The Best Tomtom Multi Sport GPS Watch (Heart Rate Monitor)

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The Best Tomtom Multi Sport GPS Watch (Heart Rate Monitor)

If you’re aiming to turbocharge your fitness you can benefit hugely with an activity tracker. TomTom Spark 3 (or the Runner 3) is a highly rated GPS fitness tracker. There’s the big advantage of tapping into TomTom’s mapping system for the best route tracking and guidance. As a result, this tracker is popular with runners and cyclists.

Advantages of TomTom Spark 3 Activity Tracker

Great running features for interval exercise and you can add your favourite music playlists straight to the tracker and leave your phone at home.
The GPS functionality lets you load a route to the tracker and follow it, or if you want to be spontaneous you can use random routes and let the Spark 3 guide you back home.
The battery life lasts for an impressive 3 weeks (without GPS) or 11 hours with GPS switched on.
You can take the tracker swimming as it’s fully waterproof.
Accurate heart rate tracking whilst exercising.

Disadvantages of TomTom Spark 3 Activity Tracker

The TomTom app isn’t as intuitive as alternative brands like Fitbit or Garmin.
Sleep tracking could be better, especially since the tracker is comfortable enough to sleep with in bed.

TomTom Spark 3 Review

This is the third version of TomTom’s Spark range and it is their best tracker yet. GPS tracking is brilliant for cyclists, outdoor runners and you get 4 different choices of the Spark 3 which include:

The standard GPS version.
Cardio + Music version- this includes heart rate monitoring and storage for 500 songs.
Spark 3 with just music.
Spark 3 with just heart rate tracking.

TomTom Spark 3 Heart Rate Monitoring

Wrist-based optical heart rate tracking is often slow and inaccurate, but thankfully this isn’t the case with the Spark 3. I tested it against my Polar H7 chest strap and was impressed to see that the readings were similar even during intense exercise (where optical sensors fall behind). The average heart rate reading for the Spark 3 was just a few beats per minute different to the Polar H7.

Whilst working out you can view your heart rate and the relevant intensity zone which ranges from 1 “Easy” to 5 “sprint”. You can customize the tracker so that it knows your preferred intensity zone and the device will motivate you to stay in your zone by vibrating against your wrist if you drop below your desired zone.

The TomTom activity tracker will also monitor your heart rate throughout the day and provide resting heart rate metrics through the app. This is very useful as it helps you to gauge if your physical activity and exercise are at the correct level.

Heart rate tracking isn’t included with the entry-level version of the Spark 3 but we think that it is worth having.

TomTom Spark 3 Activity Tracking

Spark 3 tracks a variety of activities including gym, cycling (indoor & outdoor), swimming, running (indoor & outdoor) and freestyle. I tested the tracker for outdoor running and cycling, and in the gym. It tracked everything commendably, but I noticed that it didn’t automatically detect exercises like competing trackers- you need to manually start an exercise.

The onboard GPS ensures that all outdoor pursuits are accurately recorded. A minor issue is the amount of time it took the tracker to sync activities to the TomTom app, I felt that it could have been quicker. It can take up to an extra 60 seconds to sync when compared to alternative trackers.

Is the TomTom Spark 3 Good for Running?

In addition to the Spark 3 range, TomTom has also introduced the Runner 3, especially for runners. The device is similar to the Spark 3 and available in running stores, the straps are available in different colours. It is essentially the same tracker and an ideal running companion.

What sets the Spark 3 from other trackers is the Route Exploration features that allows you to upload routes to the tracker via the app and then use them for your runs, and if you diverge from your route the Spark 3 will guide you back- this means you can explore without the worry of getting lost. The screen shows an easy-to-use map that you can magnify and navigate with.

The map feature is hugely beneficial in unfamiliar areas, but it’s also handy in areas that you usually run so that you can experiment with different routes without worrying about how to get back home. Brilliant route guidance eliminates the need to bring your phone with you.

The Spark 3 also locates GPS signals very quickly, usually between 45 to 90 seconds, so that you’re not waiting for long periods to begin your run or cycle. During your outdoor activity, you’ve got fast access to your metrics including distance, average pace, time, current pace and beats per minute.

You can customize the Spark 3 to display different modes depending on how you want to view your run. You can set it up for interval running, or vibrate whenever you slow down from your preferred pace or fall below your desired heart rate zone.

After you’ve completed your run you can review stats using the TomTom Sports App or transfer the data to other running apps such as Runkeeper or Strava, this is helpful given that the TomTom App isn’t as refined yet.

If you prefer running on a treadmill, the Spark 3 will accurately mirror the stats shown on the equipment, then you can easily add the distance later on. It will provide similar options for indoor running as it does for outdoors. Over the colder months, you can still use the watch for interval running in a warm gym.

Two of the Spark 3 versions are bundled with onboard storage for 500 songs on the music model, which can be played via a good pair of Bluetooth headphones that are included with these variants (which are also compatible with any Bluetooth earphones).

The upgrade costs slightly more but I feel it is worth it because a good set of Bluetooth headphones will cost more than this.

Is TomTom Spark 3 Good for Cycling?

Although running is the main feature on the TomTom Spark 3, it functions exceptionally well for bike riding whether it’s outdoors or inside. You can customize the settings in a similar fashion to your running or other exercises.

The tracker doesn’t provide metrics that are specific to cycling such as power or cadence but GPS makes sure that speed, splits, elevation and distance are tracked. If you’d rather take a spinning class indoors, the Spark 3 tracker will record calories burned and heart rate, and it allows you to do interval training.

Is TomTom Spark 3 Good for swimming?

The TomTom tracker is surprisingly good to use during swimming. Simply enter the pool length measurement and the device will count lengths, strokes, total distance, calories burned and strokes per minute.

The Spark 3 doesn’t distinguish between different swimming strokes but it will provide metrics that are specific to your swimming such as a SWOLF (Swim Golf) score which measures the number of strokes for each length and the time it takes to complete a length.

Step Counting on the TomTom Spark 3

The Spark 3 tracker is geared more towards tracking specific sports instead of activity tracking, but it’s completely capable of doing both and it does a great job at keeping your step count. There’s quick access to your daily and weekly step stats either through the tracker itself or the TomTom app.

The watch’s long 3-week battery life is ideal for daily tracking and minimizes the risk of it running out when you’re not at home during the day. The tracker will vibrate and congratulate you when you achieve any of your set goals.

Calorie Counting on the TomTom Spark 3

Just like with steps, the stats for calories burned are quickly accessible on the Spark 3. You can view the calorie count for all your exercises. Calories totals are not the device’s main focus but the stats are always available whenever you want to review them. If you’d prefer a tracker that focuses on calories burned and weight loss then I’d recommend the Fitbit Alta HR.

Using The TomTom app

The TomTom app has undergone an extensive revamp over the past several months and the upgrade was long overdue. The new improved app provides a detailed summary of your daily activities, routes taken, splits and an amendable graph that gives heart rate data, pace and elevation.

The app’s features are not as robust as other apps like Fitbit or Garmin. I like that the TomTom app can link to Nike+, Runkeeper and Strava, so that you can view a detailed analysis of your activity using your favourite apps instead of the TomTom Sports app.

An improvement that I would like to see would be the ability to create a fitness program through the app, whether its a one-off or a series of sessions, then transfer it over to the device.

Charging the TomTom Spark 3?

The TomTom activity tracker lasts for 11 hours with the GPS turned on and 3 weeks if GPS is disabled. If you run regularly the tracker should last for a week with the GPS on. If you commute to and from work on your bike every day then you might need to recharge the device halfway through the week. Overall, the battery lasts long enough to see you through all your activities without worries.

TomTom Spark 3 Activity Tracker Product Rating

The Tomtom Spark 3 fitness tracker is a comfortable and reliable device that is a great companion for your exercise program and general daily tracking. Waterproofing, SWOLF functionality and advanced route mapping has seen the device become the activity tracker of choice among runners, cyclists and swimmers.

Product Rating: 7/10