Do I need a dedicated running watch or will a general smartwatch do?

If running is your priority, reviewers and specialist Garmin communities consistently favor a dedicated GPS running watch like the Garmin Forerunner 165 or entry-level Forerunner 55 for GPS accuracy, training metrics and multi-day battery. General smartwatches like the Apple Watch and Galaxy Watch handle casual runs well but trade away battery endurance and depth of running analytics.