How to choose a fitness tracker

Choosing a fitness tracker is a very personal choice. Unlike most gadgets, these should always be worn. And while many of us share similar health goals, our bodies and needs are highly individualized. A fitness tracker that everyone else has praised may not work for you, and vice versa.

That’s why it’s difficult to buy a fitness tracker. But don’t worry. There are a few things to consider when deciding which tracker to buy.

Find your “reason” and go from there

Fitness instructors enjoy “finding a reason” a lot, but it’s also the first thing you need to ask yourself when buying a tracker. Why do you want to use the fitness tracker first? How to lose weight? Would you like to train for a marathon? Do you want to improve your sleep habits? Fitness trackers are a motivational tool, but they don’t help if you’re not sure about your goals.

Once you know the reason, it’s easy to understand the specifications and features that should be prioritized. For example, let’s say training for a marathon is a big reason. Regardless of your skill level, it means you need something that tracks GPS distance, monitors your heart rate, and has a long battery life. But if your ultimate goal is to improve your sleep, you may not need a tracker with built-in GPS at all. You’ll need a long battery life, perhaps a SpO2 sensor, and a tracker that can provide detailed sleep insights.

*The Fitbit Charge 4 (left) and Charge 5 (right) belong to one of the most popular fitness tracker lines.*

Understand sensor and fitness terminology

Spec sheets and fitness buzzwords can be overwhelming. But no matter what flashy marketing companies use, they are all summarized in the same basic sensors and metrics.

First, all fitness trackers have a combination of accelerometer and gyroscope to detect movement. Some add altimeters and barometers to measure altitude and the number of stairs you climb each day.

To track your health, almost all modern trackers have a Photo Pretismography (PPG) sensor. These are green LEDs that shine light through your skin to measure your heart rate. An increasing number of trackers include red LEDs or SpO2 sensors to measure blood oxygen levels.

Garmin Fenix 7S sensor array close-up — *Garmin Fenix 7S sensor array*

More advanced or specialized trackers include some additional sensors. For example, if the tracker has an EKG function, it means that it has electrodes. Meanwhile, Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 4 has a 3-in-1 sensor that measures heart rate, enables EKG, and analyzes body composition. Fitbit Sense also has a skin electrical activity sensor that measures the level of slight sweat on the skin to determine stress levels. Oura Ring, on the other hand, has a temperature sensor that helps determine sleep quality.

Fitbit Sense

One of Fitbit’s recent product releases, Sense, includes FDA approval to track stress levels in addition to measuring blood oxygen levels. This watch also includes support for the Google Assistant.

Some fitness trackers choose the built-in GPS. This means that the watch can connect directly to the GPS system without a mobile phone. Others use the GPS of your cell phone.

The device’s sensors partially determine the data that can be tracked. However, some companies are developing more complex algorithms to provide detailed analysis. A more full-featured tracker can usually be sniffed by the number of sensors and the type of metric to track.

The Apple Watch Series 7 charges faster, but the overall battery life is the same. — *Apple Watch Series 7 has an advanced sensor array that also enables EKG.*

If you need more advanced fitness insights, you need to know three indicators: heart rate variability (HRV), VO2 Max, and SpO2.

HRV is a metric that measures time variability between heartbeats. It is often used to measure how much you have recovered from your workout and to estimate your stress level.
SpO2 is often used interchangeably with pulse oximetry. The point is that it measures how much your blood is oxygenated. Companies are still looking for ways to get the most out of this metric, but they often appear in sleep and recovery tracking.
VO2 Max is an index that measures the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use during strenuous exercise. It is often used to measure overall aerobic fitness and training progress.

Overall health and hardcore training

There is a wide range of trackers for all types of fitness levels and goals.

For example, companies like Garmin and Polar are well known among outdoor enthusiasts and triathletes. There are entry-level devices, but that’s not their main strength.

Fitbit provides devices for more general use that are better suited to those who prioritize overall health.

Screenshot of sleep tracking screen in Halo app — *Amazon Halo View tracks some suspicious metrics, but is another example of a cheap tracker.*

Health-conscious trackers often come with breathing reminders, guided meditations, hydration and dietary records, and menstrual tracking. Aesthetically, they also tend to be more comfortable and have multiple style options.

Garmin Phoenix 7S Sapphire Solar

The Garmin Phoenix 7S Sapphire Solar has a wide range of features suitable for outdoor enthusiasts. This includes a durable titanium and sapphire translucent display. You can also take advantage of multi-band GPS, solar charging, real-time stamina monitoring, and high battery life.

Hardcore fitness watches are more likely to prioritize durability, downloadable maps, turn-by-turn navigation, and in-app training programs. They also have activity profiles for more ambiguous sports. For example, Garmin has added kiteboarding to the Epix 2 and Fenix 7 series. And if you’re a swimmer, you’ll need something that’s water resistant to at least 5 ATMs.

Normal ring, Oura ring 3rd generation (center), Oura ring 2nd generation (left) — *Oura Ring Gen 3 (center) and Oura Ring Gen 2 (right) are examples of non-wrist-based sleep trackers.*

Meanwhile, the category of dedicated recovery trackers is also increasing. These trackers focus on telling you how much your body has recovered from exercise, so you can plan your training. Oura Ring and Whoop 4.0 are good examples in this area. These are more passive trackers that focus on advanced sleep tracking and how it relates to your overall activity. No notifications or smart features are displayed because there is no screen.

Of course, there are duplicates. For example, the Fitbit Charge 5 offers a ton of wellness features, built-in GPS, and a new daily readiness feature that measures recovery. That said, we haven’t gotten into the details of activity metrics like Garmin yet.

Do you really need a smartwatch instead?

The key to fitness trackers is that they often lack connectivity. You probably won’t find LTE, robust third-party apps, contactless payments, digital assistants, and more. Or, if you do, it could be one or two of them, but certainly not all.

Galaxy Watch 4 has a sensor to measure body fat percentage — *Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 is a competent health and fitness tracker with some new features such as body composition analysis.*

If you are looking to leave your phone at home, you may want to have a smartwatch with decent health features. The Apple Watch Series 7 is a good example of this. With plenty of health tracking and wellness features, as well as a mobile phone model, you don’t have to carry your phone with you while exercising. You can stream music directly to your wrist, make a call, make a call, or have Siri look it up. After exercising, you can also use your watch to pay for bottled water at your local deli. Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 4 is a great alternative for Android users and offers many of the same features.

Apple Watch Series 7

Apple Watch Series 7 is available in a variety of colors with either GPS or GPS and LTE cellular connectivity.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4

The Galaxy Watch 4 has a snappy interface and third-party support from Google’s Wear OS 3. However, keep in mind that the combination with Samsung mobile phones is best.

The trade-off is terrible battery life. Series 7 and Galaxy Watch 4 don’t last longer than a day (probably two days) on a single charge. Therefore, it is not ideal for anyone who wants to track sleep or GPS activity for more than 3 hours. Fitbits, Garmins, and Polar devices, on the other hand, often last for at least a week, if not a few weeks.

Don’t forget the comfort

When browsing the options, don’t forget to check the size and thickness of the watch and the material of the watch. If your fitness tracker isn’t comfortable, you’re not going to wear it. The end of the story.

Comfort is especially important when sleep tracking is a priority. You don’t want to buy a big giant tracker just to wake up in the middle of the night when you decide to take it off. Many people often struggle to sleep on a wrist-based tracker, so you can also look into non-wrist-based sleep gadgets like Oura Ring. (However, it is not so common.)

*This 47mm Garmin Epix 2 fits snugly for some and is too uncomfortable for others.*

Poor fit can also distort the data. If your tracker doesn’t fit your skin snugly while exercising, your heart rate readings can be inaccurate. If you slide your arm up and down, the movement data may be interrupted.

For people with big wrists, this isn’t a big deal. However, if your wrist is small, we do not recommend buying a watch larger than 42 mm. This isn’t too much of a problem with casual trackers, but it becomes important when it comes to multisport GPS watches. These watches are often 45mm to 47mm in size, but we’ve tested watches up to 51mm, like the Fenix 6X Pro Solar. Many companies don’t offer small options for advanced fitness watches, but a few do. For example, Garmin tends to offer multiple sizes for each product.

price

Fitness trackers can be as high as $ 60 to $ 1,000. The more features you need, the higher the cost. At the bottom, you’ll tend to see plain fitness bands like the Mi Band 6 and Fitbit Inspire 2. These bands have a simple screen and a small feature set, Tons Battery life. At the high end, there are luxury smartwatches and premium multisport GPS watches. For example, the Garmin Fenix 7 lineup starts at $ 699.99 and continues to $ 999.99.

*The Garmin Vivomove Sport is a great example of an affordable tracker for $ 179.99.*

For most people, sweet spots range from $ 150 to $ 350. Trackers under $ 250 have gone a step further in the last few years. The Fitbit Versa 3 retails for $ 229.95, but is often sold at a lower price. This is a good example of a fitness tracker that tracks a variety of health features, but with features like a smartwatch like a digital assistant.

Garmin Vivomove Sports

The Garmin Vivomove Sport is an affordable and stylish hybrid analog tracker. Not as sturdy as other Garmin trackers, it’s perfect for casual activities.

Another thing to note is subscriptions. Unfortunately, more wearable manufacturers are moving to the subscription model. Some, like Fitbit, offer options. You can pay $ 9.99 for Fitbit Premium, but you don’t have to. Catch is often the best feature locked behind that paywall. For example, Fitbit’s Daily Readiness Score metric is for Fitbit Premium subscribers only. Other companies require a subscription. For example, Whoop charges $ 30 for a monthly membership. That said, there are still good trackers without subscriptions.