4 recommended fitness trackers. Carefully selected by actually using a device that can manage the amount of activity and sleep during the day

Fitbit, Garmin, Apple ... which one?

Wirecutter recommends a fitness tracker that can measure your steps, heart rate, and sleep time. Here are the results of carefully selected products after consulting with experts in exercise, sleep, sports medicine, and kinesiology.

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A fitness tracker with visible steps, stride length, and sleep records is the perfect wearable device for managing your daily health and motivation to reach your goals.

Since 2015, Wirecutter has tracked activity records such as running, walking, swimming, cycling, and sleeping with 35 different products. We investigated which one was accurate, easy to use, and comfortable to wear all day long. Although none of the distance traveled, steps, sleep quality, calorie consumption, and heart rate could be recorded perfectly, the one that was judged to be the most recommended now because of its functionality and ease of use. It was " Fitbit Charge 5 ". Especially recommended for those who are concerned about daytime activity records.

The Fitbit Charge 5 can accurately measure your steps and heart rate and automatically record exercises such as running, walking, cycling, and swimming 10 minutes after you start. The touch screen is clear and vibrant, making it easy to see even in the sun. The app is intuitive and easy to use. If you connect with other Fitbit users, it should be easier to stay motivated. The premium version costs 640 yen per month, but when you purchase it, you will receive a 6-month membership. There are 20 types of exercise modes, and you can add them to your favorites list with the app. You can set which smartphone notification you want to receive. With ECG (electrocardiogram) application support and built-in GPS, you can record real-time distance data without a smartphone.

Battery life: up to 7 days (watch mode), up to 5 days (GPS mode)

Sleep tracking: Yes (including naps of 1 hour or more)

Waterproof performance: Yes (maximum water depth 50m)

Heart rate monitor: Yes

GPS: Built-in

" Fitbit Inspire 2 "

The slimmer Fitbit Inspire 2 has a black-and-white touch screen, yet is bright and vibrant. There is no built-in GPS, but you can measure the distance and pace of walking and run by connecting to a smartphone. For this reason, a smartphone is a must when exercising. The accuracy of the step count is slightly different, but the heart rate measurement is stable. There are breathing guide sessions that the Fitbit Charge 5 doesn't have, but it doesn't have an altimeter or ECG feature. There are more than 20 exercise modes, and you can also track your sleep stage. You can use the optional clip to attach it to your clothing instead of your arm.

Battery life: up to 10 days

Sleep tracking: Yes (not including naps)

Waterproof performance: Yes (maximum water depth 50m)

Heart rate monitor: Yes

GPS: Only available when connected to a smartphone

" Garmin Vívoactive 4S "

The Garmin Vívoactive 4S is a sporty and advanced fitness tracker. Recommended for people who exercise a lot and want to check the records in detail. Compared to the 45mm screen " Garmin Vívoactive 4 ", the 40mm screen is a little smaller. The feeling of wearing is top class. It's larger than the Fitbit introduced above and smaller than other Garmin and Polar. The touch screen is crisp and responsive (although the colors are subdued compared to other companies). You can easily switch between training mode and exercise start / stop using the buttons on the side of the screen, and you can have multiple training data at a time (as opposed to Fitbit displaying only one indicator above). You can check the index.

Battery life: up to 5 days

Sleep tracking: Yes (not including naps)

Waterproof performance: Yes (maximum water depth 50m)

Heart rate monitor: Yes

GPS: Built-in

" Apple Watch SE "

" Apple Watch SE " is a smartwatch recommended for those who want to have Apple products. Compared to the " Apple Watch Series 7 ", it lacks altitude, but the point is that it is reasonably priced. The screen is bright and crisp and intuitive to operate. The visual appeal is unique to Apple, such as completing three rings when you reach the goal of active calories burned during the day. While the fitness app allows you to record a variety of activities and exercises, it lacks detail compared to the products introduced above. The screen is not always on. Heart rate accuracy is top class, and it provides reliable data for step counting and GPS tracking. Battery life is as short as 18 hours (while the products introduced above last for a few days).

Battery life: up to 18 hours

Sleep tracking: Yes (not including naps)

Water resistance: Yes (maximum water depth 50m)

Heart rate monitor: Yes

GPS: Built-in

Who is the fitness tracker recommended for?

With a fitness tracker, you can see how much you move during the day as data.

As a device, it's perfect for setting goals, managing daytime activities, getting into exercise habits, improving sleep, and checking your health, such as your heart rate. The app makes it easy to manage your diet, hydration, and menstrual cycle. The functionality changes depending on what kind of sensor is installed, so it is a point that you can not neglect the ease of use for yourself.

In addition to fitness trackers, wearable devices that you can wear on your wrist include smartwatches and GPS running watches. However, the boundaries are becoming blurry these days, as smartwatches can detect daytime movements, and GPS running watches can track daytime activities and nighttime sleep.

Among them, the fitness tracker is smaller and easier to handle than the GPS running watch, the price is low, and it is only necessary to charge it once a week. In addition, the latest fitness tracker goes beyond step count and exercise recording to include smartwatch-like features from smartphone notifications to third-party apps, and sensors for more information on daytime activities and nighttime sleep. You can get more information.

Finally, while fitness trackers are arguably useful, they aren't a substitute for medical devices, and if you have any health concerns, talk to a specialist.

" Fitbit Charge 5 "

The latest version of the Fitbit Charge series, which Wirecutter has recommended for many years, the Fitbit Charge 5 is recommended for tracking daytime activities. You can expect ease of use and high accuracy. In particular, the accuracy of step counting is one of the best in the industry, and the error is about 6% (Wirecutter survey). Walking distance and heart rate data measurement is also quite good. Not only is Fitbit's basic app intuitive and easy to use, but it's also much more convenient than other companies. Sleep data can be tracked, including naps of 1 hour or more.

The screen is bright and colorful. It is easy to see even in strong sunlight. By the way, the manufacturer says that the brightness is twice that of the previous model "Charge 4". Brightness can be selected from 3 levels (dark, usually maximum). There is also a convenient screen always-on setting during workouts. The touch screen is also responsive.

The case of the previous model "Charge 4" was made of plastic, but this one is made of aluminum. The band is made of flexible and comfortable silicone and can be replaced. There are more than 20 types of watch faces, which are convenient for customization.

App notifications can be changed from the settings. For android users, there are 5 presets for messages and emojis, which should come in handy for quick replies. For iOS users, there is no option to reply to the message. Fitbit Pay support for contactless payments.

In the Wirecutter survey, walking, running, cycling, etc. were performed to measure daytime activities, and the activities were automatically recorded 10 to 15 minutes after the start.

Heart rate data can be expected to be highly accurate during running (without breaks), but maybe slightly disturbed during walking and running with intervals. Heart rate during a workout is divided into three zones, fat burning, aerobic exercise, and peak, with a function called active zone time (minutes), so you can see how hard you exercised. I am. It's based on your age and resting heart rate, and you'll be notified when you reach a particular zone (you can even turn off certain exercises). Of course, you can check it later in the app.

Like the GIF video above, the interface is pretty simple. You can access various menus by swiping up or down from the home screen. Some third-party devices only show the icon, so it's hard to tell what the feature is, but the Fitbit Charge 5 has both a label and an icon, so you shouldn't find it inconvenient.

If you use the "Screen Wake" function to prevent the battery from running down, you can activate the screen by turning your wrist. If you set it manually, you can tap the screen to start the screen and double-tap to move to the home screen (however, until you get used to it, you can start a workout or mess with the timer).

Exercise mode allows you to set up 20 different types of training, such as boot camps and hikes, as well as interval timers. While it's convenient to score goals such as time, distance, calories burned, and heart rate zone, you can't see all the data on one screen like the Garmin Vívoactive 4S and Apple Watch SE. You need to scroll to check each item.

Since it has a built-in GPS, you can measure distance and pace in real-time, so you don't have to carry your smartphone with you while exercising, but the weak point is that the battery runs out quickly. It takes about 20 to 30 seconds to get the signal, and when you connect, you will be notified on the screen. Recorded 5.08 miles when running the 4.92-mile loop in Central Park, New York, and 1.43 miles when walking 1.4 miles. There are some errors such as. GPS performance is pretty good, but sometimes it breaks and reconnects.

Customizable notifications to help you reach your daily goals. With a goal of 250 steps per hour, there is a reminder function if you keep sitting, but you can also turn off the setting. In addition to the breakdown of goal achievement, you can check the activity/rest time in detail with the app (see the image below). In addition, you can set reminders for hand washing and hydration, and notify you when your heart rate deviates from the standard value.

The SpO2 sensor measures blood oxygen levels during sleep, and the new EDA (Electronic Skin Activity) sensor measures stress levels. EDA indicates that the less reaction you have in 3 minutes, the calmer you are.

The ECG (Electrocardiogram) app measures changes in your heart rate, and the "Today's Energy Score" is calculated from your sleep and changes in your heart rate, and is an indicator of how hard you should exercise that day.

Compared to other companies' apps, Fitbit's basic apps are intuitive and easy to use. It's useful because it's easy to stay motivated by social factors and it's easy to see where to look for details. You can also record your diet, water, and menstrual cycle. There is also useful information about each indicator in the app.

At the time of purchase, you can try " Fitbit Premium " for 640 yen per month for free for 6 months, so don't miss it. You can use functions related to health management such as advanced sleep and stress analysis.

The Fitbit app is industry-leading and easy to use.

The Fitbit Charge 5 's sleep tracking feature measures your sleep stages (awakening, REM sleep, light sleep, deep sleep) based on your heart rate and the movement of your acceleration sensor. However, it takes at least 3 hours of sleep to obtain sleep stage data. Since it uses heart rate variability data to measure the transition to each stage, it is an estimate rather than a medical statistic.

You can set sleep mode to turn off sleep notifications and dim the screen. For alarm settings, you can use the alarm function (snooze and vibration) on your wrist. If you set it to "Strong", the vibration noise is strong, but it is also useful if you do not want to wake up the person sleeping next to you.

According to Fitbit, you can expect up to 7 days of battery life on a single charge. In a Wirecutter study, there was plenty of 69% remaining in two days and nights, even after several workouts and several auto-detected activities. The battery level is easy to understand because it is displayed as both an icon and a percentage.

From here, there are a few things I'm curious about about the Fitbit Charge 5 . First, you can record more than 20 types of activity, but you can only see up to 6 on your device at a time. If you do less than 6 types of exercise daily, there is no problem, but if not, you will need to replace the items. With Garmin Vívoactive 4S and Apple Watch SE, you can record more than 6 types of activity at one time.

Second, some indicators and goal settings, such as swimming time and distance, may not be available. This can be done with the Garmin Vívoactive 4S.

Third, the GPS connection sometimes becomes unstable. According to a review by DC Rainmaker, there is a theory that GPS will not connect if the band is too tight. However, on the contrary, if you loosen it too much, heart rate measurement will not work, so be careful. According to the Wirecutter survey, when you go out for a 3-mile run without a smartphone, you may overestimate the pace, or you may be confused about the route map, and walking 2.5 miles (about 4 km) maybe 0.5 miles (about 800 m) less. Sometimes. Other than that, when I went running with my smartphone, I connected to GPS in a few seconds, and it was stable and accurate tracking.

Fourth, you can't do anything with the previous model, the Charge 4, such as guided breathing sessions (without the app) and Spotify controls. This can be done with the Garmin Vívoactive 4S and Apple Watch SE.

Older models in the "Charge" series were reported to be buggy, but Fitbit's customer service response to defective replacements has been quite well received. However, after the one-year warranty period (like other manufacturers), you can't expect too many options.

Finally, privacy experts have raised concerns since Fitbit was acquired by Google. The EU has agreed not to use Fitbit data for personalized advertising, but it's hard to predict how Google will handle information in the future. If you are concerned about this point, we recommend the Garmin Vívoactive 4S.

" Fitbit Inspire 2 "

The " Fitbit Inspire 2 " is smaller and lighter than the " Fitbit Charge 5 " introduced above. It has no functions such as color display, altimeter, contactless payment, ECG (electrocardiogram), and SpO2 (oxygen saturation) sensor, and is characterized by its simple appearance and usability. Nonetheless, daytime activity tracking, automatic activity detection, sedentary reminders, heart rate monitoring, resting heart rate data, sleep phase tracking, GPS connections useful for real-time measurements during exercise, more than 20 types Plenty of functionality such as exercise mode.

OLED screens are bright and crisp but can be difficult to see in direct sunlight. There is no always-on function for the screen. To start the screen or return to the home screen, you need to twist the side of the device tightly to scroll through the menu. (The Fitbit Charge 5 allows you to swipe vertically and horizontally to switch between modes and menus, but the Inspire 2 only differs in the vertical direction.) The included silicone band is soft and comfortable.

The battery lasts up to 10 days on a single charge, which is 3 days longer than the "Fitbit Charge 5". According to the Wirecutter survey, when I was wearing it for two days in a row and doing activities, it was impressive that the "Fitbit Charge 5" decreased to 69% (probably due to the built-in GPS), while 81% remained.

As with other wrist-worn wearables, the accuracy of your step count isn't perfect (because it counts your arm swing, not the actual number of steps). When I walked outdoors, I was off by about 15 steps. The number of steps in the daytime is 30% higher, which is a considerable error compared to "Charge 5".

For other activities, it will automatically detect 30 minutes of running, 21 minutes of walking, etc. The performance of the heart rate test is also robust. Premium subscribers to the Fitbit app can see the "Today's Energy Score" estimated based on heart rate fluctuations and sleep, and get an idea of ​​how hard you should exercise.

Similar to "Charge 5", it measures sleep stages (awakening, REM sleep, light sleep, deep sleep). You can also check the wake-up time, total sleep time, and sleep score. The tracker detects sleep based on movement and heart rate patterns, but the sleep stage is not displayed until you sleep for at least 3 hours. Within the app, you can manually register a nap. The alarm can be set from the app.

I've tried various fitness tracker apps, and none have been as simple and easy to use as Fitbit. The premium version costs 640 yen per month, and you can check the indicators in more detail. You can choose from a variety of dials (similar to the "Charge 5").

In addition to wearing the Inspire 2 on your wrist, there is also a clip accessory (sold separately) that you can attach to your clothing.

" Garmin Vívoactive 4S "

If you have a habit of exercising and are interested in tracking your daily activities in detail, Garmin Vívoactive 4S is for you. It's practical and should be an excellent alternative to a GPS running watch. It monitors everything from basics such as steps and heart rate to more than basics such as stress and breathing rate, and provides many activity modes and exercise instructions. You can also customize your workout, something you can't do with Fitbit.

Color touch screens are modest in color (compared to other models) but are crisp and responsive. With a similar look and feel, the company's Garmin Venu 2S offers more advanced features, a higher resolution screen, and longer battery life (plus 3 days).

The two buttons on the side of the Garmin Vívoactive 4S screen allow you to switch between workouts (top) and general settings (bottom) for a running watch-like experience. Of course, the nature of fitness watches, such as reminders for sedentary measures and notification of goal achievement. The size is 40mm, which is a little smaller than the 45mm Garmin Vívoactive 4.

 

" Apple Watch SE " is a low-priced smartwatch recommended for iPhone users. Perfect for those who want to manage their health and exercise data within Apple's ecosystem, and those who don't need the advanced features of the Apple Watch Series 7.

" Apple Watch SE " is available in two sizes, 40mm and 44mm. The screen is bright and clear, and the band is comfortable. While there is an altimeter, there is no always-on function on the screen of " Apple Watch Series 7 " or a SpO2 sensor that shows blood oxygen concentration. Currently watchOS 8.

When you reach your active calorie burn goal, you'll have three rings (“exercise”, “move”, and “stand”) that are easy to understand visually. Based on your basal metabolic rate estimates, detected movements, and heart rate, your active calorie burn target is determined.

In " Apple Watch SE ", it is more important to move at least once an hour for half a day with a minimum amount of exercise (30 minutes) rather than a step count. Of course, these goals are customizable. If you stick to the numbers, you can also check the number of steps, the number of stair climbs, the standing time, the exercise time, the time of a specific exercise in the workout app, and so on.

When you start a specific exercise such as walking, running, swimming, or rowing, the device will automatically detect it in 3-10 minutes. According to the Wirecutter survey, it has a high-performance impression. It also features many workout modes such as fencing, squash, and fishing. The step count is highly accurate, and the Wirecutter survey measured 21% more in two days. Built-in or smartphone GPS is used to record outdoor walking, running, hiking, and cycling. The error is small, such as the outdoor walking of about 2.2km is displayed as 2.3km. It was impressive that the route map was quite accurate even for hiking with many uphill roads. Compared to the "Fitbit Charge 5", the average pace is more accurate.

There is no always-on function for the screen, but when you swing your arm up, the screen starts up quickly, so you don't have to do extra movements while exercising. Unlike "Series 7", it does not have an ECG (electrocardiogram) function, but the performance of the heart rate test is good. I was notified when my heart rate dropped while I was sleeping.

You can check data such as daytime activity and exercise, nighttime sleep, heart rate, and breathing with the iPhone health care app.

When it comes to measuring steps and distance, it's one of the most accurate trackers in the Wirecutter survey. Heart rate data is also reliable. For exercise, there are more than 20 exercise modes including running, cycling, yoga, swimming, climbing, and more. The Garmin Connect app also allows you to sync different workouts. Uploading your workout to your device is a convenient way to play an animated demo video.

The automatic detection of activity is a little worrisome, for example, if you run for 30 minutes, there is no problem, but walking can be mistaken for running. Especially when pushing a stroller, it tends to detect that it is cycling (although this is also common with other companies' products).

In "Vívoactive 4S", not only measures to keep sitting, but also resting is equally important. Monitors sleep depth, wake-up time, and breathing, but no automatic nap recording. The "body battery" feature tells you when to rest.

It also has smartwatch-like features, such as using Garmin Pay for contactless payments and listening to music from Spotify and Amazon Music by pairing with headphones. For example, it's convenient to be able to control podcast playback on your smartphone with your wrist even during a workout. After using it for 2 consecutive days, the battery life dropped to 48%. Compared to the other companies' models introduced above, the battery drains faster, but it may be natural to increase training, music, GPS mode use, and screen brightness.

It was also reported that in 2020 Garmin was suspended for several days after being attacked by ransomware and accepted payments of hundreds of millions of yen. According to the company, there is no leakage of customer data.

" Apple Watch SE "

The sleep app is easy to set up and is useful for keeping your sleep schedule. Indicators include sleep time, average sleep time, average bedtime, and respiratory rate. There is no sleep stage.

You can expect 18 hours of battery life on a single charge, but this number is pretty short (compared to other trackers' trackers for a few days). According to the Wirecutter survey, after finishing desk work, it decreased to 35% while recording workouts, walking, housework, and so on. Considering that you record your sleep at night, it seems that you need to charge it once a day.

The device manufacturer's warranty period is one year.

Other recommended fitness trackers

If you're looking for a fashionable fitness tracker with lots of premium features, Garmin Venu 2S is for you. It looks similar to the Garmin Vívoactive 4S, but with different functionality. The price difference between the two is usually about $ 70, but it should be worth it if it suits your taste and purpose. The size is 45mm, and there is also a smaller (40mm) " Garmin Venu 2 ". The Wirecutter survey was also impressed with the built-in GPS, heart rate accuracy, and step count. In addition to more than 25 types of exercise modes, there are also workout modes such as strength training and yoga, and high-intensity interval training (HIIT). The screen is bright and clear. Built-in music storage is up to 650 songs. Always-on display, battery-powered for up to 10 days. Easy to install. The home screen is customizable and scrollable.

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