Smartwatches, Fitness Trackers & Kids watches - Buyers Guide

Smartwatches and Fitness Trackers

A Smartwatch is basically a wearable computer that is also a watch, often with touchscreen interface while a fitness tracker is a wrist worn device that monitors a variety of physical activities such as steps count, running distance, heart rate and other useful activities – both use a Bluetooth connected health app that lives on your phone.

The health app downloads the wearer’s activity data to inform your exercise regime and general health. Both Smartwatches and Fitness Trackers tell the time and have an alarm like normal digital watches.

Like traditional analogue watches, Fitbits, Garmin, Samsung and Apple watches are water resistant to impressive depths (5ATM is fairly standard / resistant up to 50m). Except they can also perform useful fitness measuring activities underwater as well.

Their usefulness doesn’t end when your day ends. Sleep tracking is a common feature across the brands and models. Sleep tracking allows your Smartwatch to research your sleep patterns and give you useful feedback. Many of the Smartwatch and Tracker brands offer sleep tracking with differing levels of complexity.

Our top of the range Garmin Fenix 7s models offer some seriously innovative features like Wrist Based Heart Rate which allows you to check your heart rate via your wrist pulse, the Pulse Ox Sensor (which estimates your blood oxygen saturation) and Corning® Gorilla® Glass DX – a chemically strengthened, scratch resistant glass.

Samsung are offering similarly multi-purpose and clever Smartwatches, as do Apple with their more urban styled Smartwatch series 9, Ultra 2 and SE ranges and the pioneers of these products Fitbit.

Here are some of the features available across the Garmin range (many features also available across Samsung, Apple and Fitbit).

Standard Features to consider:

• Count your steps
• Check your heart rate
• Keep track of calories
• Blood oxygen measurement
• Sleep monitoring
• Customise watch face – multiple ‘looks’ to choose from existing designs
• Sync with other devices – interact with smartphone apps
• Send your messages / reminders: notify you of calls, texts, e-mail, social media posts, ‘move alerts’
• 5 ATM water resistance
• Rechargeable battery – lithium batteries that can last for up to 48 hours in battery saver mode or 14 days in smartwatch mode
• Voice Command such as Siri (Apple), Google Assistant or Alexa
• Payment using your watch e.g. Apple Pay, Garmin Pay
• Recycled aluminium and tungsten (Apple)
• Menstrual cycle tracking
• Stress tracking

Extra features (varies - specific models/brands)

• Pulse Ox Sensor – helps you understand better how your body is absorbing oxygen – estimates your blood saturation level which helps you gain better understanding of your health
• PacePro – helps you maintain a consistent pace by giving you grade-adjusted guidance
• GPS and GLONASS Satellite Reception: provides the ability to always track where you are via data fed from GLONASS satellites and GPS
• Garmin Pay – the option to add your credit card or debit card on your digital wallet
• Offline playlists – (Garmin) supports music streaming services Spotify, Deezer, Amazon – playback ability while offline (Samsung) Strava, Spotify, My FitnessPal, downloadable music (selected models)
• Rechargeable battery – (Garmin) lithium batteries that can last for up to 48 hours in battery saver mode or 14 days in smartwatch mode
• Reply to messages via speech to text capability
• Garmin Coach training plan with three expert coaches that will assist and guide you in your workouts (Forerunner 45)
• 45 hr battery on single charge (Samsung Galaxy Active)
• Incident Detection app – detects emergencies & sends texts to your emergency contact (Forerunner 45)
• Customise the Forerunner 45’s watch face – multiple ‘looks’ to choose from existing designs
• Connectivity – download the Garmin Connect Mobile app & share and access your data using your smartphone
• Female health – (Fitbit) use Fitbit Charge 4 with the Fitbit app to track periods, record symptoms, access predicted ovulation calendar