GIVEAWAY: Best Fitness Trackers of 2016
Continuing in our newest new holiday tradition — Phandroid’s 2016 Holiday Gift Guide — today we’re taking a look at the best fitness trackers. Although they were off to a slow start, fitness trackers are now being widely used by just about everyone around the world, from the casual soccer mom, to the die-hard fitness enthusiast. With so many fitness trackers now on the market, deciding which fitness tracker is the best for you is easily the hardest part. That’s why we’ve gone ahead and compiled a list of the best ones out there.
Don’t forget: We’re giving away one of the featured items from this list! Full details can be found at the bottom of this post.
Best by Category
| Most Stylish | Best Budget Tracker | Best Overall Tracker | Best Battery Life |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
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| Misfit Ray Price: $99.99 Buy it |
Xiaomi Mi Band Price: $19.99 Buy It |
Garmin Vivosmart HR+ Price: $149.99 Buy it |
Misfit Shine 2 Price: $99.99 Buy it |
Most Stylish
Misfit Ray ($99.99)
The Misfit Ray should be your go-to fitness tracker if you’re looking for something stylish and minimal. It has a small form factor and offers simple tracking like the amount of steps taken, calories burned, and even your sleep quality. Set up is a breeze and the replaceable battery is supposed to last a full 6 months. The mobile application is simple and has a clean user interface, making your daily stats easy to read. A vibration motor alerts you of incoming calls, and/or text messages.
Key Features:
- Sleek Design
- 6 Month Battery
- Waterproof
- Customizable Bands
Fitbit Alta ($128.99)
There is a reason the Fitbit Alta is a bestseller on Amazon. It has just about everything you would need from a fitness tracker. The sleek design and bands are customizable to fit your preferred color scheme which definitely adds to the whole experience. In terms of tracking, it is easily one of the more accurate trackers on the market with, keeping tabs on your day to day activity like steps, distance, calories burned, and sleep. The OLED screen displays your call or text notifications, as well as info to help you stay on top of your daily goals.
Key Features:
- Water Resistant
- Syncs to iOS, Android and Windows devices
- Swappable Bands
- OLED Screen
- 5 Day Battery
- Customizable Bands
Jawbone UP3 ($53.75)
Jawbone has really been focusing on value with their latest UP3 release. It’s a fitness tracker which can track just as well as most others, however, the UP3 also brings heart rate monitoring which you can check throughout the day. It also has a handy Smart Coach to give you personalized information to help you make healthier choices and reach your goals.
All that being said, I, personally, found the UP3 getting uncomfortable after wearing it around for long periods of time, as well as it occasionally falling off — probably a design flaw overlooked by Jawbone. For light usage, it’s still a great tracker considering the price.
Key Features:
- Sleek Design
- Useful Smart Coach
- Great App User Interface
- 7 Day Battery
- Accurate Sleep/Step Tracking
- Customizable Bands
Best Battery Life
Misfit Shine 2 ($99.99)
I’ve, personally, been using Misfit products for a long time and they never fail to impress. The Shine 2 allows for a seamless fitness tracking experience. It’s easy to get it up and running and like most Misfit products, the battery only needs to be changed every few months.
Tracking is extremely accurate and you can view all your data from the app which shows the amount of steps taken, calories burned, and like most others — your sleep patterns. The LED’s on the device are a nice minimal feature that allows you to see how far off you are from your daily goal by simply tapping on the Shine. It’s an overall great fitness tracker and it ticks most of the boxes, so it comes highly recommended.
Key Features:
- Sleek Design
- Vibration Alerts
- Swimproof
- Accurate Tracking
- Customizable Bands
Fitbit Charge 2 ($149.99)
If you want to go all out on a fitness tracker then the Fitbit Charge 2 is for you. The main difference is its sizeable display which shows the time and fitness data, and it is on the large side however what I was most impressed by was the fact that it is bright enough to be viewed outside. The Charge 2 has everything you would need and its tracking capability is phenomenal and using the Fitbit app just makes it that much better. It has interchangeable bands to fit your liking and I found it to be very comfortable to wear. In addition you can get it to track your sleep and also wake you up with a silent alarm feature built in. Overall if you do need a fitness tracker that is extremely accurate and you do not care too much about GPS and water resistance then this is the best tracker you can buy!
Key Features:
- Large OLED Display
- Interchangeable Bands
- Comfortable to wear
- Accurate Tracking
- 5 Day Battery Life
Best Budget Tracker
Xiaomi Mi Band ($19.99)
For those on a tight budget, this could be the fitness tracker for you. The Xiaomi Mi Band offers many of the same features as other fitness trackers, only at a fraction of the price. While it may not be as accurate or reliable as others, it still gets the job done and $20 is an amazing price.
The Mi Band can track your sleep with a built in vibration and has a unique alarm function that can gradually wake you up over a 30 minute time span. Of course, it also tracks steps taken, calories burn, and syncs all that data to your smartphone. In terms of the app, pairing with your Xiaomi Mi Band can be a hassle, but considering the price point of this it’s a steal.
- Key Features:
- Sleep Monitoring
- 30 Day Battery
- Accurate Tracking
- Budget Friendly Price
Best Overall
Garmin Vívosmart HR+ ($149.99)
Garmin is well-known for producing some of the best fitness trackers out there, and their Garmin Vívosmart is no exception. It has everything you would need in a fitness tracker and a great all ’rounder. It tracks your steps taken, heart rate, and even has GPS tracking. The week long battery life is also an extremely nice — and convenient — feature.
Although the design may not be for everyone, the Vívosmart makes up for it with a myriad of features. This is a great fitness tracker overall and is definitely a great pick if you’re looking for the best all around fitness tracker.
Key Features:
- Heart Rate/GPS Tracker
- Comfortable
- One Week Battery Life
- Water Resistant (50 Meters)
- Accurate Sleep Tracking
Giveaway: Misfit Ray
The giveaway will run for a full 7 days. After that, 1 winner will be selected and notified by Amazon. You can also follow us at the usual social media pages to get notified when new giveaways go live. Good luck!