The Insider Pick:
There is no shortage of fitness trackers to choose from, but after our testing and research, the new Garmin Vivosport came out on top. Its accurate tracking, sleek design, and advanced features like waterproofing and built-in GPS make it a well-rounded tool for keeping tabs on both your workouts and activities.
The line between fitness trackers and smartwatches is blurring as smartwatches offer more fitness tools. While devices like the Apple Watch Series 3 and the Fitbit Ionic are strong choices for tracking your daily activity, we decided to stay in the fitness tracker realm for this guide.
Those looking for a device dedicated to tracking daily activity, workouts, and sleep have a vast number of choices even without including members of the smartwatch family. To help you decide on the best fitness tracker for your needs, there are a few things you’ll want to take into consideration:
- Comfort and design: Since you’ll be wearing your tracker on a daily basis (even to bed if you want to track sleep) comfort is definitely a priority. If it’s not comfortable, you won’t want to wear it often, which defeats the whole purpose of a fitness tracker. The same goes for design. If you have a small wrist, you may want a tracker with a sleek and more understated look. Or maybe the display is most important to you, and you like the idea of being able to read the time and date as well as your fitness stats. Fitness trackers come in all shapes and sizes, so you’ll be able to find one that suits your style.
- Features: Not all fitness trackers are created equal when it comes to this arena. If you’re looking for a no-frills fitness tracker, then one that tracks steps and your sleep might suffice. However, if you work out often or want more insights into how your activity impacts your overall fitness level, a more advanced tracker with a heart ratemonitor or a built-in GPS may be the one for you. You should also consider the types of workouts you like to do. For example, if you’re a swimmer, waterproofing is a must. Just starting out on your fitness journey? A device that gives you coaching and goals to work towards may be the extra motivation you need to stay on track.
- App experience: Most fitness trackers are designed to work in tandem with your smartphone, syncing the data collected with a downloaded application. This allows you to gain even more insight into your health and save the information collected to track your progress over time. Unfortunately, not all apps are created equal, and you may find there are some app experiences you prefer over others. It’s important to choose a fitness tracker that gives you a good app experience. Easy navigation and compatibility with your phone’s operating system are a must.
There are many factors to consider, but we also tested multiple devices and analyzed the reviews to find the best fitness trackers you can buy. Whether you’re interested in advanced workout stats, or simply want a general overview of your activity for the day, our list features fitness trackers with a wide range of capabilities so you can find the one best suited to your lifestyle.
Read on in the slides below to learn why the Garmin Vivosport is our top pick and why you should also consider the Misfit Ray, the Fitbit Charge 2, the Fitbit Alta HR, the Huawei Band 2 Pro, the Moov Now, and the Garmin Vivofit Junior 2.
The best fitness tracker overall
Why you'll love it: The Garmin Vivosport is a great all-around fitness tracker with accurate step counting and heart rate data that can give you an in-depth analysis of your fitness.
The Garmin Vivosport packs an impressive number of features into a sleek band with a color display. I got to test the Vivosport myself and can confidently say that it lives up to the positive reviews it has received and it will be my personal go-to fitness tracker.
The first thing I noticed was how comfortable the Vivosport is for daily wear. I loved the slim design, which is much appreciated because I have small wrists that are dwarfed by most wearables. The screen is a bit small, but the 72 x 144-pixel resolution allowed me to clearly read any information that appeared on the screen, and the color display was a nice added touch.
I like a fitness tracker that can also double as a watch, and within the Garmin app you can choose from different watch faces, so I could decide how I wanted the time and date displayed. The screen was easy to navigate, though I did notice it could be a bit sensitive at times, and it was easy to swipe to a screen I didn’t mean to land on. Overall, this was a minor annoyance, and I would much rather have the screen be sensitive than unresponsive. The screen is always on, too, so you can see the time or your stats without tapping to wake it up.
The Vivosport comes in two sizes: Small/Medium and Large. While it doesn’t come with a lot of style options (you can’t change out bands) it does come in a few different color schemes.
The fact that this tracker has a built-in GPS was a huge benefit to me as a runner. I loved that the Vivosport easily doubled as my running watch, tracking the distance I ran without needing the use of my phone’s GPS. I could leave my phone at home if I chose to do so.
Along with the GPS, it also features heart rate monitoring, VO2 fitness testing, stress monitoring, stairs climbed, steps taken, and sleep tracking. In addition, the Vivosport has built-in sports modes that include running, cycling, cardio training, and strength training. Swimmers can rejoice as well, because the Vivosport is also waterproof. I jumped in the shower with it many a time with no issues.
The battery life is also impressive. While Garmin says it can last up to 7 days, with using the GPS on my runs, I found mine lasted closer to 4 days before I had to charge it.
As far as app experience goes, I found the Garmin Connect app easy to navigate and loved how detailed the stats were when it came to my daily activity as well as my workouts. I had no issues with it and liked how neatly everything was laid out on the homepage. You can click on each section to reveal a “boatload of stats” as DC Rainmaker says in his review.
The Vivosport also receives smartphone notifications. When turned on, you’ll be notified via the tracker of any reminders, calls text messages, and social media notifications you receive. These can be turned off completely, or customized through the app.
Overall, the customer reviews are positive when it comes to the Vivosport. Like myself, this reviewer loves how it can double as a daily fitness tracker as well as her running watch, while this loyal Garmin customer was impressed with all of the features.
Out of all the trackers I tested, I kept coming back to the Vivosport. It’s an accurate and comfortable tracker with a slew of features that don’t disappoint.
Pros: Accurate tracking, built-in GPS and heart rate monitor, built in sports apps, stress monitoring, long battery life, waterproof, easy to navigate app, smartphone notifications
Cons: Doesn’t have a lot of style options, small and overly sensitive screen
Buy the Garmin Vivosport on Amazon starting at $149.99
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