Fitbit Charge 2 & Garmin Vivosmart HR+: The 2 best fitness trackers for you

Start the new year with a gadget that will help you stay fit in realistic ways, reports Tech in Asia

In a nutshell: Forget about a gym membership that you’ll stop using after a few weeks – start the new year right with a gadget that will help you stay fit in realistic ways. After parsing through lots of reviews and comments, here are the two best fitness trackers for 2017. 

Fitbit Charge 2

• $150

• Pliable and good-looking band in choice of six colours

• Fitbit app can’t pull data into Apple Health

First launched September 2016, the Fitbit Charge 2 is the top pick of many reviews.

So let’s make a list of where Fitbit’s Charge 2 surges ahead: greater style, a more premium feel, a slimmer band, better-rated companion app, bigger screen, OLED display that’s brighter and has deeper black, interchangeable bands, cardiovascular fitness score, and guided breathing exercises.

One notable Fitbit omission is GPS. The Charge 2 requires your phone to be nearby if you want GPS tracking and routes information related to your run or ride.

Fitbit’s app tops Garmin’s in terms of positive reviews.

Garmin Vivosmart HR+

• $150

• Three colours on offer

• GPS built in

First launched May 2016, the Garmin Vivosmart HR+ beats the arch-rival Charge 2 in a few areas: built-in GPS, a proper touchscreen, water resistance, a wider variety of phone notifications, more detailed sleep insights, and more data on your runs.

The Vivosmart HR+ is not a looker, which will deter some. The LCD screen doesn’t show deep blacks and the excess of plastic is dowdy.

While the Garmin Connect app looks better on paper, with support for the Health app on iOS, it has less favourable reviews than Fitbit’s.  This article was published on Tech In Asia. You can read it here.