You can also receive texts, calls, and notifications, so it doubles as a mini smartphone on your wrist. If you want to track your health and fitness without a bulky or buzzing watch, smart rings are a discreet, non-distracting way to stay on top of your health. After several months testing various smart rings — often alongside top Garmin and Fitbit wearables — the Oura Ring 4 consistently delivered the most accurate health metrics and most helpful insights.

Amazfit T-Rex Pro 3 (44mm)

You might have to sacrifice some, but not too many, since many of these trackers are feature-filled. Battery life is also something to consider, as are display, resolution, and design. Like other Fitbit devices, this cheap fitness tracker comes with a free one-year subscription to Fitbit Premium, which gives you access to instructor-led workouts, meditation sessions, and nutrition plans. It’s not as good as the one-year Inspire 2 subscription, but the new features are probably just enough to justify getting the updated model. Despite the low price, you’ll still get a smooth user interface, reliable health tracking, and a bright, bold display.

Overall, A Win For Android Users

• All the watches reviewed here will help you track and improve your fitness – the key is choosing the one that fits your lifestyle.
• Yes, there are more affordable options, as well as more specialized watches for runners or triathletes, but the Garmin Vivoactive 6 is the best fitness tracker for most needs.
• The Apple Watch Ultra 3 boasts a bright display, improved workout planning, fast processing, and solid GPS accuracy.
• The ScanWatch 2 from Withings is one of the most stylish, screen-free wearables that looks like a traditional watch rather than a piece of tech.
• Nicole says you can track all of your important health metrics like heart rate (resting, while working out, and heart rate variability), blood oxygen, breathing rate, stress levels, and steps.
• I like that the Fitbit Air is finally taking on a cult favorite fitness band — and at a lower price.

Fitbit may be one of the biggest names in wearables, but it’s far from your only option. I’ve tested just about every Fitbit device, along with comparable picks from Garmin, Apple, Samsung, and others. In fact, with Fitbit effectively shutting down its Versa and Sense lines, I no longer recommend most of its smartwatches at all (Pixel Watch excluded — we’ll get to that).

It also features how to use workout apps for weight loss more advanced running capabilities, offline Google Maps functionality, and deeper integration with other Google devices. Just personalized training plans that adapt to you — powered by heart rate, backed by science, and designed to keep you motivated every step of the way. While it lacks compatibility with iPhones, it does everything Android users need it to. And although Samsung hasn’t introduced a subscription plan yet, there’s speculation that one may arrive in the future to access advanced features.

Best smart ring without subscription

It also rinsed off easily after a dusty trail run, which eased my fears about white holding up. I also really like the alternative magnetic band Xiaomi sent me, with subtle texture, elevated metal lugs, and a very comfortable fit. We’ve had chance to test several of the best smart rings in this guide.

Tech for Less: The Best Budget Fitness Trackers of 2026

The result is a minimalist look that is easily one of my favorite watch builds. Inside, it packs the Snapdragon W5 Gen 2 plus a zippy AI co‑processor, delivering noticeably longer battery life (up to ~40 hours on the 45 mm) and super‑fast charging. It also adds additional Gemini tools, including personalized health coaching, and introduces repairability. Finally, it’s the first Pixel Watch with standalone satellite connectivity for use in emergencies. You can technically use it without one, but it limits all the data you see.

I am a reporter at NBC Select who covers technology and fitness including stories on workout headphones, walking shoes and point-and-shoot cameras. I’ve been testing fitness trackers for years — I try new models constantly, comparing them against previous versions and similar competitors. I leveraged my experience testing fitness trackers, smartwatches and smart rings to pick the best ones on the market today. For everyday wear and impressive health and wellness tracking, the Apple Watch Series 11 boasts the best variety of health metric tracking.

It’s one of the best smartwatches on the market for the price, but as its focus is fitness, we’re comfortable recommending it as a tracker. I paired mine with a compatible cycling app, and it transmitted my live heart rate just like a chest strap would. That’s niche, perhaps, but useful for anyone training with intensity zones who’s already invested in using a favorite app or piece of exercise equipment.

Watch Series 10

The one thing you’ll want to keep in mind is that this Fitbit comes with a six-month trial of the Fitbit premium membership. She’s been a journalist for the last 14 years and a CPT/group fitness instructor for the last 11 years. She grew up playing tennis, became an avid runner in college, competed in a bikini competition in her mid-twenties, and even completed a triathlon.

Slim, Versatile And Easy To Follow

Instead of a traditional pin-and-buckle strap, the Smart Band 8 has a shaped plastic pin pushed through a slightly smaller hole in the flexible TPU strap. I can appreciate the simplicity of the design in principle, but in practice, it can come undone just by putting your hand in your pocket. Thankfully, several alternative straps are available online, many with more reliable clasps.

Get the Oura smart fitness tracking ring for as low as $249 during Amazon’s Black Friday Week sale

If you’re interested in what Amazfit has to offer but prefer a smartwatch over a minimalist band, the Amazfit Bip 5 may be a great option for you that’s still under $100. With its curved square, 1.9-inch display, don’t be surprised if many people assume you’re wearing an Apple Watch. It can last a lot longer on a single charge than Apple’s wearable, however — up to 10 days with typical usage or up to a month in battery saver mode. The battery life is much improved and now beats many fitness watches with up to 14 days on a charge.

I tested over 20 fitness trackers from brands like Garmin, Oura and Whoop. These 11 are the best

For the benefit of a top quality ring and great features, you’ll have to pay a pretty eye watering sum but if you’re keen on being an early adopter, then this is the one to go for. She previously oversaw Gizmodo’s consumer technology coverage and has been reviewing Apple products and wearable devices for almost a decade. While other rings are better designed with more advanced tracking, the Amazfit is good for its price. Where you feel the budget cuts of the Amazfit is in the ring and app design. The stiff plastic build was awkward when my fingers naturally swelled throughout the day.

Sure, your workouts are still a key part of what these devices do, but in addition they’re also tracking your sleep, heart rhythm patterns, blood oxygen levels, HRV, stress, and even caffeine consumption. Fitness trackers are more of an overall wellness tool than ever before. If you like the no frills appearance, the Whoop 5.0 can definitely accomplish most of your tracking needs.

What’s good about the Smart Band 8?

For us, if the main downside is that it’s a bit chunky on the wrist, we’ll take it—the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is truly the full package for all iPhone users. If your biggest priority is sleep, not advanced alerting, RingConn Gen 2 may actually be the better match. Marty Munson, currently the health director of Men’s Health, has been a health editor at properties including Marie Claire, Prevention, Shape and RealAge.