For most people who enjoy casual exercise, the Samsung Galaxy Watch offers the best experience without a subscription.

Different Designs for Different Uses

Key idea: Devices with screens, like smartwatches, offer real time feedback during exercise, which can be a strong motivator.

These devices are worn in different ways, which affects how you use them every day. The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 and Fitbit Air are worn on your wrist. The Oura Ring 5 is a smart ring worn on your finger.

The biggest difference is the screen on the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2. It is very bright and large. It shows you your exercise information as you are doing it. This can be very motivating.

For example, the Samsung Health app shows your heart rate zones clearly. This can encourage you to work a little harder. The Oura Ring 5 and Fitbit Air do not have screens. You need to look at your phone to see your information. This is fine for walking, but not as good for running or other sports.

The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is very tough and has many features, like trail running tracking. It might be more than what a casual exerciser needs. However, the experience on the smaller and lighter Galaxy Watch 9 would be very similar.

The Oura Ring 5 is mostly for tracking your daily lifestyle. It can track some activities, but that is not its main purpose. Its design shows this; you would not want to lift heavy weights while wearing it, as it could get damaged.

The Fitbit Air is in the middle. Its app focuses on the Google AI Health Coach. It can track many activities. The device is simple and strong, making it good for various sports, including swimming.

“Having the data there on your wrist is motivational.”

Tracking a Simple Walk

Key idea: Smartwatches with screens offer a more convenient and immediate way to start and monitor workouts compared to screen less devices.

Why focus on tracking a walk? Walking is a basic exercise. Many health guides suggest 150 minutes of brisk walking each week to stay healthy. It is a fundamental part of activity tracking. If a device cannot track a walk well, it likely has bigger problems. We tracked several 40 minute walks with all three devices.

The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2's screen makes starting a workout easy. You just press a button, and walking is usually the first option. You do not need your phone.

The Fitbit Air and Oura Ring 5 need you to use their apps on your phone to start tracking. This is an extra step. If you forget your phone, you cannot start tracking your walk with these devices.

Comparing the Data

Key idea: While basic tracking data is often consistent across devices, some metrics like calorie burn can show significant differences.

All three devices collect similar basic information. The Oura app shows a map of your route, a graph of your heart rate zones, and data like calories burned, average pace, average heart rate, steps, distance, and duration. It presents this information clearly on one page.

Samsung Health provides even more details. Besides the basic data and map, it estimates your V02 Max (how well your body uses oxygen), where your body got its energy (carbs or fat), and how much sweat you lost. After a workout, it even suggests how much water to drink. You can find more detailed graphs if you look deeper into the app.

The Fitbit app is similar to Oura's but adds a "cardio load" metric. This shows how hard you have worked towards your weekly fitness goal. The Fitbit app also has an AI Health Coach. After analyzing your data, it gives you a summary on the main screen. It compares your current workout to past ones and offers encouraging words.

The table below shows the basic data from one 40 minute walk. The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 was on one wrist, and the Fitbit Air and Oura Ring 5 were on the other.

Except for the Fitbit Air's much higher calorie burn, all devices generally agreed on heart rate, steps, and time spent in Heart Rate Zone 2. This is a good sign of their accuracy for these metrics.

Why did the Fitbit Air show so many more calories burned? This seems to be a known issue with the device. Some users have reported that it overestimates calorie burn, and Google's help page mentions this. A future software update might fix it.

The Role of AI Features

Key idea: AI chatbots in fitness apps can provide personalized and helpful advice, especially if you engage with them regularly.

Both the Oura Ring 5 and the Fitbit Air have AI chatbots in their apps. The Samsung Health app provides AI summaries of your performance. These AI chatbots can be very helpful if you take the time to talk with them. If you do not want to interact with an AI, you might not get the most out of devices like the Fitbit Air.

We asked Google's AI Health Coach how to improve walking performance and spend more time in heart rate zone three. We also asked it to consider existing records. The response was great. It remembered that we do not like to be pushed too hard. It suggested smart ideas like interval walking, which we had not thought of. The more you talk to the AI Health Coach, the more useful it becomes.

We asked Oura Advisor the same question. It suggested similar things. Because we have worn the Oura Ring for years, it could look at long term activity data. This wider view helped identify other areas for improvement before making big changes. AI is good at understanding and summarizing data, which both chatbots showed.

Even though the Oura Ring knew us better, we would prefer to talk to the Google AI Health Coach. Its conversational style and willingness to help build exercise plans are very appealing.

“The more you chat with and tell the AI Health Coach, the more useful it is.”

Device Costs and Subscriptions

Key idea: Be aware of ongoing subscription costs, as some fitness trackers require them to access all features, significantly increasing the total expense.

The cost of these devices varies a lot, and this might influence your choice. Some devices require a monthly subscription.

The Oura Ring 5 and Fitbit Air both have subscriptions. The Oura Ring 5 costs about $400, plus a $6 per month subscription. Without the subscription, you only see basic daily scores. The Google Fitbit Air costs $100. Its Premium subscription is optional, costing $10 per month. Without it, you lose access to the AI Health Coach, but most of your data is still available.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 does not have a subscription. The watch itself costs $700, and the Samsung Health app is free. The Galaxy Watch 9, which costs $380, is a good choice if you want a lighter and thinner smartwatch.

Which Tracker is Best?

Key idea: For casual exercisers, the Samsung Galaxy Watch series, with its screen and free app, offers the best blend of features and value.

All three devices are good for tracking daily activity, sleep, and exercise. The data they collect is consistent, meaning they will give you reliable information, even though they are not medical devices.

However, the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 (or the more affordable Galaxy Watch 9) is our top recommendation. Its screen makes starting workouts faster and lets you see your data as you exercise. The Samsung Health app provides more detailed information, even for simple workouts, and there is no subscription fee. While all are good choices, a Samsung smartwatch with the free Samsung Health app is the best option for most people.