The best GPS running watches for 2024

The most important thing for a GPS running watch to have is fast, accurate GPS positioning.

Most fitness wearables today aren’t one -trick ponies; you’ll find a healthy number of trackable exercise modes on any running watch worth its salt.

Check out a watch’s case size and weight before going all-in on one.

The Garmin Forerunner 165 is the one I wanted to wear the most when I went out for a run.

Starting a run with the watch is as easy as pressing a single button.

During a run, it’s easy to glance down at the bright, 1.2-inch AMOLED display to check stats like distance, pace and heart rate.

Garmin puts the battery life of the watch at 11 days in smartwatch mode.

The Apple Watch SE has all of the same core running features as the standard Apple Watch Series 10 , but you will have to sacrifice in a few ways.

The most recent model is stylish, or at least as stylish as a wrist-based computer can be, and certainly more so than any other running watch.

For more detailed tracking, you're getting the basics plus a few extras.