The Best Prime Day Deals on Smart Watches for Runners

Given that the Series 6 just came out, you’re already guaranteed to save some money opting for the older Series 3. But you won’t be sacrificing quality. Sure, it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of the newer models, but it is swim-proof and features a heart rate sensor, built-in GPS, and an activity tracker. This one is available in space gray and silver aluminum.

Boasting over 20 exercise modes and personal on-screen workouts, the Versa 2 is a sport-oriented fitness tracker that looks good and performs just as well. Activity tracker functions measure daily movement, calories burned, steps, and floors climbed, as well as sleep cycles. When paired with your smartphone, the watch will ping you with calls, texts, emails, and social media notifications. And you can stream music through your phone or directly from the watch via Spotify (when connected to Wi-Fi). The contactless pay function allows you to leave your cash and credit cards at home when you head for a workout.

The Lite edition is a trimmed-down version of the Versa 2. It still includes automatic activity tracking, 15 different exercise modes, heart rate tracking, and connected GPS. Plus it’s water-resistant (down to 50 meters). What you don’t get are floors climbed, laps swam, music, on-screen workouts, or Fitbit Pay like the fully loaded and more expensive Versa 2.

The Forerunner 645 Music is Garmin’s first GPS watch with integrated music—it can store up to four gigabytes (or about 500 songs), no need to connect it to your phone. You can also use the watch to make contactless payments, track your heart rate, and, of course, monitor your workout stats.

The Vivoactive 4 is packed with training and fitness functionality, like tracking 24/7 heart rate, VO2 max, and calories burned. Runners can connect their heart rate monitors and sensors so the watch can record run data, then sync it with Garmin Connect or other third-party fitness tracking platforms like Strava and TrainingPeaks. It also has a claimed 18 hours of battery while in GPS mode.

Garmin’s Forerunner 735XT may have turned four years old in 2020, but its multi-sport pedigree means it has more bike- and swim-specific features than you find in most newer GPS watches, making it a great option for triathletes. The multi-sport mode also allows you to change activities with a single press of the “lap” button. You also get GPS navigation and Strava live segments. (The map is a bit sparse by today’s standards, but it works.)

The Fenix 5 Plus has many of the same features as the Forerunner 945, which is already a standout. But it packages them into a more robust case that comes in three sizes (42mm, 47mm, and 51mm) and adds a better battery that Garmin claims will last up to 12 days in smartwatch mode and up to 18 hours with GPS on. It’s packed to the gills with functionality for elite and recreational runners, or anyone who loves keeping an eye on their stats. You also get a pulse oximeter and sleep tracking. When paired to a smartphone, this Fenix can stream music, send notifications, and make use of the discrete assistance alert as well as incident detection. 

At 44 grams, this is one of the lightest fully featured smart watches available. There are veritable pages of functions, but the important ones are activity tracking, sleep tracking, Bluetooth sensor support, multi-sport mode, swimming metrics, GPS, and the optical heart rate sensor with continuous tracking. Of particular interest to runners, that heart rate monitor incorporates a skin-contact sensor for more precise readings (though Polar advises a chest strap still provides the most accurate information).