Best Smart Watches / Fitness Trackers

Sturdy watch, good fit on my small wrist – I originally got the Garmin Fenix Rose Gold and got a lot of comments on how nice it looked, however it felt a bit bulky (heavy) to wear for everyday… Read more

use, so I swapped to the Forerunner. I have it in white and like how it looks when I’m wearing activewear. Pros are a longer battery life, I can leave it uncharged for a few days in a row with no issues. It also feels sturdy, is easy to use and switch up face designs. It also connects to gps relatively quickly compared to other Garmin models I’ve had.

Cons were the initial price I paid (over $500) felt expensive as the watch didn’t really offer many improved features than my previous Garmin, except being a sleeker design.

Wonderful as a watch and calendar, as well as tracker for steps, heart rate & calories burned – My Garmin goes with me everywhere. I download the information each evening via WiFi onto my Tablet App. My health has improved and my weight has dropped considerably. Very happy. Show details

Just Rubbish – For the amount of money you pay for these toys, they don't last anywhere near long enough. The band kept breaking. Garmin send you replacement bands… Read more

(their Customer Service Dept in Oz is actually excellent) but, after 3 bands, they felt that they'd fulfilled their obligation, more or less. Trouble connecting Bluetooth. Now, to connect the watch to your phone you have to have the Garmin Connect app. The battery suddenly only started lasting about 4 hrs, suspiciously, after an update. The time is always wrong. If you try to change the time manually it is never accurate. The automatic time is wrong. After an hour trying to set the time accurately to the 1194 clock, I peaked and threw it into the bin, along with my original with the broken band. That's about $400 in the bin. I pulled my trusty old $49 Casio out of the draw, waiting patiently there for me! Still ticking after all these years.... It's a pity, I was addicted to the step counter, the weight and the sleep part of it and I'll miss that. But, I'm tired of being conned into modern devices that do not last. These criticisms are probably applicable to all smart type watches.Update: I've since bought a Garmin Instinct and I'd give that 5 stars! Yes, addicted to the health monitoring!

Garmin all the way for me! – Have always had Garmin watches and never had problems. Was deciding between this one (Forerunner 735XT or the… Read more

VivoActive) and decided to get this one due to the features it offered. Pros: Very easy to operate good size (not too bulky) long life battery easy to charge great tracking swimming & cycling Cons: no REM Sleep tracking tells me to "get moving" about 1hr after a 30km bike ride - seriously man - EASE UP!

Cannot synchronize my i Phone to my watch. s – The old Da fit App is no longer available, and there is a new one Glory fit App, which I have downloaded, but I tried everything in the book, but cannot synchronize my phone to the watch. will be grateful for some advice on how to do it. thanks Show details

Replacement Strap! – I like the watch but I am very disappointed that the strap broke and I couldn’t replace the strap- fortunately, my brother is a dab hand with sue… Read more

glue and was able to cobble it together. How ridiculous- that a perfectly functioning watch becomes unusable because the strap is moulded on. In this age of eco-awareness why create this type of watch!

NOT SUITABLE FOR REGULAR SWIMMING. The seals degrade over time and water gets into it! Why do they advertise it for swimming? I swim 2kms for times a… Read more

week in salt water and chlorinated water and twice my apple watches died after about two years of use. Both times it happened while swimming. After a few days the watch started working again, so clearly water is getting into it. I have not used it in the water since and it works! Watch was inspected by Apple at Broadway and confirmed that no damage done to the watch by usage but rather they told me the seals wear out and water gets into it!

Band broke - owned <3 weeks – Really disappointed. We have owned this for < 3 weeks and the strap is already broken, right where the buckle joins the strap. The other thing we've… Read more

noticed is how difficult the display is to read. Anyway, the response from Garmin is that they'll replace the whole device ... for $114. This has made me realise that my own Garmin Vivosport is also in the same situation - when the band breaks, I may not be able to replace.

I have Series 9 (Cellular) it is Brilliant, so versatile & easy to use, over the Moon, with my Purchase. I read many people complaining, probably… Read more

haven’t taken the time to Set Up Correctly. Cellular works with Mobile Towers. The further away from Mobile Towers & in the Country areas or out of big cities, means less Reception for Smartphones, Watches etc my Provider is OPTUS My Son has iWatch 10 Ultra, he previously had the 8 Series - he is more than impressed with the 10. The Watches are a brilliant piece of Technology, providing it has been Set Up correctly & people understand how it works.!!

Watch arrived flawless, really surprised at how good quality it is. Came in box with charger and watch band. Show details

I really liked the watch, but a little over a year old with fairly conservative use (running and hiking 5 hours/week) the charging port in the back… Read more

of the watch became loose and I could no longer charge the watch. Unfortunately Garmin product support are extremely slow to respond and make you jump through many hoops. Unlikely to be worth the time and trouble to try and get it fixed and will probably end up replacing the watch. I thought the reason for registering your details when you buy the watch was to get ongoing support for the product, but seems like it might just be a data harvesting exercise.

The Garmin Instinct range is by far the best of all the watches. I've owned alot of other Garmin models and find they just don't last (I use them for… Read more

triathlons). The Instinct range is very hard wearing. Don't pay extra for Solar though, that's a waste. It doesn't work particularly well, and after the last Instinct 2 update mine no longer works at all.

I wish there was less than one star for this product. BUYER BEWARE. My O/T showed me the website and it looked like a good deal. However the watch… Read more

did not work right from the start. To return it and get a refund was like hitting a brick wall with bare knuckles. Communication was almost none existent. I feel sorry for Aussies getting sucked in to this companies poor service. It’s deplorable that the people who need this product are the vulnerable elderly in our society. It also encourages to get an app run by Chinese company - just to be safe AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE.

Garmin and other brands should always provide a basic tracker with watch battery that lasts 6 months to 1 year. I for one don't want to take off and… Read more

recharge a wearable every week to 2 weeks. What's the point of that when you're supposed to wear the thing to track things. I've had several of these over the years and they work great for me. The only issue is actually replacing the battery when required. It can be difficult to reseal the device properly and then water get's in and ya stuffed. But I don't want a rechargeable fancy nonsense smart watch. I just want a basic fitness tracker to provide basic info to assist with my activities and overall fitness. I already have an analogue solar/light watch for the past 10 years that never needs a battery and it automatically changes to the time zone I'm in plus is 100m water proof. The only thing Garmin should do is release Vivofit 5 with a solar battery and/or better battery replacement functionality IE better water proofing.

After help from Amazon was finally able to return watch and obtain refund. Show details

This is just what I need – The product sent is ideal for me and am very happy with it. I have been using it now for over 2 weeks and find it useful especially when I don't need to carry my mobile around

Defective Garmin 245 Music – Loved this watch and used it for all running, walking and fitness training in general (daily). Watch was only two years old when it fell off my wrist… Read more

due to the watchstrap attachment point failing. It has snapped for no apparent reason, which is clearly a product defect.

I love my smart watch, but there are 2 issues that I think could improve it. When I set an alarm, there are not enough subjects to cover what my… Read more

alarms are for. If they added the subject ‘Meds’, it would help greatly. Also, today I customised my step stride because I do 10,000 steps a day, which takes an hour and a half, and covers 6kms, and my daily calorie burn for this task is only 120 cals, and that does not seem right. I used to own a $25 cheapie smart watch which used to cover my same steps and distance, and it used to tell me that I was burning 359 cals which sounded more realistic, so let’s hope that tomorrow with my customised step stride, the calorie burn will be more accurate. Other than these two things, I absolutely love this smart watch.

Can't begin to tell you how much I dislike Garmin. One of the worse purchases I've ever made. I thought spending a lot of money on a watch would mean… Read more

having less problems and better service but how wrong I was. Do yourself a favor and just buy a cheap smartwatch instead of wasting your money.

watch won't recharge after battery ran flat while away from home without charging cable. Tried seeking assistance through Garmin apps and web site.… Read more

Both useless. Apps could locate watch (because it had a flat battery) and Garmin website wanted the watch serial number etc. before offering any assistance. Suggest looking at less troublesome brands

Garmin Epix Gen 2 (Sapphire Glass, Titanium Body) Disclaimer: There will be no proof of purchase as I am kind of too lazy to find it. I guess a… Read more

photo of watch is enough. The content was rewritten by AI for better stylistic, formatting and grammar.

*** Pros ***

Watch Faces & Interface: The watch has a bunch of different faces, and you can put all sorts of data and sensor info right on them. Plus, you can download even more (free and paid ones) from Garmin's store. There are tons of ways to customize what’s on the watch face – colors, where stuff goes, the format, you name it. The interface is pretty simple. Because it has 5 buttons, using the watch feels a bit like navigating a computer, with functions organized in easy-to-follow cascading menus.

Screen: It also has a touch screen that works well. The brightness can be adjusted, but generally it is okay under the sun even on low.

Functions: It has a ton of functions. Besides the normal time and calendar, it has a flashlight, pulse monitor, step counter, respiration rate, HRV (Heart Rate Variability) measurement, blood oxygen saturation, barometer, GPS, sleep monitoring, and stress/body battery tracking. There are also heaps of fitness apps for walking, running, cycling, strength training, snorkeling, swimming, cardio, and more. When it comes to fitness, this watch offers way more than I could ever imagine or actually need.

Sleep Monitoring: Even if you're not a fitness fanatic and just use it as a regular watch, the sleep monitoring is really useful. It shows your sleep stages (deep, light, REM, awake) and your heart rate variability (HRV), which basically gives you an idea of your stress and recovery. It's helped me build better sleep habits. For example, I've seen how drinking alcohol cuts down my deep sleep and how much less recovered I feel. Physical activity, especially something light before bed, seems to promote good sleep for me. It's interesting to see how trying to manage stress can make my HRV look healthier, and honestly, it just makes me feel better.

Sleep Tracking Quirks: Of course, the sleep tracking isn't perfect. It can make mistakes, like not automatically recognizing a nap if it's outside my usual sleep hours and I don't tell the watch I'm napping. Sometimes it won't record a nap if I don't set the nap timer. Or, if I wake up in the night and lie still, it might not always realize I'm awake. But, it will definitely pick up on a restless night because my pulse and HRV won't look like I'm getting good sleep.

Timers: Another feature I use a lot is the timer. You can set up multiple timers and start them whenever you need to. This is super handy when I'm cooking.

Connectivity: The watch connects to my Wi-Fi and my phone using Bluetooth. It vibrates for calls and messages and shows me what they say.

Battery Life (General Use): The battery life is decent. If I'm just using it as a regular watch with the screen set to only turn on when I look at it, the battery lasts about 15-16 days. This means the screen is off most of the time, but it tracks my movement and turns on the moment I move my hand to look at the watch. It rarely gets this wrong or turns on when I don't want it to. There's also an option to have the screen always on but dimmed, which, of course, will use more battery.

Battery Life (Active Use): However, using a lot of the active features can really drain the battery. An hour-long training session without GPS will knock a day or two off the total battery life. Anything using GPS burns the battery even faster. So if you're an active person, you might need to charge your watch every 4-5 days. If you're not doing much sport, maybe once every two weeks. Luckily, the watch charges pretty quickly. I find the best time to charge it is when I'm in the shower – I don’t need it then, and it's usually fully or almost fully charged by the time I get out.

Durability (Water & Heat): The experience shows that the watch is suitable for surface swimming only. If you dive with it or snorkel, which involves occasional dives to the depths greater than a couple of meters, then the survival of the watches is a matter of luck. I had a few dives 5 - 10 metres with it and ended up with watches becoming unusable due to the water damage. Fortunately, I got away with a button replacement, but judging by the internal watch layout that fact that it was only the button I was lucky. For diving, you’d probably want something like a Garmin Descent, which is built for divers and is very cool but also very expensive.

I'd avoid wearing it in a sauna or banya. It can survive it – it won't die immediately (I've tested it). However, temperatures around 100C aren't great for the battery in the long run, sealed or not. The official temperature range is from -20 to +60, which means you can take the watch into hamam or the "relaxed" banya for kids without doubt. You know the drill, first adults having fun, then the fire is down, the temperature goes down and kids wearing Garmin Epix may enter. :)

Sapphire Glass & Titanium Body: The sapphire glass is a must-have for me. I wouldn't even consider buying such an expensive watch without it. I've been wearing this watch for over a year, and it's hit many hard objects and often rubs against walls. I even hit it with a knife point once. Not a single scratch on the glass. My previous Seiko Solar with its Hardlex glass got so scratched in two years that I sometimes had trouble reading the time. The watch design also helps protect the glass. Its bezel is raised just a tiny bit above the glass – maybe a quarter of a millimeter – but it protects the glass from most knocks. Impacts usually land on the bezel and don't reach the glass. The titanium body is a bit lighter than steel. Both get scratched.

Comfortable Wristband: The rubber wristband is pretty comfortable and very soft. It mostly doesn't cause any issues, unless I wear the watch snugly and sweat a lot in hot weather. In that case, I might get a bit of skin abrasion or irritation. The best way I've found to handle this is to either switch it to my other wrist or just take it off for a day if I see any signs of skin irritation.

*** Cons ***

The Price: This watch is pretty expensive.

Workout Planning Issues: The workout planning is mostly useless for me. It uses such cryptic or over-complicated names for exercises, and there are no pictures or videos. So, it's hard to plan anything because I can't easily figure out which exercise from its long list matches what I'm actually doing in the gym.

*** Conclusion ***

Overall, if you have the money or find a good deal (I got about 50% discount):

If you like lots of customization options and many functions, this watch is for you.

If you're into fitness or a healthy lifestyle, it's a watch for you.

If you are a diver, this isn't the watch for you. Check out the Garmin Descent instead, or maybe Apple Watch Ultra 2/3.

The Withings Steel HR cannot be fixed in Australia . It’s not supported at all. I just need the glass replaced ( seemingly a common problem from… Read more

multiple reviews) but no watch repairer will touch it. I had multiple emails with the company and was told they could not help. I could not send it to them for repair despite there actually being a service exactly for this. It is pointless buying a product that has no support in this country - none at all. There is obviously a problem with the glass given the service exists. I won’t buy again

I originally purchased this watch as it can detect the irregular heart rhythm, Atrial Fibrillation (AF) and it also monitors Blood Pressure. I didn't… Read more

realise how useful this item would be for my health at this age, being in my 60's, keeping track of how much water i drink and keeping an eye on my food intake was all new to me really. There are many more fearures to this watch. Highly recommend this product. What a fantastic easy way to get back into some great routines while keeping track of my existing condition.

Good watch for linking to phone but expect short lifespan. The watch is a great addition to a phone with decent sports and health features. … Read more

Features are good for the price. What is unacceptable is the lifespan of the product and the after sales service which didn't last the warranty period. Samsung acknowledged it was a faulty watch but refused to replace the product because there was no official replacement stock - even though there were watches available in the actual store. They then used pressuring language for me to take a refund quickly or they would not honour the warranty at all (it was really quite rude). I took the refund and bought a Garmin - they last forever and are much better sport watches.

I’m extremely disappointed with my recent experience following the purchase of the latest iPhone and Apple Watch Series 10 around two months ago from… Read more

JB Hi-Fi.

At the time of purchase, I followed the staff’s recommendation and also bought a cover for the Apple Watch. I take great care of my devices, and the watch has been well protected throughout. Recently, when I removed the cover to change the watch band, I noticed that the watch skin had peeled off. There was no dust, sand, or external factors behind the cover that could have caused this issue.

I visited both JB Hi-Fi and the Apple Store (Penrith branch) to report the issue, accompanied by [Name Removed]. Unfortunately, both stores told me that since the damage is considered "cosmetic" it’s not covered under warranty, and I would need to pay for the repair or replacement myself. This was frustrating and disappointing, especially considering the short time I’ve had the watch.

I previously used Android and Samsung devices and made the switch to Apple based on the reputation for excellent customer service. Unfortunately, this experience has not lived up to those expectations.

Now I’m left with a brand-new Apple Watch, just two months old, showing damage that I did not cause and that neither Apple nor JB Hi-Fi is willing to take responsibility for. This is not the level of quality or service I expected from Apple or its retail partners.

Enough for my needs – I got the Vivosmart 4 as a present a couple of years ago and it has turned out to be a great tool for me to track my sleep and other health data… Read more

points. I like that it's simple but complete. Mine had an issue with the band which got like a bubble. However, I contacted Garmin and I got an exchange even though my watch's guarantee had expired. Great customer service and good product.

Have had Venu 3 for around 5 months. When I first received the watch and after going through the startup sequence, I was quite impressed and that was… Read more

after moving across from Samsung Galaxy watches. Unfortunately, the Google Assistant feature on the watch no longer functions and I have attempted everything to try and recover the Assistant feature but have not been successful. It's very disappointing as this is an essential element of a smart watch and degrades the initial impression I had for the watch. I'm ever hopeful that the developers at Garmin can come up with a solution to this problem. Apart from that issue it's a very good watch but it's let down by this major flaw.

Having been in the Apple ecosystem for well over 15yrs I purchased my first wrist watch on my wife’s insistence. Although I’m gradually falling out… Read more

of love with Apple products as they seem to be losing the plot I stupidly purchased an Ultra 2. When I opened it at home I found the watch band was at last hole when on, so another trip to the Apple Store for a longer strap. As there weren’t any in stock the apple consultant ordered the only longer band available for delivery to my home. It arrived today and the only conclusion I can draw is that the Apple developers have no common sense. You go from a band that doesn’t fit people with larger wrists to one that could virtually fit around a calf muscle. I think I will be moving away from Apple products in the future.

Great customer service – I ordered the wrong band for my garmin. Emailed through and customer management helped me pick the right band and sent it to me. Show details

Fitbit Versa 4 is a piece of junk. Bought a versa 4 online from Myer and arrived today and to my dismay it doesn't work.After I charged it. It… Read more

wouldn't turn on and when it does it shuts off and unresponsive. I'll be going back to Myer tomorrow to get a full refund.