Best Running Watch Reviews 2018

When it comes to shopping, technology has made everything at the same time easier and harder. On the upside, you are now able to search through a bunch of products from your own home using a computer. But on the downside, there’s just so much to choose from, which more often than not just leaves you more confused than before. A running watch isn’t just your normal day to day watch; it gives you so much more than just the time of the day. To make buying one easy for you, we have done all the ground work of finding some of the best running watches brands, and broken down some of the more interesting watches they offer. This review will save you a great deal of time when shopping for the perfect running watch.

Overview

PROS

CONS

SPECS

Type

Size

Weight

Activity

Warranty

Our Top Choice

TomTom Runner Cardio Watch

TomTom has made a name for itself in the production of high quality products used in fields incorporating the latest technologies.

This watch is waterproof and can be used for swimming training. It also provides real time heart rates allowing you to make instant decisions.

This watch has a smaller display, making it hard to see your running stats at a glance.

Running

3.66 x 4.13 x 3.66 inches

2.22 ounces

Indoor/outdoor running

30 day money back guarantee

Best Value

Fitbit Fitness Watch

Fitbit has been a top notch producer of fitness and health products since it was started in 2007. Over the years, the company has received numerous awards for quality products.

The ability to change bands and frames combined with color LCD display can make you look stylish and classy.

Has a shorter battery life compared to most runnig watches.

Fitness

10 x 1.7 x 0.4 inches

1.4 ounces

Indoor/outdoor running

1 year limited warranty

Polar Sports Running Watch

Polar has been in the forefront in technological innovations and production of heart rate monitors since it was started in 1977.

This watch has a video load that shows how the training affects your body, allowing you to compare different exercise sessions.

The price is a little steep and the watch is a bit bigger and heavier.

Training

5 x 4 x 3 inches

16.0 ounces

Sports/Outdoors

2 year warranty

Garmin Forerunner Running Watch

Garmin has made a name by serving several markets with high end products. The company has invested heavily in research and development attracting a huge customer base.

With this smart watch you can receive email, messages, call notifications and calendar reminders from paired smart devices.

The price seems steep. It’s also rather large, which may make it uncomfortable when training or working out.

Running

1.8 x 0.5 x 1.8 inches

1.6 ounces

Sports and recreation

30 day money back guarantee

Suunto HR Monitor Sport Watch

Suunto is a specialist in the production of fitness and health monitoring products. Through innovation, it has provided guidance to sports and fitness fans for long

Long life battery, allowing you to train for as long as you can. Additionally, it has smart mobile connections, allowing you to get notifications from any connected smart devices.

The watch doesn’t provide weather and altitude information that could be important for navigation.

Training

5 x 4 x 4 inches

9.6 ounces

Running, swimming and cycling

3 year warranty

(Updated July 12, 2017)

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Watch Our Running Watch Review

How Do I Choose the Best Running Watch?

There are plenty of exercises that can help us keep fit, but running is the simplest and generally the most preferred way to keep our health in check. So, if you fall into this category of people, and you’re looking to take your daily training sessions to the next level, then a running watch is just what you need.

Why do you need a running watch? Although there are smartphone apps that can help you monitor your daily run sessions, a running watch delivers cutting-edge technology that seamlessly tracks your activities and analyzes your performance right on your wrist in real-time. And unlike a foot pod or fitness tracker that only keep track of distance travelled, these watches go a step further to even give you email, messages, and call notifications from paired smart devices, thus eliminating the need to carry your phone while running.

These watches perform some basic functions such as tracking your distance, speed, and burnt calories. They also boast of advanced features such as heart rate monitoring, interval session alerts, VO2 max, and even route tracking. There are those that offer you some memory storage for your music, allowing you to enjoy your favorite tunes from your running headphones.

If you’re planning to start run workouts as a way to keep fit, a running watch will serve as a great source of motivation by giving you goals to achieve and notify you once you accomplish a milestone. However, if you’re a professional such as a marathoner, this watch will be an excellent tool to record and analyze your running performance, helping you to improve your running form.

This guide will take you through the range of features and the various factors to consider while buying a running watch to ensure you get the one that suits you best.

Price

Most of these watches are reasonably priced with prices ranging from $150 to $450, making it easy for those working on a budget to purchase. However, these prices may skyrocket depending on several factors.

Why the price difference? The pricier the watch you are looking to buy, the more advanced features are included, from multi-sport tracking to a built-in compass, vertical oscillation, and real time training. Highly priced watches come with displays large enough to show a map of your running route and include wireless syncing as well as an inbuilt battery that can last up to 50 hours operating in GPS mode.

So, how much should you spend on a watch? Determining how you would use it is vital to finding your watch. If you take part in other sports, and want to improve your performance and track your progress, consider buying an advanced wearable. However, if you want a basic companion to wear only while running, a cheap running watch will have all the features you'll need.

Features

Virtually all features on a running watch are designed to improve and customize your training sessions; thus, it’s paramount that you identify what features you really need. The following are important factors to look for when you’re shopping for a running watch.

Battery life: You need to ensure that you get a watch with a good battery life. Most of them have a built-in rechargeable battery.
Weight: Consider purchasing a lightweight but compact running watch.
Display: Your wearable should have a large enough display that you can view with less straining while running.
Waterproof: Most devices typically have a depth rating of nearly 30 meters, which allows you to swim with your watch intact.

This guide will take you through some other factors to consider while buying a running watch to ensure you get the one that suits you best.

Construction and Design

From our top list selection of running watches, it’s evident that they all come with a sleek, lightweight design. Some even are Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enabled to sync data to paired smart devices wirelessly. Another striking feature is the color touch screens, but they vary in size depending on the watch you choose; consider getting one with a large screen and a backlight for a better viewing experience in the sun.

Getting a running watch means you will also enjoy excellent battery life that can last nearly a month in typical use, and also a waterproof design making it safe for you to swim with. While these watches are usually more expensive, many brands offer their bestselling models both with and without a heart-rate monitor to cater to different budgets.

Performance and Ease of Use

Most of these watches are able to sync with your phone, giving you easier access to your data and even smart notifications to alert you to texts, calls, and emails. The long battery life, waterproof design and a wide temperature range of operation reduces the chances of a running watch to fail during both hotter and colder conditions. The ability to monitor your heart-rate during exercises is one of the most essential features of any running watch.

What is the Best Running Watch?

The best running watch doesn’t necessarily mean the most expensive or the one that has the most features, but instead one that fits all your individual needs, without forgetting your budget. Now that you have a rough idea of what to expect and what to look for, take time to go through our top five products to see if there is one that tickles your fancies. We hope that you walk away with the best running watch for you!

Our Top Choice

TomTom Runner Cardio Watch has an inbuilt GPS that monitors the heart rate while working out. It is also waterproof, which makes it ideal for swimming workouts. If you are more interested in larger displays but still want to retain the inbuilt GPS, TomTom Multi-Sport Cardio with Cadence Sensor and Altimeter (Black) is a good product for you.

TomTom Runner Cardio Watch – Available in 2 Colors

TomTom Running Watch TomTom – Green White

Features

Tom Tom is a global leader in the production of navigation, traffic, mapping, fleet management solutions and sport watches products. Since its inception in 1991, the company has invested heavily in research and development allowing it to produce top notch products aimed at aiding people to make informed decisions and achieve their goals.

If you are conscious about your workout TomTom Runner Cardio Watch is the product for you. The watch GPS allows you to monitor your heart rate while working out. The long life battery lasts for about 8 hours, which makes it easy to train for a long time while monitoring the heart beat rate.

Here are some of the features that make this watch outstanding:

GPS enabled
Inbuilt heart monitor
Long life battery lasting about 8 hours
Waterproof design
Provides real time heart rate conditions
Not large nor bulky making it easy to train while it is on your wrist

The TomTom Cardio watch is currently available in black, red, green, and white.

Need a model with a larger display? Check out TomTom products for more options.

Best Value

The Fitbit Blaze Smart Fitness Watch, apart from making you look stylish, has an inbuilt GPS to monitor your heart rate. If you are looking for a fitness watch that will alert you on calls and SMS, the Fitbit Charge 2 is a perfect match. Bear in mind that it is a larger watch, however.

Fitbit Blaze Smart Fitness Watch – Available in 5 Colors & 2 Sizes

Fitbit Running Watch 148003 – Blue, Silver – Large (6.7 - 8.1 in)

Features

Founded in 2007, Eric Friedman and James Park had a vision to use sensors and wireless technology to produce products that will enhance fitness and health. Ten years later, Fitbit has designed and produced different products that continue to have a positive impact in life and allowing people to achieve their fitness and health goals.

Fitbit Blaze Smart Fitness Watch comes with a unique blend of innovation and performance. It’s not only smart but also stylish and classy. Fitbit Blaze Smart Fitness Watch combines a powerful design with various innovations that are useful in staying fit and healthy.

Still not sure about the Fitbit Blaze Smart Fitness Watch? Below are more features:

Pure pulse heart rate
On screen summary of each workout after completion
Syncs automatically and wirelessly to different iOS, Android and Windows devices using Bluetooth technology
Water-resistant
Color LCD display
Large screen
Multi-faceted clock faces
Easy to alternate bands and frames to fit with your style and color theme
Silent alarms

Would you like to feel more comfortable while training or working out? Check more watches from Fitbit.

Polar V800 GPS Sports Watch is an advanced multisport watch with an inbuilt GPS that tracks your heart rate for sports enthusiasts who want to achieve their goals. Looking for a more affordable sports watch? Worry not, just check out the Polar RC3 GPS Sports Watch and you’ll find a watch that’ll meet your budget.

Polar V800 GPS Sports Watch – Available in 3 Colors & 3 Styles

Polar Running Watch 90050556 – Blue – Heart Rate

Features

Polar is a leading company in the manufacturing of innovative products that monitors heart rate and other fitness aspects. The heavy investment in technology and research has enabled the company to produce quality health and fitness products that have made the company a go-to for various health and fitness products.

Are you a fitness fan? Then you will fall in love with the Polar V800 GPS Sports Watch. It has a built in GPS that tracks your ride, run and other forms of exercises that measure speed, distance and the route you take. It’s ideal for training since you can customize profiles for different sports and get the data and guidance needed for every activity.

Check out more features of Polar V800 GPS Sports Watch

In-built GPS
Easy to customize profiles
Fitness tracker
Easy to monitor heart rate
Lets you know the amount of calories you have burned
Long battery life of about 13 hours of training
Allows for orthostatic test
Shows how active you have been during the day and practical guidance to reach your activity goal
Compatible with Bluetooth smart running and sensors

Looking for a more affordable watch? Check out Polar for many more options.

Garmin Forerunner 235 is the definition of elegance. Modeled to offer excellent results, this GPS enabled watch measures heart rate, pace and time at the wrist 24/7. Is the price too high for you? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered: you can have a look at the Garmin Forerunner 310XT, which is less than half the price at just over $100.

Garmin Forerunner 235 – Available in 3 Colors & as New or Refurbished

Garmin Running Watch 010-03717-70 – Marsala - New

Features

Garmin serves many different markets, such as automotive, aviation, outdoor and sports, always looking to provide superior innovative products. Investment in modern technology has seen the company become a darling to a number of people from all over world, and especially Americans. The company is widely known for its superior products in the sport and fitness sector where these products help many pursue their aspirations.

Garmin Forerunner 235 is the recent release from Garmin which makes simplicity look elegant. The watch has an inbuilt wrist-based heart rate monitoring capability, making it easy to use. In addition, it receives audio prompts from a connected smartphone.

Here are various features that make this product a sleek one:

Wrist based heart rate
Longer battery life
Receives audio prompts from connected smart devices
Larger screen
Displays notifications and updates from a connected smartphone which means you can see calls and messages on your wrist
It’s simple to use

Need a watch with additional features? Check out Garmin for more options.

Suunto Ambit3 Sport HR Monitor Running GPS Watch is the definition of innovation. It’s a multisport monitoring watch that delivers speed, distance and heart rate. If you like the Ambit3 Sport but would like navigation, weather and altitude information, have a look at Suunto’s Ambit3 Peak HR Running GPS Unit.

Suunto Ambit3 Sport HR Monitor Running GPS Watch – Available in 2 Styles & 5 Colors

Suunto Running Watch SS020683000 – Without Heart Rate Monitor - White

Features

If Tuomas Vohlonen had been told that Suunto would become a world-leading model of excellence 80 years ago, he probably would not have been surprised. Suunto is based on top notch innovation, research and technology. This has seen the company produce high quality products in watches, instruments and diving computers. This has cemented the company’s position among the elites in terms of innovation and the use of technology.

If you are a person who believes that a product doesn’t have to be big to offer quality services, then the Suunto Ambit3 Sport HR Monitor Running GPS Watch is the product for you. Suunto has struck a balance in producing a high quality sport watch taking into account the size and weight of different instruments such as the battery and screen. The device is designed to ensure comfort when being used by athletes since it’s smaller and more lightweight.

Still don’t believe that this is the ideal watch for you? Here are some more features to look at:

Delivers speed and accuracy in monitoring heart rate
One of the longest battery lifes in the market with 100 hours
Can be connected with other smart devices allowing you to receive notifications
User friendly
Monitor heart rate when swimming

Looking for a watch that can provide altitude and weather information? Suunto has more options for you.

Get the Best Running Watch of 2018!

Now that you know you can monitor your calories, heart rates and set targets by simply buying a watch, we hope that our review educated you and helped you find just the right one for you. In the case that you were not enamored of any of our top picks, the brands we mentioned have more options for you to look at.

Our Top Choice

TomTom Runner Cardio Watch

Best Value

Fitbit Fitness Watch

Polar Sports Running Watch

Garmin Forerunner Running Watch

Suunto HR Monitor Sport Watch