BEST GPS WATCH 2016

Weighing just 1.5 ounces and measuring 0.46 inches thick, the Forerunner 235 is one of the lightest GPS watches on the market. Yet, it has GPS and GLONASS—it connected in less than 30 seconds—as well as a heart rate monitor that also proved accurate. In addition to distance, elevation, pace, and cadence, the Forerunner 235 also gives your VO2 Max estimate and a recovery advisor. You can also download third-party apps, watchfaces and widgets, and get notifications from your phone, making this almost smartwatch-like. Add in waterproofing to 165 feet and 11 hours when using GPS and the heart rate monitor, and you’ve got a truly versatile running watch.

If you don’t need extra bells and whistles and you’re on a budget, pick up the $99 Garmin Forerunner 10. It’s an inexpensive, yet accurate, GPS watch that tracks distance, speed and pace, and it notifies you at every mile you run to keep you in check. With nearly five months of battery life in watch mode, the Forerunner 10 can also be your everyday timepiece, and will still work when you need it for those impromptu jogs.

The Vivoactive HR has both an optical heart-rate monitor and GPS, and tracks a wide variety of activities, including running, biking, swimming, golfing, rowing, skiing and snowboarding. You can customize the Vivoactive HR with a number of widgets and watch faces through the Garmin Connect app. And, you’ll be able to receive smartphone notifications, such as texts, emails, and calendar reminders. The Vivoactive HR has an always-on touchscreen, but lasts up to 8 days in activity tracking mode (with 24/7 heart rate monitoring), and up to 13 hours when using GPS.

Tech-obsessed golfers looking to up their games will find a lot to like in the S6. While pricey, it comes loaded with more than 39,000 courses, while also analyzing your swing and accurately showing your distance to the hole. Pretty much the only thing it doesn’t do is carry your clubs.

If you want a GPS watch that can survive all your outdoor adventures, the fenix 3 Sapphire is the one. Not only is it waterproof to 330 feet, but it’s also shock-resistant, and its battery will last up to 20 hours when using GPS. It can track a wide range of activities, from skiing to hiking to paddlesports, and with GPS and GLONASS support, can poinpoint you nearly anywhere in the world. Plus, you can customize the watch faces, and receive updates from your smartphone.

Garmin’s watch for triathletes is simply loaded. This 1.4-ounce device tracks running, swimming, and cycling. It will also calculate your VO2 max, lactate threshold, predict how you’ll finish in a race, and tell you how long you need to recover. It has a built-in optical heart rate monitor, but can be paired with a waterproof chest strap while you’re swimming. The 735XT works with Garmin’s Connect IQ, so you can upload third-party watch faces, apps, and widgets. Other features include a 60-day free trial to Strava Premium, and the ability to sync with Garmin’s Varia Rearview Radar and Vision In-sight Display. The Forerunner 735XT will last up to 14 hours using GPS and the optical heart rate monitor, good enough to get you through a triathlon with ease.

The second-generation Apple Watch now has built-in GPS, making it better suited for those who want to track their runs and not have to carry their phones. Available in late October, the Nike+ Edition of the Apple Watch Series 2 comes with a Nike Sport band (available in different colors) and custom watch faces. You’re also connected to the Nike+ Run Club, which will motivate you by showing what other members are doing, and schedule runs. Plus, the Series 2 is water-resistant to 50 meters, and has a bright 1000-nit screen, making it even easier to see in sunlight. However, its rated battery life of up to 18 hours is likely to be much less when using GPS.

This budget GPS watch from Polar features a built-in optical heart rate monitor, a 26mm display, and smartphone notifications. Smart coaching features include an index showing how your running is developing, provides feedback on training sessions, and can work with Polar’s adaptive training programs (5K, 10K, half-marathon, marathon) in its smartphone app. Its battery should last up to 6 days when using both GPS and the heart rate monitor for one hour per day, and regular activity tracking the rest of the time. The M200 will be available in five colors: Black, Red, White, Blue, and Yellow, it will ship at the end of October.

Very few GPS watches have built-in storage for your music, so if you want to jam out to tunes, that usually means carrying an iPod, too. The Spark 3 Cardio Music has 3GB of storage, so you can stream your songs via Bluetooth. This inexpensive tracker also has a built-in heart rate monitor, and a Route Exploration feature that helps you find your way back home if you go for a run in an unfamiliar place. This GPS watch is waterproof to 150 feet, and will come in several colors when it’s available this October.

An update to Garmin’s mid-tier Forerunner 25 GPS watch, the Forerunner 35 has a new design, and adds wrist-based optical heart rate monitoring and smartphone-like notifications to its features,s. The high-res screen and contrast make it easy to view indoors and outdoors, and in addition to track running data, steps and estimated calories, users can set up phone, text, email and calendar notifications and control music when paired with a smartphone. Its battery will last up to nine days in watch and activity tracking mode and 13 hours in training mode with GPS activated. Garmin says the Forerunner 35 will be available sometime in the third quarter of 2016 in black, limelight, frost blue and white.