Somewhere between a $40 Xiaomi Smart Band and a $1,000 Garmin Epix Pro, there’s the proper running watch to assist you run your first 5K or beat your marathon PR. Black Friday offers season is usually a nice time to purchase one, too. But how much should you spend on a running watch, with or with out a deal?
That’s not an idle query with the sheer variety of choices in this vary. You have Samsung or Apple smartwatches that solely final a few hours with GPS monitoring, easy squircle watches that final days however cannot do much apart from monitoring, or high-end running watches with mapping, holistic well being knowledge, and training.
Your choice will solely get tougher as soon as Black Friday watch offers begin up. Based on our expertise masking offers occasions, you’ll be bombarded with main markdowns on watches that tempt you into an impulse choice. Rather than spend extra on options you do not want or much less on a watch that will not final, you should know upfront what you want.
That’s the place I are available in to assist. I’m a runner who’s examined and reviewed dozens of running watches, whereas writing a weekly column on the newest running tech and the way I’m utilizing it to get quicker. I’ve damaged down your running watch choice into totally different value classes, with picks price shopping for now or ones price ready to see if you discover a vacation deal.
Quick hyperlinks: Our favourite running watches at every value level
$250 or cheaper: All the fundamentals
Believe it or not, most runners do not want to spend greater than this. You can discover a fundamental health tracker with built-in GPS, fundamental sports activities modes, sleep knowledge, and a week or extra of battery life for $100+. Or if you’re not connected to getting a “watch” design, any of one of the best health trackers will value $160 or much less.
Only when you work out particular perks you need — an AMOLED show, mic and speaker, music storage, downloadable coaching plans, restoration suggestions, climbing maps, and so on — should you spend greater than a couple hundred. In this vary, you’re proud of easy sport monitoring and well being warnings if wanted, or you discovered a nice running watch deal on a extra superior tracker.
Runners who should not spend over $250:
- Self-guided runners who need post-run knowledge saved to their app, however not much information throughout runs.
- Couch-to-5K runners: purchase a extra superior watch as soon as you’ve confirmed to your self you can run persistently, as a substitute of pressuring your self with an costly buy.
- Runners who do not care about apps, answering cellphone calls, or different conventional watch smarts.
Your greatest sub-$250 running watch: COROS PACE 3
If you need a nice running watch and do not wish to spend too much, there’s one definitive reply: the $230 COROS PACE 3, which I known as the “greatest inexpensive running watch of 2023” in my overview.
You simply cannot ask for higher: hyper-accurate coronary heart fee knowledge, dual-frequency GPS, over three weeks of battery life per cost, glorious post-run knowledge on your present health stage, and a snug 1oz/30g design that is no less than 20g lighter than most running watches on this listing. Unlike most watches in this value vary, you can count on it to get assist and updates for years to come back.
Cheapest various: Xiaomi Mi Band 8
Focused solely on saving cash? The Xiaomi Mi Band 8 solely prices $40, however delivers effectively past that value level with its 1.62-inch AMOLED tablet show, 6-day battery with AOD lively, steady coronary heart and blood oxygen monitoring, 150 sports activities modes, and a “pebble mode” that lets you connect it to your shoe throughout runs to assist choose your running type. There’s additionally a “sensible companion” mode or “running programs” to evaluate your tempo towards a goal throughout a run.
Other low cost running watches to contemplate throughout Black Friday:
The $199 Garmin Forerunner 55, an older watch with many of the Garmin necessities and a two-week battery life, is prone to get a low cost throughout the holidays if you do not wish to maintain out hope for the Forerunner 65.
We do not know if Google will give a deal on the $160 Fitbit Charge 6 so quickly after launch, but it surely’s price preserving an eye fixed out if you’re much less inquisitive about Garmin teaching and extra inquisitive about a light-weight band that tracks your whole key well being and sleep knowledge.
Lastly, you’ll discover loads of low cost Amazfit watches within the sub-$200 vary, a lot of them with a week of battery life, AMOLED shows, built-in GPS, and Zepp Health knowledge that is fairly just like Garmin’s coaching load metric.
$250–$400: Smarter running watches
You do not simply need a tracker. At this value level, you need a number of the upgrades we talked about above like AMOLED as a substitute of MIP, a mic/speaker combo for Bluetooth calling or sensible assistants, NFC tap-to-pay, music storage, or third-party apps.
At this value level, you can get smartwatches for health with actual smarts paired with fundamental health instruments and a 1- or 2-day battery life; conversely, you can get a running-focused watch that is extra superior for health however nonetheless has blind spots with regards to smarts.
Runners who should spend ~$300 to $400
- You care about watch smarts as much as (or greater than) health tech.
- You favor clear AMOLED visuals to long-lived MIP shows.
- You’re a fairly severe runner who will not hand over their health resolutions in February.
Your greatest sub-$400 smartwatches for running: Pixel Watch 2 or Apple Watch Series 9
Speaking to each Android and iPhone customers right here, I wish to give no less than one slot to individuals who need an “uncompromised” running watch and do not thoughts the quick battery life.
In that case, the Pixel Watch 2 provides you Fitbit well being experiences and sensors, Daily Readiness rating, automated exercises, Heart Rate Zone Training, and Pace Training, all the necessities to make it a nice informal health watch. And for Apple followers, the Series 9 has comparable instruments to maintain to a tempo or custom-made coronary heart fee zone throughout a run or bike experience, plus the perk of Apple Fitness Plus exercises if you subscribe.
Best running-focused watch underneath $400: Garmin Forerunner 255
While I personally advocate you stretch your funds and purchase the $449 Forerunner 265 — or await it to go on sale for Black Friday — the $349 Garmin Forerunner 255 is generally has the identical options, solely with a dimmer non-touch show and longer battery life. We’re speaking hyper-accurate dual-frequency GPS and coronary heart fee knowledge, restoration suggestions primarily based on how laborious you ran, day by day urged runs primarily based on your VO2 Max and coaching load, and different instruments that’ll assist self-guided runners enhance their instances.
Other mid-range running watches to contemplate throughout Black Friday:
I can nearly assure that you’ll see the Garmin Venu 2 on sale throughout the holidays for $300 or much less, like we did throughout Prime Day. It provides you an AMOLED show with Garmin necessities and animated workouts for the fitness center, although not the superior running instruments of a Forerunner or the mic and speaker of the expensive Venu 3. It’s definitely price contemplating.
Also take a shut have a look at the Garmin Instinct Crossover if you’re inquisitive about a rugged hybrid watch with most of the identical perks because the Forerunner 255.
$400-$600: High-end watches for severe athletes
Anyone spending this much on a running watch should be aiming to spice up their VO2 Max rating into the 50s, steadiness their coaching load between cardio tempo and threshold runs and anaerobic intervals and sprints, and hit a excessive mileage per week. Maybe you additionally cross-train or do triathalons, or want detailed topographical maps that present forks within the street if you’re a path runner. The level is, you’re a severe runner, not a dilettante.
If you’re nonetheless discovering your footing as a runner, most of the instruments on a complicated running watch may simply make you really feel discouraged fairly than motivated, and you could find yourself feeling like you wasted your cash. Start low cost, and work your manner up earlier than you spend the large bucks.
Runners who should spend $400–$600
- You’re a constant runner attempting to enhance your race instances and general health.
- You want particular Garmin instruments like maps, real-time stamina, hill rating, or multisport profiles that solely include higher-end fashions.
- You want a watch with greater than the usual battery life.
- You’re nice with plastic as a substitute of stainless-steel or titanium.
Best running watches underneath $600: Garmin Forerunner 965 or 265
I’m lumping each of those watches into this class as a result of they’re my two favourite running watches, and your selection is solely predicated on how much you’re keen to spend.
The Garmin Forerunner 265 takes the 255 template and provides a shiny AMOLED touchscreen, Training Readiness knowledge that helps you resolve when and the way laborious to work out, music storage, and wi-fi downloads as a substitute of Bluetooth. You’ll nonetheless use buttons throughout exercises, however the AMOLED show is extra handy for indoor use as a result of it is much extra readable and vibrant.
Upgrade to the Forerunner 965, although, and you get an additional 10 days of battery life per cost, pre-downloaded topographical maps, Strava Live Segments, real-time stamina knowledge, Hill and Endurance scores for extra specialised coaching, a bigger show with higher anti-reflective coating, and a titanium bezel.
These 965 upgrades are all good to have, however even a “severe” runner may in all probability make do with the 265 except you spend a lot of time on unfamiliar trails and wish mapping. We can solely hope Black Friday provides us a low cost on both watch to minimize the sting a bit.
Other running watches underneath $600 to contemplate:
Many of one of the best Garmin watches hit the identical $449 value level because the Forerunner 265, solely with totally different focuses. They’re for runners with totally different priorities than running software program alone.
If your first concerns are battery life or rugged design, then the $449 Garmin Instinct 2X Solar is a nice various. It can ship as much as 145 hours of GPS monitoring because of its photo voltaic recharging capabilities, or anyplace between 60 days to an “limitless” quantity relying on how typically you get open air in sunny situations. It has military-grade safety towards falls, plus a built-in flashlight that is shiny sufficient to information your path at evening or sign to different runners or cyclists to not run into you.
Your different choice is the Garmin Venu 3, a extra lifestyle-focused watch. it has a mic and speaker for Bluetooth calling and voice assistants, a shiny AMOLED touchscreen for animated workouts, the newest Garmin Elevate coronary heart fee monitor for extra correct well being knowledge and ECG readings, and extra superior Sleep Coaching with nap detection. Its running instruments are extra generalized, on par with a cheaper price tier, however its smarts beat out most running-centric watches.
$600 and up: Only professionals want apply
We’re now at a tier of running watches that, frankly, I have not had the chance to check all that much, and do not essentially want.
You’ll discover loads of Garmin watches within the $1,000-and-up vary for skilled golfers, divers, aviators, troopers, and different particular professions past fundamental health. If you want a watch like this for work, then you can attempt searching for offers throughout Black Friday, but it surely’s extra possible you’ll must pay full value on fashions this costly.
The solely comparatively accessible Garmin fashions in this vary are the Garmin Fenix and Epix lineups, and we have seen these go for a couple hundred {dollars} off throughout offers occasions. You could not get the latest watches just like the Garmin Fenix 7 Pro or Epix 2 Pro, but when you’re keen to go last-gen or skip the “Pro” fashions, you may see an $800 Fenix or Epix right down to $600 with a good Black Friday watch deal.
Generally talking, a Garmin Fenix or Epix has extra superior software program than the Forerunner 965, together with higher-quality stainless-steel or titanium supplies that make them look excessive finish but additionally weigh considerably extra. Just maintain that in thoughts, if you’re shopping for one for running and must really feel it weighing down your wrist throughout a lengthy race.
The solely different watch price mentioning in this value vary is the Apple Watch Ultra 2. Specifically for iPhone customers, it is an uncommon case as a result of it does have perks for runners — dual-frequency GPS, much longer battery life than a typical smartwatch, a large 3,000-nit show, and watchOS software program meant for running steerage — but additionally has all the third-party software program and smarts that running watches sometimes lack. You simply have to simply accept the actually excessive value in alternate.
With this, you should have loads of data on your Black Friday watch offers searching in a few weeks. You should resolve upfront what you’re keen to spend, then both select a watch in that vary or hope a watch from a greater tier drops into that vary.
In the meantime, be at liberty to take a look at our hub for early Black Friday smartwatch offers; none of my above picks are particularly discounted proper now, however you’ll discover loads of watches within the $250-and-under vary that you would not usually discover there!