10 of the best health and fitness trackers
The smart ring
Oura ring 5
Price: £399
Oura’s fifth-generation titanium smart ring is 40 per cent smaller by volume than its predecessor, at just 2.28mm thick. The result is something that looks even more like jewellery than a gadget yet features improved sensors to track heart rate, heart-rate variability (HRV), temperature, blood oxygen, sleep and activity. Now with an improved battery life of six-to-nine days, it’s a compelling choice. Some might find the new model a little skinny looking, but its subtlety is its USP.
The lightweight running and triathlon watch
Coros Pace 4 Jakob
Price: £259
At 33g with the nylon strap, this is impressively light for a full GPS sports watch. The 1.2in AMOLED touchscreen, dual-frequency GPS and an optical heart-rate sensor sit alongside strong battery life: up to 41 hours in GPS mode, around 31 hours with dual-frequency tracking on, and 19 days in everyday use. It also tracks sleep and HRV. The main trade-off is breadcrumb navigation rather than full mapping, but for runners and triathletes prioritising accuracy and training tools over adventure extras, it’s a great pick.
The smart swimming goggles
Form Smart Swim 2
Price: £179
These smart goggles have an in-lens display to show pace, distance, stroke rate, stroke count and heart rate, plus a SwimStraight compass for holding a line in open water. An optical sensor on the temple picks up heart rate, and the battery runs to around 14 hours. There’s no integrated GPS, so open-water distance and pace come via a paired Garmin or Apple Watch. Advanced coaching features, including lap-by-lap instructions and structured workouts, require an £8.25 per-month subscription
The core temperature sensor
Core 2 Thermal sensor
Price: £264.95
Designed for heat training and race-day pacing, this 11.4g thermal sensor clips to a heart-rate strap and measures both core body and skin temperature in real time. Its Heat Strain Index helps athletes know when to adjust pace, cooling and hydration strategies, and provides information on how to structure heat-acclimatisation sessions. The data can be broadcast via Bluetooth and ANT+ to compatible devices including those by Garmin, Coros and Wahoo, and it has five days’ battery life.
The premium screenless health tracker
Whoop Life
Price: From £169 a year
Worn continuously, this screenless tracker builds sleep, strain and recovery scores into longer-term health trends via Healthspan, which offers an estimated pace of ageing and a “Whoop age”. The top-tier MG version adds on-demand ECG for Atrial fibrillation detection and daily blood-pressure estimates, unlocked after a one-time calibration against three cuff readings. Battery lasts around 14 days, and the system is sold as a yearly membership rather than an upfront hardware purchase.
The breathing and threshold monitor
Tymewear VitalPro
Price: From £299
Built for serious cyclists, runners and triathletes, this chest strap uses two sensors: ECG heart rate at the front and strain-gauge breathing at the back. Together they capture heart rate, breathing rate, tidal volume and minute ventilation. A 20- to 40-minute ramp test identifies aerobic and anaerobic thresholds without a lab mask or blood test. Live data streams via Bluetooth to Garmin and Wahoo Elemnt devices, with deeper analysis available through Tymewear’s subscription app.
The rugged outdoor smartwatch
Garmin Fēnix 8 AMOLED
Price: £749.99
Built for outdoor use rather than just workouts, this device combines a bright, high-resolution AMOLED display with scratch-resistant Gorilla or sapphire glass, a rugged titanium (or stainless-steel) case, integrated GPS, detailed mapping, training tools and Garmin’s excellent Connect app. The built-in LED flashlight, with white and red modes, is genuinely useful, while battery life runs to weeks rather than days. The Pro model (£989.99) adds satellite connectivity for messaging, location sharing and SOS when heading off-grid.
The affordable screenless health tracker
Google Fitbit Air
Price: £84.99
Launched in May, Fitbit’s smallest and most affordable tracker offers a simpler route into 24/7 health monitoring. Worn on the wrist, it tracks heart rate, HRV, breathing rate, blood oxygen, sleep stages, readiness, cardio load and activity without adding another screen. Battery life is up to seven days, while a three-month Google Health Premium trial – from £7.99 a month thereafter – adds Gemini-powered coaching and more detailed sleep and fitness guidance.
The golf smartwatch
TAG Heuer Connected Calibre E5 Golf Edition
Price: £2,150
This 45mm Golf Edition is built around a premium-looking titanium case, sharp OLED display under sapphire crystal and an engraved 18-hole bezel, with integrated GPS, heart-rate monitoring and a sports-ready rubber strap. TAG Heuer’s own Golf app adds 2D and 3D course mapping, distances, shot tracking and scoring across more than 40,000 courses alongside running, sleep and broader health tracking.
The sweat and hydration sensor
Flowbio Sensor
Price: £295
Worn on the supplied arm strap or mounted on an existing heart-rate strap, this reusable sensor measures sweat rate, sodium concentration and skin temperature during exercise. The data is used to build personalised hydration plans for cycling and running, while live fluid and sodium loss can be displayed on Wahoo cycling computers. It runs for 100-plus hours on USB-C charging and is a one-time purchase with no subscription.
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