BEST IN TECH TRACKERS & WATCHES (2024)

FAQs

Which trackers are the most accurate? ›

Garmin's Vivomove Sport Watch is our top overall pick for its accuracy, comfort, ease of use, and so much more. Whether we're tracking our step count, calories burned, or time spent sleeping, we find the metrics to be spot on. The smart device doesn't stop there.

Fitness trackers usually prioritise functionality over style, with simpler designs that focus on tracking health metrics like steps, heart rate, and sleep. Smartwatches, on the other hand, often come with more stylish and eye-catching designs that can easily be customised to match your style.

While we preferred Fitbit to track workouts and steps, Garmin was better for walks and runs, since it's known for its GPS accuracy and its ability to help with pacing within the app. It even provides trails or loops you can follow in most cities.

Four Best AirTag Alternatives: Tile Trackers for iOS and Android. While many options are available, the four best AirTag Alternatives include the Tile Pro, Tile Mate, Tile Slim, and Tile Sticker. In addition to being a great alternative, Tile is also compatible with the Life360 app.

“Fitness trackers are a great tool for heart health,” says Johns Hopkins cardiologist Seth Martin, M.D., M.H.S. “Being more active and changing your habits is important, but it can be difficult. Tracking likely helps a lot of people when combined with a clear goal to shoot for.”

Fitbit is a great health tool, while Garmin offers products with advanced fitness features. Garmin trackers have a traditional watch look, whereas Fitbit trackers are more sleek and discreet. When choosing which brand to buy from, consider price, ease of use, and features each product offers.

Generally speaking, smartwatches are more technology-packed and therefore more capable than fitness trackers. Think of them as a complementary device to your smartphone—models like the Apple Watch 9 and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 can do many of the same tasks their smartphone counterparts can.

Fitness trackers tend to have fewer features than smartwatches, but they're more effective if you're mostly concerned about your health.

Basic functionality like giving you the time and date is still included, but fitness trackers are typically meant exclusively as a tool to promote a healthy lifestyle. While a smartwatch can serve as a useful companion while staying active, the watch also includes a broader range of convenient features.

Is Fitbit being discontinued? ›

We are no longer selling Fitbit products in select countries—but don't worry! We will continue to sell Fitbit products through select retail partners and support you and the devices you currently own with software releases, security updates, warranty fulfillment, and access to customer service.

“Fitness trackers are typically pretty accurate at measuring steps and minutes of physical activity, and physical activity intensity. These trackers are designed to measure movement, and they do a pretty good job of quantifying movement behaviors, so relying on them for those types of measurements is OK,” Creasy said.

If you are big into outdoor exercise, a Garmin is probably the better pick. Its watches have deeper fitness features, and we find the stat accuracy level to be notably higher for aspects like heart rate.

Qualified services may achieve a precision of down to 50 meters in urban areas where mobile traffic and density of antenna towers (base stations) is sufficiently high. Rural and desolate areas may see miles between base stations and therefore determine locations less precisely.