Best fitness trackers to help you stay active in 2023

From fitness trackers that monitor your sleep to smartwatches specifically geared toward runners or cyclists, the best fitness trackers and smart watches go way beyond simply telling the time. Some, like the Apple Watch, Garmin and Fitbit, can measure your blood oxygen levels, prescribe recovery time and create training plans as well as helping you track activity and lose weight. Some can even detect if you’ve taken a fall and automatically notify your emergency contacts.

According to research from Deloitte’s Digital Consumer Trends Report, a record 19.2m health tracking devices were bought by UK consumers in the year to July 2021, which is more than double the number the previous year. Apple is one of the leading brands, accounting for 47 per cent of smartwatch owners. Around two thirds of UK adults who intend on buying a smartwatch say they want it to track their physical health.

So what are the best fitness trackers and smartwatches for tracking health and monitoring calories burnt, sleep, exercises, and step count? I’ve reviewed dozens in recent years. You can read my full reviews of this year’s crop further down along with a brief guide to how they work. If you’re in a hurry, here’s a quick look at my top five:

The best fitness trackers in 2023, at a glance

How do you choose a fitness tracker?

Ask yourself: Do you want something with GPS to track running and cycling? Do you really need all the features in the top-of-the-line model?

“A device with GPS will be more costly, due to the technology required to provide accurate information,” says Nick Anderson of coaching experts Running with Us. “They offer far more data and valuable metrics. It’s worth the spend if you are serious about your results and improvement.”

Some trackers will also measure your sleep (both the quality and quantity), stress levels, heart rhythm irregularity, blood oxygen levels and even your menstrual health, but it’s important to remember that these only act as a guide.

“It’s the trends that become useful,” Anderson says. “Without full ECG you won’t get 100 per cent accuracy in this area, but the trends can be useful when looking for marginal gains and improvements in your performance.”

Other features to look out for? “Some fitness trackers come with notifications for your phone apps and can control the music on your headphones,” Anderson says. Top of the range watches nearly all include tap payments, Bluetooth microphones to take calls, water resistance to 50m and extended battery life.