Choosing the best fitness tracker involves checking out what’s hot on the market right now. With tons of options, knowing which ones perform stands out helps make a sound decision. One standout feature I love is workout animation — the watch will play short videos of a silhouette performing certain exercises. It records every nap or full night’s sleep—and it’s accurate down to the minute. Every morning, you’ll wake up to a sleep score, which is created by averaging markers such as total sleep, the amount of time you spent in each sleep stage, and how long it took you to fall asleep.
For sleep specifically, it proved to be precise with metrics like time spent in bed and minutes spent awake. After using this tracker for four months, I still enjoy the Fitbit’s simple interface and uncomplicated design. I’ve found, however, that the accuracy of the heart rate tracking can be inconsistent.
The best budget option
For years, I’ve been a hardcore Forerunner 255s wearer, but after I discovered this model, it has been my go-to for when I’m not seeking intense training metrics when running. Nelson also likes to track his sleep with a fitness tracker, since sleep is the main way our bodies recover. Being aware of your sleep habits and behaviors can shed light on how you feel the next day. It comes with the high/low heart rate notification feature, which can be super useful for older persons. It alerts the user whenever their heart rate goes above or below the normal range while resting. The Garmin Vivosmart 5 can also track user’s stress and can even cue you to perform breathing exercises when you are stressed throughout the day.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 7
But if you’d rather have a do-it-all device that balances health features with smart functionality, a smartwatch makes more sense (read Stuff’s guide to the best smartwatches). In fact, we’ve included the likes of the Apple Watch SE above as it’s a great choice for iPhone users looking for fitness tracking and other smarts in one device. Unlike wrist-based trackers, the Oura Ring slips seamlessly into daily life, offering serious health data without the distraction of a screen or the bulk of a smartwatch. Stylish, discreet, and packed with advanced tracking features, it’s one of the smartest ways to monitor your health around the clock. Despite its discreet, ring-style form factor, the Oura Ring Gen 4 offers powerful tracking for sleep, recovery, and daily activity. It provides in-depth sleep analysis, stress monitoring, and personalised readiness scores, making it an excellent tool for optimising overall well-being.
Garmin Forerunner 165 – Best fitness tracker for runners
It can also automatically detect walks, runs, bike rides, treadmill, elliptical, rowing and spin exercise after five minutes (15 for walking). As someone who often forgets to log walks, I love how hands-off this feature can be. If your workouts often take you outdoors, it could be worth investing in the Apple Watch Ultra 2. A highly dust- and water-resistant case and super bright screen help protect the tech inside, even when the weather (or your plans) change suddenly. Runners will also appreciate that it can automatically detect when you’re at a track and provide accurate pace and distance stats. And hikers will enjoy downloading offline maps and saving custom trail routes right to your wrist.
Best Fitness Trackers
Xiaomi has vastly improved its appeal for fitness enthusiasts, offering a whopping 150 sport and fitness modes, including swimming (the watch is 50 meters waterproof) and yoga. This simple fitness tracker offers long battery life, countless workout tracking features and a crisp, colorful display — and it costs just $63. Sometimes (alright, often), really cheap versions of products that normally cost a lot of money are generally pretty rubbish.
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- After 7 years as a writer and deputy editor for Stuff, Esat ventured out into the corporate world, spending three years as Editor of Microsoft’s European News Centre.
- There’s also Fitbit Premium, the upgraded version of the Fitbit app, which costs $10 per month or $80 annually (first-time Premium users can activate a six-month trial subscription).
- In October 2024, a Google spokesperson said the company rolled out a fix “so that non-walking activities, such as Running, Weight Lifting, etc., properly appear in the Fitbit app.” We’ll continue to monitor the situation.
- I also recruited a team of peers of varying age levels with diverse fitness goals to test out additional devices.
- My beat includes home fitness equipment, outdoor athletic accessories, and a wide range of running gear.
- The device’s operating system and sensors are specifically designed to deliver precise cardiac data, from basic heart rate tracking to more nuanced metrics like heart rate variability, while still capturing other fitness data points.
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However, these calorie measurements may not be entirely accurate, according to a 2020 systematic review and meta-analysis published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. Dr. Alka Patel is a lifestyle medicine physician and longevity expert based in London. She achieved a distinction in the MRCGP (Membership of the Royal College of GPs) and 10 more titles including a Diploma in Lifestyle Medicine. For this piece, Dr. Patel commented on the validity of calorie measurements and sleep tracking features.
Samsung Galaxy Fit3
The Google is madmuscles safe Pixel Watch 3 combines style, fitness tracking, and innovative features into one comprehensive package. Its robust capabilities and aesthetic appeal make it a worthwhile investment for those seeking an all-encompassing smartwatch experience. The Fitbit Charge 6 has reminded us exactly why we love Fitbit’s fitness trackers.
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Who should buy the Xiaomi Smart Band 8 Pro
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Similar to the Whoop band, the readiness score was helpful in understanding how to plan workouts and recovery. I also appreciated the app’s coaching, recommendations and resources to improve overall well-being and health. Unlike smartwatches, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all option in the world of fitness trackers. While it’s not the best-looking or most feature-rich tracker, the Amazfit was accurate across heart rate, activity and sleep tracking.
You must be thinking, why have I included Versa 3 on the list when Versa 4 was released a while ago? Well, it’s because surprisingly the Fitbit Versa 3 is much better at connectivity and activity tracking than its successor, the Fitbit https://megagrass.com/community/question-and-answer/forums/4133-general-questions/topics/2805151-mad-muscles-for-fat-loss-anyone-tried-it Versa 4. Some of its other useful features are voice assistant support, music playback, contactless payments, and more. It also has a hard fall detection feature that sends a message along with your location to the emergency service and emergency contacts when triggered.
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What metrics should I look for when tracking sleep?
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Some have GPS to better track running, walking and cycling workouts outdoors. This is generally an estimation, but if you run, walk or cycle frequently and want to closely track those workouts, it’s best to choose a tracker with GPS as it can monitor your routes, distance travelled, and speed. Outside of sleep, Samsung estimates steps, and automatically logs walks and runs. It doesn’t log workouts outside of these two profiles, and the ring’s form factor gets in the way during gym workouts. It’s an impressive tracker, but it’s not the best Fitbit overall because we found the GPS tracking to be significantly lacking.
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Best Smartwatch for Sleep
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The smallest fitness tracking form factor, smart rings are comfortable to sleep in and offer accurate measurement beyond your wrist, with heart rate, skin temperature and blood oxygen sensing allowing the ring to monitor sleep stages. The Luxe tracks everyday activity, sleep, heart rate, respiration, and workouts. When we put it to the test, we were particularly impressed by its heart rate monitoring accuracy, which was on par with much more expensive running watches.
When it comes to exercise, we think they’re the next best thing to having a personal trainer — they suggest workouts, track your heart rate, and let you know when it’s time for a breather — all on your own time. In testing, the sensor works by using blue, yellow, and infrared LEDs to pick up the carotenoid levels in your skin. Carotenoids are an antioxidant that gives fruits and vegetables their color.
Having tested over a dozen options, I am surprised how different each model feels, even ones with similar wristbands. Like most Garmin watches, the Forerunner 265 has excellent battery life — I averaged about 10 days before needing to charge. The watch, of course, also has advanced running metrics like power, cadence, stride length and ground contact time, as well as multi-band GPS for the most accurate, consistent outdoor data possible. You can also find watches that let you stream music, give turn-by-turn navigation, or automatically alert a loved one if you fall.