QUESTION

What is the best smartwatch for fitness?

22 upvotes0 downvotes

Asked May 15, 2026Last updated June 11, 2026Answers can change over time.

Answer82% confidence

Best overall fitness smartwatch: Garmin Forerunner 965. It’s the strongest pick for people who primarily care about training, GPS workouts, recovery metrics, and long battery life rather than having the most phone-like smartwatch features.

If you use an iPhone and want the best blend of fitness plus everyday smartwatch features, choose Apple Watch Ultra 2. If you want a cheaper fitness-first Garmin, choose Forerunner 265. If you want rugged battery life and outdoor navigation, choose Garmin Fenix 7 Pro / Epix Pro depending on screen preference.

Our pick

Garmin Forerunner 965

Best for serious fitness users

Maars picked this for serious fitness users who want deep training tools: it balances advanced workout tracking, recovery insight, GPS performance, and long battery life very well.

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At a glance

Compared picks

Swipe to compare

	Garmin Forerunner 965	Apple Watch Ultra 2	Garmin Forerunner 265	Garmin Fenix 7 Pro / Epix Pro
Best for	Serious fitness and endurance training	iPhone users who want fitness plus smart features	Fitness-first buyers spending less	Rugged outdoor and adventure use
Main strength	Training metrics, GPS workouts, recovery, long battery life	Apps, calls, messages, safety features, polished daily use	Strong Garmin fitness features at a lower cost	Durability, outdoor navigation, battery life
Phone fit	Works with iPhone or Android, but less phone-like than Apple Watch	Best with iPhone	Works with iPhone or Android, but less phone-like than Apple Watch	Works with iPhone or Android, but less phone-like than Apple Watch
Main tradeoff	Not as strong for third-party apps and phone features	Battery life is shorter than many Garmin fitness watches	Smaller feature set than the 965	Bulkier and usually more expensive

Also compared

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Apple Watch Ultra 2

Best for iPhone users

Maars picked this for iPhone users who want fitness tracking without giving up smartwatch convenience: it is excellent for daily wear, apps, notifications, and workouts.

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Best value fitness watch

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Garmin Forerunner 265

Best for value-focused athletes

Maars picked this for fitness-focused buyers who want Garmin training features for less: it covers the core needs for running and everyday workout tracking well.

Search on Amazon

Garmin Fenix 7 Pro / Epix Pro

Best for outdoor adventurers

Maars picked this for outdoor athletes who want a tougher watch: it is better suited to hiking, trail running, navigation, and long trips than most general fitness watches.

Search on Amazon

Alternatives

Apple Watch Ultra 2
Best for iPhone users
Best if you want excellent fitness tracking plus the most seamless iPhone smartwatch experience.
Garmin Forerunner 265
Best value fitness watch
Keeps many of Garmin’s key training features at a lower price than the Forerunner 965.
Garmin Fenix 7 Pro or Garmin Epix Pro
Best rugged outdoor pick
Better for hiking, long outdoor trips, rugged build, and extended battery priorities.

What could change this answer

The “best” depends heavily on your phone, sport, and budget.
Verify current model availability, pricing, case size, and phone compatibility before buying.

Found this helpful?

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May include affiliate links

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Our pick

Garmin Forerunner 965

Best for serious fitness users

Maars picked this for serious fitness users who want deep training tools: it balances advanced workout tracking, recovery insight, GPS performance, and long battery life very well.

Search on Amazon

At a glance

Compared picks

Swipe to compare

	Garmin Forerunner 965	Apple Watch Ultra 2	Garmin Forerunner 265	Garmin Fenix 7 Pro / Epix Pro
Best for	Serious fitness and endurance training	iPhone users who want fitness plus smart features	Fitness-first buyers spending less	Rugged outdoor and adventure use
Main strength	Training metrics, GPS workouts, recovery, long battery life	Apps, calls, messages, safety features, polished daily use	Strong Garmin fitness features at a lower cost	Durability, outdoor navigation, battery life
Phone fit	Works with iPhone or Android, but less phone-like than Apple Watch	Best with iPhone	Works with iPhone or Android, but less phone-like than Apple Watch	Works with iPhone or Android, but less phone-like than Apple Watch
Main tradeoff	Not as strong for third-party apps and phone features	Battery life is shorter than many Garmin fitness watches	Smaller feature set than the 965	Bulkier and usually more expensive

Also compared

Search on Amazon

Apple Watch Ultra 2

Best for iPhone users

Maars picked this for iPhone users who want fitness tracking without giving up smartwatch convenience: it is excellent for daily wear, apps, notifications, and workouts.

Search on Amazon

Best value fitness watch

Search on Amazon

Garmin Forerunner 265

Best for value-focused athletes

Maars picked this for fitness-focused buyers who want Garmin training features for less: it covers the core needs for running and everyday workout tracking well.

Search on Amazon

Garmin Fenix 7 Pro / Epix Pro

Best for outdoor adventurers

Maars picked this for outdoor athletes who want a tougher watch: it is better suited to hiking, trail running, navigation, and long trips than most general fitness watches.

Search on Amazon

Alternatives

Apple Watch Ultra 2
Best for iPhone users
Best if you want excellent fitness tracking plus the most seamless iPhone smartwatch experience.
Garmin Forerunner 265
Best value fitness watch
Keeps many of Garmin’s key training features at a lower price than the Forerunner 965.
Garmin Fenix 7 Pro or Garmin Epix Pro
Best rugged outdoor pick
Better for hiking, long outdoor trips, rugged build, and extended battery priorities.

What could change this answer

The “best” depends heavily on your phone, sport, and budget.
Verify current model availability, pricing, case size, and phone compatibility before buying.

Found this helpful?

More buying options

May include affiliate links

Search Amazon Search eBay

What is the best smartwatch for fitness?

Garmin Forerunner 965

Compared picks

Apple Watch Ultra 2

Garmin Forerunner 265

Garmin Fenix 7 Pro / Epix Pro

Alternatives

What could change this answer

Garmin Forerunner 965

Compared picks

Apple Watch Ultra 2

Garmin Forerunner 265

Garmin Fenix 7 Pro / Epix Pro

Alternatives

What could change this answer

Tags

Garmin Forerunner 965

Compared picks

Apple Watch Ultra 2

Garmin Forerunner 265

Garmin Fenix 7 Pro / Epix Pro

Alternatives

What could change this answer

Garmin Forerunner 965

Compared picks

Apple Watch Ultra 2

Garmin Forerunner 265

Garmin Fenix 7 Pro / Epix Pro

Alternatives

What could change this answer

Tags

Garmin Forerunner 965

Compared picks

Apple Watch Ultra 2

Garmin Forerunner 265

Garmin Fenix 7 Pro / Epix Pro

Alternatives

What could change this answer

Garmin Forerunner 965

Compared picks

Apple Watch Ultra 2

Garmin Forerunner 265

Garmin Fenix 7 Pro / Epix Pro

Alternatives

What could change this answer

Garmin Forerunner 965

Compared picks

Apple Watch Ultra 2

Garmin Forerunner 265

Garmin Fenix 7 Pro / Epix Pro

Alternatives

What could change this answer

Garmin Forerunner 965

Compared picks

Apple Watch Ultra 2

Garmin Forerunner 265

Garmin Fenix 7 Pro / Epix Pro

Alternatives

What could change this answer

Ask Maars another question

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