We put the top-rated fitness trackers through the gauntlet to determine which one is truly the best. Splitting up the overall testing regime into five parts, we looked at the fitness impact, health impact, ease of use, ergonomics, and display of each product.
Fitness Impact
To evaluate fitness impact, we looked at the most common activities that these devices are used for: walking, distance precision, cycling, workout tracking, and other trackable features. We also looked at the community features of each tracker and weighed them heavily for their overall score.
To check the accuracy at step counting and distance, we measured out a mile track and walked it with each tracker. Throughout this, our tester manually counted steps with a crowd-clicker and then compared the results.
For cycling testing, we compared the GPS-enabled fitness trackers to both a bicycling computer the Strava app on an iPhone 6, verifying the accuracy of the top speed, average speed, and distance traveled.
Non-GPS trackers lack this capability, merely tracking elapsed time and estimating calories burned, similar to any other workout.
Finally, we manually counted the number of flights of stairs climbed, and compared that to the number reported by the fitness tracker.
Health Impact
Here we tested how these products perform at things that could impact your health. These products usually track heart rate, help manage dieting, implement lifestyle changes, offer useful health indicators, and can track your sleep. First, we compared the accuracy of the heart rate tracking of each of these devices with a chest band heart rate monitor, both resting and active.
Next, we compared how these devices can help motivate you in implementing lifestyle changes, whether it was through diet or exercise. We compared how each one logged caloric intake, and whether or not the tracker would issue challenges or reminders to get up and be active.
Finally, we slept with each of the trackers and compared how they did at tracking sleep, how easy it was to initiate tracking, and the quality of the data produced.
Ease of Use
The more convenient and easy to use these products are, the more likely you are to actually use one of these devices. For this metric, we looked at battery life, the quality of the companion app, navigating menus, and how easy it is to put on the wristband.
We compared and scored each model both on how long it lasted as well as the recharge time. We also timed and ranked each device on how long it took to send a day's worth of data to the phone. We then went through every menu on the device and the app, rating them on intuitiveness and clarity. Finally, we scored them on the manufacturers' stated waterproof recommendations as well as the ease of putting them on your wrist.
Display
For our next metric, we rated the display of each product. We evaluated and scored each product not only on how the screen looked but what was shown on the home screen and how visible it was. We also went through and rated the responsiveness of the device, as well as whether or not it would receive smartphone notifications.
Ergonomics
To ensure wearable appeal, we conducted a comprehensive evaluation of fitness trackers, involving a diverse panel who rated comfort, profile, and ease of wearing during tasks like putting on a jacket. This is to ensure the tracker doesn't get easily snagged on your clothing and fits nicely under extra layers.