Overwhelmed by all the choices? Don’t worry – we’ve listed all the specs with each device to help you decide if it’s worth buying for you. These are the main ones to pay attention to.
Fitness monitoring
Should you require fitness tracking from your fitness tracker? Go figure it out. But it’s not quite that simple. The least you should expect from modern devices is accurate data on the number of steps, distance traveled, total sleep and heart rate, as well as estimated calorie consumption.
Some fitness watches will go further and offer in-depth insight into your sleep, including how long you spend in light, heavy and rapid eye movement (REM) stages, and some can show what heart rate zone you were in at different times during exercise.
Water resistance
The popularity of open water swimming has surpassed that of banana bread during quarantine, and the health trend has lasted much longer than its carb counterpart.
If you want to record your swimming, you’ll need a fitness watch that’s waterproof. If you prefer the pool to the lake or the sea and want a little more information about your time in the water, some models can track distance traveled and how long you’ve swam, while others can automatically detect what stroke you’ve been using.
Battery life
Many of today’s fitness trackers will last several days on a full charge, but models equipped with smart features, such as the Apple Series 8, will need to be charged more often.
For those of you who are a bit forgetful, many models have energy-saving algorithms and can last all day after just a five-minute charge. Not bad!
Smartphone notifications
An untimely notification can throw a spanner in the works of any good workout, with the overwhelming urge to check your phone turning a short break between hip movements into a social media scrolling session. Fortunately, many sports watches can sync with smartphones, displaying calls and messages as they arrive. In this way, you are saved from falling into the Instagram hole.
applications
Fitness trackers will sync with your smartphone to display your key health data in the app. While some will just provide an easy-to-read alternative to your fitness watch screen, others will offer additional features such as the ability to log what you eat.
The Fitbit products featured in this list come with 12 months of free access to Fitbit Premium, which normally costs £7.99 per month. The brand describes it as a resource that can provide guided programs and exercise regimens to help you ‘stay active, sleep well, manage stress and more.’