The best smartwatch for health monitoring: Top picks to keep you on track

To help with this, our team at Back Market has curated five standout models. We’ve discussed who these items might complement and what to expect to help you pick out a smartwatch best suited for health monitoring, as well as your pocket preferences. This comprehensive guide can assist you in making the right decision and avoiding overpaying for smartwatch features you don’t need.

Which smartwatch for health monitoring should you buy?

✨ If you’re weighing your options between the Apple Watch Series 10, Google Pixel Watch 3, Garmin Venu 3, Samsung Galaxy Watch 7, or the Fitbit Sense 2, the secret is to match the watch to your lifestyle. Apple excels at accuracy for iPhone users, Pixel blends Fitbit health with Google convenience, Garmin drives athletes with data and stamina, Samsung champions sleep and recovery, and Fitbit delivers solid health tools without the premium price tag.

Why you can trust our opinion on smartwatches

Smartwatches aren’t the cheapest accessories out there. So, it makes sense if you are apprehensive about us broadening your knowledge on the best smartwatches for health monitoring. However, there are many reasons why you can trust our opinion on which smartwatch for health monitoring you should invest in.

Firstly, we work with Apple, Google, Garmin, Fitbit, and Samsung devices on a daily basis. Our professional and certified tech experts test, inspect, and refurbish smartwatches from these brands regularly. They know what to look for and how to repair things appropriately, ensuring customers receive devices they can trust.

Secondly, every smartwatch we recommend is guaranteed to be 100% functional, and we stand by this statement by offering a one-year warranty and a 30-day money-back guarantee. We have faith in our devices, so you can, too.

Thirdly and perhaps most importantly, we keep the advice we give on platform agnostics. This means that we offer advice on the “best” smartwatches based on the user and not the brand. You can trust that our hands-on experience separates marketing claims from our real-world experience. We gain so much by sharing our in-depth knowledge on the best smartwatches for health monitoring.

Deep dive: These are the five best smartwatches for health monitoring

Since finding the best smartwatch for your needs can feel a bit like trying to find a needle in a haystack, we’ve shared five of the best picks worth considering.

Before you decide on one, keep in mind the type of phone you have for compatibility's sake and think about whether you need a smartwatch for training or overall wellness.

You should also think about how much battery life you need and if you would consider a refurbished model to gain access to better smartwatches for less money.

Apple Watch Series 10 — Best all-rounder

Apple Watch Series 10 specs

• Screen size: 1.9 in (always-on Retina)

• Resolution: High-density Retina

• Chip: Latest Apple Si

• Battery life: 18 hours typically

• Sensors: ECG, SpO₂, optical HR, skin temperature (cycle), fall detection, irregular rhythm alerts

• OS: watchOS (Apple Health, Fitness+)

• Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, LTE (select), GPS/GNSS

• Water resistance: up to 50 meters

Apple Watch Series 10 pros and cons

Apple Watch Series 10 features and benefits

Those who want to stay firmly in Apple’s ecosystem and enjoy a premium smartwatch experience despite a shorter battery life should look no further than the Apple Watch Series 10. As Business Insider’s Antonio Villas-Boas put it, “The Apple Watch Series 10 hits the sweet spot for most people looking for a fully featured iPhone companion with the fewest compromises and the best value.”

With this smartwatch, Apple sticks to its winning formula but pushes things forward with new 42mm and 46mm case sizes, a brighter, wider-angle OLED screen, and LTPO3 tech that keeps the always-on display crisp enough to show a ticking second hand.

Health-wise, the Series 10 is basically a portable lab strapped to your wrist. With the new Vitals app, you can track your heart rate, respiratory rate, sleep duration, and wrist temperature. The smartwatch also comes equipped with convenient built-in notifications that alert you to potential sleep apnea concerns and irregular heart rhythms. But that’s not all. We did say Apple outdid itself with the Series 10, and we weren’t lying.

This smartwatch also features accurate ECG readings, blood oxygen monitoring, mindfulness alerts, cycle tracking, and even medication support. With a suite of health monitoring features like these, it's easy to see why this smartwatch is the best overall pick if you want to stay ahead of your health concerns while keeping pace with your fitness goals and having a sleek, modern-looking accessory on your wrist.

✨ The Apple Watch Series 10 is a solid pick for iPhone users who want trusted health tracking in a watch that just works with the Apple ecosystem.

Google Pixel Watch 3 — Best for Android users

Google Pixel Watch 3 specs

• Screen size: 1.2 in AMOLED

• Resolution: High-density AMOLED

• Chip: Latest Google/Qualcomm platform

• Battery life: 24 hours typically

• Sensors: Optical HR, SpO₂, skin temp, stress metrics; Loss of Pulse Detection (LoPD)

• OS: Wear OS (deep Fitbit integration)

• Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, LTE (select), GPS

• Water resistance: 50m

Google Pixel Watch 3 pros and cons

Google Pixel Watch 3 features and benefits

The Google Pixel Watch 3 is one of the best picks, especially if you’re looking for a watch that features Fitbit's extensive fitness tracking range. With this smartwatch designed for performance, users will have access to the recently introduced continuous electrodermal activity tracking (cEDA), which measures their stress levels and nightly skin temperature.

This function also offers blood oxygen monitoring, providing insights into your recovery from fitness activities, and AFib detection, which lets you keep an eye on any irregular heart rhythms you might be experiencing. The established Fitbit features you can expect include sleep tracking and workout modes. There is also a unique safety feature known as LoPD. LoPD can prompt a call to emergency services if a potential loss of pulse is detected.

When you have all these features and combine them with 24-hour battery life, seamless Android integration, and two case sizes (41 mm and 45 mm), you have a smartwatch that is useful for daily life and that quietly monitors the metrics that actually matter to your health.

Many find this advantageous, making health-conscious individuals want to purchase one. One Redditor stated,

“It happens rarely to me that I really want to buy something and I'm only waiting for the company to get the details right. That's how I feel about the PW.”

Plus, Google's claim of the Pixel Watch 3 being the “most accurate heart rate for running” holds up. Numerous tests have shown that the watch's advanced tracking stays within a single beat per minute of pro-level trackers, which is pretty impressive. With this type of tracking precision, workout data is far more likely to be trustworthy.

Additionally, if you decide this is the watch for your health monitoring, you’ll love that it comes with six months of Fitbit Premium, allowing you to unlock even better insights into your health data. The only downside is that the display is pretty small, so the features can feel cramped.

✨Pixel Watch 3 pairs Fitbit tracking with Google’s everyday tools, making it an easy choice if you’re on Android.

Garmin Venu 3 — Best for fitness fans

Garmin Venu 3 specs

• Screen size: 1.4 in AMOLED

• Resolution: High-density AMOLED

• Chip: Garmin performance platform

• Battery life: 10 to 14 days (smartwatch mode)

• Sensors: Multi-band GPS, optical HR, VO₂ max, Pulse Ox, Body Battery, training and recovery metrics

• OS: Garmin OS (Garmin Connect)

• Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS/GNSS

• Water resistance: 50m

Garmin Venu 3 pros and cons

Garmin Venu 3 features and benefits

The Garmin Venu 3 is a powerful fitness tracker designed for individuals seeking more than just step counts. This smartwatch is a health and training companion that puts incredible fitness data at your fingertips.

For example, Garmin's Venu 3 features an upgraded Body Battery that tracks heart rate, blood oxygen levels, HRV-based stress, and nightly skin temperature trends. These features give you impressive insights into how your body reacts to everything from meditation to workouts, allowing you to adjust as needed to improve your overall health and well-being.

The Garmin Venu 3 also comes with a Sleep Coach feature. Yes, it’s a smartwatch that actually coaches you on getting a better night's rest. With this feature, you can expect personalised advice on how to improve your rest. Then there are also the many post-workout recovery insights that let you estimate how long you need to bounce back.

When you add in the vast animated exercise guides, workout benefit breakdowns, and VO₂ Max tracking to the mix, you’ve got a smartwatch that's more like a coach than a gadget. To drive home why it matters, as proven in big-picture fitness research, wearable devices can now approximate VO₂ max with lab-level accuracy (r ~ 0.82). So, when Garmin’s Venu 3 gives you VO₂ max and recovery insights, you’re tapping into legitimately science-backed data.

What’s more, this smartwatch balances these fitness-forward health monitoring features with everyday tech help. With this smartwatch, you’ll get access to a built-in mic with voice assistant access, Spotify playlist support, and speakerphone call capability.

You’ll also likely be impressed by this beast's max two-week battery life capabilities, accurate GPS, and Garmin Coach training plans that are uber helpful to runners, cyclists, and gym goers who want long-haul reliability and data they can trust. The only downside is it's not as flashy as other options on this list, with a user interface that isn’t anything to write home about and fewer supported applications than its competitors.     One Redditor even said,

“Got mine two days ago. Love it. I have an iPhone, so I cannot text. Wish they’d enable that for iPhone too. A little disappointed at the Siri options as well.”

This highlights the limited third-party support, but the watch remains a decent option.

✨The Venu 3 is made for people who train hard and want a watch that keeps up from workout to recovery.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 — Best for sleep and wellness

Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 specs

• Screen size: 1.31-inch (40 mm) or 1.47-inch (44 mm) Super AMOLED display

• Resolution: High-density Super AMOLED

• Chip: Exynos W1000 (3 nm) processor, Samsung’s most efficient Watch chip to date

• Battery life: About 1–2 days typical use, with longer life possible under power-saving settings

• Sensors: Optical HR, SpO₂, skin temp, stress tracking, body composition (BIA), advanced sleep analysis

• OS: Wear OS with Galaxy AI features such as Energy Score and Suggested Replies

• Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, LTE (select), GPS (with dual-frequency support for more accurate location tracking)

• Water resistance: 5 ATM / 50 m + IP68

Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 pros and cons

Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 features and benefits

By golly, if there's a Samsung smartwatch we love more than the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7, we haven't yet laid our hands on it. The Watch 7 takes that next step: retaining refined design and offering new health insights with improved sensors, plus enhanced sleep and wellness tools.

Instead of simply collecting data, the watch delivers personalised coaching via its Energy Score feature, plus detailed running metrics, dual-frequency GPS for more accurate workouts, and smart sensors that track skin temperature, sleep stages, HRV, and body composition. It even has the unique ability to detect and record snoring (through your connected phone's microphone), something very few smartwatches attempt.

But what really makes the Watch 7 special is its focus on sleep. Sleep trackers from top wearables, including Samsung, now aim to routinely match or outperform the accuracy of actigraphy, the sleep monitoring method you'd get in clinics. That’s how seriously the Galaxy Watch 7 takes your rest. It delivers detailed insights into your sleep stages, overnight oxygen levels, and total sleep duration, and then brings that information together in a way that is easy to understand.

In terms of wellness features, this smartwatch is quite impressive, offering body composition analysis and bringing smart scale metrics to your wrist. It also supports health monitoring and tracking for more than 100 activities, and it will automatically detect what you’re doing when you’re doing it. Plus, the Play Store integration gives you access to apps like Strava, MyFitnessPal, and Komoot, expanding the fitness toolkit even further.

But you know what else is nice? The Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 also offers strong Android integration. This means you can enjoy reliable calling, messaging, and payments alongside the plethora of fitness monitoring features. However, we would be remiss not to mention that some of the most advanced features, such as sleep apnea detection (only available in the US), cycle predictions, and Galaxy AI tools, work best with a Samsung phone. It also doesn’t offer as many features as competitors for health monitoring, with many features limited to paired Samsung phones.

Despite this, in our opinion, for Android users who value wellness tools that feel more complete, the Galaxy Watch 7 offers one of the strongest sleep tracking packages available while still delivering reliable everyday fitness features and smart connectivity.

✨The Galaxy Watch 7 puts better sleep and wellness at the center while still handling your daily health tracking.

Fitbit Sense 2 — Best budget-friendly smartwatch

This product is currently sold-out. While you wait, have a look at our other cost-effective options and our listed Fitbits

Fitbit Sense 2 specs

• Screen size: 1.58 in AMOLED

• Resolution: High-density AMOLED

• Chip: Fitbit performance platform

• Battery life: 6+ days

• Sensors: Optical HR, EDA (stress), SpO₂, skin temp, sleep stages

• OS: Fitbit OS

• Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS (select models)

• Water resistance: 50m

Fitbit Sense 2 pros and cons

Fitbit Sense 2 features and benefits

Now we know that the Fitbit Sense 2 smartwatch — or tracker — might not have all the bells and whistles that many other smartwatches on this list have, but it's still a solid option. This is especially true if you’re on a budget and want a smartwatch that focuses more on fitness than anything else.

One Redditor even said:

“If you like the idea of a fitness tracker in a smartwatch shape (which I do), it's a really nice choice, I like how it feels on my wrist personally, and it's well built in my opinion.”

The Fitbit Sense 2 runs for up to six days on a single charge, tracks stress with electrodermal activity (EDA) sensors, monitors sleep with stage breakdowns, and keeps tabs on heart rate and SpO₂. The stress nudges paired with sleep insights help beginners and budget-minded users build healthier routines without the data overload typically found in high-end athlete watches.

And just because it focuses on fitness, it doesn’t mean you get no other features. With this smartwatch, you also get GPS for runs or rides, an AMOLED display that’s easy to read outdoors, and Google’s touches like Wallet for payments and Maps with turn-by-turn directions. There is also a built-in mic and speaker, allowing you to take Bluetooth calls or use voice assistants, giving it just enough smartwatch credibility.

Although it won’t satisfy hardcore marathoners or triathletes who demand advanced training analytics, as a “gateway health watch,” the Sense 2 gives you reliable wellness tracking and a design that works across both iOS and Android.

✨The Sense 2 is straightforward, affordable, and reliable for anyone who wants health tracking without the high price tag.

The best smartwatches compared

If you’ve read this far and are still undecided, here is a side-by-side comparison of all five smartwatches that are good picks for health monitoring. Use the table below as a guide to help you pick the model that makes the most sense for your lifestyle:

Price Comparison Table

*Prices taken at date of publish - subject to change daily

Honorable mentions

• Apple Watch Ultra Series: For adventurers who want rugged features and a longer battery life.

• Garmin Forerunner Series: For runners and endurance athletes needing GPS precision.

• Withings ScanWatch: For those who want a hybrid design with medical-grade certifications.

Shopping tips for finding the best smartwatch for your needs

When it’s time to go shopping and find a new smartwatch, there are a few tips you can keep in mind to ensure you’re getting the best possible solution to your health monitoring woes.

Match ecosystems

In our experience, the first thing you should do is match your phone's ecosystem to your smartwatch, as we mentioned earlier. This means that if you have an iPhone, it might be best to get an Apple smartwatch. Alternatively, if you have a Galaxy or Pixel phone, consider getting an Android smartwatch. Following this tip will ensure you get the most use out of your smartwatch.

Consider battery life

You should keep in mind that battery matters. For some people, a smartwatch needs to last days, while others don’t mind if they need to charge it up daily. Figure out where you stand and shop accordingly so you’re not disappointed.

Determine your needs

Then, consider what you need your smartwatch to do for you. For example, do you want a smartwatch that is focused more on training, like the Garmin or the Fitbit Sense 2? Or do you need one with more of a wellness focus, like the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7? Or what about one that provides a balance like the Apple Series 10? If you go into the purchase knowing what you want, you’re more likely to be happy with your decision.

Establish a budget

Next, you need to factor in your budget. Nowadays, smartwatches can be pretty pricey, and not everyone has the budget flexibility to splurge on their latest wrist accessory. So, establish how much you’re willing to spend and look at watches in that pricing tier. However, whether you’re shopping entry-level, mid-range, or premium, you’ll most certainly find something you like, especially if you shop refurbished.

Consider refurbished

Our final shopping tip is to consider shopping for refurbished items. Now, we may be biased, but shopping refurbished with Back Market gets you a quality, Verified Refurbished smartwatch, and you pay 20% to 50% less with warranty coverage. It's a sweet deal; one you may want to capitalise on.

Plus, if you find you don't quite have enough cash to make it work, even with our discounts, consider our trade in program. It's simple and gives you cash back in your pocket to get a new smartwatch to begin your health monitoring journey.

​​✨​ At the end of the day, the best smartwatch is the one that matches your phone, fits your lifestyle, and works within your budget.

The wrap-up on the best smartwatches for health monitoring

We hope that our list has helped you find the best smartwatch for health monitoring, but we would like to reiterate that there is no universal “best.” Just as one man's trash is another man's treasure, the best smartwatch for one person doesn’t necessarily make it the best for another.

That’s why it's important to focus on your needs, goals, and lifestyle when picking out your next smartwatch. It's also a good idea to remember that you have options, especially if you choose to buy refurbished.

At Back Market, we offer many different types of smartwatches at affordable prices. Whether you’re looking for an Apple Watch because of its accurate health tracking, a Pixel for its Android synergy, a Samsung for its wellness features, a Garmin for its athletic focus, or a Fitbit for its budget-friendliness, we’ve got you covered.

So, if you want value and peace of mind, choose to buy from Back Market. You can have a look at more options or learn more about our commitment to eco-friendly tech refurbishing here. Because we’re all for helping the planet, one less tech landfill at a time.