There’s a been a lot of hype about wearable technology in recent years, but in reality that’s boiled down to two overlapping products - the smartwatch and the fitness tracker. You wear both on your wrist, many models are capable of tracking your heartrate, can provide notifications from your smartphone and of course tell the time. You’re not likely to buy and wear both at once, so we thought it best to include both categories here.
That said there’s a still a huge variety of devices out there, from tiny single-purpose fitness trackers up to chunky fully-featured smartwatches. There’s also an incredibly wide price range here, from under £50 up to around £1,000, so you should find something to fit your budget (discounting Apple’s top-end watches which stretch up beyond £10,000). However, unlike moist technology purposes you’ll have to be happy with how it looks as well, especially if you plan to wear it all day, every day.
Here’s are our top picks for both categories across a range of prices, selected from the wider range of devices we've reviewed, and I'll be updating this article as new devices are tested.
Smartwatches
Apple Watch - Best for iPhone users
If you haven’t heard of the Apple Watch then someone at Apple is probably going to lose their job. Hyped to the rafters by almost everyone, it certainly wasn’t the first smartwatch by a long way but it’s undoubtedly the most popular to date. To use it you have to own an iPhone, so if you’re using Android then move along.
If you’ve got an iPhone then this is the smartwatch for you, it even comes in two sizes to suit most wrists. The only issue is the price, the basic Sport model starts at £299, more than almost any other smartwatch on the market but not too steep. However, if you want a stainless steel model with a link band then you can expect to pay around £819. Getting the look you want can be expensive but Apple should be applauded for the huge range of finishes and straps on offer.
Aside from the price it’s all plain sailing, the watch interface is well designed, you can take calls using the watch as well as get and respond to all the usual notifications, plus it works with Apple Pay so you never need reach for your wallet again. There are loads of watch faces available and additional apps are easy-to-manage via your iPhone. It’s great, but if this is a bit beyond your budget then check out the Pebble Time, below.
Moto 360 2nd Gen - Best for Android users
For those using Android smartphones, Google has developed Android Wear. There’s a number of smartwatches based around the software but the Moto 360 is the best all-round choice - it was also the first round smartwatch available. Now available in a 2nd Gen version, Motorola has tweaked its original design and expanded the range with two sizes on offer and an impressive number of finishes and strap options.
Unlike the Apple Watch, there’s a far smaller price range here, from £229 up to £349, all with stainless steel cases - so you should be able to afford the look you want. It’s not quite as finely engineered as the Apple Watch, but it’s certainly still a looker. The only major complaint is that the round screen has a small slice missing from the bottom, where the light sensor is positioned.
Android Wear works well, especially if you mainly use Google’s own apps and services. For example it’s the only way to get turn-by-turn navigation (by car, public transport or on foot) on your wrist from Google Maps. You also receive all your notifications and can reply to them using voice recognition and the built-in microphone. However, it can’t act as a phone handset (no speaker) and it won’t allow for Android Pay transactions (no NFC) when that’s launched in the UK shortly.
Despite these drawbacks it’s still the best choice for Android phones users, largely thanks to Google’s own software and the wide range of design options, you can even switch out the strap for any standard watch strap if desired.
Samsung Gear S2 - Best for Samsung Galaxy
The Gear S2 is a brilliantly-designed smartwatch, which is generally intended for use with Samsung’s own smartphone range but now also works with any recent Android smartphone. Its party trick is its rotating bezel, which lets you quickly flick through functions and menus without all that awkward tapping and swiping of the screen.
Unlike most Android-compatible smartwatches, Samsung isn’t using Android Wear but rather its own Tizen operating system. That’s all good in most cases, with everything working fine with Android, however you don’t get support for Google services such as Google Maps or Keep notes.
The design is great though, it feels really well made and is very comfortable to wear. It’s also more battery efficient than most, lasting for other two days of general use. If the lack of some Google services doesn’t both you, then at just £249 this is the smartwatch to buy.
Pebble Time - Best for battery life
While most smartwatches only last a couple of days at most, the latest Pebble’s low-power E-Paper lets it go far longer between charges. It has a claimed battery life of a week, though we think 5-6 days is more realistic, either way you don’t have to remember to charge it every night and can even go away on short breaks without taking the charger with you.
That low-power screen means the watch displays the time, all the time, without the need for a tap or wrist gesture to fire it up. Other smartwatches have similar options but they tend to drain the battery quickly. ON the downside the screen is low resolution and has a limited colour palette.
It’s not a touchscreen either, but is instead uses three buttons on the side for controls. This works well, with no awkward swiping or tapping, and in the main we’ve found smartwatches to be largely for telling you things rather than you making input on them.
The basic model, pictured, is pretty small and lightweight and only costs £170, though no one would say it’s exactly a looker. There’s a stainless steel version available too, which is far smarter but bumps up the cost to £220. It’s a great smartwatch and it works with both iPhone and Android handsets.
Fitness Trackers
Fitbit Flex - Best basic tracker
If you’re looking for a basic fitness tracker then the Flex is a good place to start. There’s no heart-rate sensor here, no altimeter and no display. It counts your steps and active minutes and has 5 LEDs that show you how much you’ve achieved of your goal today. At the end of the day it uses Bluetooth (there’s an included Bluetooth adaptor) to communicate with your PC or smartphone (iOS, Windows Phone or Android).
It’s pretty simple then but on the plus side it’s very small and very light, so if you don’t want to answer constant questions about the gizmo on the wrist then this is the answer. The actual tracker is tiny and fits inside a rubbery wristband, with extra bands available from around £13. The whole thing is waterproof too, so no worries there.
Its simplicity also means that it lasts a long time, with a claimed five-day battery life that we found extends up to seven days in use. Though that figure will be reduced if you use the sleep tracking function too, which shows how restless you are at night and can wake you up with a vibration alarm. The Flex is available from around £50 and comes with two sizes of wristband to fit almost anyone.
Fitbit Charge HR - Best heart-rate tracker
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If you want more from your fitness tracker then the Charge HR adds numerous features to the Fitbit formula. From a fitness point of view the big addition is a heart-rate sensor to measure how hard you’re exercising. It also has an Altimeter, so it can account for climbing stairs or running up hills for that matter.
The Charge HR is fully integrated with its wristband, so there’s no swapping colours here. It’s available in a range of colours though - Black, Plum, Blue, Tangerine and Teal - so you should find something that suits. Its diddy OLED screen is easy to read and provides feedback throughout the day.
It also takes a step into smartwatch territory, showing you the time and also providing call display notifications from your smartphone. Now this isn’t a smartwatch so don’t expect much more than that, though it will vibrate to alert you of calls and texts if you prefer, rather than having your phone ring.
It’s compatible with your PC or pretty much any smartphone and supports pretty much every major fitness app if you want to use a preferred application, such as Strava or Runkeeper.
Conclusion
Obviously there are plenty more fitness trackers and smartwatches out there but these would be our first choices for each category. With the two categories increasingly overlapping we’re not entirely convinced by the more expensive fitness trackers unless you take your sport very seriously indeed and need a specialist device for swimming or cycling for instance.