Articles by Courtney Lynch

If you’ve ever searched for the best fitness tracker or smartwatch, you might be familiar with Garmin, which designs various wearables that cater to both the smartwatch and fitness crowds. When you’re looking for a perfect mix of both, the Vivoactive 4 is the best Garmin smartwatch you can buy. Whether you’re a professional athlete or a first-time runner, there are many fantastic choices here.

Best Overall: Garmin Vivoactive 4

The Garmin Vivoactive 4 might be a year old now, but it’s overflowing with features that make it a worthy upgrade from the previous model. You’ll now have your pick between two sizes: 45 mm and 40 mm. The larger model gives you an extra day of battery life in smartwatch mode at eight days. It’ll last six hours when it’s in GPS and music mode. The smaller model dips down to seven days and five hours, respectively.

As for the good stuff, you’ll have all of the essentials, like built-in GPS, smartphone notifications, Garmin Pay, and 5 ATM water resistance. Mu…

Connected fitness watch

Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 LTE

$297 at Amazon

Pros

GPS, HRM, NFC
Detailed health/fitness tracking
Two sizes, three colors
Military-grade durability
ECG sensor

Cons

Older model
Battery drains faster with LTE

If you want a smartwatch with LTE connectivity that can also help you keep track of your health and fitness stats, the Galaxy Watch Active 2 LTE is for you. It’s bursting at the seams with features, including, GPS, heart-rate monitoring, automatic workout recognition, ECG, blood pressure monitoring, and more.

Connected lifestyle watch

Fossil Gen 5 LTE

$349 Fossil

Pros

GPS, HRM, NFC
Activity/health tracking
Google Assistant
Google Pay
Comes in two colors

Cons

Expensive
Only comes in one size
No ECG sensor
Short battery life

Existing Wear OS users, or those who want a more general lifestyle watch, might be more inclined to check out the Fossil Gen 5 LTE. It’s kind of exciting considering it’s the first LTE wearable from th…

Best answer: As of now, the Fossil Gen 5 LTE is exclusive to Verizon. Considering that the main reason to buy this watch is for the LTE connectivity, it’s going to work best if you’re an existing Verizon customer or if you’re willing to switch.

A great LTE smartwatch for Verizon customers

If you’ve been toying with the idea of buying an Android smartwatch that comes with LTE connectivity, you’ll quickly realize just how many options are available to you, which includes the new Fossil Gen 5 LTE. While you’re probably familiar with the main players that have been around for a while, like Apple and Samsung, this is the first LTE smartwatch from Fossil Group.

It’s worth noting that this isn’t the only Wear OS watch with LTE connectivity. Over a year ago, Mobvoi released the TicWatch Pro 4G LTE. As the name suggests, this smartwatch catered to individuals who were seeking a fully connected smartwatch, but it was only available on Verizon. One trend that continued is with the Fossil Gen…

If you’re looking for a fitness tracker that does it all, we highly recommend the Fitbit Versa 2 for its wide variety of styles and uses, including automatic activity tracking, on-screen workouts, Fitbit Pay, music storage, and so much more. It’s no wonder that Fitbit continues to be one of the many highly regarded names in the industry with all it has to offer. However, don’t worry if that’s not your cup of tea. There are quite a few other options to choose from. Whether you’re looking for specific software, design, or feature set, you’ll be able to find a fitness tracker that checks all the boxes on your wish list.

The best fitness trackers, at a glance

Fitbit Versa 2 — An excellent tracker that is built to provide users with detailed health/activity tracking.
Fitbit Versa 3 — This upgrade pic adds onboard GPS and Google Assistant integration to an already fantastic tracker.
Fitbit Charge 4 — If you want one of the latest fitness trackers on the market, the Fitbit Charge 4 i…

When it comes to finding the best Garmin Forerunner 645 band, it’s crucial to find one that blends seamlessly with your active lifestyle. Whether you’re a professional athlete or a casual runner, a perfect fit makes all the difference. As you may know, the Garmin Forerunner 645. is compatible with 20mm quick release bands. You’ll have more than enough options to choose from. We’ve gathered some of our favorites to get you started.

Durability for days

Ritche Silicone Watch Band

Staff pick

Silicone is always a top choice for fitness bands because it’s both durable and flexible thanks to the elastomer waterproof material. You’ll appreciate how durable yet lightweight these Ritche silicone watch bands are. The sturdy stainless steel buckle keeps it secure on your wrist all day long.

$18 at Amazon

Lightweight but tough

Olytop NATO Band

For those who prefer a lightweight band that’s tougher than ever, this one comes with NATO straps, high-quality stainless steel Zulu rin…

New kid on the block

Fossil Gen 5 LTE

$349 at Fossil

Pros

GPS, HRM, NFC, LTE
Activity/health tracking
Google Assistant
Built-in mic/speaker
Snapdragon Wear 3100

Cons

Short battery life
More expensive

If you’ve been waiting for a new Wear OS smartwatch with LTE connectivity to arrive, you’ll be thrilled with the Fossil Gen 5 LTE. It’s essentially the same wearable as the original Gen 5 with LTE added to the mix. You get GPS, heart-rate monitoring, activity/health tracking, Google Assistant, and NFC payments.

Budget-friendly classic

TicWatch Pro 4G LTE

$292 at Amazon

Pros

GPS, HRM, NFC, LTE
Activity/health tracking
Google Assistant
Built-in mic/speaker
Dual-layer display + longer battery life

Cons

Not a very attractive watch
Old Snapdragon Wear 2100 processor

While the TicWatch Pro 4G LTE offers some nice features, it’s not the newest or best model from Mobvoi. The most notable disadvantage is that it’s running on the outdated Snapdragon Wear 2100 proce…

Never worry about losing your keys again after you grab one of our picks for the best Bluetooth trackers! Simply pair one of these Bluetooth trackers with your phone and attach it to your keys or valuables. When you lose an item, you’re only an app away from quickly finding it again. Tile continues to dominate this market and recently refreshed its lineup. Our favorite Bluetooth tracker is still the Tile Pro. The new edition offers an unbeatable range, the loudest alert, and a one-year replaceable battery.

Best Overall: Tile Pro

One of the most critical factors to consider when choosing a Bluetooth tracker is range. This determines the distance a tracker can be found through your smartphone app. Most people shopping for a tracker are going to look for the largest range possible. While many options on the market clock in around 100-200 feet, the new Tile Pro beats those numbers by a long shot. It’s also smooth and sleek now as opposed to the textured surface of the previous editio…

Skagen’s first hybrid

Skagen Jorn Hybrid HR

$195 at Skagen

Pros

Activity/health tracking
Heart-rate monitoring
Music controls
Over weeks of battery life
Smartphone notifications

Cons

Lacks onboard GPS
No mobile payments

The Skagen Jorn Hybrid HR is the first of its kind for the brand, and it’s dressed to impress. You get activity/health tracking, automatic workout detection, heart-rate monitoring, music controls, and notifications, along with gorgeous designs and two size options. Did we mention two weeks of battery life?

Fossil’s refined hybrid

Fossil Hybrid HR

$195 at Amazon

Pros

Activity/health tracking
Heart-rate monitoring
Music controls
Up to 2 weeks of battery life
Smartphone notifications

Cons

Lacks onboard GPS
No mobile payments

The Fossil Hybrid HR models are back with some beautiful new designs that users will love. Not only do you get two size options and two weeks of battery life, but there are also tons of variants to choose from. You’ll…

As sleek as it gets

Skagen Falster 3

From $217 at Amazon

Pros

Stunning sleek design
GPS, NFC, HRM
Google Assistant
Music storage
Snapdragon Wear 3100

Cons

Short battery life
Battery saving modes are restrictive

Want to keep things as sleek as possible when choosing a wearable? Look no further than the Skagen Falster 3. You get a lot in this slightly smaller package, including GPS, NFC, and heart-rate monitoring. You’ll enjoy upgraded RAM and storage plus the Snapdragon Wear 3100 processor.

Bigger can be better

Fossil Gen 5

$239 at Amazon

Pros

Bigger and bolder design
GPS, NFC, HRM
Google Assistant
Music storage
Snapdragon Wear 3100

Cons

Short battery life
Battery saving modes are restrictive

You can have it all with the Fossil Gen 5 smartwatch, too. If you prefer a bigger case, the 44 mm size might be more attractive to you. You’ll still enjoy key features, including GPS, NFC, and heart-rate monitoring. This watch also has the upgraded RAM and storage…

Best answer: Yes. If you’re looking for a timeless wearable at an affordable price, the Samsung Galaxy Watch is a good buy at any time. However, it’s more than two years old now; you can get the more updated Galaxy Watch Active 2 for a similar price.

Timeless and classic: Samsung Galaxy Watch ($198 at Amazon)
Updated for fitness folks: Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 ($199 at Amazon)
The latest and greatest: Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 ($300 at Amazon)

What features matter most to you?

When deciding whether you should buy the Samsung Galaxy Watch in 2021, be sure to think about what features are essential to your purpose. If you’re a fan of a more traditional aesthetic, then it makes sense that you’re interested in the classic look of the Galaxy Watch. Although if it’s the perks under the hood that have your attention, you might think twice about buying it now that the Galaxy Watch 3 is available. It’s a newer and more refined version of the original. It also packs in plenty of healt…