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If you train without one of the best smartwatches for Android users, you are missing the opportunity to measure your progress and make your workouts more fun. Having tech on your wrist has become a norm in the fitness world, according to Connor Derrickson, fitness coach at Future, the app that pairs you with a world-class fitness coach who remotely manages your ongoing fitness.
“In recent years, we seem to have moved more and more towards prioritizing our health and fitness using technology and information,” he says. Indeed, fitness tracking adds another element to your training. “Fitness watches make working out, exercising or even walking fun because it becomes a competition – a game you try to beat yourself at every day.”
If you’re not a member of the Apple universe (or want something compatible with both Android and Apple devices), don’t worry, there are plenty of great Android smartwatches on the market. And, if you’re new to this sports watch trend, Derrickson has some tips on what to look for when choosing one of the best Android-compatible smartwatches to crush your New Year’s fitness goals. .
Heart rate monitoring. “You obviously want something that monitors your heart rate while you’re wearing it, but you also want it to show your training heart rate as well as your resting heart rate – and you want it to be accurate,” says Derrickson.
Track calories burned. “A lot of people like to know how many calories they’re burning throughout the day as well as throughout a workout episode.” And if your watch has this feature, Derrickson says it can create a fun challenge for you to burn more calories each day and also see how calorie burn is affected by various workout intensities.
Watch compatibility. You need to understand how your watch works with your phone etc.
Battery life. If your watch is going to die every day, Derrickson warns you’re going to be frustrated. “It’s annoying when you have to wear the watch to collect data, but it dies so quickly and spends a lot of time on the charger.”
Tom Holland, exercise physiologist, elite endurance athlete and author of, The micro-training programagrees and adds that the watch should be able to withstand the type of exercise you will be doing. “For example, choose a rugged watch for tough outdoor workouts like mountain biking and rock climbing, and a waterproof watch for paddleboarding and windsurfing.”
And it offers something else to consider. “Decide if you want a watch that you’ll take off when you’re done working out or a fashionable watch,” says Holland. “Do you want something that not only tracks your workout metrics, but is something you would wear to work, go out at night, etc.?” Scroll below to check out some of the best smartwatches for Android users to help smash your New Year’s resolutions.
With fitness and health features powered by Fitbit, the Google Pixel LTE smartwatch can also track sleep and heart rate and assess heart rate. The active zone feature tracks minutes, steps and calories and lets you choose from 40 different exercise modes. Additionally, the smartwatch does everything a smartphone can do, such as answering calls, receiving texts, responding to emails, and listening to music. Plus, it can also sync with your smartphone to control your thermostat and lights and the battery lasts up to 24 hours.
Fitbit makes some of the most popular smartwatches on the market, and the advanced Fitbut Sense 2 is perhaps its best model yet. You can track everything from steps, distance, and calories, while monitoring your respiratory rate, resting heart rate, heart rate variability, skin temperature, and blood oxygen saturation. The watch also includes a sleep tracker that measures how long you sleep and provides a sleep score, as well as a daily readiness score to help you decide how hard you want to workout that day. Built-in GPS and voice assistants add to the watch’s functionality, and you can also receive call and text notifications and pay from your wrist. The battery lasts at least six days.
If you engage in intense workouts including surfing, climbing, and skiing, the Amazfit T-Rex 2 is a rugged, military-grade smartwatch that can withstand all your adventures. It is equipped with temperature resistance of -40 degrees F, humidity resistance of 240 hours, heat resistance of 158 degrees, and salt spray resistance of 96 hours. With just one click, you can measure your breathing and heart rate, stress level, and blood oxygen level. In addition, the strength recognition function detects which muscles are activated during specific exercises. The watch has a 24-day battery life, supports over 150 sport modes and has GPS 5 satellite positioning.
The SUUNTO 9 Peak is so thin and sleek that, at first glance, you might think it’s too sleek to be a practical workout smartwatch. But you’d be wrong, because it’s as strong and durable as it is attractive. The touchscreen watch face is made of sapphire crystal and grade 5 titanium and provides multiple health metrics including heart rate, stress, blood oxygen, and sleep tracking. It has built-in GPS and 3D heat maps, in addition to guided navigation. You can control the music and bypass your phone to connect the watch to your headphones or earphones. The watch can also provide weather reports and alerts when a storm is approaching. Battery life is 25 hours with GPS and up to seven days in tour mode.
Sometimes workout smartwatches can be too convoluted to be really useful. However, the Withings ScanWatch is a hybrid smartwatch with a classic design and a clean face. There’s a section at the top that provides health information, such as heart rate tracking, breathing monitoring, and sleep tracking and analysis. The watch also has step tracking and a workout mode that can automatically track running, cycling, swimming and other activities and save that information to the companion Health Mate app. The ScanWatch, which also provides smartphone notifications, is waterproof up to 50 meters and the watch’s battery lasts up to 30 days.
Another budget-priced workout watch, the Mobvoi TicWatch GTH Pro has all the essentials you want, including custom watch faces. From continuously monitoring heart rate and arterial health scores to measuring blood oxygen and tracking sleep, the watch even provides tips on how to improve sleep scores. When training, there are 14 training modes, ranging from indoor cycling to outdoor walking to basketball. The watch is waterproof up to 50 meters, and it has up to 10 days of autonomy.
The Wahoo ELEMNT Rival provides structured training tools, making it a great choice for those who run, bike or swim. In fact, it even has race day functionality for contactless transition between different activities. The watch has a track running profile and running dynamics to provide real-time data. The watch has 12 preloaded workouts and the ability to connect to a TrainingPeaks account. It can also control your music, alarm and provide smart notifications. Battery life is 24 hours in GPS training mode and two weeks in smartwatch mode.
Samsung makes some of the best watches for Android users. They can be quite expensive; however, the Samsung Galaxy 4 is a more budget-friendly option that still delivers. It has many apps and can track everything from blood oxygen saturation to sleep disturbances. There are also nearly 100 workouts, including running, swimming, and rowing. You can use the watch for contactless payment and smart home control, in addition to step-by-step instructions using GPS. Battery life is approximately 40 hours.
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