I’ve been lifting weights at home for a few years now, but recently I’ve found myself stuck in a rut. If anything, my routine has become a humdrum habit, without a clear goal and sense of progression to keep me motivated. Ten exercises, three sets, eight reps, 30 minutes. I’ve run through it so often that I could do it in my sleep.

I’m a true tech lover, so of course I got artificial intelligence (AI) to help me out. Apple has just launched its revamped Siri AI and I’ve been playing around with its early beta edition, so I was curious to know if its new skills extended to solid fitness advice — and if they did, how they held up against the ever-popular ChatGPT.

To find out, I asked each chatbot to dream up a workout routine that could revitalize my fitness habits. After working through both plans and tapping a professional personal trainer for their insights, I was left with the impression that only one of the two workout plans was worth sticking with.

The setup

To start with, I put together a prompt that I then fed into both AIs. The goal was to briefly explain my physical state and outline the kind of workout I was after, noting any constraints such as time and location (I work out at home).

Here’s the prompt I used:

“I am a 36-year-old man in good physical shape who exercises regularly. Create a three-day overall workout plan for me with the goals of hypertrophy and building muscle. The workout will be done in a small home office using dumbbells as the only equipment. It can include calisthenics as well as weighted exercises and should aim to cover different areas of the body. Ensure it lasts no longer than 45 minutes. Explain how often each workout session should be repeated over the course of a week and when rest days should take place, if required.”

I didn’t add any subsequent follow-up messages, as I wanted to know what each AI could come up with given the kind of information that a regular user might provide.

The new challenger: Siri AI

At its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June, Apple made a big song and dance of its new Siri AI virtual assistant, a new foundational model based on Google’s Gemini LLM.

When given my workout prompt, Siri AI put together a plan that included a “push” day focusing on my chest, shoulders and triceps; a “pull” day centered on my back, biceps and rear delts; then a final “legs and core” day. It offered a workout schedule and suggested that each session would take around 45 minutes, with three sets of 8-12 reps and a rest of 60-90 seconds between each set.

“Focus on controlled movements and progressive overload by gradually increasing the weight of your dumbbells or the difficulty of your calisthenics,” it advised. Each exercise was accompanied by a short explanation of how to perform it, which was a welcome touch.

Putting Siri’s action plan into practice, it was obvious that my old self-made workout plan wasn't pushing me hard enough, as the first day’s workout left me feeling like I’d worked harder than I had for months. Off to a good start, I thought.

But Siri’s plan came up well short of 45 minutes, with most days’ efforts lasting a mere 25 minutes. And aside from the lack of warm up, there was also no word on how to complement the exercises with targeted nutritional intake. That’s a serious oversight in its workout regimen, especially for beginners.

To help me better understand the plans from both Siri AI and ChatGPT, I asked personal trainer and fitness coach Scott Laidler for his opinion. Speaking of Siri’s effort, Laidler said that it had a few things going for it.

“Siri’s is simple which means there is little to misinterpret,” said Laidler, adding that “the equipment substitutions are sensible for the office environment.”

While Siri recommends upping the weight as you get stronger, it doesn’t say “what to do once this plan hits diminishing returns, which is months away, not years,” according to Laidler. While it sounds like an open-ended plan, “it’s really only built for a defined window,” Laidler warned, which could “lead to frustration unless you knew to come back to the table and ask for a new plan several times per year.”

That’s a problem inherent in the responses from both Siri and ChatGPT.

The class leader: ChatGPT

While Siri AI’s workout plan was concise, ChatGPT was much longer. It explained what the priorities of the workout were and gave some basic advice, such as aiming to finish with one or two reps in reserve as a guidance on how much weight to use. It then listed a weekly schedule before laying out a simple warm up to perform each session.

Each exercise was listed, with varying numbers of sets and reps, followed by a note on which muscle groups were being targeted. Unlike Siri, there was no explanation of how to perform each exercise, which feels like an oversight with potential for injury. That was a clear win for Siri AI.

At the end, ChatGPT included a “progression” section explaining how to push yourself further, a guide on recovery and nutritional intake, then an explanation of “why this split works.” Taken together, it was a detailed workout plan, if a rather verbose one.

According to Laidler, ChatGPT’s plan was “the better program by some margin.” Siri “applies a flat ‘three sets of 8-12’ to every exercise, with each muscle group trained once a week,” Laidler noted. ChatGPT, on the other hand, “hits most muscle groups twice across the week, varies the sets per exercise, includes a warm up, and gives real progression logic. On paper it’s the more sophisticated plan.”

ChatGPT “is closer to what the literature would see as optimal for the stated goal of gaining muscle,” Laidler stated. “Reps in reserve (RIR) offers a way for the user to keep a reasonable distance from failure, which de-risks the plan especially when training alone.”

OpenAI’s LLM has a trick up its sleeve, too: it can analyze your form based on uploaded videos. I asked it to judge my Romanian deadlift form and it gave me an 8.5 out of ten, giving pointers on what I did well and what could be improved. I wouldn’t take this advice over that of a human expert, but compared to Siri AI — which can’t do any of this at all — it’s another point to ChatGPT.

The overall picture

Despite their individual strengths, Laidler warned that neither Siri AI nor ChatGPT had created an optimal workout plan. As he pointed out, “It doesn’t appear that the LLM has asked follow up questions that may have helped customize the plan a little more.”

This highlights a problem with using AI for personal fitness. While a personal trainer would naturally ask these questions straight away, an AI chatbot won’t necessarily propose them unless prompted. Without a more detailed knowledge of your personal situation, you could end up with a sub-par workout routine that’s not well-suited to your circumstances.

So, if you’re going to use AI to sketch out a fitness plan, make sure to add as much detail in your prompt as possible. Ask it to pose follow-up questions to ensure it has as all the information it needs, and come back to it regularly. Don’t just stick to the plan it gives you and repeat it ad infinitum or you’ll end up like I did: languishing, with your progress grinding to a frustrating halt.

Of course, as Laidler pointed out, the problem with doing this — telling the LLM your injury history, what feels like a hard set, your workout preferences, and more — means that “you need to already know what a well-built program looks like to comprehensively prompt for one.” And if that’s the case, do you even need an AI to help you in the first place?

If you do want to go ahead with an AI fitness coach, ChatGPT is a better bet than Siri AI for now, as it includes more varied sets and targets more muscle groups. Neither is perfect, but Apple has plenty of work to do if it wants to match ChatGPT’s take on fitness advice.

You could be forgiven for thinking that most wearable-tech categories have come as far as they're ever going to. All smartwatches look the same now, and that form factor isn’t going away anytime soon. It's a similar story with smart rings, with “slightly thinner” being the main selling point of the Oura Ring 5. And the screenless Whoop tracker has given birth to a bunch of copycats, including the Fitbit Air, and most recently the Garmin Cirqa.

When you think of wearable tech, you normally think of some sort of fitness tracker. But there is an area of wearables that’s still in flux, as categories do before there’s a consensus on what works: neurotech. Neurotech devices are generally wearable technology to monitor, or temporarily alter, our brain chemistry for optimal performance or to treat neurological injuries, such as post-traumatic stress disorder or depression.

They’re also being used to improve our brains to rest harder and focus longer. Our writer Becca Caddy recently wrote about the dangerously addictive thrills of 'over-optimization', so it’s no surprise to see the out-there concept of rewiring the brain being embraced by the cult of biohacking.

Nootropics — mind-enhancing drugs — are promoted heavily on podcasts, with brands like Gorilla Mind and Alpha Brain enjoying airtime on popular ‘bro-science’ platforms like The Joe Rogan Experience to help get ‘cognitively dialed’. Away from pharmacological solutions, multi-millionaire longevity biohacker Bryan Johnson uses Nurosym, an electrical vagus nerve stimulation device, to “make [his] body more parasympathetic, more chill”.

It’s Nurosym that I’ve been using this week. There are other wearables out there that promise to do all sorts of things — the Neurosity Crown for example (pictured above), promises to improve concentration through “neuroadaptive meditation”, measuring your brainwaves and playing music to that pattern to improve focus during work. All while looking like the sort of thing you might see Patrick Stewart wear in the X-Men films.

The Muse 2 headband is a meditation aid that uses electroencephalography (EEG) sensors to read your brain activity and provide personalized meditation guidance, in much the same way as a smartwatch might read your heart rate and offer workout suggestions.

The vagus nerve, however, is a key target for brain health. Proper stimulation of the vagus nerve is said to offer all sorts of benefits, treating conditions as varied as depression, anxiety, inflammation, bipolar disorder, obesity, POTS, and Alzheimer's. For people without those conditions, vagus nerve stimulation can improve sleep quality, regulate stress and improve relaxation overall, ensuring you're well-rested and ready to tackle life's challenges.

There's unconfirmed but promising research suggesting that you may be able to stimulate the vagus nerve yourself through practices such as meditation and cold exposure — which might explain my predilection for cold showers, as perhaps I’ve been unconsciously hacking away at my brain all this time.

But what if I got a wearable to do it for me? I decided to try Nurosym myself for a week, to see if I could really begin to hack my brain better.

The vagus nerve stimulation device costs a whopping $699 / £599 (around AU$1,300), and looks quite stripped-back for a device of this price. It consists of a fairly simple handheld remote, an attached earpiece with a clamp to fix to your tragus (the small piece of cartilage outside your ear) and a charging cable. There’s mercifully no app or phone connection to speak of; everything happens on-device, which actually goes some way to making me trust it more, as it’s not collecting any data about me.

“For a long time, neuromodulation has largely meant invasive procedures or treatment delivered in specialist environments,” Dr Greta Dalle Luche, PhD., Nurosym’s head of science, tells me. “Nurosym demonstrates how this science can be translated into non-invasive technology that fits into people’s everyday lives.”

As well as being a doctor in biochemistry, Dalle Luche is also a former professional surfer, so she knows all about optimizing for peak performance. She explains that Nurosym is all about taking “evidence-led neuromodulation” out of the clinical space and turning it into accessible technology. A lot of clinical tests have been done on this device, and it’s advertised as “the world’s most studied vagus nerve stimulator” with $10 million invested in over 60 independent research papers, backed by notable universities and health bodies worldwide.

To use it, you moisten your tragus, fix the clamp, then adjust the signal on the remote — turning it up until you feel a light tingling sensation. That’s the electricity pulsing through your ear to your vagus nerve, stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system to activate your body’s “rest and digest” response.

It seems like as good a place as any to start. I wet my ear, clamped it onto myself and sat quietly, letting the tingles of electricity wash down my ear canal and into my brain. Nurosym guidelines, and reports on the r/vagusnerve subreddit (because of course there’s a subreddit), suggest that it can take anything from a few days to months to feel the effects, which are said to include a reduction in depressive or anxiety-related symptoms, better sleep, and better-quality rest and relaxation. These claims are anecdotal, and user-dependent, and the results are subjective, with no objective measure of they actually work or produce meaningful results, certainly in a short amount of time such as a week.

Dalle Luche tells me that “factors such as an individual’s underlying vagal tone, or in other words, the ‘health of their autonomic nervous system,’ influence the proportion of the response to the device". So it's possible that I may end up not having a proportional, or significant, response.

Nonetheless, I did my best to empirically measure my body’s responses to this new technology, monitoring my sessions on a Garmin Cirqa fitness tracker as if it was a workout, and wearing it to bed nightly to monitor sleep quality and heart-rate variability.

You can watch our video review of the Garmin Cirqa below:

According to the Garmin, the stimulation did have some effect. There could be any number of contributing factors for this, but after spending 15 minutes at rest to settle my heart, I fired up the Nurosym and monitored my heart rate over a 25-minute session, and I did see a decrease in spikes my heart rate as the session went on. Note the regularity in the middle there, too, between the 10 and 17-minute marks — a clear indication that something was working.

Across the week while using the device, I also saw a general improvement in sleep quality and drastically rising heart-rate variability, as measured here via my Garmin. I’m not sure I saw any immediate, dramatic improvement in focus or relaxation, but the graphs were moving in the right direction.

Whether this is partly due to the sessions enforcing at least 30 minutes of screenless, conscious relaxation time each day, so that my nervous system was deliberately being calmed, or whether it’s due to the device, I’m not sure. But I’ll take the W, as the kids say.

For $700 / £600 / AU$1,300, is 'seemed to work' enough? When I asked about the high price of the device, Nurosym’s head of science Dr Greta Dalle Luche said its price does not reflect the physical device alone.

“It reflects more than a decade of scientific research and development, our proprietary technology, extensive continuous testing to ensure safety and maintenance of regulatory certification, as well as continued investment in clinical research,” she told me. “That makes a direct product-for-product comparison with lower-cost non-validated wellness gadgets difficult.

“When people buy Nurosym, they have the certainty of holding in their hands something that works, and that comes with very little risk.”

While the results have been inconclusive so far, I've seen enough to suggest that something is happening here, so I'll continue electrocuting my brain for a while yet to see if I achieve more definitive results. Wearable neurotechnology is still in its infancy, but it’s a technology that's on the rise, and I imagine, now that Nurosym has done the hard work of all that proprietary testing, there will be more low-strength vagus nerve-stimulation devices hitting the market in the near future.

I’m interested in seeing where the category goes. If companies like Nurosym can bring down prices, and make the technology more accessible, a wearable that improves your quality of relaxation — and which doesn’t harvest your data to feed big tech via an AI-powered app — sounds like a win in my book.

I didn't realize I'd developed an unhealthy obsession with wellness and optimization. But looking back, there were definitely signs. This was more than a decade ago, long before recovery scores, longevity influencers and what the best smart ring colors are became water cooler conversation.

As a technology journalist, reviewing health gadgets and fitness trackers has always been part of my job but they gradually spilled over into my personal life too. At one point, I was wearing multiple fitness trackers at the same time because I didn't fully trust any single device. I'd compare the data, then transfer it into spreadsheets each night so I could better analyze it myself.

Most days I walked more than 20,000 steps. Some days it was closer to 30,000 and I got such a kick out of seeing those numbers climb up. I became fascinated by the idea that there was an optimal way to do almost everything. An optimal diet, optimal morning routine, optimal supplement stack and an optimal sleep schedule.

Every new wellness trend arrived with the promise of hidden knowledge and I was eager to believe it. I spent money on retreats, courses and gadgets. I followed advice that ranged from questionable to ridiculous. And the less said about the gruelling fasting retreat where we were all given daily wheatgrass enemas, the better.

The strange thing is that none of this felt unhealthy at the time — if anything, it felt virtuous. My trackers congratulated me for hitting goals and fitness apps handed out badges and streaks. There was always another target to hit and another metric to improve. The obsession disguised itself as self-improvement so effectively that I barely questioned it.

What I didn't understand at the time was how thin the line between discipline and obsession can be. You can cross it gradually, one habit and one goal at a time, until something that started as a genuine attempt to look after yourself becomes another source of pressure, anxiety and control.

More than a decade later, as wearables, recovery scores and optimization culture have since become mainstream, I don't think my experience is unusual. If anything, I'm surprised we don't talk more about the psychological cost of constantly measuring ourselves and the role technology plays in keeping us focused on the numbers.

Why health data can become a trap

For a long time, I assumed my experience was unusual. When my obsession with optimization was at its worst, there weren't podcasters talking about longevity-maxxing and relatively few people owned fitness trackers.

Over time, I managed to develop a healthier relationship with exercise and health data. But as wearables have become more common and self-tracking has moved into the mainstream, I've started noticing some of the same patterns I once recognized in myself.

When I spoke to psychotherapist Sarah Dosanjh, who works with people experiencing health anxiety and disordered relationships with food, much of what I'd experienced sounded familiar.

"What I'm noticing in my practice is that people who already have some form of anxiety seem particularly drawn to health data technology devices," she says. "An anxious client seeks certainty and control and health information feeds a sense of control, making it very appealing to an anxious person."

Looking back, some of the periods when I was most immersed in tracking and optimization were also periods when other parts of my life felt uncertain or difficult. The data gave me something concrete to focus on. It offered numbers, targets and routines at times when everything else felt far less predictable.

Dosanjh explains the irony is that tools designed to help people feel more in control can backfire. "The most common devices I see people struggling with are food and exercise tracking apps and continuous glucose monitoring devices," Dosanjh says. "But what starts as feeling in control can quickly turn into feeling controlled by the technology."

She describes people becoming increasingly preoccupied with maintaining specific numbers and avoiding anything that might disrupt them.

"Closing exercise rings, achieving a certain step count and keeping blood sugar within a specific range can turn into a compulsion,” she tells me. “Anxiety peaks at the mere thought of not hitting numbers. What feels like a good thing to do for your health can become a source of intense anxiety instead."

These behaviors rarely look unhealthy from the outside. Going for a walk, exercising regularly or paying attention to what you eat are generally considered positive things. The difficulty is knowing when useful habits become rigid rules and when health stops being something that supports your life and starts becoming the thing your life revolves around.

Dosanjh says that cycle can become self-reinforcing. "This situation becomes more dangerous when the person believes they can manage this added anxiety by setting even higher goals,” she explains. “They are chasing the initial relief and dopamine hit that they experienced early on in their tech use. It can become an addictive trap, driving people further into disordered eating and compulsive exercise."

I think that’s what makes optimization culture so difficult to talk about. For some people, tracking genuinely is helpful. It can encourage movement, show them useful patterns and provide much-needed motivation via streaks and digital rewards, such as badges and kudos from other users. For others, particularly those already vulnerable to anxiety, perfectionism or compulsive tendencies already, the same tools can pull them further down a path they may not even realise they're on.

When tracking went mainstream

When I first started reviewing fitness trackers, this kind of behavior felt relatively niche. Most people weren't tracking their sleep. Very few people knew what heart rate variability was. The idea of waking up and checking a readiness score before deciding how hard to exercise would have sounded bizarre. But today, optimization is everywhere.

More than 45% of people in the UK and around 60% of people in the US now own a smartwatch or fitness wearable. Even if you don't actively seek out health tracking, many of the features, like step counts and calorie estimates, are now built directly into devices like Apple Watches or smartphones that we all use every day.

Despite this, researchers are still trying to understand the psychological impact of living with a constant stream of biometric data. There's no clear evidence that large numbers of wearable users are developing serious problems. But a growing body of research does point towards some worrying patterns. Several studies have linked fitness tracking technologies with increased anxiety, body dissatisfaction and rumination. Others have found associations between wearable use and higher levels of obsessive-compulsive traits, like perfectionism and over-conscientiousness.

I found that one study even introduced a new term: technohypochondria. Researchers defined it through three features: biometric data obsession, digital catastrophizing and a pathological need for algorithmic feedback. Unlike traditional health anxiety, which tends to focus on illness itself, technohypochondria describes a dependence on the continuous flow of personalized health data and the reassurance it appears to provide. I guess I’m a recovering technohypochondriac?

What I found particularly interesting was that researchers working on one of the key studies raised a really important question: “are people with pre-existing compulsive tendencies more drawn to wearables, or do continuous tracking and feedback loops foster or exacerbate these tendencies?”

It’s a chicken-and-egg sort of question and the answer is probably complicated. But the researchers do suggest a feedback loop may exist, where pre-existing vulnerabilities and constant self-tracking reinforce one another.

None of this means that everyone who wears a smartwatch is heading towards a crisis. I know personally that I did already have compulsive tendencies and controlling behaviors with food long before Fitbit released its first device. But I think it does suggest that the emotional impact of optimization deserves more attention than it often receives. Because once tracking becomes woven into everyday life, it can be surprisingly difficult to tell where useful information ends and unhealthy fixation begins.

When the numbers become the point

When I asked my friends and followers on social media to share their experiences with wearables and health tracking, I expected a handful of disparate stories. Instead, I heard from people who described becoming trapped by numbers in ways that felt extremely familiar.

Some were dealing with chronic illness. Others were recovering from major health events. Some simply wanted to get fitter or sleep better. But again and again, there was the same pattern. What began as a search for reassurance gradually became another source of anxiety.

I spoke to Emma, who started relying heavily on health data after cancer treatment and surgical menopause left her worried about the long-term impact on her health. "My watch became reassuring," she tells me. "I thought if my heart rate looks normal, I'm probably okay."

But over time that reassurance became its own form of dependence. "It felt like I was controlling my health anxiety," she says. "But I think I was just making it worse."

Sarah, who has used wearables for years while managing endometriosis and dysautonomia, described a different concern. "I wake up and let Oura tell me if I've slept well and then Visible gives me a score for the day, and that just feels wrong," she says. What impacted her most was the lack of trust she had in her own judgement. "I think it's made me lose trust in myself a little. Am I actually tired and am I really that stressed because an app said so?"

I think that gets to the heart of what can make continuous tracking so complicated. The problem isn't necessarily that you’re looking at data a lot — the problem is what happens when the data becomes more important than your own lived experience.

Understanding the cycle

Even though all of the stories I heard about wearables were different, a common thread was just how many seemed to be born from a feeling of trying to manage uncertainty.

Many of the people who contacted me weren't trying to become superhuman, chase longevity records or optimize every minute of their lives when they first started tracking. They were dealing with health scares, chronic illnesses, anxiety, weight issues and burnout.

And the data that their wearables collected offered reassurance. But the problem is that reassurance doesn't tend to last.

"Many of my clients understand that something doesn't feel quite right about their technology use, but they are afraid to stop using it," Dosanjh tells me.

She often explains this through what psychologists call the anxiety cycle. It starts with uncertainty. Am I healthy? Am I eating the right thing? Am I doing enough? The device provides an answer, whether that's a sleep score, a heart rate reading or a closed exercise ring. The anxiety temporarily decreases and the brain learns that checking the data creates relief.

But, over time, that starts to fade. "The temporary relief that comes from hitting a target or seeing a reassuring number keeps feeding the illusion of mastery over your health," Dosanjh explains. "Helping clients understand that what they are seeking in the tech is certainty, and since complete certainty is impossible, the focus of our work moves from trying to eliminate anxiety to developing the capacity to tolerate uncertainty."

That really describes my own experience. The more I tracked, the more I felt I needed to track. The more information I had, the more information I wanted. The pursuit of health slowly became the pursuit of certainty, which, as we all know logically, isn’t something you can ever get, achieve or “win” at.

What actually helped me

A big part of getting better was realizing that my obsession with health data wasn't really about the health data at all.

Looking back, some of the periods when I was most preoccupied with optimization were also periods when other parts of my life felt difficult, uncertain or out of my control. The trackers gave me something concrete to focus on. There was always another metric to improve, another target to hit, another problem that seemed solvable.

But many of the things I was actually struggling with couldn't be fixed with a spreadsheet or a sleep score. Therapy helped me recognize that pattern. So did learning to tolerate uncertainty a little better. Over time, I became less interested in controlling every variable and more interested in understanding why I felt the need to control them in the first place.

That doesn't mean the tendency completely disappeared, I still recognize it in myself from time to time. The difference is that now I see it for what it is and can catch the early warning signs.

Should wearables be designed differently?

I don't think every fitness tracker needs to be redesigned around people like me. The most effective intervention for my own unhealthy behavior was surprisingly simple: I took all the devices off. But some researchers argue that the design of wearables does deserve more attention.

One of the studies I looked at found that some of the negative psychological effects associated with fitness technologies could be linked to the features themselves. Feedback systems, gamified rewards, social comparison tools, constant notifications and the stream of immediate statistics can all encourage people to engage more frequently with the data, sometimes in ways that become unhelpful.

The researchers believe that psychological wellbeing should be treated as an important measure of success alongside more familiar metrics, like engagement, accuracy and battery life.

That doesn't necessarily mean removing goals or progress tracking. But it could mean giving people more control over how they interact with the technology.

Based on what I’ve seen from years reviewing wearables, that could mean less judgemental language, fewer alarming warnings, more ways to take breaks without feeling punished, and more flexibility over what data is displayed and when.

Most wearable companies already offer some degree of customization. Yet many products are still built around the assumption that more engagement is always better. In many cases that's true; regular use makes the data more useful over time because you can see patterns and track trends. But there should always be room for people to step back when they need to. A healthy relationship with wearable technology shouldn't require constant engagement, and users shouldn't feel punished for taking a break.

Health should improve your life, not become your life

The irony is that I became interested in health and fitness because it genuinely helped me. I learned from a really young age that exercise improved my mood, moving more reduced my anxiety and looking after myself made life feel calmer and more manageable. But I started paying way too little attention to how I felt and too much attention to what the numbers said.

These days, I still review fitness technology and sometimes still wear trackers outside of work. But I pay attention to different things now. If I feel guilty taking a device off, that's a warning sign. So is chasing a target despite being exhausted and spending more time thinking about the data than paying attention to my actual experience.

But most importantly, I ask myself what else is going on. Because when I feel like I’m becoming overly fixated on optimization, there's often something else happening underneath. Data is usually not the cause. It's just where all that energy and anxiety ends up being funnelled.

Dosanjh encourages people to approach health data as information rather than instruction. "Health tech should be an enhancement in your life and not an additional source of stress," she says. "Prioritize your wellbeing over optimization."

She also encourages people to regularly check whether the technology is still serving the purpose they originally bought it for. "How you feel is a more helpful barometer of wellness than numerical data. Be clear about your reasons for using the tech and check they align with your life values,” she says.

That's the lesson I wish I'd understood years ago. Health should improve your life but not become your life. Because no matter how sophisticated our trackers are there are still some things they can't measure. Like whether you have enough energy to spend time with the people you love, whether you're enjoying your life and whether you're actually feeling well. Those are infinitely more important than if you hit 10,000 steps today.

AI is everywhere, which is exciting for some and concerning for others — and nowhere is this dichotomy more prevalent than health. AI has the ability to enable huge leaps in healthcare, both at home on your phones and smartwatches, and in the medical industry advancing tools and research using vast corpuses of training data. However, given that AI relies on harvesting data to train the next generation of models, its use of sensitive personal information is under intense scrutiny.

Samsung, unsurprisingly, is all-in on AI. On 22 July during Samsung Galaxy Unpacked, we saw how AI was being used across Samsung's ecosystem, especially on the Samsung Health app and wearables like the Samsung Galaxy Watch. It's crunching the data you give it to help notify you of problems such as sleep apnea, irregular heart rhythms, and even common illnesses such as a cold.

It's not the only big tech company to dive head-first into AI health: Google's done it too with the revamp of its Google Health app, retooling its premium tier into a Chatbot called the Google Health Coach.

Some people don't trust AI with their health information, as our writer David Nield illustrates, and some AI companies' cavalier use of user data has clearly got users worried. Is the pivot to AI in health happening too quickly? Do we have appropriate safeguards in place yet? And is your data being mined without your consent?

It's all about user trust, it seems. Samsung made headlines earlier this month for the wrong reasons, as a claim hit the internet stating that Samsung Health will delete your data unless you allow the app to access your sensitive health information for AI training purposes. Samsung later clarified this was not the case in a statement to 9to5Google. While the rumor was apparently false, it does demonstrate how worried people are when it comes to AI harvesting their health data.

Trust and Privacy

During Samsung Galaxy Unpacked, I got to conduct a one-on-one interview with Annika Bizon, VP of Product and Marketing for Mobile Experience at Samsung, and ask her about Samsung's strategy when it comes to AI and healthcare — including how it's intending to safeguard their user's valuable data.

"The user is in control, right?," she tells me, "you opt-in to decide what you want something to understand around your health. You're in control through your phone and through the Samsung health app. That's number one. AI is there to assist you and make your experience better."

Bizon and her team also clarified that all Samsung Health features are usable whether you choose to share your data or not. This attempt to reassure Samsung users about trust and privacy echoed all throughout the Unpacked conference: when I approached someone to talk about Samsung's new Intelligent Eyewear smart glasses, the first bit of sales spiel I got was centered on privacy and transparency features. Clearly, Samsung and its partners at Google are keen to avoid the growing backlash against smart specs.

This continued during a Health Forum attended by journalists. Speaking about medical advances powered by Samsung and AI, Rohit Ali, Head of the Technology Incubation Lab at Samsung R&D Institute UK, said during the panel, "as long as we ensure that data is private, trust can be viable. We at Samsung completely believe that data belongs to the user, and we are just custodians."

Bizon said Samsung's approach is "if it's got AI involved in it, you're in control," with the ability to toggle the data you share and the data you don't. However, she did then go on to say that when users start to use these features, that "you realize you don't want to 'not opt-in' because it's giving you better understanding of your health situation." Without opting in to using the AI features, you're not getting everything Samsung Health has to offer.

'We want to keep people away from doctors'

Watch: Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 / Watch9 hands-on

"Gone are the days of 10,000 steps and eight hours' sleep," said Bizon, telling me that old-fashioned blanket advice was never suitable for everyone. "We're in a space of 'your health, your way', and that's where AI and incredible sensor technology innovation brings those two together.

"We want to keep people away from doctors. We want to give people small nudges so they can make their lives better."

Bizon is talking about AI picking up on your body's trends and seeing things before they happen, with preventative health features ensuring people don't necessarily need doctors — and when they do, they're catching things like heart problems early.

The new Vitals feature is the key to this, which tracks five different metrics, many of them based on heart health, while you sleep with a Samsung watch or Galaxy Ring on. "Through things like understanding how your respiratory system is working, it might tell you that might be coming down with a cold," says Bizon, "and therefore, you can manage that. You might go, 'I need to have more vitamins' or 'I need to sleep a bit more', or 'I might not go to the gym tomorrow'.

"Little triggers and little nudges, right the way through to understanding your heart health in way more detail. Your ECG is taken while you're sleeping. And then that is, you know, even endorsed by the MHRA [the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency], which means that you can send that directly directly to your doctor."

An AI nutrition tracking feature will also be launching in beta on Samsung Health very soon, which allows you to take a photo of your plate and it'll log an estimation of your macros like Google Health and Garmin Connect does. These coupled with the Antioxidant Index on watches, which Bizon says help users "understand what you're putting in your body, so that you can manage your overall health in a better way", have the potential to become quite a powerful set of nutrition features across the Samsung ecosystem.

This preventative health design is part of Samsung's desire to keep people away from doctors, as Bizon puts it, and empower its users to lead healthier lives. It just might work, too — as long as that all-important trust and faith in Samsung's ability to keep its user's health data private is maintained.

During Samsung's Health Forum, Samsung's Head of Digital Health Dr Hon Pak said "whether it's data or the insights we derive, someone has to trust this is right for them. And then there's the issue of what we're doing to store and use that data appropriately, because once you lose trust, nothing else matters."

Samsung is being very careful and conscious with all its trust-first messaging, and it's paying attention to controversies involving other companies like Meta. The success of its plans for AI health all depend on this.

• The RingConn Gen 3 is now available to buy
• It offers features such as sleep apnea tracking, and up to 14 days of battery life
• To celebrate, RingConn has entered a partnership with Warner Bros.

The RingConn Gen 3 has arrived. After going up for pre-order in May earlier this year, it's now available to buy, starting at $349 / AU$569 (around £260). And to celebrate, it's entered an unusual partnership... or should that be Fellowship?

Let's have a look at the ring first. It offers haptic vibration alerts for health events (not notifications), which not even the best smart rings can do. Other features of note include vascular health insights, blood pressure and sleep apnea features. RingConn said the feature is 'the first smart ring brand to introduce sleep apnea monitoring with continuous SpO2 tracking every two seconds....all with no recurring subscription for premium insights.'

The key is in the specifics there, as other smart rings do offer reliable sleep apnea tracking. Recently at Samsung Galaxy Unpacked, the Samsung Galaxy Ring was cleared for FDA approval for its sleep apnea detection feature, so it's likely RingConn's claims are due to its specific sleep-tracking methodology regarding SpO2 measurement. We've reached out to RingConn for clarification.

Otherwise, the ring features compatibility with iOS and Android, women's health tracking and activity tracking. With vibration alerts on, the Ring lasts 10 days, stretching to 14 with them off. It all seems very reasonably priced for a ring without an additional subscription, and we're almost finished with our RingConn Gen 3 review. Watch this space!

Counting your steps to Mordor

It finally happened: a smart ring company entered a partnership with Warner Bros. to celebrate the 25th anniversary of The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (otherwise known as The Best One, and I'll hear no arguments otherwise). However, I certainly didn't expect it to be RingConn.

A press release states the partnership is 'bringing together one of fantasy's most epic film series and a new generation of wearable technology' as 'the collaboration celebrates the shared belief that greater awareness can empower better choices.'

Unfortunately, there doesn't appear to be a redesign of the Gen 3 ring to resemble the famous One Ring from the movies. The release says that 'to mark the partnership, RingConn will introduce exclusive film-themed rewards for eligible Gen 3 customers in the United States of America' — but it doesn't establish what those rewards actually are. In the words of Frodo: "all right then, keep your secrets".

• Key specs for the Google Pixel Watch 5 have just leaked
• They suggest the device could use the same chip Google has used for years
• The RAM might be boosted by 50%, though

If you’ve been eyeing up the Google Pixel Watch 5, you might want to think twice before heading to the checkout. That’s because a new leak has shed light on the upcoming smartwatch’s specs, and while there’s one welcome change, another alteration has left some fans deeply disappointed.

The discovery was made by 9to5Google, with the outlet claiming to have unearthed the specs in a Google Play Console listing. There, the outlet says it came across a device codenamed “godric,” which it says is the Pixel Watch 5.

The entry apparently recorded the device’s chip as the Qualcomm SW5100. If that sounds familiar, it’s because it’s the same chip used in the Pixel Watch 2, Pixel Watch 3 and Pixel Watch 4 — in other words, there’s unlikely to be any significant performance uptick in the Pixel Watch 5, if this rumor is correct.

But it wasn’t all bad news. 9to5Google also found that the forthcoming Pixel Watch 5 will allegedly come with 3GB of memory, which is a 50% increase on the 2GB of RAM previous Pixel Watches were equipped with. That might go some way to offsetting the chip limitations and could help the device feel a little snappier in use.

A mixed reaction

The news has received a mixed reception among Pixel Watch fans. Some Reddit users, for instance, were pleased to see the memory increase, with one saying “More RAM is a great move, if confirmed. It should make everything run more smoothly on the [Pixel Watch 5].” Another added that bumping up the memory “should help make Gemini more responsive for people who care about that.”

But not everyone was satisfied with the news. “As a Pixel Watch 2 owner, this is disappointing,” said one user on Reddit, before continuing: “Support for my watch is ending, but if I upgrade then I will have [the] same CPU.”

It’s not too surprising that the news that Google plans to use the same chip for four generations of the Pixel Watch has disappointed plenty of people. Any user holding out for a decent performance bump after so many years might feel a little let down, at least if the leak comes to fruition.

Still, it’s good news to see the memory finally bumped up by 1GB. With artificial intelligence (AI) models like Google Gemini now making their way onto all of the best smartwatches, the extra RAM should improve their operations on your wrist.

Will that be enough to make up for the subpar chip situation? We’ll have to see once Google finally lifts the lid on the Pixel Watch 5, which is expected to happen in August. Keep your eyes peeled.

The Garmin Cirqa is a strong new addition to Garmin's ecosystem of devices. It's a screenless fitness tracker like a Whoop band, working with the Garmin Connect app to track sleep, workouts, and health metrics. You can read all about what happened when I tested the Garmin Cirqa against a heart rate monitor during its UK launch event here.

One under-the-radar announcement most people have glossed over is that even though most features are subscription-free, you need a Garmin Connect+ subscription to access Garmin Coach. This is Garmin's digital coaching feature, offering personalized training plans for its users to help achieve their strength, running, or cycling goals.

The reason this is important is that it's the first time Garmin Coach has been locked behind a paywall. It used to be that more expensive watches came with Garmin Coach features, while less expensive watches didn't. That was it. This latest development means we could see future budget-friendly Garmin offerings, such as the successor to the Garmin Forerunner 70, get Garmin Coach capabilities but keep them locked behind Connect+ in order to keep costs down.

While this is very much in line with how Fitbit and Apple run things on their fitness apps, it's a big change for Garmin and one that could rile existing users. We've seen how the Garmin community reacted to Connect+ when it was first introduced last year — negatively, with many people fearing new watch features would be locked behind a paywall, as ongoing subscriptions are very profitable for tech companies.

At least it's still substantially better value than Whoop's pay-annually mandatory subscription model.

Garmin acquires TrainingPeaks and TrainHeroic

Garmin has acquired TrainingPeaks and its sibling platform TrainHeroic. TrainingPeaks is an incredibly popular cross-platform programming software where users can download and use fitness plans and communicate directly with coaches. It's available on lots of different devices, not just Garmin watches.

Naturally, many people are afraid this means TrainingPeaks will become a Garmin-exclusive piece of software, and anyone who currently uses, for example, an Apple Watch Ultra 3 will be left in the cold. Even those that use it on Garmins may fear another subscription will be required.

Our homes editor and ex-fitness editor Cat Ellis uses TrainingPeaks to train for her marathons. She said: "I use TrainingPeaks and a Garmin watch, so I’m interested in what the future will hold as the two become intertwined — but also concerned for owners of non-Garmin devices. It seems plausible that owners of devices from other brands — such as Polar, Suunto, and Amazfit — might be left out if Garmin folds TrainingPeaks plans into Garmin Connect+.

"I’m also curious how Garmin might integrate TrainingPeaks. Will there be a separate Connect+ membership tier that unlocks access to TrainingPeaks plans? What about plans from coaches that TrainingPeaks users currently pay for separately? It’s going to be an interesting time."

Watch our Garmin Cirqa hands-on on our TikTok below:

Cross-platform confirmation

TrainingPeaks & TrainHeroic MD Lee Gerakos told DC Rainmaker that "TrainingPeaks will continue to operate as a cross-platform ecosystem, enabling athletes and coaches to use the devices, platforms and services that best suit their needs."

TrainingPeaks users can breathe a sigh of relief, for now — but it's not hard to connect the dots. Garmin's most recent, highest-profile product puts its coaching features behind a paywall at the same time it announces the acquisition of one of the most popular third-party coaching platforms. Garmin could be aiming to improve its coaching platform to get more people to join Connect+.

This isn't a bad thing per se — much of the criticism levelled at Connect+ was that its offering was a bit thin — but the pressure will be on for Garmin to keep its existing users, along with existing TrainingPeaks and TrainHeroic users, happy with how the new coaching features are implemented.

• Athlete Josh Kerr just broke the world record mile time
• He did so while wearing an Amazfit Cheetah 2 Pro smartwatch
• Amazfit has published data from the record-breaking run

What does it take to run a mile in a world record time? After Scottish athlete Josh Kerr’s recent world record-shattering 3:42.66 achievement, Amazfit has published a wealth of data straight from the track — and there are some fascinating insights to be found within.

Perhaps the most impressive data point to emerge from Kerr’s race, logged on a Cheetah 2 Pro, is the remarkable consistency in his split times. His four laps clocked in at 55.3, 55.8, 55.4 and 54.9 seconds, with just 0.9 seconds separating the fastest lap from the slowest. His quickest lap, in fact, was the last one, helping to push him over the line and claim the world record, which had previously stood for 27 years.

Even more striking were Kerr’s 200-meter times, which ranged from 24.7 to 24.9 seconds — a difference of just 0.5 seconds from first to last. With an average speed of 26km/h, he was comfortably quicker than the 24.1km/h required to hit a four-minute mile.

Kerr averaged 194 steps per minute during the race, with his heart rate hitting a maximum of 188 beats per minute around 400 meters in. In both cases, the measurements rose sharply early in the run, settled in the middle, then jumped again as Kerr pushed for a fast finish.

Project 222

The info comes from the Amazfit Cheetah 2 Pro that Kerr wore during his winning race.

We were impressed with this device when we reviewed it, commending its accurate features and “outstanding battery,” both of which help make it one of the best running watches money can buy. And if it’s good enough for world record holders like Kerr, it could be worth a place on your wrist, too.

The previous one-mile record — set by Hicham El Guerrouj and standing at 3:43.13 — had stood for 27 years before Kerr broke it, making him the first person to ever log a mile in under three minutes and 43 seconds.

Amazfit has been sponsoring Kerr as part of his Project 222, which is a bid to run a mile in 222 seconds, or three minutes and 42 seconds. Kerr’s record time is just 0.66 seconds off that target, showing how close he was to his goal.

How long will it be before he speeds past that time? No one can know, but you’d be brave to bet against him doing it, and Amazfit will be hoping he's wearing one its running watches again when that happens.

• Live heart rate data will be free for Garmin Cirqa users
• Early testers noticed it had been put behind the Connect+ subscription
• The new tracker costs $199.99 / £179.99 / AU$299.99

We've already put the newly unveiled Garmin Cirqa through an extensive hands-on testing session, and came away very impressed. However, there were complaints from those who had early access to the device that live heart rate data was locked behind a paywall.

Now Garmin is taking that negative feedback on board: as reported by seasoned tech reporter Ray Maker (via Android Police), live heart rate data will be available to every Cirqa user "in the coming days", with or without a Garmin Connect+ subscription.

The subscription, which applies across all of Garmin's wearables, has been the subject of much debate since it launched last year. For $6.99 / £6.99 / AU$12 per month or $69.99 / £69.99 / AU$120 a year, it gives you access to more metrics and more insights about the fitness data you're amassing.

Live heart rate readings aren't usually locked behind Connect+, so it's strange that Garmin initially made this the case with the Cirqa. Whatever the reasoning or confusion, the anomaly is now being dealt with, which is good news.

The rise of subscriptions

If you're new to the Garmin Cirqa (and it was only announced a few days ago), it takes on the likes of the Whoop wearables and the Fitbit Air by giving you a capable, lightweight wrist tracker without the distraction (and battery drain) of a display.

Both the Cirqa and the Fitbit Air offer basic tracking features and functionality for free, with a pile of extras available if you sign up for a subscription. With Whoop bands, like the Whoop MG, a subscription is compulsory, otherwise it's pretty much useless — plans start at $199 / £169 / AU$299 per year.

As we've written about before, it's a sign of the times that so many tech devices, from smartwatches to security cameras, now come with monthly subscriptions attached — usually stealing away the best features for the device in question.

If you're tempted by a Garmin Cirqa and its display-free design, it's available for $199.99 / £179.99 / AU$299.99 direct from Garmin, with availability from tomorrow, July 24 — and you will be able to record real time heart rate data, via the accompanying Garmin app.

• There was very little mention of the Samsung Galaxy Ring at this year's Unpacked presentation
• Nevertheless, it sounds like a Galaxy Ring 2 is coming
• I interviewed Annika Bizon, VP of Product and Marketing for Mobile Experience, who gave me the inside scoop

What a day! We've just seen Samsung's vision for the future of wearables at Samsung Galaxy Unpacked, including its AR glasses and the new Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 and Watch 9.

However, conspicuous by its absence was the next iteration of Samsung's smallest wearable, the Samsung Galaxy Ring. While Samsung did confirm the Samsung Galaxy Ring's sleep apnea detection functionality was getting a coveted FDA certification — a significant badge of quality — very little else was said about the Ring, or its next generation.

While the silence has led some to believe that the Ring might be a one-and-done device, people are still passionate about the smart ring form factor. After all, the Oura Ring 5 was released this year, so I thought Samsung would be looking to follow up its smash-hit Galaxy Ring with a Galaxy Ring 2.

While it didn't appear in this year's presentation, it seems that a successor is, indeed, on the way. During an interview with Samsung's VP of Product and Marketing for Mobile Experience, Annika Bizon, I asked if there was any word on a potential Galaxy Ring 2.

"I will say yes, we are looking at the future of Ring, watch this space," Bizon told me. "It will definitely form part of our future portfolio of wearables."

I noted that Bizon was wearing a Samsung Galaxy Ring as we were speaking. "Well, I love it because it's discreet health," she said. "It tells me some of the things I need to know and when I put my watch back on, they'll work together."

There was definitely a "yes" in there, and the remark about the future portfolio suggests a new device, as well as a follow-up to the existing one, could be in the works. And the Galaxy Ring has certainly got fans inside Samsung's executive team.

Besides, Samsung aggressively pursuing certifications for the first-generation Ring shows it remains committed to investing time and money into its smallest wearable form factor. The short segment at Unpacked felt like a reminder that yes, the Ring exists, and there's more on the way.

Even though it's a mere tidbit compared to all the big news we got at the event, this is exciting stuff for fans of the best smart rings. The recent announcement of the blood-pressure monitoring startup Signal Ring from ex-Head of Android Tom Moss shows that tech companies are still pushing the limits of what smart rings can do.

It’s a big day for Samsung — and for fans of the company’s devices — with the brand unveiling three new foldable phones, two new smartwatches, and its first pair of smart glasses.

And it’s not just those glasses that are a truly ‘new’ thing from Samsung, as one of the phones is a new form factor too.

Below, you’ll find a rundown of the five biggest announcements at the second Samsung Galaxy Unpacked of 2026 — these are the key reveals you need to know about.

1. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8

If you’re assuming that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 is a direct successor to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, well, think again, because this is that new form factor I mentioned above.

Rather than a book-style foldable like the Z Fold 7, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is a shorter, wider device with more passport-like dimensions. When unfolded and turned to portrait orientation it’s the ideal size and shape for reading, while in landscape it’s better suited to movies and games.

It has a 7.6-inch 120Hz foldable screen, a 5.5-inch 120Hz cover display, a 50MP wide camera, a 50MP ultra-wide, and a pair of 10MP selfie cameras — one on each screen.

It also has a top-end Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chipset, 12GB of RAM, and up to 1TB of storage, while the battery is 4,800mAh. It starts at $1,899.99 / £1,699 / AU$2,699, making it a bit cheaper than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, detailed below.

2. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra

Confusingly, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is effectively the successor to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, so you probably have some idea of what to expect here.

This phone has an 8-inch 120Hz foldable display, a 6.5-inch cover screen, a 200MP wide camera, a 50MP ultra-wide, a 10MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom, and two 10MP selfie cameras. It also has a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chipset, 12GB of RAM, up to 1TB of storage, and a 5,000mAh battery — which is a big increase over the 4,400mAh cell of the Z Fold 7.

So this is a bigger, more book-like foldable than the Z Fold 8, and it has more cameras, but the same amount of power. It’s also extremely slim at just 4.1mm thick when unfolded, and it starts at $2,099.99 / £1,899 / AU$2,999.

3. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8

Samsung has also unveiled a new device for fans of compact foldables, in the form of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8.

This clamshell phone has a 6.9-inch 120Hz foldable screen, a 4.1-inch 120Hz cover screen, a 50MP wide camera, a 12MP ultra-wide, a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chipset (or an Exynos 2600 outside the US), 12GB of RAM, up to 512GB of storage, and a 4,300mAh battery.

So it’s the smallest and most basic of these phones, but at 6.1mm thick when unfolded and 180g, it’s Samsung’s slimmest and lightest Flip model yet. The Galaxy Z Flip 8 starts at $1,199.99 / £1,149 / AU$1,949.

4. Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2

As well as phones, Samsung has also announced the Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 and the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, and it’s the latter of these that’s the most exciting.

This watch has a mammoth 800mAh battery, which is up from just 590mAh in the original Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra. It’s also slimmer and lighter than its predecessor, with the brightest screen of any smartwatch, and a ton of new features, including the ability to track Daily Cardio Load and Vascular Load.

This is Samsung’s ultimate smartwatch, and it’s priced accordingly, at $699.99 / £649 / AU$1,299. If you’re happy with a slightly less feature-and-tech-packed smartwatch, then the Galaxy Watch 9 can be had from $379.99 / £349 / AU$649.

5. Samsung Intelligent Eyewear

Samsung also gave us a closer look at what it’s calling ‘Intelligent Eyewear’ — said eyewear being the company’s first smart glasses.

Unlike the devices above, you can’t pre-order these yet, with Samsung promising they’ll land “this fall” — so presumably sometime between September and November.

No pricing was revealed either, but we did learn that these glasses will have a built-in camera and speakers, but no screen.

Initially, Samsung is partnering with Gentle Monster and Warby Parker to offer a selection of frames, and you’ll be able to access both Gemini and Bixby through the glasses.

Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2: One minute review

The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 might look much the same as last year’s Galaxy Watch Ultra, but it feels very different to wear thanks to Samsung’s efficiency savings. A 12% slimmer titanium body and a lighter band (that remains the same size) mean the watch weighs less as an overall package and has better lockdown onto your wrist, so it doesn’t move around as much during strenuous exercise.

It’s got a new chipset under the hood: the AI-capable Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear Elite, which, Samsung says, offers 32% faster CPU and 19% faster GPU performance compared to last year’s model. It’s launching with three new bands, new wellness features like Vital and Heart Health, and all the usual smartwatch goodies like notifications, call accept/reject, digital wallet and third-party app support. The Ultra comes with LTE capabilities as standard to add the watch to your phone’s data plan, and new fitness tools tailor-made for adventurers, including trail running features with GPX routes, a Daily Cardio Load metric, mid-activity hydration alerts, professional-level diving certifications and — soon — a dedicated diving app.

Fortunately for them (but perhaps unfortunately for Samsung) adventurers find themselves spoiled for choice these days between the Apple Watch Ultra 3, the best Garmin watches, and challengers from brands such as Coros, Polar and Amazfit. The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 may be good in a vacuum, with excellent health and fitness features, but it’s fighting for space amid a crowd of exceptional wearables. Ultimately, it’s the best Galaxy Watch ever from a specs perspective, and does everything you expect a smartwatch to do (and several things you might not expect); but it’s also expensive, big and bulky. I do wonder how many Samsung users will opt for this over either the much cheaper Galaxy Watch9 or, at the other end of the scale, a chunky specialist tool such as the Garmin Fenix 8 if they’re really interested in wilderness exploration.

It’s fast, it’s accurate (albeit with some niggles — see the Performance section below for more details), it’s got the brightest screen of any smartwatch, on-device Gemini capabilities, and is packed with enough features to make any smartwatch aficionado happy. It’s a terrific gadget, and if you’re a Samsung user who wants the best native watch for your phone’s ecosystem, this is it. But if you’re buying it for trails and routes, Garmin does this better, and with far better battery endurance, albeit with a less robust AI-powered interface for all your communication features.

Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2: Specifications

Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2: Price and availability

• $699.99 in the US
• £649 in the UK
• AU$1,299 in Australia

The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is priced at $699.99 / £649 / AU$1,299. This is actually a small increase of $50 / £50 in the US and UK over the launch price of the original Watch Ultra (but it's the same in Australia), likely due to the escalating price of electronics components.

While it’s still relatively competitively priced compared to the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and premium Garmins such as the Garmin Forerunner 970, it’s certainly on the higher end of the smartwatch price scale; but then again, this is a higher-end smartwatch.

• Value score: 4/5

Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2: Design

• 12% slimmer, but still quite bulky
• Titanium squircle cushion
• Strap is 25% lighter

The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 iterates on the titanium squircle case design we first saw on the original Ultra, which Samsung calls a ‘cushion’, and which has since become a staple of the entire Galaxy Watch range. Housed within this body is the circular display, which is, according to Samsung…

The cushion incorporates new innards, including a larger 800mAh battery and a new Snapdragon Wear Elite processor. Despite the upgrades, the chassis is actually 12% slimmer than the original Watch Ultra’s, which is really a blessing, as that watch was a real beast. The cushion shape looks bulbous, but while it’s still a big watch that’s unsuitable for small wrists, it’s now better suited to a slightly wider variety of wrists than 2024’s enormous cuboid.

Couple this with the bands being 25% lighter this year, and the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 has had a serious size and weight reduction, which makes it much better for staying locked on your wrist during strenuous exercise, where the previous model was prone to moving around.

The Ultra 2 has the Samsung Galaxy Watch series’ standard pair of side buttons, plus the programmable ‘Quick Button’ that only the premium watches get. This is set to opening ‘my exercises’ as standard, while a long press can activate the watch’s emergency siren, but you can assign a different function to this button to suit your needs. If you’ve used a Samsung watch before, the UI (One Watch UI, to be exact, based on Google’s Wear OS) is virtually unchanged, and for beginners it’s easy and intuitive to use.

The redesigned, AI-forward Samsung Health app is simple to use too, and even though much was made of its big makeover, it’s a far cry from Google Health’s chatbot-focused premium tier.

• Design score: 4.5/5

Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2: Features

• All the smartwatch features you’d expect
• Parcel of new health metrics: Vitals, Vascular Load & more
• Diving and trail-running features

The Ultra 2 offers all the usual smartwatch features you’d expect from an LTE-enabled watch, so I won’t list them all here, but suffice to say you can use virtual wallets, accept calls, message, control or store music, use the screen as a viewfinder for a Samsung phone’s camera, and even use Google Gemini via the new, easier Raise-to-Talk feature. Gemini works across devices, so you can make a quick voice note in the moment, and have it transcribed and saved to Samsung Notes or Google Keep, to be viewed later on your phone, tablet or laptop.

Samsung watches have always had strong health credentials, and the Ultra 2 is no different. It retains more esoteric features like blood-pressure monitoring (which requires an inflatable cuff for regular calibration, then uses your biometrics to predict fluctuations) and body composition (which uses electrical signals to estimate your fat and muscle mass) alongside the usual heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, ECG scan functionality (which is medically certified, according to Samsung) and more. Running Coach, introduced last year, also makes a welcome return, along with its advanced analytics for runners.

New health features include Vitals, which looks at readings of five different heart-related metrics while you sleep and lets you know of any baseline deviations, a Daily Cardio Load score that estimates how much stress your exercise routine is putting your heart under, and Vascular Load, which measures stress and arterial stiffness.

Finally, new features have been added in the shape of two adventure-themed activity profiles. The watch is now a working dive computer — or will be when its companion app is released later this year in partnership with diving company Mares. The Apple Watch Ultra has a similar app, so I’m sure Samsung has been working overtime to catch up.

The Trail Running profile now includes the ability to save GPX routes into the workout activity itself, so you can follow turn-by-turn directions and see maps on your watch with a swipe of your finger. You can download routes yourself, or you have the option to save previous outdoor runs as a route to test yourself against later on, if you want to try to beat your own personal best. What you can’t do is create your own routes in-app, as you can in Garmin Connect for example.

• Features score: 4.5/5

Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2: Performance

• Heart rate had some drift compared to Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Polar H10, but tightened up after 10-15 minutes of wear
• Watch is more comfortable to wear than its predecessor
• Accurate sleep tracking

I wore the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 for five days and four nights before writing this review, and I'll update it when I’ve logged enough nights sleep for features like Vitals to calibrate with seven-day averages. I was dreading wearing the Ultra 2 to bed given its bulkiness and size, but the slimmer, lighter Watch Ultra 2 was surprisingly comfortable for all-day wear — although I’m a man of fairly average build, and those with slimmer wrists may still find it uncomfortable.

Battery life was as described, with the Ultra 2 lasting the as-described 60 hours with always-on display enabled before needing a charge. Sleep was estimated accurately, with the watch and app correctly identifying my wake-up times during the night, and generating numbers corresponding with my energy levels.

To test GPS and heart rate accuracy, I went on a 30-minute run with the Watch Ultra 2 on one wrist, the Apple Watch Ultra 3 on the other, and a Polar H10 electrical heart-rate monitor (the gold standard for wearable heart-rate accuracy) strapped to my chest.

I was initially quite surprised at the difference in heart-rate readings the Watch Ultra 2 recorded at the start of the workout compared to the other two devices, with the Samsung watch sometimes reading 20 beats per minute lower than the Apple and Polar devices. However, after 15 minutes of exercise, I found that the Ultra 2’s readings were closely matching those of the other devices, as you can see from the corresponding graphs and readings below / above.

Initial heart rate ‘drift’ is a known problem with many optical heart-rate sensors (used by all smartwatches) in comparison to electrical ones, although Apple seems to have ironed out much of the problem with its Ultra 3. Still, even if the Samsung Ultra 2 does show some deviation at the beginning of a workout, if you’re exercising for any length of time your results are likely to be broadly accurate. I repeated this test during an indoor HIIT workout, and the results were the same: accurate after a brief warm-up period.

I also tested Body Composition, which uses the same method as the best smart scales — an electrical pulse moving through fat, muscle and water at a variety of speeds. I tested this against an industrial scale at my local gym after my run, and the ticket the scale produced showed that I was at 19% body fat. The smartwatch estimated 9%, a huge difference. It wasn’t until I did the test again later that day, after hydrating and adjusting my technique by raising my arms, that the watch showed 16% — a much closer result, and within the range of deviation I’d expect from two different devices.

I also tested the Ultra 2’s water lock feature by dunking it in a glass of water — after all, I’ve been burned before by so-say dive-ready watches — and it worked just fine afterwards.

• Performance score: 4/5

Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2: Scorecard

Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2: Should I buy?

Buy it if…

You’re a runner

The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is awash with terrific running features, and now trail runners are well catered for too.

You’re a Samsung phone user

Unsurprisingly, the Watch Ultra 2 works perfectly within the wider Samsung ecosystem.

You’re a Gemini user

Use AI for everything? Samsung’s Raise-to-Talk functionality and true on-watch Gemini makes using the smart assistant a doddle.

Don’t buy it if…

You need ultimate battery life

If you prioritize battery life and fitness features over connectivity, consider a Garmin or Coros watch.

You’re a casual exerciser and gym-goer

The Samsung Galaxy Watch9 is a much better-value fitness tracker for those who won’t use all the extra adventuring, diving, and safety features.

You’re an Apple user

The Watch Ultra 2 doesn’t work with Apple phones.

Also Consider…

How I tested

I wore the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 for the better part of a week, running the battery down and using it as my daily driver to accept and reject calls, check notifications and messages, use Gemini and control music. I tested it against devices such as the Apple Watch Ultra 3, the Polar H10 electrical heart rate monitor, and an industrial smart scale, and I dropped it into a glass of water to test its water lock feature.

First reviewed: July 2026

Samsung's second big phone launch of the year is now over — and as expected, at the July edition of Unpacked 2026 saw the launches of several new Fold and Flip phones, plus the full reveal of Samsung's new Intelligent Eyewear smart glasses.

Leading Samsung's new foldables range are the new Z Fold 8 Ultra, passport-style Z Fold 8, and the updated Z Flip 8. The highlight, at least among the crowd, was the Z Fold 8, which likely gives us a hint of what to expect from the rumored iPhone Ultra.

But the most intriguing new devices were the range Intelligent Eyewear smart glasses, which Samsung's made in collaboration with Google. These will come in a range of designs when they launch "this Fall", from classic square and round-style frames to cat-eye-style silhouettes, and we've already had an early look at them.

You can read everything that happened at Samsung Galaxy Unpacked's July 2026 edition below. Which device are you most excited about? Make sure you also vote in our poll below...

Read all of our Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2026 coverage

• I’ve spent an hour with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra — and I need to upgrade my Z Fold 7 ASAP
• I went hands-on with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, and this passport-shaped oddity has revived my interest in foldable phones
• 'Finally, we've got silicon-carbon' — why SuperSaf is just as excited as we are for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra's new battery
• 'If, because of that, we stop innovation, we don’t go anywhere': we got a first look at Samsung Intelligent Eyewear, the smart glasses entering a fraught market worried about privacy
• I've tested the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8, and its new camera features make it an excellent vlogging camera alternative — so long as you don't mind the middling image quality
• Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 review: slimmer, lighter, better
• I've found all the best Galaxy Z Flip 8 and Z Fold 8 preorder deals — where to get the biggest trade-in rebates and discounts

Welcome to Galaxy Unpacked 2026 (the sequel)

Hello, and welcome to our liveblog for Samsung's second big phone launch of the year, Galaxy Unpacked 2026.

We'll be reporting live from the London event, which kicks off at 9am ET / 6am PT / 2pm BST / 11pm AEST. But first, it's time to take you through all of the last-minute rumors on what we're expecting to see — and we certainly haven't been short of leaks...

The Z Fold 8 is winning the hype battle

The Galazy Z Fold 8 is emerging as the potential star of today's Unpacked event — and the foldable has just appeared in a new teaser poster (above).

It's the Z Fold 8's wider, passport-style design, which will likely separate it from the taller Fold 8 Ultra, that makes it the one I'm most interested in from today's launches. Partly because it also probably gives us an early peak of the iPhone Ultra's likely form factor.

We're expecting to see a 5.5-inch cover display and 7.6-inch inner display, both with a 120Hz refresh rate. The teaser poster matches some of the leaked dummy units that we saw earlier this year (below).

What are you most excited to see?

We've done a full rundown of everything we're expecting to see at Unpacked 2026, so that's worth a read as we get closer to kick-off (in just over two hours).

But the short version is that we're expecting three foldables (a Z Fold 8, Z Fold 8 Ultra and Z Flip 8), plus two Galaxy Watches (the Watch Ultra 2 and Watch 9), and (potentially) also Samsung's first smart glasses.

Which one are you most excited about? Let us know in the poll below...

We've landed at Unpacked

We're very keen here at TechRadar, so we've already arrived at the Galaxy Unpacked event in London, and it's very... quiet.

That's understandable, as we're still two hours away from kick-off and many international attendees will be coming from hotels much closer to the start time.

A London-based Unpacked is a rarity — last year, Samsung did a mix of US-based and virtual events, while this year's earlier Unpacked in February was in San Francisco.

You have to go back to 2012 for the last time London hosted Samsung's main event, which saw the arrival of the Galaxy S III...

Will Samsung finally solve foldable creases?

There's a good chance that we'll see another big step towards crease-free foldables today. We recently visited Samsung Display's secret labs where it talked to us, among many other things, about its new "Flex Titanium Technology".

This includes a special structure at the fold to give added flexibility and help reduce crease visibility. We've recently more leaks on that theme — and while the image above doesn't look like a particularly fair comparison in terms of lighting, I'm hoping this new feature lives up to the hyper when we see it in person later.

If you host an event in London...

The umbrellas are already out at the Galaxy Unpacked 2026 queue. We've had what feels like months without rain in London, but right on queue the dark clouds are forming.

It's now just over 90 minutes till kick-off time, so hopefully we'll be ushered inside soon...

Brace yourself for price hikes

Some slightly less positive news from today's Galaxy Unpacked 2026 event is likely to be price hikes for the Z Fold 8 and Z Flip 8.

A recent report from Korea (via Phone Arena) suggested that both foldables could be about $130 pricier than their predecessors. In the grand scheme of RAMageddon, that wouldn't be too bad — and the Fold and Flip series have never been the most affordable phones anyway.

Samsung has also already increased the prices of the Z Fold and Flip 7 series over the past year, so hopefully that will soften today's potential price rises...

A self-healing crease?

Samsung's upcoming foldables might not just have smaller creases than their predecessors, they could also have self-healing ones if the latest leak (above) is to be believed.

It's unclear how this would work, but perhaps it would ensure the crease doesn't become more visible over time. It also reminds us of the self-healing finish on the LG G Flex series, which could automatically fill in minor scratches.

It will be interesting to see how Samsung's take on this works, but if this leak is accurate then it could be Samsung's secret weapon against the upcoming foldable iPhone Ultra.

All the specs have already leaked

Samsung might not have too many surprises today if you've been following the leaks and rumors, as WinFuture.de recently leaked complete specs lists for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, Z Fold 8 Ultra, and Z Flip 8.

Highlights if this leak is accurate include a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset for the two Z Folds and — at least in Europe — an Exynos 2600 for the Galaxy Z Flip 8.

We'll also apparently get a higher-capacity and faster charging 5,000mAh / 45W battery in the Z Fold 8 Ultra, but the real highlight could be the base Z Fold 8, since this is widely expected to have a new shorter, wider form factor, which according to this leak will allow for a 7.6-inch foldable screen and a 5.5-inch cover display.

The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 might live up to its name

We're also expecting various wearables today, and WinFuture has spilled the beans on the Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 and Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 in a detailed leak.

The latter could have a slightly larger and much brighter display than its predecessor, coming in at 1.52 inches and 5,000 nits, and joined by a colossal — by smartwatch standards — 800mAh battery, along with a build that's designed with divers in mind.

This is sure to be expensive, but the standard Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 should be a cheaper option for anyone who doesn't need all the bells and whistles offered by the Ultra. Sadly though we're not expecting a new Classic model this year.

Samsung's first smart glasses sound like Ray-Ban Meta rivals

Samsung could be about to make smart glasses more mainstream, as its first pair is rumored to be included in today's announcements, and the Samsung Galaxy Glasses as we're calling them for now have been extensively leaked.

A detailed new leak on WinFuture tallies with what we've heard before, including that these apparently won't have a screen, and will instead rely on cameras and access to Gemini, which should be able to see what you can.

They sound a lot like the Ray-Ban Meta glasses, and like those they apparently use a Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1 chipset, which is now three years old. Still, with supposedly 9 hours of battery life, Gemini access, and a big brand name behind them, they could be a hit.

These last-minute leaks are looking quite official

We're now less than 30 minutes away from Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2026, and the leaks are looking ever more convincing, with what appears to be official marketing imagery having now leaked too, as you can see above.

This shows off all three expected foldables — the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8.

The purple Z Fold 8 Ultra looks quite appealing, but hopefully the pink background is a sign that we'll get some brighter colors too.

A subtle hint?

We're taking our seats at London's Galaxy Unpacked 2026 event and noticed a nice little touch from Samsung.

When you remove the perforated portion of our lanyards, it's remarkably close to the expected shape of the Z Fold 8 that we've seen in leaks.

Still, if you want an even clearer idea of what's coming, check out the leaked marketing materials that have just landed for the Fold 8 series. Or you could just wait 15 minutes to see the real thing...

What about the Galaxy Ring 2?

What's TechRadar's Senior Fitness & Wearables Editor Matt Evans most excited about at today's Unpacked?

"I'm most looking forward to the wearables — the Watch 8 was outstanding last year, and I’m hoping for more of the same on that front. But the hotly-rumored Watch Ultra 2 is going to be the real star. Plus, who knows? We may event get a hint about a Ring 2…", he says.

Samsung has already confirmed it's working on the Galaxy Ring 2 — and while it isn't expected to get a full launch today, we could well get a teaser at the end of the event (just as Samsung did for the original Ring).

Five minutes to go...

It's now just five minutes till kick off, and TechRadar's Lance Ulanoff has shared some final thoughts on this year's second Unpacked.

"We pretty much all know the shape of things to come, but I'm super curious to see the reaction from the crowd here and online. Is different better or just different? Can more fold shapes expand the market? Or can only Apple do that?" he says.

We won't have to wait long to find out...

Get your popcorn ready

We're just a minute away from the start of Unpacked, and the expected arrival of its new foldables and smartwatches.

A final thought from TechRadar's Editor at Large, Lance Ulanoff, who's at the event right now. "What may be missing from this event is any kind of surprise. Samsung is very leaky, and most of the excitement tends to be muted by the time they tell us what we already knew or read about somewhere," he says.

"For Samsung, the goal is to generate Apple-level energy for its latest foldables and any other products they pull out of their back pocket. It's especially important to build that kind of momentum before Apple begins its product rollout juggernaut in September," he adds.

And we're off

TechRadar's Phones editor Axel Metz has some final pre-Unpacked thoughts as we go through Samsung's pre-amble.

"I’m curious to see whether Samsung positions the shorter, wider Galaxy Z Fold 8 as its hero product this year — i.e. the foldable it hopes and expects people to buy — or simply as a more affordable alternative to the premium Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra," he says.

"In making the Galaxy Z Fold 8, Samsung is acknowledging that the taller, narrower form factor of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra isn’t very ‘Gen Z’, and with Apple rumored to be releasing a similarly sized iPhone Ultra later this year, I — and probably Samsung — expect this new aspect ratio to become the foldable mainstream. Where does that leave the Ultra in years to come?" he says.

The Samsung Glasses are coming

That's a surprise, Samsung has just teased that the Galaxy Glasses are coming at today's event. But first, it's going hard on security and privacy...

AI and privacy are the hot topics

Samsung's TM Roh is on the stage right now talking about the "the importance of AI infrastructure", as he says Galaxy AI will be coming to 800 million devices by the end of the year. Now we're moving onto its foldables, starting with the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra...

First up, the Z Fold 8 Ultra...

Samsung's starting its Z Fold 8 Ultra promo with Flex Titanium, the new hinge design it announced last week that promises to make the crease less visible.

Also, there's battery news — it has largest-ever battery in a Galaxy Z Fold phone (at 5000mAh), and for the first time uses silicon carbon tech that we've seen in its many Chinese rivals — hooray...

Camera boosts for the Z Fold 8 Ultra

Samsung is now talking cameras on the Z Fold 8 Ultra, leaning heavily on its Nightography skills and talking up its much-improved 50MP ultrawide camera.

It also has a 200MP main camera with an f/1.7 lens and a 10MP telephoto that gives you up to 3x optical zoom, which are similar to its Fold 7 predecessor.

Now onto the Z Fold 8

This is the one most of us have been waiting for — Samsung's revealed its new passport-style Fold 8, and it got more of a reaction from the crowd than the Ultra.

Samsung's explaining the benefits of that more square display, claiming it bring "a whole new dimension to mobile gaming", while in portrait the 3:4 ratio makes it a good fit for reading.

I definitely like the form factor (in theory), and it's likely a hint of what Apple's going to bring with the iPhone Ultra. It's also apparently the "world's lightest fold" ever...

Telephoto out, 'FanCam' in

Sadly, there's no telephoto camera on the Z Fold 8, which is a shame — but Samsung's seemingly quite proud of its new 'FanCam' feature.

This new AI feature helps you quickly edit videos into your choice of aspect ratio, while keeping the star of your video in the center of the frame. Pretty neat, if perhaps not as useful as a telephoto — though that's probably revealing of Samsung's target market for the Z Fold 8.

Samsung's 'thinnest Flip yet'

This should be the final foldable from today's Unpacked — Samsung's Lee Dunham has just announced the Z Flip 8, and it sounds like a decent upgrade.

There's seemingly a much better Flex Display experience, with boosts to Now Brief (including the option of adding your own custom cards). And it's a bit slimmer and lighter at only 6.1mm thick when folded, and weighing in at 180g. You also get the same ProVisual engine as you get on Samsung's other Galaxy phones.

The downside is that pricing for the Z Flip 8 starts at $1,199 (with pre-orders starting today), which means it's a bit pricer than last year.

Spider-Man drops in

A Spider-Man interlude has just broken up the foldables news, as we get a teaser from his newest movie plus a chat from Ned, who's shown off a 'Spidey Tracker' alongside camera footage from the Z Fold 8 Ultra.

It's back to reality now though, as Samsung moves onto Samsung Care+ and the Galaxy Card, its new Apple Card rival that was announced this week.

Enter the Samsung Galaxy Watch 9

It's time to move onto smartwatches. Samsung's just revealed the Galaxy Watch 9, and it's promising some handy new software features.

These include sleep apnea detection, which is also coming to the Galaxy Ring — and apparently makes it the only FDA-cleared, over-the-counter ring device with that feature.

The Galaxy Watch 9 will also have "proactive" features that constantly monitor things like heart rate and heart rate variability, and crunch all these together into a new heart health score.

Samsung says it's partnering with iFit for its subscription fitness content, too. But the more exciting smartwatch is coming next...

The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 looks hardcore

The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is here — it looks pretty similar to its predecessor from a couple of years ago, but there are quite a few upgrades under the hood.

Its engine is the new Snapdragon Elite processor, which apparently offers 32% better performance than before. The Watch Ultra 2 is also the toughest Samsung watch so far, with IP69K and 10 ATM waterproof ratings.

There are some pretty hardcore diving features too, including Samsung's own diving algorithm and nitrogen absorption monitoring. Basically, Samsung is gunning for Garmin here.

The Watch Ultra 2 starts at $699 with the Galaxy Watch 9 starting at $379, with the Watch Ultra 2 launching from August 7.

Google talks Gemini

Google's Rick Osterloh has stepped in to tell us about the Gemini features that'll be available on Samsung's new foldables — and its new smart glasses too.

Gemini Notebook (the new name for NotebookLM) will apparently come preinstalled on the new foldables and buyers will get six months of Google AI Pro too (after which, you'll have to pay, of course).

Gemini Intelligence will also be coming to new smartglasses from Samsung, Gentle Monster and Warby Parker — and we're about to hear more about those...

It's time for smart glasses

As expected, Samsung's 'one more thing' at Unpacked is its Intelligent Eyewear — and it does looks pretty impressive.

Samsung has partnered with Gentle Monster and Warby Parker in its attempt to take on the Ray-Ban Meta glasses, which is something we already knew. But we've just learned a bit more about their design and specs, including a new hinge design that has a power slider next to it.

Samsung is claiming nine hours of battery life from a single charge with 'mixed use' — which is seemingly around 90 minutes of notifications, 30 minutes of calls, 35 AI conversations, 12 message read alouds, 60 minutes of music playback, nine photo captures, and three one-minute videos.

It also says you'll be able to charge them more than seven times overs using their case. They'll apparently be lighter than most AI glasses (although their exact weight is still TBC) and will be powered by a Snapdragon AR1 chipset.

The Intelligent Eyewear (surely there's a snappier name) will launch in the Fall, so sometime between September and November. But a big question remains unanswered, how much will they cost?

That's a wrap

So that's it for Samsung's second Galaxy Unpacked event of the year. We've already been hands-on with all of the devices, including the Galaxy Z Fold 8, Z Fold 8 Ultra, Z Flip 8, Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 and the Samsung Intelligent Eyewear.

There weren't many surprises given the leaks were so generous, but we did all the official pricing — and the hikes aren't quite as bad as many feared. Samsung's Intelligent Eyewear (surely they're going to get a snappier nickname) also looks very interesting, if it can navigate the Great Smartglasses Backlash.

• Garmin Cirqa smart band has finally dropped
• The screen-free smart band costs $199.99 / £179.99 / AU$299.99
• I tested its accuracy and found it to be very good

It’s here! After months of leaks, the Garmin Cirqa smart band (styled ‘CIRQA’ by Garmin) has finally arrived. I got a chance to check it out — and wear it for a workout — at the official launch event. A sleek-looking fabric smart band in four colors (French Grey, Black, Captain Blue and Mauve) wrapped around a plastic puck, there’s no denying it looks a lot like a Whoop, Polar Loop or a thicker version of the Google Fitbit Air.

The puck packs an Elevate V4 heart rate sensor, the same one used on some of the best Garmin watches. The more powerful Elevate V5 was apparently too big for the size of the unit, according to Garmin.

The tracker offers some of Garmin’s best features including Health Status (Garmin's feature that monitors your vitals overnight), Body Battery, Training Readiness, pulse ox, women’s health tracking, and stress tracking and lots more. The Garmin Cirqa has a 10-day battery life, and the same proprietary charging port as the brand's watches. As expected, there's no onboard GPS, but it can piggyback off your phone's GPS.

Size-wise, it's slimmer than the Whoop MG but thicker than the Fitbit Air.

Many other screenless trackers have no buttons at all, but here Garmin has stuck with its tradition of creating smartwatches with tactile buttons, and added a button to the plastic chassis.

You can press this button to start and stop a workout, but you can also rely on automatic activity tracking for this. Garmin states this will improve the longer you wear the band, and it's also possible to edit workouts in the Connect app to ensure the right movements are correctly interpreted. For example, if you run a lot, the Garmin Cirqa will interpret the swinging of your arms and acceleration as a running workout and start one automatically.

Watch our hands-on below:

No subscription... or is there?

The band is subscription-free at its base price. Many screen-free trackers from the likes of Whoop and Oura rely entirely on subscriptions, but there is an element of monthly payment creeping in there. You can access Garmin Coach to get personalized training plans, but only if you subscribe to Garmin’s premium Garmin Connect+ tier.

This is the first time Garmin Coach has been locked behind the Garmin Connect+ paywall — previously, it either came with a watch or it didn’t.

Chrissy Wheeler, Garmin’s EMEA Senior Product Manager for Fitness, was at the launch and spoke about the Cirqa. She said: “You do have the option for premium content under Garmin Connect+. There are additional features, if you want to, you can pay for those, like all of our coaching side of things with this device. For some of our higher-end devices, these come included, but because this doesn’t have a screen, you need Garmin Connect+ to access the coaching size, our nutrition app… as well as Active Intelligence and AI insights.

“The key thing is that disconnect. People wanting to disconnect from phones, electronics on a day-to-day basis, but still want those metrics. It’s ideal, firstly, for people getting into fitness for the first time, but also for a lot of our athletes. Cycling, for example. They might record all their workouts on an Edge [Garmin cycling computer], but they’re missing out on that 24/7 recovery information, Body Battery, that goes alongside it.”

How I tested

After the product presentation, we were taken through a short HIIT workout by a trainer at the venue, for which I opted to wear the Polar H10 heart rate monitor. The Polar H10 is an electrical heart rate monitor worn on the chest, rather than an LED-based heart rate monitor worn on the wrist like the Cirqa.

It’s the gold standard for heart rate accuracy, used by many athletes all across the world. As fitness trackers use heart rate as the basis for almost all their metrics, it’s the perfect device to use as an accuracy benchmark.

During my workout, the Polar H10 recorded an average heart rate of 155 beats per minute, or bpm. The Garmin Cirqa recorded an average heart rate of 153 bpm, just 2bpm shy of the other device and well within the statistical margin for error. Graphs also aligned very closely.

Based on this first early test, I’m satisfied with the Garmin’s accuracy, but of course more testing will be required. Stay tuned.

It’s not long now until Samsung’s second major phone launch of the year, with the next Samsung Galaxy Unpacked showcase set to take place later on today — and you can join us live from the event in our liveblog.

This follows February’s Unpacked event, where we saw the Samsung Galaxy S26 series, but this time, we’re not just expecting phones, because along with a selection of new foldables — including a whole new form factor — we’ll probably see new smartwatches too, and even perhaps the Samsung Galaxy Glasses.

So, whether you’re in the market for a handset or a wearable, there could be something for you here, and below, you’ll find full details of how to tune in, along with exactly what we’re expecting to see.

How to watch Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2026

The next Samsung Galaxy Unpacked is being held in London, but as with most major tech launches, it will also be streamed online, so you can watch it from anywhere.

It kicks off at 9am ET / 6am PT / 2pm BST / 11pm AEST on July 22, so at least it’s not the middle of the night for any of those places, though viewers on the west coast of the US will have to get up early, and if you’re in certain parts of Australia, you might have to stay up late.

To tune in, you can simply head to Samsung’s website, where the video will be streamed live. It will also be viewable live on Samsung’s YouTube page. But there’s no need to head to either, because the video embedded on this page (above) will play the stream once it’s live as well.

Wherever you choose to watch it, you don’t need to tune in live if the times are inconvenient, as you’ll be able to watch the video after the fact too. However, you might prefer to just head back to TechRadar, where we’ll be covering all the announcements with in-depth analysis.

What to expect at Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2026

We’ve written a full rundown of what to expect at Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2026, but in brief, there’s probably going to be a mix of phones and wearables.

On the phones side, it’s likely to all be foldables, with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra all rumored to be making an appearance.

Of those three, the Z Flip 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra are thought to be fairly conventional successors to the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, respectively. Look out for new chipsets, smaller creases, and potentially some new cameras, but nothing too game-changing is expected there.

The more interesting phone is the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, which, despite its name, is reportedly going to have a new form factor, making it wider and shorter than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 or the Z Fold 8 Ultra. This will also probably be a more affordable phone as a result.

For wearables, we’ll probably see the Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 and the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, with the latter of those products sounding the most interesting, as it might have a high-capacity 800mAh battery and — for the first time on a Galaxy Watch — support 5G.

Finally, Samsung might also take the opportunity to launch its first smart glasses, which could be called the Samsung Galaxy Glasses. These are reportedly screenless glasses that run Android XR, let you talk to Gemini, and look set to rival the likes of the Ray-Ban Meta glasses.

• Someone found pricing for the unreleased Cirqa on Garmin’s website
• Two different images of the Fitbit Air rival also allegedly emerged
• Yet these images look suspicious and could be AI-created fakes

Update, July 21: Garmin has now officially announced its new Cirqa Smart Band, which will cost $199 / £179 / AU$299. We're currently testing it out so will give you our hands-on impressions very soon.

Original story follows...

The Garmin Cirqa has become something of an open secret in the world of wearables, with leaks of the screenless Fitbit Air rival frequently appearing, even on Garmin’s own website. And it seems that the tech company is at fault again as a new raft of secret data has appeared, including global prices and alleged product images, all apparently originating from Garmin.

First, let's start with the prices. This appears to come from Garmin’s own backend systems and lists the Cirqa as costing $199.99 in the US, £179 in the UK and €199 in Europe. That’s much more affordable than the rumored $500 price tag that had circulated earlier this year.

The price was first discovered by users on Reddit, who used a part number (010-04675-00) included in a leaked image claiming to show details of the Cirqa Smart Band. They then plugged that number into the Garmin website, specifically by incorporating it into the following URL: https://buy.garmin.com/pricing-proxy-services/countries/US/skus/010-04675-00/price.

That returns information on the rumored device, including a listing price of “$199.99 USD.” As the Reddit user put it, “That response is coming directly from buy.garmin.com. It is not a Google cache, retailer listing or archived screenshot.” That lends the leak a degree of weight that would not be the case if we were just relying on a simple image.

Entering a different part number as a control (010-99999-99 in this case) returns an error, suggesting that the leaked data is not just a generic result that comes back any time you enter what looks like a Garmin part number.

Adjusting the number slightly also reveals other variations of the same device, which could be linked to different sizes and band colors, as suggested by another Reddit user.

Dubious images

Images purporting to depict the Garmin Cirqa have also been doing the rounds. Yet users were quick to point out the suspicious nature of the pictures, suggesting that they could have been generated by artificial intelligence (AI).

One claimed to show the Cirqa appearing in a Garmin app, while the other looked like a marketing image (via the5krunner). Yet the devices looked very different to each other, with different features and designs present on the two products, suggesting that one (or both) of them was a fake.

The pricing information is more solid because it comes directly from Garmin rather than from a random user on Reddit. You can plug the part number into the URL listed earlier and check it out for yourself if you want to verify it, suggesting that Garmin is perhaps loading the Cirqa into its databases ahead of an imminent launch.

When exactly that launch will be is unclear for now, however. Yet, whenever it does arrive, we could finally see some much-needed competition for the Fitbit Air hit the market.

Despite the fact that it's not been officially announced, there's a lot of information (albeit all unverified) going around about the Google Pixel Watch 5.

The Google Pixel Watch 4 has become the best Android smartwatch for most people, getting better with each iteration. That model was announced last August, and it's very likely a sequel is on the horizon. Here's everything we know so far, including the most recent leaks.

When is the Google Pixel Watch 5 coming out?

August 12. Last year's 'Made by Google' event took place on August 20, and Google looks set to stick to that annual timeframe.

Google has officially confirmed that pre-orders will open for new Google Pixel phones on August 12, and it makes sense to assume that the Google Pixel Watch 5 will be released alongside its companion Pixel devices.

What will the Google Pixel Watch 5 look like?

It'll be very similar to the Google Pixel Watch 4. We actually have what's purported to be leaked renders of the device, coming from noted leaker OnLeaks via The Tide Chart, a website with a single post to its name (so treat this rumor as unverified).

Despite this solitary post and lack of credible history, The Tide Chart (TTC) did correctly call the August 12 event date before Google announced it, so there is a claim of legitimacy there. The renders look extremely similar to the Google Pixel Watch 4, with the now-classic teardrop shape in its new-last-year dome, in four new colors and two sizes.

Those colors are Dark Anthracite (above) with a black band, Natural Silver with a pale gray band, Pyrite with an olive band, and Warm Gold with a pink coral band. The larger size reportedly remains the same at 45mm, but the smaller size is now 42mm instead of 41mm.

Will the price remain the same?

Not according to TTC. The blog says the watch's list price will start at $399 (around £295 / AU$570) for the Wi-Fi-only 42mm version, a $50 increase over the smallest Wi-Fi-only Pixel Watch 4 in the US.

The price will go up with each model, and the LTE-enabled 45mm Pixel Watch 5 is said to cost a hefty $529 (around £395 / AU$755).

The equivalent Pixel Watch 4 costs $499, a $30 increase over the model in the US. We don't yet know the equivalent prices for the Pixel Watch 5 in the UK or Australia.

Any new features?

This we're not yet sure about. We can expect Wear OS 7 to include yet more AI capabilities, especially for Pixel phone users, similar to the way watchOS 27 uses Siri AI to work across multiple devices.

Repairability — a standout feature for the Pixel Watch 4, allowing users to take apart the smartwatch and replace the display and battery — and limited satellite connectivity to send SOS messages without signal are both expected to make a welcome return.

A bizarre story earlier this year had a reported prototype of the Google Pixel Watch 5 discovered on the ocean floor, near the island of St Martin. It's said to have had labels including ‘SpO2’ (Blood Oxygen Level), ‘EDA’ (Electrodermal Activity), ‘Skin Temperature’, ‘Heart Rate Sensor’, ‘Pulse Sensor’, and ‘UWB’ (Ultra-Wideband) — all features present in earlier iterations of the watch.

We can expect Google's new AI Health Coach and the revamped Google Health app to play a role. These debuted earlier this year in tandem with the Google Fitbit Air.

It goes without saying that it takes a lot to win the Tour de France, as those who conquer cycling's greatest race have scarified so much in their quest for glory, with every single second counting.

The 2026 race has already started strongly for Tadej Pogačar and his UAE Team Emirates-XRG team, with the Slovenian building a seemingly unsurpassable lead as he bids for his fifth triumph.

But asides from his incredsible physiology and stamina, Pogačar is also boasting another major advance for the 2026 Tour - a customized 3D-printed fizik One-to-One saddle, possibly the most detailed ever made - I spoke to the company to find out more.

Marginal gains

"Small details in the technology might make the difference," Alex Locatelli, Head of Brand at Fizik says, "the marginal gains in this case - comfort is strictly related to performance, as if you are able to forget about this, it's less thought you need to give while you have to focus on another part of training and racing."

3D-printed and adaptive saddles have been around for some time, but Fizik's one-to-one product goes beyond a standard mould, using the company's proprietary pressure-mapping sensor technology (pictured below) to create a hyper-customized product designed specifically for an individual rider's anatomy and riding style.

Locatelli notes each saddle takes around two to three weeks to produce, but certain VIPs (such as a multi-Tour winner) can get their products rushed through.

"We have a very good relationship with Tadej," he says, "that's something that's not easy to achieve...as a matter of fact, the team principal told me it's very rare that Tadej is so enthusiastic about a product - sometimes he's not even happy after winning the Tour de France, he's so demanding to the team and to himself."

"We are offering thr top of the pyramid when it comes to the technology," Locatelli says, noting that the saddle may be the next in a series of upgrades used by Pogačar that his rivals may soon look to copy.

But even the standard saddles Fizik produces in the future will benefit from the pressure-mapping data the company is collecting now, as it all goes in to future production and product development.

The technology is so precise and advanced right now that it may be a while before we see such innovations trickle down to us everyday cyclists, but I have to ask Locatelli if there's a future for park cyclists like myself ever getting hyper-personalized 3D-printed components.

He notes that it may take a few years, but adds, "general customization in cycling is expanding," highlighting how some smaller manufacturers are offering more options in terms of custom frames and saddles.

So you never know - the next bike you buy could be the most personal ever - but it might not let you ride quite as fast as Tadej Pogačar.

And an AI-designed helmet for good measure

However Pogačar won't just have fizik's individually-sculpted saddle to help him try and win this year's Tour. For stage 5 of the 2026 race, UAE Team Emirates-XRG also revealed a new helmet designed by AI.

Specifically designed by Helmetverse, the AI-powered design platform of tech group and team sponsor G42, and built by MET Helmets, the helmet was created in collaboration with AI artist Gizem Akdag, who says they were, "inspired by the transition from city to signal and from data to light", as the kit's "visual language captures the speed, energy and flow of professional cycling, translating movement and performance".

“The reaction to Helmetverse last year showed how passionate cycling fans are about engaging with our sport in new ways. As a team, we are always looking to push boundaries, whether that's through performance, innovation or fan engagement," said Mauro Gianetti, Team Principal and CEO of UAE Team Emirates-XRG. "Helmetverse reflects that mindset and gives cycling fans an opportunity to leave their mark on the team.”

Fans of the team can also now submit their own helmet designs, including creating their own using Helmetverse AI, with the winning design worn by UAE Team Emirates-XRG at the UAE Tour in February 2027.

• The Garmin Cirqa is a rumored screenless smart band, like a Whoop or Google Fitbit Air
• It's been the subject of a few unofficial leaks, and has been posted on Garmin's site in error before
• Another recent now-deleted post on Garmin's Romanian website has added fuel to the rumors

The Garmin Cirqa smart band is all but confirmed at this point. For months now, we've seen leak after leak about Garmin's Cirqa fitness tracker, and while we don't know too many details, it's seemingly a screenless smart band designed to compete with the likes of Whoop and the Google Fitbit Air.

Now it's reportedly leaked yet again. As spotted by Gadgets and Wearables, a recent update to Garmin's Romanian website, on the page explaining a feature called Health Status, mentions the Garmin Cirqa smart band (styled 'CIRQA') as a compatible device.

Health Status is a feature that combines five core metrics — heart rate, heart rate variability, respiration, skin temperature and pulse ox — to give an overview of your general health. It's a feature on most of the best Garmin watches now, so it's unsurprising that the Cirqa would be getting it.

The reference to Cirqa was reportedly swiftly deleted, but not before a screenshot was captured.

In January, Garmin posted the Cirqa on its own website, including color options (black and French Gray), before swiftly deleting it. It seems this has happened again. Add in other recent leaks, and you can see why it's basically confirmed at this stage.

The screenless 'focus wearables' category is having a moment. We've already seen the launches of the Oura Ring 5, Whoop competitors such as the Polar Loop (as seen in the image above, alongside the Whoop MG and Amazfit Helio Strap), and most recently the Google Fitbit Air. It makes sense that Garmin, one of the leading names in fitness tracking, wants in on the action while the category is still on the up.

I don't think a launch can be far away at this point, and I'll be keeping my ear to the ground for more Cirqa news as it breaks.

Blood pressure has long been considered the "holy grail" of PPG-powered wearable tech. Because (up until now) you really need an inflatable cuff to measure, or at least to calibrate, blood pressure readings, and that's been difficult to do with a smartwatch alone.

The Huawei Watch D series incorporated a cuff into the smartwatch itself, while Apple has introduced its Hypertension Detection feature, which earmarks possible hypertension after 30 days of using an Apple Watch, but doesn't actually provide blood pressure readings. No LED-based device has really been able to crack it. Until now, apparently.

The Signal Ring is the brainchild of Tom Moss, an ex-head of Android at Google who's founded several companies since leaving Google and co-founded several other companies, including drone business Skydio, which eventually ended up being bought by Razr.

Signal is a smart ring with a difference: rather than provide lots of different metrics such as the Oura Ring 5 or the Samsung Galaxy Ring, or use AI assistants like the Google Fitbit Air, it's designed by "a very smart group of multidisciplined people focused on a single problem" — and that problem is blood pressure, which Moss was inspired to tackle after a cardiac event, a 'hypertensive emergency',

"My blood pressure was 250. If you can imagine, for blood pressure, 120 [over 80] is healthy and fine," Moss told me. "So 250 is just like an insane amount of pressure."

After his event, Moss attempted to track his blood pressure, but had difficulty with incorrectly-sized cuffs and sought a more technical solution. "I went online, I bought every kind of device that told me it could track my blood pressure, wearable or otherwise, and they're all garbage."

Some watches, such as the Samsung Galaxy Watch series, use an initial blood pressure cuff reading to calibrate, then estimate your blood pressure by looking at other vital signs in between calibrations. But Moss found this approach frustrating and inaccurate. "We needed a way to measure blood pressure from a wearable, not just measure changes from a baseline."

Working with scientists and engineers from Masimo (the company that sued Apple over infringement of LED-based heart rate sensing technology) Moss developed the Signal Ring over three years, which can take on-the-spot blood pressure readings and use a single number — a metric called 'mean arterial pressure' — to passively track blood pressure throughout the day, broadcasting the information to its companion app over Bluetooth like any other wearable.

I asked him how a startup could do something that Apple, Oura, Samsung, Google, and others had failed to do, and his response was one of specialism.

"This is our sole focus as a company," said Moss. "My co-founders have decades of knowledge on PPG, state-of-the-art processing... we have a very smart group of multidisciplinary people focused on a single problem."

Without needing to cram in sensors required for other features, such as accelerometers for counting steps, the team was reportedly able to crack the blood pressure mystery. "It's not AI or anything, it's not that we use some sort of new, magic technology. We put the best people, the most equipped, to work on it."

Exciting stuff in the wearables space, but only real testing will confirm its accuracy compared to conventional blood pressure measurements. Pre-orders for the Signal Ring are available now, priced at $399 (around £295 / AU$770) with no subscription (thank goodness!) and are likely to ship in October.

One of the biggest talking points around this year's World Cup has been the heat. Players from countries with very temperate, cool climates, like Norway and England, have had to play back-to-back games in hot and humid conditions, placing enormous stress on their bodies as they struggle to keep their core temperature down.

When core temperatures rise, fatigue isn't far behind. Research has shown that elevated internal body temperatures cause fatigue during prolonged exercise in hot environments, even for trained athletes. Staving off exhaustion by staying cool is therefore crucial.

Enter Therabody, maker of some of the best massage guns, which has supplied Thomas Tuchel's England squad with a novel new device: the Therabody CryoTherm Palm. It looks a little like a dumbbell, but it's not for lifting; instead, you simply place your hands on the nodes, and the CryoTherm Palm, Therabody says, uses these contact points to cool down your whole body using the company's 'Cryothermal technology'.

It sounds too good to be true — but the England players are reportedly making the most of it. We asked Therabody's Chief Science Officer, Tim Roberts, exactly how the technology works.

"Your palms are natural radiators — hairless skin packed with special vessels that bring a lot of blood right to the surface," says Roberts. "It’s why gloves keep your whole body warm in winter.

"CryoTherm Palm cools that surface, pulls heat out of the blood passing through, and that cooled blood circulates back to lower your core temperature faster than cooling almost anywhere else."

So, in theory, the cold blood passing through your hands works to regulate the rest of your body's internal temperature. Clever. According to Roberts, there's a psychological effect too, as "it also dampens the thermal signals your brain uses to judge effort", so exercising feels easier.

Roberts points to a study conducted at the IMG Academy in Florida, in which footballers using the device between sprints saw positive results.

"In our IMG Academy soccer study, players using CryoTherm Palm between sprints felt 60% cooler, held 2.45% higher top speed and preserved sprint velocity 4.7% better across repeated efforts," says Roberts. While he does concede that "none of this replaces basic heat sense — hydrate, respect genuinely dangerous conditions, and back off when you need to," those numbers suggest it can make a difference.

I wouldn't be doing my due diligence if I didn't point out that in a Therabody press release, the IMG Academy was referred to as a Therabody partner. However, the science seems sound, and the CryoTherm Palm might just be your secret weapon to keep cool during your next workout, especially in very hot weather.

The device is available now, priced at $399.99 / £349 / around AU$600. I'm looking forward to testing, especially if the heatwaves we're experiencing here in the UK continue.

There’s a reason why some of the most effective exercises tend to mirror movements in real life. It’s not because personal trainers and coaches lack imagination, but because the body doesn't care how creative your programming is — it cares whether you can climb a flight of stairs without grabbing the banister, for example, or if you can catch yourself from a stumble.

These are just a few of the benchmarks that matter in later life, and for elite performance coach David Higgins — who has trained everyone from Margot Robbie and Scarlett Johansson to Samuel L. Jackson, David Harbour, Game of Thrones' Richard Madden and the entire cast of The Batman, among many others — one exercise sits at the top of the list for anyone over 50: the step-up. Here’s why.

Lower-body power matters so much after 50

Most people understand that strength declines with age. What they underestimate, however, is how quickly it begins to matter in practical terms, despite not being able to be measured on the best smartwatches' fitness age metrics.

“Lower body power becomes critical after 50 because we naturally lose muscle mass, reaction speed and balance as we age,” says Higgins. “The glutes, quads and calves are what keep you upright, stable and independent.”

If you can't generate force through the floor, he says, “everyday movements like climbing stairs, getting out of a chair or catching yourself from a fall become harder.” The step-up addresses all of this in a single movement: “it trains strength, balance and coordination all at once and mirrors real life better than most gym exercises.” It's slightly similar to the farmer's carry, an application of a real-life movement.

It’s also the reason Higgins places it above more popular alternatives. Walking is excellent, of course, but doesn't load the body enough to preserve muscle. Squats are bilateral — they share the work equally between both legs, which means they don't expose or address the kind of side-to-side imbalances that tend to develop quietly over decades. Step-ups, however, are unilateral, as each leg works independently, building the stability and gait mechanics that bilateral training misses.

“If I could only choose one lower-body movement after 50,” says Higgins, “step-ups would be near the top because they combine strength, stability, balance, gait mechanics and unilateral control in one movement; they bridge the gap between rehab and performance.”

Watch the tutorial video below for advice on how to do a step up:

The mistake most older adults make

Before thinking about adding height, load or additional reps, Higgins is more concerned with something more fundamental: the quality of the movement itself. “The biggest mistake older adults make is chasing fatigue instead of quality movement,” he says. “Rushing through reps, leaning through the hips, or pushing through the stronger side of the body.” Your nervous system, he says, “has to trust the movement before your body can own it.”

Rushing through step-ups doesn't just reduce the benefit — it reinforces the compensations you're trying to correct. If you're relying on the trailing leg to push you up, or leaning forward as you step, you're not actually building the unilateral strength and hip control the exercise is there to develop.

Instead, Higgins’ coaching cue is worth memorising: “push the floor away and finish tall through the glutes.” Most people pull themselves up through the knee, instead of driving through the hip. It's a subtle distinction, but makes an enormous difference to where the effort is actually made.

How to get started — and when to progress

To perform the step-up, stand facing a sturdy bench, box, or step. Place one foot fully on the platform, then drive through that heel to lift your body up until both feet are on the step. Step back down with control and repeat for the desired reps before switching legs. Keep your chest up and avoid pushing off excessively with the trailing leg.

For step height, beginners should start with a low box, roughly ankle to mid-shin height. "You want control, not compensation," he says. Fitter adults with solid mobility, balance and hip control can work up to knee height.

As for volume, Higgins prescribes 2–3 sets of 8–12 controlled reps per leg. "Tempo matters more than volume," he says. Drive through the whole foot, stand tall at the top and lower slowly under control.

Higgins confirms that just your bodyweight is sufficient resistance to begin with and, for many people over 50, it's exactly where they should stay — probably for longer than they'd expect. “Most people over 50 need to relearn movement patterns before adding load,” he says. “Once control, balance and posture improve, adding dumbbells or a weighted vest is a brilliant progression.” The dumbbells can wait. As for frequency? Two to three sessions a week is enough to see real benefit, Higgins says. “Consistency beats intensity every time.”

Precautions

Step-ups are accessible to most people, but Higgins flags a few situations worth considering. Anyone with severe knee osteoarthritis, significant balance issues or acute hip pain should approach the exercise carefully and ideally with professional guidance. “Often it's not that the exercise is wrong,” he says, “it's that the height is too ambitious or the body isn't controlling the movement properly yet.” Low and slow is always the right answer.

What leg-day moves are your go-tos in the gym? Have you tried the step-up yet? Let us know below.

• The Garmin Cirqa, Garmin's long-rumored screenless smart band, is breaking cover
• Trademark filings have been spotted with governing bodies for the US, Canada, and EU, suggesting an imminent launch
• Google launched its screenless band with a redesigned, AI-powered app — but I hope Garmin doesn't follow suit

Garmin's long-rumored screenless smart band, designed to compete with the rising trend of 'focus wearables' such as the Google Fitbit Air and Whoop bands, is on the way. We initially thought it was the Garmin Index Sleep Monitor (pictured above), but that turned out to be a different product entirely.

The screenless fitness band is instead likely to be named the Garmin Cirqa, according to leaks; it's going to be a cool new deviation from Garmin's existing fitness watches list, and we now have more evidence that it's going to be launching soon.

Garmin has been filing trademarks for the name 'CIRQA' (styled in all caps, but we'll refer to it as Cirqa in text the same way we do Whoop, which is styled on its official branding as 'WHOOP'), with an entry to the US Patent and Trademark Office database spotted earlier this year.

However, Gadgets & Wearables have also found trademark filings for relevant governing bodies in Canada and the EU, adding fuel to the rumors that a launch may be imminent.

All the filings connote a body-worn sensor rather than a communication device, suggesting the Cirqa isn't just a new smartwatch: it's exclusively for health and fitness.

This is quite exciting: at the moment, people looking for screenless, discreet wearables have no shortage of options, from the Oura Ring 5 to the Fitbit Air to last year's Polar Loop strap. Clearly, the category and people's interest are growing, and a top-quality device from Garmin would sell like hot cakes.

However, I hope Garmin doesn't repeat one aspect of Google's Fitbit Air launch. At the same time as the Fitbit Air came out, Google transformed the Fitbit app into Google Health, eliminating the last of its community features like shareable badges and challenges, controversially redesigning the app, and turning the Premium tier into an AI 'Health Coach' chatbot.

Garmin's user base would revolt if such dramatic changes came to the Garmin Connect app. There was widespread outrage last year when Garmin introduced a Premium tier with AI-powered features — the community is a passionate and outspoken one that loves its technology, and any hint that features are being scrapped or the app transforming to better conform to the AI-first nature of most screenless trackers would be met with an enormous outcry.

Garmin will have to make its Cirqa band work within its existing watch-focused ecosystem, unless it wants to launch a separate app or risk losing some frustrated customers.

Your smartwatch is probably not the first bit of festival kit you pack. Tent, charger, waterproof jacket, earplugs, decanted booze, possibly a slightly optimistic number of outfits – all of those usually come first.

Still, the right watch and some tweaked settings can make a big difference once you’re through the gates.

A smartwatch can help you pay for food without digging out your phone, find your way back to your tent, track down a missing device, contact help in an emergency, and keep basic features running long after your phone is dead.

The slight catch is that most of this needs setting up before you arrive. Patchy signal, crowded fields, low battery, and tiny on-watch menus are a poor combination when you’re trying to fix something in the moment.

So before you head to your next festival, spend a few minutes getting your watch ready. These are the five settings and features I’d check first.

Download offline maps and save locations

A festival map in the official app is useful, but it won’t help much if your phone battery is limping along or the signal has vanished at exactly the wrong moment. Your smartwatch can give you a small but handy backup.

On Apple Watch, you can sync offline Apple Maps from your iPhone to your watch, so saved areas are still available when your phone isn’t nearby. Wear OS watches, including Pixel Watch and Galaxy Watch models, can also use offline Google Maps, provided you download the relevant area before you leave. Some Garmin users may have a proper mapping setup, depending whether your model has full-color maps such as the Garmin Fenix 8.

The best move is to save more than just the festival site. Download the surrounding town, the route to your accommodation, the nearest station, and any pick-up or drop-off points you might use at the end of the night.

If your watch lets you save favorite locations, mark your tent, your car, or a meeting spot with friends as soon as you arrive. For example, you could set your tent up as a Waypoint if you're using an Apple Watch, and always know the direction via the Compass complication.

Yes, this sounds a bit boring, but you'll be glad of the simple directions when you're stumbling back in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Set up contactless payments and travel cards

Festival bars and food stalls are not the place to discover your watch wallet is still half set up. Add your usual payment card before you leave, then test it somewhere first, like your local coffee shop.

Apple Pay, Google Wallet, Samsung Wallet, and Garmin Pay can all turn a compatible smartwatch into a wrist-based payment card, though support varies by watch, bank, country, and card provider.

Add a backup card if you can, especially if you’re travelling abroad, and check whether your watch can handle transport cards, IDs, or passes for the journey to and from the site. This is still a backup, rather than a reason to leave everything else behind. A physical card and a bit of cash are worth keeping somewhere safe, because small vendors, patchy terminals, and dead batteries still exist.

But once your watch payments are ready, you’ve got one fewer reason to pull your phone out in a crowd. In the UK, most festivals are now completely cash-less, so you could feasibly do a whole weekend paying only with your wrist.

Turn on Find My and other alerts

A festival is basically a stress test for your phone, earbuds, keys, and bag.

You’re moving between stages, sitting on the grass, squeezing through crowds, and handing things between friends, so it’s very easy for something to end up in the wrong pocket or under a camping chair.

Before you go, make sure Apple’s Find My, Google’s Find Hub, or Samsung’s SmartThings Find is properly enabled for the devices you’re taking.

On an Apple Watch, for example, you can ping your iPhone from your wrist, check the location of devices, and use left-behind alerts for some items.

Android users can get similar help through Google or Samsung’s tracking tools, depending on their phone and watch setup.

This is also where trackers earn their keep. An AirTag or similar tracker on your keys, bag, or tent pouch can be a lot less annoying than retracing your steps through a field at midnight.

It still pays to be realistic – location tools can struggle in dense crowds or low-signal areas – but switching them on before the chaos starts gives you a much better chance of finding things quickly.

Configure SOS, Medical ID, and satellite safety features carefully

Smartwatch safety features are easy to ignore until you need them, so take a few minutes to set them up before you leave. Add your emergency contacts, fill in your Medical ID or health information, and learn the shortcut for Emergency SOS on your watch.

If you’re using a newer Apple Watch Ultra or Pixel Watch with satellite SOS support, it’s also worth checking how the feature works before you’re somewhere with no signal.

The slightly awkward festival wrinkle is that watches can sometimes get a bit overexcited. Fall detection, crash detection, or collision alerts are useful in the right situation, but a mosh pit, packed crowd, or particularly enthusiastic dance tent can look dramatic to a wrist sensor. For most people, the sensible setup is: keep Emergency SOS, Medical ID, and emergency contacts ready, then learn how to cancel a false alert if one starts.

If you know you’re heading into a big crowd, consider temporarily switching off crash or collision detection. Your watch should be a safety net, not the reason you accidentally phone the emergency services during a guitar solo.

Learn to enable a battery-saving festival mode

A smartwatch is only useful if it still has charge when you need it, so give yourself a battery setup before the day gets going. Turn on Low Power Mode or Battery Saver earlier than you think you need to, especially if you’re using GPS and mobile data.

The display is usually the easiest win. Always-On Display looks great, but it’s not essential when you’re trying to stretch a watch through a long festival day. Auto-brightness can help outdoors, while Theater Mode, Sleep Mode, or a low manual brightness setting can stop the screen lighting up constantly at night.

For multi-day festivals, pack the smallest charger or power bank that works with your watch, then make charging part of the routine rather than a panic job.

A quick top-up while you shower can keep the useful stuff running without turning your watch into another thing to worry about.

Samsung has officially confirmed that the Galaxy Ring 2 is in development. Dr. Hon Pak, Senior Vice President and Head of Samsung’s Digital Health Team, recently told Forbes that the company is “working on the next generation” of its smart ring.

Beyond confirming that a successor ring is on the way, Pak offered only a few hints about what we might expect. But the smart ring market looks different than it did when the original Galaxy Ring launched in 2024.

Competition is growing rapidly, with new smart rings appearing almost every month. While many still struggle to match the devices in our best smart rings guide, the bar has been raised considerably. The original Samsung Galaxy Ring remains our top overall pick, while the newly launched Oura Ring 5 is one of its strongest rivals.

I’ve tested many of the latest smart rings, and if Samsung wants its next ring to remain at the top, these are the upgrades I’d most like to see.

1. Resist the temptation to add a subscription

Even though interest in smart rings has surged over the past few years, I think we can still say they’re a relatively niche category. And I think one of the biggest barriers to entry is the ongoing subscription fee some brands charge.

For example, Oura requires a monthly membership of $5.99/£5.99 per month to unlock its full experience, and subscriptions — optional or otherwise — are on the up with fitness apps. Meanwhile, rivals like Ringconn have built some of their appeal around offering a similar health tracking experience without that additional fee.

Samsung certainly got this right with the original Galaxy Ring. And there are currently no signs a subscription is coming. But maintaining that approach feels increasingly important. We’ve already seen some companies introduce subscription-free products only to later place some features behind a paywall.

If Samsung wants to keep the Galaxy Ring truly competitive, it must make core health insights available without a monthly fee.

2. A slimmer and lighter design

Designing a smart ring has always been a challenge. Manufacturers need to pack in sensors, batteries and processing power all while making the ring feel as comfortable and jewellery-like as possible.

That’s one reason the new Oura Ring 5 has generated so much attention. It’s managed to become smaller and lighter while still adding some new capabilities.

Now, the Galaxy Ring 2 doesn’t necessarily need to be the smallest ring on the market. But even a slight reduction in size and weight would demonstrate that Samsung understands just how important comfort is when you’re asking people to wear something 24 hours a day.

3. Better battery life

Battery life is such an important part of the smart ring experience. The more I take off a ring, the less likely wearing it everyday will become a habit. And the more likely I become to forget about it. It also makes monitoring for trends and average vitals more tricky and less accurate.

As I write this, I’m testing the RingConn Gen 3, which promises significantly longer battery life than many of its rivals at 12 days on average. Other manufacturers are also exploring new battery technologies and the Samsung Galaxy Ring 2 is rumored to be getting a powerful solid-state battery upgrade

The original Galaxy Ring already offers a good battery life, but expectations are rising fast. And again, Samsung doesn’t necessary need to beat every rival. But if competing rings continue pushing to longer runtimes, the Ring 2 will need to remain competitive.

4. iOS support

I think we can safely say this one feels less like something I’d like to see in the next generation of Samsung Galaxy Ring and more like something that must be a necessity.

The Samsung Galaxy Ring was only for Android users. Now, reports already suggest Samsung is working towards iPhone compatibility. If that’s true it could dramatically increase the Galaxy Ring’s appeal.

Because at the moment, limiting the ring to Samsung’s ecosystem excludes loads of potential buyers. Sure, Samsung users will continue to benefit from deeper integrated and additional features. But core functionality across both Android and iOS feels like a necessity.

However, we know Apple's already filed a patent for ring technology — see the above diagram — so even if it never comes to fruition, it's certainly a form factor Apple is mulling over.

5. Add a compelling new health feature

Most smart rings track the same core metrics, like sleep, heart rate, activity, stress and recovery. That means Samsung may need to offer something genuinely distinctive to stand out.

I say that because I’ve been testing the RingConn Gen 3 over the past few weeks, which adds features like vascular health insights and sleep apnea monitoring. Now, whether those features prove valuable to most users over the long term remains to be seen. But, they give the ring a clear point of differentiation.

I don’t think Samsung needs to copy those exact features. But offering something beyond the standard collection of health metrics could help the Galaxy Ring 2 feel like a meaningful upgrade over the original and a solid choice in a sea of similar offerings.

6. AI that isn’t annoying

I’m generally sceptical about AI chatbots in wearables because most implementations I’ve tested simply repeat the same information that’s visible in the app or provide really generic recommendations.

That said, some of Pak’s comments to Forbes do suggest Samsung is thinking beyond a basic execution of AI. Explaining that people have different motivational styles, so the approach needs to be tailored accordingly: “Over the next two to three years, the AI will be able to say, based on this person's characteristics, I'm going to nudge them this way, and 70 or 80 per cent of the time I can predict that person is going to exercise more or sleep more.”

I’m still cautious, especially as Samsung has already added some AI features to Samsung Health. But many wearable brands underestimate how much language matters when it comes to behavior change. The best implementation isn’t just telling users to sleep more, it might identify useful patterns, changes or spot warning signs and deliver advice in a way that’s genuinely personalized.

If Samsung can achieve that, AI could become one of the Galaxy Ring 2’s most compelling features rather than another box-ticking exercise.

There’s a good chance we’ll learn more at Samsung’s next Galaxy Unpacked event, which is scheduled to take place in London on July 22, 2026.

• Strava's got a new feature: the Events tab
• The Events tab can help users find races using its database of events imported from Runna
• It can also help find group activities and communities

Strava's leaning back into the 'social network' aspect of its app by taking more steps to help its massive community of athletes get connected. The app has launched a new Events tab, available as a sub-tab within Groups, designed to surface local group activities — and make use of the massive library of running events posted regularly on its sibling app Runna.

In a statement, Strava says its new Events tab 'surfaces upcoming events — group runs, rides, and races — tailored to an athlete’s activity and location, making it easier to find ways to move and connect with others'.

The key aspect there is using the athlete's activity and location. While you don't have to be a Londoner to enter the London Marathon, there might be races, group rides, and other activities in your local area you didn't know about. Using your location and activity data, Strava could surface relevant activities and groups you may be interested in.

As many of these events will be drawn from the Runna app's library of races — Runna is now, of course, owned by Strava — we expect many of the early recommendations to be focused on runners. But Strava specifically mentions you can filter events by sport, and highlights Group Rides as an example. So if you prefer cycling to running, you won't be left out of the loop.

The available filters include distance, date, location, sport, elevation, and temperature, so you can do a fair bit of tinkering to find a local event suited to your needs.

Thankfully, the Events tab is available for both Free and Premium users. If you're an event leader looking to get your event in front of more people, Strava has also updated its Club Organizer Hub, branding it 'a rebuilt home for club leaders'. You can access it at strava.com/club-organisers.

Strava's been rolling out new features at an increased pace lately, including, most recently, revamping its hiking offerings to match rivals such as Komoot and AllTrails.

Garmin Forerunner 170: One minute review

The Garmin Forerunner 170 and 170 Music sit nicely between the cheaper Garmin Forerunner 70 and more expensive 570 and 970 duo, the latter of which features on our best Garmin watches guide. As such, both Music and non-Music versions are a bit of a halfway house; not quite cheap enough to be picked up on a whim by budget-conscious consumers, nor expensive enough to be stuffed with top-quality premium features.

However, it is stuffed with plenty of robust fitness features that will suit any active exerciser, especially runners. Sebastian Sawe, who who broke the world record by running a marathon under two hours in London, was toting a Garmin Forerunner 55 — Garmin’s cheapest, most stripped-back running watch.

What you’re paying for here is the Garmin Forerunner 70 — an excellent smartwatch on the cheaper end, and the successor to the popular Garmin Forerunner 55 — with additional smartwatch features attached. These include Garmin Pay, a virtual wallet which lets you pay with cards held on-watch, and the Smart Notifications feature, which allows you to view and manage alerts from a paired smartphone. The Forerunner 170 Music adds an extra 4GB of music storage.

If you’re largely uninterested in these features and you just want an excellent training tool, I’d get the Garmin Forerunner 70 instead, as it’s the best value of the three newcomers overall. But the Garmin Forerunner 170 Music does allow you to hit that Saturday morning parkrun, pay for your coffee, and jog home with headphones in — all without using your phone at all. It’s incredibly convenient, but not a package everyone will need or want.

Still, during my testing I found the watch good to use, comfortable to sleep in, and accurate against testing units like my Polar H10 heart rate monitor. Our writer Michael Sawh found the same with the Garmin Forerunner 70. You can read my full thoughts on the 170 Music below, but whichever watch you choose, you’ll be in good hands.

Garmin Forerunner 170 review: Specifications

Garmin Forerunner 170 review: Price and availability

• Garmin Forerunner 170: $299 / £259.99 / AU$479
• Garmin Forerunner 170 Music: $349.99 / £299.99 / AU$549
• Garmin Forerunner 70: $249.99 / £219.99 / AU$399

The Garmin Forerunner 170 without music storage costs $299 / £259.99 / AU$479.

The Garmin Forerunner 170 Music, the upgrade with 4GB internal memory for music storage, costs $349.99 / £299.99 / AU$549. The Forerunner 70, which doesn’t have the 170’s smartwatch features such as Garmin Pay and Smart Notifications, is cheaper at $249.99 / £219.99 / AU$399.

We’re zeroing in on the Garmin Forerunner 170 today, and I think the watch is generally good value for money compared to some of the seriously expensive premium Garmins in the lineup, but perhaps not compared to the 70, which is $100 / £80 / AU$150 cheaper for a very similar watch. If you don’t want Garmin Pay or notifications, you’re better off saving your cash and getting the 70.

None of the Garmins have a particularly wide feature set compared to watches from Apple and Samsung at a similar price point, but their batteries last far longer — up to 10 days for the 170 — and their workout credentials are fantastic. This ensures you can get multiple battery-sucking GPS workouts in each week while still retaining enough smartwatch functionality to matter, all without needing a charge for ages. Each Garmin watch is durable too.

I’d say it’s generally a good value prospect, even if it does edge into the expensive end with the 170 Music.

• Score: 4/5

Garmin Forerunner 170 review: Design

• Iterates on existing Forerunner design
• Surprisingly dull AMOLED screen
• Elevate V4 heart rate sensor

The Garmin Forerunner 170 looks very much like every other Forerunner, but if this is your first Garmin that won’t mean much. It’s got a five-button configuration — up, down, light, start, stop or select, and back (or lap). You can use these, a touchscreen, or a combination of the two to navigate the watch, which is ideal if you’re wearing gloves.

It comes in a single size, with a 42.6mm screen, and its packing an AMOLED display rather than the duller digital-watch-style memory-in-pixel screen of older watches, but it’s not particularly bright even at full power. It comes with a silicon two-tone strap, and on the back it has one of Garmin’s older heart rate sensors, the Elevate V4. More expensive watches get the more accurate V5, but the V4 has been included here presumably to keep the cost down.

It’s very light, with a listed weight of 41g, and feels like less than that in the hand. A light watch is great for running and collecting wellness info as it’s easy to wear, and this checks the boxes.

Those familiar with Garmin products will be happy to know no liberties have been taken with the design of Garmin’s established software, either on-watch or in the Garmin Connect app. I think it’s the perfect mix of stripped-down and information-heavy, although there are a lot of menus to lose yourself in. The buttons make it fairly intuitive to navigate around for old hands. It’s a tried and tested design, that doesn’t break the mold in any significant way.

• Design score: 4/5

Garmin Forerunner 170 review: Features

• Advanced running dynamics
• Limited smart notifications functionality
• 170 Music offers mp3 and streaming downloads

Plenty of running features abound here. As the name suggests, Garmin’s included its advanced running dynamics tools such as running power (a measure of your total running effort using motion data as well as heart rate), along with advanced statistics such as stride and cadence data after your run. During workouts, you can set up routes in Garmin Connect with virtual pacers to keep you on time.

You also get the usual health stuff, such as heart rate and sleep score, 80 workout modes (although not all have dedicated metrics or GPS enabled) and reports in the morning and evening that provide information about your training along with the weather and a motivational quote. The Garmin Forerunner 170 gets Smart Notifications, which allow you to answer some tests with simple replies and the Garmin Pay functionality which acts as a virtual wallet like Apple Pay.

The 170 Music’s 4GB of storage allows you to upload tunes directly onto the watch, including by saving playlists from the likes of Spotify. Even without the dedicated Music model, you can listen on apps like Spotify, Deezer, YouTube Music and so on through your phone, and control music on the watch there. The Garmin Connect IQ store has dedicated widgets for these services, along with thousands of other apps from a mixture of big-name brands and enthusiastic amateurs.

Otherwise, what’s missing? I wasn’t expecting full-color maps at this price, just the breadcrumb navigation and route direction common on most Garmin watches without maps, so I don’t feel like the feature is missing, as such.

However, to justify the price increase from the 70 to the 170 Music, I think it needs more hardware features. A microphone like the Garmin Forerunner 570, and the ability to take calls on watch and use Garmin’s simple voice assistant, would better separate it. As is, most people who want dedicated smartwatch features will just get one of the best Apple Watches or best Samsung watches instead.

• Features score: 4/5

Garmin Forerunner 170 review: Performance

• Accurate against a heart rate monitor
• GPS works well against an Apple Watch Ultra 3
• Comfortable and easy to wear day-to-day

I checked the Garmin’s heart rate accuracy against an electrical chest-mounted Polar H10 heart rate monitor — the gold standard of heart rate accuracy — during a 25-minute treadmill test, and was very pleased to report that despite the older sensor, both average and maximum heart rate were within 1-4bpm of the heart rate monitor; a very acceptable margin for error and not a statistically significant one.

GPS was accurate compared to my Apple Watch Ultra 3, and battery life was representative of its claims, with total drain taking just over a week with multiple GPS workouts completed. I feel as though the ‘up to 10 days’ listed battery life is reflective of reality.

Being lighter and smaller than many Garmins I’ve tested, it’s comfortable to wear every day and fine to sleep in.

• Performance score: 4.5 / 5

Garmin Forerunner 170 review: Scorecard

Garmin Forerunner 170 review: Should I buy?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider

How I tested

I wore the Garmin Forerunner 170 Music for over a week, draining the battery down and using as many of its features as possible. I ran and used it for strength and yoga sessions, tested its smart features, and pitted it against multiple competitor devices, including a chest strap heart rate monitor.

Amazfit Active 3 Premium: One minute review

Amazfit has been a company I’ve been keeping an eye on since their Bip 3 ‘budget’ smartwatch blew through all my expectations (and then some), followed by a slew of other watches across a range of price points, aiming to undercut the likes of Garmin — but most notably the $99 / £99 Amazfit Active 2, which earned five stars in our review. So when they put the word “Premium” on a product, it piques my curiosity.

Not only does the Amazfit Active 3 Premium have a bunch of excellent features that rival some of the biggest in the business, like excellent sleep and fitness tracking, but it’s also a fantastic-looking smartwatch.

The ‘Premium’ moniker signifies the addition of the super-tough sapphire glass coating, and the inclusion of the NFC payment feature. This was the distinction that the Amazfit Active 2 Premium used to separate itself from the base Active 2: however, there is no base Active 3, so even though this watch uses the ‘Premium’ model distinction, it’s the only watch in its range.

Despite this, it’s not an expensive buy. Sure, it’s pricier than the older Active 2, but it’s still undercutting the cheapest Apple and Garmin watches while delivering performance that belies its price. Another excellent example of a fitness tracker from Amazfit, a company which has by now shown itself to be a serious contender in the fitness tech space.

Amazfit Active 3 Premium: Specifications

Amazfit Active 3 Premium: Price and availability

• Starts at $169 / £169 / AU$239
• Not Amazfit’s cheapest, but still cheaper than many rivals
• Available in three color options

It’s hard not to look at the Amazfit Active 3 Premium and not feel as though there’s a catch somewhere when it comes to its price, but it really is a sub-$170 / £170 / AU$250 fitness watch with the kinds of features and accuracy you’d have spent double that for not long ago. Our review unit is the Atlas Blue model, but it’s also available in Apex Silver and Aero White.

• Value score: 5/5

Amazfit Active 3 Premium review: Design

• Heavier than some alternatives
• AMOLED display

Regardless of your color choice, the Amazfit Active 3 Premium is a looker. It has a circular body with a metallic finish, with the underside color-matched to the bands for Atlas Blue and Aero White (Apex Silver would be my pick, but the whole body is silver with a black strap).

The strap itself is the standard polymer-style you’ll have felt on just about any other smartwatch, but the fact that the Amazfit Active 3 Premium uses a pin system like a more traditional watch adds a touch of class (and some minor fiddliness). It’s got a 1.32-inch display, which isn’t large —but it’s the same size as the Amazfit Active 2. I didn’t feel like I was losing much in terms of screen space compared to some of Amazfit’s larger watches, but I was surprised to find it’s slightly heavier than the Coros Nomad I tested recently.

With that said, I’m not sure I’d consider it rugged. I wasn’t prepared to hurl my review unit to the ground to test its durability, despite its sapphire glass and scratch-resistant coating. It might not be the watch you’ll want to take on an ultramarathon, but it’ll stand up to runs, rides and gym workouts with ease.

• Design score: 4.5/5

Amazfit Active 3 Premium: Features

• Full-color maps
• HybridCharge is great
• 170 sports modes

Ok, so the Amazfit Active 3 Premium is a looker, but does it have the smarts to back it up? Despite the relatively low price, the answer is a resounding yes. You’ll need to use the Zepp app, and while I’ve tested it before and found it to be a little cumbersome, I am pleased to report that (at least in the time I’ve been away), it’s much slicker these days.

You can use it as a dashboard, and there are badges to collect that include step goals, monthly targets, and much more.

Fitbit Premium’s Daily Readiness Score has led the charge to distill a bunch of complex metrics into an easy-to-read number that calculates how hard you can push your workout on any given day, and Amazfit’s version is called “HybridCharge”.

It takes into account sleep, heart rate, activity, and recovery, as well as subjective inputs like stress, health, and more, to help you make a judgment on whether today is a workout day or a rest day, and it does so pretty well.

One day during testing, I’d struggled to sleep and had an early start at work, and the app and watch understood that maybe I needed to take it easy and recover that day. It’s something you used to need a premium subscription for with other manufacturers, but I’m glad to see it’s included in the price of the product here.

PAI is also back, so those looking for a quick look at a glance to see how their natural fitness is holding up can check it out by testing their heart rate zones. The watch supports basic notification features, and of course offers that NFC payment digital wallet feature for convenience. A barnstorming inclusion is full-color maps, offering turn-by-turn navigation. This is a premium feature crammed into a value package, offering turn-by-turn navigation during runs, rides and walks.

• Features score: 4.5/5

Amazfit Active 3 Premium: Performance

• AMOLED display
• 12 days of battery life
• Excellent accuracy

Performance is uniformly excellent across the board with the Amazfit Active 3 Premium. Fitness tracking offers a deep suite of metrics, including running ones like stride length, ground contact, and just about anything else you could possibly ask for as a runner. And, if you’re just learning what all of these measurements are, fear not: Everything is handily explained within the Zepp app.

When you’re done, the app also does a great job at showcasing your fatigue level, which then feeds into the aforementioned HybridCharge metrics.

I very rarely check my sleep outside of Apple’s Sleep Score number, but the Amazfit Active 3 Premium does make me want to dig deeper — and offers plenty of data to do so. I was surprised at how often I was getting up in the night without realising it, and the Aura section of the Zepp app even includes relaxing music to help you settle back down.

Battery-wise, Amazfit claims you can get 12 days from a single charge. In my experience, it’s been closer to 10 days, but it’s still very respectable given the amount of data it’s collecting day in, day out. The AMOLED display is plenty bright for just about everything, even direct sunlight.

The only minor gripe I have with the Amazfit Active 3 Premium is that it doesn’t automatically offer to track a workout if you start walking/running/doing anything. As someone who still forgets to hit the button before setting out, it’s nice when devices like the Apple Watch give a nudge.

• Performance Score: 4.5 / 5

Amazfit Active 3 Premium: Scorecard

Amazfit Active 3: Should I buy?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider

How I tested the Amazfit Active 3 Premium

I’ve been testing the Amazfit Active 3 Premium while walking, hitting the gym for weights and cardio (primarily using the cross trainer), and wearing it for just about everything in life.

I tested the GPS across various areas of London and more remote areas like the countryside where I live, and wore it to bed, too. I tested many of its measurements by pairing it with my Apple Watch Series 11 on the opposite wrist.

The next major smartphone launch is just weeks away: Samsung has set the date for its next Unpacked event as July 22.

The invite doesn’t say exactly what to expect at the London-based showcase, but it does tease that we’ll see a foldable phone with a new form factor, thanks to the tagline “a new shape unfolds”, and that lines up neatly with leaks and rumors.

In this article, we've detailed exactly what that “new shape” might be below, along with details of the other phones, watches, and even glasses that we might see at Galaxy Unpacked 2026.

1. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 is likely to be the most affordable of Samsung’s upcoming phones — and the only one with a clamshell design.

Leaks suggest that this device could use a new Exynos 2600 chipset — though the US might instead get a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. Either way, that would be an upgrade on the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7, which uses the Exynos 2500 chipset in every region.

The Galaxy Z Flip 8 could also have a smaller crease and a slimmer build, but might otherwise be similar to the Galaxy Z Flip 7, coming equipped with a familiar 6.9-inch foldable display, a 4.1-inch cover screen, a 4,300mAh battery, a 50MP main camera, a 12MP ultra-wide, and a 10MP selfie snapper.

2. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 could be that foldable with a “new shape” that Samsung hinted at, with reports suggesting that the company is planning a new book-style foldable that’s shorter and wider than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7.

This device is rumored to have a 7.6-inch 120Hz foldable screen, a 5.5-inch cover display, a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, 12GB of RAM, two 50MP cameras on the back, and a 4,800mAh battery.

This could be one of the more interesting devices at the next Samsung Galaxy Unpacked, since it’s a form factor that Samsung hasn’t tried before. But aside from the size and shape of the screen, it will probably be quite a conventional foldable.

3. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra

Along with the wider model detailed above, Samsung will almost certainly launch a standard successor to the Galaxy Z Fold 7 at Unpacked, and this device is rumored to be called the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra — though it’s unclear whether it will do anything to earn that name.

Leaks suggest the phone might have an 8-inch foldable screen, a 6.5-inch cover screen, a 50MP wide camera, a 50MP ultra-wide, and a 10MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom.

As with the phone above, it’s likely to have a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset and 12GB of RAM, but its battery could be of a higher capacity, with leaks pointing to a 5,000mAh cell.

So in all, the Ultra could have bigger screens, a higher capacity battery, and an extra camera over the wider model — along with an almost certainly higher price.

4. The Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 and Ultra 2

We’re also expecting new smartwatches from Samsung, specifically the Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 and probably also the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2. There’s an outside chance we’ll get a new Samsung Galaxy Watch Classic, but this is looking less likely.

The Galaxy Watch 9 will probably have a circular display again, with leaks pointing to an Exynos W1000 chipset, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, and two screen sizes: a 1.34-inch (438 x 438) one and a 1.47-inch (480 x 480) one.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 might instead have a Snapdragon Wear Elite chipset, and could be the first Samsung watch to support 5G.

It could also have a massive — by smartwatch standards — 800mAh battery, 64GB of storage, and a high 5,000-nit peak brightness for its screen. The display, however, might otherwise be similar to the original Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra’s, and it will reportedly come in the same 47mm size.

5. The Samsung Galaxy Glasses

Finally, we might also see the Samsung Galaxy Glasses at Unpacked. These would be Samsung’s first smart glasses, and they reportedly run Android XR with access to Gemini.

They might also have a 12MP camera, a 155mAh battery, directional speakers, and weigh just 50g. But they’re not expected to have a screen, so they could be direct rivals to products like the Ray-Ban Meta.

• Ultrahuman hits Ring Pro production problems
• Kickstarter backers are left wondering when they'll get their ring
• August 10 is the new expected date but it's far from guaranteed

Ultrahuman is no stranger to producing some of the best smart rings, but not even that could protect them from the outpouring of disappointment and frustration that came its way after informing Ring Pro Kickstarter backers that shipments were being delayed yet again.

Customers took to Reddit to share their annoyance after u/enzolecorbeau started a thread by sharing a screenshot of the official Ultrahuman message. In it, Ultrahuman states that shipments were now "expected to begin from August 10 onwards".

Kickstarter backers were expecting to receive their orders in June, and this latest delay isn't the first. A single delay is one thing, but now it has happened several times, backers are starting to get vocal about the continued delays to the fitness tracker.

One Reddit user was annoyed that the unit had been sent to "influencers" and not to "people who paid money". Others report that they've requested cancelations but without success.

It's not all negative, though, with one Reddit user hoping the delay is down to the battery "because that would mean they may actually be looking to improve it."

Ultrahuman doesn't mention the battery but instead attributes the delays to issues experienced during the scaling of production. Ultrahuman says they are "taking extra care to ensure every Ring PRO meets the quality and experience standards we've set for it."

Their commitment to quality is no bad thing. They go on: "Each ring is individually crafted with a high level of precision and care – from the finishing to the final quality checks – and this process is taking slightly longer than originally anticipated."

Ultrahuman has always delivered before

Ultrahuman ran Kickstarter campaigns for both their Ring and Ring Air devices and faithfully fulfilled orders of both.

In reality, crowdfunded projects are often subject to delays. For Ultrahuman, the challenge of manufacturing a titanium unibody with a cutaway safety feature en masse is no doubt contributing to the delays — the last thing Ultrahuman will want is to ship a ring with issues, especially as smart ring problems can prove dangerous.

Customers are more likely to forgive the brand for a delayed shipment than they are for receiving a device with issues. A botched product release could damage customer trust and mean the end of the wearables brand.

None of this will appease the community of people who were expecting to receive their ring back in June and are still left waiting. Only time will tell when Ultrahuman will start fulfilling these orders.

After publishing the original article, Ultrahuman CEO, Mohit Kumar, replied with the following statement:

"The Ultrahuman Ring PRO pushes boundaries with a 15-day battery life and a titanium unibody with ProRelease, which lets the ring be cut apart safely if a finger ever swells. As with anything novel, scaling it has proven harder than anticipated. Production is running, but not yet fast enough; however, the path to full capacity is clear for 10 August.”

• Oura is bringing key features from its Ring 5 wearable to older models
• The features include Health Radar, live activity tracking, and more
• They’re now available on the Oura Ring 4 and Ring 3

Oura has just released its Ring 5 wearable, and we were pretty impressed with what was on show when we reviewed it. But if you haven’t been tempted to upgrade and are instead rocking an Oura Ring 4 or Ring 3, you might wonder if you’ll miss out on the new features packed into the latest model.

Well, the good news is that plenty of the new features have just been rolled out to those older products. Specifically, Oura is bringing Health Radar, live activity tracking, numerous Oura Labs tools, lost device locating, and a lot more.

Live activity tracking is a notable addition, as it adds real-time workout metrics to the Oura app, allowing you to monitor your progress as you’re keeping fit and active. It turns the Oura Ring into much more of a workout partner than before.

Health Radar, too, is a sizable update. With it on board, your Oura Ring can assess your long-term health signals in the background, including changes to your heart and breathing rates, to spot any emerging patterns in your health and wellbeing.

You’ll be able to find the full list of updates in Oura’s blog post. If you’ve been mulling over whether to upgrade, it could prove to be an insightful read.

A welcome change

Changes like this are very welcome, especially since the Oura Ring 4 is less than two years old at this point. It’s never nice to see relatively recent tech missing out on key software features that could feasibly be backported to it, so the fact that this has happened will be great news for owners of the Oura Ring 4 and Oura Ring 3.

The update seems to have gone down well with customers, too. Posting on Reddit, user beanizzle noted that their Oura Ring can now recognize long-haul travel without any status needing to be manually entered. Speaking of the change, the user said: “This is definitely a great new feature as I sometimes struggle to remember to give my body more grace after traveling through time zones.”

They weren’t alone. Further down the thread, other commenters remarked how their readiness scores went haywire after taking red-eye flights, while another Redditor declared that the feature is “long overdue but so glad to have it!”

If these are the sorts of features you’re looking for in a wearable, Oura’s latest update means you might not need to upgrade to an Oura Ring 5 if you already have a Ring 4 or Ring 3. And anything that can eke extra life out of your existing wearables is good with us.

I’ve been writing about fitness tech for years, and we’re finally at a point where more affordable fitness trackers are now every bit as capable as models that would have cost hundreds of dollars or pounds, little more just a few years ago. That’s not to say premium options don’t have their place too, but many of the standouts this year have certainly been on the cheaper end.

Whether it’s screenless devices showing less can be more, the latest iteration of the popular Oura Ring, or a pair of Amazfit options that can cut it with much more expensive models, here are the best fitness trackers in 2026 so far, in no particular order.

1. Google Fitbit Air

• Release date: May 26
• Rating: 4/5

Whoop bands are growing in popularity for their distraction-free, sensor-packed, highly comfortable nature, and Google didn’t want to be outdone.

The tech giant’s answer to Whoop’s popularity, the Google Fitbit Air’s companion app boasts an effective but controversial AI-powered premium tier for additional insights, courtesy of Google’s new AI Health Coach. However, even on the free tier, this comfortable tracker weighing just 12 grams and reasonably priced at $99.99 / £84.99 / AU$199 is well worth a look.

Its real strength is heart rate metrics, which are consistently impressive for a cheap device, and it includes FDA-certified background AFib detection for additional peace of mind.

Our main gripe (outside of the two-tier app offering) is that it lacks GPS, and therefore run data feels less accurate than we’d have liked – even at this price.

Watch our YouTube review of the Google Fitbit Air here:

2. Oura Ring 5

• Release date: June 4
• Rating: 4/5

From the low-priced end of the spectrum to the expensive, the Oura Ring 5 is the latest offering from the company that, if they’re not the only game in town, more or less popularised the smart ring form factor.

Starting at $399 / £399 / AU$649, it’s hardly cheap, but it does a great job of offering a less intrusive way of tracking your wellness and fitness. In fact, despite its size, the fact that it could easily be mistaken for a piece of jewellery, and how comfortable it is, it’s remarkably accurate, too.

With a week of tracking between charges (including sleep), it offers more color options and better connectivity (Bluetooth 6.0 vs 5.4) at the same price as the Samsung Galaxy Ring. It’s also somehow 40% smaller than the last generation of Oura Ring, while still matching up with a dedicated chest strap for heart tracking.

Watch our YouTube review of the Oura Ring 5 here:

3. Amazfit Cheetah 2 Pro:

• Release date: April 16
• Rating: 4/5

When a company like Amazfit (one of the best budget tracker manufacturers) takes aim at the premium market, it’s wise to take notice. The Amazfit Cheetah 2 Pro offers a Garmin-like experience with a bunch of runner-focused tools like training plans and detailed metrics, all with marathon-tackling 31 hours of dual-band GPS tracking.

Using it day-to-day can get you 20 days of battery life, and while it is a fairly bulky watch on the wrist, it’s a much cheaper rival to Garmin offerings.

GPS tracking is solid, but offline maps could use some work. Still, if you’re a runner, this is one of the models to beat this year.

4. Amazfit Active 3 Premium

• Release date: February 26
• Rating: 5/5

Another Amazfit, sure, but if the Cheetah 2 Pro is too much for you, the Amazfit Active 3 Premium is well worth a look. Despite the name, it’s priced very reasonably at $169 / £169 / around AU$325), while still offering an AMOLED display, built-in GPS, and a fairly weighty (but comfortable) 54.6g chassis.

Battery life can run you for up to 12 days according to Amazfit (but I hit around 11 in testing), and the Zepp app has improved massively in recent years so it’s a very solid running companion with some bona fide coaching options.

You’ll likely want something a little more durable if you’re going off-trail, but what it lacks in ruggedness, the Amazfit Active 3 Premium makes up for by being a great-looking budget option.

5. Garmin Forerunner 70

• Release date: May 15
• Rating: 4/5

Reviewer Mike Sawh wasn’t kidding — the Garmin Forerunner 70 really might be better value than its more premium cousin, the Garmin Forerunner 170.

High praise indeed, but even without Garmin’s latest, more expensive sensors, it packs accurate metrics alongside an easy-to-read AMOLED display and physical buttons that make it easy to use, excellent sports tracking, and impressive training insights.

It does lose the affordability of the Garmin Forerunner 55, and doesn’t have smartwatch features like NFC payments, but for a runner it’s a great option that’s one of the year’s strongest.

I'm not sure what tipped me off first, but as someone who writes about wearable technology for a living, I can definitely see the signs. Wearables are, frankly, uncool, and manufacturers have to work to make them cool again by earning back their customers' trust and embracing the sense of fun we used to have.

Maybe it was the celebrities that clued me in — millennials, Gen Z and Gen X alike — when they were sparking trends for wired headphones and digital Casio watches, a conscious symbol of Big Tech rejection that's carried over from the resurgence of vinyl and cassettes. I'm now seeing plenty of people around my local town opting for wired headphones over earbuds and AirPods. While there are still plenty of smartwatches on wrists every day, I'm noticing stylish people are returning to rotary, analog, and digital.

Perhaps it was the backlash to the Diary of a CEO podcast host Steven Bartlett, when a clip resurfaced in May, that he could tell how a couple of glasses of wine "ruined three days of his life" by relying on the information collected by his Whoop band. While giving up alcohol is universally considered an admirable thing to do, he was also resoundingly mocked online for his slavish adherence to hustle culture, sparking further questions and a wider conversation about whether we're over-optimizing with biohacking technology.

Discourse online is shifting away from gamifying health and fitness and prioritizing higher physical statistics, and returning to the now-nostalgic idea of living in the moment — of dancing the night away at a wedding without worrying about the impact on your sleep score.

Maybe it was the one-two punch to Meta recently. First came the announcements that some features of its AI glasses will be locked behind a soft paywall, joining Whoop, Garmin, Oura, and almost every other wearable introducing subscription-based features over owning and accessing your data. While I understand data centers need to cover running costs in perpetuity, subscriptions aren't cool. Not owning your own data isn't cool, which is again partly why physical media is enjoying a welcome resurgence — and why companies ranging from Spotify to Sony are determined to stamp it out. And Meta, after all its privacy controversies, definitely isn't cool.

These problems join the growing backlash to Meta's AI-powered specs being used to covertly film people — especially women — in public and private spaces alike, with the recording notification LED easily covered, drilled out or disabled. Being considered a creep is definitely not cool, even though plenty of people wear Meta glasses for a whole vista of non-creepy reasons.

The Meta Glasses controversies above coincided with the Kylie Jenner-designed debut of the Meta Starfire model, a collaboration with EssilorLuxottica attempting to make the Metas cool by association. She's even the voice of the onboard AI.

Kylie Jenner was, of course, declared the youngest-ever 'self-made' billionaire in 2019, who got there by standing on the shoulders of a family of multi-millionaires and being heir to another fortune. While Jenner is undoubtedly an ultra-famous influencer, this collaboration between two billionaires — Jenner and Zuckerberg — isn't going to be the move that makes the smart glasses format finally cool.

So what is 'cool'?

Coolness and counterculture have always run concurrent to each other. The Conquest of Cool, a book by cultural critic Thomas Frank about how youth culture in the 1960s was co-opted by capitalism to sell more stuff, argues that "hip and square are now permanently locked together", each dependent on the other for meaning, culture, and profit. This revolution, Frank argues, turned coolness into a product you can buy to separate yourself from the herd and express individuality. Now, cool is defined by products that are new and shiny, something everyone desires, but not everyone has.

Of course, once enough people have it, the counterculture that made it cool becomes the mainstream culture, and a different counterculture evolves in its place. 15 years ago, the original Fitbit, a digital pedometer, was a novel idea to help tech geeks get active, using the newfound power of Bluetooth and the internet. By contrast, the Google Fitbit Air is now a screenless Whoop clone made by data-hungry Google, in which all community features have been axed and the device is beholden to an AI chatbot requiring a monthly subscription. It's eminently more useful, but definitely not cool.

I believe this is why we're starting to reject the culture of endless subscriptions, the rise of AI, and the expectation to contribute to surveillance capitalism, and are expressing a nostalgic wish to return to a more analog era. Wearable tech, while very useful for athletes and those who need to monitor their health, isn't cool anymore because of its widespread adoption, its associations with dreary, dull, optimization-led behaviors, and its implied contribution of your data to ultra-capitalist Big Tech, which dominates every facet of our lives.

The prospect of Apple putting cameras in AirPods, or Samsung adding a premium subscription element to its watches, is now profoundly uncool. Digital watches and wired headphones show that the wearer is choosing not to participate in surveillance capitalism (up to a point — we've all got smartphones) and being a rebel has always been cool.

How can wearables become cool again?

Wearables will always have a place in health, wellness, and athletic situations, and people are now more conscious of their health and wellness than ever. The best smartwatches and their ilk aren't going away any time soon: they're useful devices for monitoring all sorts of athletic and recovery metrics. I'll still be seeing smart devices in the gym, on the start line, and on the wrists of everyday people for a long time yet. But they'll no longer be considered neat, fun gadgets.

My main thesis on 'how to make wearables cool again' is twofold. One is to dial back on the monetization of health, earning user trust by prioritizing privacy and user ownership, and reducing the need for subscription models where possible. We should own a product once we buy it.

The other is to make devices fun and joyful to wear, rather than functional. Forget Kylie Jenner pouting into the camera lens while wearing spyware specs: instead, let's embrace the dorkiness of strapping an advanced calculator watch to your wrist and get back to hacking our way to health.

My Garmin watch is incredibly useful. It helps me track my runs, gym sessions, and recovery. However, the most fun I had with it in years was when I downloaded the Walk With Frodo app and got to see the milestones from my favorite book linked to my step count. Walk With Frodo was created by RoboleoApps, which appears to be a single-person team that released it for free on the ConnectIQ store. While it's incredibly nerdy, when showing a couple of my (equally nerdy) friends, they both squealed, 'That's really cool!' To quote Marie Kondo, it sparked joy.

The upcoming Pebble Core 2 and Time 2 smartwatches share similarities with these DIY apps — Pebble founder Eric Migicovsky has made the watch and app's operating systems completely open-source, allowing users to create widgets themselves using the source code and share them freely online. They're sporting digital watch-style MIP screens, so they look delightfully retro, and you can tell where any information they collect is going by virtue of the source code being freely available. It's antithetical to Big Tech's approach by design, but still fundamentally a useful smartwatch.

The internet used to be a place of infinite possibilities, where people shared ideas, code, widgets, and worked together to create cool stuff. If 'cool' is about both having what others don't and bucking trends, making fun, lower-tech, consumer-friendly wearables that lean into this customizable approach might be the way to harness this countercultural movement.

Existing app stores from Apple and Google are great places to start looking beyond the big brands for widgets and apps made by enthusiasts, but that DIY ethos should extend to hardware too.

Wearable tech needs to change if it wants to avoid being seen as square, rather than hip. Boutique watch straps and designer smart glasses won't make tech cool if the principles the devices are rooted in don't prioritize the user, rather than the producer. Let's get back to the consumer-first, joy-first, DIY approach of early wearables, turn our backs on anti-consumer practices, and embrace the build-it-yourself geek chic of it all.

• Samsung is phasing out the Vascular Load feature on Galaxy Watch in the US
• It's replacing it with Blood Pressure Trend in late July
• Users believe this is due to FDA compliance issues

Samsung's range of smartwatches covers every base when it comes to fitness tracking, but the tech giant is pulling the plug on a health monitoring tool it rolled out only last year. Don't fret; a replacement feature is on the way.

The company’s experimental Vascular Load feature, a tool that was introduced alongside the launch of the Galaxy Watch 8 at last year’s Galaxy Unpacked 2025, will be phased out in the US by late July. Its removal aligns with the upcoming Samsung Health 7.0 and One UI 9 watch updates, but it appears that Vascular Load will still be available to users outside of the US following the changes.

When Samsung removes Vascular Load at the end of the month, you'll no longer be able to access this data in the Samsung Health app. However, you can download your existing data by opening the app and tapping Samsung Health Settings, then find Samsung Health Information to continue.

Users are currently being notified via the Samsung Health app, but the company has yet to issue a wider announcement, which is a little frustrating, as I can imagine users just want a bit of clarity. That said, Samsung isn’t leaving you high and dry.

Vascular load feature being removed in the US from r/GalaxyWatch

To make up for the loss of the Vascular Load monitoring tool, the company is offering an alternative: Blood Pressure Trend — which Samsung says will be available in the upcoming Galaxy Watch (we assume this is referring to the Galaxy Watch 9).

While Vascular Load uses your heart rate data to measure factors like changes in blood volume, Blood Pressure Trend is designed to monitor your blood pressure periodically and show you a trend over time. In addition to this, it will also offer you tips and tricks to help maintain healthy habits.

To get started with Blood Pressure Trend, Samsung highlights in the notification that you’ll need to use a blood pressure cuff with your Galaxy Watch, and then once every 28 days to maintain accuracy (according to Android Authority). The company also shared that Blood Pressure Trend “is for wellness only”, and “not for the diagnosis and treatment of any medical condition”.

It’s still early days, and Galaxy Watch owners are awaiting further information on the upcoming changes, which have sparked online debate regarding the reasons for its US removal.

A vast majority of the online commenters believe that Samsung is concerned about Food and Drug Administration (FDA) compliance — one user says that the FDA often drags out approvals like this. While this idea gives the removal credibility, Samsung has yet to detail the reasons for its decision to stop access to Vascular Load, so we have to take this speculation with a pinch of salt.

Garmin Forerunner 70: One minute review

The Garmin Forerunner 70 is a Garmin watch that we’ve waited a long time for. This is the natural successor to the Forerunner 55, the watch that was pitched at beginner runners or runners who like to stick to the basics (and can even run a marathon in under two hours, as it was worn by record-breaker Sebastian Sawe).

With such a large time gap between the two watches, it’s hardly surprising to see Garmin make some big changes, not only with the hardware but the software too.

It’s clearly been a task of bringing the 70 in line with other new Forerunner watches, which includes adding an AMOLED display and touchscreen while keeping the full array of physical buttons to give it that traditional running watch feel. While keeping the AMOLED on at all times does dent the battery much quicker, it elevates the software and what it’s like to use the 70 as a smartwatch.

There’s some upgrades to the sensors, and while you don’t get Garmin’s latest multi-band GPS or Gen 5 Elevate optical sensor, the improved GNSS sensor and move from Gen 3 to Gen 4 sensors does deliver strong GPS and heart rate tracking performance still.

The additions made in the training and smartwatch departments also make this feel like a more advanced watch than the Forerunner 55. You now have a watch that has full access to Garmin’s Connect IQ store and brings in some of Garmin’s nicest smartwatch features like morning and evening reports. No you don’t get payments, Bluetooth calls or a music player, but if you’re looking for the basics that go beyond what the 55 offered, the 70’s got you well covered.

It’s also great to see some of Garmin’s best training features. Training Readiness now features on a cheaper Garmin to help you decide when to train and rest. You can now use the 70 to navigate your way. You don’t get full maps, but the breadcrumb navigation still makes it useful to have on your wrist when exploring new surroundings or struggling to get back home after a run.

Those added features do, unsurprisingly, come at an added cost. A cost that does push the Forerunner 70 out of that entry level category into more of a mid-range one. That does mean you can find cheaper alternatives like the Suunto Run or can pay a bit more for the Coros Pace 4 and get newer sensors including dual-band GPS. If you’re sold on Garmin’s software, still want that strong tracking performance and like the idea of having an AMOLED screen and the best smartwatch experience you’ll find on a running watch at this price, those are going to be the biggest reasons to grab the Forerunner 70.

Garmin Forerunner 70: Specifications

Garmin Forerunner 70: Price and availability

• $249.99 / £219.99 / AU$399
• More expensive than the Forerunner 55
• Cheaper than the Forerunner 170

The Garmin Forerunner 70 has a launch price of $249.99 USD / £219.99 UK / $399 AUS, which puts it firmly in the mid-range running smartwatch category. That’s in contrast to its predecessor the Forerunner 55, which launched with a sub-$200 price tag when it landed back in 2021.

Given there’s been some pretty sizable upgrades with the hardware and software, including adding an AMOLED display and richer smartwatch features, it’s not surprising that the price has leapt up a bit. It does feel like it’s lost a bit of the beginner-friendly appeal of the Forerunner 55 in the process.

The Forerunner 70 was launched alongside the Forerunner 170, which at $299 / £259.99 / AU$479 gives you additional features like contactless payments and a music player, longer battery life and additional sensors like an altimeter.

• Value score: 4/5

Garmin Forerunner 70: Design

• One case size option
• Added AMOLED screen
• Combination of touchscreen and physical buttons

Like the Garmin Forerunner 55, the Forerunner 70 remains a watch that sits pretty small on your wrist. That might be an issue for fans of bigger watches like a Fenix. For runners, typically smaller and lighter is better and that is what you get here.

Garmin has moved up slightly from a 42mm sized-polymer case to a 42.6mm one. It’s just the one case size that’s light to hold and comes in four different colors. Whether you want something plain or like a splash of color, you’re catered for here. The strap attached to the case is pretty typical of the ones you find partnered up to most Garmin Forerunners. It’s a 20mm silicone one that uses a pin mechanism, so you can remove it when the strap included gets sweaty or dirty or you just fancy switching to another color.

Garmin sticks to including five physical buttons for that classic running watch navigation experience. That’s now matched up with a 1.2-inch, 390 x 390 resolution AMOLED touchscreen. That sees Garmin move away from the memory pixel display on another watch line, sacrificing the longer battery life and more impressive viewing angles in brighter outdoor light for that added colour, vibrancy and to be more in keeping with other smartwatches. It’s still going to be a screen you can view comfortably outside when it’s really sunny. You just might need to crank up the brightness to do that, which will have an impact on battery life.

Like the Forerunner 50 and most other more affordable Garmin watches, the Forerunner 70 carries a 5ATM waterproof rating. That makes it safe for swimming and showering with it. There’s only a pool swimming tracking mode as Garmin leaves out open water and triathlon modes. That’ll be disappointing for anyone hoping they could pick this up as an affordable triathlon watch.

• Design score: 4/5

Garmin Forerunner 70: Features

• Upgraded Gen 4 Elevate sensor from Forerunner 55
• Includes latest training insights like Training Readiness
• Offers breadcrumb-style navigation

Garmin is pitching the Forerunner 70 as an entry-level running smartwatch, so it’s giving you some running features, but not all that it has to offer.

Like the GPS support, where the Forerunner 70 uses multi-GNSS, as opposed to the latest multi-band GPS included on the Forerunner 570 and above watches. This means you miss out on having improved tracking accuracy when running or moving near tall buildings or locations with a lot of tall trees.

Other hardware improvements include upgrading from the Gen 3 Elevate optical heart rate sensor to the Gen 4 version. That’s actually not the latest version of Garmin’s in-house sensor technology. That’s Gen 5, which gives you added features like ECG heart rate measurements. This will cover continuous monitoring and tracking heart rate during exercise. You can also pair external heart rate monitors to it as well.

In terms of software features, there’s a lot that’s been added to the Forerunner 70 over the Forerunner 55. Along with bringing the UI up to date with other AMOLED-toting Garmins, you’re now getting more smartwatch features. You can set up smart alarms, view morning and evening reports for a summary of your day and recommendations for the following day.

There’s improved notification support for Android users, so now you can view more information being shared in notifications. A big one is the added Connect IQ support: previously, this was restricted to only downloading watch faces. Now you have full access to the storefront to download apps, watch faces and data fields.

There’s plenty that’s been upgraded on the tracking and training front too. You can now follow routes using breadcrumb-style navigation as opposed to the full maps you’ll find on pricier Garmin watches. Garmin has brought in a raft of its latest training metrics and features including Training Readiness, wrist-based running power, more strength-focused training support and this is a watch that’s compatible with Garmin’s Coach. That’s free access to Garmin’s training platform that now comprises running, cycling and strength training plans that can be synced over to the watch.

• Features score: 4/5

Garmin Forerunner 70: Performance

• Good GPS despite lack of dual-band
• Smartwatch features work well across Android and iOS
• Heart rate tracking solid with support for external sensors

In terms of tracking your runs, the Forerunner 70 does a sterling job like most other Garmins and not just for running. When I’ve used it for pool swims, indoor rows, treadmill runs and bike sessions, the tracking has been as solid as other Garmins I’ve tested.

Some will be disappointed that Garmin doesn’t include its latest multi-band GPS technology. As I’ve found when using Garmin’s watches with multi-GNSS setups, they still perform better than a lot of dual-band watches. I’d say it’s the same story for the Forerunner 70. It might get a bit more shaky in places with a lot of tall buildings for the GPS technology to deal with, but I’ve been using it alongside the Forerunner 170 and Garmin’s markedly more expensive Garmin Forerunner 970, and the 70 has more than held its own.

It’s a similar story with heart rate tracking. While you’re getting the older Gen 4 version of Garmin’s Elevate optical heart rate sensor technology, that doesn’t equal a bad performance. For steady paced runs and runs in some significantly hotter running conditions, the 70 held up well against Garmin and MyZone heart rate monitor chest straps. It can take a bit longer to match up when you’re easing off during interval work. Overall though, the 70’s older sensor gets the job done, with the option to pair a Bluetooth heart rate sensor to improve performance.

Where Garmin has really bolstered things on the 70 compared to the 55 is the influx of training insights and bringing it more up to speed in terms of smartwatch features. It’s great to see Training Readiness make the cut where previously Garmin had left this useful insight into your preparedness to tackle a tough session off from its more affordable watches. It’s also about the presentation of these features, which is something Garmin does better than the competition. Like the well integrated daily suggested workouts or helping you keep an eye on your recovery time.

While you’re not getting the best that Garmin has to offer in smartwatch features, the added AMOLED touchscreen and general changes made to the user interface does mean it operates better as a smartwatch than most other running-focused smartwatches. The stream of Glances (widgets) offer a nice snapshot of your data, morning and evening report summaries are great additions, while the music playback controls work well with third party music services like Spotify. Unlike the Forerunner 55, you do now have full access to the Garmin Connect IQ store and that means increasing your ability to personalise the watch software with the features, apps and data fields you care most about.

Sleep tracking has been a bit of a weakness for Garmin. Particularly when overreporting sleep duration and the time it’s taken to recognise when you’d fallen asleep. Things thankfully have gotten better and I count the Forerunner 70 in the 'good' camp of sleep trackers. I’ve been wearing it to bed with an Oura Ring 5 and core sleep stats have largely told a similar story about my night’s sleep. The now added sleep coach and recommendation features brings sleep more into the training equation as well as helping you think more about your recovery time between runs and other workouts.

In terms of battery life, you’re unsurprisingly not getting the best Garmin has to offer on that front. What you are getting is a watch that should hold for a week’s worth of training. If you’re using it with the always-on display mode while tracking outdoor runs, you’re going to get less than a week.

GPS battery numbers give you a good amount to play with as well. I found that an hour's worth of running in the best available GPS mode hit the battery by just shy of 10%. That doesn’t add up to the 16 hours promised.

• Performance score: 4/5

Garmin Forerunner 70: Scorecard

Garmin Forerunner 70: Should I buy?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider

How I tested

I’ve been wearing the Garmin Forerunner 70 for three weeks, tracking my outdoor and treadmill runs. I’ve also used it for pool swimming and indoor cycling, wearing it alongside other running watches to compare GPS performance. I’ve also been using it alongside a heart rate monitor chest strap to compare heart rate tracking during exercise.

First reviewed: June 2026

• SVP at Samsung says the Galaxy Ring 2 is officially in development
• It could come with a slew of design upgrades as well as deeper integration with other Samsung devices
• The biggest improvement is support for iOS, a first for Samsung wearables

When Samsung released the Galaxy Ring in 2024 it shot to the top of our list of best smart rings, but the Korean tech company has been rather silent on plans for the next-gen wearable — until now.

Speaking with Forbes, Senior Vice President and Head of the Digital Health Team at Samsung, Hon Pak, shared that the company’s next smart ring (presumably named the Galaxy Ring 2) is officially in development; “We are working on the next generation. I can tell you that,” he shared.

The announcement arrives just after the new Oura Ring 5 hit the shelves which, compared to its predecessor, is roughly 40% smaller with an even longer battery life, although does come with a higher price tag. It’s about time Samsung returned to the smart ring world given how fierce the competition has grown over the last two years — so how will the Galaxy Ring 2 stand against its rivals?

When Samsung released the first Galaxy Ring, Pak described it as “a comprehensive and simplified approach” to health and sleep, and it seems that he wants to build on this across both hardware and software.

For starters, if we look at the Oura Ring 5’s slimmer redesign, it wouldn’t come as a complete surprise if Samsung replicated a similar ‘smaller but tougher’ approach to its own smart ring for added comfort improvements.

Additionally, Samsung could take a page out of Oura’s book and remove skin contact bumps from the inside of the ring, all while extending its battery life — we also predicted that it will come with a solid state battery.

Though design upgrades are likely, Pak hinted that this won’t be the biggest difference with the Galaxy Ring 2. “If you look at the comparison of other rings, regardless of the competitor, the sensors are not that different right now,” he said, adding “It’s really about what services you create on the top layer. It’s really the software differentiation that you see.”

With these remarks in mind, the Galaxy Ring 2’s main focus will be on developing deeper software integration rather than reupholstering the hardware. Pak also shared that Samsung has plans to build on its connected ecosystem to help users receive more accurate metrics and get a better sense of their health habits.

Instead of using just the Galaxy Ring 2's collection of metrics to present the full picture of your well-being, Samsung takes your data from the smart ring and blends it with other devices in its network via the Samsung Health app. This could include Galaxy Watches and smartphones, and even its range of SmartThings home appliances to give you more detailed context into your daily activity and overall well-being.

For users who are deep into Samsung’s ecosystem of devices already, it’s a huge win, but one of the biggest setbacks with the first-gen Galaxy Ring is its lack of support for iOS. While Samsung has the overall edge over the likes of Oura, the latter supports iOS, giving users more reason to opt for its wearables over Samsung’s — but this could change with the Galaxy Ring 2.

In addition to software upgrades, Pak heavily teased that iOS support will finally be coming to the Galaxy Ring; “I’m smiling but I can’t say anything,” he hinted. Out of all the new upgrades, iOS support would throw the biggest curveball into the competition, giving non-Android users even more reason to make the switch to Galaxy Ring over rival wearables.

While it’s not exactly a formal announcement, it’s certainly a promising affirmation of what to expect from the long-awaited wearable. Despite not giving any details on an official launch date, Galaxy Unpacked 2026 is just around the corner where we’re expecting the announcement of the S26 lineup — could Samsung also throw the Galaxy Ring 2 into the mix?

• Fitbit devices have a new fitness coach powered by Gemini AI
• But the AI seems to be giving people extremely questionable advice
• Users have voiced their dissatisfaction with the feature

Fitbit recently introduced a new fitness coach powered by Google’s Gemini artificial intelligence (AI), and it’s safe to say that it’s received a lot of flak from Fitbit users. Complaints have been flooding in, but surely few have been as bizarre as one recently posted to Reddit that involved some truly “unhinged” advice from Gemini.

Posting on Reddit, user bitteroldladybird started off by claiming that “The coach suggested I ditch my dog.” If that didn’t raise your eyebrows, what comes next surely will.

They continued by explaining that, “I’ve been walking my dog twice a day her whole life. Including the last year and a bit when I’ve had my Fitbit.”

But after that preamble, things start to get weird: “Recently the AI coach has been giving me feedback on my walks and it asked why my pace was so slow. I answered that I walk with my dog. This slows me down because she stops and sniffs and pees etc. Coach said it understood. Today it asked if I could ditch the dog to speed up my walks.” The user then opened the floor and asked fellow Redditors: “Has the coach given you weird or unhinged advice?”

Funnily enough, bitteroldladybird was far from the only person to relate a story like this. User KateJ95 recounted how “I got told to ditch my toddler … Turned coach off after that.” Individual_Sun2060, on the other hand, said “My coach incessantly tells me to rest, and has probably suggested I take the day off EVERY SINGLE DAY.”

User vemailangah, meanwhile, had a helpful suggestion for Fitbit’s next update: “coach sends AI robot to get rid of the dog to help you improve your walks.”

TechRadar’s own Matt Evans has had a similarly bizarre experience with Fitbit’s AI coach, explaining that it developed an obsession with a minor cold and wouldn’t let the issue go. After Evans didn’t wear his Fitbit for one day — and therefore logged zero steps or workouts — the AI chimed in with: “yesterday was a full recovery day with minimal movement.”

As Matt explained, it seemed that Gemini “really thought I spend 12 hours lying perfectly still, like a mummy in a sarcophagus.”

Latching onto any context

Judging by the feedback from people on Reddit and here at TechRadar, it seems that Fitbit’s AI coach is tuned a little too strongly towards fitness efficiency and improvement. If it detects any sort of “hindrance” that it feels is slowing you down, it suggests jettisoning it at the earliest opportunity — even if that means ditching your beloved pup.

TechRadar’s Evans points out that this behavior could be because Gemini “just kind of latches on to any context you give it, and is designed to improve your health — occasionally to its detriment when it comes to subtlety and context.” Because you know far more about yourself than Gemini does, the chatbot has to take any cue it can in order to build a picture of your wellbeing. And if you mention something tangentially relevant in your life, Gemini has a few other resources for context.

Aside from creating the kinds of bizarre situations that we’ve seen here, this issue limits the fitness coach’s utility. Another thread on Reddit asked “Does anyone actually use the AI Coach?” and was filled with replies from people who have lost patience with the feature. “When the trial ends, I’m out. Coach is garbage,” said flanga, while realManTing shared that “I find myself yelling at it over text and I cannot wait for my trial to end.”

As the original poster in that thread put it, the coach “constantly gives me long walls of text that are either obvious, outdated or just not useful. I don’t want to read an essay every time I open the app — I just want short, actionable insights.”

It therefore seems clear that Gemini’s AI coach is not particularly popular among Fitbit users and has a worrying tendency to offer questionable advice and to irritate them. Hopefully Google can make some rapid improvements before it suggests anyone else dump their dog to record a slightly faster walk.

• The Fitbit Air is getting its first software update
• It should fix problems with automatic workout detection
• An old Fitbit app workaround is going away

The first software update for the Fitbit Air is rolling out now, and the hope is that it's going to fix one particular bugbear for users — but there's also bad news for those who are still using the older Fitbit app rather than the Google Health replacement.

First up, the update is rolling out now, as reported by 9to5Google, though you might not see it right away: look for a notification inside the Google Health app that an update is ready. As per Google, it contains "bug fixes and general improvements".

There's a bit more detail in a post on the Google Health support forum from last month, suggesting that there are fixes to exercise tracking, split runs, exercise exports, multiple device support, and how the device deals with lost connectivity when tracking.

As noted by Android Authority, one of the most commonly reported problems on the Fitbit Air has been the inaccurate labeling of workouts that are detected automatically — tagging runs as general workouts, for example — and this issue now seems to have been resolved.

No more Fitbit app workarounds

Google Ending Support for Fitbit App July 15, 2026 from r/fitbit

While a software update is positive news for Fitbit Air owners, those who have been clinging on to the old Fitbit app on their phones won't be pleased that Google has now closed off a workaround for avoiding the upgrade to Google Health.

As explained by Gadgets & Wearables, some users have been sideloading older versions of the Fitbit app: these older versions don't get automatically replaced by Google Health, so it's a way of sticking with the old app interface and layout.

From July 15 though, these older versions of the Fitbit app are going to stop working. Users will have no choice but to switch to Google Health, which moves around a lot of the key elements on screen and introduces a new AI coach.

Fitbit fans have been complaining loudly about the changes that the Google Health app brings with it, and many are unhappy about being forced to upgrade: "I think I'm going to have to find an alternative to the AI slop," writes one Redditor.

We've tested a lot of crazy workout gear over the years, from Adidas' pressurized workout shoes to elaborate virtual coaching booths, but never anything from space.

Let me confirm that I haven't actually worn anything from outer space: this is a workout layer from premium activewear company Walero, which also makes professional-grade motorsport gear. The Walero Active temperature-regulating baselayer incorporates Outlast technology, which is a fabric system originally developed for NASA to clothe its astronauts.

The Outlast website says "the most important part of fabrics and materials with this NASA technology is the microencapsulated wax, which is usually won from rapeseed oil.

"When the temperature rises, it causes the wax in the capsules to melt. During this phase shift, the temperature cannot increase any further. Heat peaks are reduced or even prevented and as a result, sweat production decreases by up to 48%."

So the wax hardens and softens inside the fabric based on the wearer's temperature, capping it. Clever.

While the Walero baselayers only consist of 20% Outlast technology, I was intrigued enough to try it when I was offered to test one. Given that I also test the best running shoes in addition to fitness gadgets, I'm always intrigued when I hear about performance-enhancing technical fabrics and materials in addition to smartwatches and other gadgets on my usual beat.

So, without further ado, I laced up my Saucony Ride 19s and hit the road, wearing it on as many runs as I could (in between washes) over a month.

Beat the heat

I tested the Ben Nevis long sleeve half-zip Walero Active top, but I found it difficult to judge its results in an objective, numerical fashion. Walero claims its kit is scientifically proven to lower heart rates by 8%, and sweat production by 30%.

However, one person's sweat production and heart rate can change dramatically for all sorts of reasons, ranging from what they've eaten that day, to the weather, to their previous night's sleep. I normally test the best smartwatches against a Polar H10 heart rate monitor to obtain numerical data, but I found it difficult to deliver any meaningful comparison data on a regular workout vs. one in the top. An 8% decrease in heart rate isn't a massive change for the average runner to measure, although it could mean everything for an elite athlete. How does a mediocre but enthusiastic runner quantify this sort of thing?

Nevertheless, after running 10 kilometers in a UK heatwave, during which I would have normally worn as little clothing as possible (and certainly not a long-sleeved top) I must admit I was partially convinced. I wore a sleeveless t-shirt underneath, and hadn't needed to remove the long-sleeved top at all during the run.

Other runs in the top, some shorter, some similar distance, were done in cooler conditions, including one in the rain. At all times, the layer stayed on, apart from one exceptionally hot day. I didn't see any historic achievements or plateau-breaking as a result of wearing it, but my runs felt strong and the top was comfortable. I didn't need to shed the layer in most hot conditions to avoid overheating, or feel like it was insufficient in cold.

Will it really increase performance?

At the end of the day, it's a very premium-priced (a hefty £195, around $250 / AU$370) baselayer with a nice feel. Will it increase performance? Perhaps. It's definitely going to be a go-to when exercising in the cold, as the 'layering problem' rears its ugly head most often in transitional seasons. You start out cold, and end up baking due to over-layering. I see this piece as an answer to this issue.

One independent study testing the thermo-regulation property of Outlast fiber by means of thermal analysis found that the 'smart fiber' as its called, has "been certified [for] its obvious capability of temperature regulation". So the Walero top will reduce sweat and keep your body regulated with its 20% Outlast fibers woven into its construction, in theory.

In practice, for most of us, it's a fun novelty that seems ideal to wear in most conditions, and most suited to cooler changeable weather. You'll get a lot of wear out of it as it's very adaptable, but it's certainly more expensive than most baselayers. It's a cool gimmick to chat about as you queue up at the startline of your local parkrun, but whether it represents good value will depend on your budget. An amateur athlete looking to save money (most of us) won't get enough mileage out of this top to justify the expense, while a high performer with deep pockets will likely live in it due to its thermo-regulating qualities.

• A Chinese medtech firm has gained EU approval for its remote surgery robot
• Medbot’s Toumai system can now be moved and marketed freely in the European Union
• The approval comes after Toumai was used for the UK's first long-distance surgery

A Chinese medical technology firm has gained EU approval for its remote surgery robot following its use by a London surgeon to operate on a patient 1,500 miles away in Gibraltar.

Shanghai Microport MedBot’s Toumai is a three-part remote surgery system that allows doctors and surgeons to perform operations on the abdomen and pelvis.

The system is composed of a surgeon console, patient cart, and vision cart, with robotic ‘limbs’ allowing operators to perform operations. The system uses 5G connectivity to connect the surgeon console to the vision cart over long distances.

The approval follows Toumai’s successful use by a London surgeon to perform the UK’s first long-distance teleoperated surgery, a full prostate removal on a man with prostate cancer in Gibraltar.

Dr. Proskar Dasgupta performed the operation using the teleoperated system on 62-year old Paul Buxton in March 2026. Speaking to the BBC, Buxton said it was a “no-brainer” to take part in the experimental procedure and become “part of medical history”.

The robot will see you now

Gibraltar, a small UK territory just south of Spain, has a single hospital within its borders, meaning residents may need to travel 1,500 miles north to the UK for more complex procedures.

However, Toumai and remote surgery systems like it allow patients to be treated by experts without traveling to meet them. Dr. Dasgupta said to the BBC that he felt “almost as if I was there” while conducting Mr. Buxton’s procedure.

On June 22, Shanghai Microport MedBot announced that the Toumai robotic surgery system had received the CE Mark — an EU stamp of approval required to sell products in its common market

As South China Morning Post reports, this allows the system to be "moved and marketed" freely in the EU, meaning the company is free to offer Toumai to healthcare providers in any of the EU’s 27 member states.

This will be welcome news for MedBot, which made 73 per cent of its revenue from overseas sales in 2025, up from 20 per cent in 2023.

Oura Ring 5: Two minute review

I've been going around in circles writing this Oura Ring 5 review. On the one hand, I find the health insights equally fascinating and motivating just like the best smart rings, and its new discreet design is without a doubt comfortable to wear all day long.

But it's worth noting that when you stack up the monthly subscription and optional charging case on top of the starting price for the standard finish, you're looking at the better part of $600 / £600 / AU$750 to own it for a year.

That said, its ability to track more than 50 health and wellness metrics, such as sleep quality and stress levels, is undeniably enticing for anyone wanting to be more aware of their body — and the launch of this newest model brought a whole host of new insights, which I'll go into later.

The Oura app does include a lot of context about how these measurements can be interpreted and how they contribute to‚ for example, determining how prepared your body is for the day ahead based on a range of metrics, which Oura calls your 'Readiness Score'. But, this can sometimes only scratch the surface.

Sometimes these assessments have been known to trigger misguided concerns For example, I got 'major' warnings from a feature called 'Symptom Radar', which tracks your respiratory rate and body temperature to flag signs of strain. What it didn't take into account was that a woman's body temperature naturally rises after ovulation, making its assessment unnecessarily worrying for anyone who didn't know that. But it's worth keeping in mind that it takes a little while for the app to figure out your baselines, so any early scores should be taken with a punch of salt.

As for its claim to be the world's smallest smart ring at launch, this really does hold up — its lightness makes it disappear on your finger, making it ideal for everyday wear. With six stylish finishes and an even more scratch-resistant titanium surface, it's no wonder it's made headlines in the wearable tech space, with plenty of influencer reviewers fawning over the all-new Oura Ring 5.

But Oura has been facing increasing privacy backlash after deepening its partnership with the Department of Defense in the US last year, although it doesn't use data from any of its users other than federal employees as part of this arrangement. It's also worth keeping in mind that there have been studies raising concerns about 'health data anxiety', but Oura has made sure that the app encourages members to focus on long-term changes rather than the day-to-day readings.

By now you've definitely noticed my to-ing and fro-ing as I work through every side of the Oura Ring 5 to reach an honest review. I won't say it's the most perfect smart ring on the market — that would be ignoring too much — but I will say it comes close. At the end of the day, I'm a sucker for brilliant tech, which the Oura Ring 5 definitely is.

Oura Ring 5: Price and availability

• $399 / £399 / AU$649 (each) for two base finishes
• $499 / £499 / AU$799 (each) for four premium styles
• $5.99 monthly subscription (priced in USD across all regions)
• $99 / £99 / AU$159 for the Oura Ring 5 travel case

The Oura Ring 5 costs an extra $50 / £50 / AU$80 — or $100 / £100 for a premium finish — compared with the Oura Ring 4, which launched in 2024. (Australian pricing doesn't appear to carry the same premium finish gap.)

Beyond the high-gloss gold and silver finishes, you're paying an extra $100 / £100 / AU$150 for any of the four premium styles: a softer gold, brushed silver, matte black, and — the color I tried — deep copper rose.

Add the $5.99 monthly subscription, and you're looking at up to $670 / £670 / AU$1,029.88 to own an Oura Ring 5 for a year, if you go for the most expensive finish plus the travel case.

That's no small sum when most smart rings on the market cost less and many don't require a recurring subscription. There are also plenty of wearable alternatives that track the same health vitals, which makes this very much a luxury purchase.

• Value score: 2/5

Oura Ring 5: Design

• The closest a smart ring has come to looking like luxury jewellery
• Extremely low-profile and light, making it comfortable to wear all day
• An easy-to-use companion app with a clean UI

By far the best justification for the Oura Ring 5's high price tag is that it could easily pass for a piece of jewellery. That's largely down to a 40% decrease in size from the previous model, the result of Oura redesigning the entire core.

That freed up space to drop multiple sensors, but it hasn't made the Ring 5 any less accurate — Oura has increased the efficiency of the remaining sensors to offset the loss. The titanium surface is also more scratch-resistant; I can't compare it directly to a previous model, but it hasn't picked up a nick yet.

What I can say is that the Oura Ring 5 is significantly smaller than the Ring 4. Holding it up against a previous-generation ring (admittedly the bulkier ceramic finish), I was shocked at how noticeable the size difference is. It's lighter and far more comfortable to wear, since it doesn't protrude — and therefore doesn't rub against — my finger as much.

That same design ethos carries through to the Oura app, which has a minimalist interface that isn't cluttered with numbers and graphs. Instead, data is presented as scores with percentages and ratings for each health vital. It's easy to use, though it's worth noting that the app needs a certain amount of data to establish your health baseline, so you won't have access to every feature right away.

• Design score: 5/5

Oura Ring 5: Features

• Tracks vitals including body temperature, heart rate, and respiratory rate
• AI wellness assessments for sleep, stress, resilience, and more
• Activity tracking lags behind more dedicated fitness wearables

After two weeks of wearing the Oura Ring 5, I've unlocked most features — sleep, resilience, and activity scores — which now populate what was once a fairly bare home screen.

The Oura app works best with more data, so it's constantly prompting you to add new "tags" to your day's timeline. Some are automatic, like detecting exercise, while others — what you ate, or what kind of activity you did — require manual logging.

The app's other three main sections cover your vitals, a health assessment area, and an LLM chatbot you can talk to about your data. That last part matters, because as I mentioned above, there's plenty of room for misleading interpretations if you don't understand the many factors behind your body's vitals.

I got a lot out of learning more about my sleep quality and general heart health (the app has a neat feature that lets you feel your heartbeat throughout the day via your phone's haptic feedback), but what I'm most interested in unlocking next are the new women's health features, such as Hormonal Birth Control, which builds on the existing Cycle Insights dashboard with what Oura calls a "first-of-its-kind" view into how biometrics shift across hormonal and hormone-free days.

While I find the wellness insights genuinely useful, the ring is nowhere near as practical as a dedicated fitness tracker. Without GPS — it relies on a paired device for location — and limited to activities compatible with wearing jewellery on your hand (so no weightlifting without a third-party silicone band over the top), it falls short, even with the addition of real-time tracking — which, again, you can only view through a paired device).

• Features score: 4/5

Oura Ring 5: Performance

• Battery life has increased to seven days
• Automatic activity tracking has been accurate
• Sleep and heart rate tracking data is in line with our benchmark device

One of the biggest improvements that the Oura Ring 5 brings over the Ring 4 is that has managed to squeeze out a whole extra day of battery life, despite the ring itself being redesigned to be 40% smaller.

During my testing, I found it lasted a whole seven days on one full charge. But I was more impressed with was how quickly you can charge the smart ring. From a fully drained battery, it took less than an hour until it was all way back up to 100%, which means it's very easy to top it up throughout the week whenever you're, say, washing dishes or having a shower.

For the most part, I kept the Oura Ring 5 on throughout the day, allowing it to track my vitals as I moved from home to work to seeing friends, exercising and cooking, which it does very well. Most of the automated tracking suggestions were accurate, allowing me to quickly confirm all of the day's activities when I next checked into the app.

This same accuracy extends to the sleep data, which is the absolute highlight of the Oura Ring 5's feature set. I found the insights both enlightening and motivating, especially after getting my first sleep score as (like any gamification effect) I began trying to reach a new higher level. My testing also confirmed this when my readouts for my average heart rate managed to be within 3 BPM of the Polar H10 chest strap, which is the gold standard for consumer heart rate and workout accuracy as it uses actual ECG (electrocardiogram) technology.

Average heart rate

Oura Ring 5

115

Polar H10

112

037.575112.5150

Average heart rate Data

Product	Value
Oura Ring 5	115
Polar H10	112

• Performance score: 5/5

Oura Ring 5: Scorecard

Oura Ring 5: Should I buy?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider

How I tested

I wore the Oura Ring 5 for two weeks, draining the battery completely (despite the app advising against letting it go below 30%). I have some gaps in my data from forgetting to put it back on, but I mostly didn't take it off. I tested the ring's heart rate monitoring accuracy against the Polar H10 chest strap, and compared its design to a ceramic Oura Ring 4.

• Real-life experiment shows bug spray can kill Fitbit Airs
• It's to do with the chemicals inside the repellent
• Spray carefully, as you won't be covered under warranty

Here at TechRadar we've been rather impressed by what the Fitbit Air has to offer, but one unfortunate user has found out the hard way that you shouldn't use bug spray when the fitness tracker is wrapped around your wrist.

The problematic incident was recorded on Reddit (via Phandroid), and it seems that a thorough and protective application of bug spray has eaten into the plastic component of the Fitbit Air, stopping it from functioning.

"Went on a hike this weekend with my Fitbit Air," reads the original Reddit post. "I've had it for 14 days now, and I found out that bug spray will destroy it. I had put some on the cuffs of my hiking shirt and it transferred over to the device and broke down the plastic."

To make matters worse, the user reports that the same fate befell his wife's Fitbit too (though it's not clear if that's also a Fitbit Air). The original post ends with a recommendation to "save your cash for something built better".

Little sympathy

Fitbit air and bug spray don't mix from r/fitbit

The Reddit detectives went straight to work, determining that it was likely the chemical DEET (N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide) causing the problem. It's widely used in insect repellents, and is pretty harsh on plastics as well as bugs.

And sympathy seems to be in short supply on the Reddit thread. "The documentation very clearly states that it shouldn't come in contact with sunscreens and bug sprays," writes one poster, while another says: "This is on you buddy."

Google isn't being particularly sympathetic either, telling the affected user that the damage counts as environmental or accidental damage, and so isn't covered under the warranty. No replacement Fitbit Air will be forthcoming in this case.

There have been other stories like this in recent days, so it seems a substantial number of people aren't aware about the damage that insect repellent can do. As ever, always read the small print — on both your fitness trackers and your bug sprays.

It's a tale as old as tech time: a new flagship device appears on the scene, which means the device it's replacing gets a price drop, and potentially offers better value for money for the discerning gadget buyer.

For this guide, we're going to be looking specifically at the Oura Ring 4 (which launched in 2024) and the Oura Ring 5 (launched in 2026). The Oura Ring 4 is likely to see some great Amazon Prime Day deals, but should you go all in on the latest and most expensive model? Or is the older model the better investment when bought at a discount?

• Browse the full Amazon Prime Day sale

There's no doubt that both models qualify as two of the best smart rings on the market right now, but which one is right for you depends on your budget and what your priorities are. Here's how they compare.

Oura Ring 5 vs Oura Ring 4: pricing

While pricing varies as special offers come and go, the Oura Ring 5 launched for a starting price of $399 / £399 / AU$649, with some finishes costing extra at $499 / £499 / AU$799 – that's a little more expensive than the original Oura Ring 4 (note that the prices for Australia are for third-party resellers, not from Oura directly).

There's an upgraded charging case available for $99 / £99 / AU$159 for the Oura Ring 5, and then there's the monthly subscription: $5.99 / £5.99 / AU$9.99 a month or $69.99 / £69.99 / AU$109.99 a year. While a subscription isn't technically necessary to use an Oura Ring, you do need one to access the bulk of its features.

So what about Oura Ring 4 price drops? At the time of writing, the starting price is $349 / £349 if you go through the official channels, and we're seeing some good deals on the Oura Ring 4 already, which you can find below. Given that it's an older model, you're much more likely to see discounts on this smart ring on both the Oura shop and third-party retailers like Amazon.

Oura Ring 5 vs Oura Ring 4: specs and features

What you need to know first is that the Oura Ring 5 is notably slimmer than the Oura Ring 4: for the most affordable finishes, it's 6.09 mm (0.24 inches) wide and 2.28 mm (0.09 inches) thick, down from 7.9 mm (0.31 inches) and 2.8 mm (0.11 inches), which is a reduction of about 40%.

That can make a difference when it comes to comfort and day-to-day wear. The new model is lighter too, with those reduced dimensions, weighing 2 grams rather than 3.3 grams. Both models are available in a variety of ring sizes to fit your finger, though the Oura Ring 5 introduces a new sizing scheme that doesn't match its predecessor.

The Oura Ring 5 is also more scratch resistant, while both models offer the same level of waterproofing (down to a depth of 100 meters). Battery life has been improved on the new model too, with the official estimates standing at 5-8 days for the Oura Ring 4, and 6-9 days for the Oura Ring 5.

As for sensors and health tracking features, this is where the rings are mostly tied. Oura says the fifth-generation model is more accurate because of a change in the sensor layout, but the core sensor tech is the same between the two models, and the software experience through the app is the same for tracking steps, activity, heart rate, and more.

Oura Ring 5 vs Oura Ring 4: Verdict

There's clearly a lot that's new and improved in the Oura Ring 5: it's slimmer and lighter, and offers better battery life. Oura says it's also more accurate, though that's not something we've finished testing ourselves just yet. That said, the tracking capabilities, sensors, and app features are more or less identical between the models.

Where the Oura Ring 4 really has the potential to outdo the newer model is in terms of pricing. As time goes on, you're likely to see bigger and bigger discounts on the fourth-generation model — and don't forget that we awarded it our Health & Fitness Device of the Year award for 2025. It's a seriously impressive bit of kit, and if the right discount comes along during Amazon Prime Day, it'll certainly be a better-value package than the Ring 5.

Regardless, you'll need to weigh up what's most important to you for your next smart ring, and how much you're prepared to spend to get it. Both of these premium smart rings from Oura will give you years of use — so we might be talking about the Oura Ring 6 before you need to think about upgrading again.

More Prime Day deals in the US

• Amazon Devices: Fire Sticks & Echo from $18
• Amazon Haul: viral gadgets, tech & appliances from $1.99
• Apple: MacBooks, AirPods & AirTags from $29
• Beauty: 50% off toothbrushes & hair tools
• Cheap TVs: smart TVs from $69.99
• Garden: tools, mowers, planters from $24.99
• Headphones: 50% off Beats, Bose & Samsung
• Laptops: Apple, HP & Dell from $199
• Mattresses: Sealy, Serta & more from $186
• Patio: outdoor furniture, rugs & decor from $19.99
• Sports: 50% off fitness gear, treadmills & clothing
• Vacuums: Dyson, Shark & Bissell from $34

More Prime Day deals in the UK

• Amazon Prime: sign up for a 30-day free trial
• Amazon Devices: Fire TV, Ring & Blink from £24.99
• Amazon Haul: up to 30% off
• Apple: AirPods Pro 3 for a record-low price
• Appliances: up to 45% off Ninja, Tefal & Sage
• Beauty: up to 60% off Philips & Oral-B
• Essentials: household goods from under £10
• Fashion: up to 50% off
• Headphones: up to 50% off
• Laptops: from £149.99
• Tablets: Samsung & Lenovo from £125
• Toys: up to 25% off Lego and Tonies
• TVs: from £129.99
• Vacuums: up to 40% off Eufy & Roborock
• Wearables: Garmin & Huawei from £36.99

• A leaker claims there will be a Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 this year instead of a Watch 9 Classic
• They shared renders of the Ultra 2 and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 9
• They also claimed there will be beige, black, and silver colors for them

This year it looks like we might get a successor to the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra, as a new leak has revealed fresh details along with the Samsung Galaxy Watch 9.

Over on X (via 9to5Google), leaker Galaxy Techie has claimed that these are the two new Samsung smartwatches we’ll see this year — and that there won’t be a Classic. That post has also now suspiciously been removed.

That’s at odds with some earlier leaks which suggested we might get a Classic instead of or as well as a new Ultra, so we’d take this with a pinch of salt. But it would make sense, since Samsung usually only launches new Classic models every other year, and we already got one last year with the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic.

A successor to the 2024 Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra is certainly due — and according to this source, the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 will have a slightly boxier design than its predecessor, along with thinner bezels and an orange outline on the side button, rather than it being all orange.

Three colors and some software changes

The leaker also claims that both the Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 and the Watch Ultra 2 will have new band designs and colors, listing beige, black with a bluish band, and silver with a green band variants — though it’s unclear whether they mean both models will come in all three of those shades.

Finally, they’ve also shared some renders which — while lacking in detail — do give us a look at the possible design of these wearables, along with the redesigned Samsung Health app and what looks to be a new watchface picker, as you can see above.

In any case, we probably won’t have to wait much longer to get an official look at whatever wearables Samsung is cooking up, as this year’s Galaxy Watches will probably launch in July.

The Garmin Fenix 8 is a good activity watch by every conceivable metric, and rated our best Garmin watch in the premium category. I gave the Fenix 8 five stars when I reviewed it in September 2024, and I've been wearing it on and off ever since, while testing other wearables in between.

It's accurate in terms of GPS and heart rate, it's fast, it's eminently customizable, and stuffed with neat, handy features. It's got everything from some of the best navigation software I've ever used to advanced training plans courtesy of Garmin Connect. It's tough, built with titanium and either hardened Corning Gorilla or Sapphire glass, and has a battery life lasting around two weeks, depending on the model and size. It's been my daily driver, and frankly, even as a wearables and fitness tester, it's probably too much watch for me. I don't use all the features regularly, but I love big shiny Garmins.

• Browse the full Amazon Prime Day sale

So, two years on, would I get it in 2026? The answer is definitely yes, provided you're someone who will get the most out of it. If you love (and I mean, really love) a whole variety of outdoor pursuits, be they hiking, running, cycling, swimming, orienteering, or a combination of the above, plus other indoor fitness activities like gym sessions, you'll love this watch and consider it good value for money.

If you dabble in activity rather than living and breathing it, you might be better off saving yourself some money and buying a lower-power, lower-feature device like a Garmin Forerunner or Garmin Instinct 3. But for dedicated outdoor enthusiasts, I struggle to imagine a better watch.

If you're in the market for a new Garmin, some of the Prime Day deals (like the ones below on the 43mm Garmin Fenix 8) might look pretty appealing. However, unless you spot a particularly good deal (say, under $700 / £600), I'd actually recommend waiting. Here's why.

The rumor mill is churning...

As we reported earlier in the year, Garmin CEO Cliff Pemble reassured investors that he expected "stronger performance in the back half of the year due to the timing of product launches" and that it would be "a very active year for outdoor". Garmin's outdoor line of watches had a high-profile refresh with the Garmin Instinct 3 release last year, so a big outdoor watch launch for 2026 is likely to mean only one thing — the Garmin Fenix 9.

The timings make sense. Two years after the Fenix 8 launches is ample time for users to get excited about a Fenix 9, just as the 8 came two years after the Fenix 7. I must admit, I personally don't think there's going to be too much change under the hood: a Fenix 9 will cost more due to the recent supply chain price increases, and is unlikely to boast an enormous performance upgrade.

However, what the new watch will do — if it launches this year — is to drive down the price of the old one, just as the Fenix 8 has done with the Garmin Fenix 7 and Garmin Epix Pro (Gen 2). These incredible watches can now be found at better-than-half their original prices, and at that sort of price cut, I'd certainly recommend the Garmin Fenix 8 over the likes of a fully-priced Garmin Forerunner 570.

So, if you're holding out for a Fenix 8, it might be prudent to skip the Prime Day deals this year and wait till a sales event in the back half of the year, such as Black Friday, in case the Fenix 9 comes along to knock the 8 off its perch.

However, don't be dissuaded from browsing the rest of the Amazon Prime Day deals, just in case you do find something you're looking for. For Fenix 8 shoppers, that might be the Garmin Epix Pro (Gen 2): another of my absolute favorite running watches I used to train for, and run, the London Marathon. It's got an up-to-date heart rate sensor so remains accurate, and a whole host of adventure-ready features. I stand by my 4.5 star review.

At under $500 in the US, and a frankly ridiculous £300 in the UK, it's better value than the newer Fenix 8 unless the latter drops to under $700 in the US. In the UK, this deal simply can't be beaten.

More Prime Day deals in the US

• Amazon Devices: Fire Sticks & Echo from $18
• Amazon Haul: viral gadgets, tech & appliances from $1.99
• Apple: MacBooks, AirPods & AirTags from $29
• Beauty: 50% off toothbrushes & hair tools
• Cheap TVs: smart TVs from $69.99
• Garden: tools, mowers, planters from $24.99
• Headphones: 50% off Beats, Bose & Samsung
• Laptops: Apple, HP & Dell from $199
• Mattresses: Sealy, Serta & more from $186
• Patio: outdoor furniture, rugs & decor from $19.99
• Sports: 50% off fitness gear, treadmills & clothing
• Vacuums: Dyson, Shark & Bissell from $34

More Prime Day deals in the UK

• Amazon Prime: sign up for a 30-day free trial
• Amazon Devices: Fire TV, Ring & Blink from £24.99
• Amazon Haul: up to 30% off
• Apple: AirPods Pro 3 for a record-low price
• Appliances: up to 45% off Ninja, Tefal & Sage
• Beauty: up to 60% off Philips & Oral-B
• Essentials: household goods from under £10
• Fashion: up to 50% off
• Headphones: up to 50% off
• Laptops: from £149.99
• Tablets: Samsung & Lenovo from £125
• Toys: up to 25% off Lego and Tonies
• TVs: from £129.99
• Vacuums: up to 40% off Eufy & Roborock
• Wearables: Garmin & Huawei from £36.99

I'm currently testing the Garmin Forerunner 170 Music to see if it merits inclusion in our best Garmin watch list. It's a recent release and stands as the successor to the excellent Garmin Forerunner 165, positioned as one of Garmin's cheaper watches, costing $299 / £259.99 / AU$479 for the version without music storage and $349.99 / £299.99 / AU$549 for the version with music storage.

As a more affordable device (for Garmin, anyway), it's made some concessions during construction, such as a cheaper plastic body without a metal bezel or back, and an older heart rate monitor, Garmin's Elevate V4 model. The more accurate Elevate V5 is reserved for more expensive watches, such as the Garmin Fenix 8.

This did concern me. The Elevate V4 is getting a little long in the tooth, and I wanted to make sure the Forerunner 170 Music was still up to snuff in the accuracy stakes. After all, what's the point of a running watch that isn't accurate?

To find out whether it was accurate, I ran on the treadmill for 25 minutes while wearing both the Garmin Forerunner 170 and the Polar H10 electrical heart rate monitor, which I wore across my chest. The H10 is considered the gold standard of heart rate measurement, far more accurate than the Garmin Forerunner 170, and is my go-to when testing wearables.

Here are the results:

Garmin Forerunner 170 Music vs Polar H10: accuracy test

As you can see, they're actually very close together in the heart rate categories, which is very encouraging. The Polar H10 chest strap read 154 bpm (beats per minute) as the 'average' heart rate across the workout, and 182 bpm as the maximum.

The Garmin Forerunner 170 Music recorded similar data, with a 150 bpm average and 182 bpm maximum. Both measurements were within 5 bpm of the Polar, a very acceptable margin of error.

Calories were a little different, but not by much. The Polar H10 recorded 344 calories burned, while the Garmin Forerunner recorded 316. This is under 10%, and other factors come into play here, such as the Garmin watch's accelerometer, which the Polar doesn't have — heart rate is only part of the story.

Based on these readings and the last few days of testing, I'm happy to say that the Garmin Forerunner 170 Music has proven very accurate so far. Stay tuned for my full review.

It would be fair to say that AI and the rise of chatbots have kicked off a colossal gold rush for fitness apps. The combination of generations' worth of training knowledge packed into a device you carry to the gym in your pocket meant the best workout apps were already popular, but now they can adapt on the fly to your needs or queries.

Fitbod is one of those apps, and it’s one this writer knows very well, having used it for a couple of years. It’s a workout app with a big focus on generating plans for your chosen goal, whether that’s powerlifting or weight loss, and blends cardio exercises with an impressive catalog of strength exercises.

I caught up with Allen Chen, Fitbod’s cofounder and CEO. He’s a UCLA computer science graduate who’s also a NASM-certified personal trainer, making him something of a unicorn in the space.

A decade under the influence

Fitbod launched in 2015, long before the letters ‘A’ and ‘I’ were shoehorned into just about any product. I asked Chen what the biggest changes in the development of fitness apps have been in the last 10 years.

“The biggest shift is the move from generic training plans to truly personalized strength training, but the most striking thing is actually what hasn’t changed,” he said.

“Resistance training was the core of health and fitness when we started, and it remains the core today. It transcends trends. You’re seeing gyms actively swap out cardio equipment for free weights and functional training spaces because that’s what members want.”

“What has changed is how people relate to their workouts. When Fitbod launched, most users were following generic programs they found online, the same templates everyone else was running. Today, people expect personalization. They want a program that reflects their individual schedule, available equipment, recovery status, and fitness goals.”

“What’s new is that they also expect understanding and support, not just a recommendation. It’s no longer enough for an app to tell you what to do. People want to know why they’re seeing a certain exercise, weight, or workout structure, how it connects to their goals, and what to do when progress slows down. That’s the direction the category is moving in, and it’s a big part of where we’re investing.”

Chen says Fitbod is tied to real strength-training inputs, and not generic broad-knowledge prompts. “The foundation of Fitbod has always been adaptive workout planning. The first version of the app was about solving a hard algorithmic problem: given your workout history and muscle recovery state, what’s the optimal workout today? That was genuinely novel in 2015.

“The recent AI acceleration has dramatically expanded what’s possible on top of that foundation. We’re moving from simply generating the right workout to helping members understand their data, interpret their progress, and get more active coaching inside the app.”

Fitbod doesn’t offer a chatbot like the Google Health Coach, but that’s going to change soon, with an upcoming feature called Coach Chat.

“We think about [Coach Chat] in four roles,” Chen explains. “First, as an interpreter, it helps explain things like, 'How does Fitbod help me improve my squat?' Second, as an analyst, it can summarize patterns and help diagnose issues like, “Why has my squat plateaued recently?”

“Third, as a coach, it can guide the next step: 'How do I break out of this plateau?' And fourth, as a motivator, it can reinforce progress and help users stay consistent when they feel discouraged.”

Coach Chat is one part of a salvo of improvements that also includes Workout Insights. This will help users understand why exercises and weights are recommended. Chen says AI can make Fitbod feel “much more human, more transparent, and more supportive”.

“When users hear ‘AI,’ they sometimes expect instant magic. The reality is that the system gets materially better with more user data. Someone with six months of logged workouts gets a fundamentally different experience than someone in week one. Keeping users consistent long enough to see that compounding effect, that’s still the real product challenge.”

“This year alone, we’ve rolled out and expanded features like Focus Exercises, Exercise Percentiles, Injury Mode, Plate Calculator, Live Heart Rate, and broader localization work. We’ve also been developing prototypes and internal tools, including Coach Chat, Chart Generation, Insights M0 and M1, an Internal Evaluation Tool, and a Pydantic Insights Tool, all aimed at making the product smarter, more explainable, and more useful.”

Next steps

With AI becoming an increasingly common part of daily life, Chen says it’s going nowhere.

“In two to three years, AI will have crossed the threshold from novelty to expectation. Users won’t just want an app that generates a workout, they’ll expect it to explain itself, adapt in context, and support them through the inevitable ups and downs of training.

“Systems that can interpret training history, diagnose patterns, explain recommendations, and motivate users in a way that feels timely and personal. In other words, the best products won’t just say, 'Here’s your workout.’ They’ll also be able to say, “Here’s why today looks different, here’s what to focus on, and here’s what your recent data suggests.”

Can users trust programs build by AI? Chen, unsurprising, says yes — and he also doesn’t think trustworthy AI coaches as a concept will devalue personal trainers or traditional programming.

“Trust is a huge issue in AI fitness. If a user can understand why they’re being asked to squat lighter today, or why a plateau might be happening, they’re far more likely to stay engaged and consistent.

“As for devaluing traditional programs, I’d argue the opposite. AI handles more of the science, interpretation, and day-to-day adaptation, which frees coaches to focus on what they’re uniquely good at: judgment, accountability, and the human relationship. The best coaches will become more valuable, not less.”

That trust is important when Fitbod (or another app) recommends you go for a PB when you’re ready, but how does the company balance the need to push a user to a new goal witb the risk of injury?

“It’s something we take seriously. Any system generating workout recommendations at scale carries injury risk if it isn’t built with the right constraints,” Chen acknowledges.

“Most common failure modes are volume spikes, too much, too fast, and failing to respect recovery signals. Fitbod’s architecture is specifically designed to guard against that. The muscle recovery model tracks fatigue at the muscle-group level, and the system adapts recommendations based on training history, recovery, performance, and user feedback.”

“We’re conservative with newer users, and the app is built to adjust if someone struggles with a weight, takes time off, or changes exercises.”

“That same philosophy carries into newer product work. Features like Injury Mode are part of a broader push to make Fitbod more supportive when real life interrupts training. And with future coaching features, we want to help users understand not just what to do, but when to scale, when to modify, and how to train more responsibly.”

“Responsible AI fitness isn’t about pushing people harder at all costs. It’s about helping them progress safely and sustainably.”

Apple’s Health app and Android’s Health Connect functionality will have a role to play in that future, too.

“The long-term vision is a system that knows not just what you lifted last Tuesday, but how well you’ve been recovering, how your heart rate is responding during training, and what that means for what you should do today. Over time, better data infrastructure makes it possible for coaching to become more proactive.

"Instead of only reacting to what a user logged after the fact, the app can become better at helping them understand what’s happening in the moment and what adjustment makes sense next.”

Finally, I wanted to ask how best to take advantage of Fitbod’s feature set. I’ve been using it for a while, but it never hurts to learn more.

“Treat setup the way you’d approach your first session with a personal trainer. Give it real information: your actual fitness level, your real goals, your actual schedule, and your real equipment. The quality of what Fitbod generates is directly proportional to the quality of your inputs.”

“Second, log consistently, especially when you change something. When you swap exercises, adjust weights, change reps, or work through a plateau, that data helps the system learn. The program compounds with use.”

“Third, use the features that make progress visible. Focus Exercises [like squats, bench press, and other cornerstone lifts] are a great example because they help users stay anchored to lifts they care about most. Metrics, percentiles, charts, and insights all matter because they turn vague feelings into something measurable. That’s especially important on the days when progress feels invisible.”

“And more broadly: strength training is one of the highest-leverage health investments most people can make. It affects metabolism, bone density, injury resilience, longevity, and day-to-day quality of life. If you’re not doing it, start. If you are, get more systematic about it. That’s exactly what we’re building Fitbod to support.”

• Google Health 5.02 is now rolling out to users
• It comes with several new features and bug fixes
• The reaction online is becoming more positive

The big switch for Fitbit app users to the Google Health app could've gone a lot smoother than it has, but with the latest update that's rolling out to devices now, Google seems to be gradually addressing a lot of the complaints that have been aired.

As spotted by Android Police, Google Health 5.02 is heading to phones now. There's also a forum post outlining some of the changes: the ability to put more metrics on the Today view and an easier way to rearrange them, fixes for editing and deleting sleep sessions, and a return for the Hourly Activity chart.

There are also numerous "bug fixes and stability improvements", as well as improvements to nutrition logging. A lot of these changes focus specifically on parts of the app that users had complained about, so it seems Google is listening to feedback.

We also have the promise of more updates "in the coming weeks", so Google Health should continue to get better over time. There was also a significant update earlier this month that dealt with several problems that had been reported in the app.

User reactions

Google Health app 5.02 update - June 2026 from r/fitbit

There's been plenty of reaction online to the revamping of the Fitbit app as Google Health. Many of the old features were changed, moved, or cut out entirely — while the change understandably frustrated those who had been using the app for years.

Based on the feedback we're now seeing, Google is slowly winning people over again, though there's still a lot of work to do. "It seems they're genuinely working hard to improve it," says one Redditor, while others are praising the Google team for "solid work" and generally being more positive.

That doesn't mean everyone is convinced yet though. One post says there's "no fixes to the real issues" (like better syncing and importing), while others point out that the algorithms used by the app are still unreliable.

The new AI coach is still getting criticized as well, for being too intrusive and verbose: "Nobody wants two paragraphs after a walk through the park," says one user on Reddit. "A one-liner and the ability to expand is needed here."

Last week, Apple unveiled Siri AI across all its devices at its annual WWDC event. While much time was given to how you'll be able to use Apple's new virtual assistant on iPhone, iPad and Mac, the Apple Watch was overlooked — despite the fact that, according to Apple, it's "the most convenient way to interact with Siri" more often than not.

That quote comes from Apple's own David Clark, senior director of watchOS software engineering. I had the opportunity to ask Clark, as well as Cait Dooley, Apple Watch and Health Product Marketing Manager, about how they see Apple Watch users interacting with Siri AI on their wrists.

Clark said one of the goals of watchOS 27 was "to expand the intelligence story on Apple Watch and make it a true co-partner to Apple Intelligence". It's doing so by being a first point of contact, as a wearable is a convenient place to house a microphone for asking Siri questions.

"We really wanted to make sure the Siri experience is a singular and consistent experience, whether I decide to ask Siri on my wrist a question, or whether I have my phone in my hand and I decide to interact with Siri there. We really wanted to feel like it’s one Siri, that has access to your data and is able to personalise it in a consistent way.

"One of the things that Apple Watch brings to the picture is the fact that it’s on your wrist all day, [so] oftentimes it’s the most convenient way to interact with Siri. You can imagine you’re on the go, your hands are full, you have that quick question for Siri and you can interact with Apple Watch. Of course, with the new Siri app, if you want to continue that conversation or go more deeply into some topic you’re interested in, later on you can pull out your phone and pick up right where you left off.”

Clark gives me an example of a grocery list in a store: with hands full, he's able to ask Siri on Watch for the ingredients he needs for a particular recipe. When he gets a moment, he can then open his phone to view that ingredients list in an easier-to-read way. "Working together is that superpower," he says, "and having it all being consistently driven by your data."

The elephant in the room: watchOS 27 and compatibility

As the announcements were rolling out, however, there was a pall over watchOS 27 as it was announced that five older models — the Apple Watch Series 6, 7, 8, the SE 2 and even the original Apple Watch Ultra — won't get watchOS 27, and so won't get the new Siri AI features. They'll only receive basic security support going forward.

I asked the watchOS team exactly why so many watch users have been left high-and-dry.

"With every software release across every single one of our platforms, we always want to ensure that you have the best experience, so we make power and performance a priority," said Dooley.

"The great new features in watchOS, including the capabilities of SIri AI and the new tap gesture, work best with the processing power that is in Apple Watch Series 9 and later, Ultra 2 and later, and SE 3. Older devices can still be paired with iPhones that are running the latest software and continue to receive security updates, so they can continue to have a great Apple Watch experience."

So while you'll be able to use older your watch with iPhones running Siri AI-powered software, you won't be able to access the new and smarter assistant on your watch. Although Dooley and Clark wouldn't confirm this is the case, it's likely only Apple Watches running Apple's powerful S9 and S10 chips can handle the technical demands of Siri AI.

• The Jaye Band is a new, minimalist smartwatch device
• Its primary job is showing you your most important phone notifications
• There are no on-board apps or sensors to get in the way

Left unchecked, the phones we carry around with us at all times can become overwhelmingly distracting. A new wearable called the Jaye Band wants to do something about that, acting as a simple filter for everything that happens on your phone.

It's now raising funds on Kickstarter (via Android Authority), and sells itself as "the minimalist smartwatch designed for the modern attention crisis". It promises to "reclaim your brain" and give you "a wearable built to filter your distractions, not add to them".

The idea is that the band becomes a discreet window for your most important notifications, while everything else gets left on your phone. You can set blocks of 'do not disturb' time, and there's no tracking or health monitoring.

In theory, your phone stays in your pocket for much more of the day, so you're not constantly checking for new alerts, switching between apps, and scrolling through feed after feed on social media to find a new distraction.

Pricing and shipping

Hardware wise, the Jaye Band sports a small, monochrome OLED display, intended to be shown on the inside of your wrist. The device measures just 38mm x 14.5mm x 7mm (that's 1.5 inches x 0.6 inches x 0.3 inches), so it's very lightweight.

The wearable has already gone through three rounds of design and refinement, the developers say, and now needs funding for the production push. It's already blown past its $5,000 goal, and has raised $35,749 at the time of writing.

There's an early bird price deal currently available which lets you reserve your band for $129 (about £97 / AU$184, though shipping to Australia doesn't seem to be offered). When the device launches fully, it'll retail for $249 (about £188 / AU$355).

Shipping is scheduled for December 2026, but as always with Kickstarter, there may be delays and production problems along the way. If you're looking for a more minimal tech experience day-to-day, the Jaye Band could be the answer.