What You Will Learn

• Wearable technology includes devices like smartwatches and fitness trackers that monitor health and fitness.
• These gadgets enhance health awareness by tracking vital metrics such as heart rate and sleep patterns.
• Wearable tech promotes convenience by providing notifications and reminders directly on our wrists.
• Future innovations will include AI capabilities, smart textiles, and enhanced battery life for better user experience.

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Recap of Key Points

Here is a quick recap of the important points discussed in the article:

• Wearable Technology Overview: Devices like smartwatches and fitness trackers are essential tools for tracking health and enhancing daily productivity.
• Health Benefits: Wearables provide real-time health monitoring, motivation for physical activity, and convenient access to notifications.
• Empowerment through Data: Users can make informed decisions about their health and fitness based on the insights gained from wearable devices.
• Future Innovations: Expect advancements in AI, smart textiles, battery life, and data privacy in the wearable tech landscape.
• Investment Consideration: Evaluating the benefits of wearables against lifestyle and health goals can help determine if they are worth the investment.

Other Fitness Trackers to Consider

Photograph: Adrienne So

Garmin Instinct 3 for $400: Garmin’s Instinct line doesn’t have as many high-end features as the Fenix 8, but it’s popular because it’s cheaper and it has a cool, chunky retro aesthetic that I love. This year’s updates include the built-in flashlight and a new reinforced bezel, which is good considering that I still managed to bang up the Fenix and Epix watches quite a bit. For more information, check out our guide to the Best Garmin Watches.

Coros Nomad for $349: After wearing it for a month during the summer, I really love this rugged, modestly-priced sports watch. It’s meant for anglers, so most of its sport modes are for fishing, but there’s also a new feature called Adventure Journal that lets you record voice memos and pin locations as you’re hiking and running so that you can remember where bathrooms, campsites, or really great berry-picking spots are. It’s very light, considering its size, and the battery lasts forever.

Apple Watch Ultra 2 for $649: I don’t recommend last year’s Watch Ultra 2 anymore because I think the vastly extended battery life (up to 42 hours from 36 hours) plus satellite communications is enough of a reason for any outdoorsperson to just get a Watch Ultra 3. You definitely shouldn’t buy it at full price. But it is compatible with watchOS 26, so if you can find it significantly on sale, I won’t think you’re dumb for going for it.

Garmin Venu X1 for $800: Garmin’s Venu line straddles an odd niche. It has a polymer case, a nylon strap, and an enormous AMOLED display that is two inches across, which is great for displaying built-in maps. It has speakers and a mic for taking calls, and much of the fitness functionality of the Fenix, but without the classy, durable metal bezel or insane battery life. It works fine; it’s just hard to look at it and not think that it’s plastic and costs twice as much as the Apple Watch.

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

OnePlus Watch 3 for $270: My kingdom for a smartwatch that can last more than a day! The OnePlus Watch 3 (9/10, WIRED Recommends) can last for five days on a single charge. OnePlus now includes many by-now standard health features, like fall detection, a skin temperature sensor, irregular heart rate notifications, and an electrocardiogram. This is another great pick if you want a smartwatch that’s also a good fitness tracker.

Suunto Run for $249: I love how light and slim this watch is (36 grams), especially in the now sold-out Lime. It has a bright AMOLED screen, two weeks of battery life, and accurate dual-frequency satellites. But Suunto’s software is clunky and difficult to navigate when compared to Garmin’s, Coros’s, or Apple’s. Offline maps are also not supported.

Amazfit Bip 6 for $70: Amazfit’s trackers are improving so quickly! Like the Active 2, the Bip 6 is a gorgeous little watch, with a brilliant, big, and responsive AMOLED screen, well over a week of battery life, and 140 sport modes. I still find the tracker and the Zepp app to occasionally be laughably inaccurate, but it’s cheap and comfortable and works well. However, for only $20 more, I’d just get the Active 2 instead.

Xiaomi Smart Band 9 for $59: I was shocked by how much I liked this affordable little fitness band. The 1,200-nit display is clear and bright, and the touchscreen is responsive. The aluminum case feels sturdy, and it tracks your steps and heart rate with reasonable accuracy. However, there’s just no comparing the user experience of the Mi Fitness app versus Fitbit’s, especially at this price. (Yet.)

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra for $500: Your eyes have not deceived you. Samsung’s Galaxy Watch Ultra (7/10, WIRED Review) is a direct rip-off of the Apple Watch Ultra, but for Samsung phone owners. It even has the Quick button (which Apple calls an Action button) and the Double Pinch feature (which Apple calls Double Tap). Apple’s watch is better, with more sports, a better interface, and better comprehensive algorithms like Training Load and Vitals. However, what the Galaxy Watch Ultra does, it does well, and Samsung has the resources to catch up quickly. It has a sapphire glass face that’s rated to 10 ATM, an IP68 rating, and the ability to withstand elevations as high as 9,000 meters and temperatures as high as 130 degrees. It also has backcountry navigation features, dual-band GPS, a compass, and breadcrumb navigation, which Samsung calls Track Back and which Apple calls Backtrack (this is getting silly). The battery life is still just an adequate two days and change, though. This is the 2025 model, which added more storage and a new color, but you can buy the 2024 model for even less.

Buyer Beware

Amazfit Balance

Photograph: Amazon

Evie Movano Ring for $269: Evie announced an upgraded version of the Movano, with a medical-journal-trained AI chatbot and improved sleep and heart rate tracking. I tested it and unfortunately did not find enough on offer to rescind my previous opinion (4/10, WIRED Review). The smart ring market has exploded since then, and many new rings have explicitly women-centered features. It simply doesn’t offer enough features to be an attractive product right now.

Amazfit T-Rex 3 for $280, Amazfit Helio Ring for $149, and Amazfit Balance for $150: I have tried all the older watches across Amazfit’s lineup, and my colleague Simon Hill has tried the company’s smart ring. While I have nothing to complain about regarding the build quality, the Balance is a dupe for the Samsung Galaxy Watch if you don’t look too hard—both Hill and I found functionality somewhat limited and were exasperated at the subscription upselling. The Active 2 is the only Amazfit watch I like right now.

Compare Top 14 Fitness Trackers

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