Fitness tracking gear guides

The top Fitness tracking gear guides we have examined do far more than just count steps. Many assist you in training for a marathon, coach your recovery from an exercise, offer analysis on sleep quality, even track for life-threatening medical abnormalities.

From the entry-level Fitbit Inspire 3 to the sophisticated Apple Watch Series 9, the top fitness trackers also handle the fundamentals including heart rate monitoring, physical activity and rest tracking, and daily progress summaries. Certain gadgets, such the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6, even have on-demand SpO2 and ECG readings.

Along with the Fitbit Charge 6, Fitbit Sense 2, and Garmin Forerunner 265 many can pay for groceries, play music, answer texts, and check the weather. But with so many competent devices to choose from, honing in on just one can be difficult; that's where we help.

Over several weeks, we have tested the most well-known fitness trackers and smartwatches by wearing them walking, jogging, bicycling, swimming, even sleeping to observe which models shine and which couldn't pass the starting block.

Fitness tracking gear guides 2024

1. Fitbit Charge 6

Fitness tracking gear guides

Replace the Fitbit Charge 5 in the brand-line of gadgets with the Fitbit Charge 6, the flagship fitness tracker. Compared to the Charge 5, it has some interesting upgrades; the haptic side button is back, which facilitates navigation. Moreover, when utilizing NordicTrack, Peloton, and Tonal gym equipment, you can watch your heart rate with the Charge 6.

It also boasts the first Fitbit fitness tracker with Google Wallet, YouTube Music, and Google Maps. Charge 6 users will, however, now need a Google Account.

You purchase a fitness tracker, of course, to monitor your activity, and the Charge 6 does a good job of that. Built-in GPS allows users to precisely monitor outside runs, hikes, and bike trips. Additionally including more sports modes than the Charge 5, it lets you vary your workout.

SPECIFICATIONS

Monitor your heart rate: Yes
GPS: Yes
Water resistance: 50 meters
Display: 1.04-inch AMOLED touchscreen
Weight: 1.1 ounces
On-board music: No
Mobile payments: Yes

REASONS TO AVOID

No support for Spotify
Some limitations in sports modes

2. Fitbit Inspire 3

Perfect value fitness tracker the Fitbit Inspire 3 excels in the fundamentals: precise workout tracking and logging of sleep phases, heart rate monitoring. Though you can link it to your phone's GPS, the fact that it lacks built-in GPS is rather disappointing. The Inspire 3 makes up for this with other features, like Fitbit's inspirational (get it?) network of fitness-oriented customers. Challenges allow you to out-pace peers, coworkers, even total strangers.

Fitbit Active Zone Minutes, ten days of battery life, touch controls, and—in the largest change from the Fitbit Inspire 2—a brilliant, stunning AMOLED screen for $100. Though marketed in three distinct band colors—black, lilac, and morning glow—the Fitbit device is just black. The wristbands come in small and big sizes.

We really valued the tracker's enhanced quality feeling from a color screen. Though it won't be for everyone, the Inspire 3 is the best cheap fitness tracker available.

SPECIFICATIONS

Heart rate monitor : Yes
GPS: No
Water resistance: 50 meters
Display: 0.7-inch AMOLED
Weight: 0.62 ounces
On-board music: No
Mobile payment : No
Battery life: 10 days

3. Amazfit Band 5

Fitness tracking gear guides

At a quarter of the cost of more luxury smartwatches, the $50 Amazfit Band 5 is a fitness tracker with many of the prominent capabilities. Pricier products have Amazon Alexa built-in, sleep tracking, blood oxygen (SpO2) measurements, stress monitoring, high heart rate alarms, and numerous other features.

Though not excellent, the fitness and sleep monitoring on the Amazfit Band 5 were decent given the low price and still provide more than other ~$50 trackers in our tests. Better more, the 15-day battery life meant we need not constantly worry about charging it.

SPECIFICATIONS

Heart rate monitor: Yes
GPS: No
Water resistance : 50 meters
Display: 1.1-inch AMOLED
Weight: 0.8 ounces
Onboard music: No
Mobile payment : No
Sleep tracking : Yes
Battery life: 15 days

REASONS TO AVOID

Display is hard to see in sunlight
No GPS
No third-party apps

4. Fitbit Sense 2

Comprising more sophisticated health and wellness tools than the Versa range, the Fitbit Sense 2 is the company's top-shelf smartwatch. We discovered throughout our testing that the Fitbit Sense 2 improved our whole perspective on our health.

Fitbit's most complete smartwatch thus far, the Sense 2 boasts improved design, UI, and EDA sensor over the original Fitbit Sense. The success of the device mostly depends on an update to the stress-detecting EDA (electrodermal activity) sensor: now known as cEDA ('c' for continuous%), the sensor tracks stress levels or elevated responses throughout the day, so motivating the user to take action on mood monitoring with Body Response alerts.

Working with both iOS and Android, the Sense 2—one of the finest fitness trackers—comes with on-board GPS, a native app store Alexa and more. Fitbit gadgets like the Fitbit Sense 2 make for outstanding smartwatches, so Fitbit is no more only a company with goods for counting our steps.