Ordinary smartwatches are great for communication and using apps, but dedicated GPS sports watches provide extensive customization of the user experience with a focus on training. You don't have to be a professional triathlete to enjoy the Garmin Fenix 8 Pro, and avid runners could easily train and excel using a value sport watch like the Coros Pace 4. Google took a significant leap forward with the new Fitbit Premium personal health coach service and for the past month it has served as my fitness coach, setting the bar for those of us who want a personalized experience that supports a standard life of work, play, and activity.
With a sports watch, your sleep, resting heart rate, heart rate variability, and more can help calculate adequate recovery time for optimal training periods. Exercises and other activities to help you improve your fitness may be presented, while stress measurements, breathing exercises, blood oxygen monitoring, ECG measurements, and more are designed to help you improve your overall health and wellness.
In our January update, I added more personal experiences from my testing periods with the various watches on this list.
What is the best sports watch right now?
After testing and living with more than 20 sports watches over the past year, the Garmin Fenix 8 Pro is my pick for the best sports watch available today. It is expensive and a bit chunky, but there is not a single sport or activity that I am unable to track, including golf, fly fishing, indoor rowing, and more. The Fenix 8 Pro has a fantastic LED flashlight, a brilliant AMOLED display, InReach satellite and LTE messaging support, long battery life, the ability to take calls from the wrist or record voice notes while you are out running, and much more. It does everything well, and is perfect for those who want a watch that is durable enough to last for years while participating in activities outside of cellular coverage.
If you are looking for a coach that captures data from all of your activities and provides personal guidance for optimal health and wellness, the Google Pixel Watch 4 with the beta version of Fitbit Premium sets the standard that Apple, Garmin, and others should model in the future.
Also: The best Garmin watches: Expert tested
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The best sports watches of 2026
Show less View now at Garmin Why we like it: The Garmin Fenix 8 Pro connects seamlessly to Android and iOS smartphones, in addition to golf club sensors, bike sensors, and more. I've used the Fenix 8 Pro with an iPhone 17 Pro Max, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, Google Pixel 10 Pro, and Moto Razr Plus, as well as my Garmin CT10 club sensors and Garmin speed/cadence sensors. Just about every sport is covered with an updated smartphone experience so you can customize the watch settings on your phone and sync them over to the watch. One feature I use daily that ensures a Garmin will always be found on one wrist is the LED flashlight. I cannot express how useful this functionality is, which makes the Fenix 8 Pro an essential tool in my collection. Also: This flagship Garmin watch has satellite superpowers that make it irreplaceable for me Who it's for: For a few years I carried a Garmin inReach device along with me when I went trail running, hiking, and fly fishing outside the range of cellular connectivity. In addition, I had a phone or watch to function with the inReach device for advanced communications. The new Fenix 8 Pro brings LTE and satellite connectivity options to the wrist and it's great to have everything packed into one device that has solid battery life too. If you enjoy outdoor adventures and want a watch that helps you stay connected on and off the grid, then this is the watch for you. Other communications features for the Fenix series include an integrated speaker and microphone that supports phone calls from the wrist, access to your connected phone's assistant, onboard voice commands, and voice recordings. The large AMOLED display is also excellent for navigation and mapping while on your adventure with support for ski maps, golf courses, and more. My golf game has improved thanks in part to using the Fenix 8 Pro with my connected clubs. Who should look elsewhere: Unlike Apple and Google, you need to have an inReach subscription to access the satellite emergency response functions on the watch. You can purchase a monthly subscription for as low as $7.99 and even that low price includes unlimited LTE support. However, if you are not interested in a subscription plan, then consider the standard Fenix 8 AMOLED or another Garmin watch. Garmin Fenix 8 Pro (51mm) tech specs: Display: 1.4-inch 454x454 pixels | Battery Life (GPS tracking mode): 78 hours | Dimensions: 51x51x16.5 mm | Weight: 90 grams (with band) | Water/Dust Resistance: 10 ATM | Band Size: 26mm Pros LTE and inReach satellite connectivity
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