Best Fitness Smartwatch For Running 2024
Health is wealth is a very popular English saying and that is true no matter how you look at it. With the rising cost of health care worldwide, it does make sense to maintain our health. One of these ways is through exercising.
We’d like to keep tabs on our health and on our fitness activities, now that’s what fitness smartwatches and smart bands do for us. They help us monitor various aspects of our workouts. From the speed, to distance covered, calories burnt, steps taken, and even monitoring our heart rates during exercise.
Fitness wristwatches come in many shapes and sizes, and of course also at many price points. Some can be worn in formal situations as well as informal situations. Some can even be used for swimming and can monitor your swimming details.
The fact is that these watches have come to stay both as a fitness devices and as a fashion accessory. In today’s review, we’ll be looking at some of the best fitness smartwatches available at the moment. In the end, you’re sure you’d be able to find one that you like and that’s also within your budget.
Top 6 Best Fitness Smartwatch For Running 2024
Specification:
- Weight: 6.7 ounces
- OS: WatchOS 8
- Compatibility: iOS
- Display: 44mm
- Battery Life: 18 hours
- Storage: 32GB
- Processor: S8 SiP with 64-bit dual-core
- Band Sizes: 41mm, 45mm
- Charging Method: Wireless
- IP Rating: 50m
What Do We Like?
- OLED Always On-screen
- watchOS
- Useful compass
- GPS & advanced tracking
- Water resistance ability
- Emergency SOS
The Apple brand has cemented itself as one of the best-sellers as far as smartwatches are concerned. This is due to the excellence and innovations which they bring to the table. Apple Watch 8 is, in my opinion, one of the best smartwatches you can buy at the moment. It comes with an always-on display, making it the first Apple wristwatch to have this.
Prior to this, you had to raise your hand for your Apple watch to come on. This is a feature that we love. It also features the OS8 which comes with cycle tracking and a compass. The watchOS 8 improves lots of the functions of the watch. Apple Watch 8 also features heart health diagnostic tools amongst other apps to make your watch experience nice.
The watch display comes with a light sensor, so when the watch is inactive, the display is dimmer, and the display brightens up or dims based on the amount of ambient light in the surrounding.
As per the design, not much has changed, it’s still like the Apple watch we all know, it has the square face, which we’ve come to love. The watch comes in 44mm/40mm, with a thickness of 10.7mm. The processor is a 64-bit dual-core 55 processor, with a storage capacity of 32GB.
The Apple Watch Series 8 has seen some improvement from the series 8, especially in terms of design. It’s not the cheapest of wristwatches, but then it comes with durability and quality which we know Apple products have more decent features as compared to others.
Fitbit Versa Lite Edition Smart Watch
$144.99
Specification:
- Weight: 1.41 ounces
- OS: Fitbit OS
- Battery Life: 4+ Days
- Display: 300×300 AMOLED
- Storage: 2.5GB
- Color: Mulberry
- Charging Method: Magnetic pin
- IP Rating: 50
- Connectivity: Bluetooth 4.1, Wi-Fi, NFC
What Do We Like?
- 4 days battery life
- Alexa and Google assistant enabled
- Automatic activity tracker
- Multiple watch faces
- Easy-to-use interface
If you want to buy a Fitness smartwatch, Fitbit provides quality smartwatches at a cheap price, we all know that Fitbit Versa lite is reputed for being one of the best in this industry, it comes to making fitness bands, and fitness smartwatches. It could be said that they make the fitness trackers first and then on second thought added smartwatch features to them.
If you’re a fitness buff it works for you. The Fitbit Versa Lite edition comes with a faster processor than its predecessor, and an also easier to use interface. For those who use this for fitness, all you need to do is select the fitness app which you’d like to use, then select what type of exercise you’d like to take part in.
In the eventuality that you forget to track your activities, the watch can do it on your behalf. So any physical activity you engage in which takes more than 20 minutes is regarded as exercise and it is tracked.
It also comes with features for measuring your sleep cycle and then your heart rate. It has different watch faces and also different exercise modes. If you’d like to use GPS though, you should take your phone along with you, and you can read the details of your activities in real time.
Details such as distance covered, duration of exercise, and so on until you’re done with your exercise. The watch also comes with Alexa and Google voice assistants.
The Fitbit Versa Lite is not a very fancy smartwatch. However, as far as fitness tracking is concerned, it’s an excellent companion. The design hasn’t changed, but then it’s faster than its predecessor. The only thing lacking is the inbuilt GPS tracker; an addition of this feature will make this watch perfect.
Specification:
- Weight: 1.28 ounces
- OS: Proprietary OS
- Battery Life: 7+ Days
- Display: 218 x 218
- Color: Black
- Connectivity: GPS
- Compatibility: Apple iPhone 4S
What Do We Like?
- Inbuilt GPS
- 7 days battery life
- Animated workout guides
- Oxygen sensors
- Safety and tracking features
- Phone notifications
Most people consider the Garmin to be an alternative to the ultra-popular Apple watch series. First, it comes in a circular design which is just the opposite of Apple. The new version of this watch (the vivoactive 4 series) has been updated with features every sportsperson would love.
The 45mm vivocative 4 and the 40mm Vivoactive 4s are the two variants of the new version, we’ll be looking at the 4s. The 4s comes with some updated hardware features, such as the very sleek touches on the watch case, with thin casing metal and two side buttons. There’s also an additional button for a lap, menu access, and back. Navigating the watch is also a breeze, you can use either of the buttons on the two sides or use the watch’s touchscreen.
Some of the fitness features this watch has include optional all-day pulse-ox measurements (for tracking energy levels), hydration tracking, and on-screen animations. As far as fitness is concerned it does better than the Apple watch series. You can download songs to your watch, you can also use streaming apps such as Deezer and Spotify for enjoying your music while you work out.
The watch also includes GPS for your runs and preloaded apps for your workouts. Contactless payments also work with this watch. The watch has easy-to-follow animated workouts, for cardio, yoga, strength, Pilates, and more. You can download them from Garmin connect or use the ones on the device.
This is a very good-looking wristwatch, with features that could match even the Apple series. For the fitness buff, it’s a good choice. With its animated workout guides and inbuilt GPS, there’s not much one would ask for.
SAMSUNG Galaxy Watch Active 2 Smart Watch
$73.46
- Weight: 4.8 ounces
- OS: Tizen
- Compatibility: Android and iOS
- Display: 1.2 inch
- Battery Life: 5 days
- Storage: 4GB
- Processor: 1.15 GHz Dual-Core
- Band Sizes: 40mm, 44mm
- Connectivity: 2.4 GHz Bluetooth v5.0
What Do We Like?
- Voice functionality with Bixby
- In-built GPS
- Comprehensive fitness features
- Sleek design
- Good battery life
Unlike Samsung Galaxy phones, the Galaxy Watch series doesn’t run on the Android platform, it is probably the best Smartwatch that works on the android platform. The Samsung Galaxy Watch 2 is a very sleek-looking watch, it has beautiful aesthetics and it‘s to Android users what the Apple Watch series has become to iPhone users.
As far as design is concerned, the Galaxy watch two does an excellent job. It comes in two sizes, 40mm, and 44mm, giving a choice as to what to go with. The watch also comes with leather bands, therefore, it’s suitable for both formal and informal wear.
As expected the Samsung Galaxy Watch 2 comes with Samsung’s own Tizen software, as opposed to the Google Watch OS. With the Tizen comes one of the most detailed health and fitness tracking services that one could find on a smartwatch.
It can track your sleep, constant heart rate, stress levels, steps, floor climbed, and even your menstrual cycle. Apart from this, you can also actively track your exercise. Whether you’re walking, swimming, running, hiking, doing yoga, or lifting weights, your activity can be tracked. You can set targets, laps, and time and have all this information show up on your screen.
Your laps can be paused or started automatically also. To finally complete what you need for a good running watch, you have a GPS tracker, inbuilt of course.
Specification:
- Weight: 6.3 ounces
- OS: Android 4.4+, IOS 9.0+
- Battery Life: 2+ Days
- Track Multiple Sports: 8 Modes
- Display: 1.3 in
- Color: Black
- IP Rating: 68
- Compatibility: Android and iOS
- Connectivity: GPS
What Do We Like?
- Remote Photography
- Smartwatch for Android iOS Phone
- Sleep Tracking Calorie Counter
- Call and message Reminder
- IPS68 waterproof
- Pedometer for Women
- The battery lasts up to 2 days
- Sedentary Reminder
The MOLOCY Smartwatch is anything but sleek and trim, but this doesn’t take away anything from the watch as far as functionality is concerned. As a fitness smartwatch, it excels, coming with a heart rate monitor, blood pressure monitor, and all-day activity tracking.
It supports 25 sports modes including trekking, running, cycling, and yoga amongst others, this is made possible via its motion sensor. It helps to monitor how many hours of effective sleep you are having. This will help you understand the quality of sleep you are having and what you can do to improve it if need be.
The watch comes with a full HD screen and is also IP68 Waterproof. MOLOCY Smartwatch comes with a 1.69-inch color touch screen, which comes very easy to see, even in sunlight. You have detailed health data such as sports and heart rate data. It can also last for 7 days and 30 days on stand by.
The MOLOCY Smartwatch comes with a tempered full touch screen glass. It also comes with the option to change the screen background. For runners, it includes a steps counter and also GPS which you get to use alongside your phone.
With this watch, you don’t have to take out your phone from your pockets a lot of times. You can see your social media notifications, read text messages, and also see call notifications.
This is a basic fitness smartwatch, you shouldn’t expect all the bells and whistles you’d find on say an Apple or Samsung. This however more than does the job of fitness, and it comes at a great price.
Specification:
- Weight: 1.28 ounces
- OS: Android 4.4+, IOS 9.0+
- Battery Life: 17 hours
- Resolution: 240×204
- Color: Black
- Water resistance: 30m
- Compatibility: Android and iOS
- Connectivity: GPS
What Do We Like?
- Sleek Design
- Heart rate monitor
- Advanced Sleep Tracking
- Inbuilt GPS
- Tracks swimming metrics
- Comes in different colors
This watch is considered as the best design, and really the piece does deserve it. VRPEFIT Smart Watch comes with a sleek circular design, a color touch 1.7″ display with an ambient light sensor. For durability, the lens is made of a sturdy glass that makes it even more special.
One of its features includes 60 sports modes, a training guide with some exercises that are tailored to suit your strength level and recovery. You could also track your heart rate, with the heart rate tracker. At the end of the exercise, you can then get the details of how your exercise went.
The metrics that can be tracked with this include steps, calories burnt, activity, and even your sleep. The trackers are actually accurate, both the heart rate tracker and the pedometer. The VRPEFIT Smart Watch comes with an inbuilt GPS for speed and distance tracking, which eliminates the need for you to go out with your phones on runs.
The GPS tracker is also very accurate. The watch is built for swimming; it can also track your swimming metrics. This offers the best features one would like in a fitness smartwatch. The design can blend with both formal and informal settings, it’s not so expensive, but its workmanship is excellent, and it has the most important features for a fitness watch. It’s totally worth a buy.
Best Fitness Smartwatch For Running FAQs:
Is Smartwatch good for Running?
Yes, you can monitor your steps and also save your data every day. A smartwatch can be used as a fitness tracker and save more accurate information than a phone. You can even monitor your heart, the number of steps, routes, track records, and other fitness-related features.
Is Garmin a good smartwatch for Running?
Garmin is one of the leaders in GPS technology. They are known for providing accurate tracking of speed, distance, and elevation. Garmin has a vast line of fitness monitors with a variety of features.
One of the best features of these devices is that they can monitor many different types of activities. These include biking, walking, swimming, running, and even outdoor sports like skiing and rock climbing.
Is Fitbit Versa Lite good for Running?
Fitbit Versa Lite is a smartwatch that allows you to track your fitness activities. You will be able to track your steps, calories burned, distance, and more while you run.
This watch has a built-in GPS, so you will know where you went during your workout. This is especially helpful if you want to run without the use of smartphones. This watch will also help you to improve your running form.
You can also connect it to your smartphone using Bluetooth technology. It will show your steps taken, miles covered, calories burnt, and more. This watch is a decent fitness tracker that you can use on your running route. It will help you to keep track of your time, pace, and calories burnt.
How Accurate are Smartwatches for Running?
Most people are interested in knowing how accurate smartwatches are for tracking distance and speed during a run. There have been a number of studies done to answer this question, and in general, they show that smartwatches can be used for recording run distance and pace, but that this accuracy varies depending on the environment and how much activity is involved in the run.
For example, the error can be anywhere from less than one to almost three percent. An urban area with tall buildings nearby gives the smartwatch error margin a range of 2-6% depending on the type of route taken. A forest run is the most challenging to track accurately.
What features should I look for in a fitness smartwatch for running in 2023?
When choosing a fitness smartwatch for running in 2023, consider the following features:
- GPS Tracking: Look for a smartwatch with built-in GPS to accurately track your running distance and route without relying on your smartphone.
- Heart Rate Monitoring: Choose a smartwatch that offers continuous heart rate monitoring to help you track your exertion levels and optimize your training.
- Activity Tracking: Ensure that the smartwatch can track various activities beyond running, such as steps taken, calories burned, and sleep quality, to provide a comprehensive overview of your fitness.
- Water Resistance: Opt for a smartwatch with a high water resistance rating, ideally suitable for swimming, to withstand sweat and occasional exposure to water during your runs.
- Battery Life: Consider a smartwatch with a long battery life to last through your long runs without needing frequent recharging.
Can I listen to music while using a fitness smartwatch for running?
Yes, many fitness smartwatches for running have the ability to store and play music directly from the device or stream music through compatible apps. Look for a smartwatch that offers this feature and consider its compatibility with your preferred music streaming services.
Can I connect wireless headphones to a fitness smartwatch for running?
Absolutely! Most fitness smartwatches for running have Bluetooth connectivity, allowing you to connect wireless headphones or earbuds. This allows you to enjoy your music or receive audio feedback without the hassle of tangled wires while running.
Are fitness smartwatches for running compatible with popular running apps?
A: Yes, many fitness smartwatches for running are compatible with popular running apps such as Strava, Nike Run Club, or Garmin Connect. They often have built-in integration or provide the option to sync your data with these apps, allowing you to track and analyze your running performance seamlessly.
Can I receive notifications on a fitness smartwatch while running?
Yes, most fitness smartwatches for running have the ability to receive notifications from your smartphone. You can receive alerts for incoming calls, text messages, emails, and app notifications directly on your smartwatch, allowing you to stay connected while you focus on your run.
Final Remarks:
You’ve seen the offerings, fitness watches of different arrays, and prices. We’d like to believe that you’d not have much of a problem deciding which to buy. Irrespective of your budget or your taste, there’s something for you here.
