The Best Triathlon Smartwatches of 2025, Reviewed

Like in previous years, there has been a steady stream of new and exciting smartwatches for triathletes. In 2024, we saw the sub-$400 category grow somewhat, and 2025 actually continues that trend even further. While one watch did go up in price this year – the Garmin Forerunner 970 – other brands have added new, fully capable smartwatches to their lines from $400 down, making that price point easily the most competitive for triathletes.

As the smartwatch space gets more crowded for triathletes (this is a good thing!), it can make it harder to differentiate the new Coros Pace Pro from the Suunto Run. Fortunately, we can help: We’ve got the specs/prices alongside our exclusive eight-point rating system and hands-on review for each watch.

We’ve also included a “Where does it stand?” section for each watch to help understand where it fits in today’s smartwatch universe. And if you want to dig deeper, we’ve got links for longer reviews for most of the watches below.

Looking for an older smartwatch? We don’t miss much, so check out our previous roundups for quick looks and deep dives on watches from 2024, like the Garmin Fenix 8 or the Suunto Race S – take a look at last year’s roundup for more.

We’ve also got watches from 2023, like the Polar Pacer, Coros Apex 2 Pro, Garmin Forerunner 965, Suunto 9 Peak Pro, Apple Watch Ultra 1, and Garmin Enduro 2. Or watches from 2022, like the Timex R300, Wahoo Rival, Apple Watch Series 7, Garmin Instinct 2 Solar, Polar Grit X Pro, Suunto 9 Peak, Coros Vertix 2, and Garmin Fenix 7X Solar. Or our 2020 buyer’s guide with reviews of the Coros Pace 2, Apple Watch SE, Garmin Forerunner 745, Fitbit Sense, Polar Vantage V2, and Suunto 7.

RELATED: How to Choose the Best Smartwatch for Triathletes

Triathlete‘s 2025 smartwatch guide – The ratings, explained

Suunto Run

$250, Suunto

Beginning with the Suunto Race back in 2022, Suunto has been on a tear lately with a string of truly excellent endurance-focused smartwatches. The Suunto Run continues that trend with one of the lightest models available, in a package that doesn’t look like a vending machine toy and has an excellent (and responsive) AMOLED touchscreen.

In fact, it’s tough to find fault with a $250 AMOLED smartwatch that has all sport activity modes a triathlete would need (open-water/pool swimming, cycling, and running with power). While it’s puzzling that the cycling sport mode doesn’t connect with a bike power meter, it’s unlikely that the Venn diagram between $250 smartwatch purchaser who uses it to measure power off a bike power meter has a large overlap. I’m still not a fan of the weak charging cradle that can come loose, but at least it has a more positive “handshake” with the watch than the Suunto Race, Race S, and Vertical.

Where does the Suunto Run stand?

The sub-$300 club is pretty small when it comes to fully capable endurance sports-focused smartwatches. While the Coros Pace 3 has way more battery life, it doesn’t have an AMOLED touchscreen. That said, neither the Pace 3, the Suunto Run, nor the $250 Garmin Forerunner 165 have offline mapping, so an AMOLED touchscreen may not be that important anyway. Meanwhile, the base Forerunner 165 doesn’t have offline music, so it’s tough to make an argument that makes the 165 a better deal than the Run. Advantage: Suunto Run. Also (and while this is entirely objective) the form factor on the Run bodes much better for all-day wear.

And fortunately for Suunto, they’ve positioned (and priced) their line exactly right, so if you can part with another $100 you have to either choose between the Suunto Race S and the Coros Pace Pro. Both are incredible watches with AMOLED touchscreens and offline mapping, so really the Run is a “do I need offline mapping or not” decision. If you feel strongly about an AMOLED screen but you don’t need maps, then the Suunto Run for $250 is a no-brainer.

Read a deeper review of the Suunto Pace on Run by Outside: Hands-On Review: The New Suunto Run Smartwatch

Suunto Run specs

• Weight: 35g
• Listed Everyday Battery Life: 12 days
• Listed GPS Battery Life: 20 hours
• Approximate Tri Battery Life With Daily Multisport Use: 4-10 days
• Bezel Size: 46 x 46mm
• Screen Size: 33 x 33mm

Coros Pace Pro

$349 at REI

If you think your smartwatch is like a hammer – nothing more than a tool to get the job done – then stop researching, and get the Coros Pace Pro. It has one of the fastest AMOLED touchscreens on the market (at any price), fantastic offline navigation that pairs with your smartphone for an extended screen while training, and literally every function/physio tracking that a triathlete could need.

However, like any tool, it’s not particularly exciting. The watch faces and bevel design are very dull, and thanks to the 416 x 416 AMOLED screen (most smartwatches at this price range have 466 x 466), the graphics don’t exactly pop. And oddly enough the Pace Pro can’t control smartphone music, like almost every other smartwatch at any price (though it does have a whopping 32GB of offline music/map storage). Coros also skimps a little bit by giving a charging dongle but not the accompanying USB-C cable, but that’s also becoming pretty common in electronics right now.

Where does the Coros Pace Pro stand?

In my opinion the $350-450 price range is the most competitive zone in the endurance-focused smartwatch world. The $350 Coros Pace Pro has to contend with the incredible $350 Suunto Race S and the even-better $450 Suunto Race (also the Forerunner 165/265, but I don’t rate those as highly). The bad news about that dangerous Suunto sandwich is that outside of its speedy screen, the Pace Pro is a little too utilitarian.

I would say that if you know you’ll be doing a lot of high-risk off-grid running or riding that requires Coros’ (very awesome) extended screen function, then the Pace Pro is perfect because you can use the good watch screen for following, but then flip out your phone when you need a bigger screen to reference. Suunto doesn’t have that (yet). And the Pace Pro’s speedy touchscreen is notably more responsive than what Suunto’s got (right now). However, if you’re looking to wear your smartwatch to work out, then to the office and out to after-work drinks, it’s more likely you’ll reach for either Suuntos.

Read the full review: We Review the New AMOLED Coros Pace Pro Smartwatch

Coros Pace Pro specs

• Weight: 49g
• Listed Everyday Battery Life: 20 days
• Listed GPS Battery Life: 28 hours
• Approximate Tri Battery Life With Daily Multisport Use: 5-10 days
• Bezel Size: 46 x 46mm
• Screen Size: 33 x 33mm

Apple Watch Series 10

Starting at $400

If you’re an avid Apple user and want a watch that fully integrates with your other devices, the Apple Watch Series 10 is the smartwatch for you. Use it to control your Apple TV, ask Siri to set a reminder, take dictation while you’re training, buy something using Apple Pay, or review information from a variety of apps available on the watch.

Athletes who need access to medical data (such as diabetics or athletes with a heart health history) and the capability to get emergency help without pulling out their phone will find incredible peace of mind with the Apple Watch, especially if you opt for the cellular model and accompanying plan, giving you the freedom to not even carry your phone.

Despite access to your apps and other data, the watch has some flaws for triathletes, namely, the battery life that requires daily charging. And if you’re training for a full-distance race, you likely need to look at one of the other watches on the list that will get you longer battery life in GPS mode.

Designed as a lifestyle smartwatch, the Apple Watch is also not as rugged as smartwatches from fitness brands. If you toss it around in your gym bag, scrape it on a rock during an open-water swim, or catch it on a tree branch on a trail, it will show the wear with time – the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is a more rugged design.

Where does the Apple Watch Series 10 stand?

You’ll find a host of activity options that help you track a variety of outdoor activities from team sports to tai chi. For short-course athletes, it provides the tools and functions you need to track your training. But it lacks functions like running with power, training status, and other data that is becoming standard on even budget fitness smartwatches.

So the most compelling reason to go with the Apple Watch 10 instead of a fitness watch is the extensive app store that allows you to customize the experience and track biometric data using connected devices, such as glucose or blood pressure monitors. Or, you simply love the Apple ecosystem and want all your devices to have the ultimate interconnectivity and don’t mind trading that for less training data.

Apple Watch 10 specs

• Weight: 41.7g (in 46mm GPS titanium)
• Listed Everyday Battery Life: 18 hours
• Listed GPS Battery Life: 7 hours
• Approximate Tri Battery Life With Daily Multisport Use: 36 hours
• Bezel Size: 46 x 39 mm
• Screen Size: 46 x 39 mm

Polar Vantage M3

$410, Polar

There’s so much to love about the Polar Vantage M3, but it takes time to love it. The setup process is clunky and even a week after initial setup, you might find yourself tinkering with settings and finally discovering where a feature is located.

But once you do get the watch dialed in, it is data-rich. The watch includes wrist-based ECG, SpO2 tracking, and nightly wrist temperature. Plus, it tracks your sleep to provide insights on how much your sleep boosted recovery and prepared your body for the next session. It also informs the training load insights to help you understand whether you’re improving based on session intensity.

If you’re new to endurance training and nutrition, a unique stat it provides is estimated energy consumption with a breakdown of carbs, fats, and protein. While it isn’t a perfect science, it uses your training zones to help guide your fuel as you learn how your body responds to intensity and duration.

Though it has many training features, it is lacking in smartwatch features as Polar does not have an app store to further tailor the watch to meet your unique needs. The raise-to-wake is sluggish (sadly typical for all AMOLED Polar smartwatches), sometimes not activating at all and requiring a button press to wake it up.

Where does the Polar Vantage M3 stand?

The Polar Vantage M3 is in a competitive price market for triathlon smartwatches at just over $400 – specifically the Suunto Race. If you’re looking for some of the deeper training metrics you’ll only find on watches at or above $500, and you don’t mind spending time to explore the watch to learn its features, the Vantage M3 is the way to go.

But if your budget is tight or you’re just getting started in the sport and want a more beginner-friendly interface, you might be better served with the Coros Pace Pro or Suunto Run.

Polar M3 specs

• Weight: 53g
• Listed Everyday Battery Life: 7 days
• Listed GPS Battery Life: 30 hours
• Approximate Tri Battery Life With Daily Multisport Use: 5 days
• Bezel Size: 44.7 mm
• Screen Size: 32 mm

Garmin Forerunner 970

$750 at Garmin

Garmin’s 9xx series has always been a little bit of a gluttonous offering of features and functions, and the Forerunner 970 follows suit. By adding the LED flashlight that has been on some Garmin Instinct- and Fenix-series smartwatches, this is the first non “outdoor-targeted” offering (read, small profile) with that amazing function. Think: smartphone camera light without having to use your hands. The Forerunner 970 also has a new speaker/mic system for calls and some voice commands – another function borrowed from the Garmin Fenix 8 line. This new watch also has a few new running dynamic features, of varying degrees of usefulness.

All that said, this watch is $150 more than the Garmin Forerunner 965 (when it wasn’t on sale, which it probably will be forever now), and the latest version has a pretty OK battery life (about seven days of everyday “triathlete” use, with everything on always and plenty of workouts) – while the 965 had nearly double that, even with a similar AMOLED screen. The LED flashlight is cool, but the speaker/mic functions probably less so, and with so much less battery life than other watches in this premium price range, it’s a tough sell.

Where does the Garmin Forerunner 970 stand?

When you look at the Forerunner 970 compared to recent 9xx-series watches, it’s pretty pricey, and yes it’s cheaper than the Fenix 8 series, but not by a ton. When looking at other brands in this price range, you’re comparing the similarly featured Polar Vantage V3 and the burlier Grit X2 Pro – neither of which I feel are superior watches to the Forerunner 970. You’re also looking at the Coros Vertix 2S, which doesn’t have an AMOLED screen, flashlight, or speaker/mic, but it has nearly five times the battery life; almost the exact same can be said for the Suunto Vertical.

So in this case, it’s just a matter of how important the AMOLED touchscreen, the LED flashlight, and the speaker/mic are – in exchange for arguably weak battery life. Because if you strip away the LED flashlight and speaker/mic, now you’re competing with really good watches, like the Suunto Race, which has way better battery life, good offline navigation, and costs nearly half the price of the Forerunner 970. There’s also an argument to be made that the Forerunner 970 is looking to compete with the speaker/mic on Apple watches, but that’s probably a losing battle.

Read the full Garmin Forerunner 970 review: A Triathlete Reviews the New Garmin Forerunner 970 Smartwatch

Garmin Forerunner 970 specs

• Weight: 56g
• Listed Everyday Battery Life: 15 days
• Listed GPS Battery Life: 21 hours
• Approximate Tri Battery Life With Daily Multisport Use: 7-10 days
• Bezel Size: 47 x 47mm
• Screen Size: 35 x 35mm