Your fitness tracker isn't enough: 7 smartwatches that help you monitor heart rate more accurately

If you are still using a basic fitness tracker to monitor your health, you might be missing out on the complete picture. Fitness bands are great for counting daily steps and tracking activity, but they often miss out on the factors that matter the most - accurate heart rate monitoring. Whether you are facing sudden spikes in stress or you're trying to optimise your workouts, an accurate heart rate monitoring feature can make a meaningful difference in your life and help you manage your overall health better. This is where modern smartwatches become important.

The new age smartwatches are equipped with advanced sensors, including multi-channel LED arrays and electrical heart sensors (ECG), improved algorithms, and powerful health-tracking features that deliver more accurate heart rate measurements. So, if you are planning to buy a new smartwatch or upgrade to a new one, here are the best smartwatches with heart rate monitoring systems for you. Before that, let's take a quick look at the features you need to consider while buying a smartwatch.

Factors to consider while buying a smartwatch

- Display: AMOLED and OLED screens are more vibrant that standard LCD screens, but they also drain battery faster. Also look for Always-on-Display for checking the time quickly. But this feature drains battery quickly.

- Battery: This will vary with the use case. Feature heavy watches like the ones from Apple and Samsung will last for around two days, while endurance focused models like the ones by Garmin can last for more than a week. Also look for quick charge or fast charging support.

- Connectivity: Choose between a cellular or a non-cellular models based on your needs. Also look for built-in GPS for mobile-free usage.

- Smart Features: Look for NFC Payments-based apps like Apple Pay, Google Wallet or Garmin Pay. Also look for Android or iOS compatibility while buying a third-party watch.

- Health Tracking Features: Look for features like heart rate tracking, blood oxygen level, sleep and stress tracking and safety features like fall detection and crash detection.

Best smartwatches with heart rate monitors

The Samsung Galaxy Watch8 Classic combines a premium design with advanced health and fitness tracking features. It gets a bright Super AMOLED display that delivers sharp visuals, deep blacks, and vibrant colours. Powering the watch is Samsung's advanced 3nm processor, which ensures smooth navigation, faster app launches, and efficient multitasking. Health tracking is a major highlight, with features such as continuous heart rate monitoring, ECG, blood oxygen tracking, sleep analysis, body composition measurement, vascular load tracking, and personalized wellness insights. The watch also supports AI-powered fitness coaching, dual-frequency GPS, and advanced workout tracking.

What are buyers saying on Amazon?

Buyers find this smartwatch to be a top-tier product with nice features and good appearance, particularly appreciating its stainless steel shiny look. The functionality receives positive feedback.

Why should you choose this product?

Buyers should choose this smartwatch for its features and premium looks.

The Google Pixel Watch 3 combines premium design, advanced Fitbit-powered health tracking features, and Google's smart ecosystem in a sleek wearable package. Its AMOLED LTPO Actua display delivers vibrant colours, deep contrast, and excellent colour accuracy thanks to DCI-P3 colour support, while the 2,000-nit peak brightness ensures excellent visibility even under direct sunlight. Powered by the Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 processor and a dedicated Cortex-M33 co-processor, the Pixel Watch 3 delivers smooth performance, responsive navigation, and efficient power management. Health tracking is one of its biggest strengths, featuring continuous heart-rate monitoring, ECG support, blood oxygen tracking, skin temperature sensing, sleep analysis, readiness scores, and advanced Fitbit fitness insights. With up to 24 hours of battery life with the always-on display enabled and up to 36 hours in Battery Saver mode.

What are buyers saying on Amazon?

Buyers appreciate this smartwatch for its premium design, comfortable fit, accurate heart-rate tracking, detailed sleep insights, and smooth software experience. Many users appreciate the Fitbit-powered health ecosystem, responsive performance and easy access to Google apps.

Why should you choose this product?

Buyers should choose this smartwatch for its health tracking features and premium looks.

The Apple Watch Series 11 continues Apple's tradition of blending premium design with industry-leading health and fitness tracking. Its advanced Always-On Retina LTPO OLED display delivers exceptional brightness, deep contrast, and highly accurate colours, making notifications, fitness metrics, and apps easy to view even under direct sunlight. Powered by Apple's latest S11 SiP processor, the watch offers smooth performance, faster app launches, and improved power efficiency. Health monitoring remains a key highlight, with advanced heart rate tracking, ECG support, blood oxygen monitoring, sleep tracking, cycle tracking, fall detection, and fitness insights powered by watchOS.

What are buyers saying on Amazon?

Buyers appreciate this smartwatch for its premium build quality, smooth performance, responsive touchscreen, and accurate health-tracking features. Many users appreciate the watch's heart rate monitoring, workout tracking, sleep insights, and seamless connectivity with the Apple ecosystem.

Why should you choose this product?

Buyers should choose this smartwatch for its health tracking features, performance and premium looks.

The boAt Wave Sigma 3 Curv is designed for users who want a stylish smartwatch without stretching their budget. Its standout feature is the large 2.01-inch 3D curved HD display that creates an immersive viewing experience while making notifications, fitness stats, and calls easier to read. With up to 500 nits brightness, the display remains visible outdoors and delivers vibrant colours and good contrast for everyday use. The smartwatch also supports Bluetooth calling, heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, stress monitoring, and SpO₂ measurement. Backed by a 320mAh battery that can last up to 10 days under typical usage, the Wave Sigma 3 Curv offers a strong combination of style, smart features, and battery life at an affordable price point.

What are buyers saying on Amazon?

Buyers find this smartwatch to be the best smartwatch with an elegant metallic design and long battery life. They appreciate its health monitoring features. They also like its long battery life and Bluetooth calling feature.

Why should you choose this product?

Buyers should choose this smartwatch for its pocket friendly design and long battery life.

The Noise Pro 6R is a premium-looking smartwatch that combines modern aesthetics with advanced smart and health-tracking capabilities. Its AMOLED display delivers vibrant colours, deep blacks, and excellent contrast for an immersive viewing experience. Powered by an optimized smartwatch chipset, the Pro 6R offers smooth navigation and responsive performance. Health-focused users benefit from continuous heart rate monitoring, SpO₂ tracking, sleep analysis, stress monitoring, and fitness tracking. This watch also gets Bluetooth calling and emergency SOS features along with a long battery life.

What are buyers saying on Amazon?

Buyers find this smartwatch to be a high-end product that offers good value for money, with a strong balance of style and a clear, high-resolution display. They appreciate its features, including calling capabilities and fitness tracking, and consider it worth the price.

Why should you choose this product?

Buyers should choose this smartwatch for its pocket friendly design and features.

The Garmin Venu 3 is a premium fitness-focused smartwatch designed for users who want advanced health insights without sacrificing style. Its vibrant AMOLED touchscreen delivers exceptional colour accuracy, rich contrast, and sharp detail, making fitness metrics, maps, and notifications easy to read in all lighting conditions. Powered by Garmin's optimized smartwatch platform, the Venu 3 offers smooth performance. Health tracking is a standout feature, with advanced heart rate monitoring, body battery energy tracking, sleep coaching, stress monitoring, Pulse Ox measurement, and recovery insights. Beyond these features, this smartwatch delivers a battery life of up to 14 days.

What are buyers saying on Amazon?

Buyers appreciate this smartwatch for its exceptional battery life, accurate fitness tracking, and comprehensive health insights. Users also point out that while the battery life is shorter than claimed, it's longer than most available smartwatches.

Why should you choose this product?

Buyers should choose this smartwatch for its health tracking features.

The Amazfit Balance is a premium smartwatch designed to help users strike the right balance between fitness, health, and everyday productivity. The 1.5-inch AMOLED display delivers vibrant colours, deep blacks, and excellent contrast, while up to 1,500 nits of brightness ensures clear visibility outdoors. Powered by Amazfit's responsive Zepp OS platform, the smartwatch offers smooth performance and efficient power management. Health-focused users benefit from advanced BioTracker technology that enables heart rate monitoring, blood oxygen tracking, body composition analysis, sleep tracking, stress monitoring, and readiness insights. It provides a battery life of up to 14 days.

What are buyers saying on Amazon?

Buyers praise the smartwatch's quality, appearance with its classic round design and premium look, and appreciate its vast feature set. The battery life is good, and the sensor accuracy is quite accurate.

Why should you choose this product?

Buyers should choose this smartwatch for its health tracking features and battery life.

Top 3 features of the best smartwatches with heart rate monitors

Similar articles for you

Lightweight tablets for travel: Top picks for work and entertainment on the go

Don’t overpay for features you won't use: Best colour printers for students under ₹15,000

Playing on PS5? These top monitors can unlock its full potential

The Research

I’ve used and tested hundreds of smartwatches and fitness trackers. I’ve also been writing about consumer electronic devices and home appliances for over a decade.

To compile this guide, I’ve used hundreds of smartwatches fans across price segments and brands in India and combed through Reddit pages that talk about hardware, sensors, health tracking features and factors that impact their accuracy. Like all HT journalists, I review products with complete editorial independence and recommend products based on my learnings.

Disclaimer: Mint has an affiliate marketing partnership, which means we may get some commission on purchases you make through the retailer's site links provided. These partnerships do not influence our editorial content, which is free from any bias or marketing pitch. We strive to provide accurate and unbiased information to help you make informed decisions. We recommend verifying details with the retailer before making a purchase.