Most Popular Sports Watches & Activity Trackers in 2017

Most Popular Sports Watches & Activity Trackers in 2017

Henrik Johansson

Posted on 30/12/2017

Sports watches and activity keep gaining in popularity as more and more consumers discover the benefits of using a smart device on your wrist to manage and organise excersises and workouts. Let’s have a look at the three most popular sports watches and activity trackers in 2017 based on consumer referrals on PriceMe.

Garmin Fenix 5

Garmin has invested in developing premium sports watches that utilise the company’s expertise in the GPS space. The Garmin Fenix 5 series attracts buyers that are looking for premium features and don’t shun away from a large and rather bulky watch. It can record your training runs without using your phone, which is a feature that’s appealing to a lot of joggers out there. Furthermore, it sports the standard features that one expect from a modern smartwatch like mail notifications etc.

The Fenix 5 series consists of the smaller-sized Fenix 5s, the medium-sized Fenix 5 and the plus model Fenix 5X.

How does the 5-series compare to the predecessor Apple watches?

  • Improved and simplified UI.
  • Higher screen quality.
  • Support for a separate heart rate metre band.
  • Improved heart rate monitoring.

The accompanying app provides abundant of health and training stats. There’s also a Garmin app store for users interested in a particular sport like rowing or rock climbing. Third-party apps can be downloaded that complements Garmin’s own app.

The Garmin Fenix watches should be at the top of your list if you need a sports watch for your training and activities and plan to use it on a regular basis.

The prices range from $679 for the Fenix 5S and Fenix 5 models. The flagship 5X model costs $898.

Fitbit Alta HR

Do you find specialised sports watches like Garmin Fenix above too large and expensive? Then an activity tracker might be a better choice than a smartwatch. Fitbit Alta HRleads the pack in this market segment. It’s a tiny device that features step counter and heart rate metre. The latter feature is found as the abbreviation ‘HR’ in the product name.

There are no buttons to press so one has to use the touchscreen for all interactions. For example, to wake up the tracker one either have to knock twice or hold it to your face. However, the lack of buttons yields a very sleek and stylish appearance.

Fitbit Alta HR is capable of measuring the quality of your sleep including the proportion of deep sleep and REM sleep using the device’s motion and heart rate sensors. The battery capacity of one full week is helpful as one doesn’t have to worry about recharging in the morning, unlike Apple Watch’s battery that only lasts one day.

There are different wristbands to choose from if you find the standard one a bit too plastic looking. Fitbit and other vendors sell bands in both metal and leather.

The current retail price on PriceMe is $177.

Apple Watch Series 3

The third generation Apple Watch contains an altitude metre and a faster processor compared to previous versions.

Apple Watch Series 3 is a smart watch that has slowly morphed into a sports watch over the years as Apple has prioritised the features that users care the most about. The focus is on daily exercise and ensuring that the average user moves enough throughout the day rather than hardcore training support and coaching. There are 3rd-party apps that can be installed from the App Store that add this functionality for users that need it.

Needless to say, Apple Watch like all things Apple looks and feels elegant. The accompanying wristbands are beautiful and it’s possible to customise the clock’s look-and-feel. The lowest price as of 29th of December 2017 is $499 including aluminum case and $349 for the standard version. These prices are attractive to many iPhone users that look for a smartwatch.

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