When fitness trackers evolved into full-blown smartwatches and fitness watches in around 2012, pickings were slim, and Fitbit, Polar and Sony led the way. Fast-forward a decade and there are plenty of other brands in the field with incredible options, so you should be able to find a watch whatever your fitness interests.
Need long-lasting battery life? You can now buy powerful wearables that can last 14 days or more before needing a charge, like the Garmin Enduro 2 or Huawei Watch GT 3. If you’re looking for one of the best fitness watches, that can also double up as a fine-looking timepiece for a black-tie dinner, the Withings ScanWatch Horizon and Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro are beautifully designed, long-lasting digital wearables with classic styling.
For runners, triathletes and fitness enthusiasts, Garmin makes some of the best fitness watches, and its Venu 2 Plus and Forerunner 955 will go the distance – both when it comes to battery life and fitness features.
Of course, we can’t talk about smart watches without mentioning Apple and Samsung. iPhone owners won’t do better than an Apple Watch when it comes to smarts. The standard Apple Watch Series 8 is a mini-computer on your wrist, while the Ultra’s hardier design and longer-lasting battery make it ideally suited to endurance events. Android phone users looking for Apple Watch Ultra battery life and durability can look to the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro.
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These are the best fitness watches
- Garmin Enduro 2 – Best for endurance sports
- Apple Watch Ultra – Best for iPhone users
- Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro – Best for design
- Garmin Forerunner 955 Solar – Best mid-range watch for training
- Apple Watch 8 – Best mid-range watch for iPhone users
- Huawei Watch GT 3 – Best for long battery life on a budget
- Garmin Venu 2 Plus – Best-looking Garmin watch
- Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro – Best for measuring body fat
- Huawei Watch D – Best for measuring blood pressure
- Withings Scanwatch Horizon – Best for classical styling
Best fitness watch for endurance sports
Garmin Enduro 2
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$1099.99 / £929.99 / garmin.com
Design: 4.5/5
Battery life: 5/5
Smart features: 4/5
Fitness insights: 5/5
OVERALL: 5/5
Material: Sapphire glass, titanium and polymer case | Battery: up to 46 days or 150 hours with GPS | Compatible OS: Android / iOS | Colour: Black | Weight: 70g | Water rating: 10 ATM
The Garmin Enduro 2 is designed with endurance athletes in mind. With its solar charging capabilities, it can last for more than a month on a single charge or 150 hours using GPS.
Its mapping and tracking features are as strong as you’d expect from a top-tier Garmin and they’ve been fine tuned to deliver all the fitness feedback you need.
Performance metrics are accessible both in the watch and the Garmin Connect app – which also opens up third-party app support.
It may be pricey, but the Garmin Enduro 2 is one of the best watches for serious athletes and fitness enthusiasts.
Read our full Garmin Enduro 2 review
Best fitness watch for iPhone users
Apple Watch Ultra
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From $1030 / £830 / apple.com
Design: 4/5
Battery life: 3.5/5
Smart features: 5/5
Fitness insights: 4.5/5
OVERALL: 4.5/5
Material: Sapphire display, titanium case | Battery: up to 60 hours with GPS | Compatible OS: iOS | Colours: Green, orange or starlight bands | Weight: 61.3g | Water rating: 40m
With its titanium case and flat, sapphire crystal display, the Ultra is the most robust Apple Watch to date.
Rate as waterproof to 100m (though scuba diving is recommended down to only 40m), it packs crash detection in among its many sensors and a battery that can last up to three days with normal use.
Those sensors include temperature, SpO2 tracking, heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, ECG and more.
And as usual, app support is sensational, with everything from Audible to Spotify, Apple Pay to Fitness+ and more available through the WatchOS app store.
Read our full Apple Watch Ultra review
Best fitness watch design
Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro Titanium
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$435 / £350 / consumer.huawei.com
Design: 5/5
Battery life: 5/5
Smart features: 4/5
Fitness insights: 4/5
OVERALL: 4.5/5
Material: Sapphire display, titanium case | Battery: up to 14 days | Compatible OS: Android / iOS | Colours: White ceramic or titanium face / various strap options | Weight: 54g | Water rating: 5 ATM / 30m
Classical styling with a host of smarts and long battery life are the hallmarks of Huawei’s GT 3 series of watches. Its range topper the GT 3 Pro is available in this Titanium face, or a stylish white Ceramic version.
It might not have the stellar app support or wrist-based payments of the Apple Watch, but it still has plenty of fitness features and insights to keep serious athletes happy.
The GT 3 Pro has recently been upgraded with ECG support, to add to its temperature and SpO2 tracking and can be used diving down to depths of 30m. Wireless charging and a two-week battery live add to the GT 3 Pro’s already substantial appeal.
Read our full Huawei GT 3 Pro Titanium review
Best mid-range fitness watch
Garmin Forerunner 955 Solar
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$680 / £550 / garmin.com
Design: 4/5
Fitness insights: 5/5
Smart features: 4/5
Battery life: 4/5
OVERALL: 4/5
Material: Corning® Gorilla® Glass DX display, polymer case | Battery: up to 20 days / up to 42 hours with GPS | Compatible OS: Android / iOS | Colours: Black or white | Weight: 52g | Water rating: 5 ATM
The Garmin Forerunner 955 Solar is a mid-range version of the company’s Enduro 2. It features all the fantastic fitness and mapping smarts, mobile payments, third-party app support and wellness tracking of the flagship model without the month-long battery and super-rugged chassis.
It costs significantly less than the Enduro 2 but still lasts 20 days on a single charge and uses the same Kindle-like display technology, albeit with a 1.3-inch screen rather than 1.4-inch.
The watch is 5 ATM water and dust-resistant and has a Corning Gorilla Glass DX display for reliable scuff-resistance. Runners get the same Trail VO2 Max, Ultrarun activity and Adventure Training features of the Enduro 2, and Garmin’s PacePro and Grade-adjusted Pace are perfect for long-distance athletes.
Read our full Garmin Forerunner 955 Solar review
Best mid-range fitness watch for iPhone users
Apple Watch 8
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From $520 / £419 / apple.com
Design: 4/5
Battery life: 2/5
Smart features: 5/5
Fitness insights: 4.5/5
OVERALL: 4/5
Material: Ion X or Sapphire display, aluminium or stainless steel case | Battery: up to 18 hours | Compatible OS: iOS | Colours: Silver, starlight, gold, midnight, graphite or red faces / various strap options | Weight: 31.9g – 51.5g | Water rating: 50m
If you have your eyes on the Apple Watch Ultra but can’t stomach the $1,000 / £800-plus price tag, the Apple Watch 8 is a more palatable alternative. When it comes to apps and fitness features, there two are virtually identical. And with the Apple Watch 8 there are more options available to customize its styling.
You’ll lose out on durability, diving features and battery life – the latter being a meagre 18 hours. But you do get incredible app support, wellness features like heart rate tracking, SpO2 monitoring, ECG and accident detection.
It also features automatic detection for cycling, temperature detection, a crack-resistant crystal display and water resistance up to 50m.
Read our full Apple Watch 8 review
Best fitness watch for long battery life on a budget
Huawei Watch GT 3
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$220 / £179 / huawei.com
Design: 4/5
Battery life: 4.5/5
Smart features: 3/5
Fitness insights: 4/5
OVERALL: 4/5
Material: Stainless steel and plastic case | Battery: up to 14 days | Compatible OS: Android or iOS | Colours: Black, steel and gold cases with six strap colours | Weight: 32.5g or 42.6g | Water rating: 5 ATM / 50m
Available in 46mm and 42mm widths, the Huawei Watch GT 3 is a good budget option that balances some smarts with excellent battery life and a comprehensive set of fitness features. It’s essentially the same as the GT 3 Pro, minus premium features such as the titanium build and diving support.
The larger 46mm option has a longer battery life and a few more features, but both have an expansive touch display that’s finger-friendly and responsive, and the digital crown and button combo makes interaction intuitive.
Accurate heart rate tracking, SpO2 measurements, sleep reporting, basic notification support and wireless charging give you plenty of bang for your buck with the GT 3.
Read our full Huawei Watch GT 3 review
Best-looking Garmin fitness watch
Garmin Venu 2 Plus
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From $495 / £399 / garmin.com
Design: 4/5
Battery life: 4/5
Smart features: 4/5
Fitness insights: 4/5
OVERALL: 4/5
Material: Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3 display, stainless steel or aluminium case | Battery: up to 11 days / up to 19 hours with GPS | Compatible OS: Android or iOS | Colours: 18 bezel, case and band combinations | Weight: 38.2g | Water rating: 5ATM
The Garmin Venu 2 Plus is a bit of a departure from the company’s track-focused and sportswatch-styled Enduro and Forerunner series. Despite the pared-back styling, though, it still features most of the training smarts of its sportier-looking siblings, as well a decent battery life.
The bright AMOLED display shares the same tech as the Apple Watch, Huawei Watch and Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro. It supports your phone’s voice assistant and doubles up as a Bluetooth receiver, so you can take calls from your wrist too.
With heart rate monitoring, a Pulse Ox3 sensor, stress tracking and sleep tracking, the Venu 2 Plus checks all the right boxes for wellness, and with a handful of pre-loaded workouts, and more available in the Garmin ConnectIQ app, it’s one of the best fitness watches for casual exercisers.
Read our full Garmin Venu 2 Plus review
Best fitness watch for measuring body fat
Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro
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From $530 / £429 / samsung.com
Design: 4/5
Battery life: 3.5/5
Smart features: 4.5/5
Fitness insights: 4.5/5
OVERALL: 4/5
Material: Sapphire crystal display, titanium case | Battery: up to 80 hours | Compatible OS: Android | Colours: Black titanium, grey titanium / various band colours | Weight: 46.5g
The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro has finally upped the ante where Samsung battery life is concerned. Although it’s still off the pace set by Garmin and Huawei, Samsung’s flagship watch can run for almost four days, and has military grade toughness to take the fight to the Apple Watch Ultra.
As with all Samsung smartwatches, the 5 Pro runs on Google WearOS so works with all Android phones, but not iPhones (some features such as the ECG only work with Samsung Android phones).
It will give the Garmin Enduro 2 a run for its money where mapping is concerned and features heart rate, ECG and SpO2 monitors, but the standout feature of the Saumsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro has to be its body composition sensor – it’s the only watch on test to have one.
Read our full Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro review
Best fitness watch for measuring blood pressure
Huawei Watch D
$435 / £349 / huawei.com
Design: 4/5
Battery life: 4/5
Smart features: 4/5
Fitness insights: 5/5
OVERALL: 4/5
Material: Aluminium case | Battery: up to 7 days | Compatible OS: Android or iOS | Colours: Graphite black | Weight: 40.9g
The Huawei Watch D features the full spectrum of heart health monitoring tools – including arterial stiffness detection, heart rate monitoring, as well as SpO2 and ECG sensors – and is the only smartwatch we’d recommend for anyone wanting to monitor their blood pressure.
It offers good sleep tracking and step counting and supports up to 70 workout modes, including GPS tracking for running and cycling. Seven-day battery life and wireless charging increase its appeal.
Despite its feature set, though, the Huawei Watch D isn’t a dedicated fitness or training smartwatch for athletes or outdoor enthusiasts but is a good option for anyone specifically concerned about blood pressure.
Read our full Huawei Watch D review
Best fitness watch for classical styling
Withings ScanWatch Horizon
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$620 / £499 / withings.com
Design: 5/5
Fitness insights: 3.5/5
Smart features: 3.5/5
Battery life: 5/5
OVERALL: 4/5
Material: Sapphire glass, stainless steel case | Battery: up to 30 days | Compatible OS: Android or iOS | Colours: Stainless steel | Weight: 72g | Water rating: 10 ATM / 100m
The Withings ScanWatch Horizon is the most classically styled, traditional-looking watch on test – it even has analogue dials! In fact, you’d be forgiven for thinking it wasn’t a smartwatch at all.
But inside its stainless-steel body there’s an advanced fitness tracker, complete with sensors you’d more typically associate with an Apple Watch.
Just pair the watch with your smartphone to unlock its heart rate, SpO2 and ECG monitoring, as well as exercise, step and sleep tracking. Or piggyback off your phone’s GPS to track runs, cycles and other outdoor sports.
Read our full Withings ScanWatch Horizon review
What to look for in the best fitness watches
Before you buy a smartwatch or fitness watch, you need to check it’s compatible with your phone. If you have an iPhone, you won’t be able to use a Samsung Watch. Likewise, if you have an Android phone, Apple Watches are out of the question.
Third-party options like Garmin, Huawei and Withings will usually work with Android and iOS smartphones, though some features might be specific to certain operating systems – so do your research first.
If you aren’t sold on the idea of frequently charging your smartwatch, then you should avoid Apple and Samsung watches. Even the longest-lasting options – the Apple Watch Ultra and Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro – require a charge every few days. Garmin, Huawei and Withings watches all last much longer on a single charge.
Finally, do you need advanced fitness features? Serious fitness enthusiasts and endurance athletes might do well to go for Garmin watches like the Enduro 2 or Forerunner 955. For folks happy with the middle ground – wearables that are smart, fitness-focused but stylish – Huawei have some of the best fitness watches. If casual fitness tracking and premium styling are more your thing, then Withings could be a winning option.
