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).

Amazfit BIP was very nice. Still miss that MIP screen. Had BIP U Pro, T-rex Pro, T-rex 2 and their screen wasn't nice as BIP's MIP. And yes, Garmin is years ahead of Amazfit in terms of software..

Amazfit trex. I have the trex pro, but the newer 3 and ultra are pretty cool. I think they are all less than 300

I love Amazfit. I have the T-Rex and T-Rex 3, the 3 gets about 14-18 days of battery even with GPS on.

I have in the past but now I use a dedicated bike computer. There are some well within your budget that have maps and would be way better than trying to navigate using a small watch screen. There are a couple of Magene computers you can get on AliExpress that are highly rated for the $$. If you are really committed to having a watch, there are a lot of Garmin competitors that would work. I'm thinking Amazfit Trex (or one of the many other watches in the range), Huawei GT etc. off the top of my head.

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.