Consumer Reports Tests Smartwatches and Fitness Trackers for Accuracy and Battery Life

Consumer Reports tested smartwatches and fitness trackers from Apple, Samsung, Google, Fitbit, and Amazfit for heart-rate accuracy, battery performance, durability, and features. The Apple Watch SE 3 ($280) earned a recommendation for routine tracking with three-day battery life, though it lacks hypertension monitoring and some display brightness. The Apple Watch Series 11 ($430) was praised for its slim design, continuous display, and three-day battery. The Google Pixel Watch 4 ($400) received top scores for display durability and health tracking, with 3.5-day battery life. The Samsung Galaxy Watch8 ($300) offers a bright AMOLED display and swimming-stroke analysis but only 1.5-day battery. Premium models include the Apple Watch Ultra 3 ($800) with a titanium case, dive computer app, and 3.3-day battery, and the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra ($470) with titanium frame and sleep apnea detection. Fitbit's Versa 4 ($150) and Charge 6 ($140) offer seven-day and over one-week battery life respectively, with core fitness tracking. Budget options include the Amazfit Bip 6 ($80) with 10.5-day battery and accurate step counting, the Fitbit Inspire 3 ($90) with nearly 13-day battery, and the Amazfit Band 7 ($50) as a basic step tracker. Consumer Reports noted newer models like the Galaxy Watch9 and Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 were headed to labs for testing.