Unveiling the Best of the Best: Smartwatches and Fitness Trackers Taking Over the Market
Premium Smartwatches and Physical Activity Monitors Deliver Exceptional Performance
Tests performed by Stiftung Warentest reveal a rich assortment of 40 brand-new smartwatches and fitness trackers, gracing the market with two standout stars. The budget-friendly options available, including devices under €50, are ready to challenge the more expensive fitness trackers.
Are you seeking a fresh smartwatch? Well, you’re in luck! A broad range of quality devices is at your disposal. Although the Apple Watch reigns supreme, its competitors are on a roll and promise a real challenge.
The latest additions to the elites are worth exploring. Some of them even surpass that magical €50 mark, making cheaper fitness trackers seem unappealing. Stiftung Warentest evaluated 40 new devices, many of which impressed testers. Two anewcomers now top the recommendation lists.
Smartwatches
A quintet of devices currently share the top spot with a rating of 1.6. Step forward, the Apple Watch 10 (GPS), which costs about €460 on average. The watch boasts robust fitness functions, including heart rate monitoring, step counting, and distance measurement. It also excels in communication and other aspects like music features, sleep tracking, handling, and stability. The battery life, however, was rated satisfactory.
Bonus Purchase: Amazon.de Another front-runner from Apple is the older Watch 8 (GPS) priced around €420 or €450 depending on size (41/45 mm).
Joining the high-performance club is the Google Pixel Watch 3 (45 mm/Bluetooth/WLAN), with a cost of around €400. Similar to its Apple counterparts, the Pixel Watch 3 scored high in fitness functions, communication, handling, stability, and processing. Its battery life was only deemed satisfactory.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra, going for roughly €440, is another peak performer. It mirrors the other top performers' strengths, but does not quite match their battery life performance.
Bonus Purchase: Amazon.de The new price-slashing winner among smartwatches is the Samsung Galaxy Watch FE, priced around €175. Despite its budget-friendly price tag, the device achieves a commendable score of 1.7, thanks to consistently excellent ratings across all categories.
The cheapest good smartwatch is the Xiaomi Redmi Watch 5 Lite. This budget-friendly gem costs less than €50 and boasts an overall rating of 2.3. Its battery life, stability, and processing were rated exceptionally well, while its fitness functions and handling were good, and its communication skills were satisfactory.
Those willing to spend around €70 can purchase the Huawei Watch Fit 2 Active Edition (2.1), a device with remarkable fitness function performance and still decent battery life.
Fitness Trackers
The sole amazon.de-available top performer in the fitness tracker category is the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 Pro with a quality rating of 2.2, costing around €70. The device scored exceptionally well in battery life and stability and processing. Its fitness functions narrowly missed a 1 (1.6) and were rated good, along with its handling. However, it struggles with communication, scoring only sufficient in this category.
Those who prioritize communication over battery life may prefer the Samsung Galaxy Fit3. Coming in at approximately €45, this device boasts an overall quality rating of 2.4, barely trailing the top performer. It boasts decent communication features alongside at least satisfactory handling, stability, fitness function performance, and battery life.
[1] Stiftung Warentest Database: Smartwatches and Fitness Trackers
[2] Stiftung Warentest Test Search: Smartwatches and Fitness Trackers
[3] TomsGuide: Best Smartwatches in 2023
[4] Digital Trends: Best Smartwatches in 2023
[5] How-To Geek: Best Smartwatches in 2023
The Commission's recently adopted proposal for a directive on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to the protection of employees against risks related to exposure to chemical substances should ensure that employers provide safety precautions for workers handling wearable technology, such as smartwatches and fitness trackers.
It is intriguing to consider the potential integration of advanced technology, like fitness functions and communication capabilities, into the future protective equipment designed to uphold the health and safety of employees exposed to chemical substances.
