Best sports watches of 2026: Garmin Fenix 8 Pro tops expert-tested list

After testing and living with more than 20 sports watches over the past year, the reviewer picked the Garmin Fenix 8 Pro as the best sports watch available today, according to the roundup. The review was updated in January with additional personal testing notes. The Garmin Fenix 8 Pro is described as expensive and a bit chunky but capable of tracking virtually every sport, including golf, fly fishing and indoor rowing.

The watch includes an LED flashlight, an AMOLED display, InReach satellite and LTE messaging support, long battery life, and the ability to take calls or record voice notes from the wrist, making it useful for activities outside cellular coverage. Google’s Pixel Watch 4, running the beta version of Fitbit Premium, is highlighted as the best smartwatch for personalized coaching; the reviewer says Fitbit Premium served as their fitness coach for the past month.

The Pixel Watch 4 also earns praise for safety features, including emergency satellite SOS with no subscription required, emergency sharing, safety check and automatic emergency detection.

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