OUTDOOR TECH moves fast, and there have been significant developments since our last round of GPS watch reviews in summer 2021. Top devices are more powerful (but more expensive). Access to mapping is cheaper. Battery life has improved at most price points. But the core questions remain: why spend more on a high-tech outdoor watch when a £5 digital watch will tell the time? Or, for those used to smartphone navigation, what can a GPS watch do better?
In 2021 I pointed out that tracking your walk with a phone will likely drain the battery far more quickly than using a watch. However, the best phones of 2023 have bigger batteries than they did two years ago, making battery life less of a concern. If you have a new, top-end phone, and know how to conserve its battery on the hill, go ahead and use it for tracking your walks. But if your phone is a few years old with an ageing battery, using a GPS watch will save your phone’s battery for taking pictures, viewing maps or dialling mountain rescue in an emergency.
A GPS watch will communicate with your phone and can be used for fitness tracking, whilst some models are ideal as a navigation sidekick, providing quick reference to data such as elevation, position and distance hiked. Although you can do this with a smartphone – or by pacing/timing with a map and compass – having this info glanceable on your watch can be very convenient. And if you don’t want a nav tool on your wrist, and
