The best fitness tracker and hybrid smartwatch. The Fitbit Charge 5, an elegant and feature-packed activity tracker, records a variety of activities precisely and automatically, offers an integrated GPS and has an application that makes it easy to use and customize. When it comes to swimming, biking and running, Garmin is the undisputed winner. Garmin is the largest manufacturer of sports-specific watches and the second most popular smartwatch, only behind Apple.
More than 85% of the runners and triathletes we surveyed use Garmin and we highly recommend a Garmin watch. The rest of the basic health and fitness functions are as precise as you would expect from one of the best Garmin watches. With a declared (and confirmed) battery life of 45 hours in GPS-only mode, this watch cannot be touched by watches of the same size in terms of durability. It's available in 41 mm and 45 mm body sizes, and has a more active screen area than the second-generation Apple Watch SE and watches released before Series 7.The Apple Watch Series 8 includes two temperature sensors for more advanced period tracking, a blood oxygen sensor and electrocardiogram hardware, all of which are missing from the cheaper second-generation Apple Watch SE.
GPS is not the only thing that exists when it comes to satellite navigation systems, and many new fitness watches are integrating other global systems to increase the fidelity of their location technologies. Today's fitness watches can record just about any activity imaginable, from running to indoor rock climbing and even surfing. As Garmin is the largest company of fitness watches, it has the broadest and strongest sports-specific ecosystem. In terms of design, the 745 finds a perfect balance between size, weight and materials, and easily becomes the most feature-rich fitness watch of the year.
Whether you're buying your first Apple Watch or upgrading a version from a few years ago, the Apple Watch Series 8 is the model most people should choose. However, the Pixel is an especially nice watch and the essence of the fitness tracking experience is Fitbit, which means that the data itself is very accurate and powerful (you'll still have to pay for a Fitbit Premium subscription). We also like that Apple Watch allows you to easily make contactless payments with Apple Pay, and if you have a Mac, you can unlock your computer just by approaching it with your Apple Watch. Fitness trackers work the least and only record health and fitness metrics, such as rest and variable heart rate, sleep patterns and steps.
People tend to keep their Apple Watches for years and, with good reason, it's by far the best fitness tracker if you have an iPhone.
