Best Fitness Trackers with Heart Rate Monitors iMore 2019
Fitness trackers are everywhere these days, with big names like Fitbit and Garmin continually coming out with new models. Along with most smartwatches offering fitness suites, there's a huge selection. Whether you're running a marathon, hitting the gym, or just going for a stroll in the park, tracking your heart rate is a fantastic way to get insight into your overall heart health. Here are our favorite fitness trackers with heart rate monitors.
- Best for everyone: Fitbit Charge 3
- Extreme tracker: Garmin Vivosmart HR+
- Hybrid fitness watch: Nokia Steel HR
- Best for runners: Polar M430
- Premium option: Apple Watch Series 4
- Cheapest you can get: LETSCOM Fitness Tracker
- Fantastic GPS: Garmin Vivoactive 3
- Fitbit's best smartwatch: Fitbit Versa
Best for everyone: Fitbit Charge 3
Staff FavoriteThe Fitbit Charge 3 is the best Fitbit for most people because it does almost everything well, is comfortable to wear for long periods, and doesn't break the bank. Its always-on heart rate sensor is accurate and doesn't eat into the battery, which, in our tests, lasted longer than the advertised five days.
Extreme tracker: Garmin Vivosmart HR+
The Vivosmart HR+ is a reliable activity tracker that can track a multitude of different types of exercises, from basic running and biking to more extreme sports like snowboarding, all while using the built-in GPS.
Hybrid fitness watch: Nokia Steel HR
If you're looking for something that is a little more hybrid smartwatch and a little less fitness tracker, the Nokia Steel HR is a great option. It looks like a traditional analog watch with a round face and comes with a step tracker, workout tracker, heart rate sensor, calorie counter, sleep tracker, and more.
Best for runners: Polar M430
The M430 can monitor the essential metrics that many marathon runners would be keen on like pace, distance, speed, and cadence. However, that doesn't mean the M430 is a slouch when it comes to other activities. You can take it for a swim thanks to its 30m water resistance, it'll track your sleep for you, and its built-in GPS is good for pretty much any outdoor activity.
Premium option: Apple Watch Series 4
The heart rate sensor on the back of the Apple Watch is accurate, fast, and able to scan your heart rate so you can always keep an eye on it. The Workout app is a fantastic way to track al your metrics while you sweat at the gym. Plus, Apple Watch syncs up all that data with your Apple Health account, so you can keep track of all your workout sessions over time, giving you a great overall view of your fitness level.
Cheapest you can get: LETSCOM Fitness Tracker
Fitness trackers are great, but if you don't feel like spending $150-$200, your options are pretty limited. Thankfully, LETSCOM makes an excellent budget tracker that'll set you back just $30. It has heart-rate and sleep monitoring, all-day activity tracking, 14 different exercise modes, and shows notifications from your phone.
Fantastic GPS: Garmin Vivoactive 3
Want to take your fitness tracking to the next level? Check out the Garmin Vivoactive 3. Not only does it track your steps, calories, miles, and more, but it presents all of the data it collects on a gorgeous color touchscreen display. The Vivoactive 3 can also monitor your stress levels, has up to 7 days of battery life, and supports contactless payments via Garmin Pay.
Fitbit's best smartwatch: Fitbit Versa
The Ionic may be Fitbit's most powerful smartwatch, but the Versa is our favorite. Its design is sleek, lightweight, and looks equally fantastic with a sport or leather band. The touchscreen display is great, you can get four days of use in between charges, and you can get guided workouts right on the watch itself. The Special Edition version even has Fitbit Pay!
Lots of options
There are dozens of fitness trackers with a wide variety of features, but when it comes to fitness trackers with heart rate monitors, these are the best of the best.
The Charge 3 is hands down the best for most people. It will track all the important stuff, like calories, steps, and exercise, and it carries a reasonable price tag. Plus, Fitbit's great and easy-to-use companion app makes it easy to keep track of all your data and sync it with your phone whenever you want.
Of course, if you're looking for the ultimate device to pair with an iPhone, there's no beating the Apple Watch Series 4. It's so much more than just a fitness tracker, as it can play music, tell you the weather, set alarms, and so much more!
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