Best fitness trackers 2021 | Android Central

If you’re looking for a fitness tracker that truly does it all, we highly recommend the Fitbit Charge 5. Not only does it sport a unique design, but it also has multiple uses, which include automatic activity tracking, onboard GPS, advanced health monitoring, Fitbit Pay, music controls, and more. It’s no wonder Fitbit is highly regarded in the industry with all it has to offer. However, don’t worry if that’s not your cup of tea. There are many other options to choose from that cater to a wide range of needs. So whether you’re looking for specific software, design, or feature set, you’ll be able to find a fitness tracker that checks all the boxes on your wish list.

What are the best fitness trackers?

You’ll be happy to know there’s no shortage of options when choosing a fitness tracker. One of the most reputable names, as you may know, is Fitbit. The industry leader makes up a good portion of our list, including options such as the Charge 5, Charge 4, Versa 3, Luxe, and Inspire 2. Coming from the same company, they share similar features, but each tracker is geared toward a slightly different type of user. Whether you want the look and feel of a smartwatch, a dedicated fitness tracker with onboard GPS, or a basic tracker that’s ideal for beginners, Fitbit has it all.

Fitbit isn’t the only name you’ll find here. You’ll also find other significant players that may catch your eye, such as Garmin, Samsung, and Xiaomi, to name a few. Once you’ve decided what type of experience you’re looking for, it’ll be easier to narrow down your options and find the right fitness tracker for your needs.

Are you seeking the most robust activity tracking suite possible? Perhaps you’re more focused on certain health aspects, like energy, stress, and blood oxygen saturation levels. If you’re on a tight budget, it also won’t be difficult to find a fitness tracker at a reasonable price. Not to mention that there are also tons of great fitness smartwatches if you need a bit more from your wearable.

Bottom line: Some fitness trackers only cover the basics, but the Fitbit Charge 5 goes above and beyond. This is as close as you’ll get to a smartwatch in the form of a highly capable fitness tracker. It follows its predecessor’s footsteps with key features such as GPS, Active Zone Minutes, heart-rate tracking, and Fitbit Pay. It also has new advanced health sensors to give you a better picture of your overall well-being.

While we’ve generally known what to expect from fitness trackers, the Fitbit Charge 5 is the device that will change those presumptions. Sometimes, we only get a few subtle changes when a new tracker is released. However, with the Fitbit Charge 5, a lot has improved.

One of the most noticeable differences is the refined design with a gorgeous AMOLED touchscreen and a sleek stainless steel body. This fitness tracker is 10% thinner than its predecessor and has a rounded design rather than a rectangular one. Most importantly, the improved design allows for a more natural and comfortable fit that seamlessly contours to the shape of your wrist. With big changes to the design, we also get a new proprietary charging cable and new proprietary bands.

It has many essential fitness features that were appealing about the Charge 4, including onboard GPS, automatic workout detection, activity/sleep tracking, heart-rate monitoring, Active Zone Minutes, and 5 ATM waterproofing. Fitbit has also included advanced health sensors that give you more details than ever before. The EDA sensor takes precise temperature measurements and records stress levels. The ECG sensor measures your heart rhythm and can detect irregular heartbeats.

You won’t be missing out on some of the key “smart” features that made the Fitbit Charge 4 such a hit. The Fitbit Charge 5 is also equipped with NFC support for contactless payments with Fitbit Pay. You’ll also be able to control music playback right from your tracker. But, unfortunately, there’s still no on-device music storage.

Bottom line: The Fitbit Charge 4 is the most well-rounded fitness tracker for the money. It features NFC for contactless payments, onboard GPS to track your workouts without a phone, and easily replaceable bands for convenience and style. Plus, you get all of the regular fitness tracking goodies like step tracking, sleep tracking, automatic workout-tracking, and Fitbit’s Active Zone Minutes.

Before it made smartwatches, Fitbit was known for its excellent fitness bands. The Charge 4 takes everything the company has learned about the form factor over the years and stands out as one of the most polished and refined devices Fitbit’s released to date. Compared to the Charge 3, the Charge 4 has come a long way.

The big draw to the Charge 4 is that it has GPS built right in. This allows you to map outdoor runs, walks, and bike rides without needing to bring your phone with you — something you won’t even find on the Versa 2. Of course, it also has all of the other fitness features you’d expect, such as all-day activity tracking, sleep tracking, heart-rate monitoring, and automatic workout detection. There’s also 50-meter waterproofing if you want to use the Charge 4 for tracking any swims.

The design is lightweight and comfortable to wear, and thanks to its seven-day battery life, you can wear the Charge 4 for an entire week without having to stress out over how much gas is left in the tank.

Fitbit offers a few great smart features, including Fitbit Pay, notifications from your phone, and a Spotify app to control music playback. It would have been great to see local music storage to give the Charge 4 even more independence from your phone, but even so, this is an incredibly complete package.

Bottom line: As one of the most popular names in the wearable world, Fitbit is always a good option. The new Versa 3 is centered around health and fitness tracking, ideal for workout enthusiasts. In addition, you have built-in GPS, activity/sleep tracking, heart-rate monitoring, and Fitbit Pay.

The Fitbit Versa 3 takes everything that is great about the Versa 2 and kicks it up a notch, putting it in the company of the best Android smartwatches. Though Fitbit didn’t alter the design too much, it did make the case a bit slimmer and rounder, and it dramatically improved the mechanism to swap out bands. Unfortunately, the bad news is that any old bands you purchased for your Versa, Versa Lite, or Versa 2 won’t work on this new watch.

It does the same tracker things like the Versa 2, but with an improved heart rate sensor, SpO2 monitoring, and a new Active Zone Minutes feature. In addition, all versions of the watch include Fitbit Pay for contactless payments, and the watch now has built-in GPS, so you can accurately track your workout without bringing your phone along for the ride (or run). It also offers on-screen activities that you can follow along with.

The Versa 3 has smartphone notifications that are easy to navigate and an app store with popular names such as Spotify and Starbucks. You can also talk directly to Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa and hear responses. If your ears perked about Spotify, the good news is that there is storage for 300+ songs on the Versa 3.

Bottom line: When you’re looking for a fitness tracker that won’t break the bank, look no further than the Xiaomi Mi Band 6. It’s the company’s latest tracker and offers heart rate and blood oxygen monitoring, activity/sleep tracking, 30 sport modes, and menstrual health tracking.

When you want to be able to cover your bases with your fitness tracker without breaking the bank in the process, you’ll love the Xiaomi Mi Band 6. It’s a definite improvement from its predecessor, sporting a larger display area that’s easier to read and navigate. But, more importantly, it offers a satisfying list of tracking abilities and other features that are hard to find at this low price point.

You’ll be able to choose from up to 30 sport modes, including outdoor running, treadmill running, indoor cycling, outdoor cycling, pool swimming, yoga, and more.

Other than that, you’ll have a solid 14 days of battery life, which can stretch up to 20 days in power-saving mode. You’ll also enjoy sleep tracking, all-day heart rate monitoring, and menstrual health tracking. It might not be a smartwatch and is missing features like built-in GPS, but it’s difficult to complain about this powerful little tracker at this price point.

Bottom line: As one of the most popular names in the wearable world, Fitbit is always a good option. The Inspire 2 features an improved 24/7 heart rate monitor, female health and sleep tracking, and an astounding 10+ day battery life.