The best premium smartwatches for fitness in 2024

Premium fitness smartwatches have come a long way from simple step counters. The 2024 market offers athletes and fitness enthusiasts devices that track heart rate variability, blood oxygen, sleep quality, and recovery metrics. Whether you’re training for a marathon, lifting weights, cycling, or just trying to stay active, the right smartwatch can help you train smarter. This guide looks at the top premium fitness smartwatches of 2024, what they do well, and who they’re best for.

Apple Watch Series 9: The Versatile All-Rounder

The Apple Watch Series 9 remains the standard for mainstream premium smartwatches with solid fitness features. Apple’s latest model builds on what worked before, with health monitoring that appeals to casual users and serious athletes alike. The S9 chip keeps things snappy, and the always-on display now reaches 2000 nits of brightness—easy to read even in direct sunlight.

Fitness tracking covers over 100 workout types, from swimming and cycling to yoga and dance. The watch notices when you start exercising and prompts you to begin a session, so you don’t accidentally skip tracking. Apple Fitness+ adds over 3,000 guided workouts that sync directly to the watch. The new Double Tap gesture lets you control the device with one hand, which comes in handy when you’re mid-workout and your other hand is busy.

Health features include blood oxygen monitoring, an ECG sensor, and temperature tracking for cycle and sleep analysis. Sleep tracking breaks down your stages so you can see how well you’re recovering. Battery life sits around 18 hours—daily charging is necessary for heavy users, though faster charging helps.

Apple Watch Ultra 2: The Endurance Athlete’s Companion

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is built for athletes who push hard. It’s designed for endurance athletes, divers, and outdoor adventurers, with a larger 49mm case, precision GPS, and a 3000-nit display visible in harsh sunlight. The titanium case is durable but light, certified to MIL-STD 810H standards for resistance to shock and extreme temperatures.

Battery life is the standout feature: up to 36 hours normally, or 72 hours in Low Power Mode. That makes it practical for ultramarathons, long bike rides, or multi-day backcountry trips. Dual-frequency GPS gives accurate location tracking for trail runners and cyclists on complex routes.

Divers will appreciate the EN 13319 certification and depth app, which works as a dive computer for recreational dives up to 40 meters. The Action button can start workouts, mark segments, or activate the flashlight—quick access without fumbling through menus. Training load tracking shows how your workouts impact your body over time, and specialized workout views display real-time metrics optimized for different activities.

Garmin Fenix 7 Pro: The Multisport Legend

Garmin has long been the go-to brand for serious athletes, and the Fenix 7 Pro keeps that reputation strong with real improvements over earlier models. This multisport GPS watch excels across almost every athletic discipline, making it the pick for triathletes, trail runners, climbers, and anyone who wants thorough performance tracking. Solar charging on the Pro models adds significant battery life by drawing power from sunlight.

The Elevate V5 sensor delivers more accurate heart rate monitoring, Pulse Ox for blood oxygen, and better sleep tracking. Training readiness scores your recovery based on sleep, HRV variability, and acute load, giving you a daily read on whether to push hard or take it easy. The morning report summarizes your readiness, weather, and health metrics to help plan your day.

Mapping and navigation are where the Fenix really stands apart. TopoActive maps show detailed terrain, and the ABC sensors (altimeter, barometer, compass) handle outdoor navigation. Multi-GNSS support keeps positioning reliable in canyons or dense forests. Battery life is exceptional—the 7X Solar model runs up to 28 days in smartwatch mode and 150 hours in GPS mode, which matters for ultra-endurance events.

Garmin Epix Pro: Premium Everyday Performance

The Garmin Epix Pro sits in an interesting spot: it combines Fenix-level training features with a vivid AMOLED display that looks great for everyday use. This appeals to people who want elite athletic tracking without giving up the look and smart features of a premium watch. It comes in 42mm, 47mm, and 51mm sizes to fit different wrists.

Training features match the Fenix 7 Pro—training readiness, performance widgets, recovery recommendations. Mapping is equally strong, with full-color topographic maps, ski courses, and golf courses preloaded. The flashlight feature, a recent addition, works for early-morning workouts or emergencies.

Battery life depends on case size: the 51mm model runs up to 31 days in smartwatch mode and 82 hours in GPS mode. The AMOLED display looks great and makes data easy to read at a glance, though it uses more power than the Fenix’s memory-in-pixel screen. If you want top-tier fitness tracking plus a beautiful display, the Epix Pro delivers both.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 and 7: The Android Standard

Samsung’s Galaxy Watch series is the default premium smartwatch for Android users. The Galaxy Watch 6 and Watch 7 offer solid fitness tracking within Samsung’s ecosystem. The rotating bezel provides intuitive navigation without smearing the display. Super AMOLED screens stay readable in various lighting.

Fitness tracking includes automatic workout detection, over 100 exercise modes, and detailed post-workout analysis. Body Composition estimates body fat percentage and skeletal muscle mass using bioelectrical impedance. Sleep tracking has gotten better, with Samsung Sleep Insights breaking down stages and offering a Sleep Score.

The Galaxy Watch 7 adds the BioActive Sensor, combining optical heart rate, electrical heart signal, and bioelectrical impedance in one module. AI-powered Sleep AI gives personalized coaching based on your patterns. Samsung Health tracks nutrition, water intake, and stress. Battery life reaches about 40 hours with regular use, though heavy GPS tracking drains it faster.

Whoop 4.0: The Recovery Specialist

Whoop takes a different approach, focusing on recovery, strain, and sleep optimization rather than GPS accuracy or smartwatch features. The Whoop 4.0 is a slim band worn on the upper arm—comfortable and always-on, but not much to look at. That reflects Whoop’s view: the best tracker is one you don’t notice wearing.

The core of Whoop is its strain and recovery system. Strain Coach watches your heart rate throughout the day and workout, suggesting effort levels to train smart without overtraining. Recovery scores, based on HRV, resting heart rate, and sleep, tell you whether your body is ready for intensity or needs rest. Professional athletes use this data-driven approach to manage training load.

The subscription covers the hardware, app access, coaching insights, and updates. Continuous 24/7 heart rate monitoring builds detailed health profiles over time. Whoop has no display and no GPS for navigation, but its continuous monitoring and recovery focus make it a solid secondary device for athletes already using a GPS sports watch.

Choosing the Right Premium Fitness Smartwatch

Pick based on what you need, what activities you do, and what ecosystem you’re already in. Apple users will like how the Series 9 or Ultra 2 work with their other devices. Android users should look at Samsung’s Galaxy Watch for similar integration. Endurance athletes and outdoor adventurers who need great battery life and detailed mapping will get the most from Garmin’s Fenix 7 Pro or Epix Pro.

Price matters too. Apple Watches cost less than dedicated Garmin sports watches, though they need charging more often. Whoop’s subscription model makes it worth considering if recovery optimization is your main goal. Any of these watches offers fitness tracking that would have seemed impossible a few years ago—it’s a good time to invest in training technology.