Best 2024 Smartwatches for GPS accuracy

#1 Apple Watch Ultra 2
4.8

GPS accuracy received strong agreement, with reviewers praising dual-frequency/multiband performance against Garmin watches, distance tests, and difficult environments.

Pros: battery life, voice assistant quality

Cons: value for money, mapping and navigation

#2 Garmin Lily 2 Active
4.7

GPS accuracy is one of the strongest themes, with reviewers repeatedly finding quick locks, solid routes, and close agreement with other devices.

Pros: battery life, GPS accuracy

Cons: onboard music storage, mapping and navigation

#3 Garmin Enduro 3
4.7

GPS accuracy drew strong agreement, with reviewers reporting precise tracks, solid distance totals, and reliable performance even in challenging terrain.

Pros: battery life, value for money

Cons: smartwatch features, size options

#4 Suunto Race S
4.6

GPS accuracy received the strongest overall praise, with many reviewers calling tracks precise, strong, pristine, or among the best they had tested.

Pros: value for money, battery life

Cons: heart rate accuracy, onboard music storage

#5 Garmin Fenix 8
4.6

GPS accuracy was one of the strongest areas, with repeated praise for industry-leading tracks in cities, mountains, open water, and workouts.

Pros: battery life, GPS accuracy

Cons: value for money, call handling

#6 Apple Watch Series 10
4.6

GPS accuracy was consistently praised as quite good to spot-on, with one caveat that dual-band sports watches can still outperform it.

Pros: charging speed, display quality

Cons: battery life, water resistance

#7 Garmin Forerunner 165
4.5

GPS accuracy was one of the strongest themes, with most reviewers finding reliable tracks even without dual-band GPS; a few dense-terrain issues remained.

Pros: value for money, GPS accuracy

Cons: recovery insights, onboard music storage

#8 Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra (2024)
4.4

GPS accuracy drew strong agreement: multiple reviewers found routes, lock speed, and distance tracking accurate, with only some urban caveats.

Pros: battery life, sleep tracking accuracy

Cons: wellness insights, style and design

#9 Coros Pace Pro
4.4

GPS accuracy was consistently strong, with reviewers calling it reliable, accurate, top-notch, or close to Garmin, though not flawless in every situation.

Pros: battery life, GPS accuracy

Cons: heart rate accuracy, smartwatch features

#10 Amazfit T-Rex 3
4.3

GPS accuracy was a major strength, with most reviewers reporting reliable or very good tracks except isolated caveats.

Pros: value for money, mapping and navigation

Cons: heart rate accuracy, recovery insights

#11 OnePlus Watch 2R
4.3

GPS accuracy was one of the better-reviewed fitness strengths, with most reviewers reporting good tracks, quick locks, or reliable run recording.

Pros: battery life, value for money

Cons: companion app quality, charging convenience

#12 Polar Vantage M3
4.2

GPS accuracy earns broad praise across reviews, usually tracking routes and distance well, with caveats for trees, dense urban areas and occasional wobble.

Pros: value for money, GPS accuracy

Cons: heart rate accuracy, companion app quality

#13 Samsung Galaxy Watch FE
4.2

GPS accuracy was rated well, with routes and distance usually close to comparison devices, aside from occasional small deviations.

Pros: smartwatch features, health tracking accuracy

Cons: value for money, software smoothness

#14 Xiaomi Watch 2
4.1

GPS accuracy was mostly praised for dual-band precision and strong real-world performance, with one reviewer finding it less exact.

Pros: value for money, smartphone notifications

Cons: battery life, operating system experience

#15 Xiaomi Redmi Watch 5
4.0

GPS accuracy is mixed-positive: many reviewers found it accurate or reliable for casual runs, but some saw overreporting or slight inaccuracies.

Pros: battery life, display quality

Cons: smartphone notifications, sleep tracking accuracy

#16 Fitbit Ace LTE
4.0

GPS and location accuracy were praised in several reviews, though one long-term tester reported that locating the watch sometimes failed.

Pros: coaching features, value for money

Cons: battery life

#17 Polar Grit X2 Pro
4.0

GPS accuracy was broadly positive on land, with most reviewers calling it solid or impressive, while some noted drift, slower acquisition, or poor swim tracks.

Pros: GPS accuracy, mapping and navigation

Cons: value for money, companion app quality

#18 Xiaomi Redmi Watch 5 Lite
3.9

GPS accuracy was mixed: several reviewers found it accurate and quick, while city, lane, or budget-watch limitations produced deviations for others.

Pros: display quality, battery life

Cons: sleep tracking accuracy, voice assistant quality

#19 Ticwatch Atlas
3.9

GPS accuracy divides reviewers: some found routes solid or Apple Watch-like, while others saw sluggish lock-on and overreported distance.

Pros: battery life, display quality

Cons: operating system experience, voice assistant quality

#20 Samsung Galaxy Watch 7
3.5

GPS accuracy is the most divided technical area: some reviewers saw quick or good GPS, while others reported overreporting, deviations, or very poor tracks.

Pros: value for money, wellness insights

Cons: battery life, cross-platform compatibility

#21 Ticwatch Pro 5 Enduro
3.5

GPS accuracy was highly mixed, ranging from reliable route tracking and quick fixes to slow locks, inconsistent tracks, and large distance errors.

Pros: battery life, value for money

Cons: operating system experience, voice assistant quality

#22 Google Pixel Watch 3
3.4

GPS accuracy was the most divided fitness metric: some reviewers saw solid or accurate tracking, while others found wobbly, so-so, or clearly behind dual-band Garmin/Apple/Samsung references.

Pros: battery life, display quality

Cons: GPS accuracy, charging convenience

#23 Garmin Lily 2
3.3

Connected GPS works well when paired, but reviewers repeatedly note that phone dependence limits true GPS usefulness.

Pros: battery life, style and design

Cons: sleep tracking accuracy, workout tracking variety

#24 CMF Watch Pro 2
2.6

GPS was the most inconsistent tracking feature, with repeated slow-lock complaints and failures, though some reviewers found distance data accurate once connected.

Pros: value for money, battery life

Cons: GPS accuracy, sleep tracking accuracy

#25 Xiaomi Redmi 5 Active
1.7

GPS was a clear weakness because Active lacks built-in GPS and depends on a phone, limiting outdoor route tracking.

Pros: call handling, smartwatch features

Cons: display quality, value for money