Smartwatches...any suggestions? 🤔

It is me again. You can tell I love this group!!!! My idea is to go for a run with minimal items... And cheap as possible.... So I am fed up running with my mobile phone, as I find really annoying to put it on a belt... It rides up and down. Don't like the arm band... So my main thing is to bring some music and have sort of running metrics on my wrist... So far I have seen the garmin vivoactive 3 music that seems good, but the accuracy seems to slightly inaccurate as per reviews, bit pricey. Another option I have seen the polar 450 but hasn't got music... But I love the coaching bit... And it seems fairly accurate... Other option is to bring a mp3 player that clips onto the clothes, but I still need some sort of running tracker... £150 is my absolutely max... I don't want to spend a lot at the moment, as I am a fairly new runner on week 7... So any advice? 😀😀😀 Please no fitbits I am not sold on them...

[SlowLoris]

Garmin FR35 is cheap right now because there is a newer FR45 just released.

[Sarigne Graduate]

I love love love my Garmin, it wasn't super cheap (VivoActive 3 Music) but as SlowLoris said the FR35 is pretty cheap atm. The other option of course is leggings that have a phone pocket down the side of the leg - I've recently bought a few pairs and it has transformed my running experience, because like you I didn't like the belt or arm band, and sometimes I want to listen to an Audible audiobook through my phone rather than the music I have loaded onto my Garmin.

[Jell6 Graduate]

I can't advise as I haven't got one, but I would never run without my phone, just in case of emergencies 😶

[damienair Graduate]

Forerunner 35. Brilliant watch, good price point and all you’ll ever need from a running watch.

Damien

[MarkyD Graduate]

Simples

Always run with a mobile phone in the event on an emergency. My opinion is that this is not negotiable, it is compulsory. What you need, though, is a convenient way to carry it... so look for the £5 running belts on Amazon or in Decathlon. Personally I wear a FlipBelt (but these are expensive and I only wear it when I have to wear my least-favourite shorts with no 'small-of-the-back' phone pocket).

Next, for minimum hassle, get some cheap bluetooth headphones. Don't spend more than £20, again Amazon, I use MPOW Magneto and they have been utterly amazing for over 3 years. Today they are £17.99.

Lastly, get a Garmin ForeRunner 35. Currently £90 on Amazon (price varies a bit based on colour).

This combination will give you a world-class running watch, totally bombproof wireless air-buds and get you to play music from your phone - which is a very, very convenient music player with playlists, Spotify (etc, if you like that) and more storage than you can possibly use. You will quickly tire of copying music to a watch.

[Jazzyrunner Graduate in reply to MarkyD]

Thank you - this is a really useful summary for newbies like me!

[Colinsmith in reply to Jazzyrunner]

Yep, this is good advice from MarkyD. Shorts with a back pocket for phone are essential as I can’t get on with arm bands or belt, and you really should have a phone for emergencies. It’s a bit of a squeeze but it fits. I also keep my parkrun barcode in my phone slip case as then should something go wrong my ICE contact is immediately available to any first responder (and it means I never forget my barcode at parkrun, QED 🙂)

I’m happy with my Garmin 735XT which was a present, but I reckon the 35 would do just as well if I was buying for myself.

Only thing I do differently is that, because earbuds never fit me, I use Marathon/Kamtron/Linkwitz over-ear Bluetooth headphones. They’re about £25 on Amazon; I also found they have a better bass response than the ear buds I’ve tried... but maybe that’s because of my weird shaped ears!

[Hidden in reply to Colinsmith]

Thank you so much for your advice given here. I have no option but to wear heaphones, as I have behind the ear hearing aids, no point in trying ear buds! 🤣

[Hidden in reply to MarkyD]

Thank you so much for this in-depth advice, the reason why I am asking is because I have an upcoming holidays and it is going to be superhot, and I want to be light as possible, except for few essentials. I'm not sure if I should get a Bluetooth headphones at the moment, as I wear hearing aids and in a couple of months I am due to upgrade and I will ask for Bluetooth enabled hearing aids. See how it goes... Thank you so much

[Colinsmith in reply to Hidden]

Good luck with everything, enjoy your hols! 🙂