 Plus has been specifically designed with cyclist-friendly features. One showstopper on the Fenix 5 Plus is the enhanced navigation. It has Garmin’s full-colour topographical maps for the entirety of Europe (with the option to purchase regions elsewhere). The maps are great for cyclists who want to use the maps they’ve created on Garmin Connect. It’s smart enough to recommend routes to avoid the busiest roads and instead chooses smaller trails and roads used by other cyclists. 

It boasts a heart rate monitor, thermometer and a barometric altimeter.

One of the coolest new things is that if you use Spotify Premium you can sync your music wirelessly. Great if you want to ride without being attached to your phone. The only problem here is that it does drain your battery if you use it continuously. 

You can get 18 hours of GPS use, but it falls to just 8 with GPS use too, which is a little disappointing compared to the Fenix 5.

As it’s a smartwatch, you’ll get all the notifications you’d expect. If you’re on Android, you get the bonus of being able to reply to messages via your watch.

Cycling Features

As for the features important to cycling, the 5 Plus will track indoor activities but it’s designed for the outdoors. The Galileo tracking function ensures there are no black spots on your route, even staying with you in the forest or other areas known to cause GPS to drop off. It also enables the use of a function called TrackBack that allows riders to go back over a route.

Garmin offers a race pacer across a few of its devices. It lets you set a target for time and distance, and gives you a gentle nudge as you’re going along. 

When you’re finished on your ride, it gives you specific feedback on your aerobic and anaerobic fitness level, being scored from 1-5. It will then recommend a recovery time between training sessions. You can get this information for up to 7 days, and it will also give you a rough VO2 maximum.

Activity tracking is what this watch was made to do. It will tell you the basics such as calories burned, steps, floors climbed and active minutes during the day. 

It also offers advanced sleep tracking and will analyse your night into sections of REM, deep and light sleep, plus any time you spent awake and how much you moved around.

If you’re into outdoor cycling, the Fenix 5 Plys has a waterproof rating of 10ATM so you’re good to go near water (or in, if you’re unlucky). 

There are three preset profiles for cycling which are indoor, bike and mountain biking with significantly advanced data specific for your two-wheeled activities.

Finally, it’s compatible with both the Radar series and Varia Bike Light, which have notoriously had very limited compatibility with other devices. Potentially the best thing about it is the seamless syncing with your Strava account.

Other useful features

  • You can use Garmin pay for contactless payments
  • Live tracking lets your loved ones know where you are in real-time, for your safety
  • Sleep monitoring capabilities
  • Use your phone to find your watch
  • Garmin Move IQ will track your less adventurous activities during the day 

Design

The Fenix 5 Plus is pretty huge. It weighs a stonking 86g (although there’s a titanium version at 76g). It’s noticeably heavier than its sibling, the Forerunner 935. Despite the bulk, it’s pretty good looking and you shouldn’t feel any need to swap it when you go out. If you want to, though, the wristband is changeable so you can pop on a silicon, metal or leather one if you want to change your look.

The benefit of it being such a beast is that you won’t fail to see your map on your wrist as you ride!

You can spend a little extra and opt for a scratch-resistant glass screen ($100 extra, to be exact). The display itself offers 240 x 240 full-colour pixels, making it super easy to read in sunlight.

Advantages

  • Brilliant cycling-specific GPS features 
  • Colour maps and the ability to retrace routes
  • Spotify Premium feature for wireless music

Disadvantages

  • Costly compared to alternatives
  • Music and GPS features significantly drain battery life
  • Heavy on the wrist 

Summary

For the price, you get exactly what you pay for and that’s an advanced piece of kit. It is one of the single best multisport watches on the market. It will actively encourage your progression, including appropriate rest and recovery times, meaning you avoid over-training. 

Garmin put everything they had into the Fenix range and the addition of music and advanced navigation gives cyclists an elevated level of enjoyment and control into their ride. Every feature on the Fenix has been executed with precision and reason. The only real major downside is that because there’s so much on board, using it all at the same time means you only get so long to do so. The battery life is quickly drained so as much as you might want to enjoy it for a longer ride, you’ll be quickly seeking a charger.

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New Smartwatches To Look Out For In 2020

New smartwatches

Back to the future

With the ball about to drop on the decade everyone is excited to see what the next generation of new smartwatches look like. The wearable tech market is incredibly competitive and consumers are the ones getting the benefits. There are some incredible features packed into some gorgeous devices.

Here’s a look at some of the most eagerly-anticipated smartwatches coming in 2020.

Garmin Fenix 6x Pro Solar

We know and love Garmins for their GPS reliability and accuracy. Garmin is the brand of choice for hardcore athletes, both indoor and outdoor. And the Fenix range hasn’t disappointed with features like topographical maps, music, and oxygen saturation monitors.

The Garmin Fenix 6x Pro Solar was launched in October of this year. So, it’s just about got a head start and fans have received it very well so far. Hardly surprising, as this is Garmin’s first solar-powered offering. 

The design is thinner and better looking than any of the other Fenix models. The sixth-generation is packed with features previously missing. This includes the ability to store 36GB of music, better GPS than ever before, contactless payments and new sensors to pick up on information such as a fall or the weather. It’s a seriously clever piece of kit that has the potential to save your life. It’ll tell you health measurements in painfully accurate detail.

The best thing is the battery life. Thanks to solar power, you’ll get 21 days of performance. If you think that’s impressive, in smartwatch mode you can get 24 days.

The 6x Pro Solar is the most expensive, coming in at $1,150 (£850). The Fenix 6s Pro, however, can be picked up for $700 (£500) and has the same amount of storage onboard for music.

Apple Watch Series 6

Apple fans will have to wait until September for this one. There are predictions on everything from the name to the features though as it’s anticipated that it won’t break the mould with the numbering system, it’s referred to as Series 6.

The advancements expected will be around the fitness features including sleep tracking and more accurate tracking for activities like running. Thanks to a stray tweet, we know there’s been some development on a sleep app. Ideally, there will be some improvements in battery life. The addition of always-on has caused some controversy amongst users as to whether or not this feature saves or drains the battery.

As there was little difference in design between the 4 and 5, there’s hope for some drastic changes for the Series 6. There’s talk of a circular display, which could be a wild rumour, but now Apple’s lead designer has left the building, who knows? There has been a patent approved for a round face, so September might bring a surprise for us all.

Other rumoured features include a camera for FaceID and the ability to use TouchID. Furthermore, blood pressure and blood glucose measurements are also expected.

It’s certainly fun to speculate, and it’s suspected this smartwatch will be the smartest device ever released. 

Google Pixel Watch

Google has been so busy providing WearOS (Android Wear) to other devices that it never stopped to make its own smartwatch – until now, we hope.

Google has teased the market for years with potential release dates for the Pixel watch. Now, it could be any time between March and October 2020.

One highly discussed rumour was a feature named ‘Blackghost’ which saw the watch listen out for and respond to voice commands with little drainage of the battery. It’s not something currently available, but expecting to use Google Assist isn’t outrageous. It’s anticipated you’ll be able to ask questions without having to use anything but your voice.

Seeing as WearOS is mostly Android smartphone compatible, there’s a third-party app expectation that the Pixel watch will work seamlessly with things like WhatsApp, Messenger and Uber. Naturally, it’s expected to have Gmail, maps and Google Pay.

Fitness and health tracking should be a feature as well as the smart functions. A heart rate monitor, sleep tracking, GPS, barometer, altimeter and accelerometers are all anticipated for accurate data about your movements.

There have been no concrete links about the design, so we can only look to the existing Pixel range and see what 2020 brings.

Seeing as this is Google’s first attempt at their own smartwatch, it’s hard to guess the price it’ll be marketed at. Looking at competitors Apple and Samsung, it’s likely to fall between $300- $400. 

Microsoft Surface Watch

We’re set to welcome Microsoft into the smartwatch world in 2020. 

We all know and love their laptops and PCs but they’re not performing as well in the smartphone market.

It’s believed the Surface watch will run on Windows OS with its Surface siblings. Odds are on a square design with a durable screen. It’s aimed at business folk in terms of design and function, with selling points such as long battery life and cloud storage. 

Rumours have been going around since before Apple released the Apple Watch. In 2012 a patent application was released that saw a small device held in a frame, mounted on a strap. The device was navigated using the display and had capabilities that allowed it to swap data with another device.

Given that was eight years ago, and considering how well Microsoft keep new products under wraps until release dates, who knows what the Surface Watch could do.

New Smartwatches Summary

Much of these new smartwatches for 2020 releases are speculation, fuelled by expert opinion and a few information leaks here and there. We know for certain we’ll see sales of the Garmin Fenix range continue to soar, given the initial welcome it’s already had. Apple’s new smartwatches will have people camping outside the stores in late August 2020 for the Series 6 and it appears there’s a race between Microsoft and Google for the latest high-tech smartwatch. 

We can only wait and see!

Garmin Forerunner – An All-Round Sports Watch Family

Garmin Forerunner

The Garmin Forerunner range is one of the most acclaimed sports watch collections around. It may be intended for runners, but don’t let this detail put you off. Forerunners can track other activities too and also incorporate a wealth of additional smart features.

Here’s a quick overview of the Garmin Forerunner watches.

Forerunner 35

The best choice for beginners

Perhaps the simplest Garmin Forerunner, the 35 is an easy-to-use GPS-enabled running watch designed to focus on your performance. It monitors the key metrics of your training, including distance, calories, pace, and more.

Useful features such as Auto Pause and run/walk mode enhance versatility, while the wrist-based heart rate makes it possible to monitor performance without a chest strap.

Pair it with a compatible smartphone to get call and text alerts on your wrist, or make automatic uploads to Garmin Connect, share your progress, join challenges, or receive insights as you meet your goals.

Simple and unpretentious, the Forerunner 35 is an excellent choice for those who want a no-frills running watch at an affordable price.

Forerunner 45

Ideal for teammates

The upgraded version of Forerunner 35, the Forerunner 45, comes with additional features, and it’s a great choice for team training.

It comes in two variants, the Forerunner 45 and the smaller 45 S that is an excellent choice for slender wrists. No matter which size you choose, you’ll get accurate tracking of your pace and distance thanks to the built-in GPS.

The integration of Garmin Coach adaptive training plans makes it excellent for newbies who want to focus on performance. Like the Forerunner 35, it also integrates wrist heart rate monitoring.

Customisable watch faces and a variety of bands enhance its versatility and make it a great choice for users of either sex.

Forerunner 245 Music

A premier sports watch designed for serious runners

With the Forerunner 245 Music, tracking performance has never been easier. It’s a great choice for those who like to listen to music while running and packs loads of features in as well.

Garmin Forerunner 245

The menus might not be the easiest to navigate, but it’s easy to love once you get used to how it works. Designed with the pros in mind, it tracks and evaluates your performance stats, including aerobic and anaerobic training effects, VO2 max, training status, and more.

Advanced tracking includes running dynamics, such as ground contact time and stride length. On-board music storage and integrated GPS are two other awesome features for those who don’t want to carry a smartphone or other device when training.

Forerunner 645 Music

The more stylish and feature-packed version of the Forerunner 245

If you like the 245 Music and don’t mind spending more money, the Forerunner 645 Music could be a great choice. It has everything the 245 has and more.

The device can store up to 500 songs and syncs your playlists from music streaming services such as Spotify or Pandora. Wrist heart rate monitoring and advanced running performance metrics don’t bring noticeable improvements compared to the 245, but it shines in the smart features department.

You’ll get Garmin Pay, so you don’t have to worry about carrying your wallet, as well as other connected features and a bunch of smart notifications on your wrist, including Live Track function.

Customisable watch faces and compatibility with apps such as AccuWeather, Uber, and SmartThings bring further value for money, making this smartwatch one of the best running watches you can find.

Forerunner 735XT

A top-notch triathlon smartwatch

Designed for running and packed with preloaded sports profiles. The 735XT is one of the pro watches in the Forerunner family.

It includes all the features of other models in the range . It tracks distance, pace, and lap time on all supported activities, and you can choose which metrics to view on the display while training.

Multi-sports profiles include swimming – with underwater heart rate monitoring – cycling, cross-country skiing, hiking, and paddle sports, to name just a few.

An array of smart features are the cherries on top of this sumptuous cake and include Strava live segments, phone syncing, smart notifications, and compatibility with music streaming services. While all these features don’t come cheap, this is undoubtedly a very capable multi-sports watch and one that’s particularly suitable for triathlon training.

Forerunner 945

An all-round sports watch for advanced athletic training

The Forerunner 945 is la crème de la crème of the family. It’s an all-round sports watch designed for professional runners, triathlon athletes and serious fitness lovers.

Its slim and sleek profile retains the lines of the other Forerunner watches and fits both men and women. Two band choices and customisable watch faces add versatility, while a variety of features and compatible apps make it a winner.

Bigger storage capacity compared to the 245 and 645 variants let you keep up to 1,000 songs on your wrist and sync your playlists from Spotify and other music streaming services.

An integrated GPS and VO2 max feature track your training and adjust the results based on heat and altitude. At the same time, the watch also monitors your overall training load and recovery time.

Like the 735XT, it comes with multi-sports profiles, while pre-loaded, full-colour maps keep you on track regardless of how familiar you are with the area. Other highlights include safety and tracking features, smart notifications, as well as Garmin Pay function.

Though the Forerunner 945 is the most expensive of the family, it’s cheaper than the Fenix 5 Plus with which it shares most functions. It’s a great choice for all those who need a capable all-rounder.

Summary

Whether you’re an enthusiastic beginner or a professional athlete, finding the right smartwatch for you in the Garmin Forerunner family is easy.

So, what do you say? Which one would you pick? Tell me in a comment below; I’d love to hear from you.

And if you know other runners or athletes looking for the perfect Garmin wearable, don’t forget to share this article with them too.

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Multisport Watches

Multisport watches

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, pace and, of course, map your activity in a location.

Here are four recommendations for certainly some of the best multisport watches as of December 2019.

1. Garmin Fenix® 5 Multisport GPS Watch 

$365 to $445 / £279 to £339

The Garmin Fenix® 5 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 5 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, 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 seven days between charges, including daily 1-3 hour training sessions. Of course the more you use some features, like GPS, the quicker you’ll use it up. The Fenix 5 has shown some serious GPS accuracy in comparison to its Garmin siblings like the Forerunner 935 or 945.

Advantages
  • A full-featured GPS multi-fitness watch
  • Good battery life
  • Intuitive experience – easy to set up
Disadvantages 
  • Bulky design, heavy on the wrist

2. Garmin Forerunner 945 

$680 / £520

Garmin is the certainly the undisputed king of multisport watches and the Fenix 5 and Forerunner 945 both have a right to appear on the same list. The Forerunner 925 deserves an honourable mention, but the 945 offers a little more. 

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.

Garmin Forerunner Multisport Watch

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
  • Expensive

3. Suunto 9 Baro

$515 / £394

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 M 

$260 / £199

Without a doubt, the best-looking watch on the list. This watch dedicates itself to being a multisport tracker, not a smartwatch. There is a distinct lack of smart functions. However, at this price point, it’s a steal for a triathlete. 

Polar Vantage Multisport Watch

It offers 24 hour heart rate and activity monitoring sleep tracking and boasts bespoke running programs to improve your training from 5k to a full marathon. It can record up to a whopping 130 sports. If you sync it with the Polar Flow app, you can look at in-depth data from the session, be it running, CrossFit, hiking or swimming (up to 30m). It’ll keep going for up to 30 hours of training time, or two weeks between charges.

The Polar Sleep Plus function analyses your sleep patterns and offers advice on how to improve your sleep quality.

On the belly of the watch, you’ll see 9 sensors that allow the Vantage M to sense blood flow, leading to accurate heart rate measurements. The wristband itself comes in two sizes, either small to medium or medium to large. Both come in either black or white, and the latter comes in a red option too.

The entire experience is largely co-dependent on the use of the Polar Flow app, where you log and analyse your information.

Overall, this is a lot of bang for your buck so long as your primary concern is monitoring your performance, and you’re less worried about your WhatsApp messages.

Advantages
  • Cost-effective multisport watch option
  • Accurate heart rate, sleep and GPS
  • Great battery life
Disadvantages
  • Lack of customisation
  • Has zero smart features or functions

Summary

Garmin has long been the leader of the multisport watch market, but if your budget doesn’t stretch to their price tags, there are some worthy contenders. Make sure you prioritise what you want from your multisport watch before you start searching; the more expensive devices don’t necessarily mean they’re the best for what you want.

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