Ultimate guide to buying the best fitness trackers
- jan
- 22
All of the technology in our lives serves many different purposes, one of which is aiding us in living a healthier, happier life. Fitness trackers are excellent tools for keeping tabs on your physical activity throughout the day, and whether you're trying to lose weight or just want to move more throughout the day, it's a great idea to start using one if you aren't already. Here are our favorites as of 2019.
Ultimate fitness band
Fitbit Charge 3
Fitness bands are Fitbit's bread and butter, and the Charge 3 is the best one the company's released yet. It has a sleek, lightweight design that's fully waterproof, offers 24/7 heart-rate tracking, in-depth sleep monitoring, and more with a battery that's rated to last up to seven days on a single charge.
Cheapest you can get
LETSCOM Fitness Tracker
Fitness trackers are great, but if you don't feel like spending $150-$200, your options are pretty limited. Thankfully, LETSCOM actually makes a really solid budget tracker that'll set you back just $30. It has heart-rate and sleep monitoring, all-day activity tracking, 14 different exercise modes, and shows notifications from your phone.
Fitness watch
Garmin Vivoactive 3
Want to take your fitness tracking to the next level? Check out the Garmin Vivoactive 3. Not only does it track your steps, calories, miles, and more, but it presents all of the data it collects on a gorgeous color touchscreen display. The Vivoactive 3 can also monitor your stress levels, has up to 7 days of battery life, and supports contactless payments via Garmin Pay.
Does it all
Fitbit Ionic
Without a doubt, the Ionic is the most powerful device in Fitbit's entire lineup. It tracks all of the fitness data you'd expect, has a battery that lasts between 5 and 10 days on a single charge, built-in GPS for mapping your runs without needing to be connected to your phone, sleep tracking, Fitbit Pay, on-screen workouts, and so much more.
Smart ring
Motiv Ring
The Motiv Ring might look like a generic ring at first glance, but it's so much more than that. This is a fully-fledged fitness tracker that keeps tabs of your steps, distance, calories, heart-rate, and sleep in a durable and waterproof design that's rated to last up to three days on one charge. Even better, you can also use the Motiv Ring as a physical key for two-factor authentication.
Year-long battery
Garmin Vivofit 4
Yep, you read that right. The Garmin Vivofit 4 has a battery that lasts for over a year. That means you can wear and use it as much as you'd like without ever having to worry about throwing it on a charger. Along with legendary battery life, the Vivofit 4 also has robust fitness tracking, a color display, and it's swimproof.
A hybrid option
Withings/Nokia Steel HR
Don't like the look of fitness bands but also don't want a smartwatch? The Steel HR is a hybrid watch that's capable of full fitness tracking yet has the design of a normal watch. Its battery can last for up to 25 days on one charge, it can track over 30 different exercises, and it can be submerged up to 50 meters in water. There's also a heart-rate monitor and support for smartphone notifications!
Fitbit's best smartwatch
Fitbit Versa
The Ionic may be Fitbit's most powerful smartwatch, but the Versa is our favorite. Its design is sleek, lightweight, and looks equally fantastic with a sport or leather band. The touchscreen display is great, you can get four days of use in between charges, and you can get guided workouts right on the watch itself. The Special Edition version even has Fitbit Pay!
The premium choice
Apple Watch Series 4
If you're shopping for a fitness tracker in 2019, you owe it to yourself to at least consider the Apple Watch Series 4. Yes, it's more expensive than anything else on this list, but it has a robust fitness tracking platform, continuous heart-rate monitoring, is waterproof, and even comes equipped with an ECG feature to detect unusual patterns with your heartbeat. We're not even kidding, this could save your life.
Out of all these fitness trackers, which one should you get? If you want something in the fitness band form factor, the Fitbit Charge 3 is one of the best options right now. It's built incredibly well, has great battery life, and connects you to Fitbit's phenomenal health/fitness platform. Additionally, if you have the means to afford it, we'll never not recommend the Apple Watch Series 4 to someone that's trying to live a healthier life.