15 best fitness trackers for 2026, tried and tested

Score: 93/100

The Apple Watch 11 boasts an array of exciting new features, including longer battery life, a more durable display, 5G support and a handy new wrist-flick gesture for dismissing on-screen alerts.

Our expert praised the ultra-slim, lightweight design, saying it felt comfortable to wear for hours on end. Set-up takes a matter of minutes and there’s speedy charging along with a huge number of Apple Watch straps to choose from.

In terms of health and fitness tracking, there’s the Vitals app, which monitors key metrics (including heart rate, sleep duration and wrist temperature) and lets you know if there are any deviations from the norm. There’s also an insightful new sleep score metric, hypertension notifications and an AI-powered ‘workout buddy’ to keep you motivated and ensure you’re training at the right intensity and frequency.

Our expert found the heart rate, steps, distance and blood oxygen level readings were all accurate when testing against third-party devices in the lab.

For dedicated Apple users, the Series 11 offers a seamless smartwatch experience like no other. It’s slick, responsive and its cellular tech means you can pretty much run your life from your wrist.

Read our full Apple Watch Series 11 review.

Score: 91/100

With a sleek Apple-esque design, a lengthy 10-day battery life and advanced sleep, fitness and health tracking capabilities, there’s lots to love about this top-rated tracker from Huawei.

The iOS and Android-compatible wearable is ultra lightweight with an elegant design and a scratch-resistant AMOLED sapphire glass screen for ultimate durability. Our fitness pro praised how comfy it was to wear – they barely noticed they had it on – and said the bright, responsive screen was easy to swipe around mid-activity.

Powered by Huawei’s TruSense tracking system, the watch delivers medical-grade ECG readings and sleep apnoea detection, along with stress monitoring, resting heart rate, blood oxygen levels, body temperature data and more. Fitness-wise, you get dual-frequency GPS, plenty of sports modes (from hiking to water sports), exercise form analysis and recovery recommendations. Our expert confirmed the GPS, heart rate and sleep data were extremely accurate, and they liked the user-friendly Huawei Health app for reviewing their progress.

Unlike many smartwatches, the battery life is impressive at 10 days, and takes just 60 minutes to refuel, so you don’t have to worry about daily charging. It lacks contactless payments and syncing with third-party apps is limited, but they may not be dealbreakers.

Score: 89/100

The first thing you may notice about this watch is the bold interface and strap, which can be changed and personalised to your preference. But this isn’t just about looks – it stood out performance-wise, too.

The GT7 tracks all forms of exercise, from light walks to intense HIIT sessions, but what sets this watch apart is its ability to track skiing sessions. So, if you're planning on hitting the slopes, and want to know just quite how much you’ve earned those après ski spritz(es), then this is the tracker for you. It has tailored metrics, such as turn-frequency and G-Force breakdowns after every run to track your progress both on indoor slopes and out on the mountains.

Our expert was a big fan of the tracker’s display, saying it was easy to read, even without glasses on. She also found the screen really responsive, which made it easy to customise workouts and track data.

Score: 88/100

If you experience high blood pressure, it’s a good idea to start monitoring the triggers, so you can make the right lifestyle changes. This watch offers a helping hand as it has a built-in airbag that continuously measures your blood pressure, which is extremely useful for identifying any trends.

It’s worth noting that it’s not a quick glance-at-your-wrist situation though, as accurate readings depend heavily on correct positioning (mainly being quiet and still). However, it’s still more convenient and consistent than having to sit down and get out a blood pressure monitor multiple times a day. The reports are also downloadable, so you can take them to your GP if you have concerns.

The watch also tracks other classic health and fitness metrics such as exercise, heart rate and GPS, and our expert found the measurements accurate during testing. The workout screens were also easy to navigate, with the option to swipe between different sets of data.

We also tested the previous version of this watch, the D2, which scored 80/100 and costs slightly less (£345).

Score: 87/100

Seen on the wrists of top athletes and celebrities including Michael Phelps, Vogue Williams and even Price William, Whoop is one of the hottest wearables on the market.

It uses a subscription model, with three membership tiers to choose from, starting with the basic Whoop One plan at £169 per year. This includes a knitted band, wired charger and in-depth health monitoring that tracks heart rate, blood oxygen levels, skin temperature and more.

In the user-friendly Whoop app, you’re presented with daily scores based on three key areas: sleep, strain (how much physical stress you’re putting your body under) and recovery (how prepared your body is to perform). Our expert found the data was accurate and easy to interpret. They also appreciated the holistic recommendations – Whoop will analyse your stats and provide personalised insights to help you build healthier habits.

It has an unobtrusive, screen-free design, making it a good choice if you don’t want endless notifications flashing up while you’re trying to get on with your day. According to our expert, the device is lightweight, and the fabric band is supremely comfy – you’ll barely notice you have it on. It can last up to 14 days (14!) on a full charge, and has a handy wireless power pack, so you never have to worry about forgetting to charge it.

For fancier features like stress monitoring and a ‘pace of ageing’ estimate, opt for Whoop Peak, the mid-level tier that costs £229 per year. The top-tier plan, Whoop Life, comes in at £349 per year and includes a Whoop MG (which stands for medical grade) band with ECG capabilities, irregular heart rhythm notifications and even blood pressure estimates.

Score: 86/100

With a design that looks quite similar to the Apple Watch, the Watch Fit 5 comes in five stylish colourways, including purple and green. The lightweight tracker, which has a soft silicone strap, sits comfortably on the wrist, and it’s easy to set up initially – you can programme goals, notifications and alerts via the HUAWEI Health app.

Our expert liked the 1.82-inch AMOLED display for its visibility while exercising both indoors and out and it’s easy to adjust. The touchscreen was a little overly sensitive at times, but navigation was generally smooth. You can choose from more than 100 workout modes, including running, cycling, tennis and Pilates, and the watch accurately detects when you’re working out. Plus, its fitness stats, particularly for running, and GPS were consistently reliable.

We were also impressed with the detailed sleep monitoring – the brand’s TruSleep technology tracks your patterns and breathing to give you a personalised score each day. Bluetooth calling, messaging features and mobile payments are all included, although these aren’t as comprehensive as other smartwatches. The battery life is good, though, lasting up to seven days between charges.

Overall, it’s excellent value for money if you don’t want to spend too much but still want key insights into your health and fitness.

Score: 85/100

For Garmin fans who want in-depth health insights and reliable fitness tracking, the Venu 4 is a brilliant all-day companion – plus, its circular design and stainless-steel finish mean it doesn’t look overly sporty on the wrist.

It delivers comprehensive health tracking – including heart rate, sleep, stress, blood oxygen levels, lifestyle logging and energy monitoring – along with advanced training features including 80 workout modes, multi-band GPS, a training readiness insights and personalised recovery recommendations. For runners, there’s a built-in flashlight for safety when pounding the pavements in low light, race time predictions and pace tracking to help you stay on target.

Our expert rated the bright, AMOLED display, and appreciated the handy communication features, including a speaker and microphone to take on-wrist calls, on-device music storage and Garmin Pay. They noted that the strap wasn’t the comfiest and took some getting used to, and they found heart rate tracking lagged slightly during faster movements, but these are minor drawbacks. Overall, it’s a capable, aesthetically pleasing fitness watch – especially for those already familiar with Garmin’s ecosystem.

We also tested the Garmin Vivomove Trend, which scored 83/100. Part of the brand's hybrid collection, it makes an excellent gym-to-office model.

Score: 84/100

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 isn’t reinventing the wheel, but there are some exciting updates that make it a worthwhile buy. We’re talking a thinner design, a brighter display and improved battery life along with a suite of AI-powered health and fitness features.

Our expert said the ‘squircle’ design – complete with a stylish circular screen and cushioned square case – was a pleasure to wear throughout the day, and liked how easy it was to read the display, even in direct sunlight.

They also rated the array of health and fitness tools available, with over 100 trackable sports modes, an AI-powered running coach, sleep apnoea detection, blood pressure monitoring and ECG readings. There’s even a new antioxidant index, which uses sensors to see if you’re getting enough fruit and veg to boost your antioxidant levels. The majority of readings proved accurate, although our tester had some issues with measuring their blood oxygen levels.

It also provides all your usual smartwatch functions, with music playback, calls and contactless payments. For those within the Samsung ecosystem, it’s a worthwhile buy.

Score: 84/100

The Garmin Forerunner range has long been a favourite among marathon runners thanks to its in-depth training metrics. This latest model still offers those detailed insights, but adds personalised, beginner-friendly training plans, an affordable price and a more compact design. As its name suggests, you can also download Spotify or Amazon Music playlists directly to the watch, allowing you to listen without your phone.

Our fitness expert was impressed with the bright AMOLED display, praising the choice of vibrant colours and readability. At 43mm, the screen is also smaller than most watches in the Forerunner range, but we still found it chunkier than the brand’s lifestyle smartwatches. The touchscreen and side buttons are easy to use, although the screen was occasionally oversensitive.

Performance is where this tracker really excels. The GPS was consistently accurate, while heart rate tracking was reliable throughout testing. Our expert found the fitness monitoring excellent, with more than 80 activity profiles, automatic workout detection and detailed performance stats. If you’re new to running, the beginner-friendly training plans are particularly useful, especially if you're building up to a 5K or 10K race. Another highlight is the training readiness feature, available in the Garmin Connect app, it assesses how prepared your body is for exercise based on your recent activity and recovery.

With up to 11 days of battery life, and priced at under £300, it’s a great choice for anyone who’s just starting on their running journey.

Score: 83/100

A fitness watch isn’t just about functionality – you want something that will look good too. Enter this attractive Huawei model, which has an elegant pendant design, a sleek strap and over 25,000 watch faces to choose from.

Aesthetics aside, the iOs and Android-compatible wearable is brimming with features to help you reach your health and fitness goals. It offers everything from workout modes (no fewer than 100), heart rate monitoring and SpO2 readings, to in-depth sleep analysis, stress management and exercise plans. It also has smart menstrual cycle and fertility tracking, with personalised predictions based on physiological indicators such as body temperature and breathing rate.

The huge 14-day battery life means you don’t have to carry a charger around with you, the AMOLED screen is crystal clear, responsive and easy to read on the move, and the Huawei Health app is a pleasure to navigate and use. Its GPS also proved extremely accurate during testing.

Third-party app support is limited – Google Maps, Spotify and Apple Pay are a no-go – but that may or may not bother you.

Score: 82/100

This sleek and stylish fitness tracker pairs precision and performance with simplicity, proving surprisingly easy to set up thanks to its clear instructions.

The GPS tracking was accurate and it provided a detailed breakdown of our heart rate zones during exercise - our favourite feature - showing our work rate in each session. It is very similar to the original Polar Ignite, but the brand says the Ignite 2 has a slightly longer battery life in training mode. Like the original, it can track an impressive 130 different activities, but we found it often didn’t detect when we started exercising.

The watch itself feels lightweight to wear and the comfortable rubber strap didn’t rub at all during workouts. However, the touch screen can be difficult to see while running. It also wasn’t very responsive, sometimes lagging behind or failing to recognise our commands.

Score: 82/100

The Coros Pace 4 brings some welcome upgrades to the brand’s affordable running watch, including a brighter display and better battery life. It’s slightly heavier than the Pace 3, but our expert still found it lightweight and comfortable on the wrist, thanks to its soft silicone strap.

Accuracy is where it really stands out, especially for runners. If you love devouring your fitness stats, the data is spot on - our tester found the GPS remarkably precise, while heart rate data was consistently reliable too. With more than 50 workout options and specific running tools such as Race Predictor and Virtual Pacer, it's better suited to fitness tracking, rather than as a lifestyle watch.

The 1.2-inch AMOLED display is colourful and easy to read - a big improvement on the Pace 3, which we found lacked vibrancy. However, our tester found it a little too bright to wear comfortably at night, despite the display dimming, so it’s perhaps best saved for workouts. It's competitively priced for a fitness watch, and the battery life was impressive, lasting up to 19 days between charges.

Score: 76/100

If you prefer the look of a classic watch over a chunky smartwatch, but still want to keep an eye on your wellness goals, this is a great option. Our fitness expert particularly liked the design. It has an attractive sapphire glass, stainless-steel case and rotating hands, which they found less distracting compared to other trackers, while the silicone strap was comfortable.

The watch is set up via the Withings app, which was quick and easy to navigate. Your fitness and wellness data feeds into the app, although some key stats, such as heart rate and activity, are shown on the watch. Available in three colours (white, blue and black), we found it performed better for wellness tracking than for fitness. Some of the activity data, including step counting, was inconsistent, and activity detection wasn’t always reliable.

However, its sleep monitoring was consistent, measuring metrics such as HRV (heart rate variability) and body temperature to give you a clearer picture of your patterns. It also includes menstrual cycle and heart health monitoring, and the battery life was one of its standout features, with a full charge taking up to two hours, but lasting up to 30 days. This one is available in two sizes: 42mm and 38mm.

Score: 75/100

This is a great entry-level fitness smartwatch, with a sleek metallic design, straightforward setup, and key health tracking stats. Our expert scored the design highly in testing, praising the bright, clear 1.62-inch AMOLED display. However, as the touchscreen is smaller than your average watch, it meant navigation was occasionally fiddly.

It comes in three colours – a vibrant green, baby blue or black – with choices of strap design, and there are over 100 activity modes, including running, with built-in GPS tracking. If your daily health habits are a priority, you can follow your progress via its activity rings, covering steps, sleep and heart rate trends. We found that the accuracy wasn’t always 100 per cent, though, but it’s useful as a guide. Compared to more expensive models, the smart features are limited, but you can still set up notifications and take calls.

If you want more detailed data also view your health stats via its adjoining app, Huawei Health. It's one of the most affordable fitness watches on our list, which makes it a great choice for beginners who want to start tracking their health habits.