Top smartwatches to sport: Great options to track your fitness

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If you enjoy going for those long runs to get your cardio in, a smartwatch is the best device to track your levels and monitor your progress. It’s also the best tool to teach you about recovery. They often notify you on command, tracking the number of steps you take, your heart rate and more. And these days, you can even take calls and messages on its platform.

But it’s not all for the fit and fab. Smartwatches are great for people of any age from kids to grandparents. Staying on top of your health is paramount to living a long life. So, investing in one is a good idea, regardless of whether you live an active lifestyle, have health issues or want a fashionable timepiece with some extra smarts.

We’ve included our top picks for different brands, budgets and other preferences. Check out some of our best picks below.

Summary of the best smartwatches

Best overall (and best for Samsung phone users): Samsung Galaxy Watch7
Runner up (and best for iPhone users): Apple Watch Series 10
Also consider: Apple Watch SE
Most popular: Fitbit Versa 4
Best style: Google Pixel Watch 3
Best multi-sport smartwatch: Garmin Fenix 7X Solar 51mm Smartwatch

Best smartwatches explained

Samsung Galaxy Watch7

Key specs

• GPS: Yes; Built-in
• Band size: Medium/Large
• Case material: Stainless Steel
• Case colour: Green
• Heart rate monitor: Yes
• ECG: Yes
• Works with Google Assistant
• Water-resistant
• Android compatibility: Android 6.0 or higher
• Display resolution: 480 x 480
• Battery: Lithium-ion

Why buy: The Samsung Galaxy Watch7 smartwatch tops this list as the best to buy. It has built-in GPS for long runs and great battery life — up to 40 hours — to ensure you’re prepared for the outdoors. Its AMOLED display is bright and sharp, and it can easily connect with your Android smartphone to give you up-to-date stats on your health. From heart rate to sleep tracking, you can meet your goals a bit easier with this device. You can also track body fat, skeletal muscle, body water, basal metabolic rate, ECG and Body Mass Index (BMI).

Furthermore, it comes with more than 90 different workouts. It also has an advanced sleep coaching feature to help you improve your sleeping habits by connecting to the Samsung Health app.

Price: $450
Where to buy: Amazon |?Best Buy |?Samsung
Fine print: One-year parts and labour

Apple Watch Series 10

Key specs

• GPS: Yes
• Band size: Small/Medium, Medium/Large
• Diameter: 42 mm
• Case material: Aluminum
• Case colour: Jet Black
• Heart rate monitor: Yes
• ECG: Yes
• Works with Siri
• Water-resistant
• Compatibility: iPhone Xs or later with iOS 18 or later
• Display technology: LTPO3 OLED Always?On Retina display
• Battery: Lithium-ion

Why buy: Featuring advanced health sensors and apps, the Apple Watch has been an industry favourite ever since it launched. It has features that measure ECG, heart rate and blood oxygen, track temperature changes and provide insights into a variety of health metrics. Other features include crash detection, sleep stages tracking and advanced workout stats, sent directly to your fitness app on your smartphone.

Moreover, it comes with three free months of Apple Fitness+, offering 11 different workout types, from HIIT to Yoga and even meditations (a subscription is required for Apple Fitness+). Users say the battery life is solid, at least two days through heavy use. Some also reported an aversion to the band, but Apple has a variety of band accessories you can interchange. Read our full review of the Apple Watch Series 10.

Price: $549
Where to buy: Amazon |?Apple |?Best Buy
Fine print: One-year parts and labour

Apple Watch SE

Key specs

• GPS: Yes
• Band size: Small/Medium, Medium/Large
• Diameter: 40 mm
• Case material: Aluminum
• Case colour: Midnight
• Heart rate monitor: Yes
• ECG: No
• Works with Siri
• Display technology: Retina LTPO OLED display
• Battery: Lithium-ion

Why buy: Like the previous model above, this Apple Watch also comes with fall detection, emergency SOS and crash detection features, and it’s more than $200 cheaper. It comes with an aluminum case, a sport band, and a one-metre charging cable.

Price: $329
Where to buy: Amazon, Apple, Best Buy
Fine print: One-year parts and labour

Fitbit Versa 4

Key specs

• GPS: Yes; Built-In
• Band size: One Size
• Diameter: 40 mm
• Case material: Aluminum
• Band material: Silicone
• Case colour: Graphite
• Heart rate monitor: Yes
• Voice Assistant: Amazon Alexa
• ECG: Yes
• Display technology: AMOLED
• Display resolution: 336 x 336
• Battery: Lithium-ion polymer (six days)

Why buy: As far as smartwatches go, the Fitbit Versa 4 is among the popular choices. It has a built-in GPS and SP02 to track your heart rate, calories burned, steps, and sleep. For voice activation, it has built-in Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, keeping you connected to your phone calls, texts, emails and more. Moreover, it has 20 exercise modes.

Users say the Fitbit Versa 4 delivers up to six days of battery life. And you with just 12 minutes of charging, you’ll have a days’ worth of battery. For an all-around, go-to device that can integrate with several smartphones, the Fitbit Versa 4 is a solid choice.

Price: $260
Where to buy: Amazon |?Best Buy
Fine print: One-year parts and labour

Google Pixel Watch 3

Key specs

• GPS: Yes; Built-In
• Band size: Small, large
• Diameter: 41 mm
• Case material: Aluminium
• Case colour: Obsidian
• Heart rate monitor: Yes
• Voice Assistant: Google Assistant
• ECG: No
• Display technology: 320 ppi AMOLED display with DCI-P3 colour
• Battery: Lithium-ion?

Why buy: The Google Pixel Watch 3 is chic and stylish. And it has more than 40 exercise modes and provides real-time stats on your breathing and heart rate. Furthermore, the Google Pixel 3 has access to Fitbit Premium workouts and built-GPS functions. Offline Google Maps let you get driving navigation, search and maps, even without your phone nearby. For active users that work on the go, the smartwatch is a great way to stay connected using Google’s platform for emails, texts, paying for goods and playing music.

Price: $480
Where to buy: Amazon |?Best Buy
Fine print: One-year parts and labour

Garmin Fenix 7X Solar Smartwatch

Key specs ?

• GPS: Yes; Built-In
• Heart rate monitor: Yes
• Band size: medium/large
• Diameter: 51 mm
• Case material: Fiber-reinforced polymer; Titanium rear cover
• Voice Assistant: Google Assistant
• Display technology: Sunlight-visible, Transflective Memory-In-Pixel (MIP)
• Display resolution: 280×280
• Battery: Rechargeable internal lithium-ion

Why buy: Great for fitness enthusiasts of all types, this heavy-duty smartwatch is built on performance. It has features like performance and stamina tracking, workout suggestions, wellness sensors and sleep score data showing time spent in light, deep, and REM sleep stages and other sleep-related insights.

Powered by the Garmin OS, it has compatible with Windows 2000 and beyond and MAC OS X 10.5 and later. It connects with Apple iPhone 6S and later, as well as Android 2.3+. Moreover, it supports up to 28 days of battery life on one charge.

Price: $1,200
Where to buy: Amazon |?Best Buy
Fine print: One-year parts and labour

Factors to consider when buying a smartwatch

When you’re looking to buy a smartwatch, there are a few things to consider. Battery life is among the most important, but there are other factors. They include:

Compatibility: Make sure that you buy a smartwatch that is compatible with your smartphone, whether it’s an Android or iOS device. If not, you’re likely to miss out on quality features.

Fit: Since you can’t always check out the band and fit before buying, ensure you look at the specs. Look for a smartwatch with a variety of band options and accessories so you can customize the watch as you see fit.

Health tracking: Whether it’s heart rate, high blood pressure, or sleep tracking, knowing what you need to know relative to your workouts or health concerns is essential when considering a smartwatch purchase.

App pairing: With some smartwatches, you can stream TV shows on your devices. It’s a bonus if you’re at a rest stop or are in transit. However, it’s not for everyone and isn’t ideal for smartwatches with poor battery life.

Price: While most range from $250 to $500, the price you’ll be most comfortable paying depends on your budget. But look for a smartwatch that has all the features you need to be successful and then focus on the battery life, as that’s likely to be the No. 1 factor.