Tech News: Updated: Best fitness trackers 2015: top activity bands to wear

Updated: Best fitness trackers 2015: top activity bands to wear Best fitness trackers you can get

Fitness trackers

A journey of 10,000 steps per day begins with just one step, a wise person once said. Buying a fitness tracker is that first step.

Right now, there are plenty of familiar brand names. From category specialists Jawbone, Fitbit and Withings to the likes of Samsung, Microsoft, Garmin and even Nike whose venerable Fuelband remains solid despite not being updated for years.

All of them count steps, then calculate calories burned with varying levels of success. An increasing number of fitness bands also keep an eye on your resting heart rate, pulse rate during exercise, and how long and well you sleep.

Some also have a stab at tracking runs, cycling or other more hectic workouts via GPS, or integrate with advanced smartphone apps such as Strava and Endomondo to do so. However, they are not to be confused with running watches such as the outstanding Garmin Forerunner 920XT or TomTom Runner Cardio.

They then relay the data collected to you via a mobile or desktop app, letting your track your progress from laziness to fitness. These are our ten favorites, starting with the very best.

YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADTadyRyhPg1. Fitbit Charge HR

Fitbit Charge HR

Some quirks but this is the Usain Bolt in this fitness tracking race

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Good step counting with heartrate monitoring. Excellent app Discreet and comfortable Weird cycle and run tracking Pulse monitoring not totally reliable

With a screen, an altimeter to tell you how many steps you've climbed, a pulse counter for more accurate calorie counting during exercise, plus Fitbit's excellent app and social ecosystem, this neatly straddles the space between Jawbone-like lifestyle tracker and Garmin-style workout watch. The proper watch-style strap means it stays on and is comfortable, while the design is deliberately neutral and discreet. Some of the stats it pulls out are a bit odd at time, with a definite whiff of inaccuracy about them. However, it is consistent in the ways it is inaccurate, so you can still clearly see if you're getting better or worse at hitting fitness goals. Overall, it's an excellent general motivational tool, well priced, and as good as fitness bands get.

Read the full review: Fitbit Charge HR

2. Jawbone UP3

Jawbone UP3

Jawbone UP 3

The ultimate "lifestyle" fitness tracker to date, though still not without flaws

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Excellent step and sleep tracker Comfortable, with long battery life Sensors push up price but add little Poor with running, cycling and workouts

With more sensors and a slimmer, lighter, more discreet build than the old UP24, this is among the best "lifestyle" trackers around. The step counting is very solid, with the ability to challenge friends to "duels". Sleep monitoring is also better than on most devices. The app also makes far more effort to actually make use of all this data than most rivals, giving you tips on everything from hydration, to when to go to bed, to the value of yoga and avocados in a healthy lifestyle. However, the UP3 is arguably less good value than Jawbone's older UP24 (which is shortly to be discontinued) and certainly less good value than the new UP2 (review incoming very shortly). The pulse, skin temperature and ambient temperature sensors push its price up, but their usefulness is questionable.

Read the full review: Jawbone UP3

3. Microsoft Band

Fitness Trackers, Wearables, Devices, Gadgets, 10 Best Fitness Trackers, Nike FuelBand SE, Jawbone Up24, Samsung Gear Fit, Basis Carbon Steel, Garmin, Vivofit, Misfit Flash, Microsoft Smart Band, Samsung Gear S, Fitbit Surge, Apple Watch

Microsoft Band

Sensor-packed fitness tracker has a superb spec and innovative features but is uncomfortable and ugly

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State-of-the-art fitness monitoringDecent notifications Poor battery lifeUncomfortable and ugly

The Microsoft Band has a whopping 10 biometric sensors: an optical heart rate sensor, 3-axis accelerometer, gyroscope, GPS, ambient light sensor, skin temperature sensor, UV sensor, capacitive sensor, microphone and a galvanic skin response sensor. Microsoft has pulled out all the stops for its inaugural wearable for Windows users, with Cortana integration on Windows Phone 8.1 devices. Android and iOS devices get notifications but not . Integration with everything from Strava to TaylorMade make this a great device for numerous sports and the web app gives plenty of useful fitness insights, though the mobile app is a bit underbaked. The guided workouts feature, which buzzes to tell you when to begin your next set of reps, is a superb feature for those who use interval training. However, this thing is ugly, uncomfortable and has a battery that'll last about two days tops. It almost feels like a prototype rather than a finished product. But if you can get past that, you may come to love the Microsoft Band.

Read the full review: Microsoft Band

4. Fitbit Charge

Fitbit Charge

A cut-down version of the Charge HR that's also worthy of consideration in its own right

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Solid step counting plus running and cycling Good looking, not too pricey, comfy Unreliable claspCharge HR is better

Take the Charge HR. Remove the heart rate monitoring. Make the clasp a bit less reliable. But reduce the price, of course. What you end up with is a very good, if more basic, fitness tracker with the same excellent app as the Charge HR, the same screen and altimeter… And the same endearing quirks. With a longer battery life due to the absence of a pulse counter, it's an excellent product. Even so, its pricier sibling offers more and would narrowly be our first pick, of the two.

Read the full review: Fitbit Charge

5. Garmin Vivosmart

Garmin Vivosmart

A cracking little tracker with a premium feel and handy notifications

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Comfortable, discreet design Solid tracking and motivation Pointless sleep tracking Screen can be unresponsive

A nice-looking step counter with a scrolling OLED screen, handy message notifications from your phone and music controls, the Vivosmart is a decent product, albeit one that feels slightly overpriced. Step counting is solid, although its attempts to track running and sleep are less impressive, and the app is functional rather than being hugely motivating. You can add an external heart-rate monitor if you want more accurate calorie counting during exercise. The thing is, although it looks like a far classier product, there's actually little to choose between the Garmin Vivosmart and the far cheaper Garmin Vivofit 2 in terms of what they actually do. If you value looks and comfort we'd recommend this one; if you are happier with very long battery life and a low price, plump for the Vivofit 2.

Read the full review: Garmin Vivosmart

6. Garmin Vivofit 2

Garmin Vivofit 2

Hugely long battery life is the USP of this simple, inexpensive step tracker

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Simple step counting with year-long battery Very cheap Not hugely comfortable Not a lot of extras

A neat little fitness tracker whose battery life and waterproofing means you never need to take off. And if it were just that bit more useful and more comfortable, you would never want to take it off, either. You do have to accept that all it really usefully does is count your steps and issue reminders to stay active. It has a stab at run tracking and sleep monitoring, but neither impresses. Still, it's a very solid effort for the price.

Read the full review: Garmin Vivofit 2

7. Withings Activité Pop

Withings Activité Pop

An attractive analogue watch with step counting built in

Size: Not quoted, but medium-sized watch size | Display: analogue watch face plus analogue step-count dial | Weight: 37g | Compatibility: iOS, Android | Connectivity: Bluetooth

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The best looking wearable to dateEight-month battery life Can be maddeningly slow to sync Run tracking less successful

A very clever mix of analogue watch and step counter, the Activité Pop takes a different approach to most fitness trackers. As well as counting steps accurately, it also has a go at counting running distances and monitoring sleep (admittedly less successfully) and has a vibrating alarm. It works very well as a motivational device. The hand on the secondary dial on the watch face sweeps round from 0 to 100% of your step goal (set at 10,000 by default) as the day goes on. The associated app is pretty good, but syncing can be very slow and unreliable. We suspect it's using a very low-powered Bluetooth connection to save battery power, because the Pop runs on a standard watch battery and lasts for eight months, which is not to be sniffed at. Bottom line: if you want a step counter that looks as good as a watch, this (or a smartwatch of course) are your only current options.

Read the full review: Withings Activité Pop

8. Jawbone UP24

Jawbone UP24

Jawbone Up24

Stylish, step-counting lifestyle band at a keen price

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Cheap and effective Good, motivational app Showing its age a bit now Ridiculous earphone-jack charger

Lightweight, with a week-long battery, this step and sleep tracker is a classic "lifestyle" band. Just put it on, forget about it, and let it harvest data, which you then view in Jawbone's strong app. All your biometric data is displayed clearly with with colourful bar graphs and line charts. You can easily set goals such as getting more sleep or making sure you drink a healthy amount of water everyday. It's also easy to compare your steps with selected friends. There's no screen, sleep tracking is not amazing, and it doesn't very effectively track any exercise other than walking. However, if you want the basics, this comfortable, cheap band is a decent deal. However, it has now been superseded by Jawbone's UP2 and UP3.

Read the full review: Jawbone UP24

9. Fitbit Surge

Fitbit Surge

Part fitness tracker, part running watch, this is a decent hybrid device

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Large, if slightly dull, screen Heart rate monitor and GPS Quite expensive Running watch features don't convince

Fitbit Surge is the most powerful Fitbit to date, offering GPS tracking of your runs and cycles, real-time workout stats and a heart rate monitor. However, it's now pitted against more serious fitness trackers such as those from Garmin, Basis and TomTom and it doesn't necessarily benefit from the comparison. The screen is black and white to eke out more battery life, but this makes it hard to view at a glance. It is also really ugly, to be blunt. As usual with Fitbits, although it tends to over-estimate how many steps you've taken, it does so in a consistent way that makes goal-building and competition with fellow Fitbitters possible. The issue here is that the size and aesthetic failings of the Surge make it less useful as fitness tracker, while the GPS and HR are not as good as what you'd get from Garmin. However as a hybrid of the two, it works well enough.

Read the full review: Fitbit Surge

10. Withings Pulse Ox

Withings Pulse Ox

Withings Pulse OX

Strong step counter that promises something more sophisticated but doesn't quite deliver it

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Bright-'n'-breezy app Accurate enough step counting Doesn't deliver as a runner's watch Less than useful heart rate/blood oxygen monitoring

With excellent battery and at an attractive price, this is another very strong fitness tracker, so long as you don't mind the inherent limitations of this kind of device. You can wear it on your belt, wrist or bra strap, the app is colourful and inviting and step accuracy is good. Sleep monitoring is a bit of a waste of time – it essentially tells you when you went to bed and when you woke up – but that is often the case on these devices. Our only gripe? The presence of elevation, heart and blood oxygen tracking suggest this would make a good watch for runners as well as walkers. However, the Pulse Ox doesn't really deliver on that promise.

Read the full review: Withings Pulse Ox