Garmin
Forerunner 255 Series
Long battery, but wrist HR often inaccurate.

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the t rex 3 pro seems good and it has calling functions the torch light seems super useful as well, i am so tempted to upgrade from my already excellent t rex ultra
there's the flashlight that's useful in a pinch, i think it has a mic so u can speak into it, then there's also the titanium used over steel and the sapphire glass thats more hardy i am not too sure on the routes yet but yes i think thats the advantage over it too i am currently using the t rex ultra which is still a champ, but fingers are feeling itchy to get the 3 pro
amazfit T rex ultra Orient Kamasu 2 love these 2 to bits in their respective areas!
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 agree I too have an amazfit T-Rex ultra , very good for tracking the trail with GPS system, and good battery, rugged for outdoor activities. This is very good for budget constraints. But if heart rate monitoring is a must then I will not recommend this as it's correct only 60% .
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.
Best device for hr measurement is a chest strap. Polar h10 is better than any watch out there and costs pennies and you can pair it with your mobile. Watch is still a good thing to have. Garmins are top notch (I have one myself), but a friend of mine bought an amazfit and I have to admit that it's close while costs 50% of the garmin price. Apple is more of a phone. Good for streaming the music etc, but it's not the best sportwatch out there.
I use fenix 8 solar, previously had fenix 6 pro and fenix 5 before that. My wife has venue 3. All are excellent. I use HR strap for when I care about HR. Fenix 8 has probably the best sensor from all the farmins, but still a 50$ strap is more accurate. I have no experience with forerunner series. Heard some good stuff, but I dont know what models are better than the others. I would really look at the amazfit rather than an entry level garmin now. $500 amazfit trex is very close to my $1000 fenix.
Garmin
Forerunner 255 Series
Long battery, but wrist HR often inaccurate.

Garmin
Forerunner 955 Series
Endurance battery, value king, but clunky UI.

Garmin
Fenix 7 Series
Rugged, long battery, maps, but HR and software can struggle.
Garmin
Instinct 2 Series
Extremely durable, multi-week battery, physical buttons, but bulky.

Garmin
Enduro 3
Unrivaled multi-week battery, solar-charged, but bulky.

Ranked #1
Oura - Oura Ring Series

Ranked #1
Apple - Ultra Series

Ranked #1
Garmin - Fenix 7 Series

Ranked #1
Garmin - Fenix 7 Series

Ranked #1
Garmin - Forerunner 255 Series

Ranked #1
Oura - Oura Ring Series