We’ve worn every size, style, and system of wearable trackers, and Samsung’s fitness trackers can certainly hold their own against the competition. Of course, Samsung has quite a few options for you to choose from and we’re here to help you pick the best fit for your fitness needs. We suggest the undeniable front-runner, the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active, which offers superior fitness tracking in a stylish smartwatch package.
Best Overall: Samsung Galaxy Watch Active
When looking at Samsung’s range of wearables, for many people, the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active is easily the best choice. For starters, it’s much more fitness-friendly than the original Galaxy Watch. The lightweight, comfortable design won’t weigh you down when you’re exercising. Half the battle in finding the right fitness tracker is finding one with a user-friendly design that’ll function when and where you need it to. You’ll only get around 45 hours of battery life depending on usage, so be prepared to charge it every other day or so.
As the name indicates, the purpose of the watch is to encourage users to be active with various fitness tracking abilities. It keeps track of your all-day activity, such as steps, floors climbed, calories burned, and distance. You’ll also have access to a sleep tracking feature that analyzes your sleep stages. Need reminders to move and meditate throughout your day? You got it! Other key features we love include the heart-rate monitor, IP68 waterproofing, and built-in GPS so you can map your runs without having to carry your phone with you.
Who should buy this tracker?
This option caters to those who are craving the best of both worlds. The Samsung Galaxy Watch Active checks off that box and many more. It was designed to be a fitness-focused device that can also function like a smartwatch whenever you need it to. Track your heart rate, exercise, sleep, and stress while also enjoying the convenience of app support, smartphone notifications, and more.
What this option has going for it is the top-notch design that’s lightweight and comfy on the wrist. If you’re a fitness fiend, it’s hard to compare this watch to its heavier predecessor. You simply can’t go wrong with the Galaxy Watch Active.
Pros:
- Brilliant AMOLED display
- Wireless Qi charging
- Intuitive notification management
- Samsung Pay
- Comfortable and lightweight
Cons:
- Tizen OS not intuitive
- Mediocre battery life
Best Overall
Samsung Galaxy Watch Active
- $179 at Amazon
Undeniable front-runner
The Galaxy Watch Active takes home the gold. It offers tracking, style, and functionality with excellent smartwatch features.
Best Runner-Up: Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro
For many people, the Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro is still one of the best choices on the market. This slim-screened companion checks all of the boxes for fitness tracking, with the sensors and software capable of following everything from your everyday movements to running, gym workouts, and swimming.
With water resistance up to 50 meters, more secure straps than the original Gear Fit2, and support for offline music from providers like Spotify, the Gear Fit2 Pro offers just enough smartwatch functionality to make you forget that it’s a fitness tracker (although there’s nothing wrong with that). The long, narrow, curved screen of the Gear Fit2 Pro makes it ideal for looking over your notifications, and the 4GB of internal storage allows you to store your workout playlist from Spotify if you prefer to leave your phone behind on your morning run.
Who should buy this tracker?
The Gear Fit2 Pro is great for many reasons, like its size and weight. It’ll never get in the way when you’re exercising. At the same time, they don’t look especially nice if you’re trying to wear it with fancier attire. However, if you’re solely investing in a tracker for fitness tracking, this is an ideal choice.
On that note, the Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro is a perfect companion for runners, joggers, and Galaxy users who are looking for a wearable that will give them the workout tools and the information they need to achieve their fitness goals. The Gear Fit2 Pro’s screen is longer, brighter, and better than almost any other fitness tracking band out there today. Considering this tracker was released well over a year ago, that feat is quite impressive.
Pros:
- Gorgeous, slim OLED display
- Comfortable for daily wear and sleep tracking
- Very affordable for all that it offers
- 3 to 5 days of battery life
- Notifications from your phone
- Full fitness tracking
Cons:
- Slim screen means less info
- Proprietary connection complicates band replacement
- Few functions beyond fitness tracking
Best Runner-Up
Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro
- $136 at Amazon
Still one of the best fitness trackers around
The Gear Fit2 Pro has a curved OLED display with detailed workout data, fitness tracking, and music without breaking the bank.
Best Features: Samsung Galaxy Watch
There are some obvious reasons as to why many users prefer to go with the Samsung Galaxy Watch. First and foremost, it has a noticeably larger screen, a rotating bezel for easy navigation, and a bigger battery. If you often find yourself wishing you could take speakerphone calls or get notification sounds on your wrist, you’ll love the speaker that comes with the Galaxy Watch.
It can’t be argued that there’s a certain level of convenience offered by this Samsung device, which is why it will be an appealing choice for smartwatch enthusiasts. In that case, the fitness tracking features are a bonus. The endless supply of apps is quite intriguing as well.
Who should buy this tracker?
For traditional everyday use, the Galaxy Watch is a viable option. The classy design makes it a nice pick for someone who wants to wear it all the time. Although, if you’re searching for a dedicated fitness tracker that can go the distance, this probably isn’t it. It does just fine with the basics, but there are better options when you’re a passionate athlete who wants all the details and accuracy.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch can do a whole lot more than the aforementioned Gear Fit2 Pro, but it comes with a big price jump. It’s also larger and heavier than a fitness band, so we strongly recommend the 42mm variant of the Galaxy Watch so there’s less chance of catching the watch on the edge of any equipment (unless you have big wrists and need to size up).
Pros:
- More traditional smartwatch look
- Larger 46 mm model available
- Up to 7 days of battery life
- Tons of smartwatch features
- Rotating bezel
Cons:
- Much heavier on the wrist
- Too bulky for some activities
- Slow to charge
Best Features
Samsung Galaxy Watch
- $269 at Amazon
One of Samsung’s best smartwatches to date
This is a great all-around smartwatch that offers loads of data and helpful features while also doubling as a fitness tracker.
Best Value: Samsung Galaxy Fit
The Samsung Galaxy Fit is not only affordable but it also brings a lot to the table when it comes to tracking and other features. It’s not a smartwatch, but it’s smart alright. The Galaxy Fit is meant to seamlessly integrate into your daily life. Once it’s set up, you can get going and forget about it. Sync it with your smartphone for access to apps, like alarm, calendar, and weather. You’ll only have to charge this fitness tracker once a week.
Speaking of apps, the Samsung Health app comes pre-programmed into the Galaxy Fit. This allows you to set new goals for your mile time. You can also closely monitor your progress in real-time. Manage your personal health and stay motivated to get healthier from the convenience of your wrist.
Who should buy this tracker?
This tracker is a phenomenal option for someone who’s always on the go. This device was designed to get to know you and your habits. There are up to 90 activities you can select manually, six of which are automatically detected when you start the exercise: walking, running, cycling, elliptical, rowing, and dynamic workouts. This is a blessing for someone who is focused on their workout and doesn’t want to manually select it each time.
When you’re serious about your fitness goals, the Galaxy Fit is, too. It’s capable of tracking your water and caffeine intake, daily steps, calories burned, and so much more. It also monitors your sleep and heart rate. Really, what more could you ask for? Fitness fanatics who don’t feel the need to go all out with their fitness tracker while still getting the essentials will love this one.
Pros:
- Slim but durable design
- 7 days of battery life
- Sleep/stress monitoring
- Automatic activity tracking
- Heart-rate monitoring
Cons:
- No GPS
- No altimeter
Best Value
Samsung Galaxy Fit
- $79 at Amazon
Affordable, lightweight, and full of tracking abilities
Do it all without spending it all. The Galaxy Fit is waterproof and gives you wireless charging with many tracking features.
Best For Style: Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2
The original Galaxy Watch Active might be the undeniable front-runner, but its successor isn’t trailing far behind. This new edition introduced a capacitive bezel without the bulky hardware for easy navigation. This was easily one of the best features of this watch when it was released, but Samsung eventually rolled out an update that enabled the digital bezel feature on the original Galaxy watch Active as well. Depending on the size of your watch and your usage, you can expect between 2-3 days of battery life. That’s not a bad deal considering some smartwatches on the market hardly last 24 hours. It’s an improvement over the original Galaxy Watch Active.
You’ll have no problem staying active with this watch. In addition to tracking over 39 workouts, it also monitors your sleep stages, stress levels, and heart rate. The Running Coach feature will also come in handy. It provides you with real-time pace metrics and a breakdown of what to expect from your workout before you begin. You can listen to the accompanying audio cues through the watch speaker or Bluetooth headphones.
Who should buy this tracker?
The Galaxy Watch Active 2 comes with some subtle but helpful improvements. If you liked the original version but you’ve been longing for a smartwatch with LTE connectivity, this is the one for you. It will cost more than the standard model but it’ll be worth it if you want the full experience. You’ll also appreciate that the Galaxy Watch Active 2 offers two size options, so you can decide whether you want a 44mm or a 40mm watch.
It sure is stylish, but it also doubles a reliable fitness tracker. You’ll have built-in GPS, automatic activity tracking for common workouts such as running and cycling, heart-rate monitoring, sleep tracking, and much more. If you want a watch that has plenty of smart features as well as a robust fitness tracking suite, you can’t go wrong with the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2.
Pros:
- Stylish smartwatch with two size options
- Up to three days of battery life
- Optional LTE
- Activity/sleep tracking
- Samsung Pay
Cons:
- Tizen OS takes some learning
- Pretty pricey
Best For Style
Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2
- $249 at Amazon
Fashionable timepiece
If you want a stylish watch and tracker, you’ll love the Galaxy Watch Active 2. It offers optional LTE, GPS, and Samsung Pay.
Bottom line
It’s rare that the best option is not only fairly priced but also full to the brim with useful features. The Samsung Galaxy Watch Active managed to break the mold. While your final decision will come down to personal preference and what your needs are, it’s hard to pass up a watch that does it all. It doesn’t hurt that it looks good and feels good, too.
When you’re not particularly concerned with the full-fledged smartwatch experience but still want to enjoy some of the key features, the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active is the solution. You won’t even have to spend top-dollar for it, either. It’s safe to say that Samsung offers many wonderful options when it comes to fitness tracking, but the Galaxy Watch Active outshines them all with its incredible tracking abilities, smartwatch features, and reasonable price tag.
Credits — The team that worked on this guide
Andrew Martonik is the Executive Editor, U.S. at Android Central. He has been a mobile enthusiast since the Windows Mobile days and covering all things Android-related with a unique perspective at AC since 2012. For suggestions and updates, you can reach him at [email protected] or on Twitter at @andrewmartonik.
Courtney Lynch is a freelance writer at Android Central. She’s obsessed with all things health, fitness, and music. At any given time she can be found checking out the latest and greatest gadgets while simultaneously petting her dog and sipping iced coffee.
