Fitness trackers and smart rings for body composition goals

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TL;DR

Almost no wearable measures body fat. Samsung's Galaxy Watch is the main exception.
Trackers help by showing sleep, recovery and activity, which drive fat loss over time.
Oura Ring 5 is our pick if you care about sleep and recovery. Apple Watch if you live on iPhone.

Plenty of sites will tell you a ring or watch tracks your body fat. Most don't. What they do track matters anyway. Poor sleep makes you hungrier and weaker in the gym. A tracker shows you that pattern so you can fix it.

Oura Ring 5

Best for recoverySmart ring

Oura tracks sleep, heart rate variability, resting heart rate, temperature trends and daily activity from a ring. Ring 5 is Oura's smallest ring so far. It doesn't measure body fat. It tells you if you're recovering well enough to keep training hard. Oura sizes differ from standard ring sizes and from Oura Ring 4, so start with the sizing kit. On Amazon, the kit gives you a credit toward the ring.

Good

Great sleep and recovery data
Nothing on your wrist
About a week of battery life

Watch for

Needs a monthly membership for full features
No screen, no body fat reading
Buy the sizing kit first

Start with the sizing kit

Amazfit Helio Strap

No subscriptionScreenless band

A screenless band that tracks heart rate, sleep and recovery, the same idea as Whoop, with no monthly fee. Everything shows in the free Zepp app. Battery runs up to 10 days. It can also send live heart rate to gym machines and other watches during workouts.

Good

No monthly fee
Up to 10 days of battery
Works with iPhone and Android

Watch for

No screen, so you check the app
No body fat reading

Check price on Amazon

Samsung Galaxy Watch

Only watch with body fatSmartwatch with body composition

Recent Galaxy Watch models can estimate body composition. You press two fingers on the side buttons and it runs a quick reading. It's the same idea as a smart scale, on your wrist. Works best with Android phones.

Good

Body fat estimate on your wrist
Full smartwatch features

Watch for

Best with Samsung or Android phones
Same water limits as a scale

Check price on Amazon

Apple Watch

Best for iPhoneSmartwatch

The Apple Watch tracks workouts, heart rate, steps and sleep, and feeds everything into Apple Health. Pair it with a Wi-Fi scale that syncs to Apple Health and you have your whole picture in one app.

Good

Best activity tracking on iPhone
Works with most scales through Apple Health

Watch for

No body fat reading
Daily charging

Check price on Amazon

Fitbit Charge 6

Best budgetFitness band

A simple band that tracks steps, heart rate, workouts and sleep for much less than a smartwatch. Enough for most people who just want to move more and see it.

Good

Low price
Long battery life

Watch for

Small screen
No body fat reading

Check price on Amazon

How to pick one

Match your phone. Apple Watch needs an iPhone. Galaxy Watch works best with Android. Oura and Amazfit work with both.

Check for a membership. Oura charges monthly for full features. Add that to the price. The Amazfit Helio Strap has no monthly fee.

Pair it with a real body fat tool. Your tracker covers sleep and activity. A smart scale or tape and calipers cover body fat. Put the weekly numbers in one tracking sheet.