Whether you ware walking along a forest trail or you are walking along a busy street, as long as you are walking for fitness, you will need a way to track your progress. You need more than a set routine; you need to track your data. To track the time elapsed, distance covered and route taken, you need a smartwatch for walking.
Garmin Forerunner 935
GPS smartwatches are great as they can track your every move and exact location. Most of these watches can give you in-depth fitness analyses to assist you in improving your exercise routine. They record time, pace, rest, speed, and some record your heart rate. While there are great apps on iOS and Android smartphones that can track time, speed, and progress, a smart watch is more convenient and keeps you from dropping your $900 iPhone.
Below are some of the top smart watches for walking.
1. Garmin Forerunner 935
This watch was designed for athletes and fitness enthusiasts. It is a great option when you need to track your running but comes in handy too in tracking your moves during the day or during actual fitness walk. The watch combines high-end GPS technology with great metrics to offer you great performance. Even better, if you need a smart watch for walking that you can use when biking, running, or doing other activities, this watch might be a good choice. The watch tracks heart rate, rest times, and pace among other insights. The battery can last up to 24 hours when it is running and up to 60 hours in low power mode.
Key Features
- Garmin Connect
- 24-hour battery life
- Tracks different sports
- Gives smart notifications
- Monitors heart rate
2. Apple Watch Series 4
Apple designed this watch as a premium smart watch to deliver more features for users who find it hard to leave their smartphones at home. The watch sports a range of features thanks to watchOS 5, which is an upgraded watch OS. The OS is friendly for fitness walkers as it gives pace alerts, detects walking or falling automatically, and lasts up to 6 hours in running mode. Even better, it is fitted with heart rate monitoring features with which you can take electrocardiograms to detect heart rate irregularities.
Key Features
- 18 hours battery run-time on low-power mode
- Features Bluetooth 5.0
- Stores music
- Supports third party apps
- Features electrical heart rate monitor
- Integrates with iOS
3. Fitbit Versa
We just reviewed the new Fitbit, details coming soon!
4. Coros Apex
Coros Apex is a multi-sport watch; you can switch between different sporty activities including walking, running, and biking. The smart watch combines great aesthetics with superb performance. Aesthetically, the watch is a rival of Apple Watch. It is designed with interchangeable straps, a titanium alloy bezel and a digital knob for easy navigation. Installed in the watch is an AI trainer that instructs you according to your fitness level. You can connect this watch with other ANT accessories such as heart rate monitors. It has a strong battery lasting up to 35 hours when in operation and up to 100 hours when in low-power mode/
Key Features
- 35 hours battery run-time
- Interchangeable straps
- Comes with walking routes pre-loaded
- Sports a simple UI navigation
5. Suunto 9 Baro
If you are ready to trek across the country, you might want this watch. It is a multisport watch designed with a massive battery to last to 120 hours in full GPS mode and longer when in low-power mode. To save the battery even more, the watch’s software sends you reminders telling you to switch modes or to recharge it before you walk out of the door. Besides GPS readings, the watch is offered with a FusedSpeed feature that estimates the acceleration of your wrist when GPS is not working. This way, you have near-perfect stats and post-walk recovery insights.
Key Features
- The battery runs for 120 hours on GPS
- Sports intelligent features to save battery
- Gives mobile notifications
- Records your heart rate
- Multisport mode
6. Garmin VivoActive 3 GPS Watch
If you love to listen to music during a fitness walk, then this Garmin GPS smart watch might be a good choice for you. The watch is an improvement of its predecessor bearing all the good features on top of which it allows you to pair it with your wireless headphones. You can listen up to 500 songs from the watch. Even better, besides giving you the obvious metrics, the watch monitors your heart rate thanks to Garmin’s partnership with Firstbeat. With Garmin Connect, you have access to daily insights, fitness age, and VO2 max among other details.
Key Features
- The battery lasts for 5 hours on music mode
- Offers dynamic fitness metrics
- Gives you fitness age estimation
- Internal storage holds up to 500 songs
- Comes with pre-loaded sports apps
7. Polar Vantage V
Polar has designed some of the most popular heart rate monitors. This new model in the Vantage series delivers great health results thanks to its upgraded features. The unit tracks walking metrics directly from your wrist without the need for accessories. This can help you reach your walking targets while showing your Beats Per Minute, BPM, readings. When fully charged, the watch can last up to 40 hours on GPS. Besides walking, there are other pre-programmed sports profiles to meet the needs of all fitness enthusiasts.
Key Features
- The battery lasts 40 hours on GPS
- Features advanced recovery metrics
- Monitors heart rate
- 130 programmed sports profiles
- Smart coaching
8. Withings Steel HR Sport
This is a sleek wrist watch sporting an analog design. While the watch looks simple, it can track all activities, including walking and sleep and can also track 40 different activities through GPS connectivity. You can connect the watch to Withings Health Mate app, which tracks your walking experience to gauge how fit you are. It does this by assessing the oxygen used during fitness walking. With the watch, you can map distance, pace, time, and elevation.
Key features
- The battery lasts up to 25 days
- Monitors heart rate
- Gives smart notifications
- Sports a deluxe design
- Tracks multiple sports
9. Garmin Fenix 5X Plus
The Garmin Fenix 5 was among the first smart watches for outdoor activities such as walking. The watch has since undergone several improvements into this fancy high-performance watch. It comes with a horde of features including music storage, supports Spotify, allows wireless payments and sports an attractive sapphire display. Another great feature is the Pulse Ox Acclimation sensor that estimates your blood oxygen when you are at high altitudes. The range of features and metrics, including sleep patterns, stress levels, and heart rate monitoring make this watch worth its price tag. Even better, it features Galileo, an extra satellite tracking feature that improves location and timing accuracy.
Key Features
- The battery lasts for 35 hours with GPS
- Supports music streaming
- Tracks multiple sports
- Pulse oximeter
- Features three satellite tracking systems
10. Timex Ironman GPS
This is a classic GPS wrist watch that never runs out of style. It sports a minimalist design that does just what it was created to do; tell time and track activity. Its GPS is not the most hi-tech, but the watch performs seamlessly. Even better, the watch features several simple features such programmed to orient a novice fitness walker. Its GPS offers real-time results including pace, distance, and speed. It also offers hydration and pace alerts to keep you walking as you should.
Key Features
- The battery lasts up to 12 hours on GPS
- Offers dynamic performance alerts
- Tracks multiple sports
- Water-resistant protection
11. Polar M430
This is a great watch if you need to track indoor activities, especially if you are training at the gym. It is an intermediate smart watch that offers a wide range of fitness features. It is also reliable when you engage in outdoor activities thanks to its GPS connectivity and heart rate monitor. The watch comes with a myriad of training modes to accommodate different workouts and also gives post-workout feedback. Its low-power GPS modes can extend battery life up to 30 hours.
Key Features
- Customized programs
- Supports multiple sports
- Optical heart rate monitoring
- Water-resistant cover
What Should You Consider in a GPS Smart Watch for Walking?
Most GPS smart watches are designed with basic features; they track and tell time, distance, pace, and speed. Some more advanced one track your heart rate and other health metrics such as VO2 Max, fitness age, HR Max, levels of stress, and much more. When shopping, consider:
Aesthetics: Pick a watch that matches your style. It should have a durable strap, a strong casing, and dust, water, and shockproof protection.
Battery Life: Most smart watches for walking last between 5 and 35 hours with GPS on. However, some models can last up to 120 hours.
Compatibility: While some watches track a wide range of fitness stats eliminating the need for accessories, others are compatible with some accessories to add to the list of features. If a watch doesn’t have a feature that you would need, say heart rate monitoring, ensure that it is compatible with an accessory or mobile phone app that offers that feature.
Lastly, it should tell time.
I personally use a FitBit Charge 3, and my wife uses the Apple Watch, but honestly you can’t go wrong with any of the watches on this list.
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