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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What features do you find most beneficial in wearable technology? Share your thoughts below:

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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 Smartwatches to Consider

The number of smartwatches on the market is staggering. Here are a few other options I like.

Tag Heuer Calibre E5

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

TAG Heuer Connected Calibre E5 for $1,900: I got a chance to try TAG Heuer’s new luxury smartwatch for a few days, and it’s slick. The Calibre E5 feels like nothing else, with premium materials like sapphire crystal and ceramic bezels; it has a nice heft to it. TAG has switched from Google’s Wear OS to its own proprietary operating system (TAG Heuer OS), so you won’t be able to access the usual apps on this smartwatch. However, it works with Android or iPhone, routes your notifications through, and can track basic fitness activities. A software update will also bring sleep tracking. We’ll be putting it through its paces soon, but if you have other TAG or luxury watches in your collection, you might not mind having one that can also be a little more functional.

Apple Watch Series 10

Photograph: Adrienne So

Apple Watch Series 10 for $329: Thanks to watchOS 26, the 2024 Series 10 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) has many of the same features as the new Series 11, like hypertension notifications and Sleep Score. It has a thinner and lighter design with a larger screen than prior models, and it even got blood oxygen sensing back via a software update in August 2025. It’s too bad this one still has the 18-hour battery life. Avoid paying anywhere close to MSRP for this watch. If you can find it for under $300, snag it.

Google Pixel Watch 3.

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

Google Pixel Watch 3 for $230: The Pixel Watch 3 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is seeing some steep discounts now that the Pixel Watch 4 is here. It’s a great smartwatch, with the caveat that it’s not repairable. (The newer model addresses that.) It features loss-of-pulse detection—cleared by the FDA for use in the US—which can be critical in saving someone’s life. Google also focused its fitness updates on running, enabling users to create custom runs and follow AI-powered run recommendations while getting feedback on cardio load—how hard your heart is working and whether it’s appropriate for your body. I strongly recommend you go with the 45-mm model, which doesn’t even feel that big. It simply delivers better battery life—just about 24 hours with the always-on display or a little more if you have it turned off.

Apple Watch Ultra 2.

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

Apple Watch Ultra 2 for $799: The Watch Ultra 2 is still worth considering, just don’t pay anywhere near MSRP; otherwise, you may as well buy the new Watch Ultra 3. It can last several days of use, and has many of the same great features as the latest model, including better mics to pick up your voice, an 86-decibel siren to alert your position to anyone nearby, and precise GPS to better track your hikes (plus help you find your way back with the Backtrack feature). The screen can display topographic maps, but you cannot view offline maps without an iPhone.

Samsung’s Galaxy Watch Ultra 2025.

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

Samsung’s Galaxy Watch Ultra 2025 for $650: The 47-mm Galaxy Watch Ultra (7/10, WIRED Review) is the company’s Apple Watch Ultra and Garmin competitor, and it’s a solid first entry into the world of pricey, feature-rich, and powerful smartwatches designed for professional athletes. This is technically the 2025 model, which is identical to the 2024 version but comes with 64 GB of storage and in a new blue color. It lasts a little over two days on a charge because it’s a big 47-mm watch and can pack a beefy battery. There’s a titanium case and sapphire glass face, plus it’s rated to 10 ATM and IP68, so you can submerge it up to 100 meters underwater. The heart rate tracker is remarkably consistent with the Apple Watch Ultra 2, and the dual-band GPS delivers accurate mapping. The software isn’t as intuitive, and a few features are lacking when compared to other performance smartwatches, but this is a good start if you’re in the world of Android. If you don’t care for the blue or the extra storage, you can buy the 2024 model for hundreds less.

Samsung Galaxy Watch7.

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

Samsung Galaxy Watch7 44-mm for $190: Samsung’s Galaxy Watch7 from 2024 is a little plain. This model debuted Samsung’s Energy Score and added updated sleep tracking capabilities. You also get FDA-cleared sleep apnea detection, though this isn’t a feature you’ll turn on all the time—it takes two nights to track, and afterward, you’ll get a note saying whether or not you show symptoms. This feature, along with the electrocardiogram and irregular heart rhythm notifications, is only available when paired with a Samsung phone. Otherwise, this watch functions well with any other Android. You can choose from two sizes, plus Bluetooth-only or LTE. I tested both sizes and found battery life frustrating compared to its predecessors. With the always-on display, I struggled to hit 24 hours with two tracked activities and sleep tracking overnight. With it turned off, things fared a little better, but I was still barely hitting a full day. You’ll have to baby the battery and utilize the power-saving modes. If you don’t care for the latest and greatest, you can save a lot of dough with the Watch7.

GPR-H1000.

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

Casio G-Shock Master of G Rangeman GPR-H1000 for $500: It’s not for every event, but the Master of G-Land Rangeman (GPRH1000RY1A) looks great on my wrist, and I love that I only need to charge it about once a week. This is a G-Shock first and foremost. It has a durable, thick case and a comfortable strap. It’s a big watch. It also has six sensors and a built-in GPS. Connect the watch to your smartphone via Casio’s app, and you can get simple notification alerts, heart-rate tracking, activity tracking, and sleep tracking. That’s without mentioning other features like blood oxygen monitoring, compass, world time, altimeter, and barometer. I’ve compared the results to an Apple Watch Series 10, and for the most part, core metrics like heart rate, step tracking, and sleep are similar. I have had some data not show up in the Casio app for a few days, and many of these functions are slow to load on the watch. This would not be my first choice if I wanted a fitness-focused wearable—get a Garmin instead—but I like the ability to look at and track some of these metrics whenever I want. More importantly, I like having a G-Shock around my wrist.

Samsung Galaxy Watch FE for $240: The Galaxy Watch FE is a fine budget Wear OS smartwatch. The 40-mm Galaxy Watch FE has a smaller screen that doesn’t get as bright and sports a slower processor and a smaller battery compared to the Watch7 series. The health sensors are almost the same, and I got accurate results with heart rate and sleep tracking. The battery lasts just about a day, if not a little less.

OnePlus Watch 2.

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

OnePlus Watch 2 for $227: This is last year’s OnePlus smartwatch, but it’s still available. It seems like a better value now that the OnePlus 3’s price has been jacked up. The 46-mm OnePlus Watch 2 (7/10, WIRED Recommends) runs Wear OS and lasts roughly three days on a single charge, a little more if you enable some power-saving settings. The health capabilities are lacking—there’s no fall detection or electrocardiogram—but there’s sleep tracking, and it’s pretty accurate. Some features, like heart-rate tracking, distance traveled, and steps, have mixed accuracy in my testing, which means you shouldn’t buy this smartwatch if you’re primarily using it for those functions. Also, consider the OnePlus Watch 2R, which you can snag for less cash. The differences are mostly around build quality. The screen doesn’t get as bright, it has an aluminum case instead of stainless steel, and there’s no sapphire crystal protecting the screen, so it’s less durable. However, this makes it lighter and more comfortable to wear.

Withings ScanWatch 2.

Courtesy of Withings

Withings ScanWatch 2 for $370: The ScanWatch 2 (7/10, WIRED Recommends) can pass for an analog watch. Its health-tracking feature set is comprehensive—you get heart rate monitoring, an electrocardiogram, blood oxygen measurements, and sleep tracking. Battery life is stellar too, as it can last up to 30 days with light use. (Heavier usage will see roughly 22 days before needing a charge.) The main problem is the tiny display on this watch, which is too small to read some notifications. The GPS is also connected, meaning it requires your phone to be tethered and nearby. There’s an optional Health+ subscription, but we’d advise against it, as it doesn’t offer much utility. The ScanWatch 2 comes in a 42-mm or 38-mm case size and doesn’t have the rich features and apps you’ll find on the likes of an Apple Watch, but if you want to monitor your health data—and you don’t want your watch to look too techy—this will do the job.

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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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