The ten finest health trackers in 2024

Health trackers have come a great distance from the easy bands that tracked steps and little else. Fashionable trackers can monitor every little thing out of your coronary heart well being to how nicely you’ve recovered from a tough bout of coaching. Even flagship smartwatches, which was once lackluster trackers, have grow to be fairly adept exercise companions. No matter your health objectives are, there’s in all probability a health tracker that may make it easier to obtain them.

In comparison with another devices, wearables are extremely private, which implies there are a couple of additional issues you’ll need to bear in mind earlier than reaching to your pockets. It makes it exhausting to say that anyone health tracker is the perfect for everybody. Fortunately, the perfect factor about health trackers in 2024 is that there’s sufficient selection to suit into each type of way of life. 

Proper now, we’re heading into the vacation buying season. A little bit persistence goes a great distance this time of yr. Retailers and corporations alike will likely be attempting to do away with previous inventory, that means reductions galore forward of Black Friday. For those who don’t want the most recent and best, it’s time to snag final yr’s fashions in nicer supplies.

Dimension: 46mm w/ 22mm straps / Weight: 34g / Battery life: As much as 14 days / Show sort: OLED touchscreen / GPS: Twin-frequency and 6 GNSS techniques / Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi / Water resistance: 5ATM / Music storage: 2.3GB

The Amazfit GTR 4 punches manner above its weight. It features a complete array of options you’d anticipate to see on a lot pricier wearables, like a vibrant OLED display, blood oxygen monitoring, sleep stage monitoring, stress monitoring, Amazon Alexa compatibility, and an offline digital assistant. It’s additionally bought a local digicam distant and a useful Pomodoro timer inbuilt. And for out of doors health fans, the GTR 4 additionally has multiband GPS for extra correct GPS monitoring in difficult environments. You’ll be able to even import GPX routes from websites like Strava and Komoot. The GTR 4 takes a extra holistic method to well being, buying and selling in steps for PAI factors to gauge whether or not you’re getting the beneficial 150 minutes of reasonable exercise per week.

For sensible options, the GTR 4 has all of the fundamentals: push notifications, fast textual content replies on Android, alarms, timers, and the power to make and take calls over Bluetooth. The one factor the GTR 4 is absolutely lacking is contactless funds, but it surely greater than makes up for it, given the expansive characteristic set and battery life. It lasts about 10–14 days on a single cost with regular use and a few week with heavy utilization. It could not have the model recognition of a Fitbit, however since Google nerfed each the Versa 4 and Sense 2 final yr, you may need to overlook that. Plus, the GTR 4 doesn’t have thick bezels like both of these watches. Watchfaces on the OLED show are crisp, and animations are clean. When you think about that Amazfit watches are sometimes on sale, it’s a no brainer.

Learn my full evaluate of the Amazfit GTR 4 right here.

Sizes: 40mm w/20mm straps / Weight: 38g / Battery life: As much as 11 days / Show sort: OLED touchscreen / GPS: All-systems GNSS / Connectivity: Bluetooth, Ant Plus / Water resistance: 5ATM / Music storage: 4GB (for Music Version)

The $250 Garmin Venu Sq 2 is the watch I like to recommend for anybody seeking to exchange their getting old Fitbit Versa 2, 3, or 4. It’s bought an identical look and vibe, with a a lot nicer OLED show and longer battery life.

Garmin is thought for its complete health monitoring, and that’s not an exception right here. In fact, you get the fundamentals, like steps and energy burned, however you get a complete lot extra, too. There’s built-in GPS for monitoring walks, runs, and bike rides, in addition to loads of different sports activities profiles like yoga and power coaching. For sensible options, you get push notifications, timers, contactless funds, and a bunch of security options like Garmin’s Incident Detection, which is its tackle fall detection. (You will have to hold your telephone with you, nevertheless, as this doesn’t have LTE.)

If you’d like the choice of onboard music, you’ll be able to shell out $50 additional for the Music Version, which comes with sufficient storage for about 500 songs. I wouldn’t advocate it, nevertheless, as you’ll almost definitely have your telephone on you since this isn’t a real standalone watch.

What I like most about this watch, nevertheless, is it’s one that you may develop with. On prime of restoration metrics and sleep monitoring, it additionally has Garmin Coach — a built-in, free coaching program for newbie and intermediate-level runners hoping to deal with a 5K, 10K, or half marathon. For well being monitoring, you’ll be able to monitor coronary heart fee, blood oxygen, depth minutes (what number of minutes of reasonable train you get per week), stress, hydration, respiratory fee, and menstrual cycles. And the perfect half is Garmin doesn’t lock any of this behind a paywall.

One word: there’s a Venu 3, which provides a more moderen coronary heart fee sensor and nap detection. I appreciated it fairly a bit, and it ticks off plenty of the precise bins — aside from worth. It’s $450, which places it exterior what I’d think about excellent for informal customers. The opposite possibility is Garmin’s Forerunner 165 — it’s a $249 finances coaching watch that’s fairly just like the Venu Sq 2 feature-wise, albeit with a sportier vibe. Mainly, go together with what you discover on sale. I firmly imagine older fashions are nonetheless a good selection if all you need is the fitness-tracking fundamentals. That is very true since newer software program updates typically make their strategy to older Garmins. Garmin customers additionally have a tendency to hold onto their gadget for whereas. Strava’s 2023 year-end survey discovered that the most well-liked smartwatch amongst its customers was an eight-year-old Garmin!

Learn my full evaluate of the Garmin Venu Sq 2.

Sizes: 7S Professional: 42mm w/20mm straps, 7: 47mm w/22mm straps, 7X: 51mm w/26mm straps / Weight: 7S Professional: 63g (Photo voltaic), 58g or 65g (Sapphire Photo voltaic, titanium or chrome steel) 7: 79g (Photo voltaic), 73g (Sapphire Photo voltaic) 7X: 96g (Photo voltaic), 89g (Sapphire Photo voltaic) / Battery life: 7S: as much as 11 days, 14 w/ Photo voltaic, 7: as much as 18 days, 22 days w/ photo voltaic, 7X: as much as 28 days, 37 w/photo voltaic / Show sort: MIP touchscreen / GPS: All-systems GNSS and dual-frequency GPS / Connectivity: Bluetooth, Ant Plus, Wi-Fi / Water resistance: 10ATM / Music storage: As much as 32GB

Garmin’s flagship Fenix 7 collection is not any joke, and the Fenix 7 Professional lineup takes it up a notch. It’s bought built-in multiband GPS, photo voltaic charging on all fashions, the choice of touchscreen or button navigation, topographical maps, and oodles upon oodles of information. Plus, each Fenix 7 Professional mannequin has a hands-free LED flashlight, an upgraded coronary heart fee sensor, and an improved memory-in-pixel show that’s barely simpler to learn in low lighting.

Garmin wearables are additionally recognized for offering intensive, in-depth metrics, and the Fenix 7 Professional lineup is not any exception. You get wonderful restoration metrics, in addition to useful coaching guides and training applications. The perfect half is Garmin doesn’t cost additional for these options. That’s excellent news, as these are costly watches.

I recognize how rapidly these Fenix 7 watches are in a position to decide up a GPS sign. That’s a should in the event you’re coaching within the lifeless of winter. These watches may also take a beating. All fashions are constructed to military-grade requirements and have as much as 10 ATM of water resistance. Meaning they’re greater than able to a dunk within the ocean.

Though the display is brighter, MIP shows nonetheless aren’t my absolute favourite — the OLED on the Garmin Epix 2 and the Epix Professional are rather a lot simpler on the eyes. It’s admittedly powerful to choose between the Fenix 7, Fenix 7 Professional, Epix 2, and Epix Professional lineups — particularly now that the Epix Professional additionally has nice battery life, the LED flashlight, and now is available in a number of sizes. What it boils all the way down to is whether or not you prioritize a brighter show, longer battery life, or worth.

Personally, I favor the Epix Professional for higher readability, however the Fenix 7 Professional is the higher selection if that is your first introduction to Garmin’s platform. You’ll get higher battery life, the identical LED flashlight, all the identical coaching options, and a decrease beginning worth. (You may as well try our Garmin shopping for information in the event you’d like much more alternate options.)

Technically, there’s a brand new Fenix 8 collection on the block. That stated, I nonetheless assume the usual Fenix 7 lineup is an efficient selection, particularly given how costly the brand new Fenix 8 is. We’re nonetheless reviewing it, however the principle updates over the Fenix 7 lineup are “smarter” options like a voice assistant. If that’s not a priority, an older mannequin is perhaps friendlier to your finances — particularly as retailers are likely to low cost older inventory across the vacation season.

Learn my full evaluate of the Garmin Fenix 7S Professional.

Sizes: 8 proprietary sizes, 6-13, sizing package wanted / Weight: 4–6g (depends upon measurement) / Battery life: As much as 7 days / Show sort: None / GPS: None / Connectivity: Bluetooth / Water resistance: As much as 328 ft / Music storage: None

The overwhelming majority of health trackers are worn on the wrist, however the $299 Oura Ring isn’t. The sensible ring is an efficient possibility for people who find themselves on the lookout for one thing slightly extra discreet. It’s additionally much less distracting than another wrist-based choices, because it lacks a display and doesn’t mirror push notifications out of your telephone. 

Whereas smaller than your common wearable, the Oura Ring nonetheless tracks a ton of metrics, together with coronary heart fee variability and physique temperature. The third iteration of the gadget additionally introduces SpO2 sensors, in addition to all-day coronary heart fee monitoring and interval predictions. Since launching, the Oura Ring has additionally added exercise monitoring, blood oxygen ranges, chronotypes to assist visualize your circadian rhythms, and a brand new social characteristic known as Circles. It’s additionally begun rolling out a complete new sleep phases algorithm that it claims is extra correct than earlier than. For those who’re on the lookout for some stress aid, the Oura Ring additionally helps you to observe guided meditation classes. 

The Oura Ring tracks typical metrics — equivalent to steps and energy burned —  however its principal focus is sleep and restoration. Every day, you’re given three units of scores to your readiness, sleep, and exercise. It’s a easy, holistic have a look at your total wellness and a super decide if you would like a extra hands-off expertise together with your information.

For those who’ve bought a Samsung Galaxy Watch, you could need to think about the $399.99 Galaxy Ring. It’s a bit costlier than the bottom Oura Ring, but it surely doesn’t include a subscription, and also you get a lot better battery life when used with the Galaxy Watch. The {hardware} can also be wonderful, particularly the charging case. That stated, that is solely an possibility for Android customers, and even then, you don’t actually unlock its full potential except you’ve bought different Samsung gear.

You won’t need to purchase at this actual second, nevertheless. Android Authority noticed some certification filings for a possible Gen 4 mannequin earlier this summer time. Firms normally do that when a brand new launch is imminent. If one thing new is within the works, it’s seemingly Oura will launch it earlier than Black Friday. So, it’s time to carry out in the event you can wait.

Learn my full evaluate of the Oura Ring (Gen 3).

Dimension: 42mm x 24mm x 12.2mm with 16mm straps / Weight: 28g / Battery life: As much as 18 days / Show sort: OLED / GPS: Tethered / Connectivity: Bluetooth / Water resistance: 5ATM / Music storage: None

It’s actually exhausting to beat the Amazfit Band 7’s $49.99 worth — doubly so since you’ll be able to typically discover it on sale for even much less. Carrying the Band 7 seems like a throwback to 2014, which is nice if all you’re on the lookout for is a straightforward and informal tracker that received’t break the financial institution.

Nobody goes to go with you on the Band 7’s design, but it surely’s bought a handful of cute watchfaces that make good use of its OLED touchscreen. And regardless of having an OLED show, you’ll nonetheless get roughly 14 days of battery life on a single cost. It’s additionally extremely light-weight, making it possibility for sleep monitoring as nicely.

You additionally get an absurd variety of options for the worth. That features Amazon Alexa, steady coronary heart fee monitoring, blood oxygen monitoring, stress monitoring, superior sleep monitoring, coaching metrics like VO2 max and cargo, irregular coronary heart fee alerts, menstrual monitoring, push notifications, discover my telephone, a digicam distant, and even a Pomodoro timer. You’re sacrificing contactless funds and must accept tethered GPS, however this can be a honest tradeoff contemplating every little thing else you’re getting. It’s not the best choice for hardcore health monitoring, however this can be a nice possibility if all you’re seeking to do is casually observe exercise and your steps.

Amazfit’s been making surprisingly good finances trackers for some time. That stated, in the event you’re slightly cautious of a lesser-known model, the $159.95 Fitbit Cost 6 is an honest different. It’s pricier, however you get plenty of what Amazfit is lacking. That features Google providers like YouTube Music, Google Pockets, and Google Maps. Plus, it has built-in GPS and the power to broadcast your coronary heart fee with some Bluetooth-compatible health club tools.

Learn my full evaluate of the Amazfit Band 7.

Sizes: 37mm with 18mm straps / Weight: 45g / Battery life: As much as 39 days / Show sort:  OLED show / GPS: Tethered GPS / Connectivity: Bluetooth / Water resistance: 5ATM / Music storage: N/A

The $249.95 Withings ScanWatch Gentle is a fetching hybrid analog smartwatch. Consider it as a dressier health band with some Swatch-like design sensibilities. It’s bought all of your fundamentals like easy push notifications, timers, and alarms. Plus, you’ll be able to observe steps, sleep, menstrual cycles, and GPS actions straight from the wrist. It seems to be spiffy on the wrist, and in the event you like a pop of coloration, Withings provides minty inexperienced and pale blue coloration choices. It’s additionally bought wonderful battery life, with an estimated 30 days on a single cost. I bought rather less in testing at round 25 days, however that’s nonetheless a lot better than the overwhelming majority of flagship smartwatches. This additionally seems to be far more fashionable than beefier multisport watches with comparable battery life.

Like its title suggests, the Gentle is a pared-down model of the $349.95 ScanWatch 2. The primary stuff you’re lacking are an EKG sensor for atrial fibrillation detection, a temperature sensor, blood oxygen monitoring, and an altimeter for monitoring elevation. For primary health monitoring, you don’t really want these sensors. That’s why I believe the additional $100 in financial savings is price it for the Gentle, particularly since each are missing in security options, contactless funds, and another bells and whistles you will get from different watches within the $350 worth vary. That stated, if you would like extras, the ScanWatch 2 additionally will get you a barely extra elegant look because of the second step-counter dial.

Another choice I like is the $179.99 Garmin Vivomove Sport, which truly dominated this class the previous few years. It’s exhausting to beat the worth, particularly because it will get you entry to Garmin’s platform. Nonetheless, Garmin’s “hidden” OLED show can get washed out in vibrant lighting, and battery life was considerably shorter than different hybrid analog watches at round 5 days. Nonetheless, in the event you’d reasonably a platform with a give attention to health reasonably than wellness, the Vivomove Sport would be the higher transfer over a Withings watch.

Learn my full evaluate of the Withings ScanWatch 2 and Gentle.

Sizes: 42mm, 46mm / Weight: 29.3g (42mm), 35.3g (46mm) / Battery life: As much as 18 hours / Show sort: All the time-on LTPO OLED / GPS: Constructed-in GPS, plus GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, Beidou / Connectivity: LTE (non-compulsory), Bluetooth, Wi-Fi / Water resistance: As much as 50 meters / Music storage: 32GB

For those who’re on the lookout for a smartwatch that does health nicely, then iPhone house owners have to look no additional than the $399 Apple Watch Sequence 10. (The LTE model prices $50 extra.) That is one other yr of iterative updates, however the Sequence 10 is a way more comfy watch than in years previous. It’s thinner and lighter, plus there’s a bigger show. For those who’ve bought a Sequence 5 or older, now is an efficient time to improve.

With watchOS 11, there’s a brand new suite of coaching options. There’s Coaching Load, which provides you better perception into how intensely you’ve been figuring out the previous week in comparison with the final 28 days. There’s additionally a brand new Vitals app that flags when key metrics, like sleep period or coronary heart fee, could also be out of whack. Plus, you’ll be able to lastly pause your rings for relaxation days. The software program replace additionally brings some savvy updates to the Sensible Stack. For instance, in the event you’re in a loud cafe questioning what track’s enjoying, the Sensible Stack can now floor the Shazaam widget. It additionally now helps Stay Actions, turning your wrist right into a mini Dynamic Island. Well being-wise, we additionally now have FDA-cleared sleep apnea detection.

In fact, we even have to deal with the Apple Watch ban. As of January 18th, 2024, new Apple Watches offered within the US have the blood oxygen characteristic disabled as a consequence of an ongoing patent battle with medical gadget maker Masimo. This isn’t an enormous deal for most individuals, as this characteristic isn’t that helpful for most individuals but, and the brand new sleep apnea characteristic solely makes use of the accelerometer reasonably than the blood oxygen sensor. You may need to think about a refurbished Sequence 7 or 8 if blood oxygen sensing is vital to you, nevertheless.

For those who’re a first-time purchaser, you too can go for the second-gen Apple Watch SE. It’s barely cheaper at $249, and when you don’t get as many options, it’s introduction to the ecosystem. In any other case, in the event you’re the kind of athlete who covets a Garmin, you might also need to think about splurging on the Apple Watch Extremely 2. It’s costlier at $799, but it surely does have the brightest display of any Apple Watch, comes with dual-frequency GPS, has diving and mountain climbing security options, and is product of extra sturdy supplies. There’s additionally a fetching new black coloration.

Learn my full evaluate of the Apple Watch Sequence 10.

Sizes: 47mm / Weight: 60.5g / Battery life: As much as 100 hours / Show sort: All the time-on OLED / GPS: Constructed-in GPS / Connectivity: LTE (non-compulsory), Bluetooth, Wi-Fi / Water resistance: 10ATM, IP68 / Music storage: 32GB

Honestly, the Samsung Galaxy Watch Extremely left me a bit disillusioned after reviewing it — not as a result of it’s a foul piece of {hardware}, however as a result of it copies a bit an excessive amount of from Apple. Even so, that is essentially the most full-featured health smartwatch a Samsung telephone proprietor should buy.

Whereas I favor the Galaxy Watch 7 myself, I can’t say it’s the perfect for health monitoring. There was an excessive amount of of a spot between it and the Extremely in my testing so far as accuracy, particularly for GPS monitoring. However what actually sealed the deal for me was the distinction in battery life. It’s merely night time and day, and the Galaxy Watch 7 actually struggled on this enviornment. (The gaps are a lot much less egregious between the bottom Apple Watch and Extremely 2.)

The caveat is, if all you need is informal health monitoring, the Galaxy Watch 7 is the higher selection for wearability. It’s simply extra comfy for sleep monitoring and lighter total. Simply bear in mind it lacks the Extremely’s emergency siren and shortcut button, and the display doesn’t get fairly as vibrant.

With each watches, you get a quicker processor, a brand new 3-in-1 BioActive Sensor, some AI well being options, and FDA-cleared sleep apnea detection. The newer {hardware} makes for a extra futureproof buy, however I discovered the AI well being options to be hit-or-miss in apply. As all the time, some options, like EKGs and sleep apnea detection, are restricted to Samsung house owners. That makes this tough to wholeheartedly advocate this to non-Samsung Android customers.

But when the Extremely doesn’t float your boat, now is an efficient time to search out the Galaxy Watch 6 collection, notably the bottom fashions, on sale. The bottom Galaxy Watch 7 could have newer {hardware}, however so far as precise use goes, it’s not an enormous replace over final yr. And in the event you’re right into a bodily rotating bezel, simply go forward and snag a Galaxy Watch 6 Traditional.

Learn my full evaluate of the Samsung Galaxy Watch Extremely.

Sizes: 41mm, 45mm / Weight: 31g / Battery life: As much as 24 hours / Show sort: All the time-on OLED / GPS: Constructed-in GPS / Connectivity: LTE (non-compulsory), Bluetooth, Wi-Fi / Water resistance: 5ATM / Music storage: 32GB

With the Pixel Watch 3, Google is lastly executed enjoying catch-up.

There are actually too many updates to name each out individually, however total, they fall into two buckets: refinement and enlargement. The {hardware} is usually the identical as final yr’s Pixel Watch 2 when it comes to design. Nonetheless, we now have a brighter display, smaller bezels, and a brand new 45mm measurement. The bigger measurement is kind of good, particularly in the event you favor bigger screens with out sacrificing wearability.

Battery life can also be higher. There’s a brand new battery-saver mode that kicks in once you hit 15 % and the brand new shows are additionally extra energy environment friendly. Plus, bedtime mode is automated now, in order that helps the watch last more in a single day for sleep monitoring. It’s solely a modest enchancment over the Pixel Watch 2, but it surely’s dramatic in comparison with the unique.

Software program is the place the Pixel Watch 3 makes essentially the most updates. There are a ton of recent health and well being options, together with a brand new working dashboard, customized working exercises, and AI-generated exercise ideas. There’s additionally a revamped Each day Readiness Rating and a brand new Cardio Load metric, which gauges how intensely you’ve been exercising. For European customers, you too can get the brand new Lack of Pulse characteristic, which calls emergency providers in your behalf if it detects you not have a pulse. Sadly, this isn’t out there stateside, because it hasn’t but acquired FDA clearance.

The Pixel Watch 3 additionally higher integrates with Google providers and the Pixel ecosystem. Now you can view your Nest Doorbell or Digicam feed straight from the wrist — and it’s fairly useful in the event you get plenty of packages or friends. If in case you have Google TV, you should use the watch as a distant. Now that the watch has an extremely wideband chip, it may possibly additionally now unlock your Pixel telephone. You may as well use the Recorder app to seize audio and ship it straight to your Pixel telephone.

That stated, a few of these options now imply the Pixel Watch works finest with a Pixel telephone. For those who’re on the lookout for alternate options to Google and Samsung, the $299.99 OnePlus Watch 2 is a powerful different. You’re giving up LTE, but it surely’s a handsome-looking watch with surprisingly lengthy battery life and Google Assistant from the get-go.

Learn my full evaluate of the Google Pixel Watch 3.

Sizes: 43mm by 28mm by 10mm / Weight: 18g / Battery life: 4–5 days / Show sort: None / GPS: None / Connectivity: Bluetooth / Water resistance: As much as 10 meters / Music storage: None

The Whoop 4.0 is just not for the informal fanatic. Not solely does it include an costly month-to-month subscription, however the info it gives is barely helpful in the event you’re actively coaching for a cardio-intensive sport. If power coaching is your principal type of train, you’re higher off wanting elsewhere. Just like the Oura Ring, this can be a distraction-free tracker that makes a speciality of sleep and restoration. The primary distinction is that this has a extra athletic bent. As an example, you’ll get far more perception into how a lot pressure you’ve taken on previously week. 

Whoop additionally gives plenty of novel methods to put on its tracker, together with in underwear and arm/knee sleeves. This makes it an interesting possibility in the event you’re a type of unicorns who wants a secondary tracker to complement one other type of health monitoring. Once more, this can be a tracker finest appreciated by individuals who go exhausting and aren’t afraid to experiment. Plus, Whoop just lately lowered its subscription costs in sure tiers, so whereas it’s nonetheless costly, it’s not fairly as dear because it was once.

Learn my full evaluate of the Whoop 4.0.

Replace September twenty third: Up to date with the Pixel Watch 3, Apple Watch Sequence 10, and Samsung Galaxy Watch Extremely. Additionally added new details about potential Oura Ring Gen 4 and vacation buying.