A wearable fitness tracker can help you track your steps, strides, sleep, and other activities. It can also provide small doses of motivation along the way, nudging you toward a specific goal. Since 2015, we’ve spent more than two months running, walking, swimming, cycling, sleeping, and, in short, living with 35 different fitness trackers 24 hours a day, seven days a week to evaluate their accuracy, ease of use, and comfort. Although no tracker perfectly recorded every metric it attempted (including distance travelled, step counts, sleep quality, calories burned, and heart rate), we’re confident that the Fitbit Charge 5 is the best option for most people who want to use a fitness tracker to monitor their movements and take steps toward improving their health.
The Fitbit Charge 5
is one of the most accurate step counters and heart rate monitors available (though accuracy isn’t everything). After about 10 minutes of activity, it detects, nearly always correctly identifies, and automatically begins recording workouts (running, walking, biking, swimming). Even in bright sunlight, the colour touchscreen display is vivid and clear, with easily identifiable icons that allow for simple menu navigation. (However, familiarising yourself with all of its features may take some time.) Fitbit’s simple, straightforward app allows you to easily parse daily activity data and connect to a large network of other Fitbit users, which may help keep you motivated. (You can also upgrade to the app’s Premium version for $10 per month.) The Charge 5 has 21 different activity modes. You can also choose which smartphone notifications you want to be buzzed on your wrist using the app. The Charge 5 has an on-wrist ECG (electrocardiogram) and built-in GPS, allowing for real-time pace and distance data without the need for a phone connection (though it was susceptible to unevenness, as GPS often is).
Battery life can last up to seven days in watch mode or five hours in continuous GPS mode.
Yes, including naps lasting more than an hour.
Yes, for up to 50 metres of water resistance.
Yes, a heart rate monitor is used.
GPS: integrated,
The Fitbit Inspire 2
is more compact than the Fitbit Charge 5. Its touchscreen display is bright and colourful, but it lacks colour (the Charge 5’s does). The Inspire 2 lacks built-in GPS (as does the Charge 5); instead, it measures pace and distance while walking or running when connected to your phone’s GPS—which means you’ll need to bring your phone with you. The Inspire 2 performed well in our heart-rate tests, despite being less precise when recording all-day step counts. It has guided breathing sessions on the wrist, which the Charge 5 does not. This Fitbit model, like the Charge 5, has about 20 goal-based exercise modes and tracks sleep stages (though alarms are only programmable in the app).
Up to 10 days of battery life
Yes, sleep tracking is done, but naps are not included.
Yes, it is water resistant up to 50 metres.
Yes, a heart rate monitor is used.
When connected to a phone, GPS
The Garmin Voactive 4S.
It’s a sporty, sophisticated fitness tracker that focuses on—you guessed it—exercise. The 4S is the smaller of Garmin’s two Series 4 offerings (it has a 40-millimeter screen versus the 45-millimeter screen of the Vvoactive 4).
Battery life: up to seven days in watch mode and five hours in music mode with GPS.
Yes, sleep tracking is done, but naps are not included.
Yes, it is water resistant up to 50 metres.
Yes, a heart rate monitor is used.
GPS: integrated
Excellent as well.