QUICK RESPONSE: Yes! You can use some fitness trackers without a smartphone and that is because the sensors being used to track are within the activity tracker.
One of the best ways to remind yourself to stay active and healthy is using fitness trackers. There are various brands that make fitness trackers.
The well-known fitness watch brands include Fitbit, Suunto, Garmin, Samsung, and Whoop among others.
With a new fitness tracker, you need a smartphone to do account setup and view health stats.
Disadvantages Of Using A Fitness Tracker Without A Smartphone
Fitness trackers and smartphones go hand in hand meaning the two are optimized to be used with smartphones.
In case you are not for the idea of connecting the devices you should be ready to face the following downsides.
1. Lack Of Smartphone Control
With the smartwatch connected to your smartphone, you have a chance to control a number of on your phone right from the wrist without reaching out for your phone.
A lot of fitness trackers will let you control music and adjust the volume. Others will notify you of incoming calls and new message notifications. Some activity trackers will let you respond to texts and incoming calls.
2. Short Length Of Stored History
You get the benefit of enough space and time to store fitness and wellness metrics when the fitness tracker connects to the phone.
Fitness trackers like Fitbit, Samsung, and Garmin will store your data for only 30 days. You will need to transfer data to your phone or any device to keep the record.
3. Limited Functionality
Smartwatch functionality also depends on the model you choose to use. Some of the things almost all fitness trackers will monitor automatically include step count, the number of calories burned, sleep stats, and heart rate.
There are other models that will expect you to manually input your information. The information you may need to manually enter on smart trackers includes training sessions and the amount of water you take per day, among others.
Unfortunately, to get an overall view of your health you will need to use the fitness tracker app which means, a smartphone will be necessary.
In addition, if you stopped using your smartwatch you may miss out on some important fitness metrics that record but do not display on the watch.
Smartwatches will show the number of steps or calories you burned in a day but won’t show you the average for each month or less unless a smartphone is used.
Setup Via Computer Or Tablet?
Exercise watches upload and install updates through smartphones for configuration.
Therefore, in absence of a smartphone, you will need to connect the tracker to a laptop or PC. Most activity trackers work independently after a complete configuration.
Best Fitness Trackers That Don’t Need A Smartphone
Here are the 7 best fitness tracker options to consider if you prefer not to use your fitness tracker with a smartphone.
| Vivoactive 3 | Galaxy Watch 2 | Fenix 6X | Apple Watch SE |
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| Buy on Amazon | Buy on Amazon | Buy on Amazon | Buy on Amazon |
1. Garmin Vivoactive 3
Garmin Vivoactive 3 gives you a chance to enjoy the benefits of indoor sports apps like swimming, yoga, and running.
The Vivoactive will also let you download widgets and apps directly from the Connect IQ Store. The exercise watch also supports contactless payments thanks to the Garmin Pay solution.
With Garmin Vivoactive 3 you will be able to monitor stress, sleep, heart rate, calories burned, routes and pace, get smart notifications, and much more.
The watch is water-resistant and has a good battery life (up to 7 days on smartwatch mode and up to 17 hours with music, GPS, and other sensors on) hence the right call when waterproofing and battery life matter more. It comes at a slightly higher price but it is worth every single penny shaded.
ALSO, READ Fitbit Charge 2 Vs Garmin Vivoactive Smart 3.
2. Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2
Samsung Galaxy Watch is the people’s best choice smartwatch. It offers 24/7 heart rate tracking, can make contactless payments via Samsung Pay, stairs climbed, the number of calories your body burned, track your sleep, offer smart notifications on calls, texts, music e.tc, and the list goes on.
The watch is also water-resistant and hence will withstand submersions. This Galaxy Watch can keep charging for 3 days when on smartwatch mode and about 6 hours when GPS and other modes are active.
ALSO RELATED: Galaxy Active 2 Watch Vs Fitbit Versa 3.
3. Garmin Fenix 6X Sapphire
Garmin Fenix 6X Sapphire is a premium multisport watch that will monitor your heart 24/7. The smartwatch is able to notify you of incoming calls and texts plus lets you give a response.
Users who love swimming will love the watch because it is waterproof thus before for the pool and shower.
The smartwatch comes with an onboard GPS to track your locations and offer routes. On a complete charge, this smartwatch can last for 21 days which is almost a month.
In addition, the watch can only serve for about 60 hours with power-hungry sensors like GPS on. This watch comes at a great price but is worth investing in.
4. Amazfit GTS Smartwatch
If you want a stylish smartwatch that is not 100% dependent on smartphones then consider the Amazfit GTS smartwatch.
Like most of the mentioned smartwatches, this particular watch can keep track of your heart rate 24/7.
It is also able to monitor your sleep, calories burned, and call and text notifications among others.
The watch features a water resistance rating of up to 50 meters thus also good for swimming and hitting the shower. With this watch, you can never get lost because a GPS to monitor your routes is present.
It promises to conserve every full charge for up to 14 days when on smartwatch mode and about 25 hours with power consumer sensors on. Lastly, Amazfit GTS comes at a much more reasonable price.
ALSO RELATED: Amazfit Vs Fitbit
5. Fitbit Charge 4
Fitbit Charge 4 is a special edition fitness tracker that works best at tracking your health. The smartwatch works hard at tracking your sleep, Heart Rate, swimming, the calories you burn each day e.tc.
It also doesn’t depend on your smartphone’s GPS to map your routes and paces because it already has a built-in GPS for that.
All Fitbits e.g., Sense, Ionic, Charge 2, Charge 3, Charge 5, Inspire, Inspire 2, Ace 2, Ace 3, Alta HR, and Blaze feature a water resistance rate of up to 5ATM Fitbit Charge 4 included.
The Charge 4 comes with good battery life. It can serve for about 7 days before running out. On the other hand, the battery can go for about 6 hours when GPS mode is in constant use.
6. Apple Watch SE
Apple Watch SE is a new release and is the best smartwatch for iPhone. The watch will keep track of your heart’s health 24/7.
You also get notices for incoming calls and texts plus get a chance to respond directly from the watch.
The Apple Watch SE is the best apple watch- for swimming because it is water-resistant and hence cannot get water damaged when in contact with water.
The battery life is so poor, you can only use it for about 2 days on smartwatch mode and for about 6 hours with GPS mode on. The good thing is, that it comes with a GPS for location tracking.
Consider finding out if a Fitbit smartwatch can connect to iPhone.
7. Suunto 7
Suunto 7 is a sports watch and the best on-wear OS. The smartwatch feature an independent GPS to track your locations.
The smartwatch’s ability to track your routes and paces without the help of your smartphone is among the reasons you wouldn’t mind leaving your phone behind.
The watch will alert you to calls and messages. You will also get sleep stats, and calories burned and track your sporting activities.
There is a G Pay option for contactless payment. The watch is compatible with Google Voice Assistant which makes its usage easy.
Its battery life is wanting – can serve for 2 days on smartwatch mode and 12 hours with GPS and other sensors on. The price it comes with isn’t considerable to many.
Summary
A smartwatch is a perfect upgrade for people who are much into fitness and wellness and will cost anywhere from $70 to $200. Smartwatches will help monitor fitness signs of progress.
They will also alert you to health abnormalities. In addition, most super watches will let you make, answer and respond to text messages right from the wrist without reaching for your phone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Would I Want To Use My Fitness Tracker Without A Smartphone?
There are people who prefer not to own a smartphone some of them for reasons such as not wanting to rely heavily on them.
Others say it is a financial consideration because smartphones come at a high price. With that said, you may now be wondering how if it would be possible to use your fitness tracker without the cellphone app.
Regardless of the fact that about all fitness watches can be used without smartphones, there will come a time when that is not the case.
A sincere response we can offer such a question is, whether or not you should use a smartphone heavily depends on the particular workout being utilized.
Can I Use A Fitness Tracker Without A Smartphone?
A big yes! You can use your fitness tracker independently without a smartphone. Your smartphone becomes useful when you want to have an in-depth look at your fitness and wellness stats together plus when you want to configure settings.
Software on exercise watches is self-contained and by that we mean they can track the heart rate, sleep, steps taken e.tc without the help of a smartphone or any mobile devices.