Instead, it makes up for it with the larger Fitbit ecosystem, including both connectivity to friends as well as more activity-focused data than you can shake a stick at. And it’s a super well-rounded option, especially if you don’t need super structured training or other more serious features (since it largely lacks those). This one might come as a surprise to some, but the reality is that at Fitbit’s more reasonable pricing as of late, the Fitbit Sense is a pretty good option. ![]() Oh, and finally, remember that the Apple Watch *ONLY* works if you have an iPhone (not even an iPad). Note that with any Apple Watch you’re basically charging it every night – though you can usually get about 1.5 days of battery life, so an every other day flip-flop can work out too. Those will come with a cost, albeit usually very small, but the world is literally your oyster. While the core Apple Watch workout recording app is embarrassingly basic, there’s literally a thousand apps you can use instead if you want more advanced data field configurations or more features. These days with apps like HealthFit, Athlytic, and others, you can easily use an Apple Watch with 3rd party fitness platforms and advanced sports insight and data. The key difference between the two (aside from price) is the always-on display of the Series 7, versus the Apple Watch SE has a display that only turns on when you raise your wrist. Meanwhile, the Apple Watch Series 7 delivers solid accuracy as well, especially in more recent firmware updates (such as over the past few weeks of usage). I no longer see the issues I saw on launch a year ago. ![]() The Apple Watch SE in particular has seen some quiet behind-the-scenes firmware updates over the last year that have pretty substantially improved GPS & optical heart rate performance. Both are great units, and both have the finesse that nobody else in the industry has managed to top. The follow-up being the Apple Watch Series 7 since launch. Out of all the Apple Watches I’ve used over the past year, the Apple watch SE is the one I’ve tended to use the most. In the case of the Apple Watch SE, you can substitute the Series 7 if you want the always-on screen. That’s what makes app platforms so powerful.įor this category, all of these watches float in the $200-$400 range, depending on whether there’s a sale or not. Still, 3rd party apps can often fill some of the feature gaps – even if the experience is slightly disjointed. The reason being that we can’t always depend on 3rd party apps supporting each update of the watch, or even being there in a few months. For this guide though I’m mostly just focused on the features as-is in the box. Even more so when you consider the app ecosystems of each. ![]() The amount of sports and smart features varies slightly between them. Meaning, if you’re aiming to keep your runs to a few hours or so (even a marathon), then all of these watches will do perfectly fine. This category is aimed at folks that don’t necessarily need the crazy battery life or durability of the other categories. Recommended Watches: Apple Watch SE, Fitbit Sense, Garmin Venu 2, Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 With that, let’s dive into it! All Arounders: So if I like a device, it’s because it’s a legit good device I want to use. Oh, one more thing, if you’re new around here note that I don’t take any money/sponsorships/whatever from any of the companies. These will all pop out pretty quickly (as in, over the next 24 hours). Further, I found the previous guides just got so unwieldy to make and read. ![]() The reason for this is frankly pretty simple: People don’t search for “Sports Tech Recommendations”, they search for “Best Running GPS” or such. The content is the same, just broken out into three shorter guides instead. – GPS Watch Recommendations (Running/Hiking/Triathlon/Swimming) Previously I had one giant page with everything in it: Running, cycling, swimming, action cameras/drones, sensors, etc… And this year is basically no different, except that I’ve split it apart into a few different guides: Now this year I’m doing things a bit differently. It’s a condensed list of my recommendations. This list isn’t here to compile every option on the market in an effort to make every manufacturer happy. My goal here being to give my specific recommendations – exactly the same recommendations I’d give to my own friends and family, based on the continual usage of most of these products in product testing and comparisons – as well as just my day-to-day running, swimming, and hiking. It’s that time of year again – the annual Sports Technology Buyers Guides.
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