Search Weight Loss Topics:




Jul 7

Best fitness trackers 2024: Tested and rated – Tom’s Guide

Fitness Comments Off on Best fitness trackers 2024: Tested and rated – Tom’s Guide

The best fitness trackers weve tested do much more than count your steps. Many help you train for a marathon, guide your workout recovery, provide insights into sleep quality and even monitor for life-threatening health anomalies.

From the entry-level Fitbit Inspire 3 to the advanced Apple Watch Series 9, the best fitness trackers also perform the basics like monitoring heart rate, recording physical activity and rest, and providing daily progress reports. Some devices, like the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6, even have on-the-spot SpO2 and ECG readings.

Many can also pay for groceries, play music, answer texts and check the weather, including the Fitbit Charge 6, Fitbit Sense 2, and Garmin Forerunner 265. But with so many capable devices to choose from, honing in on just one can be tricky. That's where we come in.

We've put the most popular fitness trackers and smartwatches to the test over numerous weeks by wearing them walking, running, biking, swimming even sleeping to see which models excel and which couldn't make it past the starting block.

Jane McGuire

Jane McGuire is Tom's Guide's Fitness Editor and she's spent years writing about all things health and fitness. She crossed the finish line of her last marathon in 3:38, with the Garmin Forerunner 965 on her wrist.

These are the best fitness trackers you can buy right now based on our testing and reviews. Scroll on for our full in-depth reviews.

Best overall

Best for most people

The Fitbit Charge 6 ticks all of the boxes when it comes to affordability, built-in GPS, a bright screen and all of the best fitness tracking metrics Google has on offer.

Read more below

Best value

Best value

The Fitbit Inspire 3 is a lovely little fitness tracking device for those on a budget. For $100, youre getting ten days of battery life, a colorful band and a bright screen, plus heart rate and sleep monitoring.

Read more below

Best smartwatch

Best fitness tracking smartwatch

The Fitbit Sense 2 is a smartwatch jam-packed with health and fitness tracking features, including an EDA sensor, stress tracking and on-board GPS. Plus, it looks beautiful.

Read more below

Best for runners

Best for runners

The Forerunner 265 is a stunning running watch with a bright, AMOLED screen. The watch comes in two different sizes and boasts an accurate GPS with advanced training and recovery metrics.

Read more below

Best Apple Watch

Best for iPhone users

The Apple Watch Series 9 is more than a fitness tracker. Its an extension of your iPhone on your wrist, but it additionally tracks sleep, workouts and even your menstrual cycle.

Read more below

Best ring

Best fitness tracker for sleep

In 2024, fitness trackers dont have to just be worn around your wrist. The Oura 3rd Generation looks like jewelry but is one of the best sleep and wellness trackers weve tested.

Read more below

The best fitness tracker overall

Heart rate monitor: Yes

GPS: Yes

Water resistance: 50 meters

Display: 1.04-inch AMOLED touchscreen

Weight: 1.1 ounces

On-board music: No

Mobile payments: Yes

Sleep tracking: Yes

Battery life: 7 days (smartwatch mode), 5 hours (GPS mode)

Support for Google Maps, Youtube Music and Google Wallet

Lightweight, slim design

Accurate heart rate sensor

Bright, crisp touchscreen

No support for Spotify

Some limitations in sports modes

The Fitbit Charge 6 is Fitbit's flagship fitness tracker, replacing the Fitbit Charge 5 in the brand's line-up of devices. It has several exciting updates compared to the Charge 5 the haptic side button is back, making it easier to navigate than before. Plus, you can now use the Charge 6 as a heart rate tracker when using NordicTrack, Peloton and Tonal gym equipment.

It's also the first Fitbit fitness tracker to get Google Maps, YouTube Music and Google Wallet. However, Charge 6 users will need a Google Account now.

Of course, you buy a fitness tracker to track your fitness, and the Charge 6 does a solid job of this. Built-in GPS lets users accurately track runs, hikes and bike rides outside. It also has more sports modes than the Charge 5, allowing you to mix up your training.

During testing, we were impressed by how comfortable the Charge 6 is around the wrist and how easy it is to read in the bright sunlight. Simply put, the Fitbit Charge 6 is one of the best fitness trackers for most people today.

The upgrades made on the Fitbit Charge 5, namely the re-addition of a side button and the Google apps, have made what was already a great fitness tracker even better, in our eyes.

Read our Fitbit Charge 6 review here.

The best value fitness tracker

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

Sleep tracking: Yes

Battery life: 10 days

Bright AMOLED screen

Lightweight and easy to wear

Excellent battery life

6 months of Fitbit Premium included

Small screen wont be for everyone

No on-board GPS

No third-party apps

The Fitbit Inspire 3 is the best value fitness tracker because it nails the basics: heart rate monitoring, accurate workout tracking and logging sleep stages. The fact that it doesn't have built-in GPS is slightly disappointing you can connect it to your phone's GPS but the Inspire 3 makes up for it with other features, such as Fitbit's inspiring (get it?) community of fitness-focused users. You can participate in challenges to out-pace friends, colleagues or even strangers.

For $100, you'll get Fitbit's Active Zone Minutes metric, ten days of battery life, touch controls, and, in the biggest update from the Fitbit Inspire 2, a bright, beautiful AMOLED screen. The Fitbit unit is only available in black but is sold with three different band colors black, lilac and morning glow. The wristband comes in two sizes: small and large.

During testing, we loved how lightweight and comfortable this little tracker was to wear for 24/7 health tracking. We also appreciated how much more premium the tracker feels with a color screen. It won't be for everyone, but if you're looking for an affordable fitness tracker, you can't go wrong with the Inspire 3.

The Fitbit Inspire 3 won Best Fitness Tracker in the 2023 Tom's Guide Fitness Awards because you get an awful lot for under $100, and we were impressed at how easy it was to use.

Read our full Fitbit Inspire 3 review here.

The best fitness tracker under $50

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

Affordable

Lightweight, comfortable design

Actionable sleep tracking insights

Display is hard to see in sunlight

No GPS

No third-party apps

The Amazfit Band 5 is a $50 fitness tracker that promises many of the marquee features found in more premium smartwatches but at a fraction of the price. It has blood oxygen (SpO2) readings, stress monitoring, high heart rate alerts, Amazon Alexa built-in, sleep tracking and several other tools found in pricier offerings.

In our testing, the fitness and sleep tracking on the Amazfit Band 5 were good, not great, but respectable for the low cost while still offering more than other ~$50 trackers. Better yet, the 15-day battery life meant we didn't need to worry about charging it all the time.

Read our full Amazfit Band 5 review.

The best fitness tracking smartwatch

Heart rate monitor: Yes

Read the original post:
Best fitness trackers 2024: Tested and rated - Tom's Guide

Related Posts

    Your Full Name

    Your Email

    Your Phone Number

    Select your age (30+ only)

    Select Your US State

    Program Choice

    Confirm over 30 years old

    Yes

    Confirm that you resident in USA

    Yes

    This is a Serious Inquiry

    Yes

    Message:



    matomo tracker