GEAR OF THE YEAR
BEST FITNESS TRACKER FITBIT CHARGE 3 From $250 | fitbit.com/au
The Fitbit Charge range has traditionally provided all the fitness metrics the average person needs for as little money as possible. Building on the achievements of its predecessors the Charge 3 adds 5ATM water resistance for water based exercise and it now includes the useful Fitbit Pay hardware, so you can leave your wallet at home.The Charge 3 keeps up the good heart rate, sleep and connected GPS tracking, but the biggest bonus is the data pool Fitbit can draw on to make results more accurate.
BEST SMARTPHONE VR HEADSET GOOGLE DAYDREAM VIEW $149 | store.google.com
If you own a Samsung smartphone then the Gear VR headset has a more comprehensive game selection, but the Google Daydream View is compatible with far more devices. In addition to the whole Pixel range, it also plays nice with Samsung’s last two generations of smartphone, the LG V30, the Huawei Mate 9 Pro and the Moto Z and Z2s. Other than that the Daydream looks nicer and is almost a third lighter (making it way more comfortable on your face).
BEST EXERCISE WATCH GARMIN FENIX 5 PLUS From $999 | garmin.com
Garmin’s Fenix smartwatches have been wrapped around the wrists of sports enthusiasts for a few years now and this year’s Fenix 5 Plus range adds fuel to the legacy. The new edition brings topographic GPS maps, Spotify music offline storage, Garmin Pay and Pulse Ox Acclimation for blood oxygen saturation readings. These new additions compliment the already extensive list of rugged features, broad sport compatibility and comprehensive off-grid smartwatch tools available to the range.
BEST SMARTWATCH FOR IOS APPLE WATCH SERIES 4 From $599 | apple.com/au
Featuring a new more efficient S4 chipset, a 30% bigger screen, a haptic crown dial, ‘walkie talkie’ messaging, 16GB of onboard music storage and more advanced fitness tracking, there are some decent upgrades on the Series 4 Apple Watch. It’s neat to get six hours of independent GPS fitness tracking and LTE music streaming straight to your Bluetooth headset, but the 1 - 2 days battery life is means you still miss out on consistent sleep tracking capabilities.
BEST EXERCISE HEADPHONES PLANTRONICS BACKBEAT FIT $99 | plantronics.com
The fitness headphone market is diverse, so there’s a handful of products that could feasibly take out top spot depending on your preferences. The Plantronics Backbeat Fit are in-ear Bluetooth sports headphones released way back in 2016 that allow you to hear your surroundings, which is a critical safety feature for some, but they also have faultless Bluetooth connectivity. IP67 water and sweat resistance, 8h battery life and a $99 price tag make them even harder to compete against.
BEST SMARTWATCH FOR ANDROID SAMSUNG GALAXY WATCH From $499 | samsung.com/au
Samsung have dabbled in the dark arts to get the 46mm Galaxy Watch last 4 days, but at 63g it’s not overly pleasant to wear, especially in bed for sleep tracking (one of the major kickbacks of a longer lifespan). The 42mm model is much more manageable at 49g, it drops back to a three day battery life. Both now have LTE calls, Spotify streaming, 5ATM water resistance and over 60,000 stylish watch faces.
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