The smaller, cheaper and simplified fitness tracker presents excellent value for money, making it more appealing to people on a budget than a fully-fledged smartwatch (which can cost five times as much).
You can, for example, buy four Fitbit Inspire 3 trackers for the price of a single Apple Watch. Despite that, it still sports a number of the key features required to accurately track general health.
Traditionally, many fitness enthusiasts would turn their noses up at more affordable fitness trackers due to their limited feature set compared to pricier wearables, such as running or multi-sport watches.
However, modern variations offer a lot more than they used to, even more basic fitness bands sport what was once considered as advanced tech, such as optical heart-rate sensors, high-res displays and GPS.
Even then, a decent fitness tracker isn’t just designed to track activities and tell you how many calories you’ve burned. Consistent use will help you to forge a healthier lifestyle through the enforcing of good habits. They can therefore make a huge difference to your overall health and fitness.
To help us judge which tracker won each category, we took the health-tracking capabilities, design, lifestyle features, battery life and – of course – value for money. If you’re unsure of which fitness tracker to go for, the easiest place to start is the price.
It’s way simpler to whittle down your shortlist once you know the budget you will be working with. Here are the best trackers we could find at reasonable prices:
Galaxy Fit2
Serving up some basic, though effective health-tracking capabilities, all wrapped up in a compact and sleek design, the Galaxy Fit2 is a simple and easy-to-use tracker. Perfect for anyone looking to measure general fitness activities.
There might be a lack of onboard GPS, but it does still tout some decent features, such as a vibrant AMOLED display and water resistance up to 50 m. And all for just a grand. Bargain! Price: R1 000
Xiaomi Band 7
There are a thousand reasons why this is our favourite budget tracker. But chief among those is the price. It offers a beautiful 1.6-inch full-colour AMOLED screen, with well-sized, colourful icons, and a variety of advanced features including stress metrics and decent waterproofing – for less than R1 000.
The phone app has also significantly improved; finding your key data is easier than ever, placing it almost on par with the market leaders. Battery life is excellent and lasts for nearly two weeks. Unbeatable value for the health-tracking beginner. Price: R800
Huawei Watch Fit 2
There’s plenty to like about Huawei’s Watch Fit 2. The feature-rich tracker sports a smartwatch-like offering, large 1.74-inch AMOLED display, smartphone notifications and onboard GPS.
Packed into a super-slim silhouette, the device is programmed to six different workout types and can rack dozens more – from mountain hiking to martial arts and skateboarding. The running mode is particularly fully featured, with extra metrics and built-in coaching functions.
It runs for well over a week on a single charge and boasts functionality in line with more expensive watches despite its relatively low price. A big thumbs-up from us, and great value at the price. R3 300
Fitbit Inspire 2
If you’re new to the world of trackers and not a super-confident tech user, then Fitbit is the go-to brand. Its wearable devices and accompanying apps are accessible and easy to use.
The Inspire 2 tracker is a considerable mid-weight option for those looking to build healthier habits. Expect features such as goal-based exercise modes, advanced sleep tools, and menstrual health and food tracking right on your wrist. R2 000
Fitbit Inspire 3
Fitbit has given its entry-level health and fitness tracker a little TLC with a colour screen and extended battery life that lasts up to 10 days. It still does well, of course, and now combines stress-management features with mindfulness guidance and breathing exercises. R2 500
Fitbit Versa 4
Fitbit’s best tracker now has built-in GPS, doubles its exercise modes to 40 and is equipped with more than six days of battery life and fast charging. It also has many of the advanced sleep-tracking capabilities of the much more expensive Sense 2, and it’s properly waterproof to 50 metres.
Despite this, it’s a wonderfully thin and light design and looks stylish for all-day work wear. It has lost some of the smartwatch functionality found on the Versa 3, including music storage and playback controls, and also the ability to add extra apps, but for sophisticated activity tracking with plenty of metrics to pore over, it is one of the most advanced trackers on our list. R5 700
