Brady specializes in gaming, entertainment and everyday gadgets, such as computers, tablets, gaming consoles, streaming, and hardware. He's been tackling those topics for MUO since 2021.
However, Brady's expertise on said topics stretches back to 2018, when he began offering tech advice and writing how-to guides at Techzillo.
At the same time, he'd start his journey as a gamer reviewer at Hardcore Droid, before expanding into game journalism at Twinfinite and Gamepur. Putting aside game journalism, he now focuses on writing human interest stories at The Nerd Stash.
When Brady isn't working, you'll find him writing fiction, having a blast with his kids, and playing Scrabble with his wife, Maggie.
Fitbit is a huge name in the wearable space. There are plenty of other companies that have raised the bar, though, and finding a Fitbit alternative has never been easier. Whether you want a complete smartwatch experience with all the bells and whistles, or an affordable fitness tracker that gets the basics right, there are plenty of options to choose from.
The Galaxy Watch 6 Classic is like an extension of a Samsung smartphone, being both a fitness tracker and a secondary communication device. Its 3-in-1 BioActive Sensor keeps track of your heart rate, signals, and bioelectrical impedance, in addition to tracking your sleep and giving you helpful feedback. The same goes for the slightly lesser, but still fantastic, Samsung Galaxy Watch 6.
When you’re ready to exercise, so is the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic. It's sensitive enough to know which exercise you’re engaging in (out of over 90), will start a timer, track your distance, and give you an accurate report on calories burned or miles you've traveled. And yes, you can take it swimming, too.
If you aren't using a Samsung device, a much more Android-friendly option is the Garmin Venu 3. It has a heavy bent towards fitness tracking, like its customizable Morning Report feature, which gives you a breakdown of the temperature, date, step goal, sleep score, and more.
With its tough, stainless steel casing, SMS, calling, and bevy of advanced fitness features, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic is hands down the ultimate watch if you're ingrained in Samsung's ecosystem. You can even take it swimming, thanks to its IP68 water and dust resistance rating.
Pros & Cons
3-in-1 BioActive Sensor
Withstands a depth of 50 meters
Improved battery life from last generation
Access to third-party apps via Play Store
Some features are only compatible with Samsung phones
Making calls, sending texts, and managing notifications is neat, but it comes at a hefty cost. If you want to lean heavily into tracking your fitness and health, the Amazfit Band 7 makes it as easy as picking an activity and choosing metrics you want to track, like calories burned or miles traveled.
When you aren’t working, the Amazfit Band 7 also tracks your sleep quality throughout the night, like REM cycles, and then applies a score. It’s a bit of info that’s actually quite handy for making adjustments to your sleep. This is in addition to sensors for heart rate, stress levels, and SpO2 levels. It's sleek, affordable, and covers the basics well.
The Amazfit Band 7 is surprisingly rich in features despite shedding popular smartwatch staples like calls and texting. Instead, it focuses entirely on tracking your health and fitness, like its 3-in-1 sensor and activity tracker.
Pros & Cons
Tracks 120 different activities, including swimming
Swimming is incredibly good for your body and some of the best exercise you can get, especially if you experience chronic pain. Naturally, there’s no better way to get a readout of your performance than with the Garmin Swim 2. It specializes in tracking your pace, distance, stroke count, and type and then applies a SWOLF score that tells you how well you did.
What’s especially impressive is that the Garmin Swim 2 can be taken just about anywhere. With its built-in GPS and swim modes, you can specify the body of water you’re swimming in, like rivers and oceans, and still accurately collect data on your performance. And since its water rating is 5 ATM, the watch easily handles depths as deep as 50 meters.
If swimming is your choice of exercise, the Garmin Swim 2 is going to be your new best friend. It's uniquely tuned for tracking swimming metrics in both pools and open water, including your heart rate above and below water.
Pros & Cons
Accurately tracks data in pools and open water
Withstands depths of 50 meters
Monitors heart rate above and underwater
Battery life lasts up to 7 days
While it can track cardio, its main focus is swimming
Exercising daily for extended periods of time is going to be a taxing experience for any fitness tracker you pick up. Well, for any fitness tracker that isn’t the Garmin Forerunner 265. With a whopping 13-day battery life, it quietly tracks your performance, plays music, monitors your HRV and SpO2, and GPS without breaking a sweat.
One aspect of the Garmin Forerunner 265 that goes underappreciated is the traditional button controls, in addition to the touchscreen. When your hands are sweaty or caked with chalk, dealing with a touchscreen is less than ideal. The buttons are fairly large and bulbous, too, making it very easy to navigate the menus.
The Garmin Forerunner 265 is perfectly suited for fitness enthusiasts at heart. Not only does it accurately collect health and fitness data, it uses it to create a unique profile. It'll let you know if you can give a little more or if you're pushing too hard.
Pros & Cons
13-day battery life
Creates a unique health profile based on performance
Has physical button control as well as a touchscreen
Compatible with Apple and Android
GPS mode is a drain on the battery if you use it 24/7
Despite being a smartwatch first and foremost, the Apple Watch Series 9 is surprisingly stacked with fitness features, from sensors to a dedicated app, which you can transfer Fitbit data to if you’re making a transition. All the while, it acts as a companion to your smartphone, accepting notifications as well as being able to take calls and reply to texts.
The Apple Watch Series 9 has the ability to keep tabs on your blood oxygen, run an ECG, track your sleep, and temperature, and even get notifications if the watch senses you having a high, low, or irregular heart rate. And, if you get into an accident, it has both crash and fall detection and will issue an emergency SOS. If you have an iPhone, the Apple Watch Series 9 lets you take your well-being to the next level.
The Apple Watch Series 9 continues to build on its predecessors, bringing smartwatch and fitness-tracking functionality into one stylish device. It's hard to argue against a watch that can run an ECG and notify you of irregular heart rhythms, as well as text and call.
As a brand, no. However, Fitbit is being discontinued in several countries in the EU and APAC, as well as Latin America and Mexico. It remains to be seen if this trend will affect the US as Google continues its integration of Fitbit with its own wearable lineup.
Q: How do I transfer my Fitbit data to another health app?
What it boils down to is downloading the Power Sync for Fitbit app, syncing your data with said app, and then transferring that data to a new health app, like Apple Health and Health Connect (on Android). It's relatively straightforward but tedious, so if you want some assistance, our guide on connecting Fitbit with Apple Health will get you started.
Q: What is the difference between a fitness tracker and a smartwatch?
While fitness trackers and smartwatches share many similarities, a smartwatch is essentially a secondary communication device. For example, some fitness trackers can notify you of texts and calls, but you can't actually respond; on the other hand, smartwatches can. If you aren't sure if it's the right fit for you, then our pros and cons on fitness trackers will give you some much-needed insight.
Q: Do doctors recommend using fitness trackers?
Yes! According to an article from Johns Hopkins Medicine, fitness trackers are a great tool for creating better health habits. With every fitness tracker keeping tabs on your performance, you have a tangible metric for setting goals.
Q: Why is my fitness tracker's battery dying so quickly?
Outside of the fact that every fitness tracker varies in battery life, one aspect they all share is that every feature drains the battery little by little. Keep in mind there are built-in sensors, background notifications, GPS, an always-on display, and even music playing continuously can slowly, but surely, sap the battery. Like with smartphones, stick to using features relative to your needs in the now, like disabling GPS if you aren't going off the beaten path.
