Top Smartwatches You Need: Best Picks for Health & Heart Rate

Introduction

In the last decade, smartwatches have transformed from simple notification devices into fully-fledged trackers designed to provide a comprehensive picture of your health and fitness. These cutting-edge devices pack the functionality of a smartphone into a sleek puck on your wrist.

Making them an indispensable piece of tech for anyone looking to enhance their lifestyle. Whether you’re interested in GPS navigation, step counts, or heart rate monitoring, today’s smartwatches are equipped with an impressive array of tools to help you stay on track.

Beyond fitness companions, these wearables are equipped with ECG or electrocardiogram capabilities to track your blood pressure, identify when you’re stressed, and even alert you to potential triggers that may impact your well-being.

The features extend to sleep monitoring and activity tracking, offering insights that allow you to understand your overall health better. For those who love a challenge, the motivating tempo of workout data can keep you moving, while the cadent calm of relaxation reminders adds balance to your day.

It’s important to note that while these watch-style monitors aren’t medical devices, they provide accurate and reliable insights during exercise and beyond. Today, there’s a smartwatch for everyone with many options, from expensive multi-functional models to simple bands.

The Best Smartwatches for Health tracking

Explore the top smartwatches designed for health tracking. Monitor your fitness, heart rate, and well-being with today’s best options.

1. Apple Watch Ultra 2

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is the pinnacle of Apple’s smartwatch lineup, sitting ahead of the Series 9 and SE models. With a rugged titanium case that is built to withstand harsh conditions, it is particularly suitable for outdoor adventures like scuba diving and water sports. Its exceptionally bright Retina display offers clarity in all environments.

At the same time, the biggest battery among Apple smartwatches delivers up to 36 hours of life in standard mode and 72 hours in low-power mode. The customization options make this fully-fledged smartwatch versatile, whether you’re using it for calls, texts, or apps.

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 excels with advanced health-tracking features for fitness enthusiasts. The device is a reliable health companion, from ECG readings that detect atrial fibrillation to blood oxygen monitoring and temperature tracking overnight.

It even sends notifications about heart health or low cardio fitness levels. Its accurate GPS is perfect for running and cycling, while the activity options make it ideal for fitness-focused users.

The watch is designed with safety in mind and includes Crash Detection, Fall Detection, and an Emergency SOS Siren for alerting loved ones or emergency services during an accident. Its customizable Action Button is handy for stopping workouts or quickly accessing safety features.

The 49mm device with a sapphire glass screen, 100 meters of water resistance, and a protective bezel is undeniably made for the extreme. With a starting RRP of £799, this smartwatch is a polished choice for those seeking the best in smartwatches.

2. Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 is a standout in the world of smartwatches, combining sleek design with powerful features tailored to enhance your health and daily routine. Built for Android users, it benefits from the seamless integration of Wear OS 4, powered by its Android 13 genes. This ensures broad compatibility with phones from the Android family, unlike Apple watches, which often lack cross-compatibility.

This device offers precision, whether you’re tracking your sleep, meeting activity goals, or monitoring your heart rate with advanced ECG and blood pressure monitoring.

The Galaxy Watch 6 shines with a crisp display and impressive durability, making it perfect for an active lifestyle. Users like SEO analyst Kori Williams find it a convenient tool for managing daily habits, such as using a stitch-counting app to simplify knitting or crocheting projects.

Its bioelectrical impedance analysis adds a unique layer to body composition metrics, helping you stay informed about your fitness journey. Tracking your water intake has never been easier, a feature that can help kickstart new health goals for the year ahead.

Despite its high performance, the watch feels light on your wrist, blending into your routine until needed. Paired with interesting extras like all-around health coaching, it’s no surprise that this Samsung smartwatch is considered a leading rival device currently available for those prioritizing health and productivity.

3. Garmin Forerunner 265

The Garmin Forerunner 265 perfectly balances budget-friendliness and peak performance, making it one of the best watches for fitness enthusiasts. Designed primarily to track workouts, it prioritizes tracking-related functions like accurate heart rate readings and unparalleled GPS signal strength.

Its multiple signals ensure consistency by eliminating data spikes, even in challenging environments such as a dense city or a remote forest, keeping your route precise and reliable. Additionally, it independently analyzes training metrics like sleep, stress, and recovery, eliminating the need for external devices.

During testing, the AMOLED display stood out with its bright visibility, even under direct sunlight. The touch-sensitive interface allows easy navigation, and physical buttons on the side of the case complement it for those who prefer tactile controls.

This lightweight wearable excels in tracking and includes features like music controls and custom workouts. It rivals the Apple Watch Series 10 in price while offering unique perks like Garmin’s extensive training metrics and the ability to calculate recovery time. Its battery is robust enough to last through multiple workouts, even with music playback.

For multisport athletes, the Forerunner 265 takes things further with a triathlon mode and Garmin’s Training Readiness Score, previously found only in higher-end models. Whether you’re running, swimming, or biking, this smartwatch equips you with advanced health and training tools that adapt to your lifestyle and goals.

4. Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra

The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra is a sporty, premium smartwatch model designed as the ultimate Android wearable for outdoor adventures and health tracking. It shares the BioActive sensor with the Galaxy Watch 7, offering a better-built package with longer-lasting performance.

This watch monitors fitness, rest, and recovery metrics, accompanied by AI-backed explainers, to provide actionable insights from the wealth of data points it records. For added health support, it detects anomalies such as sleep apnea and irregular heartbeats.

The Galaxy Watch Ultra boasts a 48-hour battery life, a titanium finish, and a customizable Quick button. Its AMOLED screen reaches an impressive 3,000 nits, ensuring readability in direct sunlight.

While its $650 price reflects its high-end features, the watch delivers unparalleled value with 100 meters of water resistance (though not for scuba diving or extreme watersports). Despite its hulking presence on the wrist, it’s one of the longest-lasting smartwatches currently available, rivalling the Apple Ultra 2 series.

5. Garmin Venu 3

The Garmin Venu 3 is a standout choice for anyone focused on health and fitness while maintaining the essential features of a smartwatch. Its stunning AMOLED screen displays data clearly, whether you’re exploring one of the 30 sports modes, enjoying animated workouts like strength, yoga, or HIIT, or striving to set a personal best in the running.

Unique features like wheelchair mode and step tracking cater to diverse needs, while advanced tools such as heart rate monitoring, heart rate variability, and stress tracking offer comprehensive health insights.

This device goes further with tools like the Morning Report, Body Battery, and the two-minute health snapshot, which combine to provide detailed metrics on your well-being. It even supports sleep tracking, menstrual cycle monitoring, blood oxygen levels, and skin temperature.

The Jet Lag adviser is a thoughtful addition for travellers, ensuring recovery after long journeys. With a 14-day battery life and 26 hours in GPS mode, the Venu 3 outlasts much of the competition, making it a reliable workout companion.

In addition to fitness, the Venu 3 caters to lifestyle enthusiasts with innovative features like mirrored notifications, an on-wrist voice assistant, and Garmin Pay for contactless payments. Though it lacks an extensive third-party app store and LTE support, its onboard storage for music, calls via paired phone, and safety tools like Incident Detection and Fall Detection make it one of the best smartwatches currently available.

Whether you’re customizing sports profiles, using interval creation, or enjoying the nap-tracking and sleep coach, the Garmin Venu 3 has plenty to offer in smartwatch functionality and fitness tracking.

 6. Apple Watch SE (2022)

The Apple Watch SE (2022) is an affordable smartwatch offering exceptional value at just $249. It may lack the advanced bells and whistles of the Ultra 2 or Series 10, but it stands out with reliable fitness tracking and essential safety features.

Truefree Watch GT2 Review also supports optional LTE, allowing users to stay connected without a paired smartphone. On the latest watch, OS 11 introduces features like the Check-In safety tool, the Vitals app for core health data, and on-wrist translations for 20 languages.

While it doesn’t have an always-on display, bright screen, ECG monitor, or skin temperature sensor, the SE remains a top choice for iPhone users seeking a compact and lightweight design, particularly the 40mm size, perfect for petite wrists.

Starting at an RRP of £219, it includes heart rate monitoring, irregular rhythm warnings, cardio fitness alerts, menstrual cycle tracking, and expected sleep and activity metrics. Though it has an older and slower processor and fewer features than its higher-end counterparts, its slick and polished user experience makes it a fantastic option for those prioritizing affordability.

7. Google Pixel Watch 3

The Google Pixel Watch 3 is available in 41mm and 45mm variants, with the larger model offering extended battery life and a more practical design for daily use. It pairs seamlessly with accessories like the Beats Studio Pro to deliver an enhanced, interconnected experience for music lovers and tech enthusiasts alike.

Though not as thin or light as the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7, the 45mm Pixel Watch 3 delivers nearly double the battery performance, solidifying its position as the best Android smartwatch overall. Both models feature a thinner bezel than the Pixel Watch 2 and an upgraded screen for visibility in bright sunlight.

Google integrates comprehensive health and fitness tools into the Pixel Watch 3, including insights on sleep quality, exercise, workout recovery, and menstrual health tracking. A standout feature is the loss of pulse detection, akin to fall detection, which alerts help when triggered.

Though this feature isn’t yet available in the U.S., it is accessible to UK and European users. The watch also includes Fitbit training metrics such as the Readiness score, Cardio Load metric, and Target Load score, designed to enhance wellness, optimize heart health, and support runners in improving their form.

8. Apple Watch Series 10

The Apple Watch 10 is the best smartwatch for iPhone users, offering several noteworthy changes over the Apple Watch Series 9. It’s 10% thinner and has a 10% larger screen, with a wide-angle OLED display for better visibility at odd angles. The new 42mm and 46mm case sizes replace the previous 41mm and 45mm options, and the larger model delivers more screen real estate than the Ultra series.

Crafted with lightweight titanium materials and available in new case finishes, the design changes enhance both style and usability improvements.

Packed with features, the Apple Watch 10 excels at tracking workouts, messaging, navigating cities, and monitoring sleep, now including sleep apnea detection. Running on watchOS 11, it introduces the Vitals app, language translation on your wrist, and the ability to disable Apple Watch rings for a rest day.

The watch supports faster charging, lets users play audio through its speaker (not just for phone calls), and includes the water Depth app for swimmers and snorkelers, along with a water temperature sensor. With these updates, it’s the most advanced and practical option for iPhone users overall for daily use.

How We Choose the Best Smartwatch for You

When it comes to choosing the proper smartwatch, the first step is knowing what you need. A smartwatch can be a stylish wearable and a valuable smartphone extension, but finding the best match requires considering key factors. Let’s explore how you can pick the one that suits you.

A smartwatch for you should align with your ecosystem. If you’re an Apple user, the Apple Watch is an obvious choice, seamlessly working with iOS and offering features like AI-generated message summaries and a familiar home menu. On the other hand, Android owners have versatile options from Google and Samsung, such as the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6, which offers blood pressure monitoring and advanced health tech.

However, certain features might be locked exclusively to Samsung phones. These smartwatches often include apps, texts, and calls, giving you a fully connected lifestyle experience.

For the fitness-minded, fitness-focused devices from Garmin, Polar, and Coros are worth exploring. While these may not support functions like answering a phone call or ordering a pizza, they excel in training tools, metrics, and insights.

With Garmin watches, you get robust GPS signals, biometric trackers, and even wrist-based music control. Such devices are ideal for marathoners, cyclists, or weekend warriors tracking mileage or stride length.

Another consideration is the size, styles, and colors of the smartwatch. Larger displays with the brightest screens and the fastest processors are ideal if you prioritize ease of use.

Features like a cellular antenna with LTE support allow for standalone connectivity, but this comes with extra costs and a subscription. Alternatively, if you prefer a more straightforward design, devices like the Google Pixel Watch or Fitbit can deliver functionality at a lower price.

Finally, the battery life and operating system will be assessed. Devices like the Apple Watch might need daily charging, while Garmin’s hybrid smartwatches or fitness trackers offer longer lifespans and advanced data tracking without the battery-zapping effects of an always-on display. Whether you’re a casual user or a triathlon trainer, understanding usage, settings, and potential issues is critical for finding the perfect balance between budget and features.

Benefits of Monitoring Your Heart Rate

Finding the best smartwatch in 2024 isn’t just about style; it’s about how well it integrates with your lifestyle and supports your exercise routine. For those with a history of heart issues or anyone keen on monitoring their health, the latest watches from trusted brands like Fitbit,

Apple, Google, and Garmin are incredibly beneficial. These watches feature advanced heart rate monitoring tools that track your resting heart rate and detect potential issues like irregular heart rhythm, AFib, and other arrhythmias.

These devices can help with early detection for people with symptoms of slow heart rates, fast heart rates, or irregular heartbeats, improving outcomes by enabling timely consultation with a cardiologist. Even fitness enthusiasts will find them valuable, as they allow you to monitor exercise intensity, calculate your maximum heart rate, and avoid overtraining by keeping tabs on your workout’s frequency and duration.

Whether you’re optimizing your fitness or monitoring your heart health, these watches use cutting-edge technology to make a meaningful difference.

Frequently Asked Questions

How accurate are smartwatches for health tracking?

Modern smartwatches from brands like Apple, Samsung, Fitbit, and Garmin are highly accurate and reliable in terms of heart rate tracking and health tracking. According to the Heart Rhythm Society, they provide precise data, giving you peace of mind about your heart health. However, they are not a substitution for expert medical advice. Always consult your GP or physician for professional guidance if you have any concerns.

What is the best smartwatch for fitness enthusiasts?

Garmin sports watches like the Forerunner 265 and Venu 3 are excellent options for fitness-focused users. They offer subscription-free workout training tools, GPS reliability, and outstanding battery longevity. With features like onboard GPS, these models allow you to track metrics such as speed, cadence, and elevation gain during runs or hikes without needing your smartphone. These watches are perfect for monitoring your fitness progress while staying independent of your phone.

Are there smartwatches with advanced health-tracking features?

Yes, many smartwatches come with advanced features like sleep-tracking analysis, women’s health tracking, and tools for detecting conditions like atrial fibrillation (AFib) and sleep apnea. Devices like Fitbit even provide premium services through Fitbit Premium for advanced metrics and insights, available at $10/month or $80/year. While these tools offer accurate data, they should be taken as a guideline rather than a definitive medical answer. Always consult a doctor if you have specific health concerns.

Which smartwatch is best for overall connectivity and convenience?

If you want a smartwatch that doubles as a wrist-based smartphone, models like the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 are excellent choices. These devices offer cellular LTE connectivity, allowing you to make calls, stream music, navigate with maps, and more, even without your phone. For those prioritizing ease of use, Apple apps are known for being visually appealing and easier to use, while Samsung watches stand out for their better battery life. Your decision should depend on factors such as your smartphone brand and your lifestyle.

How We Test the Best Smartwatches

Our mission is to deliver accurate and reliable reviews of technology products. With a dedicated in-house writing team made up of experts who bring decades of experience and a genuine passion for technology, we approach testing with rigorous attention to detail. From the debut of the Apple Watch to today’s advanced models, we’ve been assessing smartwatches to ensure we provide honest, transparent information that serves our readers’ needs.

Our process starts by setting up each smartwatch like a user would a shiny, new device. Once the watch is properly fitted and secured, we take it through real-world activities, such as early-morning workouts, late nights, or even an ocean swim with the latest Apple Watch.

Whether we’re climbing a mountain with a Garmin, hitting the slopes with a Polar watch, or tackling the steepest hill with a Galaxy Watch 7, we test fitness-tracking accuracy, GPS precision, and heart rate monitoring during dynamic activities like runs, hikes, and bike rides.

Beyond fitness, we evaluate onboard safety features such as detection tools for sleep apnea and irregular heartbeats. We explore how apps, including third-party apps from an app store, enhance the device’s usability.

Finally, we analyze the cost, features, design, and overall value to distill everything into a comprehensive product review that is a trusted buying guide. By maintaining editorial independence, we ensure our insights remain unbiased, upholding the integrity of our reviews.