Waterlogged Wearable A Guide to Drying Out Your Smartwatch or Fitness Tracker

Fitness tracker vs smartwatch: which is best for you?

With so many choices, it can be hard to decide whether a smartwatch or fitness tracker is best for you. It's not a case of cheap bands being a poor copy of their more expensive rivals: different pieces of fitness tracking tech are better suited for different users. These range from bulky, power-hungry versions of the best smartwatches with all the bells and whistles, capable of collecting reams of specialist data, to elegant (and crucially cheap) fitness trackers that help nudge you towards more holistic healthy living.

Whether youre keeping an eye on your health and fitness to lose weight, train for a specific goal or competition, or just trying to avoid reaching for your smartphone as often, theres plenty a fitness tracker or smartwatch can do for you but whats the difference between the two?

With smartwatches offering a much higher price tag, but doing more overall than fitness trackers, it's a good idea to do your research before committing to one over the other.

Fitness tracker vs Smartwatch: Price

As weve alluded to already, fitness trackers are considerably cheaper than smartwatches. While you can pick one up for under $100 in the US, 80 in the UK or AU$150 in Australia, even bands on the cheaper end such as the Huawei Band 7 will track your metrics and help get you on your way to being fitter, healthier, and hopefully, happier.

With that said, trackers with large faces like the Fitbit Versa series tend to move into smartwatch territory in terms of price, if not quite in functionality.

On the other hand, smartwatches can run the gamut. Samsungs Galaxy Watch 5 can be found for around $279 in the US, 269 in the UK and AU$499 in Australia. Meanwhile, the Apple Watch is the market leader and starts at a similar price range for the cheap SE version (wed recommend avoiding the even cheaper Series 3 for fear it could be discontinued soon). The top-end Series 7 can cost much more.

Fitness tracker vs Smartwatch: Design

Smartwatches and fitness trackers come in a variety of form factors, but while there are some pieces of smart fitness tech that you strap to your chest, ankle, or even hang as a pendant, the ones were looking at can always be found on your wrist.

That means that, as the name would suggest, smartwatches resemble traditional analog timekeeping devices. They offer either rounded-off square designs (like the Apple Watch), or even rounder circular designs (see Samsung, Garmin, or Amazfits options), and come in a variety of materials. While Apple no longer sells a solid gold Apple Watch, the product category as a whole is seen as somewhat of a fashion statement as much as it is a fitness tool.

Fitness trackers on the other hand are often svelte in form, to the point where it can be easy to forget when youre wearing one. Classics like the Fitbit Inspire 2 are thin, offering slimline screens and minimal additional controls except for the touch-based interface.

Across both product types, there are usually removable and swappable straps, meaning users can customize the look and feel of their chosen device with different colors and even different materials. Most modern smartwatches and fitness trackers offer customizable watch faces, too, so they can mimic classic watches.

Fitness tracker vs Smartwatch: Features & Tracking

Heres where both product categories diverge a fair bit, and thats perhaps to be expected given the gulf in pricing.

A fitness tracker, as youd expect from the name, is for tracking physical and (sometimes) mental wellbeing. Youll need to check the included sensors when researching, but any fitness tracker worth its salt will track your heart rate, steps walked, and calories burned.

This information is beamed to your smartphone via a companion app, but even cheaper trackers are getting things like blood oxygen monitoring and skin temperature readouts that previously were the sole domain of more expensive options.

That democratization of tech hasnt phased out smartwatches, though. Apple Watchs watchOS and Googles Wear OS, as examples, are essentially whole new platforms. This means they can do more, like downloading apps to your watch itself, or streaming music so you dont need to take your phone for a run.

Thats on top of offering many of the same features youll find in a fitness tracker, but all of this power comes at a price (well, aside from the actual price) battery life.

Apple Watch Series 7 will struggle to last two days without gasping for a charge. On the other hand, the Huawei Band 7, which costs an eighth of the price, will keep chugging for an incredible two weeks.

Thats particularly important if youre tracking your sleep. While Apple Watch and the like can track sleep, the shorter battery life means youll need to charge regularly before bed to be able to use it (although you can add third-party tracking apps). On the other hand, you can leave a fitness tracker on for days.

In short, a smartwatch is much closer to a computer on your wrist, whereas a fitness tracker is much more focused.

Buy a fitness tracker if:

Buy a smartwatch if:

Should I buy a fitness tracker or a smartwatch?

Both smartwatches and fitness trackers (aka activity trackers) can help you stay connected, track your daily activities and monitor your progress towards fitness goals. But there are differences between the two types of device, so you'll need to decide which features are most important to you.

Generally speaking, fitness trackers are more focused on health and activity monitoring than on smart notifications their smaller screens aren't as conducive to reading and replying to messages as the larger screens on watches.

Some smartwatches are targeted at fashion-conscious people who also want to keep fit: people who mainly want an attractive watch with good smart features and a smattering of fitness features.

Others are aimed squarely at fitness enthusiasts who want plenty of sensors for specialist exercise tracking.

But there are plenty that straddle both camps, offering looks, sophisticated health features, advanced smart features and detailed sports tracking.

Once youve decided which device you want, browse our fitness tracker reviews and smartwatch reviews to find the wearable thats right for your needs and budget.

How much should I expect to spend?

You can buy both fitness trackers and smartwatches online for as little as 2, but we don't recommend these ultra-cheap models, even if you're tempted by their visual resemblence to expensive brands like Apple. Our investigations found that buying dirt-cheap wearables can put your data at risk. All 12 of those we tested in a snapshot test were riddled with worrying security flaws.

We've reviewed smartwatches ranging from just over 20 to over 800 and fitness trackers ranging from under 20 to nearly 200.

Spending more usually means you get more features, such as multi-sport tracking or, on a smartwatch, the ability to make calls without your phone.

Other things affecting price are the design and material. Some devices have a range of design options available, such as a choice of leather, woven or metal straps, or limited-edition versions endorsed by celebrities.

You'll generally need to spend at least 40 for a decent fitness tracker.

And you'll generally need to spend at least 150 for a Best Buy smartwatch, but there are some good models around the 100 mark.

In both cases, you might be able to nab one for less in the sales.

All that said, a higher price is no guarantee of quality. Weve found fitness trackers and smartwatches that are expensive but inaccurate, uncomfortable and/or awkward to use.

Why choose a fitness tracker over a smartwatch?

On a basic level, a fitness or activity tracker can give you an insight into your day-to-day activity, tracking your steps, calories or sleep. More advanced devices support particular types of exercise or sports, such as running, cycling, swimming or golf. Others offer multi-sport tracking so you can track your whole workout, from the treadmill to the pool.

Some have more advanced sensors for tracking, such as heart-rate monitors, and some basic smart notifications such as text or email. Those with built-in GPS are able to operate independently of your phone, meaning you can leave it at home while out for a run or cycle.

Pros and cons of fitness trackers

• Pros: Basic trackers are available at lower prices than smartwatches, so they're a good option if you're on a stricter budget. There are plenty of models designed with comfort in mind, too, so you'll be able to wear it all day with no issues. Advanced devices are available to cater for very specific sports and activities, but at higher prices which might make you wonder if you'd be better off with a smartwatch.
• Cons: Outside the sphere of exercise and activity, devices vary in how versatile they are for other functions, such as smart notifications from a phone, music playback and third-party apps.

The best trackers are accurate, comfortable and a breeze to use. The worst over or understate your data, and can be a pain to wear and use. If you think a fitness tracker is the best option for you, find out which models impressed in our tests take a look at our round-up of the best fitness trackers

You can compare prices on a selection of popular fitness trackers we've tested below:

Why choose a smartwatch over a fitness tracker?

In short: go for a smartwatch if you like the idea of a miniature smartphone on your wrist, or you're looking for special sports-tracking features.

The biggest strength of smartwatches is their ability to link together notifications from your smartphone such as texts, calls, emails, directions, calendar appointments and social media messages with comfort and style.

The best let you easily view and respond to notifications, dictate text or email responses, or send 'smart' replies, and most should at the very least handle the basics of fitness and activity tracking.

A smartwatch will also allow you to see more details of your exercise or smart notifications at a glance without taking your phone out, by virtue of having a bigger screen than a fitness tracker.

Some, as we've mentioned, are packed with sensors and technology for specific activities such as running, swimming or exploring the great outdoors. These might include:

• altimeter - uses barometric pressure or GPS data to tell you how high above sea level you are, so you can locate yourself on a map
• barometer - picks up changes in atmospheric pressure, so you can predict whether the weather is going to worsen or improve. Some can even alert you if they sense a storm coming
• navigation features - location-tracking services (such as GPS, Glonass and Galileo), a compass, visual maps and the option to save 'memories' of routes you've taken and add descriptions to them
• thermometer - can help you plan what to wear when going on a long hike
• running metrics - such as pace, cadence, elevation, customisable workouts and detailed insights into your performance and recovery time
• swim-specific metrics - such as pace, distance, SWOLF (a measure of your swimming efficiency)
• compatibility with a chest heart-rate monitor - these are more accurate than heart-rate readings taken from your wrist.

Some are built to be especially durable, with a strong strap and scratch-resistant screen.

Pros and Cons of smartwatches

• Pros: Those with advanced smart features are great for keeping up to date with and replying to notifications. The best sports watches offer accurate fitness tracking, such as steps, distance and heart rate monitoring, and go far beyond that to offer detailed sports metrics.
• Cons: On average, smartwatches are more expensive than fitness trackers. And many of them have a short battery life, so will need recharging regularly, even daily.

Like fitness trackers, smartwatches can vary in how accurately they measure your activity, and how easy they are to use.

Browse our selection of the best smartwatches to see which models came out on top.

You can also compare prices on a selection of popular smartwatches we've tested below:

Do any devices offer the best of both worlds?

There are a few mid-range, decent smartwatches that offer more yet cost less than some fitness trackers.

The line between fitness trackers and smartwatches (and those geared at fashion, and those geared at sports) is getting increasingly blurred.

Thats why we put fitness trackers and smartwatches through the same tests, to find out whether any devices can perform well in both capacities.

But we know that they're still perceived slightly differently by shoppers, so we evaluate them accordingly, placing a greater emphasis on smart functionality when we rate smartwatches.

Apple has also done a good job of building strong fitness and activity tracking functionality into its Apple Watches, along with the most sophisticated smart features and good looks.

While it might be tempting to splash out on an Apple Watch in the hope of covering all bases, though, bear in mind that it won't be suitable for everyone.

If you're super into a particular sport, the Apple Watch might not go far enough in terms of the metrics it gives you. If you're mainly after something fashionable, you could buy a stylish Wear OS watch instead.

You'll also need an iPhone to be able to use an Apple Watch.

Head to our which Apple Watch should I buy? guide to find out more about how the different Apple Watches compare to each other.

A fitness tracker or a smartwatch are both great ways of recording progress in a home gym, as well as outside. Read our how to set up a home gym for more on setting one up.