Want to give your loved one a smartwatch, but are utterly confused as to which model would suit them most? We understand. With such a mind-boggling array of fitness trackers available, it is easy to make an honest mistake and invest in something that will ultimately end up collecting dust. Picking a smartwatch for yourself is hard enough, never mind if you are buying one for someone else.
Do not worry, though — this is where we can lend a helping hand. Below, you will find some general guidelines and specific recommendations that can help you choose the best fitness tracker gifts for your friends and family.
- Shopping for fitness trackers this Black Friday? Check our curated list of the best Black Friday smartwatch deals for all the top discounts.
General rules when buying a smartwatch as a gift
Make sure it is compatible with the recipient's phone: Smartwatches are generally compatible with both iPhone and Android devices, but some models may only work with one type of operating system. For example, the TicWatch Atlas — a great budget-friendly alternative to the pricier Garmin Forerunner 265 or Fenix 7 — is not compatible with iOS and only works with Android 8.0 or higher.
Think about what they will use it for: Smartwatches come in all shapes and sizes, so make sure your gift matches their lifestyle and has genuine potential to bring value into their life. For example, check whether it comes with a reliable GPS (a non-negotiable feature for outdoor enthusiasts), long battery life (something that is very cherished by busy individuals) or a high waterproof rating (a must-have for keen swimmers and triathletes).
Lean towards customizable options: Smartwatches with interchangeable straps and bezels allow for more personalization, and therefore are more likely to suit the recipient's sense of style. Even if your choice of design does not end up landing well with them, they can still change it to one of their liking.
Add a personal touch: Some brands allow you to create a custom watch face or even engrave the back of the smartwatch with a message of your choice. If that is not possible, write a handwritten note to include with the gift. It is the intention that matters!
What to buy fitness enthusiasts — go for the top brands
Fitness enthusiasts are the most difficult people to buy smartwatches for. They know their fitness trackers inside out, they can tell the difference between a good and bad model, and they often have very specific demands and requirements when it comes to their functionality and tracking performance. Before you make the final purchase, make sure you have done your research beforehand.
Pick a smartwatch that can make a genuine difference to their lifestyle and exercise performance, and ideally one that is generally regarded as accurate and of good build quality. Mind you, many exercise enthusiasts like to share their fitness stats with others, so compatibility with apps such as Strava or Nike Run Club will not go amiss here.
If in doubt, go for market-leading brands such as Garmin, Apple and Samsung. Their smartwatches tend to produce accurate fitness measurements and often come with wide app compatibility and highly customizable designs. They do not even have to be ultra-expensive: Many excellent Garmin watches fall under the $200 threshold, and they are typically even cheaper during the Black Friday sale.
Take the Forerunner 165, for example. We gave this sleek running watch a full five stars, yet it is priced at a very reasonable $250. To put that into perspective, Garmin's signature Forerunner 965 running watch costs nearly three times as much.
Gifts for busy adults — functionality is the key
Whether the person you are buying for is a mom of three kids, a business owner who spends most of their time at work or a university student who juggles classes with a full-time job, all busy adults have one thing in common — they do not have much time to spare. If your loved one is forever on the go, their smartwatch should reflect that.
Ideally, it would also offer solutions to make their life easier and more convenient. When choosing a fitness tracker, prioritise a long battery life, useful day-to-day features (for example, contactless payments and calendar integration) and robust stress monitoring features.
The Garmin Venu 3 is a good example here. It is an excellent all-rounder for time-strapped adults — stylish, lightweight and comfortable to wear — but more importantly, it boasts up to two weeks of battery life and comes with a good selection of handy smart features. While it is relatively pricey (it costs approximately $449), the Venu 3 can provide plenty of benefits to your busy-bee loved one.
If you are looking for something more affordable, however, consider the Amazfit Active ($99) or Amazfit Balance ($159) instead. The smartwatches made by this Chinese brand may be suspiciously affordable, but we can attest to their superb value for money and thoroughly recommend them to those on a tight budget.
Gifts for elderly relatives — focus on ease of use and health metrics
Looking for a fitness tracker for your grandparent? Prioritise devices that are easy to use, relatively accurate and equipped with safety features, such as an SOS button and automatic fall detection. The display is another important factor — many elderly people struggle with small, data-cluttered screens and complex user interfaces, so you may need to keep that in mind when choosing your gift.
Feature-wise, pay more attention to the health metrics than fancy mini-apps and advanced phone integrations. Elderly people tend to use fitness trackers primarily to monitor their heart rate and daily step count, and they often intend to share that data with their healthcare providers.
As such, they are likely to prefer a smartwatch that offers reliable, robust health tracking measurements, ideally equipped with ECG monitoring that can alert them to signs of atrial fibrillation (a type of irregular heart rhythm). There are plenty of good smartwatches that fit these criteria, including the market-leading Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 and Apple Watch Series 11, and the ultra-stylish Withings ScanWatch 2.
If these top-shelf models fall outside of your budget, check out the Redmi Watch 5 or Fitbit Versa 4 instead. Both of these smartwatches offer a good level of tracking accuracy and a big, easy-to-read display, and they both cost less than $150.
Gifts for outdoor enthusiasts — it's all about the GPS
For outdoors-y types, the feature that matters most is accurate geolocation. Focus on smartwatches that offer multi-band GPS systems as well as useful tools like an altimeter, barometer and compass. More advanced features, such as built-in flashlights and on-watch maps, are a nice addition too, particularly for those who like multi-day hiking trips or camping in remote locations.
The second most important aspect is durability. The smartwatch needs to withstand the demands of your intended recipient's lifestyle — in practice, this could mean opting for wearables with scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass displays, and/or those that are made out of rugged titanium and certified to military-grade standards. Consider its waterproof rating, too. If your loved one loves swimming and water sports, we would recommend a smartwatch that is at least 10ATM-certified.
There are many smartwatches we could recommend to outdoor enthusiasts, but if we were to pick just one, we would go for the Garmin Fenix 8. It is easily one of the best-performing and most durable outdoor watches on the market, and the go-to pick for explorers all across the globe. Anyone would be delighted to receive it as a gift.
However, we also need to emphasize the jaw-dropping price of the Fenix 8, as some models cost way above $1,000. If you are hunting for something more affordable, think about the Suunto Race 2 or Amazfit T-Rex 3. They are good quality GPS smartwatches, but they do not cost a small fortune.
