Many people are still understandably skeptical about smartwatches, but this wearable technology has some pretty great uses. Chief among these is fitness: Modern activity trackers come packed with an array of features for just about any sport or workout imaginable, and there’s a plethora of name brands – from dedicated fitness companies like Fitbit to tech titans like Samsung – making these things today. Even the iconic Apple Watch, the world’s best-selling smartwatch, comes loaded with a bevy of health-focused functions.
A lot of the best fitness trackers and smartwatches are naturally pretty pricey, so deals on these wearables are always welcome. Premium devices from makers like Fitbit and Garmin are chief examples, but there’s no denying that these two companies make some of the top trackers on the market, and REI has a handful of them on sale right now which we’ve rounded up below. These deals let you save as much as $150 on high-end smartwatches like the Garmin Fenix 5, among others:
Fitbit Charge 3
Most basic fitness trackers are little more than Bluetooth-connected “smart” pedometers, but if you don’t want a full-fledged smartwatch (and the price tag that comes with it), the Fitbit Charge 3 is a nice middle-of-the-road option that packs a lot of features. It’s light, sleek, and water-resistant, and it features a 24/7 heart rate monitor. It comes pre-loaded with more than 15 exercise programs and can automatically detect certain activities so it starts tracking when you’re running, swimming, biking, and performing other activities.
REI has the Fitbit Charge 3 fitness tracker with heart rate monitor on sale right now for $120, saving you as much as 50 bucks depending on color choice.
Fitbit Versa
Fitness trackers are becoming more and more like full-featured smartwatches, with wearables like the Fitbit Versa offering color displays and more traditional-looking designs. In fact, it’s probably more accurate to call the Versa a fitness smartwatch rather than an activity tracker. The watch offers a full set of tracking functions as well as a heart rate monitor, and can provide on-screen coaching and real-time activity readouts.
This wearable also delivers smartphone messages and notifications to your wrist (Android users can even reply right on the watch), and you can stream music with Pandora or store up to 300 songs for jamming when you don’t have your phone on hand. The Fitbit Versa fitness smartwatch is on sale for as low as $180 after a $20 discount.
Garmin Fenix 5
When it comes to Garmin’s fitness trackers, the Fenix 5 is the leader of the pack. At first glance, it looks like a normal smartwatch with its round stainless steel case and classic styling. Its full-color display sets it apart from regular watches, though, and you can cycle through apps and other functions with the super-handy rotating bezel. The Garmin Fenix 5 boasts a wide suite of fitness-focused features as well, including a heart rate monitor, pre-loaded activity profiles, and a GPS tracker with a three-axis compass (which are nice to have even when you’re not working out).
The Garmin Fenix 5 is just as suitable for just about any exercise or outdoor activity as it is for daily wear as your go-to wristwatch, and a big $150 discount means you can snag this fantastic wearable for just $350 right now.
Garmin Fenix 5X Sapphire
The Fenix 5 is great, but for serious techies and fitness enthusiasts, the Garmin Fenix 5X Sapphire is even better. It has all of the great build quality and fitness-tracking functions of the Fenix 5, but with a few additional enhancements: Most notably, its display (complete with sapphire crystal) features full color mapping for use with the built-in GPS and three-axis compass, delivering an accurate real-time readout of your surroundings complete with up-to-date landmarks and other points of interest.
The Garmin Fenix 5X also offers stellar and incredibly detailed tracking for a huge array of activities, making it arguably the best fitness smartwatch on the market – which is why it scored a perfect 10 out of 10 in our hands-on review. This is the most premium fitness tracker on our list, and a $150 discount knocks it down to $450. You can also score the all-metal model with stainless steel band for $600.
Looking for more great stuff? We’ve found smartwatch deals, Apple Watch deals, and Fitbit alternatives.
