Fitness Trackers 2016. Review

If you're looking to lose weight, increase your physical activity, or simply improve your overall health, a personal activity tracker can help you reach your goal. Seeing how much activity you do (or don't) get, day-by-day and week-by-week, could motivate you to start taking the stairs or walking the dog an extra lap around the block. At the very least, it will make you more mindful of your activity level, which is a huge first step to getting fit.

A fitness tracker is the perfect way to monitor your activity easily and with unmatched accuracy. Think of it as an electronic finger on the pulse, constantly measuring your vitals, quality of sleep and step count.

Today's fitness band market is stuffed with compelling devices, most of which can do a pretty good job at the basics of tracking. But frankly, we're only concerned with the best, and you should be too.

Best overall fitness tracker- Fitbit Blaze

The new colour display is a step up from the Surge's monochrome affair, the software is easy for beginners to get to grips with and it still delivers good all-round activity tracking stats. The Blaze is versatile, good looking and easy to use – and that means a lot.

Feature check: Step tracking, sleep monitoring, 24/7 heart rate monitoring.

Best for running- Garmin Vivosmart HR+

Garmin Vivosmart HR+ review broke the record for an all-time high score for fitness trackers, and for good reason. A great mix of activity, heart rate and GPS tracking makes it a no-brainer for those tossing up a Fitbit, but dissatisfied with taking a phone along for a run.

Feature check: Steps, sleep monitoring, 24/7 heart rate monitoring, GPS.

Best for style- Fitbit Alta

The Fitbit Alta is the company's best looking device to date. The Alta with its big range of colours straps does a fine job. On the tech side, it records steps, sleep and elevation and delivers basic notifications to the wrist.

Feature check: Steps, sleep, customisable bands and notifications.

Best for sleep tracking- Jawbone UP3

The UP3 is incredibly in-depth when it comes to tracking your ZZZs. By monitoring a user's bpm, respiration rate, body temperature and galvanic skin response, it can give you your REM, light and deep sleep stats.

Feature check: Heart rate (resting and passive), steps, sleep.

Best for getting in shape- Moov Now

Moov Now is a small, round element that you clip into a strap to wear around your leg and pair with a smartphone. The aim of the game is advanced sports training plans, at which it excels, with actionable running, swimming and cycling data aimed at making you better at the sports you love.

Feature check: Steps, sleep, advanced sports coaching, run/bike tracking, swimming.

Best for style- Withings Activité Steel

The Withings Activité Steel is the jewel in the wearable crown, packing step counting, distance checking and sleep tracking into a Swiss-made analogue watch that frankly looks glorious. It even comes with a sports strap for the pool, making it as adept for workouts as it is in the boardroom.

Feature check: Steps, sleep, calories, alarm.

Best for a tight budget- Xiaomi Mi Band Pulse

the Mi Band Pulse is cheap and cheerful, yet somehow manages to pack heart rate monitoring onto the wrist for an astonishing price. Xiaomi has shifted over a million of its bands in China alone, possibly making this the ultimate fitness tracker.

Feature check: HR tracking, steps, sleep, smart alarms, incoming call alerts.