For most everyday exercisers, the Samsung Galaxy Watch offers the best experience without hidden subscription costs.

Design Differences and Daily Use

Key idea: Smartwatches with screens offer immediate access to workout data, which can be a strong motivator, unlike screenless trackers that require a phone.

The way these devices are designed greatly 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.

A big difference is the screen on the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2. It is very bright and large, showing you your workout information as you exercise. This can be very motivating, as you can see things like your heart rate zones or how far you have walked right away.

For example, the Samsung Health app clearly shows your heart rate zone, which can encourage you to work a little harder. The Oura Ring 5 and Fitbit Air do not have screens. This means you need to look at your phone to see your live workout data. This is fine if you are walking slowly, but it is not practical if you are running, playing sports, or swimming.

The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is very tough and has special features like Trail Run tracking. These might be more than what a casual exerciser needs. However, a similar experience can be found with the thinner and lighter Galaxy Watch 9.

The Oura Ring 5 is mostly for tracking your overall lifestyle, like sleep and general activity. While it can track some live activities, it 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 somewhere in between. Its app focuses on the Google AI Health Coach. It can track many activities, and its simple, durable design makes it good for various sports, including swimming.

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

Tracking a Simple Walk

Key idea: The presence of a screen on a smartwatch makes starting and monitoring a workout much more convenient than devices without one.

We tracked a simple 40 minute walk to see how each device performed. Walking is a basic exercise, and health experts often suggest 150 minutes of brisk walking per week for good health. If a device cannot track a simple walk well, it suggests bigger problems.

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

With the Fitbit Air and Oura Ring 5, you need to use their apps on your phone to start tracking. This is an extra step. If you forget to start tracking and your phone is not with you, you would have to go back to get it, which is not ideal.

“If a product gets it wrong, it indicates there are greater problems.”

How the Data Compares

Key idea: While all devices provide core fitness data, Samsung Health offers the most detailed insights without extra cost, and the data across devices is largely consistent for key metrics.

When comparing the data collected, all three devices showed surprisingly similar results for most basic metrics.

The Oura app shows essential information on one screen, including a GPS 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.

Samsung Health provides even more details. Besides the basic data and GPS map, it estimates your VO2 Max (how well your body uses oxygen), where your body got its energy (carbs or fat), estimated sweat loss, and average speed. After a workout, Samsung Health even suggests how much water to drink. You can find more detailed graphs if you want to dig deeper.

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 goals. The Fitbit app also uses its AI Health Coach to give you an overview of your performance and motivational messages, comparing your current workout to past ones.

The table below shows the basic data from a single walk. The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 was on one wrist, and the Fitbit Air and Oura Ring 5 were on the other. You can see that, except for the Fitbit Air's calorie count, the devices largely agreed on heart rate, steps, and time spent in Zone 2 heart rate.

A Note on Calorie Tracking

Key idea: The Fitbit Air has a known issue with overestimating calorie burn, which users should be aware of.

You might notice the Fitbit Air reported a much higher calorie burn. This seems to be a known issue with the device, with reports of it overestimating calories burned, even on Google's own help pages. This problem might be fixed in a future software update.

“Why is the Fitbit Air’s calorie burn so much higher? It appears to be a recognized issue.”

The Role of AI Features

Key idea: AI chatbots in fitness apps can offer personalized, helpful advice, but their effectiveness depends on user interaction and the depth of past data.

Both the Oura Ring 5 and Fitbit Air apps have AI chatbots. The Samsung Health app provides AI driven summaries of your performance. These AI tools can be very helpful if you take the time to interact with them.

If you do not want to chat with an AI, you might not get the full benefit from the Fitbit Air, in particular.

When asked how to improve walking performance and spend more time in heart rate zone three, the Google AI Health Coach gave sensible suggestions, like interval walking. It even remembered previous conversations and tailored its advice. The more you talk to it, the more useful it becomes.

Oura Advisor, when asked the same question, gave similar advice. Because the author had worn the Oura Ring for years, it could look at long term activity patterns. This broader 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 the author better, the conversational style of the Google AI Health Coach and its ability to help build exercise plans made it more appealing.

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

Device Costs and Subscriptions

Key idea: Many fitness trackers and smart rings require monthly subscriptions to access full features, while some smartwatches offer a complete experience for a one time purchase.

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

The Oura Ring 5 and Fitbit Air both require ongoing subscriptions. The Oura Ring 5 costs $400 upfront, 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 at $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. It costs $700, and the Samsung Health app is free. The Galaxy Watch 9, at $380, is a good, cheaper alternative if you want a lighter smartwatch.

Which Fitness Tracker is Best?

Key idea: For casual exercisers, the Samsung Galaxy Watch series provides the most user friendly and comprehensive experience, especially due to its screen and free, detailed app.

All three devices are good for tracking daily activity, sleep, and exercise. The data they collect is consistent, meaning none will lead you astray, even though they are not medical devices.

However, the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 (or its more affordable sibling, the Galaxy Watch 9) is recommended for most people. Its screen makes starting and monitoring workouts faster and easier. You can see all your data as you exercise. The Samsung Health app provides detailed information for free, with no subscription needed. While all are good choices, the Samsung Health app combined with a Samsung smartwatch offers the best overall experience for casual exercisers.