Overdue for a refresh — no successor announced yet. Prices should be at their lowest
Best for: Trail runners, ultramarathon athletes, and multisport competitors who want full maps and long GPS battery without paying $900 for the Vertix. A strong alternative to Garmin Forerunner 965 for users who prioritise battery over display quality.
Full details →Overdue for a refresh — no successor announced yet. Prices should be at their lowest
Best for: Garmin users and health-focused individuals who want Body Battery, HRV, and advanced sleep analytics in a slim, discreet wristband rather than a sports watch. Compatible with both iPhone and Android via Garmin Connect.
Full details →| COROS Apex | Garmin vivosmart 5 | |
|---|---|---|
| Tier | Sports GPS | Fitness Tracker |
| Platform | iOS & Android | iOS & Android |
| Battery | 45 days | 7 days |
| Always-on display | ❌ | ❌ |
| GPS | ✅ | ❌ |
| Cellular | ❌ | ❌ |
| Health sensors | hr, spo2, hrv, training load, skin temp | hr, spo2, hrv, stress, body battery, pulse ox |
| Released | Sep 14, 2022 | Apr 26, 2022 |
| Cycle length | 1047 days | 700 days |
| Cycle advice | bad | bad |
| Deals advice | good | good |
| Next model | — | — |
Enough for 3-day mountain stages without charging — a critical advantage for ultra-distance racing.
Breadcrumb + full TopoActive-style maps for turn-by-turn navigation on trails, mountains, and roads.
Lightweight yet scratch-resistant materials that hold up better than most competitor watches at this price.
Body Battery energy monitoring — the feature Garmin is known for — in a wristband that's thinner than most fitness trackers.
Continuous heart rate variability monitoring and all-day stress tracking give a more complete picture of recovery and readiness than step counts alone.
All data syncs to Garmin Connect, compatible with thousands of third-party apps, coaches, and integrations across the Garmin platform.