Fitbit Charge HR

In terms of features, compatibility and value for money, our top rated fitness tracker so far has to be the Fitbit Charge Hr. See the full review

Its closest rival is the Basis Peak which in honesty is hard to drop into second place, but it lacks one key feature, Distance Travelled! If Basis, now owned by Intel, were to add the distance travelled stat to the Peak, it would knock the Fitbit Charge Hr off top spot.

The Fitbit Charge HR offers heart rate monitoring, automatic sleep tracking, steps, calories, distance, elevation (floors climbed), and it tells the time. It has an OLED display, and with one-click control it’s extremely simple to use. Furthermore, the Fitbit app has a very rich feature set. The Fitbit Charge HR isn’t the perfect fitness tracker, that doesn’t exist yet. It has no GPS, it can’t be used for swimming and it only displays caller ID, so it’s a bit short in the notification department. Nevertheless, it deserves its place at the top of this list.

The Fitbit Charge HR is compatible with iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Desktop/Laptop

• Fitbit Charge HR

        

Moov

The Moov fitness tracker is truly innovative. It’s not like the others because it’s not an all-day activity and sleep and tracker. Instead, Moov becomes your digital personal coach. It’s geared up for running, walking, 7-minute workouts, boxing cardio, and swimming

For the dry-land activities, Moov works with your smartphone providing real-time visual and audio feedback to motivate and improve your performance. For swimming, it stores up to 90 minutes of data which you upload to your smartphone after your swim.

I was skeptical when I first started using Moov, but it actually works! I never thought the monotone voice of a female robot would succeed in motivating me to speed up and shape up. I was wrong, and if she sounded more organic like Mrs. Google Now, I might of even attempted to woo her.

Moov Lacks the basic Quantified Self features that have become so popular, i.e, sleep monitoring and all day step counting, but if it had these features onboard it would be at the top of this list. The way of the Moov will soon be the way of all fitness wearables!

Moov is compatible with iOS and Android.

• Moov

        

Update: The Moov Now is now available

Basis Peak

The Basis Peak features a proprietary technology called Body IQ and a built-in heart rate monitor. These features enable the Basis Peak to automatically detect when you fall asleep with very good accuracy. See the full review

I wasn’t really interested in sleep tracking before I tried the Basis Peak, but its ability to log a night’s kip in detail, providing reports on light, deep and REM (Rapid Eye Movement) durations and more on a very tidy graph within the app got my attention.

Another thing that makes the Basis Peak the best for sleep monitoring is that it’s very comfortable, despite being quite large. Also, if knowing that you look good helps you sleep better at night, the Basis Peak has you covered as it’s easily the best looking fitness tracker.

A recent update to the Basis Peak equipped it with a silent alarm to wake you up in the morning.

The Misfit Shine and Jawbone UP3 also deserve a mention in the sleep department. See our guide of the Best Fitness Trackers For Advanced Sleep Monitoring.

The Basis Peak is compatible with iOS, Android, Desktop/Laptop.

• Basis Peak

        

Misfit Shine

The Misfit Shine is our top choice for this category. There are plenty of reasons why it’s such a friendly wearable. The app is easy to navigate if you’re not accustomed to fitness apps. That’s not saying it’s basic by any means, as the Misfit Shine offers all of the essential Quantified Self features, but the app isn’t over engineered and makes it simple for beginners and enthusiasts alike to get their stats. See full review

The Misfit shine is also friendly because it doesn’t need to be charged, instead it runs off a coin cell battery that needs replacing every 6 months or so. Maybe after 6 months your friendship would dwindle for a few days until the new battery arrives in the post.

See also | Misfit Shine 2

Lastly, the Misfit Shine actually looks friendly! Some fitness trackers, the Fitbit Surge for instance, looks like it could jump off your wrist at any moment and bite you on the ear! It may sound weird but it’s true, the Misfit Shine is a charming little wearable. It has an amicable display with twelve LEDs that even tell the time in friendly sort of way.

The Misfit Shine is compatible with iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Desktop/Laptop.

• Misfit Shine

        

Basis Peak

Basis peak wins again! It has a great build quality and a high contrast monochrome Gorilla Glass 3 display. The Basis Peak looks good enough to wear with night-time garb, for me anyway.

If you’re looking for a fitness tracker that you can bling up, then check out the Tory Burch Fitbit Flex accessories or the Swarovski Misfit Shine collection. Another rather attractive looking fitness wearable is the The Wellograph Wellness Watch

Garmin Vivoactive

Garmin simply make the best wearables for sports. Their Forerunner sports watch series is legendary in the wearables world. More recently Garmin have been making wearables to cater for everyone, not just Triathletes, golfers, runners, cyclists etc.

The latest wearables coming from Garmin function as all day activity trackers and automatic sleep monitors. They are also geared up to deliver smart notifications to your wrist, such as caller ID, texts, emails and alerts from your favorite social apps like Twitter and Facebook.

The Garmin Vivoactive offers all of these features and plenty more. It has a built-in GPS which takes your outdoor activity tracking to the next level, it looks half decent, and it has a superior battery life to other wearables of its type. Read the full review

The Garmin Vivoactive is compatible with iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Desktop/Laptop.

• Garmin Vivoactive

        

Speedo Shine

The Speedo Shine is the result of a joint effort between Misfit and Speedo. Developed in Speedo’s Aqua Lab facility, the Speedo Shine has all the features you need to keep tabs on your swim sessions. It counts laps, strokes per lap, swim distance, swim duration and more. It also features automatic stroke detection. Read the full article

The Speedo Shine is the first of its kind. There are plenty of other fitness trackers with features for swimming, but the Speedo Shine offers all-day activity tracking and automatic sleep monitoring as well.

Like the original Misfit Shine, it has a coin cell battery that doesn’t need to charged. The Speedo Shine has only just been released, but my guess is, it’s gonna be very popular..

The Speedo Shine is compatible with iOS, Android, Desktop/Laptop.

• Speedo Shine

       

Garmin Forerunner 225

The FR225 is Garmin’s first wearable with an onboard optical heart rate monitor. It also has a GPS so you can get detailed map analysis of your runs including elevation changes. Read More

The Garmin FR225 isn’t just run savvy, as it’s also equipped with the all-day activity tracking features found in the Vivofit, that includes automatic sleep monitoring.

The FR225 has customizable data screens, heart rate zones, goals, and a move alert which is similar to the Move Bar on the Vivofit.The FR225 can be paired with a cadence foot pod, and if you prefer a chest strap to monitor your BPM it can be paired a Garmin HRM.

The Moov Now will probably give the Forerunner 225 a battle for first place in the running category, but it hasn’t been released yet.

The Garmin Forerunner 225 is compatible with iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Desktop/Laptop.

• Garmin Forerunner 225

        

Garmin Vivosmart

If you’re looking for a tidy mix of smart and fitness, then our top pick is the Garmin Vivosmart. It has a touchscreen curved OLED, monochrome display to show you activity stats and notifications alike. The Vivosmart will vibrate and display incoming caller ID, texts, emails, social media notifications and calendar alerts. Read More

The Garmin Vivosmart doesn’t have a built-in heart rate monitor, instead it pairs with Garmin’s HRM chest strap. There’s no GPS either, but it will record your steps, distance and calories burned, plus automatically monitor your sleep.

What else is good about the Vivosmart is a 7 day battery life, it is also water-tight enough to use in swimming pool.

The Garmin Vivosmart is compatible with iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Desktop/Laptop.

• Garmin Vivosmart

        

It’s always good to know what’s selling the most when you’re looking to buy a product. Based on our own research and the popularity of each fitness tracker on UrbanWearables, the best-selling fitness trackers are the Fitbit Flex, Fitbit Charge HR, Garmin Vivofit and Vivofit 2, Garmin Vivosmart, and the Misfit Shine – in pretty much that order.

 

 

 

 

Best Fitness Tracker 2015 With Built-in Heart Rate Monitor

5 Activity Trackers With Built-in GPS

10 Best Fitness Trackers You Can Swim With 2015

Best 5 Smartwatches With Built-in GP 2015