Looking to up your fitness game? Or trying to monitor your health? Fitness trackers and smartwatches are here to help you stay on top of things. Counting your steps, monitoring your heart rate and stress, and tracking your sleep are just some of the things you can do with these watches. You also get a ton of exercise and workout options designed to track your fitness routine in every activity.
The increasing popularity of smartwatches has compelled smartphone companies to put out better watches along with smartphones. Now, there’s no shortage of options in the market, and finding the right one to suit your needs can be challenging. However, we’ve rounded up 5 of the best smartwatches and fitness trackers that you can buy in 2023.
Coincidentally, none of the smartwatches, except the Apple Watch, in this list support 4G, and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are the only connectivity options. So, you’ll need a good internet connection for your phone and the watch like Quantum Fiber with speeds of up to 8Gbps depending on where you live. Let’s dive into the list.
Garmin Fenix 7
There’s a reason why Garmin is the go-to brand for professional athletes and advanced users. Their precise GPS tracking, good displays, and ability to withstand harsh conditions are unparalleled. The Fenix 7 comes with a built-in GPS and Wi-Fi/Bluetooth connectivity options. The GPS isn’t run-of-the-mill GPS that relies on your phone to get a lock on your location. The watch directly connects to satellites and offers very accurate location tracking.
The watch is the first in the Fenix line to offer a touchscreen. However, the touchscreen locks itself as soon as you start your workout to prevent accidental touches. You can bypass this by pressing a button.
Garmin has also added a lot of free maps in their store that you can load onto the new map manager and save for later. You also get a ton of workout modes for multiple sports including running, swimming, cycling, golf, etc. The advanced features of Fenix 7 make it ideal if you’re looking to buy the absolute best watch in the fitness world.
Fitbit Charge 5
If chunky smartwatches aren’t your thing, you can take a look at Fitbit Charge 5. It’s the latest addition to Fitbit’s portfolio and offers a great bang for your buck without compromising on any of the essential features. It also has an ECG heart rate monitor, which is fairly accurate. You shouldn’t use it in place of medical-grade ECG equipment, but it gives you a pretty good idea.
It also comes with an upgraded touchscreen with an always-on display. There’s another feature called, ‘Daily Readiness Score,’ that takes into account your sleep, heart rate variability, and fatigue (related to previous activity). The tracker comes in vibrant colors with interchangeable straps.
Garmin Vivoactive 4S
It’s the best all-rounder smartwatch by Garmin where you get most of the useful features with plenty of style and practicality. Coming in at just 12.7mm thickness, it’s lightweight and comfortable to wear. The in-built GPS is quite accurate and records your track precisely, unlike other watches which smooth out the edges. You also get the usual workout modes, sleep tracking, blood oxygen monitors, and more. You also get water resistance of up to 5ATM.
Amazfit Band 5
Amazfit Band 5 is the most affordable fitness tracker on this list. While you don’t get the full smartwatch functionality, the most useful features are there. You get sleep tracking, stress monitoring, heart rate tracker, blood oxygen monitor, and more.
Moreover, the display is beautifully around the edges and the bezels are round. Battery life is another area where the Band 5 excels and you can get up to 15 days of battery life on moderate usage. If you turn on all the options, then this will reduce. Overall, it offers an excellent value proposition.
Apple Watch Series 8
This one is dedicated to iOS users. The Series 8 watch is strikingly similar to Apple Watch 7, but it comes with a few under-the-hood improvements. They’ve added a temperature sensor and it can also track menstrual cycles. It has 14 quick-start workout modes for different exercises and activities. Moreover, the watch can now detect when you hop on your bicycle and automatically triggers a workout. There’s a mode that differentiates electric bikes from regular ones as electric bikes require less exertion.
It’s not as advanced as the Watch Ultra, but it’s fairly adequate for most users’ needs. Most of the Watch Ultra’s features are here on the Watch 8 sans the siren.
Conclusion
This concludes our list of the top 5 fitness watches that you can buy in 2023. Remember that the list is not definitive as new products are continuously introduced in the market. But these watches currently offer the best fitness features in the market. The price point of each watch is different and you can pick one that falls within your budget. Be sure to have a good internet connection at home and on your phone to seamlessly enjoy what these fitness watches have to offer.
