{"id":673677,"date":"2026-01-04T17:10:22","date_gmt":"2026-01-04T17:10:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/673677\/"},"modified":"2026-01-04T17:10:22","modified_gmt":"2026-01-04T17:10:22","slug":"smartwatches-our-team-of-fitness-fans-recommend-for-new-year-workouts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/673677\/","title":{"rendered":"Smartwatches our team of fitness fans recommend for New Year workouts"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fitness tracking watches from Apple, Garmin, Samsung, and Amazfit for anyone looking to boos their 2026 workout goalsHarriet Morphy-Morris<\/strong><\/a> Commerce Content Editor , Eve Rowlands<\/strong> Senior Fashion & Beauty Writer, Jake Hackney<\/strong> Senior Consumer Writer and Christopher Harper<\/strong> Technology Affiliates Writer<\/p>\n

04:38, 01 Jan 2026<\/p>\n

This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more<\/a>\"FitnessFour fitness watches our team recommends for a 2026 New Year health kick <\/p>\n

Smartwatches have become sought-after gadgets on tech shoppers’ lists, with many looking for wearable accessories to help their fitness goals, track their movements, or simply get the best of their smartphone from the ease of their wrist. As the new year becomes a fitness rush <\/a>for many, these are the models we’d recommend.<\/p>\n

Investing in a tracking wearable can aid fitness journeys. Our team has rounded up the models they’d suggest. And there’s something for every budget.<\/p>\n

A budget option from Samsung,<\/a> that doesn’t scrimp on capability or an Apple model <\/a>used for gym workouts and pilates sessions. Another one for cost-conscious shoppers is the Amazfit<\/a> (which stood up strong in our comparison to an older Apple Watch Series 6), to a pricier Garmin Epix Pro<\/a>, which’s been put to the test on plenty of long runs and cycling.<\/p>\n

Harriet – Samsung Galaxy Fit 3<\/p>\n

Our tech editor, Harriet, recommends this Samsung model<\/a> for a balance of price and fitness tracking capabilities. It has accurate daily step counts, gym session tracking, and a reliable battery life to get through sessions – while not breaking the bank.<\/p>\n

Similar to that of Google Fitbit’s Inspire 3<\/a> tracker, this is suited to wearers looking for a simple workout tracking device. The Galaxy Fit 3 sports a 1.6-inch AMOLED display on its front, allowing users to easily check their stats throughout the day. The interface allows for tapping and swiping, with an additional side button for control.<\/p>\n

\"SamsungThe Galaxy Fit3 smartwatch is a number one best seller on Amazon(Image: Amazon)<\/p>\n

There’s also a heart rate tracker monitor, providing insights into the wearer’s body activity. Usually, a feature is offered on high-priced models. Coupled with the onboard sensors, it keeps track of steps and overall activity, giving users an idea of how many calories they’ve burned throughout the day.<\/p>\n

Chris Harper – Garmin Epix Pro (Gen 2) – \u00a3369.99<\/p>\n

I’ve been using the Garmin Epix Pro (Gen 2) for a year now, and when it comes to fitness features, it’s absolutely jam-packed. It offers numerous routines for running, cycling, and more. It’s massively hardy and has survived tons of drops and scratches during the year – and the best thing is the battery life.<\/p>\n

I regularly get 21 days of battery life without the always-on display, and it charges pretty fast. Compared to other smartwatches, it feels like it never runs out of battery. It’s a brilliant smartwatch for fitness lovers and it can be bought here from H Samuel for \u00a3369.99.<\/p>\n

Eve Rowlands – Apple Watch SE (2nd Gen)<\/p>\n

While I\u2019m not a marathon runner, Ironman participant, or even a Park Run lover, I do class myself as a fitness fanatic as I’m a regular gym bunny, pilates girl and keen surfer. And to track everything, I do love my Apple Watch.<\/a><\/p>\n

Not only for its smart features that enable me to utilise my phone via my wrist, but also its ability to track my vitals before, during, and after a workout. It\u2019s got a range of exercise sessions to track and even covers rogue ones like surfing (which I use regularly) as well as pilates, dancing and indoor and outdoor activities (cycling > spin bike and treadmill running > trail running).<\/p>\n

\"AppleThe Apple Watch SE 2nd Gen was first launched in 2022(Image: Apple)<\/p>\n

It tracks the calories burned, my active and resting heart rate, time elapsed and whether I\u2019ve hit my target for the day, which I always appreciate. It can also identify when its wearer is out walking and sends a nudge to see if they want to start a workout.<\/p>\n

One thing that surprised me was that it measures respiratory rate during sleep. This is a satisfying metric to see, but it could prove essential. During a period of being unwell, my respiratory rate dropped, and my watch notified me, urging me to keep an eye on it.<\/p>\n

Obviously, I must say that it is not a substitute for professional medical advice or diagnostic equipment, but it can be a powerful tool for monitoring health and detecting potential issues to follow up with professionals. It can also detect falls, crashes and call for help with its Emergency SOS button.<\/p>\n

Where my Apple Watch falls short is its battery life. Maybe because it\u2019s an older model (2023), but over the last year, it has drastically reduced in power, and I need to recharge it every day.<\/p>\n

Jake Hackney – Amazfit Active\"TwoI compared the Amazfit Active (R) to an Apple Watch.<\/p>\n

I compared the Amazfit Active<\/a> to an older Apple Watch Series 6, and it fared surprisingly well for a budget model. As well as a 14-day battery life and basic functions like calls and music playback, it features an AI-powered training coach, so it\u2019s ideal for getting fit in the New Year.<\/p>\n

I mainly used it to track my steps and heart rate when walking or exercising, and it was more than adequate. It\u2019s water-resistant too, so it can handle the harsh, wet winter, and wasn\u2019t affected at all when I held it under the tap.<\/p>\n

There is one downside, though, as it doesn\u2019t have as many apps compared to Apple<\/a> or Samsung smartwatches. According to the product description, you can sync the watch data to fitness apps like Strava, but this wasn\u2019t available as a downloadable app when I tried.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Fitness tracking watches from Apple, Garmin, Samsung, and Amazfit for anyone looking to boos their 2026 workout goalsHarriet…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":673678,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3160],"tags":[1662,1630,1685,20295,105,622,204934,4712,542,1643,53,16,15,24254],"class_list":{"0":"post-673677","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-gadgets","8":"tag-apple","9":"tag-fitness","10":"tag-gadgets","11":"tag-gymnastics","12":"tag-health","13":"tag-healthy-eating","14":"tag-new-years-honours-list","15":"tag-running","16":"tag-samsung","17":"tag-tech-deals","18":"tag-technology","19":"tag-uk","20":"tag-united-kingdom","21":"tag-weightlifting"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115837942362777209","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/673677","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=673677"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/673677\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/673678"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=673677"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=673677"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=673677"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}