There was a time when Fitbits and tracking bands did little more than tell you whether you’d managed to take 10,000 steps that day, but that time is long gone. Today’s best fitness trackers use a variety of sensors to record in-depth detail on every move you make and, more importantly, use that information to give clear, useful advice on how you can get fitter and healthier. There are a lot of terrific trackers out there, so picking the one that works best for you can be tricky, but we’re here to guide you to your perfect fitness partner.
Best fitness smartwatch
Apple Watch series 4 (from £399)
The Apple Watch Series 4 is a terrific fitness tracker, even if you stick to the app that comes native to the device. Closing its colourful daily “activity rings” is incredibly motivating. However, the great advantage this has over most other wearables is the massive app store that lets you download your favourite fitness apps to the watch and use (most of) them phone-free. The Apple Watch also offers genuinely useful smartwatch features, including NFC (near field communication) payments, music and the ability to make phone calls, check emails and send texts without a phone, if you opt for the cellular version.
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Best fitness tracker band
Fitbit Charge 3 (£129.99)
The trend in fitness wearables is definitely towards smartwatches, but the Fitbit Charge 3 continues to fly the flag for band-style devices, offering superb activity and step tracking in a svelte frame. The Charge 3 is waterproof, has a built-in heart-rate monitor, and if you carry your phone with you on runs and cycles, it can piggyback the GPS to provide distance tracking. Fitbit’s everyday activity tracking is the best in the business, especially because its vast user base allows for plenty of friendly competition with other Fitbit wearers. The Fitbit partner app is also up there with the best.
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Best budget tracker
Huawei Band 2 Pro (£49.99)
There is nothing budget about the Huawei Band 2 Pro except the price. The tracker is waterproof, has GPS tracking and a heart-rate monitor, and still somehow costs less than £50. The band also tracks your sleep and everyday activity and offers smart notifications when linked to your phone. The battery life is only 3.5 hours when you’re using GPS, but if you mainly want the Band 2 Pro for everyday tracking it will go a couple of weeks in between charges.
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Best smartwatch for Android fans
Samsung Galaxy Watch (£279.99)
The appeal of the Samsung Galaxy Watch starts with its gorgeous, always-on display, which has the appearance of an analogue watch – ideal for those put off by the sporty look of many fitness trackers. The standard fitness tracking on the Galaxy records a wide variety of different activities using the GPS and heart-rate monitor, and you can also download popular Android fitness apps such as Strava and MapMyRun. The Galaxy stores and streams music and has a multi-day battery life, so it’s also ideal for sleep tracking.
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Best tracker for runners on a budget
Garmin Forerunner 30 (£91.99)
The Garmin Forerunner 30 is the entry-level device in Garmin’s excellent Forerunner series, but it has all of the key features runners need – including built-in GPS tracking and a heart-rate monitor. The device has a five-day battery life (eight hours of GPS) and puts all your key mid-run stats where you can see them while you’re training, including time, distance and pace. Outside of running, the Forerunner 30 also tracks your steps, calories burned and sleep, offers basic smartwatch features such as notifications, and it even will estimate your VO2 max – a great overall indicator of your cardiovascular fitness.
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Best tracker for runners happy to splash the cash
Polar Vantage V (£439)
The Polar Vantage V tracks all of the usual running metrics with aplomb and boasts one of the most accurate wrist-based heart-rate sensors on the market, but it raises the game further by being the first device to offer running power data without needing a linked footpod. Running power is an excellent gauge of your in-run effort level and can be used to ensure you’re working at the right intensity in all your training and races. The recovery insights – how long you need to rest before training again – on the Vantage V are also top class.
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Best tracker for swimmers
Suunto Spartan Trainer Wrist HR (£182.90)
Water-lovers are well catered for by this multisport GPS watch, which tracks both pool and open-water swims and has a full triathlon mode. The Suunto Spartan Trainer Wrist HR will track your heart rate while swimming, as well as keep tabs on your distance, time, laps and stroke rate. After you finish your session you can see your “Swolf” swim efficiency score and the type of stroke you used. Open-water swimmers also get a GPS track of their swim, and you can even set up a breadcrumb trail to follow, so you don’t get lost in the water.
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Best tracker for triathletes
Garmin Forerunner 935 (£439.99)
Even with the built-in GPS and heart-rate monitor running, the battery life on the Garmin Forerunner 935 is a massive 24 hours. In standard watch mode you won’t have to plug it in for a couple of weeks. That means it will comfortably handle an Ironman, if all-day racing is your bag. The array of in-depth stats available on the watch will help you improve your swimming, cycling and running, and the Forerunner 935 also provides feedback on your training to help you peak for races and avoid overtraining. The watch also links easily to running and cycling sensors, to give feedback on your technique as well as your power and cadence stats.
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Best fitness tracker for kids
Fitbit Ace (£79.99)
It takes its design cues from the Fitbit Alta HR tracker, but the Fitbit Ace has several tweaks to make it more child-friendly. Stats that kids shouldn’t be worried about, such as calories burned, aren’t tracked and parents can view the linked Fitbit account. What the Ace does track is steps, sleep and active minutes, encouraging children to get moving. If you also wear a Fitbit tracker, you can even compete against each other to see who clocks the most steps in the app.
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Best tracker for music lovers
Forerunner 645 Music (£399.99)
Garmin took a little longer than other brands to bring music to its watches, but it has quickly leapt ahead of the pack. It’s incredibly easy to load up and listen to music on the Forerunner 645 Music, but perhaps the bigger selling point for music fans is that Garmin has a partnership with Spotify. This means, if you’re a Spotify Premium user, you can store, stream and update all your existing playlists on the watch. On top of its music offering, the Forerunner 645 Music is also a superb GPS watch with excellent sport and everyday activity tracking.
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Best hybrid – for those who want it all
Withings Steel (£119.95)
The problem many people have with fitness trackers is that they claim wrist-space that could be taken by more attractive, less sporty-looking timepieces. The Withings Steel offers a compromise, with its stylish watch face hiding a wealth of intelligent sensors that automatically track your steps, sleep and sports such running and swimming. You get subtle feedback on the watch subdial and can dig deeper into your stats in a very slick partner app. The other big plus is that the Withings Steel uses a watch battery, which will last for eight months before it needs changing.
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To find discount codes for the best fitness trackers from major electricals retailers, visit discountcode.theguardian.com/uk
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