Best: Lightweight watch

Rating: 9/10

• Battery life: 20 days of battery life for daily use and 30 hrs in GPS mode
• Touch screen: No
• Additional features: 29g with the COROS nylon band, strength training programme, Night Mode is always-on mode for nighttime activities
• Music storage: N/A
• Display resolution: 240 x 240
• Water rating: Up to 5ATM

At only 29g, we found the Coros pace 2 to be one of the lightest options on the list and certainly one that packs features into a relatively small package. As we found with all Coros devices, GPS performance and positioning is excellent, and we had no problems quickly attaching to satellite signals before our run. The device’s weight also belies its incredibly impressive battery life which is preserved by not using a backlight behind the screen in normal operation. We found this to be a little dark in bright, direct sunlight, but found it didn’t really affect our enjoyment or usage of the watch.

Best: For trail running

Rating: 8/10

• Battery life smartwatch: Up to 18 days/22 days with solar
• Battery saver watch mode: Up to 57 days/173 days with solar
• Touch screen: Yes
• Additional features: Fibre-reinforced polymer with metal rear cover run profiles, training planning, gym activity profiles
• Music storage: Yes, up to 2000 songs
• Display resolution: 260 x 260
• Water rating: Up to 10ATM

One of the more premium options available, the Garmin fenix 7 has multi-band frequency for accurate GPS measuring and a scratch-resistant power sapphire solar charging lens uses the sun’s energy to extend battery life. All pretty impressive stuff, which you’d expect from a watch that costs this much, but Garmin know a thing or two about making tracking devices, so this is a highly accomplished and technical piece of kit. The maps, again, as you would expect from Garmin, are second to none, so we’d highly recommend this device if you’re serious about getting out into the mountains and carving new trail running routes for yourself.

Best: Smartwatch capability

Rating: 9/10

• Battery life: Up to 18 hours
• Touch screen: Yes
• Additional features: Apple apps, smartwatch features such as payment, calendar and messaging
• Music storage: Yes, approx 25 per cent of available storage on device
• Display resolution: 430 x 352 on 41mm version
• Water rating: WR50 - 50 Metres

Although many people will be well-acquainted with the Apple watch and its diverse and inclusive smartwatch features, which includes some of the best and most useful apps from the Apple Store, we also found it to be a very capable running, fitness and health tracker. If you’re using it to track general running and healthcare, it’s one of the best devices we’ve used. But if you’re looking for serious adventure and competition on time-trial measuring, then you might want to look at some of the more niche, specialist devices on this list. That being said, as a device that matches convenience, general everyday usability and some of the best smartwatch features on the market, there’s not much better out there.

Best: Comfort

Rating: 8/10

• Battery life: Up to 7 days
• Touch screen: Yes
• Additional features: GPS tracking and navigation, weather, interval training, training recovery and load, SuuntoPlus Ghost Runner tracking
• Music storage: Yes
• Display resolution: 240 x 240
• Water rating: Waterproof up to 100m

The new Suunto 9 peak follows in a fairly well-respected line of outdoor, running and fitness watches, and this one is perhaps the best yet. It is also probably the most comfortable, and we found that its thin design and grade 5 titanium build ensures it sits nicely on your wrist to the point of almost not being able to be detected.

We also liked the fact that the titanium metal used for the casing has a premium feel and won’t irritate sensitive skin in the same way other metals do. Feature wise, the watch has all the usual elements you’d expect at this price point, but one thing we especially liked is the Suunto app’s 3D map feature, allowing you to see the terrain you’ve run past in high detail and clarity.

Best: Value for money

Rating: 9/10

• Battery life: Up to 7 days
• Touch screen: Yes
• Additional features: 20 exercise modes, SmartTrack workout intensity map, cardio fitness level
• Music storage: N/A
• Display resolution: 0.86 X 0.58 inches in size at 328ppi
• Water rating: Water resistance

The name Fitbit is synonymous with fitness and health tracking, and its affordable tracker watch range is a great option for those not looking for ultra-premium quality but still wanting something that’ll measure the basics of their exercise routines.

Enter the charge 5, which sits as one of the most affordable watches we tested that still has accurate measuring, GPS and heart-rate monitors and SpO2 measurement, which tracks the amount of oxygen in your blood. The seven day battery life is impressive too and it’s a small package that won’t make too much of a statement. Well worth it for day-to-day running and casual recreational exercise.

Best: For overall fitness and wellness

Rating: 8/10

• Battery life: Up to 24 hours
• Touch screen: Yes
• Additional features: Corning Gorilla Glass 3, incident detection during certain activities, multiple run profiles, wellness features
• Music storage: Yes, up to 650 songs
• Display resolution: 416 x 416
• Water rating: Up to 5ATM

As well as being a great overall fitness and running watch, the new Garmin venu 2 plus manages to capture a niche element of the market by providing wellness features, such as a “body battery” mode to ensure you’re well rested, a health snapshot feature, hydration, stress and respiration. Because of all these features, we thought it was one of the best and most well-rounded smartwatches on the market at the moment, and gives you the power and ability to learn more about your body, what it needs and when.

Best: For adventures

Rating: 8/10

• Battery life: 45 days of regular use
• Touch screen: Yes
• Additional features: COROS training mode, GPS adventure capability, cold weather and dive proof
• Music storage: Yes
• Display resolution: 1.2 in. 240 x 240 (64 colors)
• Water rating: Up to 15ATM

Designed and built as a GPS adventure watch with superlative battery life, we found that the Coros vertix 2.0 can still be a fantastic companion when it comes to running, especially if off the beaten track or in a trail scenario. It features an excellent design and a virtually scratch-proof screen, which we found to be a real bonus if using this watch when out and about and taking it on and off multiple times. The device claims to be the only GPS watch with a 150-metre waterproof rating, and with Coros training mode, we really liked the ability to download and track specific workouts from experts or professional athletes for best performance.

Best: For Android users

Rating: 9/10

• Battery life: Up to 21-day battery life
• Touch screen: Yes
• Additional features: Curved back design, wear OS by Google, mobile payment, message notification
• Music storage: No
• Display resolution: 1.91in 402 x 476
• Water rating: 5ATM

The Oppo watch is one of the best watches within Android and Google’s wear OS ecosystem. Its ultra high-res display resolution produces crisp visuals on the move, and the interface syncs nicely with your phone and the wear OS app. As it’s a more traditional smartphone, you get all the call, notification, message and payment options you get on the likes of the Apple Watch (£369, Currys.co.uk) too. But don’t underestimate its exercise tracking ability – running with it is comfortable and its monitoring and heart rate system works well.