Guide
Buying advice: find the ideal smartwatch or sports watch for you here
by Jan Johannsen
More active in everyday life: these are the best fitness trackers
19.11.2019
Translation: machine translated
Are you striving for a healthier lifestyle, perhaps even want to lose some weight or achieve your fitness goals? An activity tracker can help you do this. However, you are spoilt for choice: there are now countless models from a wide range of manufacturers. Here is an overview of which wearable is best for you, depending on your requirements, budget and taste.
I've been wearing a smart coach on my wrist for years. It motivates me to get up from my desk regularly and shows me on the way home whether I have already completed my 10,000 steps or should get off the bus one stop earlier. I can also keep an eye on my calorie balance and analyse my fitness - not to mention the practical reminders and push notifications in everyday life.
The differences to a fitness smartwatch and what you should ask yourself before buying
The advantages over a smartwatch are the discreet look, the longer battery life and the lower price. Fitness trackers are much slimmer and smaller than smart watches, but they also record your everyday activities and offer smart basic functions such as Alarm clock and timer, reminders for fitness goals or appointments and push notifications from your connected smartphone. They also count steps and calories burned and monitor your heart rate and sleep quality. However, you have to pull out your smartphone more often than with a smartwatch, as activity trackers do not usually support advanced smart functions such as app, music and voice control, telephony or chat responses.
Depending on your goals, you can invest in a wearable with or without heart rate measurement. Fitness wearables with optical heart rate measurement are now barely more expensive than activity trackers without heart rate sensors. The big difference lies in the battery life: simple pedometers usually last more than a month without a charger, while wearables that monitor your heart rate around the clock need to be recharged after just five to 14 days. I think heart rate monitoring is very worthwhile, as it allows you to draw conclusions about your fitness and health. The data on sleep quality and calorie consumption is also much more reliable. So if you are serious and want the fitness wristband to support you with your fitness or weight loss goals, then choose one with heart rate measurement. You should also ask yourself whether your fitness wristband needs to be waterproof or not.
Fitbit Inspire: The advanced pedometer for beginners
If you're looking for a slim pedometer, you can't go wrong with the Fitbit Inspire. The slim fitness wristband sits discreetly on your wrist or can be clipped to your waistband. It offers a number of motivating functions for a sportier everyday life and automatically recognises many of your activities, for example: sleeping, jogging outside or on the treadmill, cycling, dancing, weight lifting or interval training. The wearable is water-repellent up to a depth of 50 metres. The longer your fitness wristband accompanies you, the more reliably it can tell whether you are cleaning or practising yoga, for example. You can easily read all app notifications on the small display even in direct sunlight when the Bluetooth connection is active, but you cannot reply to them. That would also be very cumbersome on the tiny display. You can track your fitness data as well as your weight, calorie balance and, if applicable, your menstrual cycle with the Fitbit app, which is both attractive and clearly organised. You can document your diet for ideal weight loss success directly in the app if required and don't need to download any other nutrition apps.
The Fitbit Inspire is available in black and Bordeaux and the wristband is interchangeable. For around €20 more, you can get the same fitness wearable as the Fitbit Inspire HR with heart rate monitor for more accurate fitness and sleep data thanks to detailed
sleep phase detection. However, the battery only lasts up to five days. It also supports even more fitness functions such as guided breathing exercises and goal-based activity modes. It determines your fitness level and even records swimming training sessions. When paired with a smartphone, the Inspire HR can utilise the smartphone's GPS and determine the distance travelled more accurately.
Polar A370 supports sporty ladies
The Polar A370 in pink or white is a fit and waterproof companion for ladies. It impresses with continuous heart rate measurement, extended sleep tracking and the proven training functions and programmes from fitness professional Polar. The battery lasts a maximum of four days. Outdoors, the A370 uses your smartphone's GPS signal to measure speed and distance and track your route, while the heart rate zones help you find the optimal performance level. Smart notifications keep you up to date with incoming mobile messages.
Fitbit Charge 3 and Garmin vivosmart 4: the smart, pretty everyday motivators
If you like to leave your mobile in your pocket more often, I recommend spending a few more euros on the Fitbit Charge 3, which not only has a larger display, but also offers other smart features - such as pre-recorded responses to incoming messages. Numerous chic designs and wristbands ensure a stylish and personalised look. In my opinion, the Charge 3 is currently the most attractive and functional activity tracker.
A strong competitor is Garmin's vivosmart 4 in four colours: In terms of everyday, sports and sleep tracking, as well as an assessment of personal fitness and breathing exercises for relaxation, Garmin's latest activity tracker is in no way inferior to the Fitbit Charge 3. Both have a touch display, a heart rate sensor and smart notifications with quick responses. Both lack GPS and an integrated music player or connections to music streaming services, but this is easy to get over: you usually have your smartphone with you anyway. If not, you're better off opting for a smartwatch anyway.
The Charge 3 and vivosmart 4 have a battery life of around one week. The latter is slightly cheaper and comes with fewer animations and bells and whistles - such as interchangeable wristbands - as well as a smaller display. The Garmin Connect app is not as playful as Fitbit's and seems a little confusing at first, but will get you to your goals just as effectively with a wealth of fitness data.
Xiaomi, Huawei and Samsung: activity trackers to match your smartphone
When it comes to the accompanying app, it can make sense to stick with the mobile phone manufacturer and buy the right wearable from Xiaomi, Huawei or Samsung, especially if you are struggling with new technical achievements. Pairing and use is usually particularly easy here. However, all smartwatch enthusiasts without a Xiaomi smartphone should also opt for the Chinese manufacturer. The black Mi Smart Band 4 is an absolute price hit and offers all the functions you need for a fit and digital everyday life: You can track your steps, calories burned and some sports, while your heart rate is also monitored. These include: Walking, running, treadmill, cycling, general training and swimming. The Mi Band 4 uses the mobile's GPS. It supports defined training goals and sends you current weather information and push notifications from the connected smartphone, which can be easily read on the colour display. You can control music playback on your mobile via your wrist. Timer and alarm clock are of course also included. With its unobtrusive design, the Mi Band 4 offers solid and long-lasting performance with a battery life of around two weeks and is robust and waterproof. Click here for the detailed test report.
However, you should perhaps be aware that the accompanying Mi Fit app from Xiaomi is not as appealing and comprehensive as the Fitbit app. If you want to be even cheaper, you can theoretically also buy the predecessor models Xiaomi Mi Band 2 or 3. Personally, however, I would prefer to invest a few more dollars and buy the latest wearable, which, together with its app, is intended for use in Germany for the first time by the manufacturer: here you are up to date and guaranteed to receive all updates for a long time to come.
The Chinese Xiaomi supplier Huami, which offers its own brand with "Amazfit", is also becoming increasingly well-known. Its minimalist Amazfit Cor activity tracker is also equipped with a colour screen and heart rate sensors at a relatively low price. In addition to push notifications, it offers real-time weather forecasts, an alarm clock and a stopwatch. However, running and cycling can only be recorded with a click via the app, which is a shame. The wearable is waterproof and also monitors your sleep.
The Amazfit Band 2 is almost in the same league in terms of price, but also allows you to control music from your wrist and has up to 20 days of battery power. In my opinion, it is just as good as the Xiaomi Mi Band 4, but what is striking about the Chinese manufacturers is that they all only track a small selection of sports: walking, running, treadmill and cycling. Everything else falls under general exercise, which ultimately seems irrelevant if you are only interested in your heart rate and a rough estimate of calories burnt. If you want more, such as counting repetitions during strength training or determining your fitness age, you should stick to Garmin or Fitbit.
A similar inexpensive entry-level model from Samsung is the Galaxy Fit-e. It is available in one size and colour, has a heart rate monitor but only tracks walking, running and general sport. It has basic functions such as smart notifications and an alarm clock. However, the battery does not last up to two weeks like Xiaomi's, but a maximum of one.
The concentrated digital functions of Samsung's Gear Fit2 fitness tracker come very close to its big smartwatch sister. Not only can you analyse sports performance in detail, but you can also listen to music via the integrated music player and much more that is otherwise only possible with a smartphone. The Gear Fit2 Pro in black or red even supports Spotify - completely independently of the smartphone. However, you currently have to pay around twice as much for the high-end fitness wristbands as for a well-known fitness tracker from Fitbit or Garmin. Depending on usage, the battery power is also more limited here.
With the classic black Huawei Band 4, you can be sporty and smart on the go at a much lower price. The colourful touchscreen can be personalised with different watch faces, just like Samsung's high-end wearables. Push notifications and a battery life of almost a week are also guaranteed here. The heart rate monitor signals when you exceed your maximum average heart rate. It also benefits you during sleep by recognising the four sleep phases and providing tips for a better night's sleep via the app. During training, it supports indoor and outdoor running as well as circuit training, rowing and free training. Of course, you can also keep an eye on your calorie consumption.
You actually get even more fitness convenience with the predecessor model, the Huawei Band 3 Pro: It even has GPS on board and thanks to the VO2 MAX value, it determines the status of your fitness and regeneration. Intelligent feedback improves your swimming technique. It is available in black, white and blue.
Activity tracker especially for children: Garmin vívofit jr. 2 and Fitbit Ace 2
Of course, even the little ones love to be animated by technology: That's why activity trackers have long been available specifically for children. Both Fitbit and Garmin have colourful, child-friendly wristbands on sale. They are particularly robust and waterproof, can be operated intuitively and are designed to motivate kids to get more exercise in a playful way: Both Fitbit and Garmin set a target of at least one hour of activity. Both do not require heart rate measurement. This is not about tracking or monitoring for parents. However, the adults manage the wearable via the mobile app, so the kids don't need their own mobile. Garmin's vívofit jr. 2 is available in great designs and topics: whether the little ones want to get active with Spiderman, Star Wars characters, Mickey Mouse or princesses. Parents can view the number of steps, sleep, daily activities and tasks or family challenges. For example, the little ones receive reminders to tidy up and do their homework on their wristband. Practical: the wristband does not need to be charged as the battery lasts up to a year.
The Fitbit Ace 2 activity tracker for children aged 6 and over offers very similar functions: Healthy habits should be established by taking as many steps and active minutes as possible and achieving goals rewarded in a playful way. The family account is fun for everyone: with joint step competitions, notifications, mutual applause and a special protected Fitbit app view for children. A stopwatch and alarm clock are also on board. However, the Ace 2 only offers a battery life of up to 5 days and not quite as much choice in terms of looks. However, the strap and watch face can also be changed here.
Conclusion: Heart rate monitors are a must - beyond that, the app and wallet decide
If you are buying a fitness tracker, you should definitely choose a model with heart rate measurement, as these are no longer more expensive and simply track your everyday life much more accurately - especially when it comes to your fitness or calories burned, stress or sleep quality. The Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 4 is available for very little money and is completely sufficient for everyday use. If you can spend a little more, the Garmin Vivosmart 4 is a fitness wristband that lives up to its name and offers a whole host of fitness functions. The Fitbit Charge 3 is a particularly attractive and popular all-rounder with equally smart fitness functions and a very user-friendly app. If you also want the functions of a smartwatch, Samsung's Gear Fit2 Pro is the best choice - although you can also look for a smartwatch for the price. Whatever you decide: Have fun achieving your goals and keep at it!
First there was the urge to move: I've been on fire for sports since I could walk and have tried almost everything from arm wrestling to Zumba. Because I always wanted to go further, higher and faster, fitness gadgets became indispensable training partners. As a fitness editor for a fitness magazine and Curved.de, among others, I have combined my great preferences - writing, sports and wearables - in the best possible way.
