Best smartwatches for fitness in 2023

If there really is a sweet spot between an excellent smartwatch and a quality fitness tracker, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 is it. Right out of the box, it will track more than 90 different exercises, ensuring that even the most complicated fitness routine can be easily tracked and measured. And while Samsung Health lacks the in-depth metrics of Garmin Connect because it’s built on Wear OS, you can always introduce plenty of other third-party apps to mix things up.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 not only tracks heart rate and location, but also measures blood oxygen, heart rate, bioelectrical impedance, and even blood pressure in some regions. A skin temperature sensor is also included – it’s just awaiting FDA approval. All this makes for a great all-rounder at a very reasonable price. But if you want to save a few bucks, consider the last generation Samsung Galaxy Watch 4, which isn’t that different.

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Slowly but surely, Garmin has taken steps to create a true smartwatch. And the Venu 2 Plus is the biggest step yet, thanks to the built-in speaker and microphone that introduces virtual assistants and calls from the wrist. Admittedly, it’s not nearly as flexible as dedicated smartwatch rivals, and it only has limited third-party apps in the Garmin IQ store – but what it lacks in smarts, it makes up for in fitness features.

Garmin watches have long been the runner’s choice for accurate GPS tracking and more stats than you can shake a stick at, but the more passive health features are just as good. For example, Body Battery tells you how much energy you have for a workout; Fitness Age will give you an instant assessment of your improvement, and animated exercises will guide you in everything from strength and conditioning to Pilates and yoga.

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On a tight budget? Look no further than the Amazfit GTS 3 or GTR 3, which share the same MSRP and can be found on the cheap now that the (slightly disappointing) Amazfit GTR 4 is here. Now available for under $150, the Amazfit GTS 3 and GTR 3 offer a lot of bang for the buck. Along with the usual GPS, accelerometer and gyroscope, both watches also come with the optical BioTracker 3.0 sensor, which analyzes pulse, stress and blood oxygen levels. Between them, these sensors track 150 exercises (8 automatically) and provide insights like training load, VO2 Max and recovery time to help you plan your training.

Both lack the third-party apps and polish of some rivals, but it’s hard to complain too much given the low cost of entry.

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If you want the excellent fitness features that Garmin wearables provide, but can’t justify the expense of the Venu 2 Plus, then the Garmin Venu Sq 2 is a solid compromise. Yes, it loses the altimeter, gyroscope, and workout animations, but it’ll still be a valuable workout companion at a fraction of the price.

It offers 11 days of battery life, accurate fitness tracking and the brilliant Garmin Connect app, which includes all the stats you could ever want. The excellent Body Battery feature will tell you how prepared you are for a workout on any given day, making it extremely handy for those looking to build up their fitness.

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As a smartwatch, the Fitbit Sense 2 is only smart-ish, but you have to admire Fitbit’s dedication to fitness and wellness. To that end, in addition to packing the usual GPS and heart rate sensors, the Fitbit Sense 2 can measure stress, blood oxygen, body temperature and an irregular heartbeat via its EKG sensor.

Capable of tracking up to 40 exercises, it has one of the most user-friendly apps on the market that clearly shows progress for beginners while encouraging friendly competition between friends and colleagues. Yes, some of the better features are paywalled, but the watch comes with six months of Fitbit Premium, which isn’t bad at all. But what’s bad are the features lost from the previous generation: third-party apps are gone, there’s no music storage, and playback controls are also inexplicably gone. There are signs it’s getting better – Google Wallet and Maps have recently been added – but if you want a truly smart experience, you might want to look elsewhere.

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In addition to owning Fitbit, Google has its own smartwatch: the Pixel Watch. In fact, the company promised “help from Google” and “health from Fitbit,” which sounds like the best of both worlds when you’re looking for a fitness-focused smartwatch.

In truth, it’s not quite there. It misses out on a few things that make the bundled Fitbit Premium valuable for the Sense 2, including a range of sensors (EDA, ECG, temperature) and automatic exercise detection. Its one-day battery also drains the built-in GPS quickly, which isn’t ideal for aspiring athletes. But as a smartwatch, it’s hard to fault, which isn’t surprising since it’s essentially a device designed to showcase what Wear OS can do.

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Despite being objectively a better product than the basic Samsung Galaxy Watch 5, the Pro version is still difficult to unequivocally recommend as a fitness smartwatch thanks to its high entry price. That said, in addition to its cheaper sibling’s various fitness features, the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro offers a few extras that fitness fans will appreciate. For a start, there are walking and cycling maps with a trackback to help you retrace your route, which is handy if that’s your primary form of exercise.

The thick 590mAh battery also lasts up to three days on a single charge. Although GPS will eat into it quickly, it will still manage 20 hours – enough for all but the most dedicated ultramarathoners.

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If you want long battery life without the hefty price tag, the Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 3 is worth a look. The 577 mAh battery will give you three days of use, which is unusual for Wear OS devices, but very welcome.

That use of Wear OS means it’s an excellent and flexible smartwatch, but how is it for fitness tracking? Not bad at all, with 13 workouts tracked from the TicExercise app via the included heart rate and GPS trackers. It will also measure blood oxygen levels via the built-in SpO2 sensor.

It doesn’t feel as polished as other Wear OS wearables, and it’s undeniably bulky on smaller wrists, but the TicWatch Pro 3 packs a lot into a pretty reasonable price.

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