Fitness trackers have come a long way from the simple bands that tracked steps and little else. Modern trackers can monitor everything from your heart health to how well you’ve recovered from a hard bout of training.
Even flagship smartwatches, which used to be lackluster trackers, have become pretty adept workout companions. Whatever your fitness goals are, there’s probably a fitness tracker that can help you achieve them.
Because wearables are so personal in comparison to other gadgets, there are a few additional things to think about before reaching for your wallet. It’s hard to say which fitness tracker is best for everyone because of this. Fortunately, the wide range of fitness trackers available in 2025 makes them ideal for all lifestyles.
From fitness trackers that monitor your sleep to smartwatches specifically geared toward runners or cyclists, the best fitness trackers and smartwatches go way beyond simply telling the time. Some, like the Apple Watch, Garmin, and Fitbit, can measure your blood oxygen levels, prescribe recovery time, and create training plans as well as help you track activity and lose weight.
Some can even automatically notify your emergency contacts if you’ve fallen. Around two-thirds of UK adults who intend on buying a smartwatch say they want it to track their physical health. However, they can also improve athletic performance by measuring your heart rate during exercise, your sleep pattern, and the distance you’ve covered. Being aware can assist you in changing your routines and overcoming potential weaknesses.
Fitbit Charge 6
If I’m honest, I thought the small band screen would put me off (especially as I’m so used to being able to see all my fitness data, all the time). But the vivid, clear, and colored AMOLED display immediately impressed me. Paired with the Fitbit app, which, as mentioned previously, is super easy to use, accurate, and intuitive, the Fitbit Charge 6 is small but mighty.
This fitness tracker is more like a band than the others on this list, with a simple silicone strap and a peg-and-loop closure, like the Fitbit Versa 4 (instead of a more conventional buckle). This made it easy for me to sleep in. Sleep stages (awake, REM, light, deep), which are based on heart rate and movement via the accelerometer, are displayed nightly. I liked that you can mute notifications and dim the screen during bedtime via the Do Not Disturb mode.
It offers more than 40 exercise modes, including boot camp, hiking, strength training, a programmable interval timer for interval training, and swimming. When I used it to log a bodyweight HIIT session, it annoyingly stopped timing 10 minutes into my workout. Fortunately, it noticed right away that my heart rate was high and recorded the rest of my session as an “aerobic workout” so I could still see my statistics. I appreciated that it also automatically recorded my walk home from the station and identified floors climbed using an altimeter, so hills and climbs are also recorded automatically.
Wahoo Elemnt Rival Multisport GPS Watch
If you’ve signed up for a triathlon this year and you’re looking for a watch to capture all your training, Wahoo’s first entry into the multisport category is the watch you need. Size-wise, it’s similar to both Garmin Fēnix and Polar X tested here, but noticeably lighter. The screen isn’t as bright as some, and not the most intuitive to navigate but you get the hang of it pretty quickly.
Like the other watches, you need to download the corresponding app and wait until the watch is fully charged in order to pair it up. Then scan the QR code on the watch screen, fill in some personal data and you’re up and running.
It comes preloaded with programs for race running, track running, treadmill, pool swimming, open water swimming, cycling, kick, strength, and yoga but for triathletes, the killer app is its ‘Touchless Transition’ feature which can tell when you stop swimming and get out of the water and will start timing your first transition. It then works out when you get on the bike, so it gives your T1 time and starts timing the bike leg.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 7
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 is one of the latest smartwatches from Samsung, replacing the Galaxy Watch 6 and sitting alongside the more rugged Galaxy Watch Ultra in the company’s lineup. It remains incompatible with the iPhone, like its predecessor, with only Android users particularly Samsung users benefitting from its range of sensors and well-executed features.
Compared to the Galaxy Watch 6, the new BioActive Sensor on the Galaxy Watch 7 makes it possible to collect data and track heart rates with greater precision. This was evident in how quickly this smartwatch responded to my heart rate peaks and troughs during HIIT workouts. The average heart rate overall and calories burned were the same as the Apple Watch Series 9 I wore on the other wrist when testing, but the Galaxy Watch 7 adapted quicker to heart rate changes during workouts.
There’s also a new processor for sleeker interaction with the interface on the punchy and vibrant Super AMOLED screen, while dual-frequency GPS makes for more precise tracking of walking, running, and hiking when in areas of lower visibility, like woodland.
