10 Budget-Friendly Smart Activity and Fitness Tracking Wearables for 2024

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is more important than ever. With the rise of sedentary jobs, the need for regular physical activity has become important to stay healthy. These compact fitness tracking devices have transformed the way we approach health and fitness, making it easier to monitor our daily activities, exercise routines, and overall well-being. From counting steps and tracking sleep patterns to monitoring heart rates and setting fitness goals, these gadgets offer a comprehensive overview of our health metrics at a glance.

Here are some value for money activity and fitness tracking wearables for healthy living.

Fitbit Charge 6

The Fitbit Charge 6 has classic Fitbit features with new Google-powered enhancements. It has a physical side button for easier navigation. The AMOLED display is bright and clear, offering excellent visibility even in direct sunlight and it has always-on-display feature. Battery life is decent, with Fitbit promising up to 7 days on a single charge.

The Charge 6’s fitness tracking capabilities are extensive, with the addition of 20 new exercise modes and the ability to store all modes on the device itself. It features built-in GPS, ECG support, skin temperature tracking, and SpO2 monitoring, maintaining the comprehensive health and wellness data tracking Fitbit is known for.

Sleep tracking remains a strong suit, providing reliable insights into sleep patterns. The integration of Google Maps, Google Wallet, and YouTube Music controls are significant additions, aligning the Charge 6 more closely with smartwatch functionality and marking a deeper integration of Google’s ecosystem into Fitbit’s hardware.

Fitbit Inspire 3

Fitbit Inspire 3 has a comfortable silicone band that makes it easy to wear 24/7 without issues. The device sports a color AMOLED display, which is a significant upgrade from the monochrome screens of earlier Inspire models. It has a good battery life, which can last up to 10 days depending on usage. This duration drops to around three days with the always-on display mode activated. However, the tracker’s small screen may pose a challenge for some users, especially when trying to read detailed workout metrics.

In terms of functionality, the Inspire 3 offers basic workout tracking, sleep monitoring, heart rate tracking, and blood-oxygen level measurement. It lacks built-in GPS, requiring users to carry their smartphones for route tracking during outdoor activities. This might be a drawback for those who prefer to exercise phone-free. The device’s compatibility with smartphones and its integration with the Fitbit app enhance its usability, offering insights into sleep patterns, workout summaries, and more.

Apple Watch Series 9 (41mm, GPS)

Apple Watch Series 9 maintains the familiar design of its predecessor but introduces the new Apple S9 chip and a brighter display, capable of reaching up to 2000 nits, making it significantly easier to read outdoors. The device features a 1.7-inch OLED display ensuring vivid visuals and sharp text. The new S9 chip, which brings enhanced performance and efficiency, maintaining the all-day battery life.

The Series 9 is equipped with 64GB of internal storage for music and podcasts. It has third-generation optical heart rate sensor, blood oxygen monitoring, and the capability to take electrocardiograms (ECGs). The built-in accelerometer and gyroscope further enable health-related functionalities like fall detection.

The Series 9 introduces the hands-free gesture, enabled by the S9 chip, allowing users to interact with the watch using one hand for various commands. Despite its impressive array of features, the Series 9’s battery life remains the same as its predecessors, offering up to 18 hours, which can be extended to 36 hours with the Low Power Mode.

Amazfit GTR 4

With sturdy aluminum alloy frame with a 1.43-inch AMOLED display with anti-fingerprint display, the GTR 4 combines aesthetic appeal with functionality. The GTR 4 is powered by the new BioTracker 4.0 PPG biometric sensor, which collects 33% more data with enhanced accuracy for heart rate tracking. This, along with its upgraded heart rate tracking algorithm, significantly reduces signal interference caused by arm movement, making it almost as accurate as heart rate belts. Battery life is impressive, with up to 14 days of typical usage and up to 24 days in battery saver mode, ensuring that the watch can keep up with your lifestyle without constant recharging.

The GTR 4 also excels in fitness tracking, supporting 154 sports modes and featuring a dual-band GPS for accurate outdoor activity tracking. It can auto-track 8 workouts and provides insightful sleep, stress, and blood oxygen level monitoring. For smartwatch functionality, it includes basic push notifications, timers, alarms, and Alexa for smart home control.

Garmin Vivomove Sport

With its stainless steel clock hands adorning a hidden OLED display, the Vivomove Sport offers a seamless blend of style and technology. The device features a compact and lightweight design weighing just 33.3g making it comfortable for all-day wear. The watch’s case is crafted from fiber-polymer material, and it comes with interchangeable silicone straps, ensuring both durability and comfort.

The OLED display is protected by chemically strengthened glass and is easy to read outdoors, even under direct sunlight. The Vivomove Sport packs a range of health features, including heart rate tracking, sleep monitoring, blood oxygen levels, and hydration rate tracking. It also supports connected GPS, allowing for accurate tracking of outdoor activities when paired with a smartphone.

It has accidental fall detection, which, upon detecting a hard fall, initiates a call to a preset emergency contact, provided the phone is nearby. The Vivomove Sport is rated 5ATM for water resistance, making it suitable for swimming and showering. Its 5 days of battery life in smartwatch mode and its ability to keep users connected to important updates and notifications make it a compelling choice.

Fitbit Sense 2

Fitbit Sense 2 features a 1.58-inch AMOLED screen that provides crisp and clear visibility even in bright conditions. This device is water-resistant up to 50 meters, ensuring durability for swimming and showering.

It is powered by a wide array of sensors including an accelerometer, altimeter, ambient light sensor, ECG, heart rate, skin conductance (cEDA), SpO2, and skin temperature monitors. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi 4, Bluetooth 5.0, and NFC, with a built-in GPS for route tracking. The battery life is commendable, offering six-plus days of usage, which is consistent with the original Sense 1.

However, the Sense 2 takes a step back in smartwatch capabilities, notably lacking music support, third-party app support, and Google Assistant – a surprising omission given Fitbit’s acquisition by Google. It does retain Amazon Alexa integration, and Fitbit Pay with NFC.

Key Features: 1.5 inch AMOLED display | 50m water resistant | Skin conductance sensor for tracking vitals | Supports NFC Payments | 6-day battery life

Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic

Galaxy Watch 6 Classic comes with a new Exynos W930 processor, promising faster performance and smoother operation. The device comes in two sizes, 43mm and 47mm, with the latter offering the largest display ever on a Samsung smartwatch—a 1.5-inch Super AMOLED screen with exceptional brightness of up to 2,000 nits, ensuring superb visibility even under direct sunlight.

The Galaxy Watch 6 Classic doesn’t skimp on durability either, featuring a robust build with sapphire crystal protection and IP68 certification, making it resistant to dust, water, and submersion up to 5ATM. What truly sets this device apart is the return of the beloved rotating bezel, enhancing navigation and interaction with the One UI 5 Watch running Wear OS 4. This combination delivers a rich feature set, including improved sleep tracking and fall detection.

Battery life is impressive, with the 47mm model housing a 425mAh battery capable of sustaining prolonged use, supported by 9W wireless charging for convenience. Connectivity options are comprehensive, including LTE, Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi, NFC, and multi-GNSS support, ensuring the watch stays connected and functional wherever you go. With 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage, it handles apps and media with ease.

Garmin Forerunner 265

Sporting a redesigned watch case and an AMOLED display, the Garmin Forerunner 265 steps into the realm of traditional smartwatches without losing its sports watch functionality. The display resolution of 416 x 416 pixels (for the larger model) and 360 x 360 pixels (for the smaller 265S model), protected by Corning Gorilla Glass, ensures durability and clarity.

Connectivity options include Bluetooth, ANT+, and Wi-Fi, along with GPS, GLONASS, and GALILEO support for precise location tracking. The Forerunner 265 also introduces the Training Readiness score, a feature designed to help athletes gauge their preparedness for performance based on various health metrics. Additionally, all units now come with offline music storage, including support for Spotify, enhancing the user experience during workouts. Battery life up to 13 days in smartwatch mode and 20 hours with GPS usage for the larger model, slightly better for the 265S.

Key Features: AMOLED display protected with Corning Gorilla Glass | ANT+ radio for connecting to RF devices | Offline music storage for Spotify | 13-day battery life | Training Readiness score feature

Apple Watch SE 2

Sporting a sleek aluminum case the Apple Watch SE 2 is available in both 40mm and 44mm sizes, catering to different wrist sizes and preferences. The device features a vibrant Retina LTPO OLED display, capable of reaching up to 1,000 nits of brightness, although it lacks the always-on functionality. Powered by the Apple S8 chip, it boasts snappy performance and seamless integration with iOS devices, ensuring a fluid user experience across various apps and functions.

The SE 2 excels in health and fitness tracking, offering a comprehensive suite of features including heart rate monitoring, GPS tracking, and an impressive array of workouts supported by watchOS 10. New features such as heart rate zones, running metrics, and custom workouts enrich the device’s fitness capabilities. However, it omits advanced sensors like ECG and blood oxygen measurement.

With a water resistance rating of 50 meters, it’s suitable for swimming, and its 32GB storage capacity allows for ample music and app storage. The watch also supports family setup, emergency SOS, fall detection, and crash detection, adding to its versatility and appeal as a safety device.

Throughout this article, we’ve explored a variety of fitness and activity tracking wearables, each with its own unique set of features designed to cater to different preferences, needs, and budgets. From minimal functionality devices to feature-packed powerhouses like Galaxy Watch and Apple Watch, the current market offers a plethora of choices to help you stay motivated and on track with your fitness journey.