Best fitness trackers (August 2016)

Fitness trackers have come an extremely long way over the years. No longer are they glorified pedometers; they’re much more than that. Most standard fitness trackers nowadays can track your steps taken, distance traveled, how many calories you’ve burned for the day, and even your sleeping patterns. They’re handy little devices if you want a better look at how active you are throughout the day, and there are plenty to choose from. Related: Which Fitbit is right for you?15 We understand it can be a little daunting trying to choose which fitness tracker best suits your needs, so we’ve compiled a list of the best fitness trackers on the market. We’ve divided our list up into separate categories to help you narrow down your options. As always, if you feel like we missed something, be sure to tell us in the comment section below.Without any further delay, here are the best fitness trackers you can buy right now.Editor’s Note: We will update this list as more devices hit the market.The best fitness trackerGarmin vívosmart HRThe best fitness tracker you can buy right now is the Garmin vívosmart HR. It’s not the newest on the market nor is it the most feature packed, but I can still say that for most people, the vívosmart HR is the one to buy.For starters, it has a big touchscreen display that’s easy to read outdoors. And thanks to the larger screen, that means you’ll be able to view more information on the tracker itself without having to pick up your phone to open the Garmin app. It also has a waterproof rating of up to 50 meters, which is a feature many other trackers don’t offer.Auto Goal is a feature every fitness tracker should haveThe vívosmart HR also comes with this handy Auto Goal feature that will keep you on your toes. Pretty much every other fitness tracker out there lets you adjust your daily step goals, but the vívosmart HR will do it for you automatically. So when you meet and exceed your daily step goal for a certain amount of days in a row, your device will start to automatically adjust the number of steps required for that day. This is a really nice feature that more companies should adopt.You are missing out on a few things if you choose the vívosmart HR, though, like GPS tracking and automatic activity recognition. It’s worth noting that Garmin did launch a new variant called the vívosmart HR+ that comes with these two features. However, the HR+ costs around $220 on Amazon, while the standard vívosmart HR costs just $140. If GPS tracking and automatic activity recognition are worth $80 more to you, then you might want to consider the upgrade. But if you don’t need GPS and don’t mind pushing a few buttons before you start off on your run, then you should definitely pick up the vívosmart HR.SpecsDisplay: LCDHeart rate sensor: OpticalGPS: NoWaterproof: Yes, 5 ATM (up to 50 meters)Battery life: Up to 5 daysNotifications: Call, text, email, alarm, idle alerts and moreColors: Black, Imperial Purple, Midnight BlueRead moreFitbit Charge HR vs Garmin vívosmart HRBuy now from AmazonRunner-upFitbit Charge HREven if you aren’t familiar with the world of fitness trackers, you’ve probably heard of the Fitbit Charge HR. By far the most popular on our list, the Charge HR comes in at a very close second.Everything the Charge HR does, it does very well. It will accurately track your steps, sleep and resting heart rate, and it’s comfortable enough to wear all day. Its battery will almost always last five days on a single charge, too, so you don’t need to charge it that often.One great thing about Fitbit devices? Pretty much every device they make has automatic activity recognition. This means when you go out for a run, walk or other exercise, all of your data will automatically be stored in the Fitbit companion app. Speaking of the app, Fitbit’s Android application is one of the best out there. It has a clean interface and gives you all the information you need without making it seem cluttered.One not-so-great thing about Fitbit devices? They’re not waterproof. Unfortunately the Charge HR only comes with a splash resistance rating, so you’ll need to take it off before going for a swim. Also, the screen isn’t very big at all, so you’ll need to open the Fitbit app on your phone if you want to see anything more than a quick glance at your daily activity.All in all, though, the Charge HR is a great fitness tracker that’s definitely worth considering. It’s available on Amazon for just $130.SpecsDisplay: OLEDHeart rate sensor: OpticalGPS: NoWaterproof: Sweat, rain, and splash proof, but not waterproofBattery life: Up to 5 daysNotifications: Call, alarmColors: Black, Blue, Plum, Tangerine, Teal, PinkRead moreFitbit Charge HR reviewBuy now from AmazonHonorable mentionFitbit AltaIf you don’t need a fitness tracker with a heart rate monitor, you should get the Fitbit Alta. Not only is it affordable, it’s also one of the most attractive fitness trackers Fitbit has ever produced. It’s small enough to look like a bracelet on your wrist, and if you don’t like the standard rubber straps you can swap it out for a more premium metal or leather one.It has most of the same features other Fitbit devices bring to the table like sleep tracking, automatic activity recognition and 5-day battery life. It doesn’t have a heart rate monitor, though, which some would see as a major negative on the spec sheet. With that said, heart rate monitors on wrist-mounted fitness trackers don’t normally provide the most accurate metrics, so this caveat should be taken with a grain of salt.All in all, the Fitbit Alta does most of the things you’d want in a fitness tracker without the ugly aesthetics. You can pick one up on Amazon for only $118.SpecsDisplay: OLED tap displayHeart rate sensor: NoGPS: NoWaterproof: Sweat, rain, and splash proof, but not waterproofBattery life: Up to 5 daysNotifications: Text, call, calendar, alarm and idle alertsColors: Black, Blue, Plum, TealRead moreFitbit Alta reviewFitbit Alta officially announcedBuy now from AmazonBest GPS fitness trackerGarmin vívoactive HRIf you need something a little more powerful than our first few options, Garmin’s vívoactive HR might be for you. It’s not too expensive as far as GPS trackers go, and it comes with tons of useful features.For starters, it will accurately track your daily activity when you go running, cycling, swimming and more, all thanks to the built-in GPS. Of course it also has an optical heart rate monitor that will help you keep tabs on your resting and active heart rate. One other thing to note – this thing is bulky. I had a hard time getting used to wearing it for an extended period of time, though I must say that the bigger screen is really nice for viewing your daily stats and notifications.Again, this isn’t the newest fitness tracker on the market. But if you need something with GPS and heart rate tracking capabilities and don’t mind spending around $250, you should definitely consider the vívoactive HR.SpecsDisplay: TouchscreenHeart rate sensor: YesGPS: YesWaterproof: Yes, 5 ATM (up to 50 meters)Battery life: Up to 8 daysNotifications: Call, text, email, alarm, idle alerts and moreColors: Black (with interchangeable bands in Lava Red, Force Yellow and White)Buy now from AmazonRunner-upSamsung Gear Fit 2The Samsung Gear Fit 2 isn’t as feature packed as the vívoactive HR, but it’s definitely still worth including on our list.It’s smaller than many other GPS-enabled fitness trackers out there, and it actually looks quite good. It sports a 1.5-inch Super AMOLED color display that will certainly help you achieve a few days of battery life on a single charge. It also comes with an optical heart rate monitor, plenty of on-board storage for storing music, and automatic activity tracking.The Gear Fit 2 is also priced very competitively at just $150.SpecsDisplay: 1.5-inch Super AMOLEDHeart rate sensor: OpticalGPS: YesWaterproof: Yes, IP68Battery life: Up to 3-4 daysNotifications: Call, text, email, alarm and moreColors: Black, Blue, PinkRead moreSamsung Gear Fit 2 reviewSamsung Gear Fit 2 hands-onSamsung Gear Fit 2 officially announcedBuy now from AmazonBest stylish fitness trackerWithings Activité Steel / Activité PopIf you’re looking for a wearable that focuses on form over functionality, you should check out the Withings Activité Pop or Steel. No, these devices aren’t just analog watches, they’re also activity trackers.They’re both comfortable to wear all day, and more importantly, they don’t look anything like the other fitness trackers on the market. They also come in a variety of different color options and styles, so you’re bound to find one that suits your needs. Both devices will track your steps taken, calories burned, sleep and much more. They’re also waterproof and come with a CR2025 button cell battery that will last up to 8 months at a time. Not bad!The Withings Activité Steel sports a 316L stainless steel casing, while the Activité Pop looks a bit less premium and comes in more color options. These devices are available on Amazon for just $150 and $130, respectively.SpecsDisplay: AnalogHeart rate sensor: NoGPS: NoWaterproof: Yes, 5 ATM (up to 50 meters)Battery life: Up to 8 monthsNotifications: AlarmSteel colors: Black, White, Raspberry, Mineral, Evergreen, Khaki, Mocha, Yellow, Black Leather, Red LeatherPop colors – Azure, Shark Grey, Sand, PinkRead moreWithings Activité Steel reviewWithings Activité Steel officially announcedBuy the Withings Activité Steel from AmazonBuy the Withings Activité Pop from AmazonRunner-upGarmin vívomoveThe vívomove is Garmin’s first attempt at an analog fitness watch, and it’s quite a good attempt indeed.Instead of featuring a separate step counting dial like on the Withings devices, Garmin has implemented a ‘move bar’ that fills up with each step you take. I really like this implementation, and it’s quite easy to see just how far away you are from achieving your daily step goal. Not only will it track your steps taken, it’ll also monitor your sleep.It doesn’t have a heart rate monitor or GPS, and it won’t feed you smartphone notifications. It is waterproof, though, which is a feature many competitor products are missing. It also has an impressive battery life of about a year, so you’ll never have to charge the device; just replace the button cell battery and you’re good to go.There are three models available, but you should definitely go with the Sport model (pictured above). It’s the cheapest and has the same functionality as the others.SpecsDisplay: AnalogHeart rate sensor: NoGPS: NoWaterproof: Yes, 5 ATM (up to 50 meters)Battery life: Up to 1 yearNotifications: NoColors: Black, WhiteRead moreGarmin vívomove officially announcedBuy now from AmazonBest for notificationsFitbit BlazeThe Blaze might not be our favorite Fitbit device out there, but it’s still darn good at a handful of things.This is Fitbit’s most smartwatch-y device on the market. It has a touchscreen display, interchangeable bands, and it arguably looks more like a smartwatch than it does a fitness tracker. It can also feed you notifications from your smartphone via Bluetooth. You can get call, text and calendar notifications, though you aren’t able to get Facebook, Twitter, email or basically anything else. Not that anyone needs Twitter mentions on their wrists when they’re on a run, but the option would be nice, at least.Other than notifications, the Blaze does a lot of other things right. It’ll get you 5 days of battery on a single charge, features a display that’s bright and clear enough to see outdoors, and it’s comfortable enough to wear all day. There are also leather and metal band options if you’re looking to wear it to work or out to dinner.SpecsDisplay: 1.25-inch LCDHeart rate sensor: OpticalGPS: NoWaterproof: Sweat, rain, and splash proof, but not waterproofBattery life: Up to 5 daysNotifications: Call, text, calendar and alarmColors: Black/Gunmetal, Black/Silver, Blue/Silver, Plum/SilverRead moreFitbit Blaze reviewFitbit Blaze officially announcedBuy now from AmazonBest budget-friendly fitness trackerGarmin vívofit 3Garmin’s vívofit 3 definitely won’t win any awards in the design department, but it does come with a surprisingly long feature set for its price.It sports an always-on display, a battery that will last up to 1 year at a time, and also reminds you to move if you’re not on track to meet your step goal. It’s also waterproof up to 50 meters.As you can see in the photo above, there are plenty of different strap options available as well. So if you aren’t a fan of the standard Black or White model, you can pick up a new strap that will make it look a little more like a bracelet and less like a fitness tracker.SpecsDisplay: LEDHeart rate sensor: NoGPS: NoWaterproof: Yes, 5 ATM (up to 50 meters)Battery life: Up to 1 yearNotifications: Idle alertsColors: Black, White, CamoBuy now from AmazonRunner-upXiaomi Mi Band 2If you’re looking for an activity tracker for under $50, you should get the Xiaomi Mi Band 2.Xiaomi’s third attempt at a fitness tracker might not be the best on the market, but it does excel in a few key areas. It’ll track your steps taken, distance traveled, calories burned, and even your sleep. It also has an optical heart rate monitor that can help you keep track of your resting heart rate. It also comes with an IP67 waterproof rating and a battery that will last up to 20 days on a single charge.While the Mi Fit companion app isn’t the greatest and the display can be hard to read at times, the Mi Band 2 is still a great option for those looking to keep an eye on their daily activity.SpecsDisplay: .42-inch OLEDHeart rate sensor: OpticalGPS: NoWaterproof: Yes, IP67Battery life: Up to 20 daysNotifications: Call, text, alarm, idle alerts and moreColors:Read moreXiaomi Mi Band 2 reviewXiaomi Mi Band 2 officially announcedBuy now from OPPOMARTSo there you have it, the best fitness trackers on the market right now! How did you like our list? Did we leave anything out? If so, let us know in the comments! Next: The best Android Wear watches67

Best fitness trackers (August 2016)