ElectronicsHealth and FitnessLifestyleFitnessGPS

What are the best fitness trackers with built-in GPS?

5

Options
Considered

28

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Recs.

Sep 13, 2018

Last
Updated

Here’s the Deal

5 Options Considered

Best fitness trackers with built-in GPS	Price	Waterproof	Heart rate
-- Garmin Forerunner 235	$279.99	Waterproof (50m)	Yes
-- Polar M400	$147.95	Yes	Chest strap compatible
-- Samsung Gear Fit2	$144.99	Water-resistant	Yes
-- Garmin Vivoactive HR	$200	Yes	Yes
-- Fitbit Surge	$248.95	No	Yes

Garmin Forerunner 235

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Top Pro

Ideal tracker for runners

It's quite lightweight at 1.6oz and has a large bright display for easy reading while on the move in all types of lighting conditions. It's water resistant up to 50 meters so you're safe to wear it running in all types of weather. See More

Top Con

Needs to be recharged often

Garmin states the watch has a battery life of 11 hours training and 9 days of use as a watch, which is a fairly short charge compared to other fitness trackers. However many people have found the actual charge to be much less, often needing to be recharged every couple of days. See More

Specs

Waterproof:Waterproof (50m)

Sleep tracking:Yes

Top Pro

Quickly picks up a GPS signal

It picks up the GPS signal much faster than most other GPS fitness trackers available, so there is little waiting around for it to connect before you start your run. See More

Top Con

Has trouble tracking heart rate during intervals

During interval training when there is a frequent change of exertion, the Forerunner 235 has trouble continuously providing accurate readings. It's better suited for running with a sustained pace. See More

Top Pro

Customize the display screen to display the data most important to you

The display screens are fully customizable so you can control which stats you want to see. See More

Top Pro

Extremely lightweight and comfortable

Despite the amount of hardware this tracker contains and it's large size, it's very lightweight and comfortable to wear. See More

Polar M400

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Top Pro

Gives you a lot of options for customizing different types of workouts

The "Sport Profile" feature allows you to customize what stats you want to see for each type of exercise. For example, you may want the GPS on for running but not for a circuit workout. These preset profiles save you from having to set up the device each time you exercise. See More

Top Con

Short battery life when using the GPS

With the GPS turned on, battery life goes from around 24 days to 9 hours. This is likely fine for people who will always have opportunities to charge it after their run. However for anyone hoping to use the GPS for longer activities, such as hiking, that may not be long enough to be useful. See More

Specs

Heart rate:Chest strap compatible

Top Pro

Gives you custom activity goals suitable for your level

The daily activity goal is a good way to find out how active you really are in your everyday life. Here you can choose your typical activity level from three options and see how active you need to be to reach your daily activity goal. The time you need to complete your daily activity goal depends on the level you have chosen and the intensity of your activities. Age and gender also affect the intensity you need to reach your daily activity goal. See More

Top Con

Known to become glitchy after a short period of use

The Polar M400 has some issues with reliability. After only a couple months of use, it's not uncommon for owners to report issues ranging from refusing to sync to the battery no longer charging. See More

Top Pro

Ability to add training notes

The app allows you to add additional notes to your workouts for better tracking. See More

Top Con

Unattractive and bulky design

The tracker is quite wide and hard to miss, it's not something that can blend in with what you're wearing outside of sport/exercise type settings. See More

Top Pro

Detailed reports

The fitness tracker offers excellent reporting including distance, speed, cadence, heart rate (if paired with monitor), ascent, decent, calories, recovery status, and more. See More

Top Con

Sleep tracking lacks detail and accuracy

If you are awake for an extended period of time in the middle of the night and then fall back asleep, the fitness tracker may not see the additional hours as part of your sleep. See More

Samsung Gear Fit2

Top Pro

Keeps you constantly aware of your progress without needing to look at your smartphone

The display isn't limited to your stats for the day as it is with many other trackers. At a glance you can check out your progress for the week, or look at the full activity history of each day individually. See More

Top Con

GPS drains the battery extremely fast

Not a great option for those who want to use the tracker for long hikes. With the GPS turned on, it goes through battery extremely fast. Only lasting a few hours before needing to be put on power saving mode. See More

Specs

Waterproof:Water-resistant

Top Pro

Works as a music player so it can be your sole device during exercise

The Gear Fit2 is one of the few trackers that allows you to store music directly on the device, which means one less electronic you need to carry with you on your workouts. Thanks to the built in GPS and notifications, the Gear Fit2 eliminates the need to bring your smartphone with you on runs. See More

Top Con

Unreliable build quality

There are many reviews on Amazon stating people had issues with the device quitting after only a few months of use. See More

Top Pro

Large, clear display that's easy to read

The fitness tracker has a large display that's easy to operate while on the move, so viewing your stats won't distract from your workout. The display is curved and bright so it's easy to read both in dark and bright lighting conditions. See More

Top Con

Easy to lose the tracker because of a weak clasp

The clasp is known to pop open on a regular basis, especially during exercise. See More

Top Pro

Lots of options for personalizing the appearance

The Samsung Gear Fit2 gives you the ability to change the display screen color theme right on the device, so you can quickly match the clock face to the outfit you're wearing. There is also a variety of wrist bands available to better personalize your Gear Fit2. See More

Garmin Vivoactive HR

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Top Pro

Easy to use

The fitness tracker has two buttons, a back button that also locks the device and a start button that also enters settings, and an intuitive touch interface that is controlled with swipes and taps. The learning curve is close to nonexistant. See More

Top Con

HR monitoring does not work during swimming

The fitness tracker's heart rate monitoring gets turned off during swimming. See More

Specs

Touchscreen:Yes

Thickness:11.43 mm

Top Pro

Step, stairs, heart monitoring

Top Con

No sleep monitor

Top Pro

Good display

The fitness tracker has a large backlit full-color touch-display that's sunlight-readable and responsive. See More

Fitbit Surge

Top Pro

Continuous heart rate tracking eliminates risk of forgetting to activate the feature

The Fitbit Surge fitness tracker has automatic, continuous, wrist based heart rate tracking. Heart rate data is stored at one second intervals during exercise, and at five second intervals during non-exercise activities. See More

Top Con

Battery life is short

Specs

Top Pro

LCD screen that can display multiple stats without the need of using the app

Similar fitness trackers depend on Bluetooth in order to relay info to a smartphone. Fitbit Surge can display information locally on the display which is far more convenient. See More

Top Con

Screen prone to inadvertent touches

It's really easy to accidentally brush up against the fitness tracker's watch and end up on screens that the user wasn't intending to navigate to. This forces you to swipe back to the correct screen. See More

Top Pro

Easy to operate compared to display-less options

While Surge easily syncs with iOS, Android, and Windows phones, it does not depend on them for functionality. The touch screen and physical buttons are a huge step up from display-less models. See More

Top Con

Might cause skin irritation for some

A number of people are reporting the Surge causes skin irritation. According to the company it's a very small percentage of customers. See More

Top Pro

Lets users log meals by voice

Users can tell Surge what was eaten, and a database will be used to match the entry with nutritional information. See More

Top Con

Fairly big investment

While it's one of the most advanced trackers that Fitbit offers, it comes with a hefty price tag. See More

Top Pro

Does not need to be recharged frequently

The battery lasts 5-7 days which is one of the longer lasting options for rechargeable fitness trackers. See More

Top Con

Not durable

The band eventually rips from the screws and eventually tears away from the tracker. See More

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