Outdoor Smartwatches: Top 5 in the UK (2026)

You can activate the new mic using the menus on the watch or set it up as a shortcut so the watch starts listening when you hold a button. You can then use commands like set a timer and the Fenix 8 will process them.

The new speaker means you can take calls on the watch and it will also give voice updates during activities, such as your lap stats during a run — rest assured you can turn this off if you’d rather not have your watch talking to you during group activities.

All of the new Fenix 8 models have a built-in flashlight, which is very useful during and outside of activities at night. You also get this flashlight with the Epix Pro and Fenix 7 Pro ranges, but not the Garmin Epix 2 or smaller Fenix 7 models.

The bright AMOLED display is the same as on the Epix Pro watch and I do find it a big upgrade on the classic memory-in-pixel Garmin screens, especially when indoors or under cloud or tree cover outdoors.

There are several new watch faces to use on the Fenix 8 and you can customize the colors and data shown extensively, with Garmin adding more color choice in particular with the new watch. You can also add more watch faces using the Connect IQ app store.

The new leakproof buttons on the Fenix 8 feel a bit different to past models, but still click reliably and satisfyingly, and there’s a small haptic buzz to reassure you that you have hit the button.

The new AMOLED display is simply stunning — brilliantly responsive and easy to read in all conditions. The raise-to-wake also springs the screen to life rapidly when you lift your arm.

The headline updates from the Garmin Fenix 7 range include a stunning smartwatch-style AMOLED display, bigger screens on the smallest watches, improved waterproofing that now lets you dive to 40m depth, plus increased battery life (in most settings).

There’s also a new built-in speaker and microphone so you can take calls from your wrist (you’ll still need your phone), listen to your offline Spotify or Deezer playlist or get lap split updates as you run.

That punchy screen brings all your daily run, recovery, training and health stats to life, as well as elevating the Fenix 8’s mapping and navigation tools to another level.

Alongside the touchscreen, the Garmin Fenix 8 features its usual five button controls. These are now leakproof and give you the option to use touch or buttons or a combination of both to do pretty much everything.

You want the most advanced GPS watch for hiking and outdoor adventures

You need multi-day battery life for long backpacking trips

You value the crisp AMOLED display and touchscreen functionality

You want voice commands and new dive features in one package

Exceptional durability and robust construction

Convenient built-in LED flashlight

Comprehensive fitness, health, and training metrics ecosystem

Great new Modular Ultra watch face

Easier to find iPhone with watch

Brighter display than before

The Ultra 2 also one-ups the Series 10's IP6X dust resistance rating with the addition of an MIL-STD 810H certification, the standard used for military equipment, meaning it has been tested to survive high altitude, extreme temperatures, freezing/thawing, blowing sand, and...

The biggest change for the second-generation Ultra is a 50% increase in screen brightness to 3,000 nits, Apple's brightest display ever. The Series 10 retains its predecessor's 2,000-nit maximum brightness, matching the Galaxy Watch 7 ($299.99) and the original Apple Watch Ultra.

An increase in brightness makes the display easier to read outdoors in bright sunlight. Between its size and brightness, the Ultra 2's display is phenomenal.

Impressively, Apple has made these upgrades without increasing the size or weight of the watch, and while maintaining the same battery life.

The two main differences are an upgraded display, which is 50% brighter, and a new processor that makes the whole experience of using the watch that little bit smoother, and enables a new gesture control for one-handed operation.

Double-tap gesture works well

Even brighter AMOLED display

Battery life: The Apple Watch Ultra 2 staying power is perhaps the biggest lure. It offers 36 hours of everyday use while the Apple Watch Series 10 stretches to 18 hours. When you fire up the GPS, both watches cover a marathon.

In a nutshell, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 offers longer battery life, a bigger, more rugged, durable build, a brighter screen and multi-band/dual frequency GPS compared with the Series 10.

Despite Garmin, Coros and Suutno all getting in on the AMOLED game, when it comes to brightness, crispness and clarity and visibility in all lights, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 still packs the best screen we’ve seen on a smartwatch – and a better screen than you’ll find on any...

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 screams premium quality, with a slick, sophisticated case made from 95% recycled titanium. It’s a design that’s well finessed and looks great on the wrist – in a confidently hench, adventure-ready way.

The 50% brighter display – up to 3,000 nits from 2,000 on the first-gen – is excellent. When you put them side by side, the screen brightness is notably improved over the first-gen Apple Watch Ultra.

Safety features: The emergency SOS, fall and crash detection safety features are largely the same across both watches. However, the Apple Watch Series 10 doesn’t offer the safety siren you get on the Apple Watch Ultra 2.

Controls: It may seem like a small thing, but you don’t get the Apple Watch Ultra 2’s customisable action button on the Series 10. This shortcut button makes it a doddle to launch straight into runs and workouts. And when you don’t have it, you miss it.

Size, comfort & durability: Both the 42mm and 46mm Apple Watch Series 10 case sizes are dainty by comparison to the Ultra 2. The Ultra 2’s 49mm case size has a big, hench build, with a larger brighter display (3,000 nits vs 2,000 nits).

Apple’s brightest display ever

It has a brighter screen (Apple’s brightest screen ever, in fact) but Apple’s new S9 SiP chip and the watchOS 10 operating system are what’s bringing most of the changes.

The key differences to look out for concern the screen and the bands. First off, the screen is even more beautiful than on the first version, capable of putting out an impressive 3,000 nits of brightness at full blast.

The biggest changes from the Ultra lie mainly behind the toughened screen, where Apple has introduced its S9 chip, delivering the best it has to offer in performance. It’s a slick operator and simply never leaves you with that laggy feeling.

Best-in-class heart rate accuracy

Leave your phone behind with cellular

There are no fiddly ports or areas that trap grit or water, and I have never had to baby it. I usually take it off at night, just out of habit, but it is comfortable enough to wear all day.

Battery life was one of the first things that sold me on the Suunto Vertical, and after a year, it continues to impress. With tracking and maps on, I regularly get 4–5 days before I need to think about charging.

Solar charging is a gentle top-up, not a full refill. But on bright days, I squeeze out an extra half-day, which can be a real bonus. On sunnier multi-day trips, I’ve noticed I can squeeze out an extra half-day or so. Is it game-changing? Not quite. But useful? Definitely.

Impressively, the magnetic charging cable hasn’t let me down either. The watch still latches onto it like it did on day one, even after the cable has spent countless days getting tossed around in my electronics bag.

This has been especially useful in remote areas, such as Glen Feshie or the more isolated parts of the Howgills, where mobile signal is unreliable or completely absent.

Since I no longer rely on my phone for navigation, I save a lot of battery life on multi-day hikes. That also means my phone and power bank last longer.

One lesson I learned the hard way is to always update your offline maps before a trip. I once started a section of the Pennine Way without refreshing my maps and was left with just a breadcrumb trail.

The storm alerts weren't something I was particularly aware of until my wrist started buzzing while climbing out of Ennerdale. This gave me just enough warning to drop off the ridge and get my tent pitched before the rain and thunder rolled in.

The interface is also highly customisable. You can choose different themes, adjust what is shown on the watch face during various activities, and even customise what the physical buttons do.

In the year and a bit I have owned this watch, I have worn it in sideways rain, up scrambly ridgelines, through bogs, and while lugging a rucksack for miles. It still looks almost new.

One of the aspects of this watch that resonates with me is Suunto’s commitment to the environment. The Finnish brand has really invested in ensuring its products protect the environment as much as possible.

The Suunto Vertical’s wide variety of fitness features — particularly those relating to outdoors activities and extreme sports — are without a doubt the most attractive aspect of this watch.

Training capabilities include sport-specific modes for 95 different activities. The FusedAlti technology combines GPS, barometer, and gyroscope data to eliminate the altitude jitter that makes elevation profiles useless on other watches.

The Suunto Vertical weighs just 69 grams and measures 48mm in diameter—substantial without feeling bloated on smaller wrists. The case is 316L stainless steel with a titanium option, and Suunto wisely avoided the aluminum trap that creates dent magnets.

The display is a 1.4-inch AMOLED screen with 454 x 454 pixel density. Unlike competitors’ always-on displays that crush battery life, Suunto implemented an adaptive mode that activates based on wrist movement—a pragmatic engineering choice I haven’t seen other brands execute...

The Vertical bundles features that matter in remote terrain. The dual-frequency GPS (L1 and L5) provides accuracy within 1.5 meters in open sky—critical precision for navigation in areas where standard L1-only systems drift 8-10 meters.

The barometric altimeter isn’t novel, but Suunto’s implementation includes weather prediction based on pressure trends. I tested this during an Absaroka Range expedition and received accurate 6-hour forecasts matching actual conditions.

Emergency features include SOS functionality and incident detection that automatically notifies emergency contacts if falls are detected during outdoor sports. This is passive insurance I genuinely hope never activates but appreciate having.

Real-world performance exceeded expectations. During a seven-day backcountry ski tour, the Vertical tracked 47 miles with elevation gain data that aligned within 180 feet of my external altimeter—exceptional accuracy.

Navigation proved intuitive even in whiteout conditions. The watch provided clear directional feedback via haptic feedback when deviating from preloaded routes.

One genuine surprise: the optical heart rate sensor performs admirably on darker skin tones, where many optical sensors fail. Testing on varied participants showed consistent accuracy, something I’ve criticized Garmin and Apple for neglecting.

Suunto claims 11 days in smartwatch mode with moderate GPS use. Realistic testing showed 10 days with daily two-hour GPS sessions and continuous heart rate monitoring. Switching to power-saving mode extended this to 14 days.

Charging via magnetic pogo pins takes 90 minutes, and the included dock works reliably without the frustrating alignment issues plaguing Garmin’s system.

Compatible with a variety of third-party apps

Accurate sleep and fitness trackers

GPS acquisition is quick and accurate

Clear, easy to read screen

Head-to-head with the Garmin Fenix 8, the results are closer than the price gap suggests. In half-marathon distance GPS track comparisons, the Vertix 2S frequently plots tighter lines on trails and singletrack where the Fenix 8 drifts into adjacent terrain or draws wider arcs.

GPS accuracy is the headline upgrade, and it delivers. The Vertix 2S uses a redesigned antenna and optimized dual-frequency GNSS algorithm, pulling signals from all five major satellite constellations: GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou, and QZSS.

In trail running, the Vertix 2S tracks ridgelines and singletrack with tight, consistent lines. Quarter-mile splits on a track tick over with metronomic precision.

The always-on nature of the display means glanceable data without the wrist-raise gesture that plagues competitors.

The 1.4-inch memory-in-pixel (MIP) LCD display runs at 280 x 280 resolution with 64 colors. In bright sunlight, this technology shines – literally.

Coros includes both silicone and nylon bands in the box with a Quick Fit connector, which is a generous touch at this price point. The nylon band is the better choice for extended wear, shaving 17g and breathing better during long efforts.

Build quality, however, is beyond reproach. The Grade 5 titanium alloy bezel with PVD coating shrugs off impacts that would scar stainless steel, and the sapphire crystal – nearly ten times harder than standard glass – resists scratches with ease.

Climbing features represent Coros's strongest differentiator. Dedicated modes for bouldering, indoor climbing, and multi-pitch outdoor routes track pitch counts, route grades (V-scale and YDS), fall detection (indoor and outdoor lead climbing only – not available in...

COROS claims 11 days in smartwatch mode; my testing showed 9-10 days between charges with moderate activity tracking. Continuous GPS mode exhausts the battery in approximately 30 hours—realistic for multi-day treks.

Real-world performance remained consistent. Never did the watch fail to lock satellites even in challenging canyon environments. Battery consumption during GPS activities proved predictable and transparent, allowing accurate trip planning based on available charge.

Built-in offline maps transform this into genuine navigation hardware. Download maps for entire regions; the VERTIX 2S functions completely offline without smartphone dependency—a genuine game-changer for remote expeditions.

Barometric altimeter readings proved remarkably precise throughout elevation changes. During a 4,000-meter mountain ascent, the VERTIX 2S tracked altitude fluctuations competitors missed entirely, crucial for climbers monitoring acclimatization rates.

The VERTIX 2S employs quintuple GNSS systems: GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou, and QZSS. This redundancy matters in dense forests and urban canyons where single-system trackers fail.

Button placement follows logical ergonomics: action buttons positioned for operation while wearing gloves, crucial for climbers and winter athletes.

The build quality feels genuinely indestructible. The sapphire crystal withstands scratches that would destroy lesser watches. Water resistance extends to 10 ATM, supporting everything from snorkeling to high-pressure water sports.

Excellent value for money