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10 Best Fitness Trackers 2016: Garmin, Fitbit and more

10 Best Fitness Trackers 2016: Garmin, Fitbit and more
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If you want to move more, sleep a little better and improve your overall health, a fitness tracker is a must for you. At the same time, picking up the best fitness tracker to spend your hard-earned cash on is a mind-boggling task. Search for “fitness trackers” on Amazon.in, and you’ll get, oh, 27,049 results and on Amazon.com 51,396 results! There’s never been a better selection of fitness trackers, but with choice comes confusion.

Here’s what you need to know to find the right one for you.

The right fitness tracker for you will be based on your individual needs and how active your lifestyle is. Some of you will look only for step counting and reliable sleep tracking. While others want the benefits of 24/7 heart rate tracking for resting heart rate and feedback on big workouts.

Best Fitness Trackers 2016

To make your task easier, we have a round-up of the best fitness trackers that will make it easier for you to spot the right band.

1. Garmin Vivosmart HR+

The Garmin Vivosmart HR + is a fitness tracker that puts substance over style. It is designed for more seasoned runners, swimmers and cyclists. While its design might fail to excite, the amount of features Garmin has packed in will get the interest of fitness enthusiasts. Inside is an accelerometer, barometric altimeter, GPS and an optical heart rate monito. It’s waterproof to 50M, so you can leave it on and forget about it.

garmin-vivosmart-hr fitness trackers

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Feature check:

  • Rugged waterproof design
  • 5-day battery life
  • GPS
  • 24/7 heart rate monitoring
  • Sleep monitoring

The Vivosmart HR Plus is likely too much for beginners but if you have more specific needs, this could be the best tracker for you.

Buy Now at     Amazon.in | Amazon.com

2. Fitbit Charge 2

Fitbit’s latest activity tracker combines the best of its Charge HR and Alta fitness bands at an affordable price. It automatically tracks your calories burned, distance travelled, heart rate, steps, and sleep, and a new mode helps you return your breathing to normal after a workout. To help you stay active throughout the day, Charge 2 sends Reminders to Move that encourage you to take 250 steps every hour. There’s no built-in GPS, but you can always connect it with your phone to help capture running routes and calculate lap splits. The display is modular, so you can pop it out and place it in a variety of different bands. Basically, it does everything the Fitbit Charge HR could do, with more features and an improved design. It offers the best balance of comfort and functionality you’ll find in this price range.

fitbit-charge-2 fitness trackers

Feature check:

  • Interchangeable accessory bands
  • Large OLED screen with tap display
  • All-Day Activity Tracking
  • Reminders to Move Auto Sleep Tracking
  • Silent Alarm
  • Multi-Sport Modes
  • Connected GPS
  • Cardio Fitness Level, Powered by PurePulse
  • Guided Breathing Sessions
  • Customizable Clock Faces

If you don’t need water resistance and GPS, the Fitbit Charge 2 is the best overall fitness tracker you can buy.

Buy Now at     Amazon.in | Amazon.com

3. Misfit Ray

Misfit has been around for a while now, creating devices such as the Shine and now the Ray which, in a sea of fitness trackers, doesn’t look like fitness trackers at all. Not all of us want to wear what’s obviously a piece of tech on our wrist, and the Misfit Ray is one of the most visually appealing trackers I’ve seen to date. It looks like a bracelet. Stylish and sleek, Misfit broke from the traditional design of its circular Shine tracker to offer something a little more discreet. The Misfit Ray offers steps and sleep tracking, all with its sleek and clean app. It will also alert users to messages and calls from a paired smartphone. Decent customization mixed with strong fitness tracking and a good price means you can’t go wrong with the Ray.

misfit-ray fitness trackers

Feature check:

  • Automatically tracks steps, distance, calories, and light and restful sleep
  • Vibration alerts for call and text notifications, movement reminders, and alarms
  • Smart button enabled to control connected household devices
  • Swimproof, anodized aluminum or stainless steel cylinder with multicolor LED progress display
  • Non‐charging, replaceable batteries last up to 6 months

If you value form over function and have the most basic activity-tracking needs, you’ll probably get on with the Misfit Ray.

Buy Now at     Amazon.in | Amazon.com

4. Fitbit Alta

The Fitbit Alta is the company’s best looking device to date, and it’s a real head turner. It’s a wristband that lets you wear fitness on your way. It will motivate and inspire you every day. While we’ve often said that devices with screens can’t be alluring, the Alta with its big range of colours straps does a fine job. On the tech side, it records steps, sleep and elevation and delivers basic notifications to the wrist, although support for third party apps is patchy.

fitbit-alta fitness trackers

Feature check:

  • Track your steps, distance, calories burned, active minutes, hourly activity & stationary time.
  • Reminders to Move
  • Fitbit Alta automatically recognizes and records exercises for you, so you can keep track of your workouts without ever pushing a button.
  • Tap Display
  • Long Battery Life – Wear your wristband up to 5 full days and nights without needing a charge.
  • Choose from a variety of clock faces
  • Auto Sleep Tracking
  • Silent Alarms

With a collection of metal, leather and classic accessory bands, Fitbit Alta makes it easy to create a look that fits the occasion and so one of the best fitness trackers for style.

Buy Now at     Amazon.in | Amazon.com

5. Misfit Shine 2

When the Misfit launched the Shine back in 2012, it proved that you can count your steps with the help of a fitness tracker that didn’t look ugly around your wrist. The Shine 2 remains faithful to those features and now adds a redesigned action clip, smartphone notifications and vibration alerts. The Misfit Shine 2 is 8mm thin, making it the thinnest activity tracker to date from Misfit. The round disc we all know from the previous Shine comes now in 2 colours – Rose gold and black. Compared with the original Shine, the new Misfit Shine 2 comes with coloured LEDs. Reading the time and notifications is much easier in the daytime thanks to the coloured lights.

Misfit Shine 2 is also capable of detecting nine different types of exercises and add them to the app. You can choose from nine types of activities: Walking, Running, Tennis, Soccer, Basketball, Cycling, Swimming, Yoga and Dancing.

misfit-shine-2 fitness trackers

Feature check:

  • Automatically tracks steps, distance, calories, and light and restful sleep
  • Vibration alerts for call and text notifications, movement reminders, and alarms
  • Smart button enabled to control connected household devices
  • Swimproof, anodized aluminum disc with multicolor LED progress display
  • Non-charging, replaceable batteries last up to 6 months
  • Step tracking, sleep monitoring, smartphone notifications, waterproof for swim tracking.

Buy Now at     Amazon.in | Amazon.com

Related: 7 Best Fitness Apps to Achieve your Goals

6. Jawbone UP3

Wearing a fitness tracker can change your life. And Jawbone UP3 is so lightweight, comfortable and stylish that you will never want to take it off. Over time, the benefits of tracking your sleep, activities and heart health will become second nature. What really sets it apart from its competitors is Jawbone’s UP App. It’s just terrific. It’s beautifully laid out and it’s intuitive. It also has advanced tools for food logging. It can give you challenges and it displays your data in a way that’s easy to understand.

jawbone-up3 fitness trackers

Feature check:

  • Heart health monitoring throughout the day
  • Get personalized guidance from Smart Coach
  • Advanced sleep tracking automatically to capture REM, Light and Deep
  • Smart Alarm(TM) silently wakes you at the optimal time in your sleep cycle
  • Syncs wirelessly plus 7 days battery life

Buy Now at     Amazon.in | Amazon.com

7. Moov Now

Moov Now is a fitness-focused wearable you put on only when you are working out. It is a small, round element that you clip into a strap to wear around your leg and pair with a smartphone. Using 3D motion sensor technology, it tracks and analyzes activity via a built-in coach to ensure you work up a proper sweat. Unlike fitness trackers from Fitbit and Jawbone, the Moov Now can measure a far wider range of motion. This helps it to generate the type of data that can help correct running form, for example, or improve the intensity of your punches in cardio-boxing sessions. It also works as a daily step and sleep tracker.

moov-now fitness trackers

Feature check:

  • Tracks running, cycling, walking, swimming, boxing, sleeping and daily activity
  • Real-time coaching with rep count and voice feedback
  • Talks to you
  • Measures your motions
  • Upto 6 months battery life
  • Water and dustproof

This is a multi-sport wearable coach that talks to you as you work out.

Buy Now at     Amazon.in | Amazon.com

8. Xiaomi Mi Band Pulse

The new Xiaomi Mi Band Pulse has a new HR sensor while maintaining an incredible price tag. It is still under 20 USD, in fact, it costs only 15 USD. More than that, Xiaomi has improved the app and the software and is now bringing a better overall experience. The tracker is light, weighing only 5.5 grams and the IP67 cover makes the device water and dust resistant. It means that you can take it with you in the shower or even test its endurance in outdoor activities, without the fear of breaking it. During aerobic exercises the heart rate sensor allows you to control the pace, the heart rate, to handle the state of your movement at every moment, and to generally improve the work of the heart.

xiaomi-mi-band-pulse fitness trackers

Feature check:

  • HR tracking
  • Fairly accurate activity and sleep tracking
  • Smart alarms
  • Incoming call alerts
  • Long battery life
  • Water resistant
  • Excellent pricing

If you are looking for an affordable basic activity and sleep tracker, then the Xiaomi Mi Band does the job very well.

Buy Now at     Amazon.in | Amazon.com

9. Garmin Vivoactive HR

This is one of the best fitness trackers that blends fitness and sports features with reliable notifications in a reasonably priced package. It monitors everything from your heart rate to the number of calories you’ve burned. An easy-to-use touch screen lets you control it precisely and see how many steps you have taken, check your peak heart rate, and review the type of exercise you are doing. You can also personalize your Garmin Vivoactive fitness device with free apps and widgets.

garmin-vivoactive-hr fitness trackers

Feature check:

• Adjustable strap
• 24/7 heart rate monitoring
• Sports Apps
• Long battery life
• Water-resistant
• Smart Notifications
• Customize with free watch face designs

Buy Now at     Amazon.in | Amazon.com

10. Samsung Gear Fit2

Finally, a fitness band you can run with while your phone stays at home. The built-in GPS tracks your running route, distance and speed in real time with precision and dedication so you can go farther, better. This fitness watch measures your heart rate, calories burned, distance traveled, steps taken and speed. When it comes to the AMOLED panel on the this fitness tracker rules.

samsung-gear-fit2 fitness trackers

Feature check:

  • Wide curved display shows stats
  • Heart rate tracking
  • Tons of fitness metrics
  • Notification support
  • 3 day battery life
  • Steps, sleep and optical heart rate monitoring

Buy Now at     Amazon.in | Amazon.com

Now gear up and buy the one that best suits your needs. Got any questions about fitness trackers? Let us know in the comments section below and we will help you out!


Comments (13)

  • Hi Sonal,

    Glad to be hear again and see the wonderful list of fitness trackers. I am familiar with most of them but some like the ‘Moov Now’ are new to me. Hoping to read more posts from you soon.

    Thanks and regards.

    Have a great day.

    Reji Stephenson

  • Hi Sonal,

    Nice review of all these gadgets.

    They’re all the rage these days aren’t they?

    I think it’s a great way to remind people to “step it up” and get moving from time to time 🙂 Then, of course, there are the fitness buffs who don’t need the reminder, but benefit from the tracking.

    I have a very basic Garmin and I love it!

    -Donna
    Donna Merrill recently posted…35 Best Types Of Blog Posts To Get Free Traffic | Neil PatelMy Profile

    • Author

      Hi Donna

      Glad that you liked it

      We all need to keep a track of our fitness levels so that we know what we have achieved and what is yet to be achieved. Well as you said some can go without it…its true!

      Thanks for writing in

      Have a nice day!

  • Sonal, I have a Fitbit. I wear it 24/7, I’m committed to my health!

    I find that each person needs to know what their fitness goals are (so they can choose a fitness tracker that tracks what they want it to), what types of fitness they enjoy, and the look and feel of the tracker as it really can make a fashion statement!

    Thank you for all of the reviews! Very informative!

    Deborah
    Deborah A. Ten Brink recently posted…Storytelling Can Create Compelling Blog Posts.My Profile

    • Author

      Hi Deborah

      We all need to keep a track of our fitness levels so that we know what we have achieved and what is yet to be achieved.

      Thanks for writing in

      Have a nice day!

  • Mi band is always my priority and me, can see that you have not written about the new mi band 2 which is better than mi band one and comes with more features and functionality BTW nice post about trackers
    Prince Ramgarhia recently posted…Top 15 Uses of USB OTG Cable You Never Know – 2016My Profile

    • Author

      Hi Prince

      Will surely include that in my next post. Thanks for sharing it!

      Have a nice day!

  • Hi Sonal, a great post and a good round up of the best trackers to buy. I use MyFitnessApp on iPhone and find it great, but it means it only works when I am carrying the phone! I have considered a tracker but haven’t got round to getting one, I like the UP3 though!

    Enjoy the journey!

    • Author

      Hi Mandy

      Its very important to keep a track of your fitness. UP3 is agreat option.

      Go for it!

      Have a nice day!

  • Hi Sonal,

    First time on your blog. Love the reviews. I am on my 2nd Fitbit. I haven’t even heard about some of these trackers so it’s good to know about all the other choices out there.

    Thanks for sharing,

    Beth 🙂
    Beth Hewitt recently posted…Time Management and BloggersMy Profile

    • Author

      Hi Beth

      Thanks for taking time out to visit my blog. glad that you liked the review.

      Hope you will buy one!

      Have a nice day!

  • it’s looking so gorgeous and shiny. Any one will be interested to buy it. I know another Best Fitness Tracker and i learn that the Best Fitness Tracker is also work goodly fitness tracker .It is such a motivational tool that helps you to achieve your daily fitness. that make you learn and show you how to improve your health .

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