The best smartwatches for keeping track of your health

Thanks to the advances in wearable technology, smartwatches with capable health monitoring features are more accessible than ever. More devices are packing specialized sensors to keep track of your heart, blood pressure, and more. But which are the best smartwatches for health monitoring and tracking your wellness? We detail our recommendations below.

Buying the right smartwatch to monitor your health

Plenty of modern smartwatches pack almost every health monitoring feature imaginable, but not every device provides the specific focus some people need. For instance, while blood oxygen sensors are near ubiquitous, not every smartwatch packs a reliable medical-grade sensor, and some devices are better at tracking specific factors than others.

With this in mind, you’ll need to identify precisely what facet of your health you want to track. If you’re concerned about your heart health, consider a device with an ECG and a reliable heart rate monitor. What about stress and energy management? Consider a device that either has a dedicated stress sensor or takes heart rate variability into account.

The best smartwatches for health monitoring

• Apple Watch Series 8: This is the best smartwatch for menstrual cycle tracking thanks to its new skin temperature sensor. It also provides fertility estimates.
• Fitbit Sense 2: The Fitbit Sense 2 is the best smartwatch for stress management and general sleep monitoring thanks to its new cEDA sensor and Fitbit’s ever-reliable sleep-tracking smarts.
• Samsung Galaxy Watch 5: This is the best smartwatch for body composition and blood pressure monitoring. Although the Galaxy Watch 4 also packs both features, the Galaxy Watch 5 is the overall better device.
• Withings ScanWatch: The ScanWatch is the best watch for monitoring heart health, blood oxygen, and sleep apnea. Although it’s a hybrid watch, the ScanWatch packs medical-grade ECG and SpO2 sensors.
• Garmin Venu 2 Plus: Finally, the Garmin Venu 2 Plus is the best smartwatch for monitoring energy levels. While most Garmin watches feature the Body Battery functionality, this is the company’s best smart wearable.

The Apple Watch Series 8 may look a lot like its predecessor, but it brings one great feature for those who menstruate. The new skin temperature sensor informs Series 8 devices of body temperature changes. This data powers improved period predictions and retrospective ovulation estimates. In simpler terms, the Apple Watch Series 8 and Apple Watch Ultra are the best smartwatches you can buy if you want to track menstrual health.

In addition, the Apple Watch Series 8 also includes an electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor, a reliable heart rate sensor, blood oxygen monitoring, and sleep tracking. It’s also a great smartwatch, especially if you’re entrenched in the Apple ecosystem.

Speaking of Fitbit, the Sense 2 has plenty of tricks. In addition to the ECG sensor and skin temperature monitor, it now includes a continuous electrodermal activity (cEDA) sensor. This sensor records the changes in the skin’s electroconductivity due to the salts contained in sweat. These readings then inform Fitbit’s body response feature, which automatically gauges stress throughout the day. At the same time, the Stress Management Score provides a more understandable overview of a user’s stress levels. Finally, Fitbit bakes a mood tracker, making the Sense 2 a more intuitive reflection and relaxation smartwatch. When it’s time for bed, Fitbit’s detailed and useful sleep tracking steps up.

Speaking of, there are plenty of features (or lack thereof) to dislike about the Sense 2. It’s a dumber smartwatch than its predecessor, lacking Google Assistant support, Wi-Fi support, and third-party app support. Some features also remain locked behind the Fitbit Premium paywall.

Our verdict: Fitbit Sense 2 review

The Galaxy Watch 5 is the best Wear OS smartwatch you can buy right now, and it’s the only one on this list packing a bioelectric impedance analysis (BIA) sensor. The sensor can measure the body’s composition using electric microcurrents, gauging skeletal mass, muscle mass, water retention, and fat mass. These details are beneficial for those looking to build muscle or lose weight.

Samsung has also included blood pressure monitoring smarts on the Galaxy Watch 5; however, it’s not without issues. You’ll need a portable blood pressure cuff to calibrate the feature and recalibrate it every four weeks or so. Sure, it saves users from lugging their cuff to every event, but it’s not as seamless as other health monitoring features. The feature’s also exclusive to Samsung smartphones.

Withings ScanWatch: The best watch for monitoring heart and breathing health

The ScanWatch is a hybrid watch that packs far fewer smart features than the other devices on this list. However, it makes up for this with clinically validated sensors. This includes a medical-grade pulse oximeter to measure oxygen saturation levels in the blood. It also joins a medical-grade ECG sensor which can scan for signs of atrial fibrillation (AFib) or irregular heartbeats. ECG data can also be exported or printed to present to a medical professional if need be.

There’s also a nifty set of features for those who struggle to breathe. A Respiratory Scan feature considers heart rate, respiratory rate, and blood oxygen levels to help users understand if they experience potential breathing disturbances overnight. These details are also presented in graph form, informing users of any potential sleep apnea issues.

Our verdict: Withings ScanWatch review

Finally, the Garmin Venu 2 Plus is worth a mention for those particularly interested in monitoring their energy reserves during the day and their recovery overnight. This is thanks to Garmin’s nifty Body Battery feature that combines heart rate variability, stress, and activity data to calculate the user’s energy reserves. A number between 1 and 100 is generated, with 100 being the maximum energy. It’s an excellent and surprisingly accurate measurement of energy levels.

If you’re looking for more recommendations, find our list of honorable mentions below.

• Fitbit Versa 3 (Amazon): If you don’t need the Sense 2’s cEDA sensor, the Versa 3 is a solid all-round tracker that should appease most buyers.
• Huawei Watch D (Huawei): Few smartwatches can claim to measure blood pressure without a third-party cuff, but the Huawei Watch D does just that.
• Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 (Amazon): At the right price, the Galaxy Watch 4 is an excellent Galaxy Watch 5 alternative, packing the same body composition and blood pressure features as its successor.