Everything you need to know about smartwatches

Note: While health and fitness devices provide accurate readings, they are not intended to replace professional advice from a GP.

What do they do?

Whether you’re prepping for a marathon or just walking the dog, wearable tech basically tracks various aspects of your health, fitness, and daily activity, such as steps taken, heart rate, and blood oxygen saturation (Sp02).

More advanced features can include dedicated sports modes and coaching, sleep quality monitoring, stress and body temperature measurements, fall detection, and more.

Speed and distance travelled can also be tracked using GPS, and pairing with a phone allows you to take calls, messages, and access your music playlists, or make contactless payments from digital wallets.

Left your phone at home? A watch with LTE support can connect independently to the 4G mobile network.

Who are they for?

Smartwatches and fitness trackers are defined by their feature set and functionality.

Trackers are ideal for casual exercisers who may just want to keep tabs on the basics, while smartwatches are more versatile and can include specialised modes for athletes, as well as tools, maps, and advanced GPS tracking for more adventurous activities like hiking and climbing.

Wearable tech is an excellent tool for gaining a general overview of your health and activity, and the data collected and analysed can be shared with your GP or health professional.

How do they work?

Watches and trackers use dedicated sensors to track vital stats and continuously gather data that’s converted into metrics, such as the number of steps taken and variable heart rate.

Data is visible on the device’s display, while companion apps provide more in-depth analysis, enabling you to track progress and achieve fitness goals.

Wearables can also detect underlying health problems, and continuous wear can track when abnormalities are occurring. Indeed, this feature is sometimes newsworthy, with users claiming a watch saved their life by detecting a serious issue early.

Features to look out for

Smartwatches pack an incredible amount of features and functions into their compact shells to track your health and fitness 24/7.

When choosing a watch or tracker, determine the kind of data that you want to track based on your daily activity and exercise routine. Here are some of the general ones that you’ll come across.

The basics

• 24/7 fitness tracking – Daily steps taken, calories burned, distance travelled, heart rate and blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) monitoring.

• GPS – For real-time distance tracking, navigation, and measuring speed when cycling, running or swimming.

• Sleep tracking – Monitors sleep patterns, the quality of your kip, and sleep stages. Some watches can assign a ‘sleep score’ based on the data collected.

• Voice assistant support – For hands-free use, calls and messaging, and music library access.

More advanced

• ECG (Electrocardiogram) – Measures the heart’s electrical activity and can detect irregularities like atrial fibrillation.

• Stress tracking – Uses heart rate variability data to calculate stress levels and suggest coping techniques like guided breathing.

• Body temperature monitoring – Skin temperature is measured using an infrared sensor. More accurate readings can be obtained during sleep tracking.

• Fall detection – In the event of a tumble, a message can be automatically sent to emergency contacts or services.

• Readiness (or energy) score – A score from 0-100 – based on recent activity, sleep and heart rate stats – tells you if you’re ready to go or to rest and recover.

• Feminine health monitoring – Tracks the menstrual cycle and can intelligently predict cycle times and fertile windows.

Watches designed for adventure can have more advanced location positioning like GNSS, and can also pinpoint the nearest golf course or ski slope. And should you ever need a gyroscope or a barometric altimeter, you’ve got them!

In-app analysis

You can check your stats in real time on the display, but the watch’s companion app is where all the analysis is done.

Apps collate the data logged into an overall health and fitness record, just like the results of a medical test, to give you an insight into how you’re tracking and where to improve.

Most of the big brands have free proprietary apps, although a subscription can be required to unlock more specialised analytics.

The right connections

Make sure the smartwatch you want is compatible with your phone’s operating system. An Apple Watch will only pair with iOS and a Samsung Galaxy Watch to Android, although there are brands out there that support both.

Compatible watches and phones can unlock a lot of cool extra features, like snapping selfies from the watch face.

Right as rain

Most wearables boast a rugged design and scratch-resistant glass, and are waterproofed for when you’re caught in a downpour or swimming laps.

Always check the IP/ATM rating – the higher it is, the more protection. IP indicates general water and dust resistance, while ATM is the amount of pressure (not depth) it can handle when submerged. For example, 5ATM is good for swimming and showering.

Full charge ahead

Just like most portable tech, the battery life of wearables varies by model. You’ll generally get at least a week’s use – and then some – from a full charge in smartwatch mode without continuous GPS use.

Solar charging, available on selected Garmin watches, will extend battery life when you're catching some rays.

Fashionable fitness

From traditional analogue faces to smart designs that can look equally at home in the gym or boardroom, a smartwatch is also a fashion statement, with many models available in a variety of colours. Watch faces and bands can also be easily customised to match your style!