The fitness watches of 2022 are in a whole new category than even a couple of years ago. While it is possible the lead manufacturers are starting to hit their stride beyond “incremental updates” and “planned obsolescence,” there is no denying the sheer wow factor in some of today’s models. The purpose of this article is to help in inform your purchase decision when looking for the best fitness watches of 2022.
Let’s get started
When choosing the best fitness watch for your needs, you should first take stock of what it is you will be using it for. Are you a weekend warrior hiker or a hardcore cross fitter? In any case, this will inform your decision around the features, fit, and function of a fitness watch. The good news is the latest models have plenty of features and are highly customizable to suit a wide range of needs. For starters, they can recognize your heart rate, monitor your blood oxygen saturation and stress levels, track your sleep, steps, and overall recovery. Almost every model comes with an impressive battery life and syncs with your smartphone. There are so many good options available, we take at 8 of the most popular and functional fitness watches of the year.
Fitbit Versa 3
If you’re looking for a fitness watch that will give you real-time statistics about your daily activity, you’ve probably come across the Fitbit Versa 3. This watch combines features of a smartwatch and a fitness tracker into one slim package. Its lightweight and thin design fits comfortably on even the smallest wrist, and it boasts a gorgeous AMOLED display. The battery life is great, lasting for up to six days. It’s also water-resistant, and it’s equipped with an improved watchband design. It also comes with a proprietary charger (Versa and Sense) that makes charging a breeze.
Another notable feature is its built-in GPS and heart-rate monitor. This helps you track your heartbeat during an intense workout. It also has a built-in microphone, making it easy to stay connected without needing a tertiary device. Its voice assistant capabilities allow you to receive calls without taking out your smartphone.
Polar Vantage M
The Polar Vantage M fitness watch is a great addition to any sportswear collection. It has all of the features you would want in a sports watch and is priced affordably. The cheapest model we could find is about $160, while the top-end model can reach as high as $500. On Amazon, you can find a quality model somewhere in the model. Something worth reading into is the Polar research co-op program, which helps to help further their innovations while sourcing information from the user base.
The device has an optical sensor that shows your heart rate and location, and it can also track your cycling accessories. The watch is compatible with more than 130 different sports, including running and swimming. It also has advanced training tools, which give you an in-depth look at your performance. It shows your training load and calorie consumption. In addition, the watch has a feature called FuelWise, which reminds you to take carbohydrates before training.
The Polar Vantage M has a round face with navigation buttons on the side of the screen. It also has Bluetooth connectivity. It also has weather information, music controls, and customizable watch faces. It uses a 230 mAh Li-pol battery, which lasts about seven days on smartwatch mode, and about 30 hours while tracking your activities with GPS.
Fitbit Sense
The Fitbit Sense 2022 is a smartwatch that offers many features. It’s compatible with Android and iOS and comes packed with sensors, including a skin temperature sensing sensor and an ECG sensor. It also has voice commands for a more personalized experience. Moreover, the Sense can last up to six days with a fully charged battery.
This smartwatch is ideal for children because it of its form factor and the fact that it comes with a lot of fun and simple to use features. Out of the box, the Sense has a round-the-clock heart rate monitoring application and is extremely light to the touch. Like the Fitbit Ace 3, which is designed specifically for kids, you can customize the watch face with a variety of themes.
While the Sense is aimed at serious fitness fans, its cheaper counterpart, the Inspire 2, has basic features for those with a busy lifestyle. It features basic heart rate and step tracking capabilities, as well as a band style design. It can be clipped onto your clothing and is very slim. It also offers heart rate monitoring and can monitor sleep.
Withings Move
For those who want a fitness watch that is less “in your face fitness” and like a classic wrist watch, we recommend you check out the Withings Move. The Withings Move is a sleek, lightweight fitness watch with a simple, intuitive interface. It looks like a standard sporty analog watch, but with a smaller subdial that counts your progress toward a step goal. While the watch itself doesn’t have a display, its app makes it easy to view activity data, snap selfies, and even snap workouts.
While the Move doesn’t have a heart rate monitor or GPS, it’s still a good choice for people who just want to track their daily activities. It is affordable and has the basic features you need. It also syncs to the Withings app, which is handy when you want to monitor your progress in real time.
Another good feature of the Move is its customizable band. You can change the strap to match your outfit. For example, you can switch between blue, mint green, or coral bands. The band on the Move is replaceable, and you can also purchase the Timeless Chic series with a steel casing and glass display cover for an extra $100.
Garmin Vivoactive 4S
The Garmin Vivoactive 4S is a fitness watch that comes with a large range of health and sport features. The new version adds a pulse oximeter sensor and all-day stress tracking. It also comes with a thinner design to accommodate a slimmer wrist.
This watch comes with a multi-band GPS, HRV status, and a heart rate monitor. It also has a GPS-enabled app, Garmin Connect (strongly recommend), that gives you access to all your information and connects you with other fitness enthusiasts. The HRV Status feature will track your heart rate variability during your sleep, so you can determine how rested you are. Another feature is multiband GNSS, which aims to boost GPS accuracy, especially in densely populated areas. The Vivoactive 4S will come in a music version and a non-music, and will support Spotify offline sync. Other features include health tracking, VO2 max metrics, and run tracking.
The Garmin Vivoactive 4S is a great option for runners and other active people. Its GPS orientation will help you track your progress during workouts, and it features a powerful virtual coach that can help you perform better. The watch also comes with a variety of workout programs and 20 sports apps. It supports Spotify, Amazon Music, Deezer, and other music apps, so you can listen to music while working out.
Samsung Gear Fit 2
The Samsung Gear Fit 2 is a decent choice for those looking for a fitness watch that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. It sports an optical heart rate sensor and proprietary charging cradle that clips on to the back of the tracker. It also has a decent list of features, including automatic workout tracking for five different activities, including running, cycling, and swimming. While this not be the most popular option, it has all the features and functions of the rest of the line.
The Galaxy Fit 2, on the other hand, is the Gear Fit 2’s more affordable little sibling. It is a solid starting wearable and a great entry point into the Samsung smartwatch ecosystem, but it doesn’t offer a full experience. The Galaxy Fit 2 has an increased battery life and a larger display than its predecessor, but lacks the key price differentiators of other competitors such as screen resolution, music storage, and watch faces. AndroidCentral did a great comparison of the Galaxy Fit 2 versus the Gear Fit 2.
The Samsung Gear Fit 2‘s GPS features can help you stay on track with your fitness goals . It also provides data on your resting heart rate and distance covered. The watch also comes with an app that stores your data and lets you do more. It’s also helpful for tracking your sleep. The app can also help you keep track of your daily exercise routine and offer you fitness challenges and mindfulness modes.
Apple Watch Series 7
The Apple Watch Series 7 offers many of the same features as the older versions, including heart rate and ECG sensors. It also has an altimeter, GPS, and cellular connectivity. It also has a built-in compass, which can be inaccurate in certain conditions. It also comes with a variety of bands, including colorful ones.
The most notable change between the Series 6 and Series 7 is the display. The new display is slightly larger and more rounded than its predecessor. The crystal used in the watch is thicker and, as Apple calls it, “refractive,” making it easier to read. The new display also has a softer feel than the previous models. It also features a bump in brightness that makes it easier to read while in “wrist down” mode.
The Apple Watch Series 7 also has some smart features that make it a great fitness watch. If you want something more robust, you may want to check out the Garmin Fenix 6. The Fenix 6 offers much more functionality for the same price.
Huawei Band 6
The Huawei Band 6 is a moderately affordable fitness watch that tracks a number of important fitness metrics. It can monitor all-day heart rates, stress levels, and sleep. It also displays basic data with detailed charts via navigation. The watch has a built-in app, too, which allows you to drill down into information about your health.
All said, the Huawei Band 6 is a decent fitness tracker for the money. Its design is sleek and minimal, and it has a respectable battery life. It also has a touchscreen, which can display messages pulled from your smartphone. The battery should last for more than two weeks, which is excellent for this price range. For example. the Huawei Band 6 can run on a single charge for about 14 days of light to medium use then can can be recharged in about five minutes using the magnetic charger.
The software on the Huawei Band 6 is easy to use. It runs on a minimal version of Huawei’s health and fitness app, which is incredibly fast and lightweight. Perhaps more importantly, it does not cut any corners in features. There are 96 workout modes and a TruSleep 2.0 sleep monitoring feature, too.
The below PCMAG video does a great job of summarizing the top fitness trackers of 2022.
