The lightest GPS watches
Weight is what you notice on a long run or overnight. The Polar Ignite 3 has the lowest listed figure here, 21 g (without wristband (35 g with it), Polar UK spec). Makers weigh with and without the band, so check the note before reading two figures as a like-for-like gap.
How this list is ordered: Ordered by the lightest case size the maker sells, lightest first. Makers weigh differently (with or without the band), and each figure says which. 42 of the catalog’s watches qualify.
1Polar
~$400Polar Ignite 3
Polar positions Ignite 3 as a fitness and wellness watch, built around sleep tracking, daytime alertness insights and suggested workouts rather than navigation.
- Weight · GPS
- 21 g · 24 h
- Type
- Fitness
iPhone and Android
2Garmin
~$300Garmin vívoactive 6
Garmin's April 2025 health-and-fitness watch keeps the price low while carrying music storage, Garmin Pay and an AMOLED screen Garmin calls brighter than before.
- Weight · GPS
- 23 g · 21 h
- Type
- Fitness
Android; iPhone with limits
3Apple
~$249Apple Watch SE 3
Launched in 2025 and still Apple's entry model, the SE 3 has an always-on display, a temperature sensor with sleep score, and 5G on cellular versions.
- Weight · GPS
- 26.3 g · 7 h
- Type
- Everyday smartwatch
iPhone only
4Amazfit
~$80Amazfit Bip 6
Amazfit's entry watch pairs a 1.97-inch square AMOLED screen with built-in GPS, Bluetooth calling and imported offline maps for turn-by-turn on a route file.
- Weight · GPS
- 27.9 g · 32 h
- Type
- Fitness
Android; iPhone with limits
5Polar
~$250Polar Street X
Polar debuted Street X in March 2026 as an urban sports watch for people who train, commute and work in the city.
- Weight · GPS
- 28 g · 43 h
- Type
- Running
iPhone and Android
6Garmin
~$300Garmin Lily 2 Active
Garmin calls it its smallest smartwatch with GPS (October 2024 release), and unlike the regular Lily 2 it records runs and walks without a phone.
- Weight · GPS
- 29 g · 9 h
- Type
- Fitness
Android; iPhone with limits
7Apple
~$399Apple Watch Series 12
Apple's 2026 mainstream watch adds a new Health Sensing System that, per Apple, takes background heart rate readings 60x more often than Series 11 and HRV 24x more often, feeding a new Readiness score.
- Weight · GPS
- 32.2 g · 10 h
- Type
- Everyday smartwatch
iPhone only
8Garmin
~$550Garmin Venu 4
Launched in September 2025, Venu 4 adds an LED flashlight, a stainless-steel bezel, multi-band GPS and the ECG app to Garmin's lifestyle line.
- Weight · GPS
- 33 g · 15 h
- Type
- Fitness
Android; iPhone with limits
9Garmin
~$700Garmin Venu X1
A 2-inch rectangular AMOLED screen on an 8 mm-thick case sets this one apart from every round Garmin.
- Weight · GPS
- 34 g · 16 h
- Type
- Fitness
Android; iPhone with limits
10Suunto
~$349Suunto Run 2
Launched on 8 September 2026, Run 2 replaces the original Suunto Run with a 2,000-nit display, which Suunto says is three times brighter, and 29% more battery capacity.
- Weight · GPS
- 35 g · 30 h
- Type
- Running
iPhone and Android
11Polar
~$500Polar Vantage M3
Introduced in October 2024, Vantage M3 packs the V3's Elixir sensors, dual-frequency GPS and topographic maps into a smaller 44.7 mm case with a 1.28-inch AMOLED.
- Weight · GPS
- 35 g · 27 h
- Type
- Multisport
iPhone and Android
12Fitbit
~$250Fitbit Sense 2
Fitbit's health-focused watch adds an ECG app and a cEDA skin-conductance sensor for body-response tracking to the Versa 4's design.
- Weight · GPS
- 37.64 g · 5 h
- Type
- Fitness
iPhone and Android
13Amazfit
~$170Amazfit Active 3 Premium
Amazfit pitches Active 3 Premium at newer runners, with a stainless steel frame, sapphire glass and a 1.32-inch AMOLED screen that reaches 3,000 nits, up from 2,000 on Active 2.
- Weight · GPS
- 38 g · 24 h
- Type
- Fitness
Android; iPhone with limits
14Garmin
~$450Garmin Forerunner 265
Garmin moved this mid-range runner to an AMOLED screen in March 2023, and it remains on sale beside the newer 570.
- Weight · GPS
- 39 g · 24 h
- Type
- Running
Android; iPhone with limits
15Polar
~$700Polar Vantage V3
Launched in October 2023, Vantage V3 was the first Polar with an AMOLED screen, dual-frequency GPS and downloadable topographic maps.
- Weight · GPS
- 39 g · 42 h
- Type
- Multisport
iPhone and Android
16Polar
~$800Polar Grit X2
Polar billed Grit X2 as its most compact outdoor watch when it launched in June 2025.
- Weight · GPS
- 39 g · 25 h
- Type
- Rugged outdoor
iPhone and Android
17Amazfit
~$170Amazfit Active Max
Built around a 658 mAh battery, Active Max is the long-running member of the Active family: Amazfit rates it at 25 days of typical use and 64 hours of GPS.
- Weight · GPS
- 39.5 g · 64 h
- Type
- Fitness
Android; iPhone with limits
18COROS
~$249COROS PACE 4
Launched in November 2025, PACE 4 moved COROS's lightest running watch from a memory LCD to a 1.2-inch AMOLED with 164% higher resolution than PACE 3, per COROS.
- Weight · GPS
- 40 g · 41 h
- Type
- Running
iPhone and Android
19Garmin
~$250Garmin Forerunner 70
Garmin's 2026 entry Forerunner puts a 1.2-inch AMOLED touchscreen and five buttons on a 40 g watch, and Garmin says it carries over training readiness, training status, wrist running power and running dynamics from its pricier Forerunners.
- Weight · GPS
- 40 g · 23 h
- Type
- Running
Android; iPhone with limits
20Garmin
~$250Garmin Instinct E
Garmin's cheapest Instinct pairs the rugged 10 ATM case with a two-window monochrome MIP screen and no solar.
- Weight · GPS
- 41 g · 21 h
- Type
- Rugged outdoor
Android; iPhone with limits
21Garmin
~$300Garmin Forerunner 170
Built on the Forerunner 70, this model adds Garmin Pay, a barometric altimeter, a compass and 4 GB of storage in the same 42.6 mm case.
- Weight · GPS
- 41 g · 20 h
- Type
- Running
Android; iPhone with limits
22Garmin
~$550Garmin Forerunner 570
Announced alongside the Forerunner 970 in May 2025, the 570 adds a speaker and microphone for calls and voice commands, an aluminum bezel and Garmin Triathlon Coach plans to the Forerunner 265 formula.
- Weight · GPS
- 42 g · 18 h
- Type
- Running
Android; iPhone with limits
23Garmin
~$1,000Garmin fēnix 9
Garmin's August 2026 flagship gets an AMOLED screen it says is twice as bright as fēnix 8's, 50% more RAM with up to 30% faster map panning, and 64 GB for twice the map storage.
- Weight · GPS
- 44 g · 18 h
- Type
- Multisport
Android; iPhone with limits
24Garmin
~$1,100Garmin fēnix 9 Pro
Garmin calls this the first fēnix with a titanium case, joined to plastic by nano-molding to keep it thin.
- Weight · GPS
- 45 g · 18 h
- Type
- Multisport
Android; iPhone with limits
25Amazfit
~$450Amazfit Cheetah 2 Pro
Cheetah 2 Pro is Amazfit's runner's watch, with a grade 5 titanium case, sapphire glass, dual-band GPS and a red-and-white flashlight.
- Weight · GPS
- 45.6 g · 31 h
- Type
- Running
Android; iPhone with limits
26Amazfit
~$400Amazfit T-Rex 3 Pro
Two case sizes set the T-Rex 3 Pro apart from the single-size T-Rex 3: a 44 mm model rated at 17 days and a 48 mm one rated at 25.
- Weight · GPS
- 46.8 g · 26 h
- Type
- Rugged outdoor
Android; iPhone with limits
27COROS
~$449COROS PACE 4 Pro
COROS's first PACE with a titanium bezel and sapphire glass, released in September 2026 above the plastic PACE 4.
- Weight · GPS
- 51 g · 60 h
- Type
- Running
iPhone and Android
28Garmin
~$350Garmin Instinct 3 AMOLED
Garmin launched Instinct 3 in January 2025 in two display types, AMOLED or solar MIP, sold as separate models.
- Weight · GPS
- 53 g · 32 h
- Type
- Rugged outdoor
Android; iPhone with limits
29Garmin
~$800Garmin fēnix E
Garmin's lower-cost fēnix keeps the 47 mm AMOLED body, maps and 10 ATM build but leaves out the flashlight, multi-band GPS, ECG app and speaker found on fēnix 9.
- Weight · GPS
- 53 g · 42 h
- Type
- Multisport
Android; iPhone with limits
30COROS
~$429COROS APEX 4
COROS aims APEX 4 at trail running, climbing and ski touring, with a titanium bezel, sapphire glass and reinforced lugs.
- Weight · GPS
- 56 g · 34 h
- Type
- Multisport
iPhone and Android
31Garmin
~$750Garmin Forerunner 970
Garmin's top Forerunner since May 2025 brings fēnix-class tools into a 56 g running watch: preloaded road and trail maps, an LED flashlight, the ECG app, a sapphire lens and a titanium bezel.
- Weight · GPS
- 56 g · 26 h
- Type
- Running
Android; iPhone with limits
32Amazfit
~$600Amazfit Balance Ultra
At the top of the Balance line, the Ultra swaps Balance 3's stainless frame for grade 5 titanium and adds a fifth button and a 780 mAh battery.
- Weight · GPS
- 57 g · 50 h
- Type
- Fitness
Android; iPhone with limits
33Garmin
~$900Garmin Enduro 4
Announced on October 6, 2026, Garmin's longest-lasting solar watch is rated at 36 days in smartwatch mode, 90 with solar, and up to 320 hours of activity recording in Extended Battery mode with sun.
- Weight · GPS
- 57 g · 3 days
- Type
- Rugged outdoor
Android; iPhone with limits
34Polar
~$1,000Polar Grit X2 Pro
Polar's top outdoor watch, unveiled in March 2024, puts a sapphire-covered 1.39-inch AMOLED inside a stainless steel case rated WR100 and tested to MIL-STD-810H.
- Weight · GPS
- 57 g · 40 h
- Type
- Rugged outdoor
iPhone and Android
35Suunto
~$349Suunto Race S
Suunto calls Race S "the performance watch, just smaller": it keeps the original Race's crown, AMOLED screen and training features in a 45 mm case.
- Weight · GPS
- 60 g · 40 h
- Type
- Multisport
Android; iPhone with limits
36COROS
~$349COROS NOMAD
Built for hikers and anglers rather than racers, NOMAD adds tide, moon-phase and catch logging to the COROS feature set, plus an Adventure Journal that pins voice notes, photos and video to a route.
- Weight · GPS
- 61 g · 50 h
- Type
- Rugged outdoor
iPhone and Android
37Amazfit
~$370Amazfit Balance 3
Amazfit splits Balance 3 into a stainless steel model and a lighter titanium one, both with sapphire glass, a 3,000-nit 1.5-inch AMOLED screen and a red-and-white flashlight that the cheaper Balance 2 lacks.
- Weight · GPS
- 62 g · 41 h
- Type
- Fitness
Android; iPhone with limits
38Apple
~$799Apple Watch Ultra 4
Apple's outdoor and endurance model keeps the 49 mm titanium case and sapphire crystal but adds the 2026 Health Sensing System, which Apple says samples heart rate 60x more often than Ultra 3.
- Weight · GPS
- 63 g · 18 h
- Type
- Rugged outdoor
iPhone only
39Amazfit
~$650Amazfit T-Rex Dual Solar
Solar charging through both faces is what separates this T-Rex: Amazfit calls it the first dual-sided solar system on an AMOLED smartwatch, harvesting light through the display and a glass-ceramic back plate with more than twice the front's active area.
- Weight · GPS
- 69 g · 41 h
- Type
- Rugged outdoor
Android; iPhone with limits
40Suunto
~$499Suunto Race 2
Suunto describes Race 2 as slimmer and lighter than the original Race, with a larger, brighter 1.5-inch LTPO AMOLED and a redesigned back panel for wrist heart rate.
- Weight · GPS
- 76 g · 65 h
- Type
- Multisport
Android; iPhone with limits
41Suunto
~$599Suunto Vertical 2
Suunto says Vertical 2 improves on the original with a brighter, larger LTPO AMOLED, a 1.5-inch panel that Suunto rates at up to 2,000 nits with a 1-120 Hz refresh.
- Weight · GPS
- 87 g · 3 days
- Type
- Rugged outdoor
Android; iPhone with limits
42Amazfit
~$550Amazfit T-Rex Ultra 2
Amazfit's expedition model uses a 51 mm titanium-trimmed case, an 870 mAh battery and 64GB of storage.
- Weight · GPS
- 89.2 g · 50 h
- Type
- Rugged outdoor
Android; iPhone with limits
Other shortlists
- Smartwatches with the longest battery when the screen stays on
- Watches with the longest GPS battery
- Wear OS watches, and what each needs from your phone
- Watches that work with an iPhone, other than the Apple Watch
- Smartwatches with an FDA-cleared ECG
- Watches whose maker sells no paid tier
- The cheapest watches with full topo maps
- The cheapest running watches with dual-band GPS