Best overall: Apple Watch Series 6 Best sleep-tracker: Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2Best for running: Garmin Forerunner 245 Best fitness tracker: Fitbit Versa 3Best budget: YAMAY SmartWatch
What to consider when shopping for the best fitness watch
Whether you prefer running outside, spinning, or playing group sports like baseball, purchasing a fitness watch can be a great addition to your accessory collection. With sleek and customizable styles, you can wear your watch day to day no matter your activity. But before you buy a wearable designed to help you prioritize your health, you’ll need to prioritize the features and uses that are your must-haves.
Are you focused on a particular workout, like running?
While many trackers are fitness omnivores—monitoring workouts of all stripes—running comes with challenges particular enough to warrant a specialized device, or devices. The best running watch will offer easy access to your favorite playlists so you’re not distracted by having to skip song after song. Along with measuring important metrics such as steps taken, heart rate, and distance traveled, more-advanced devices offer training and recovery tips based on your VO2 max (a measure of how well your body uses oxygen), which will allow you to maximize your efforts.
Do you need extra encouragement to push yourself?
Some of us need a nudge to push workouts to the next level. Many offerings, if they notice a dip in performance or heart rate, will encourage you to work harder with a little buzz when it’s time to step up your intensity. Others include access to fitness communities that put you in touch with both peers and professional coaches, both of which can offer up inspiration or exercise routines to keep you motivated or mix up your routine if you get bored.
Do you want to leave your phone at home?
Burlier wearables have tech on board that lets you untether from a phone without losing functionality. Onboard GPS tends to hike up the price of a fitness watch, but it lets you explore new trails without getting lost and will keep a precise record of your routes—all without a handset weighing you down. For runners and cyclists, these maps can help you see where you ran fastest, where you struggled, and help you understand why. Some trackers also have onboard storage, making it easier to tote tunes phone-free.
Is sleep tracking a priority?
There are some days when you wake up ready to greet the day and others where you just want to pull the covers back over your head. It can be hard to know what the difference is between a good night’s sleep and a rough one, but the best sleep tracker watch can help you get to the bottom of it. Most fitness watches monitor your heart rate and movement, which is closely related to sleep cycles. Once the device’s algorithmic smarts crunch all that information, it’ll help you understand why and when you are waking up, then you can take action to resolve the issue. Some watches even come with meditation apps like Breath or Calm built in.
Do you want more advanced health metrics?
More health-conscious individuals may want a watch that not only tracks your fitness activity, but one that can also offer a deeper understanding of your health beyond heart rates and calorie burns. An Apple Watch, for instance, includes sensors to keep track of your cardiovascular health by measuring your blood oxygen levels and taking electrocardiograms.
How much does price matter?
If it’s not a priority to respond to text messages and phone calls, then you don’t need to spend a lot. Even cheap fitness watches will track the basics (think steps and heart rate), and many will also monitor and analyze your sleep cycles.
The best fitness watches
With so many brands and products available, there is bound to be a watch that aligns perfectly with your wants and needs. The good news is that you might not have to only choose one must-have feature, since most smartwatches run the gamut of fitness-tracking features—though some handle particular needs, like running or sleep tracking, better than others.
Best overall wellness watch: Apple Watch Series 6
While the Apple Watch Series 6 may be a splurge purchase compared to other trackers on this list, its top-shelf feature set makes it worth the cash. The wearable measures your blood oxygen levels and takes electrocardiograms right from your wrist to keep extremely close tabs on your cardiovascular health. Of course, it’ll do the basics like track your daily activity and measure your workouts—even if they include swimming. On top of that, you can answer texts, phone calls, use Apple Pay, and listen to music all from your watch.
Best sleep-tracker watch: Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2
When it’s time to hit the hay, the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2’s display will automatically dim to fit the environment. Built-in sleep tracking provides valuable insights, such as how much light, deep, and REM sleep you’re getting throughout the night. With this info, you can make changes to your schedule, if need be. Additionally, the free Samsung Health App includes access to Calm, a meditation app that helps keep an eye on stress levels and offers guided sessions to help you chill. On top of slumber monitoring, it includes a standard raft of activity tracking goodies and heart-rate monitoring, which will alert you if the watch detects an irregularity.
Best running watch: Garmin Forerunner 245
The Garmin Forerunner 245 watch plays DJ, so you can focus on your run: It can either sync up with devices running music-streaming apps such as Spotify or Deezer (premium membership required) or store up to 500 of your favorite songs in its onboard storage for easy access to your playlists. In order to improve your form, this watch can tap into cadence, stride length, ground contact, and balance data provided by Garmin’s Running Dynamics waistband clip ($70) and HRM-Run/HRM-Tri heart-rate monitor ($130). You also have access to free training from a coach via the Garmin Connect online fitness community. There are also some other really great Garmin smartwatches, if you decide this one isn’t for you.
Best fitness-tracker watch: Fitbit Versa 3
Full FitBit Versa 3 review here.
Best budget fitness watch: YAMAY SmartWatch
At just $45.99, the YAMAY SmartWatch has all of the features to make it a competitor of the top brands. With a large touchscreen with an aluminum alloy frame, it’s light to wear and sleep in yet sturdy enough for everyday use. Whether running, cycling, or ping-pong is your activity of choice, the YAMAY SmartWatch’s 13 exercise modes track your steps, distance, and calories burned. It’s compatible with Android and iOS devices via the OnlyFit app to receive notifications—but you can’t reply or make outgoing calls from the device itself.
The final word on the best fitness watch
The best fitness watch will track your activity metrics, as well as enhance your chosen exercise and provide insight as to where improvement can be made. Whether you want your fitness tracker to monitor your health specifically or want a watch that does that in addition to acting as a smartwatch, there is no shortage of great products available.
