Garmin
Forerunner 255 Series
Long battery; but wrist HR tracking is inconsistent.

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I got my charge 2 in 2018 and I wore it for about 2 years then, stopped for a few years and put it back on April 2023 and it’s been going strong ever since. Although now it has a crack in the screen 🥲
My Charge 2 and 4 both lasted more than two years - the 4 broke at the strap, nothing else wrong with it. My 2 still works. I've had the 6 since it was released, no issues.
I recently bought a Garmin vivoactive 6 during sale. I am using it as a basic health and sleep tracker. This is my first smartwatch fitness tracker. I used a Fitbit charge 2 for the longest time in the past, but the new fitbits don't seem to be worth it to me... Vívoactive 5 would have been a good choice too, but I thought the updated and additional features introduced to the 6 was worth the $60 difference in price. I also just got my bonus, so I went with the 6.
Also Apple Watch user for a while now and recently tried dusting off my old Fitbit Charge 2. Unfortunately battery is shot and need a new band so this Air thing is good timing. Fitbit and step counting worked well for me to get in shape and lose weight 10 years ago. Apple Watch— All the features apps etc make it too easy to have cool features and watch faces-not fitness focused. I don’t like their rings approach-10k steps worked for me. Also I still do not like apple’s iPhone fitness app. Also battery life sucks (no cellular for me). It will be hard to give up another screen though! Fitbit Air— I noticed that the Air will have other rubber/plastic [bands](https://store.google.com/sg/product/google_fitbit_air_elevated_modern_band?hl=en-GB&selections=eyJwcm9kdWN0RmFtaWx5IjoiWkdWMmFXTmxYMlpoYldsc2VWOWZaMjl2WjJ4bFgyWnBkR0pwZEY5aGFYSmZaV3hsZG1GMFpXUmZjMjltZEdac1pYaGZZbUZ1WkY5bVlXMD0iLCJoZXJvUHJvZHVjdHMiOltbIlgyZHZiMmRzWlY5bWFYUmlhWFJmWVdseVgyVnNaWFpoZEdWa1gzTnZablJtYkdWNFgySmhibVJmYjJKemFXUnBZVzQ9IiwxLG51bGxdXX0%3D) available-not just the fabric(?) shown in every picture. This is big one for me , I think fabric will get dirty and wet. I like the no display since my iPhone is pretty much attached to my left hand anyway lol. With this I can wear my mechanical watches! Having nearly week of battery will be nice to allow sleep tracking as well. Fitbit Charge6– I don’t care about GPS since have phone but I like heart ECG feature. I wish you could customize the watch faces more. Not sure how it will look to wear it with mechanical watch So that’s where I am at (-: I think I will also hang tight to see what the new Google AI app brings and then think about Air vs Charge6.
No. 2nd fitbit. The face fell off of my charge 2 after 3 years. Bought a sense 2. Along with syncing issues, now if losing steps. I hit 10000 steps 3 times today. I give up
i've been using a fitbit since 2015 and i find it to be relatively accurate, because the calories out that it determines lines up with my deficit + expected rate of weight loss. ymmv, some people say it doesn't work well for them. i often wear mine on my ankle using a fabric-elastic strap, since my main goal is steps and it tracks them well. my current one is an inspire 3. i like it as a watch and wear it on my wrist for silent alarms in the morning. i still have my original charge 2 hr from 2016 and it works fine, along with one I bought on ebay for my partner a few years ago! they're a bit worse for wear and the battery life is a little shorter than before, but surprisingly still function. i certainly can recommend finding a used tracker of any sort on ebay or swappa like another user said. the app leaves a lot to be desired these days; it's definitely been enshittified. i've considered switching to a different brand of tracker, especially garmin... but nothing really has the same all-in-one like fitbit + their app, and i love their database of foods and how it determines calories out as you go throughout your day based on activity level. i also like the heart rate and sleep tracking, which i find very accurate. i hate how google/fitbit has changed, and i hate the privacy concerns. i also need a health tracking device! i hope you can find what you're looking for.
Garmin
Forerunner 255 Series
Long battery; but wrist HR tracking is inconsistent.

Garmin
Forerunner 955 Series
Best value, clear MIP screen; limited smartwatch features.

Garmin
Fenix 7 Series
Durable, multi-week battery, flashlight; high price, buggy software.
Garmin
Instinct 2 Series
Rugged, solar multi-week battery; bulky, small screen readability issues.

Garmin
Enduro 3
Multi-week solar battery, lightweight; but bulky form factor.

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Oura - Oura Ring Series

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Apple - Ultra Series

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Garmin - Enduro 3

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Garmin - Fenix 7 Series

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Garmin - Forerunner 255 Series

Ranked #1
Oura - Oura Ring Series