Pursuing a healthier lifestyle is a commitment that won’t always feel exciting. Adding a little bit of tech, like a smartwatch, can offer some motivation with some fitness tracker benefits. Modern smartwatches cover metrics that make it easier to track all your workout sessions and keep a closer eye on your vitals. The idea is to stay on track with your health and fitness goals, monitoring your progress on the watch and dedicated mobile app.
Of course, a smartwatch’s effectiveness as a fitness tool is dependent on the watch you choose. Some are better served as an extension of your phone, while others are closer to full-fledged fitness trackers. The smartwatches on this list are among the best models around, offering enhanced workout sessions with perks like GPS trackers, SpO2 sensors, heart-rate monitors, and more to track your fitness progress.
Get fit with these smartwatches
Samsung Galaxy Watch 6
Ready for some exercise
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 sports a powerful processor, the latest version of Wear OS, a hearty battery, and a durable build. It’s got plenty to be a dependable fitness tracker.
- Bigger and much brighter touchscreen
- Plenty of health and fitness tracking options
- Improving app support through Wear OS
- Limited hardware upgrades
- Most new software features are already rolling out to the Watch 5/4
- More expensive
If there’s truly a sweet spot between an excellent smartwatch and a quality fitness tracker, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 continues the trend. Right out of the box, it can track over 90 different exercises, ensuring there’s a way to track and measure even the most complicated fitness routine. And while Samsung Health lacks the in-depth metrics of Garmin Connect because it’s built on Wear OS, you can always introduce plenty of other third-party apps to mix things up.
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The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 doesn’t just track heart rate and location but also measures blood oxygen, heart rhythm, bioelectrical impedance, skin temperature, and even blood pressure in some regions. All of this adds up to a great all-rounder at a pretty reasonable price. But if you want to save a few bucks, consider the last-generation Samsung Galaxy Watch 5, which isn’t all that different.
Garmin Venu 3
The sporty alternative
The Garmin Venu 3 takes much of what its predecessors delivered and improves on them by mixing all the excellent activity tracking features with solid phone integration.
- Larger display
- Sleep Coach ramps up sleep tracking
- Plenty of tracking options for sports and fitness
- No dedicated home button
- Only comes in one size
Garmin’s slow roll to making a true smartwatch with broader appeal is coming into greater focus, as evidenced by how the Venu 3 straddles the line between fitness and lifestyle. The built-in speaker and microphone mean you can talk without touching your phone, including to your digital assistants straight from the wrist. Despite that, third-party app support still trails the likes of other Google Wear OS watches, but you could still find something pretty useful in the Garmin IQ store. Truth be told, the first reason you’d want to strap this on your wrist is for the deep fitness tracking features.
Garmin watches have long been the runner’s choice due to accurate GPS tracking and a bevy of options, like training regimens and workout routines, but the passive health features are just as good, like Body Battery and Fitness Age, among others. These features give you real feedback on how well you’re doing and where there might be room for improvement.
Improved and deeper sleep tracking will do the same every night, too. New ECG and skin temperature sensors can also look out for atrial fibrillation or skin temperature fluctuations.
Amazfit GTR 3 Pro
Sticking to the basics
The Amazfit GTR 3 Pro bridges the gap between budget-conscious and feature-rich. Even at its considerably lower price, the GTR 3 Pro offers a lot to the fitness-minded user. Though it’s light on apps, it’s heavy on sports modes and health sensors to keep you in tune with your overall health.
- Great battery life
- Built-in Alexa simplifies smart features
- Accurate tracking across multiple sensors and 150 sports modes
- Calorie tracker isn’t entirely reliable
- No ability to stream music
- Slim library of available apps
Don’t be shocked if you haven’t heard of the Amazfit brand before. It doesn’t quite have the brand recognition of Samsung and Apple, but it still holds its own in the smartwatch market. One of its shining features is its price, which is quite a bit lower than popular alternatives. Granted, there are some sacrifices, such as the lack of music streaming and a fairly bare-bones app store.
While the Amazfit stumbles a little as a feature-rich smartwatch, it really excels as a fitness wearable. Along with activity tracking and 150 sports modes, the GTR 3 Pro works with the Zepp PAI Health Assessment System app to provide blood oxygen, heart rate, stress level, and breathing rate readings. The 45-second measurements ping sensors for more accurate and frequent readings, so you can keep better track of your health while working out. While the temperature sensors and calorie tracker may not be 100% accurate, the other sensors align with real-time measurements, so you can be confident in the readouts.
With nearly a two-week battery life, you can keep up with your incoming notifications and track your fitness and health with limited charge interruptions.
Garmin Venu Sq 2
Still a Garmin, though
If you want the excellent fitness features that Garmin wearables provide, but can’t justify the expense of the Venu 3, then the Garmin Venu Sq 2 is a solid compromise. Yes, it loses the altimeter, gyroscope, and workout animations, but it will still be a valuable workout companion at a fraction of the price.
- Large screen
- Plenty of health and fitness tracking options
- Excellent battery life
- Not so good for lifestyle features
- No altimeter to track stairs or elevation
- No voice features for calls or assistants
If you want the excellent fitness features that Garmin wearables provide but can’t justify the expense of the Venu 3 or Venu 2 Plus, then the Garmin Venu Sq 2 is a solid compromise. Granted, you lose out on the altimeter, gyroscope, and workout animations, but it proves itself a valuable workout companion at a fraction of the price.
You may also like the 11 days of battery life, accurate fitness tracking, and brilliant Garmin Connect app, which includes all the stats you could ever want. The excellent Body Battery feature will tell you how prepared you are for a workout on any given day, making it extremely handy for those looking to build their fitness.
Fitbit Sense 2
Make Sense of your health and fitness
The Sense 2 is ideal for casual fitness seekers looking for a bit of guidance from a very intuitive app, along with sensors for temperature, stress, and blood oxygen levels. It tracks activity, offers breathing exercises, and has a week-long battery life. But Fitbit OS is a lot more limited than Wear OS, and Fitbit has also cut off other key features.
- Full-featured health tracking
- Google Maps and Wallet support
- Battery life is solid
- Made of aluminum, not stainless steel
- No third-party app support anymore
- More a fitness tracker than smartwatch
As a smartwatch, the Fitbit Sense 2 is only smart-ish, but you must admire Fitbit’s dedication to fitness and wellness. To that end, as well as packing the usual GPS and heart-rate sensors, the Fitbit Sense 2 can measure stress, blood oxygen, body temperature, and an irregular heartbeat via its ECG sensor.
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It’s able to track up to 40 exercises and has one of the most user-friendly apps around, clearly showing progress to beginners while encouraging friendly competition between friends and colleagues. Yes, some of the better features are pay-walled, but the watch comes with six months of Fitbit Premium, which isn’t bad at all. However, what is bad is the lost features from the previous generation: third-party apps have gone, there’s no music storage, and playback controls have also inexplicably vanished. There are signs it’s getting better — Google Wallet and Maps were recently added — but if you want a truly smart experience, you may want to look elsewhere.
Google Pixel Watch 2
Put all things Google on your wrist
Google revamped the Pixel Watch with its second iteration, the Pixel Watch 2. Fixing many of the original’s pitfalls, the Watch 2 enhances fitness and activity tracking to cater to the more health-conscious user. The sleek design is still a premium smartwatch, with all the bells and whistles expected of Google’s Pixel brand, like a long battery life and improved performance.
- 24-hour battery limits interruption during fitness tracking
- Sleep tracking gets an upgrade and helps drive data sets
- New processor improves response speed and performance
- Screen feels small for bezel size
- Relies heavily on Fitbit subscription for fitness tracking
- Calorie counter is a little off compared to other trackers
Physical redesigns, improved chipsets, and the latest wearable OS elevated the Pixel Watch series to impressive heights. Even with its bounty of improvements, though, the Google Pixel Watch 2 still relies on FitBit’s ecosystem for health and fitness management. Not that that’s a bad thing.
The multi-path heart rate sensor plays an integral role in the watch’s Stress Management score, which also pulls data from the quality of your sleep and activity. An improved workout UI also puts the most important information right up front, from distance traveled to updated heart rate. You’ll also have access to other measurements, like a calorie counter that serves as a fairly good estimate and guide more than a steadfast figure you should trust outright.
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None of this would really matter all that much if the Pixel Watch 2 had an awful battery, but quite the opposite is true. Google improved the original Pixel Watch’s battery life to a battery that will last for at least 24 hours, even with the always-on display active. That will dip a bit the more you use its fitness features, but you likely won’t wake up to a dead watch, even after a night of sleep tracking.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic
Getting back in rotation
Samsung brings back the physical rotating bezel in the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic version for more granular control over the watch and its functions. With Wear OS onboard, plus all the extras Samsung offers, there’s a lot to work with while wearing it.
- Strong performance
- That physical rotating bezel is easy to like
- Gorgeous display
- Very incremental improvement from previous gen
- Much more expensive than Galaxy Watch 6
After skipping it for a year, Samsung brought its vaunted physical rotating bezel back in the Watch 6 Classic, which only makes navigating the interface faster and more intuitive. It’s also officially the largest Samsung smartwatch — specifically the 47mm variant — though you can also go with the 43mm if you prefer. With a stainless steel body and a sapphire crystal glass screen, there’s a certain durability to the watch that builds trust in it withstanding some punishment.You can still track over 90 exercises, and with improved sleep tracking, you get some coaching to help you enjoy your slumber more every night.
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If you have a Samsung phone, you can use the Health Monitor and ECG apps to look for potential signs of atrial fibrillation (AFib). Body Composition gives you a more holistic look at where you stand. Plus, Wear OS gives you apps, including the likes of Google Maps, Samsung Wallet, and more.
Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 5
No need to charge all the time
The Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 5 is a versatile smartwatch with a solid mix of features and software that helps it stand out from others. Its unique dual-layer display is a battery-saving measure that proves useful in everyday use as well.
- Incredible battery life
- Rotating crown adds navigation convenience
- Dual-layer display proves super useful
- Mobvoi Health app needs streamlining
- Iffy sleep tracking
- Google Assistant still remains silent
If you want a long battery life without the high price tag, the Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 5 is worth a look. The 628mAh battery should easily give you three or four days of use, which isn’t all that common on Wear OS devices, but very welcome. That use of Wear OS means it’s an excellent and flexible smartwatch, but how is it for fitness tracking?
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Not bad at all, with roughly a dozen workouts tracked from within the TicExercise app via the included heart rate and GPS trackers. It’ll measure blood oxygen levels via the built-in SpO2 sensor, too. It doesn’t feel as polished as other Wear OS wearables, and it’s undeniably bulky on smaller wrists, but the TicWatch Pro 5 packs a lot in for what it costs.
Apple Watch Ultra 2
Got an iPhone? Try this on for size
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is easily the most rugged smartwatch by the brand, and it offers a wide array of features, led by a bright screen and new chipset. There’s a slew of pro-grade specs to go with a deep software experience that will keep you honest as you work toward your goals.
- Rugged titanium body and tough glass
- Plenty of fitness and exercise tracking features
- Emergency SOS and Crash Detection could be lifesavers
- Highly incremental over previous version
- Only works with iOS
- Very pricey
The Watch Ultra 2 is Apple’s toughest smartwatch by far. With a titanium body flush against rugged glass to protect the screen, it’s built to handle whatever adventurous pursuit you have in mind. It’s also super bright, clocking in at 3,000 nits peak brightness for a much easier time seeing it in the bright sun. When it gets dark, it can drop to a single nit of brightness, preserving battery life (up to 36 hours) in the process. And with all that, Apple still used 95% recycled materials for the watch’s casing.
It runs on Apple’s faster S9 chipset, which enables new features like Double Tap, where you tap your index finger with your thumb twice to access certain features without even touching the watch. Then there’s offline Siri support like that already available on the iPhone, where you can talk to the assistant without an Internet connection. All that comes on top of the plethora of exercise and health tracking readily available through the Watch Ultra 2.
Coros Apex 2 Pro
A runner’s best friend
The Coros Apex 2 Pro is a fitness tracker first and a smartwatch second, though it excels at both. You may have to make some concessions to enjoy the many activity and health-tracking options available, but nothing that will impede the user experience.
- Accurate sensors keep you on top of fitness goals
- Surprisingly good battery life
- Durable construction will withstand most activities
- Sleek but lackluster design
- Requires companion app to access all features
- App caters more to runners
The utilitarian watch is designed to go with you on your grandest adventures, with a rugged loop nylon band that will stand up to the elements. The Apex 2 Pro features a pretty impressive battery life, rated for approximately 75 hours when using the built-in GPS mode. Of course, if you start blasting music stored on the device or making use of the different sensors, that will drop. Still, it’s a wonderful start for something you’ll be out in the wild with.
Before worrying too much about the smartwatch features, consider that the Apex 2 Pro has a heart rate, HRV, and ECG sensor. As you get in your daily or weekly workout, the device will capture data that’s retrievable on the easy-to-navigate companion app. It’s similar in concept to a Fitbit but built a little more resilient. The Coros Apex 2 Pro does require a companion app, and you will need to keep your smartphone around. However, it’s never billed as a mobile device replacement, and its suite of on-device features is abundant enough that you won’t be shuffling through your phone often.
The best balance of smartwatch and fitness tracker
It’s great to have good choices when you have to drop hundreds of dollars on a new wearable. You don’t want a low-quality option just because it’s all that’s available, so with the best smartwatches, there are plenty of top-rated options that serve as wonderful alternatives to limiting fitness wearables. The question is, which serves your needs and budget best?
Do you want something that practically checks off all the necessary boxes? Then the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 should be on your radar. The Galaxy Watch 6, a feature-rich option that won’t disappoint, blends the brilliance of Samsung’s Galaxy brand with the convenience of a stocked wearable. Whether you need to keep up with daily text, phone, and email notifications; turn to Google Assistant to make your tasks more manageable; or achieve specific fitness goals, the Galaxy Watch 6 is a fantastic companion.
The Garmin Venu 3 sits at the higher end of the price spectrum and is the premium pick for several reasons. A large display puts all the necessary readings front and center, whether you’re tracking your latest run or checking your sleep stats from the night before. The Venu 3 includes a built-in speaker and microphone to give that smartwatch experience and an ECG sensor that really ups the value of this fitness-focused smartwatch, making it difficult to pass up.
And yet, you don’t have to spend a lot to get a good fitness smartwatch, and that’s where the Amazfit GTR 3 Pro stands out as the value pick. Despite being affordable, Amazfit’s upgrade to its GTR 3, which previously held the same spot on this list, can stand up to some of the bigger names. Its app store may be lacking, but the GTR 3 Pro still offers many of the same features, from an extensive library of activities to track to standard smartphone notifications.
Whether you’re loyal to Apple, Samsung, Garmin, or Fitbit or are just looking for the best value, there’s a smartwatch that should suit your fitness-minded needs.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 6
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 sports a powerful processor, the latest version of Wear OS, a hearty battery, and a durable build. It’s got plenty to be a dependable fitness tracker.
