GPS Watches – Page 2 – Runners Get Up

Garmin is the leading running watch brand for all serious athletes. It has tons of features, it works really well and it has an unmatched ecosystem. The only problem is... it comes at a very steep price. In this article, I'll give you one or two alternatives for the different Garmin running watches. I'd also compare them side by side to Garmin so you'll get to see what you're getting vs what you're missing. How I Found The Althernatives I made a list of the prices of different Garmin running watches then I compared it to the running watches from other brands. Then, I looked at the features and specs of every watch and matched it with Garmin watches. I gathered their specs and listed the important ones side by side. That way, we could compare the alternative and the Garmin side by side in terms of specs. Best Garmin Forerunner 945 Alternative Coros Apex Pro https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsj34gXFi0I Specs Forerunner 945 Coros Apex Pro Lens Material Corning® Gorilla® Glass DX Sapphire Glass Bezel Material fiber-reinforced polymer Titanium Alloy Strap Material Silicone Silicone/Nylon Weight 50g With silicone band: 59gWith nylon band: 49g Battery Life Smartwatch Mode: Up to 2 weeksGPS mode with music: Up to 10 hoursGPS mode without music: Up to 36 hours Regular use: 30 daysFull GPS mode: 40 hoursUltraMax mode: 100 hours Sensors Garmin Elevate HR MonitorBarometric AltimeterCompassGyroscopeAccelerometerThermometerPulse Ox Blood Oxygen Saturation Monitor Optical Heart Rate MonitorBarometric AltimeterCompassGyroscopeAccelerometerThermometerOptical Pulse Oximeter Navigation GPS, GLONASS, Galileo GPS/QZSS, GLONASS, BeiDou Coros Apex Pro Advantages Stronger and more scratch-resistant lensLonger battery lifeTouch screenTraining mode (download workouts from pro athletes)Night modeMore accuracy in trackWeight trackingMore affordableHas body temperature sensor to measure exertion levels and avoid hypothermiaAlerts for the likelihood of thunderstorm Garmin Forerunner 945 Advantages Standalone music playbackOn-wrist payments (NFC)Body battery energy monitoringLive tracking feature10.5 GB more storage (14.5 GB vs 4GB)Tracks water intakeConnects to Wi-Fi 9g lighterLocates phoneSupports widgetsFull colored maps for navigation The Coros Apex Pro is packed with all the features you'll need to train at a very high level. It tracks every data you need to improve your overall performance. What it doesn't have are the extra features that the Forerunner 945 has like standalone music, Wi-Fi, and on-wrist payments. The biggest difference between the two aside from extra features is navigation. The Forerunner 945 uses a full-colored map while the Coros Apex pro uses a breadcrumb map (just a route outline with an arrow). If you're just following a route, it's not going to matter that much, but if you're checking for other places within the area, the full-colored map is a good tool to have. If those extra features don't matter that much to you, the Coros Apex Pro is a great alternative at a substantially lower price. Polar Vantage V2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPc6PSfXkUo Specs Forerunner 945 Polar Vantage V2 Lens Material Corning® Gorilla® Glass DX Corning Gorilla Glass 3 Bezel Material fiber-reinforced polymer Aerospace aluminum alloy with glass fiber reinforced polymer Strap Material Silicone Silicone Weight 50g 52g Battery Life Smartwatch Mode: Up to 2 weeksGPS mode with music: Up to 10 hoursGPS mode without music: Up to 36 hours Regular use: 7 daysFull GPS mode: 40 hours Sensors Garmin Elevate HR MonitorBarometric AltimeterCompassGyroscopeAccelerometerThermometerPulse Ox Blood Oxygen Saturation Monitor Heart Rate MonitorBarometric AltimeterCompassAccelerometerThermometer Pulse Ox Blood Oxygen Saturation Monitor Navigation GPS, GLONASS, Galileo GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS Polar Vantage V2 Advantages Touch screen4 hours longer battery life when using the GPSHigher waterproof rating Garmin Forerunner 945 Advantages 7 days longer battery life when on regular modeOn-wrist payments (NFC)Supports ANT+Locates phoneFaster GPS aquisitionHas a gyroscopeMore control for callslonger battery life when not using GPSTracks water intakeConnects to Wi-FiSafety tracking featureFully-colored maps If you're more of a "just the basics" guy but you just want to have the music playback feature, the Polar Vantage V2 is for you. Like the Forerunner, it has multi-GNSS navigation giving you accurate and reliable data. It has a slightly longer battery life when using the GPS but when on regular mode, the Forerunner can last twice as long as the Vantage V2. Like the Garmin, Polar has a great ecosystem where you can analyze your data and plan your training. One thing to like about the Polar's ecosystem though is that, unlike other ecosystems, it analyzes your data for you and tells you if you're recovered or not in simple English. One thing that makes the Vantage V2 hard to resist is the price. At $499, you'll get all the things you need for performance plus the standalone music. Between the Coros Apex Pro and the Polar Vantage V2, it's really a matter of performance (Apex Pro) vs extra features (Vantage V2). Best Garmin Forerunner 745 Alternative Coros Apex https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntTpnv20tbw Specs Forerunner 745 Coros Apex Lens Material Corning® Gorilla® Glass DX Sapphire Glass Bezel Material fiber-reinforced polymer 46mm: Titanium Alloy42mm: Stainless Steel Strap Material Silicone Silicone Weight 47 g 46mm: 45g42mm: 38g Battery Life Regular Use: Up to 7 daysGPS mode with music: Up to 6 hoursGPS mode without music: Up to 16 hoursUltraTrac™ mode: Up to 21 hours Regular Use: 30/24 DaysFull GPS Mode: 35/25 hoursUltra Max GPS Mode: 100/80 hours Sensors Garmin Elevate HR MonitorBarometric AltimeterCompassGyroscopeAccelerometerThermometerPulse Ox Blood Oxygen Saturation Monitor Optical Heart Rate MonitorBarometric AltimeterAccelerometerGyroscopeCompass Navigation GPS, GLONASS, Galileo GPS/QZSS, GLONASS, BeiDou Coros Apex Advantages Longer battery lifeBetter waterproof depth ratingSlightly faster GPS acquisitionUses sapphire glassHas weight tracking Garmin Forerunner 745 Advantages Blood oxygen saturation monitorPhone locateStandalone music and controlWi-Fi connectivityLighter watchOn-wrist paymentMore phone control II had a hard time looking for a Garmin Forerunner 745 alternative because I believe its price is just right for its performance and features. That's if, you just want a companion for your day-to-day run But if you're someone who'd prefer longer battery life and a slightly more durable watch over the extra features, then a Coros Apex is a good alternative at a way cheaper price. Both watches excel in tracking dynamic data for runners to analyze their run so if you're serious about your training, these two watches will serve you well. Currently, the Coros Apex Pro is priced around $350 vs the Garmin Forerunner at $500 but you'll have to check the price on Amazon because it's always changing. Best Garmin Forerunner 245 Alternative Coros Pace 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZA8lybW5_c SpecsForerunner 245Coros Pace 2Lens Material Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3 Corning® Glass Bezel Material fiber-reinforced polymer Fiber-reinforced Polymer Strap Material Silicone Silicone/Nylon Weight 38.5 g With silicone band: 35g-36gWith nylon band: 29g-30g Battery Life Smartwatch Mode: Up to 7 daysGPS mode with music: Up to 6 hoursGPS mode without music: Up to 24 hours Regular use: 20 daysFull GPS mode: 30 hoursUltraMax mode: 60 hours Sensors Garmin Elevate HR MonitorCompassAccelerometerPulse Ox Blood Oxygen Saturation Monitor Optical Heart Rate MonitorBarometric AltimeterAccelerometerCompassGyroscopeThermometer Navigation GPS, GLONASS, Galileo GPS/QZSS, GLONASS, BeiDou Coros Pace 2 Advantages Longer battery lifeMuscle heat map that tells you what muscle group was used mostTrack run mode gives more accurate distance measurement in the trackCheaper priceSimpler controlsBetter strength programs (sorted by body part, with explanation, tips, and diagram)More running plansBarometric AltimeterGyroscope Garmin Forerunner 245 Advantages Standalone music (like Spotify)Blood oxygen saturation monitorBody battery, stress, and respirationAccident detection and assistanceWi-Fi support I believe the Coros Pace 2 is the Garmin Forerunner 245's best alternative. The Coros Pace 2 may not have all the features that the Garmin Forerunner 245 has like the stand-alone music and safety features, but it packs some features that are hard to ignore like the Muscle Heat Map and longer battery life. Both watches have free access to programs, have smart notifications, and receives updates all the time. A lot of Coros Pace 2 users seem to be satisfied with the watch's performance. So much so that some of them claimed to have switched to the Coros Pace 2 from the Forerunner. That may be because of the fact that the Coros Pace 2 has a barometric altimeter (measures altitude) and gyroscope (used by watch for swimming and rep counting) while the Forerunner 245 doesn't. Really, the buying decision here is whether or not you can let go with the standalone music of the Forerunner 245 (Music version) for the extra sensors of the Coros Pace 2. If so, you're getting the Coros Pace 2 for approximately $100 less than what you'll pay for the Forerunner 245. I just want to add. If you're thinking about buying the Forerunner 55, it is on the same price point as the Coros Pace 2 but it lags in features. I would suggest you just get the Coros Pace 2 instead. Do You Really Need A Garmin Watch? A lot of elite athletes rely on Garmin for their day-to-day training. Garmin watches are an excellent tool to help you gather data and analyze your training session and your overall performance, but that's not the only choice. Because it's expensive, a lot of runners are forced to find alternatives. In general, you don't need a Garmin watch to get the most data out of your training. There are other watches that are just as good and reliable as Garmin when it comes to gathering performance data. Just note that by choosing other brands, you'll be sacrificing some extra features that only Garmin has like a full-colored map, NFC, and Wi-Fi support. Final Thoughts These watches have their own advantages and disadvantages when compared to the Garmin watches. May it be performance, weight, extra features, or battery life. But these alternatives are also a lot cheaper than their Garmin counterpart. In choosing among these alternatives, you really have to look at what you value most in a running watch. If the extra features seem important for you, then Garmin is the best choice. But if all that matters to you is data, all these other watches are great alternatives.