Choosing a fitness tracker as a walker over 50 means comparing what it tracks, battery life and which phone it works with.
For simple tracking of steps, calories and minutes of harder activity, start with the Garmin vívosmart 5.
Garmin calls those minutes intensity minutes. The vívosmart 5 is a band, not a full smartwatch.
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The five trackers and what each one states:
- Garmin vívosmart 5: a touchscreen fitness band with step tracking, calories and minutes of harder activity. Garmin lists up to 7 days of battery in smartwatch mode.
- Samsung Galaxy Fit 3: a band with a 1.6-inch color screen rated for 14 days of battery, Android only.
- Fitbit Charge 6: built-in GPS and 40+ exercise modes, with Google Wallet tap-to-pay.
- Withings ScanWatch Light: 24/7 heart rate and a sleep quality score, FSA and HSA eligible.
- Apple Watch SE 3: GPS, real-time workout metrics and Apple’s stated hard-fall detection.
Garmin vívosmart 5
Walkers who want a simple band that tracks steps, calories and minutes of harder activity, not a full smartwatch.
Garmin vívosmart 5 Fitness Tracker
Touchscreen and button controls, step tracking
Up to 7 days battery, water resistant for swimming
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Garmin says the band estimates your fitness age, your energy level through the day, and your sleep quality, shown in its phone app.
Low and high heart rate alerts are set up in the Garmin app, and the band has a touchscreen and buttons.
- Made for
- Garmin lists step tracking as a core feature, with calories and minutes of harder activity
- Also think about
- Fitbit, if built-in GPS matters: Garmin's listing does not say the band has its own GPS
Samsung Galaxy Fit 3
Android users who want a long stated battery life and accept an international model with no US warranty.
Samsung Galaxy Fit 3 Fitness Tracker
1.6-inch color screen, up to 14 days of battery
Water resistant, Samsung says
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Samsung’s listing states this is an international model, with no US warranty and no Samsung Pay. Samsung lists 101+ workout modes with automatic detection, and sleep coaching.
- Made for
- Battery: Samsung states up to 14 days on a full charge
- Unsuited to
- iPhone owners: Samsung's listing says the Galaxy Fit 3 does not work with iPhone or iOS devices
Fitbit Charge 6
Walkers who want built-in GPS and tap-to-pay on the wrist.
Fitbit Charge 6 Fitness Tracker
Built-in GPS, 40+ exercise modes
24/7 heart rate, Google Wallet tap to pay
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Fitbit’s listing states built-in GPS, a count of minutes spent at a harder effort, and a daily score for how ready you are to exercise. Garmin’s listing does not say its band has built-in GPS.
Personalized coaching needs Google Health Premium, which Fitbit sells separately, with a 3-month trial at no cost.
- Made for
- Tap-to-pay: Fitbit's listing states Google Wallet support; Samsung's listing says Samsung Pay is not supported
Withings ScanWatch Light
Walkers who want a watch-style tracker with heart rate and sleep detail.
Withings ScanWatch Light Fitness Tracker
Heart rate day and night, nightly heartbeat variation
GPS through your phone, fitness estimate
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Withings tracks heart rate around the clock, with notifications if it runs too high or low.
Withings adds a nightly reading of how much your heartbeat varies, and connected GPS, which uses your phone’s GPS. It also estimates fitness from how well your body uses oxygen (VO2 max).
For sleep, Withings gives a nightly score along with details on light sleep, deep sleep and disturbances.
- Made for
- FSA and HSA accounts: Withings says it is eligible
- Also think about
- Samsung, if a long list of automatic workout modes matters more to you: Samsung lists 101+, Withings 40+
Apple Watch SE 3
Walkers who want a full smartwatch with GPS and stated fall detection.
Apple Watch SE 3 GPS 40mm
GPS model, real-time workout metrics
Stated hard-fall and crash detection, 18-hour battery
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Apple lists the SE 3 as a smartwatch with GPS in the model name, real-time workout metrics and an 18-hour battery. It says 15 minutes of charging gives up to 8 hours.
The watch works with an iPhone 11 or later, or an iPhone SE (2nd generation or later), on iOS 27 or later, Apple says.
- Made for
- Fall and crash alerts: Apple says the SE 3 can detect a hard fall or severe car crash and connect you with emergency services
- Unsuited to
- Buyers who want the longest stated battery life: Apple lists 18 hours, shorter than Garmin's stated 7 days and Samsung's stated 14
What a study of women’s daily steps found
Women who averaged about 4,400 steps a day had lower death rates than women who averaged about 2,700, a 2019 study found. The study followed 16,741 women with an average age of 72.
They wore a research accelerometer for 7 days and were followed for about 4.3 years, Lee and colleagues reported in JAMA Internal Medicine.
Death rates kept falling as steps rose, leveling off at about 7,500 steps a day. Once step count was accounted for, walking pace was no longer clearly linked to lower death rates.
The study looked only at women, and it was observational, a link rather than proof. It used a research accelerometer, not any of these five trackers, and says nothing about how accurately a consumer tracker counts steps.
Matching a tracker to your day
Battery, phone, GPS and payment are four places where the listings differ.
- Battery: Samsung states 14 days, Garmin up to 7 days in smartwatch mode, and Apple 18 hours. Fitbit and Withings do not state a number.
- Phone: Samsung’s listing rules out iPhone and iOS. Apple says the SE 3 needs an iPhone 11 or later, or an iPhone SE (2nd generation or later), on iOS 27 or later. Garmin says setup runs through its Garmin Connect app. Fitbit and Withings do not say which phones they work with.
- GPS: Fitbit’s listing states built-in GPS. Withings lists connected GPS, which uses your phone’s GPS. Garmin’s listing does not say its band has built-in GPS. Apple names GPS in the model.
- Payment: Fitbit lists Google Wallet. Samsung’s listing states Samsung Pay is not supported.
Worth paying for
- Built-in GPS, if you want to leave your phone at home on a walk. Fitbit’s listing states it.
- A stated FSA or HSA eligibility, if you use one of those accounts for health purchases. Withings lists it.
Not worth paying for
- A coaching subscription you will stop using. Fitbit’s Google Health Premium has a 3-month trial at no cost; the subscription is sold separately.
- An import model with no US warranty, if that matters to you. Samsung states this for the Galaxy Fit 3.
Which tracker fits your walks
| Your walk | Take a look |
|---|---|
| Simple step and calorie tracking | Garmin vívosmart 5 |
| A 14-day stated battery, Android only | Samsung Galaxy Fit 3 |
| Built-in GPS and tap-to-pay | Fitbit Charge 6 |
| Heart rate and sleep tracking, FSA/HSA eligible | Withings ScanWatch Light |
| A full smartwatch with stated fall detection, iPhone only | Apple Watch SE 3 |
If you want a target number before you shop, how many steps a 70-year-old should aim for lays out a range. Once you wear one, tracking your walking progress week to week shows how to use the numbers.
If a fall, dizziness or a new symptom is behind your interest in a tracker, talk to your doctor first.
If your phone already goes with you on every walk, you may not need a tracker just to count steps.