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The lowest scoring fitness trackers in our testing
Run (don't walk) away from these fitness bands and watches that failed to get our experts' heart rates up.
Last updated: 4 Dec 2025
If you’re motivated to get healthy in the new year, you might be considering a fitness tracker to monitor your efforts and motivate you to keep going.
Or perhaps you’re not planning on changing your lounge lizard ways but you want to buy a nice gift for the gym bunny in your life.
Either way, these fitness trackers can be safely removed from your shortlist. They’re the lowest scorers in our test of 38 models on the market.
“Ease of use, comfort and distance accuracy are key components of our test and some of these devices stumbled when it comes to comfort, while others have some annoying quirks that turned our testers off” says CHOICE tech expert Peter Zaluzny.
“Some otherwise decent fitness bands or smartwatches have been let down by poor performance in some important areas.”
The lowest scoring fitness trackers in our tests
If you want to track your progress or you’re planning to buy a fitness band as a gift, step away from these four products. The CHOICE Expert Ratings for these models aren’t bad, but they’re not exactly great either when you consider that a number of the top performers cost the same or even less than these.
Apple Watch Ultra 2 GPS + Cellular, 49mm Black Titanium Case with Dark Green Alpine Loop – Medium
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 77%
- Distance accuracy score: 99%
- Price: $1399
This Apple watch is a serious piece of kit, but it scored the lowest of any product we tested.
Why?
Because our CHOICE testing focuses on its use for the average fitness freak, not a serious diver or triathlete. While it boasts some fancy features that might be handy for serious enthusiasts or semi professionals (like the ability to function a whopping 100 metres underwater), it really isn’t a good option for the average person looking to stay fit with an easy-to-use, comfortable device.It achieved impressive results in our technical tests, with near-perfect results for distance accuracy and pace count, and it has features like fall detection, built-in GPS and the ability to receive phone notifications, reply to texts and receive or reject calls.
Ultimately, this watch just isn’t worth the price tag if you don’t need the high-tech specialist features it boasts. The most popular features are available in other models that are both cheaper and more comfortable.
Read the full Apple Watch Ultra 2 GPS + Cellular, 49mm Black Titanium Case with Dark Green Alpine Loop – Medium review.
Google Fitbit Charge 6
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 78%
- Distance accuracy score: 97%
- Price: $260
Yes, Fitbit is now owned by Google. While “Google Fitbit” is a bit more of a mouthful than the original, the new ownership could mean new and improved features for Fitbits, but the jury is still out on this for now.
Unfortunately, the Charge 6 didn’t impress our experts: it’s one of the lowest scoring fitness bands in our review. The CHOICE Expert Rating of 78% isn’t bad, but it’s not exactly great either when you consider that a number of the top performers cost the same or even less than this one.
It did perform quite well in terms of accuracy and our experts liked its apps and website, but they had a few quibbles.
The features on offer with the Charge 6 require an ongoing subscription
The band struggled to sync with the phone during setup, and the date resets when you’re browsing old data or drilling down into details which is frustrating when you’re trying to track your progress over time. (One or both of these problems occurred with all three Google bands we tested.) And while the band is comfortable to wear, some testers found it a bit awkward to fasten.
The features on offer with the Charge 6 also require an ongoing subscription, which may not be appealing for people who just want to count their steps and do some sleep tracking. You don’t need a subscription for many features of the Charge 6’s predecessor – the Charge 5 – so it might be better value for money depending on what you want from a fitness tracker.
Read the full Google Fitbit Charge 6 review.
Garmin Vivosmart 5 Small/Medium
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 78%
- Distance accuracy score: 97%
- Price: $249
This is one to avoid if you’re planning to track your steps or distance while walking or running with a pram. While it’s very accurate when your arm is swinging free, it doesn’t accurately record your distance or step count when your arm is relatively still – so you won’t get the credit for all those steps you did while pushing the baby in a pram, or any other activity where you’re not moving your arms much.
On the plus side, it has very good Android and iOS apps for monitoring data, and our testers found it very easy to set up.
Like the Charge 6 above, there are better fitness trackers to buy if you have a budget of around $250.
Read the full Garmin Vivosmart 5 review.
Apple Watch Ultra 2 GPS + Cellular, 49mm Black Titanium Case with Black Titanium Ocean Band
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 79%
- Distance accuracy score: 99%
- Price: $1399
This is the same watch as the Ultra 2 we’ve mentioned earlier, just with a different band. We’ve tested this separately because comfort is a significant factor when using a fitness tracker.
Though it still only scores 58% for comfort, our trialists did find this band slightly more comfortable (highlighting the importance of getting a band that feels perfect for you), but its other scores are identical to the watch with the Alpine Loop band.
Unless you are training for the next Olympic game triathlon, you can get better performance for less money by choosing a better scoring product.
Read the full Apple Watch Ultra 2 GPS + Cellular, 49mm Black Titanium Case with Black Titanium Ocean Band review.
Apple Watch SE 3 GPS + Cellular, 44mm Midnight Aluminium Case with Midnight Sport Band – M/L
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 79%
- Distance accuracy score: 97%
- Price: $539
This Apple watch has a high-contrast screen that’s easy to see in bright daylight as well as other features like fall detection and a built-in GPS. It has excellent accuracy for pace count and distance, however, it’s only OK for ease of use. In particular adjusting the fit isn’t simple.
You’ll need to supply your own USB-C charger. If tracking your steps is important to you, the supplied watch faces don’t show your steps, so you’ll need to use a third-party app to track your steps.
Read the full Apple Watch SE 3 GPS + Cellular, 44mm Midnight Aluminium Case with Midnight Sport Band – M/L review.
CMF by Nothing Watch 3 Pro with Liquid Silicon Strap
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 79%
- Distance accuracy score: 99%
- Price: $179
This watch has excellent accuracy for pace count and distance, but our trialists only rated it as ‘OK’ for comfort. You’ll need to have your own USB-A charger and the raised watch edge can be an impedance when swiping. Another annoyance is that you won’t be able to view the polarised screen if you’re wearing polarised sunglasses.
This is one of the cheapest fitness watches in our test, however, we’ve tested other sub-$200 models that score ‘very good’ overall, making them a better option to consider.
Read the full CMF by Nothing Watch 3 Pro with Liquid Silicon Strap.
