Recommend me a fitness tracker/watch…

[jefficake]

Hello helpful fitness tracker / watch people.

I’m looking for recommendations. I currently have a Fitbit charge 4 - it’s done a marvellous job for a couple of years but the screen is broken and the tracking is wildly inaccurate at times (it regularly claims I can run a km in 4 mins. I cannot).

I want something that has inbuilt gps (primary exercise is running and I’m training for a half marathon). Interested in resting / exercise heart rate stuff. Something that goes in water is a must and also that can show text and call alerts. Not interested in tracking sleep (I have a 8 month old baby - I don’t need a watch to tell me I’m not sleeping enough 🤣).

not wedded to fitbit, but I have liked previous trackers I’ve had with them.

budget - less than 150/and ideally less than 100.

any suggestions?

Thank you!

I got a Garmin Vivoactive 4s which has inbuilt GPS and is fab. I love it. It's more than your budget but I got mine with a discount code so it's worth looking out for deals or sales.

Thank you. I know Garmin's come highly recommended - they look quite detailed (possibly quite confusing?!) to operate, is that the case or are they quite user friendly?

omg, my charge 4 died 2 days ago, I am SO in OP's position.

Spoiler: I ended up buying a barely used Ch3 off of someone for very cheap. But on the way I decided... these things have soon obsolescence, so I was fairly minded to go for Charge 5 to have something that works well going forward. Charge 6 is expected out in late Spring 2023, btw. I wanted a slim line model, so the big square/round ones not for me.

Compared to Charge 4 model:
Vivofit (Garmin) does less for same money
Fitbit Inspire does less
Jawbone seems to be obsolete
Charge 3 doesn't do GPS without a phone on you, too. But I don't need GPS, so I wasn't bothered.
Others are too big for me

I found several blogs saying Charge 4 is best value at its price point.

if the barely used Charge 3 wasn't offered to me so cheap (£20, available now) I would have gone for a brand new charge 5, maybe a deal that gives you 6m free of Premium membership. I have seen Ch4 at like £90 brand new in box from conventional retailers & as little as £20 like new on eBay.

@jefficake I'm not a techie person and this is my first smart watch and I've found it easy. I'm still discovering new features. The set up and the app are really user friendly so it guides you through all the features.

I have a nice idiot-proof Garmin 35. I am quite an expert idiot but found this really easy to get the hang of.

Wiggle has them at £85 and loads of places have them at around £90

It tracks runs (indoor/outdoor) cardio, bike and walk. You'd need a different model if you wanted to actually track a swim, but it is waterproof.

Tracks heart rate, also number of paces, and syncs with Garmin Connect (though you can see your data on the watch as well)

Yes it has alerts from your phone (though for some reason text alerts haven't been showing since last ios update - I hope they fix that!)

Thanks all. I'm going to have a look at Garmin and Charge 5. @lljkk I hope your new one lasts you well!

I use the ticwatch e3 which does everything you need it to. Love it ❤️

I have a Garmin 45s - it's great and about £112 in price. It looks good to as it has a smaller face than the men's one. I like it because it shows the time all the time without having to touch the screen so more like a normal watch. It isn't touch screen so always works when you're wet or sweaty. I don't think it's particularly complicated - especially once you've got all screens set up how you want them.

It has GPS/heart rate monitor etc and all the usual stuff that you mention. I am also following a training plan that it uploads onto your watch which is motivating and is great for reminding you to go slower on the easy runs.

I really recommend!

ohh thanks @shamoola I'm just looking at that now.
Because it's fathers day soon both fitbit and garmin have sales on 'for dads' so hoping I can get a discount on whatever I chose. Cue endless days of agonising over a very minor life decision 😂