What’s the Best Health Tracking Watch for My Girlfriend?

Seeking Advice
1

Hey everyone,

My girlfriend has some health stuff going on, and she’s looking for a smartwatch that can track things like heart rate, sleep, and maybe SpO2. She’s using an iPhone, so that might matter. Any suggestions? Ideally, we’re trying to keep it under 400 euros. Thanks!

2

You could check out the Amazfit Active 2—it’s coming out in February and works with both iOS and Android. Just a heads-up, though: Apple phones sometimes don’t let you use all the features on Android-based watches like Samsung or Huawei. If she’s okay spending more, the Apple Watch is probably the way to go.

3

@Brogan
Is the Apple Watch only good because she has an iPhone, or does it actually do a better job tracking health stuff?

4

Darwin said:
@Brogan
Is the Apple Watch only good because she has an iPhone, or does it actually do a better job tracking health stuff?

Apple Watches are built to work with iPhones, so they don’t even connect to Android. That’s why I said it’s the obvious choice.

5

Darwin said:
@Brogan
Is the Apple Watch only good because she has an iPhone, or does it actually do a better job tracking health stuff?

It’s mostly because Apple locks a lot of features to their own products, but yeah, it’s decent for health tracking too. Just keep in mind a few things:

  • Heart rate tracking isn’t continuous all the time; it switches to periodic tracking when you’re not moving. Once you start moving, it records more often, even without starting a workout.
  • SpO2 might not be available, depending on the country and model.
  • Sleep tracking is basic—just stages and duration, no fancy insights.
  • Battery life is only about a day, so it needs daily charging.

Has she thought about an Oura Ring? Or maybe a Fitbit like the Sense, Versa, or Charge? Those work with both Android and iPhone, but the detailed sleep and stress metrics need a subscription. Battery life is better, around 7 days.

Another option is the Garmin Vivoactive 5. It gives you lots of data without needing a subscription, though it costs a bit more upfront. The Garmin app is more data-heavy compared to Fitbit, which simplifies things with its explanations. Battery lasts up to 10 days.

6

Fitbit and Garmin both do 24/7 heart rate tracking and have automatic sleep tracking. If she has smaller wrists, the Fitbit Luxe might be perfect. I used to have one, and it was really accurate with heart rate and sleep data.