Smartwatches With the Longest Battery Life

What separates the best smartwatch battery life picks?

All three watches here run AMOLED screens and all three cleared 11 days in our testing, so the gap is not battery. It is what you give up to get it.

The Garmin Venu 3 and Garmin Forerunner 265 both score 7.9 and both cost $449.99. The Venu 3 measured 12 days and adds a speaker and mic for calls, wheelchair mode and nap detection. The Forerunner 265 measured 11 days with daily GPS runs, and its dual-band GPS held the line under trees and buildings — the most accurate in the test. It also carries training load, readiness and race predictor. What it lacks is ECG and any real third-party app support.

The Amazfit Balance scores 7.8 at $229.99. It measured 13 days with daily GPS, and its dual-band GPS landed within 1.2% on the 5K. Body composition, readiness and sleep scores are all on board. The trade-offs are real: heart rate lagged 4 bpm on intervals, the worst here, and the Zepp app is cluttered with limited third-party sync.

What should you check before buying a long-battery smartwatch?

Battery claims are easy to publish and hard to verify. Our scoring puts health and fitness accuracy at 30, battery at 20, smart features and ecosystem at 20, value at 20 and design and display at 10 — so accuracy outweighs battery, and value carries the same weight as smart features.

• How you charge: the Venu 3 and Forerunner 265 share the $449.99 price, but the Forerunner gives up call audio and gains running tools.
• GPS conditions: dual-band matters under tree cover and between buildings. The Forerunner 265 and Amazfit Balance both have it.
• Heart rate on intervals: the Amazfit Balance lagged 4 bpm, so hard sessions are where you notice it.
• Phone platform: the Forerunner 265 has no replies on iPhone and basic notifications across the board.
• App ecosystem: if you want third-party apps, none of these three is built for it.

Garmin Venu 3

For someone who wants the longest measured battery here with an AMOLED screen, plus calls from the wrist, sleep coaching and Body Battery. Accept basic notifications and fewer training tools than the Forerunner at the same price.

Garmin Forerunner 265

For runners who want the most accurate GPS in the test, training load, readiness and race predictor, and 11 days measured with daily GPS runs. Skip it if you need ECG or app replies on iPhone.

Amazfit Balance

For a $229.99 budget with 13 days measured, dual-band GPS within 1.2% on the 5K, and body composition scores. Live with the cluttered Zepp app and the 4 bpm heart rate lag on intervals.

Pick the Garmin Venu 3 if you want 12 days measured with an AMOLED screen plus calls from the wrist and sleep coaching. Pick the Garmin Forerunner 265 if you run and want the most accurate GPS in the test with training load and race predictor. Pick the Amazfit Balance if $229.99 and 13 days measured matter more than app polish.