Hey everyone, I’m on the hunt for a fitness-focused watch with built-in GPS. It needs to run Spotify or personal audiobooks and Strava at the same time without needing my phone with me.
I don’t mind spending for a top-tier watch if it meets these needs. It should also work well for golf, swimming, running, and similar activities.
No budget limits, just need it to be the right fit.
Thanks in advance!
The Apple Watch is a good choice if you’re using an iPhone, but you’ll likely need to spend extra on third-party apps to fill in the gaps, and Strava isn’t the best for activity tracking.
Wear OS watches have more challenges with third-party fitness apps being limited.
Battery life can also be a concern depending on how many rounds of golf you play.
The best option might be Garmin. They offer Spotify, and you can use third-party apps for audiobooks. Strava won’t track directly, but you can link your accounts, and it syncs with Strava. Garmin’s Connect app has more features than Strava, but Strava Premium does have a few perks. The big plus with Garmin is built-in golf features and great battery life. If budget is no issue, I recommend the Fenix/Epix range, or the Approach S70 if you don’t need all the training features. If you’re okay with fewer golf options, look at the Forerunner 955/965.
@Riley
Thanks for the detailed reply! Yeah, I’m staying away from Apple because I like to sideload APKs. Never heard of the Connect app—I’ll check it out. The Forerunner looks cool, though it seems a bit bulky. Any thoughts on that?
@Kasey
Unfortunately, most of the more advanced smartwatches are a bit thick and bulky. The only thinner options are some cheap Chinese models, but they probably won’t meet your requirements.
@Kasey
Connect is Garmin’s app for health, fitness, and training. It pretty much has everything you need and connects to their watches. There’s also a separate Garmin golf app for tracking golf features.
If you want to see Garmin’s golf features in action, check out reviews on the ‘Let’s Play Thru’ YouTube channel. After watching their Fenix/Epix/S70 review, you’ll understand why Garmin has a separate app for golf.
@Riley
I got a Garmin Instinct 2 last week, and I’m really happy with it so far. The sleep and cardio tracking are accurate, and it has a 30-day battery life (without GPS). I like that it’s simple with a black-and-white screen and easy to use. I haven’t even used the phone app much. I’ll see how it holds up after a few months with all the activity and wear and tear.
@Penn
The Instinct 2 is a great watch, but unfortunately, it doesn’t meet your needs since it doesn’t support offline music.
Most Garmin watches will handle this well.
The Galaxy Watch Ultra is the only one I know that can stream audio with Spotify over LTE and track activities with GPS. It uses about 20% battery per hour when doing both. It has a 590mAh battery, the largest available. You can track activities with Strava, though the data fields aren’t customizable. Samsung Health is better for activity tracking and syncs with Strava after finishing. You can also use Sportwerks, a third-party app that syncs with Strava and offers more customization.
Garmin has better battery life, but none of their models have LTE, so you can’t stream audio without a phone.
@Taylor
If you have a Spotify subscription, you can save playlists offline and use them without a connection.
Riley said:
@Taylor
If you have a Spotify subscription, you can save playlists offline and use them without a connection.
That’s great to know! I didn’t realize that. I mostly listen to audiobooks on Spotify, and I download them, but I’ve never tried playing without a connection since I like to stay available in case my wife calls.