Wristwatches have been making a comeback, largely because they’ve gotten so much smarter. Smartwatches and fitness trackers are growing in popularity thanks to their ability to monitor your health vitals and workout activity. Most are easy to set up and use, and they’ll make sure you’ll never miss an alert from your phone. This holiday season, you can snag deals on some of the best. We’ve got the best Black Friday Apple Watch deals right here, and we’ve rounded up the other top brands — Fitbit, Samsung Galaxy Watch, Fossil and more — below. We’re generally linking to Amazon, but these prices appear to be at every major retailer, including Best Buy and Target. Note that pricing and availability was accurate at time of publication, but both fluctuate.
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CNET has dubbed the Fitbit Charge 4 the best all-around fitness tracker of 2020 for its low price, slim design, fashionable and functional straps and solid set of features, including GPS and sleep tracking.
While it doesn’t have a full-color display like most smartwatches, the small design makes it comfortable to wear 24/7, and the battery life lasts about four days, or seven if you turn off GPS. If you’re looking to get a fitness tracker for someone who doesn’t already wear one, this is a great buy.
Read our Fitbit Charge 4 review.
Best Buy
The 2020 entry-level Fitbit Inspire 2 is a slim fitness tracker with just enough features for someone who wants to keep tabs on their activity levels and stay updated on their phone’s alerts. It has a 10-day battery life and checks the boxes for sleep tracking and heart-rate monitoring.
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Fitbit’s newest top-tier smartwatch, the Sense, is $50 off this Black Friday at Best Buy. The watch has the most features of any Fitbit yet, and can track your stress, temperature, blood oxygen and sleep. It can also deliver notifications from your phone to your wrist so you never miss a beat.
Read our Fitbit Sense review.
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One of our favorite Fitbits, the Versa 2 is on sale this Black Friday at Best Buy. It’s a near-perfect mashup of a fitness tracker and smartwatch, with Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant on board, at a great price. Granted, this is last year’s model, so you miss out on the addition of GPS, Google Assistant and a few extras. Still, we think the Versa 2 is a worthy buy.
This deal will also be available at Walmart on Nov. 25.
Read our Fitbit Versa 2 review.
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If you’re looking to buy a fitness tracker for a kid, this is your best bet. The Ace 2 is designed for children ages 6 and up to help them stay active with special challenges. It’s waterproof, so kids can wear it while swimming, it tracks sleep like other Fitbits and has alerts when your kid is getting a phone call, provided they also carry a smartphone with them.
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The Samsung Watch 3 has top-of-the-line health features, including sensors that can perform an ECG and measure your blood oxygen levels. The stylish design doesn’t scream “smartwatch,” and it’s compatible with both Android and iPhones, which makes it a great gift for anyone.
The 41mm model is $340, and the 45mm model is $370.
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If you want to save more than a few dollars and get a Samsung Galaxy Watch that has almost the same features as the Galaxy Watch 3, get the Active 2. It was just recently updated in 2020 to include the ECG feature, plus it can measure your VO2 max and has fall detection.
It’s just a bit smaller than the Watch 3, and according to our review, more comfortable to sleep with, if you want to use it for sleep tracking.
Fossil
For a smartwatch that looks more like an old-school watch, check out Fossil’s 5e Gen 5 line. They have traditional watch details, like metal bezels and crowns. You can snag the 5e Gen 5 Smartwatch with a silicone band for $150, or opt for a stainless steel band or leather band for between $170 and $180. Prices vary depending on the exact model.
These deals are available at both Best Buy and Fossil’s website.
Best Buy
Garmin’s high-end Fenix 5X smartwatch for runners comes with heart-rate tracking, turn-by-turn directions and topographical maps built-in. The sapphire version, which has a scratch-proof sapphire screen, is the top of the line, and you can snag one for $200 off this Black Friday.
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The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.
