October 2026: After testing sports watches on workouts and adventures throughout the summer, our testers named a Garmin as the best sports watch again, this time the new fenix 9 Pro that comes with solar charging and a full titanium build, plus inReach connectivity. We were also impressed with the new heart rate tracking and readiness software on the Apple Watch Ultra 4, which we named Best for Weekend Warriors. Amazfit still makes the best value for your money with the Cheetah 2 Ultra, the Suunto Run 2 delivers a lot in a small form factor, and we loved the accuracy of the Coros Pace 4 Pro.
New this year is the Reckon, a hunting-focused watch from a Montana-based company called Bridger. Today’s best sports watches are a lot like cars. There are so many high-quality models, choosing one really comes down to price range and feature preferences.
For athletic watches, key features include battery life, screen brightness, size, activity tracking, satellite connectivity, durability, weight, analytics, mapping, and more. To help you sift through the options, we assembled a group of nitpicky watch nerds who scrutinized every detail of the best sports watches during more than 14,000 miles of testing. Whether you want running watches for road and trail or a multisport GPS smartwatch that also handles hiking, skiing, and swimming, the picks below cover every budget. **Enduro 3 upper range (320 hours) requires solar charging. ***fenix 9 Pro figure is with solar charging. ****Brand claims 14-20 days, but does not specify in which modes Weight: 3.6 oz with strap Face Diameter: 51 mm Pros and Cons + Off-grid satellite connectivity + Full titanium case + Solar charging – Pricey – Feels big on your wrist The Garmin fenix 8 Pro won Best Sports Watch in our last update because it had inReach satellite connectivity plus a stout multi-day battery, on top of industry-leading workout tracking and analysis.
Its upgrade, the 9 Pro, takes over that top spot because it has those same features plus solar battery charging and a nearly indestructible titanium case. For comparison, the battery on the 8 Pro lasts up to 27 days with normal use and provides up to 78 hours of GPS tracking. Using solar, the 9 Pro provides up to 57 days of normal use and up to 211 hours when using GPS.
Those kinds of numbers create a unique kind of confidence for backcountry users who don’t want to worry about the battery on weeklong trips, even while constantly tracking metrics, sending satellite messages, and reserving enough juice to send an SOS if needed. Garmin says the watch needs three hours per-day outside in bright midday sunlight to achieve the full solar staying power. Not many people will take their watch off and let it charge for three hours per day, but we found that even 30 minutes to an hour in the sun provided a battery bump that kept the watch going for a multi-day adventure with a comfortable buffer.
The fenix 8 Pro had a titanium bezel and backing, but a polymer case—and it still stood up to all kinds of abuse over the full year we wore it. Given that durability, the full titanium case on the 9 Pro almost seems like overkill, but the all-metal build will help the watch last for years even if it’s regularly dunked, bashed, smashed, or run over. Like the 8 Pro, the 9 Pro has tons of intuitive workout trackers with deep metrics, valuable training-readiness and health-monitoring analytics, a bright, ultra-useful LED flashlight, and easy-to-use mapping.
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