In Q2 2025, more than 136.5 million units of global wearables were shipped, with the global digital health market size expected to surpass USD 420.08 billion in 2025.
That's a huge number, and it shows just how fast the industry is growing.
Much of this growth comes from strong initiatives promoting a healthier lifestyle for a population that is increasingly sedentary. The wearable health market is expected to grow to USD 75.98 billion by 2030.
Wearable tech is revolutionizing the way athletes train by equipping them … with a treasure trove of detailed metrics such as heart rate, speed, distance, and biomechanical movements.
Sudeep Kulkarni, Founder, Game Theory
Even though smartphones have become pretty universal, these gadgets for exercise seem to offer more to the gym goers and fitness-focused folks than a regular phone. That is probably because these smartwatches are ultra mobile and super easy to use, offering many useful features for anyone following any kind of fitness routine, including :
Some sports gadgets even replace the need to hire personal trainers and offer personalised diet plans and training tips.
Depending on whether you're looking to get back into shape or are more focused on your running, cycling or hiking performances, it might get tricky to make sense of all the home fitness equipment, sports gadgets and fitness apps out there.
That's why Superprof has it all summarised for you.
Key Takeaways
- Fitness gadgets are gaining in popularity: Smartwatches track health metrics better than smartphones.
- Key features to check: Battery life, waterproofing, budget, app compatibility, and design.
- Match gadget to your goals: Consider fitness level, activities, metrics, GPS needs, and budget.
- Apple Watch Ultra 3: High-end performance, accurate tracking, but expensive with short battery life.
- Samsung Galaxy Fit 3: Budget-friendly, long battery, multiple workouts, and water-resistant.
- Oura Ring 4: Advanced health tracking, sleep monitoring, discreet design.
- Garmin watches: Performance-focused with VO₂ Max, training readiness, and advanced metrics.
How to Choose the Best Sports Watch?
Choosing the best smartwatch can feel a bit overwhelming. Since buying a smartwatch involves a substantial amount of money, it’s necessary to compare the features of each smartwatch carefully and check that your investment matches your expectations and budget.
Here are 5 essential features that should be your top priority when it comes to buying the best running watch or gadget.
We believe these 5 qualities should be your top priority when it comes to choosing the best running watch or gadget.
Bluetooth connection
Waterproof (for swimming and outdoor activities)
Price v. Budget
The embedded or compatible apps
Design of the product
These criteria will vary from person to person, and some people might favour one in place of another.
Remember, a good exercise gadget starts with a good algorithm. One that will process all the data your smartwatch collects and will be able to differentiate between different activities and movements.
Modern smartwatches can recognise when you cycle or when you run and make the difference between you walking or brushing your teeth. Just as important, make sure you check that the smartwatch you fancy is definitely compatible with your other gadgets, i.e. Windows, Android or iOS.
You will want to install the best fitness apps on your brand new gym gadget, which usually requires a Bluetooth connection. Find an online personal trainer and combine technology and human expertise to maximise your workout.
Battery life
A good fitness device should have a good battery life. Constantly changing your watch can become quite irritating. For uninterrupted tracking, choose a device that can at least last a single day if not several.
Waterproof (for swimming and outdoor activities)
Whether you are into swimming or not, ensure your fitness gadget is waterproof. Look for a fitness device that has a good ATM (Atmosphere) rating. An ATM rating of 5 or above is generally considered good.
Should be within your budget
Fitness gadgets can range from 50 SGD to 1600 SGD, depending on the brands and the specifications you desire. So, it’s more about finding the sweet spot between your requirements and your budget. Naturally, the more features in your smartwatch, the more the price.
Embedded or compatible apps
Just as important, make sure you check that the smartwatch you fancy is definitely compatible with your other gadgets, i.e. Windows, Android or iOS.
You will want to install the best fitness apps on your brand-new gym gadget, which usually requires a bluetooth connection.
Design of the product
These criteria might be different to each and every one's preferences, and some people might overlook one in favour of another. However, a good smartwatch is one that will process all the data your smartwatch collects and will be able to differentiate between different activities and movements.
Current smartwatches can recognise when you cycle or when you run and make the difference between you walking or brushing your teeth.
So, before you go ahead and spend a ton on your fitness gadget, here is a quick checklist before you go ahead to make the purchase.
Take note of the following:
- What fitness level are you at--beginner, intermediate, or advanced?
- What kind of fitness activity do you love doing?
- What health metrics do you want to track? (Heart rate, SpO2, steps, or exercise
- What do you want to achieve with your fitness gadget?
- Do you need GPS tracking?
- How much are you willing to spend on a fitness tracker?
The Best Fitness Devices
If you're getting bored with the classic routine you've been doing for weeks or even months, a gym gadget might just be the way to spice up your routine a bit.
Countless brands are competing in the fitness gadgets market today, and most major names in mobile phone, GPS, or sports equipment brands now offer at least one smartwatch. These sports gadgets are fast replacing fitness classes near me.
Here are the 5 best fitness gadgets currently on the market:
1. Apple Watch Ultra 3
The latest release of the Apple Watch family is one of the best fitness tech gadgets out there. Among the top fitness tech gadgets on the market, it keeps the 49 mm titanium design, while the larger display makes the watch quite spacious to interact with, which is perfect for navigating smartwatch fitness apps during workouts.
Apple Watch Ultra is our most advanced Apple Watch, designed to take users from sports and adventure … and help them stay active, healthy, connected, and safe, wherever they are.
Eugene Kim, Apple’s VP of Apple Watch Hardware Engineering
With satellite connectivity, you can send emergency messages to friends or family even when you go off-grid, making it an excellent choice for trail running or fitness gadgets running enthusiasts. Its waterproof build lets you keep it on your wrist while swimming or cycling, though it's not meant for deep-sea diving.
The highly accurate dual-frequency GPS tracks your every movement, giving runners reliable info on how much you've run or cycled. Meanwhile, its state-of-the-art heart sensor helps you monitor your cardio training improvement accurately and keep you motivated as you notice that your daily jogging session through the park shows real improvements.
Further, the watch has an impressive battery life lasting for up to 42 hours under specific conditions, even with sleep tracking for up to 6 hours.
However, note that this hi-tech gym gadget comes at a hefty price that some might find out of their budget. Priced at 1199SGD a pop, it is going to be a substantial investment.
2. Samsung Galaxy Fit 3
Last year, Samsung released Galaxy Fit 3, its entry-level health-and-fitness tracking device.
The Samsung Galaxy Fit 3 features a 1.6-inch vertically oriented AMOLED display with a 256×402 resolution. A 208 mAh battery powers the device, which allows it to be used up to 13 days on a single charge. With such a long duration, this Samsung sports gadget will accompany you on your weekly swim and with the possibility to link it up with some of the best fitness apps available on the Samsung store, it will help you through your fitness workouts and will monitor your progress.
For fitness and health tracking, it includes an accelerometer, barometer, gyroscope, optical heart rate sensor, and light sensor. This fitness watch supports over 100 workout modes like rowing machine sessions, running, and elliptical training. It also has an impressive IP68 certification that protects your device against water and dust.
For added safety, the device has a Fall Detection and Emergency SOS feature, which, when activated, will prompt users to send an alert instantly to emergency services for help.
The Galaxy Fit 3 can also function as a mobile controller. It allows users to manage their smartphone’s camera and control media playback on connected devices.
All in all, it is a budget-friendly and very useful device to have.
3. Oura Ring 4
The Oura Ring 4, released last year, is one of the most innovative fitness gadgets available. It has a lightweight all-titanium build. It is fitted with Smart Sensing technology with an advanced algorithm that delivers some of the best fitness tech tracking capabilities on the market and offers more accurate health and activity readings. The new dynamic "smart sensing" technology uses 18 sensors and pathways as compared to 8 in the previous generation to give you more continuous tracking.
To track health measurements, the ring uses red and infrared LEDs to measure blood oxygen levels during sleep, and green and infrared LEDs to measure heart rate and respiration rate during sleep. An accelerometer measures users' movements and activities all day long, while a digital sensor tracks changes in body temperature. The app is highly intuitive and has a long battery life.
According to the company, the updated Oura App offers detailed insights into reproductive health, stress, and activity. The Oura Ring 4 works seamlessly with the Oura App--one of the most user-friendly smartwatch fitness app alternatives and supports Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) connectivity. The smart watch is offered in twelve size options and is available in six colourways. It also has up to 100m (330 feet) of water resistance, making it suitable for swimming and use in saunas. However, it is not recommended for deep-sea diving or use in scuba diving.
4. Garmin Forerunner 970
Launched this year, the Garmin Forerunner 970 succeeds the Forerunner 965 and is packed with several upgrades. It keeps the same 47mm titanium case and 1.4-inch AMOLED touchscreen but improves durability with a Sapphire Crystal display and significantly greater brightness.
It also includes Garmin’s newer Elevate Gen5 heart-rate sensor, ECG capability, and skin-temperature tracking. It tracks heart rate very precisely, and its 24/7 monitoring is one of the best on the market. The watch can also connect to external chest heart rate monitors via ANT+ and Bluetooth.
The friendly interface features an optical heart rate sensor that will give you access to your current resting heart rate value daily, with the possibility to show the last 4 hours, as well as a chart showing the last 7 days. It's never been easier to see if you're on track with your training schedule or if you should ease off a bit a give yourself a bit more time to rest.
It will track your progress and will detect things such as over-training or if you're coming down with a cold. With all those options, it becomes easy to keep motivated with your fitness goals.
This smartwatch also features a VO2Max reader, which measures the maximum volume of oxygen you can use, expressed in millilitres of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute (ml/kg/min). For those of you who love to track your progress, this is still a rare feature on a smartwatch. The watch will display your VO2 Max estimate and use it to calculate metrics like Training Status, Training Readiness, and your Race Predictor times.
The watch adds a speaker and microphone for phone calls, plus a front-facing LED flashlight with both white and red lights. It’s slightly thinner than the FR965 by 0.3mm and debuts new software features such as the Evening Report and voice commands, along with expanded uses for skin-temperature data.
5. Garmin Venu X1
Garmin Venu X1 is a powerful fitness tracker and sports watch that blends high-quality fitness tech with a sleek style. Built with an ultra-thin 7.9mm titanium case and a stunning AMOLED display, it feels exceptionally comfortable for all-day, everyday wear, whether you're doing strength training in your home gym, heading out to the park in your running shoes, or simply carrying your water bottle on a casual walk.
The watch has a sleek appearance and has advanced training tools like Training Status, Running Tolerance, and Endurance Score. With band-style comfort, real-time heart rate monitoring, and Garmin’s excellent onboard mapping and coaching tools, the Venu X1 supports everything from everyday activity tracking to serious endurance training.
The battery life also reaches up to two days with the always-on display active. In addition, it offers offline Spotify support and also has a speaker and microphone for phone-assisted calls, and even supports voice notes. However, while it performs well as a smartwatch, it doesn’t truly compete with the likes of Apple or Samsung. Instead, the Venu X1 is ideal for the loyal Garmin fan who wants a more refined, elegant watch.
Top 5 Fitness Gadgets Recommendations
| Device | Design & Build | Display | Battery Life | Sensors & Tracking | Special Features |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Watch Ultra 3 | 49mm titanium | Large, bright display | Weak for sleep tracking | Dual-frequency GPS, heart sensor | Satellite connectivity, emergency messaging, waterproof for swimming |
| Samsung Galaxy Fit 3 | Lightweight fitness band | 1.6" AMOLED, 256×402 | Up to 13 days | Accelerometer, barometer, gyroscope, optical HR sensor, light sensor | Fall Detection, Emergency SOS, mobile controller, 100+ workout modes, IP68 |
| Oura Ring 4 | Titanium ring, 12 sizes | Ring, no display | Long battery life | 18 sensors, blood oxygen LEDs, HR & respiration, temp tracking, accelerometer | Smart Sensing, reproductive health insights, stress & activity monitoring, 100m water resistance |
| Garmin Forerunner 970 | 47mm titanium, Sapphire Crystal | 1.4" AMOLED | Depends upon usage | Elevate Gen5 HR sensor, ECG, skin temp, VO2 Max, ANT+ & Bluetooth | LED flashlight, speaker/mic, Training Readiness, Race Predictor, Evening Report, voice commands |
| Garmin Venu X1 | Ultra-thin 7.9mm titanium | AMOLED | Up to 2 days with always-on | Training Status, Running Tolerance, Endurance Score | Offline Spotify, speaker/mic, onboard mapping, coaching features |
As you probably realised by now, especially if you have started looking around for the best smartwatch, the competition is fierce and the ultimate choice will probably be down to your level of commitment to your physical training, AND your budget, of course.
Some smartwatches will offer a more casual way to track your physical activity and general health, while others will be able to completely replace a personal trainer.
The wearable market helps athletes more than anybody. You can say they helped us win a championship.
Andre Iguodala, NBA player
Some of the more expensive models will set you back a few hundred quid, but if you are really focused on getting your dream body or running that ultramarathon next year, it could be cheaper than having a personal trainer, in the long run—especially if you combine your exercise gadgets with the best sports exercise equipment for your workouts.
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