Best fitness trackers 2026, tested by an avid exerciser

I tested the Oura ring gen personalized fitness coaching 4 for three months to get a clear picture of how the technology tracked my biomarkers and how it supported me with my daily wellbeing and longer-term health goals. I considered battery life, design and comfort, in-app experience, special features, and data and privacy. You can read a detailed overview of my testing criteria at the end of the article.

Google’s smartwatch tracks a variety of health metrics, including exercise, heart rate, blood oxygen, ECG, skin temperature, and sleep. Some of these features have been improved over previous versions to be more accurate, including the skin temperature sensor, sleep tracking, and automatic activity detection. It also comes with dual-frequency GPS (for better route tracking on hikes and in the city) and SOS satellite communications (on the LTE model). All of the data tracked on the Pixel Watch 4 syncs to the Fitbit app, which we found to be more intuitive to use than companion apps we’ve used with other smartwatches.

Most stylish wearable

Some trackers were also given to consumer testers, who provided qualitative feedback that called out specific features they appreciated, like a watch’s sleep score or reminders to stand and stretch throughout the day. To find the best fitness trackers for women, the engineers and product analysts in the Good Housekeeping Institute Media & Tech Lab considered the performance of 26 trackers in our tests in recent years. Our pros continuously test new models and iterations of fitness watches as they’re released to ensure our recommendations are up to date and well-informed.

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Then there’s the classic Fitbit, which keeps you focused on the most important metrics. And more recently, smart rings like the Samsung Galaxy Ring and Oura Ring give you round-the-clock health monitoring. If fitness is your top priority, it’s worth considering brands like Garmin, Fitbit, or COROS, all of which are known for their health-first approach. These fitness-focused watches skip the extra, battery-draining apps in favor of features that actually support your training. You’ll get daily workout suggestions, recovery insights, and tools that help you improve over time. By comparison, most lifestyle smartwatches simply remind you to close your rings or hit step goals without offering much deeper guidance.

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For data like sleep duration and time fallen asleep, the Band 10 held up well against two other sleep trackers. For additional data like the attempts to analyse sleep, the presentation is a bit messy. There are plenty of additional sports watch-style metrics like VO2 Max estimates, as well as training load insights and recovery time recommendations. While I’d take them more as guidance rather than definitive advice, the delivery of the metrics on the watch is nicely done. Sports tracking is an area where Xiaomi tries to improve the Band’s abilities. You still have connected GPS to use your phone’s GPS signal to track outdoor workouts.

Health Tracking

• Juice bars are popping up, boutique studios are becoming more accessible, and essential oils are chilling us out.
• The upgrades don’t justify spending $350 on the Enduro when the TicWatch Pro 5 is often on sale for $75 to $125.
• Personally, I make a lot of calls during my commute, use Spotify frequently, and need the AllTrails app to guide my hiking routes without having to use my phone.
• The battery life is much improved and now beats many fitness watches with up to 14 days on a charge.
• I rated each one on its accuracy (comparing to my other trusty fitness trackers), how easy the data was to read and how easy it was to use.
• As I had the tracker on for 24 hours a day, I was also able to see sleep data in the app, learning about my sleep time, deep sleep, light sleep and overall sleep quality.

While it’s not the best-looking or most feature-rich tracker, the Amazfit was accurate across heart rate, activity and sleep tracking. For sleep specifically, it proved to be precise with metrics like time spent in bed and minutes spent awake. Of course, like all fitness trackers, it also elicited feelings of guilt after any alcohol or late nights. These wearables want you to stick to your routine, maintain a streak, and not deviate from the plan. But to err is human, and it’s worth remembering that you’re allowed to have a night off from being the picture of health once in a while — especially during festival and wedding season.

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What really matters is having a device that acts like a personal health and fitness coach, guiding your workouts, tracking your progress, and helping you stay on top of your goals. A great fitness smartwatch should do all that; the best ones make it feel effortless. Even though Zepp OS is limited, it’s very easy to use and understand, and its simplicity helps the watch last for two weeks per charge (or one with heavy use). The Amazfit Balance 2 pushes even closer to Wear OS territory, offering features such as Bluetooth calling through its built-in speaker and microphone. It also supports smart replies with a full QWERTY keyboard, making it easier to respond on the go. You’ll find a solid mix of built-in apps, including NFC for payments via Zepp Pay.

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To charge the Whoop, you charge its battery pack separately and then can slide it onto the device while you’re still wearing it to add juice, so you don’t even have to miss a minute of data. The Ultra is designed specifically with athletes and adventurers in mind. It’s also designed to be much more durable than other models, as it has a titanium case and a display made from sapphire crystal (which Apple says is one of the strongest naturally occurring metals on Earth). It’s also said to have a better-than-average GPS, so your data won’t be as affected when running in urban areas where there are a lot of tall buildings. When looking at the other models, I would say the biggest draw of this one is that you get a much better battery life for just a little more money than the SE (considering that it’s on sale right now).

Best Apple fitness tracker

I often wear multiple fitness trackers at the same time to compare data like heart rate, average pace, mileage, elevation and sleep score, incorporating external heart rate monitors when appropriate. If you’re mainly focused on tracking your health and fitness metrics (e.g., heart rate, distance, blood oxygen, activity and recovery) and are on a particular budget, a dedicated fitness tracker is best for you. Because they have fewer features than smartwatches, they also tend to have a lighter and/or smaller build.

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But that lightweight design is incredibly comfortable to wear, compact but easy to read on the move and avoids looking cheap. The square-faced design resembles the Apple Watch, as does the interface and some features, including a remake of Apple’s highly motivating Activity Rings. Fitness tracking includes over 100 sport modes, with watersports, diving (up to 40m), golf, trail running and even laser tag. There are guided fitness animations for warm-ups across seven workouts, AI running plans and offline mapping, route guidance and off-course alerts. Amazfit’s second-gen affordable fitness tracker swaps a square Apple-style face for a circular stainless steel design that resembles a more classic watch.

Withings Steel HR Hybrid Smartwatch

This watch comes with GPS and Cellular, so you can call, text, and scroll without needing your phone nearby. This way, you don’t need to bring your phone and your watch on long runs or walks — and lots of stuff you would use your phone for defaults to your wrist instead. The sleep tracking of the Xiaomi Smart Band 10 is extensive when the extended monitoring is activated. Sleep time is displayed on a timeline and broken down into deep, light, and REM sleep. The Xiaomi Smart Band 10 can measure heart rate and blood oxygen saturation. You can choose between smart – the software determines the frequency -, every minute, every 10 minutes, or every 30 minutes.