I’m not super-knowledgeable about specific smartwatches, GPS watches and activity monitors. But I do know that there’s a significant price difference in price between them.
- Activity monitors like Fitbits are in the $50-$100 range
- GPS running watches like the Garmin Forerunner tend to be a step up at $200-$300
- The Apple Watch Series 4 starts at $400
What is the primary reason you’re making this purchase?
If you want to be able to interact with notifications and do everything, I think that the Apple Watch is really the best option—that does take into consideration that you have an iPhone. I have a Moto G with Android and there really aren’t any good high-end Android watch solutions.
If you’re less concerned about interacting with notifications and just want to see when you get new ones it may be worth checking out something like the Garmin Vivosmart.
I don’t think you’d need a GPS running watch unless you want to track specific routes are keep a ton of activity-related data. It could be useful if you are a serious cyclist or runner though. The Wirecutter updated their a reviews of various ones in June.