Late in cycle — a new model is likely coming
Best for: Regular runners who race 5K to marathon distances and want accurate GPS, detailed training load management, and long battery life. Multi-band GPS makes it particularly valuable for city runners or trail runners where single-band GPS loses accuracy.
Full details →Overdue for a refresh — no successor announced yet. Prices should be at their lowest
Best for: Health-conscious users on any platform who want continuous stress monitoring (EDA sensor), ECG, and Fitbit's deep wellness coaching — without paying Galaxy Watch or Apple Watch prices. Particularly strong for iPhone users who want serious health tracking at under $250.
Full details →| Garmin Forerunner 265 | Fitbit Sense | |
|---|---|---|
| Tier | Sports GPS | Smartwatch |
| Platform | iOS & Android | iOS & Android |
| Battery | 13 days | 6 days |
| Always-on display | ❌ | ❌ |
| GPS | ✅ | ✅ |
| Cellular | ❌ | ❌ |
| Health sensors | hr, spo2, hrv, stress, body battery, training readiness | ecg, eda stress, spo2, hr, skin temp, hrv |
| Released | Mar 1, 2023 | Sep 28, 2022 |
| Cycle length | 1188 days | 733 days |
| Cycle advice | bad | bad |
| Deals advice | good | good |
| Next model | — | — |
L1+L5 multi-band GPS reduces position drift in urban canyons and dense forest — a meaningful upgrade over single-band watches for competitive runners.
Daily score combining HRV status, sleep, acute load, and recovery time — tells you whether to train hard, easy, or rest on any given day.
Estimates your finish time for 5K, 10K, half-marathon, and marathon based on your current fitness — useful for pacing race-day strategy.
The EDA (electrodermal activity) sensor tracks physiological stress throughout the day — a feature absent from most competitors at this price.
Comes with Fitbit Premium for advanced sleep analysis, HRV trends, stress management scores, and personalised health insights.
Unlike Apple Watch or Galaxy Watch, Sense 2 pairs with any smartphone and runs 6 days before charging.