Amazfit - T-Rex Pro

I think you are in a hard spot here! When someone is serious about something, it is difficult to gift them something about that something. In the same way that you cannot gift a mouse to a software engineer unless it's the Logitech Mx 3 or superior, you cannot gift apparel to a serious runner unless it's something really good. My point is, if you want to gift him a watch, it is difficult to recommend you something that is below $300 or $400. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of watches out there that cost less and may work. For example, you can buy the Garmin Vivoactive or Instinct for around $200, or the Amazfit T-Rex Pro for $150 (this is a really good watch for the price). However, if he is really serious about trail running, you may have to consider a Garmin Fenix 6 (between $350 and $400 on Amazon) or a Garmin Forerunner 945 (I just saw it at $319 on Amazon). If he is into both road and trail running, the Forerunner may be a good choice, but if he is getting more and more into trail running, the fenix is the best option. Note: You won't get navigation in budget-friendly watches, but I haven't meet a racer that needed it. Generally, the course is marked and people carry their phones (I have offline maps just in case). Note 2: You can save a lot by purchasing the previous-generation model (that's why I recommended fenix 6 and forerunner 945).

I picked up a Forerunner 265 to replace my TREX Pro and I returned it after 4 days, no comparison for the price, my Trex pro was way superior and I just got the Trex 3 which is way more than I was expecting for less the price of the Forerunner. I had my Trex PRo for over 2 years, never had a problem, now I don't know what I will do with it.

Depending on what features we are talking about, Garmin Venu 3 and Amazfit (Balance, TRex) both are delivering strong battery.

I have the amazfit Trex and I feel like it does everything I’d want. Had it for at least 3 years. Charge it every couple of weeks.

Could be fake reviews. Amazfit (by Xiaomi) are legit and very cheap as well.