While many fitness trackers are on the pricey side, you don’t have to drop a fortune to get accurate fitness tracking capabilities. The Amazfit Band 7 is the best budget fitness tracker available thanks to its robust feature set, compact build, and sub-$50 price.
The downside of the budget price is that it relies on tethered GPS, so you’ll need to have your phone on you if you want any GPS data from your activities. And even then, the GPS data isn’t as accurate as a multi-band GPS system. But the upside of this is that the battery life is seriously impressive for a budget watch. Amazfit promises up to 18 days with normal usage. In my testing, I was able to get 16 or so, which is pretty close.
You have to notify some trackers that you’re going to bed in order to initiate sleep monitoring, which may not be ideal for you. Others do it automatically as long as you are wearing your device to bed. Keep in mind that if you want to wear your tracker to monitor your activity during the day and your sleep at night, you’ll need a device with a long battery life or a quick charging time so you never have to miss a moment, night or day.
When it comes to fitness trackers, GPS can be helpful in a number of ways. Using what it knows about your location and the time you were there, you can get an accurate idea of your pace when you’re running or hiking. It can also allow someone who’s not with you to track your progress or help you create a map of your route. Further, on some devices, with an additional app, GPS can be used to help direct you along a pre-programmed route.
As with so many choices, it’s all about compromises. If you want a full-color, bright, and fully customizable touchscreen, you’re probably going to sacrifice battery life. And if you want loads of information in one place, you’ll need to opt for a large fitness tracker, which may be rather clunky on your wrist. On the other hand, if you opt for a more basic, smaller display, you won’t be able to see your information as easily.