Are you one of the 58% of English people who practice a sport regularly and you want to improve your performance? Why not buy a GPS watch? You will be able to evaluate your achievements more easily, follow your progress in real time, measure the effectiveness of your training program, etc. Light and compact, GPS watches are easier to use than smartphones.
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Our selection
"With this GPS watch, you can take your performance to the next level. This GPS watch gives you access to fitness tips and you'll be…"
"Compatible with most iOS 9.0 and Android 4.4 smartphones, this GPS watch can measure your steps, distance and calories in real time."
"Be a better athlete today than you were yesterday with Forerunner 735XT. This GPS running watch with multisport features is for athletes who want accurate,…"
"Featuring an AMOLED display with dual crowns and a lightweight design, this watch is stylish and comfortable. This design combined with the ceramic bezel and…"
With this GPS watch, you can take your performance to the next level. This GPS watch gives you access to fitness tips and you'll be able to keep track of all your information 24/7.
See priceLet's face it, this watch is much more than just a GPS watch, it doesn't just track and evaluate your performance and progress. With this watch, you'll get real time advice: it's like personalized workouts on your wrist. Its advanced built-in GPS lets you see real-time pace and distance for runs, walks and hikes. Plus, a performance summary shows you altitude, split times and a map of your route. You'll get real-time health information, you can listen to your music without the phone, and more.
It's an easy-to-use GPS watch: useful apps, quick notifications and responses, multi-day battery life. It has crisp graphics, with brightness boosted to 1,000 nit. Its Gorilla Glass 3 Corning touchscreen is tough and durable. Finally, according to Fitbit, this watch is perfectly waterproof, it would be resistant to water up to a depth of 50 m. However, some users have complained of a malfunction right after taking it into the water, so if you need a GPS watch for this activity, this may not be the ideal watch.
Compatible with most iOS 9.0 and Android 4.4 smartphones, this GPS watch can measure your steps, distance and calories in real time.
See priceThis GPS watch is perfect for tracking your performance based on your activities: you'll be able to get individual performance statistics simply by activating the mode that corresponds to your activity (indoor/outdoor running, indoor/outdoor walking, indoor/outdoor cycling, hiking, stair climbing, elliptical machines and rowing machines). It's Bluetooth enabled and vibrates to let you know when your phone has received a phone call, text messages and social network notifications. Beware, it does not allow you to make calls.
The screen of this watch has a high-sensitivity touch sensor with a 1.3 color screen offering very good image quality and the adjustable screen brightness gives you an excellent visual experience. It has a battery life of about 5 to 7 days with a charging time of about 2.5 hours. This watch is water resistant: it will be safe if you wash your hands or take a dip, but it will not be suitable for prolonged stays in the water, especially not for diving.
Be a better athlete today than you were yesterday with Forerunner 735XT. This GPS running watch with multisport features is for athletes who want accurate, comprehensive performance data.
See priceThe Forerunner 735XT is a watch that will suit the most athletic and even the professional. It's ahigh-performance, accurate, powerful and very compact watch. It's the ideal watch to go from training to work. Forerunner 735XT lets you collect activity-specific statistics easily with built-in activity profiles. For running (indoor/outdoor), cycling (indoor/outdoor), swimming (pool/open water), cross-country skiing, paddle sports, trail running, hiking and weight training.
This watch is also suitable for activities such as triathlon: the automatic multisport function allows you to change sports at the touch of a button. You can even create your own custom workouts and upload them to Garmin Connect for free. It has a battery life of up to 14 days, and it's waterproof.
Featuring an AMOLED display with dual crowns and a lightweight design, this watch is stylish and comfortable. This design combined with the ceramic bezel and stainless steel case make it one of the most stylish and rugged GPS watches on the market.
See priceThe Huawei Watch GT is a watch that supports 3 satellite positioning systems (GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO) worldwide to provide more accurate, faster and more precise positioning. It is compatible with several activities, indoor or outdoor. It also provides personalized coaching with feedback on the effect of your training over time.
HUAWEI TruSeen 3.0 heart rate monitoring technology provides more efficient and accurate real-time measurement of your heart rate using a self-learning algorithm and innovative sensors. Featuring a dual-chip architecture and a low-power system, this GPS watch offers long battery life: up to 2 weeks.
Any specific needs?
The best entry-level GPS watch
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FITBIT - Ionic
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BYTTRON - IP68 GPS watch
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GARMIN - Forerunner 735XT
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HUAWEI - Watch GT
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With this GPS watch, you can take your performance to the next level. This GPS watch gives you access to fitness tips and you'll be able to keep track of all your information 24/7.
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Compatible with most iOS 9.0 and Android 4.4 smartphones, this GPS watch can measure your steps, distance and calories in real time.
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Be a better athlete today than you were yesterday with Forerunner 735XT. This GPS running watch with multisport features is for athletes who want accurate, comprehensive performance data.
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Featuring an AMOLED display with dual crowns and a lightweight design, this watch is stylish and comfortable. This design combined with the ceramic bezel and stainless steel case make it one of the most stylish and rugged GPS watches on the market.
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Every GPS watch can track time, distance, pace and calories. So all your outdoor activities can be tracked with these little devices. For running, you can use a small, basic GPS watch. But if you need a GPS watch for hiking, swimming, skiing, rowing or triathlon, choose one with specific features. For example, many watches don't display altitude, which isn't very accurate. If you plan to do a lot of hiking, you may need to invest in a watch with a barometric altimeter.Identify your needs before you buy the watch, so you don't have to pay for features you don't need (the more functionality available, the more the watch will cost you).
Additional features are not always a good thing. There are only 4 or 5 buttons on a GPS watch. The user experience can quickly become frustrating when setting up and using multiple features. Again, identify your needs before you buy your watch.
Most watches run on rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. This means that, in theory, you can work with the watch for several hours before it needs to be recharged. Choose a watch that can conserve enough power to last up to 10 to 12 hours (at least) per charge in GPS mode.
If sharing your accomplishments on social media is important to you, make sure your GPS watch has live tracking and social media connectivity, which will make sharing your exploits easier than ever.
Old-school GPS watches were big and bulky. Newer GPS watches, while still larger than the average timepiece, look much more "normal". But the problem is that the screen is smaller, which means less information can be displayed. And since more information is crammed in there, it becomes harder to read. Keep that in mind when choosing your GPS watch.
Let's start with the basics. Your fitness watch uses GPS - or Global Positioning System - to determine your exact location through the process of triangulation. Triangulation is a way to determine the difference between the time your running watch receives a GPS signal and the time the GPS signal was sent to your running watch. By integrating GPS technology into a fitness or sports watch, the watch measures a series of points that are used to accurately derive measurements such as distance, speed and pace. These measurements give runners real-time insight into their running performance.
GPS watches have more apps and features available than traditional fitness watches. Some watches even allow you to receive notifications from your phone when you are not using them for running. They are also more stylish. On the other hand, they can offer a rather tedious user experience because of the size of the screen and their buttons.
A fitness watch is equipped with a fairly small screen. This type of watch is light, discreet, and therefore not very bulky. Unfortunately, it is not always equipped with GPS and when it is, it is not known for its accuracy. Moreover, the screen is neither big enough nor clear enough to transmit more than a few letters of text.
GPS watches and fitness watches will help you stay connected, track your daily activities and assess your progress. A fitness watch will be suitable for use in the city or for activity that does not cover a great distance. However, if you like to go on adventures in the wilderness, a GPS watch will be better suited to accurately measure your progress. This type of watch is more accurate, with features such as a barometric altimeter to measure pressure changes at different elevations during your workout, providing real-time data on elevation changes.
Make your watch perfectly autonomous
Most GPS watches are standalone Android devices with access to the Play Store. To download, update, or use Google services and applications on your watch, you need to add a Google account. The first time you turn on an Android Wear 2.0 device, you'll see a message asking you to add your Google account to the watch. Adding your account is easy, just follow the instructions in the Android Wear app on your phone.
If the GPS watch you want requires a proprietary charging cable, purchase an additional one
Some
smartwatches have their own charging cable interface, so they can't be charged with standard micro-USB cables. No matter how your watch is powered up, keep a spare cable at your desk or in your bag - you never know when you'll need a charge on the go.
Before you buy a GPS watch, find out about the manufacturer's typical production cycles, in case a new version is expected soon.
In
many ways, GPS watches are like smartphones - new iterations come out every few years with innovations and improvements that are worth the wait. If there are features you are looking for, sometimes waiting for the next generation is the best solution. On the other hand, if a new version is coming soon, you are more likely to find massive discounts as retailers will be looking to clear out their inventory of current models as soon as possible. The more aware you are of product release cycles, the more likely you are to find the perfect deal for you.
Google Assistant
Assistant, which allows you to make voice commands is now available on the most capable GPS watches on the market. That means you can do a lot with your watch without necessarily having to touch it. Long press the power button on your watch to activate the Assistant, then ask questions or give commands.
The best GPS watch depends on your needs and your budget. Read our buying guide to find out which products are the best.
Generally, GPS watches only allow you to accept or decline an incoming call, they do not allow you to dial a number and therefore make calls yourself. If you absolutely need this feature on your watch, look into smartwatches which are much more powerful.
Yes, it will be a perfect replacement for the most powerful traditional watches. In fact, GPS watches already offer more practical features than traditional watches.
Thanks to the huge competition in this market, there is a GPS watch for every budget. Prices range from around €60 to €300 for the most powerful ones.
Before buying their first GPS watch, most people ask themselves, "Is a GPS watch really worth it?". We think they offer excellent value for money, although not all GPS watches are suitable for everyone. To avoid disappointment, take the time to choose the right model for you.
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