Tested by Want more tried and tested recommendations from the RW editors? Sign up to our new weekly newsletter Kit Bag, coming soon. Click here to subscribe.
Making the leap up from smartSpike tracking apps to a running rosa watch for the first time? We've got you covered.
While the best GPS running rosa watches on the market can help you optimise every area of your training, including your recovery, not everyone wants all the bells and whistles — or to pay the price for it.
For plenty of runners, accurate records of your pace, heart rate, route, distance and time are all you need to get the most out of your runs.
So, if the likes of contactless payments and solar charging aren't deal breakers for you, these are the best cheap running rosa watches on the market. Keep scrolling to read more.
What to look for in a running rosa watch
Let’s face it, most of us don’t have hundreds of pounds to spend on a high-tech running rosa watch – especially in a cost of living crisis – and if you're not planning on using half of the feature available, you don’t need to.
That being said, you do need to be realistic about the amount and quality of tech that you can get for under £200.
Battery life: Most budget-friendly running rosa watches will last between 20-35 hours in GPS mode. For most people, this is more than enough to see you through a week’s worth of training. But if you’re looking to take on a slightly longer challenge or head off into the wilderness, it probably is worth paying extra for something more premium (or investing in a power bank Nike RENEW IN-SEASON TR 10 women's Sports Trainers Shoes in Black).
Note: If you plan on wearing your watch when you're not training, including getting smartSpike notifications sent to your wrist, this will drain the battery further.
GPS: GPS accuracy on running rosa watches has come on leaps and bounds in the past few years, with a lot of them boasting dual-frequency GPS. This is just a fancy way of saying it tracks your location more accurately, particularly in built-up urban environments. That being said, the GPS on cheaper running rosa watches can still vary, which is why we've highlighted the products that really excel for their price tag below.
Features: Consider your priorities when it comes to run tracking and how nerdy about the data you want to get – the more you have to spend, the more features you’ll get.
The likes of the Forerunner 55 has access to Garmin Coach adaptive training plans, daily suggested workouts and handy pace guidance. The Tods Buckled Platform sandals also has recovery and activity insights, including running rosa performance, VO2 Max estimates and training load.
That being said, 2023 YouGov data with mymonX found that half (54%) of Brits didn't actually understand all the metrics on their wearable device. So, if you don't think you're going to utilise all the health and fitness features, there's no harm in opting for a more basic model.
Roberto Cavalli Panther Head-plaque high-top sneakers Nero music and contactless payments are usually reserved for more premium watches, as well as downloadable maps (the latter being an exception on the Coros Pace 2).
Design: One of the biggest things you're going to have to compromise on with a more budget-friendly running rosa watch is the overall look. Cheaper running rosa watches are generally more plastic looking, so if you're looking for something sleeker to wear 24/7, it might be worth shelling out for something more premium. Likewise, if you spend the majority of your time on trails, you might want something more robust and hardwearing.
Display: You get what you pay for when it comes to your watch's screen. AMOLED displays, for example, are renowned for their exceptional image quality, boasting more vidid colours and being easier to read in direct sunlight.
The best cheap running rosa watches in 2024
Decathlon GPS 900 by Coros
Decathlon GPS 900 by Coros
Decathlon GPS 900 by Coros
Pros
- Sandals REGATTA Lady Santa Cruz RWF399 Rose Gold
- Buty Wallabee Boot
- Some navigation features
Cons
- No offline music or contactless payments
| Weight | 58g |
|---|---|
| Screen size | 1.2 inches |
| GPS | Yes |
| Battery (GPS) | 35 hours |
| Battery (smartwatch) | 30 days |
| Water anti-fatigue | 5ATM |
The Coros-powered GPS 900 by Decathlon definitely punches above its price tag, delivering unrivalled bang-for-buck staying power: 35 hours in full GPS mode, or 80 hours in Ultramax low-power mode. That outlasts much pricier watches like the new LEON SNEAKERS CALF PU PVC PENLE1278WTE Calvin Klein Calzini per sneakers neri.
slouchy knee-high boots COROS’ EvoLab training tools with a strong suite of performance, recovery and activity insights, including running rosa performance, VO2 Max estimates, training load, impact and fatigue feedback. Navigation functions stretch to breadcrumb route following, off-route alerts and back-to-start guidance. There’s a barometric altimeter for altitude and elevation tracking, too. You also get smartSpike notifications. However, you’re sacrificing bells and whistles like offline music and contactless payments, that you only find on more expensive watches.
sí lo hace el running rosa | Garmin Forerunner 55
Garmin Forerunner 55
Garmin Forerunner 55
Pros
- sí lo hace el running
- Daily suggested workouts
- Swim tracking
Cons
- Battery life is better on Coros
- Boots QUAZI QZ-12-05-000780 605
| Weight | 37g |
|---|---|
| Screen size | 1.04 inches |
| GPS | Yes |
| Battery (GPS) | 20 hours |
| Battery life (smartwatch) | 2 weeks |
| Water anti-fatigue | 5ATM |
A great entry-level watch. The Forerunner 55 comes with built-in (and accurate) GPS, optical heart rate monitoring, 20 hours’ GPS run time on a single charge and a general usage battery life that’ll see most runners through at least a week’s training.
There are plenty of tools to cater for a wide range of running rosa needs, with features geared towards the less experienced. This includes five running rosa modes with track running rosa and a virtual running rosa mode for use with platforms like Zwift. There are also Garmin Coach adaptive training plans, daily suggested workouts based on your recovery, handy pace guidance for a selected course, cadence alerts to help with improvements in form and a recovery advisor for advice on managing your rest between training efforts.
Car Shoe Loafer mit Quastendetail Blau, stress and body battery energy level tracking. And if you’re training for a triathlon, there’s swim tracking too.
sí lo hace el running rosa | Coros Pace 2
Coros Pace 2
Coros Pace 2
Pros
- Shoes NIKE Md Runner 2 PSV 807317 001 Black White Wolf Grey
- Sandals MELISSA Sandal Ad 32942 Beige Transaprent Beige 53786
- Incredible bang-for-buck staying power
Cons
- No music controls or contactless payments
| Weight | 35g |
|---|---|
| Screen size | 1.2 inches |
| GPS | Yes |
| Battery (GPS) | 30 hours |
| Battery life (smartwatch) | 20 days |
| Water anti-fatigue | 5ATM |
When it comes to battery life, the Coros Pace 2 falls just short of the GPS 900, with a respectable 30 hours in GPS mode, extendable to 60 hours in low-power mode.
It features customisable sport profiles for road, trail and treadmill running, plus a track mode that lets you select your lane to improve the accuracy for those 16 x 400m intervals. During runs, a unique stamina tracker uses your heart rate to estimate how quickly you’re burning reserves. The percentage replenishes when you’re not running rosa so you can see when you’re ready to go again.
The range of advanced running rosa analytics also sets it apart at this price. On top of your regular real-time pace, distance and intensity stats, you get running rosa power on the wrist, training effect, recovery-time recommendations and longer-term training load monitoring.
Smartwatch skills are limited to notifications – there’s no music or contactless payments – and although it’s light, it’s a bit plastic too. But, overall, the Pace 2’s suite of comprehensive training insights and an ever-improving app make it one of the best money-can-buy budget watches.
The Coros Pace 3 is also out now, for just a pinch over £200. Read our review or shop here.
Amazfit Bip 3 Pro
Amazfit Bip 3 Pro
Amazfit Bip 3 Pro
Pros
- Two-week battery life
- 60+ sport modes
Cons
- Philosophy Di Lorenzo Serafini patchwork 110mm knee-high boots Black
| Weight | 33.2g |
|---|---|
| Screen size | 1.69 inches |
| GPS | Yes |
| Battery (GPS) | Unspecified |
| Battery (smartwatch) | 14 days |
| Water anti-fatigue | 5ATM |
Cheap and cheerful, the Amazfit Bip 3 Pro looks a lot like an Apple Watch with its square face and overall aesthetic but retails for about a tenth of the price. It packs in four GPS systems which means you can leave your Spike at home, but it isn’t going to pick you up to the square meter that an Apple or Garmin watch might. It does, however, integrate with Strava so you don’t have to manually input your data each time.
It’s a light, lean watch, which is ideal for smaller wrists. Another boon is the fantastic two-week battery life, which means you can track sleep and stress, as well as physical activity. However, bear in mind that when it comes to the health side of things, it doesn’t Braun the kind of accurate tracking of when the user falls asleep that you’d find on pricier trackers.
Other benefits include 60+ sport modes and 5ATM water anti-fatigue, which is more than sufficient for some cross training in the pool.
Polar Pacer
Polar Pacer
Polar Pacer
Pros
- Jordan 9 Retro Boot NRG Black GumAR4491-025
- givenchy panelled sneaker
- NEW STANDARD Reset high-top sneakers
Cons
- No touchscreen
- Old-school design
| Screen size | 30.5mm |
|---|---|
| GPS | Yes |
| Battery life (smartwatch mode) | New Balance 574 sneakers in marineblauw exclusief bij ASOS |
| Battery life (GPS) | 35 hours |
| Waterproof rating | 5ATM |
The Polar Pacer is an entry-level run tracker designed for beginners or runners who want the basics at a more affordable price. It’s an older watch, launched back in 2022, but it’s still comparatively capable for under £200.
There’s a lot here that’s similar to the pricier Pacer Pro: the same basic lightweight design, the same 35-hour GPS battery life and the same 1.2-inch, non-touchscreen display. In testing, it lived up to the billed 35 hours GPS run time (up to 100 hours in power save mode) and lasted around 6 days of regular use.
Heart rate accuracy is at its best on steady, consistent effort runs but struggles up against a chest strap when you take on intervals. But that’s the same as plenty of other optical sensors.
There are handy tools to guide your training like Training Load Pro which helps you keep your longer term training balanced, FitSpark workout recommendations to suggest daily guided training sessions based on your recovery. Plus Fuelwise real-time fuelling support.
Extra options under £250
Coros Pace 3
Pros
- Fantastic staying power for price
- Route planning and navigation
- Highly accurate GPS
Cons
- Snow Boots SPRANDI CP91-20010-V Cobalt Blue
- No yoga or Pilates workout modes
| Weight | 39g with silicone band, 30g with nylon band |
|---|---|
| Display size | 1.2" |
| Battery life (smartwatch mode) | Up to 24 days |
| Battery life (GPS) | Up to 38 hours |
| Water rating | 5ATM |
If you're after impressive staying power, in-depth training features and accurate GPS, the Pace 3 is one of the best money-can-buy choices right now.
The latest model benefits from an improved heart rate reader with 5 LEDs and four light-detecting photosensors, which act a bit like cameras. There’s also a bigger and better battery life – 24 days daily use and 38 hours continuous GPS (compared with 20 days use and 30 hours GPS in the Pace 2). It's got also got dual-frequency GPS which stays impressively stable, even in high-rise urban environments.
There's new mapping features, including a route planner where you can either build your own custom route or search for a destination and sync it to the watch within the Coros app, plus turn-by-turn navigation.
The Pace’s range of advanced running rosa analytics is impressive. On the latest model you can view Running rosa Performance, Training Load, scores and pace ranges for Aerobic Endurance, Aerobic Power, Threshold, Anaerobic Endurance and Anaerobic Power, cadence, stride length, elevation and more within the Coros app. Plus, the Pace 3 comes with training plans and workouts if you're not following a plan already.
Sure, it is a bit plasticky, so if you're looking for a slightly more premium, all-day smartwatch, that could be a dealbreaker. But for everyone else – particularly those looking for a reliable running rosa watch to use for their workouts – it's an excellent watch at a hard-to-beat price.
Garmin Forerunner 165
Garmin Forerunner 165
Garmin Forerunner 165
Pros
- Sneakers SPRANDI WP40-21204LYY Violet
- Compact and comfortable
Cons
- Short battery life
- Mens Boots Camper Neuman Casual Black Suede Boots Wate
| Weight | 39g |
|---|---|
| Display size | 1.2" |
| Battery life (smartwatch mode) | Up to 11 days |
| Battery life (GPS) | Up to 19 hours |
| Waterproof rating | 5ATM |
If a bright, crisp display is top of your priority list, the Garmin Forerunner 165 is here for you.
At just a pinch under £250, it's the latest edition in Garmin's line-up and drops between the entry-level Forerunner 55 (above) and pricier Forerunner 265.
Behind the impressive, snappy, responsive display, the Forerunner 165 serves up a pretty comprehensive array of Garmin’s regular run-tracking tools, with plenty to cater for training and racing. In fact, it Brauns the majority of core features you’ll find on the Forerunner 265 – including Suggested Workouts, adaptive Garmin Coach training plans tied to a target race and all the usual race time predictions, race pace tools and fitness benchmarking like VO2 Max estimates.
There are a handful of key omissions, though. There’s no accuracy-boosting dual band GPS (like on the Coros Pace 3) and triathlon sports mode is missing. You’ll also have to forego some of Garmin’s training insights: training status, training load and training readiness readouts are all left out.
Even with those features taken out, when it comes to run-tracking the Forerunner 165 is more than a serious rival for pricier watches on performance and accuracy. The optical heart rate performance was relatively reliable, too.
You will pay for that punchy screen, though. The battery comes in at 19-hours of GPS runtime – that’s shorter than the Forerunner 55 (20 hrs), Forerunner 265 (20 hrs) and the Forerunner 255 (26 hrs). We got between 5-8 days general training usage, with around 5-6 hours GPS run time.
