Best Fitness Trackers Without a Smartphone 2024

Introduction

Fitness trackers are a great tool that helps in your fitness journey. You can record your footsteps, heart rate, sleep rate, calories burnt, etc everything very easily. Although fitness trackers were essentially invented to record and track your fitness goals, technology for sure has evolved since then.

These days, the tiny machine you wear on your wrist works just like your smartphone. It no longer is the machine that shows time and counts steps and calories burnt, but it is a tool with which you can connect your smartphone and make calls, play music, read messages, and a lot more. This is simply because fitness trackers are widely known as Smartwatches currently.

No doubt such a device can make your daily life easier. Synchronizing your data with your phone can help you store your fitness history and help you make the right decisions in the future.

But if you are planning to buy a fitness tracker, and your goal does not require you to track movements every single minute, you might want to consider fitness trackers that do not require smartphone connectivity necessarily.

Knowing about them can make you aware of some of the pros and cons and help you make a better purchase decision.

8 Best Fitness Trackers That Doesn't Require A Smartphone

If the above information was a bit complicated for you, do not worry as we have handpicked the top 10 fitness trackers for you that necessarily do not require smartphones. You can go through the list and make the right choice for yourselves. 

In the following list, we will be alternatively listing out smartwatches with optional connectivity and fitness trackers that completely have no bluetooth sensor.

1. Garmin Vivoactive 3 Fitness Tracker

One of the most popular brands in the fitness tracker industry, Garmin has produced a lot of amazing smartwatches. The Garmin Vivoactive 3 fitness tracker is one of those highly-rated products. This smartwatch comes with the option to either enable or disable Bluetooth. If enabled, you can synchronize the data with your mobile app. 

If you want an overall great-performing smartwatch, Garmin Vivoactive 3 might be the right pick for you. It has all the basic features of a smartwatch like a time display, steps counter, calories counter, sleep monitor, and heart monitor.

You can also synchronize your GPS location and track your past movements and distance accurately. It has a display size of 1.2inches and is built to survive underwater and other fancy features like notification alerts and contactless pay for supported banks.

2. OZO Fitness SC2

OZO Fitness SC2 is strictly a pedometer, and it does not need a smartphone to function at its full potential. It is perfect for those who just record and track data just for a short period of time like training athletes.

This digital pedometer has an accurate sensor to track your movements. It can be used to count your steps, measure time and speed, and calculate estimated burnt calories. It has a seven day memory, after which it gets reset on its own. You can also reset it whenever you want.

A feature to pause the electronic sensor temporarily if you are carrying it and don’t want it to count the steps. This compact device is easy to carry and can be easily clipped on your clothes, shoes, etc.

3. Samsung Galaxy Fit2

The next simple, yet powerful fitness tracker is manufactured by one of the leading companies in the electronics industry. Samsung has developed the Galaxy Fit2 to match your daily needs.

The Galaxy Fit2 has a very sleek design and fits almost anyone perfectly. It has a compact display and shows time, steps taken and calories burnt.

It is perfect for daily needs as it has other features like a sleep monitor, durability, and a waterproof design. If chosen to connect to a smartphone, you can synchronize it with your device and keep a track of your activity. You can also view notifications and take calls if necessary.

4. OZO Fitness CS1

Another digital pedometer is the OZO Fitness CS1. This particular model is another non-Bluetooth digital pedometer that is perfect for your athletic needs.

This pedometer is strictly a step counter and lacks some features that its successor OZO CS2 has. It has a very simple design and it can be easily attached to your clothes, chain, or shoes.

The fitness tracker comes with a sufficiently large display where you can view the data without any strain. It has a long battery life and it can be easily replaced when it dies. Also, the screen decreases its brightness automatically if kept idle for some time to preserve the battery life.

Since it lacks some other features, the use of this particular fitness tracker is pretty limited to certain goals.

5. Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro

Another amazing Samsung product in the list is the Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro. It is slightly bigger than the Galaxy Fit2 and has some extra features for your needs.

A smartwatch that comes with an option to enable or disable Bluetooth connectivity, this product has gained some athletic fans because of its stylish, rough, and tough look.

Like any other fitness tracker, the Gear Fit Pro 2 can also count steps taken, and calories burnt, monitor sleep and heart rate, access GPS, and show notifications if connected to a smartphone. It has a great build and is waterproof, so swimmers can also give it a shot. To explore the complete potential of this smartwatch, it is recommended to at least enable the Bluetooth occasionally and sync the data with your smartphone.

6. iGank Simple Walking Pedometer

Our next top pick for a non-Bluetooth digital pedometer is the iGank Simple Walking Pedometer. It requires no smartphone or third-party application to work accurately as it has an inbuilt 3D sensor.

It has a very simple and versatile design where you can easily clip it anywhere. Like most pedometers, it tracks your daily steps upto 99,999 steps and also has a button to manually reset the count.

It has a large display and does not require any sort of installation. Tracker has a long battery life of 12 months and has a 2 Year Warranty from the manufacturer.

If you are a person who leisurely walks a lot or climbs hills and mountains, this might be a great pick for you, as it's easy to hook into your belt, bags or even pockets.

7. Garmin Forerunner 935

Another fitness tracker that does not necessarily require a smartphone connection manufactured by Garmin is the Forerunner 935. This is one of the highly rated and most used fitness trackers 

It has a stylish design and can be worn by regular users also. Being a smartwatch, it inherently has the most basic features like steps counter, calories counter, heart monitor, sleep monitor, etc.

This model was particularly built for outdoor sports and is primarily worn by runners, swimmers, hikers, cyclists and more and it provides special modes for these sports.

Comparatively it is an expensive product, but it is very durable and when connected to a smartphone occasionally, you can sync your activity and manage calls, read notifications, access GPS and control music.

8. Accusplit accelerometer

This final pedometer in the list is the Accusplit accelerometer. It itself is a completely independent device and does not require any smartphone connection.

As far as simple walking pedometers go, the accusplit accelerometer has a different design. It has a thin case where within you have a large display, two buttons and some product information.

This tracker accurately tracks your steps, time and calories burnt. You can view different functions by changing the mode.  It has an inbuilt memory that reset periodically on its own, but if you choose, you can manually reset the data.

It has a very long battery life and a warranty issued by the manufacturer.

Different Types of Fitness Trackers

Your goals and daily routines might be different, so can your fitness tracker. There are a lot of fitness trackers and you might want to choose the right one for you. If you strictly just want to count your steps and the estimated number of calories burnt, then you should consider purchasing pedometers. They are very compact and perfect for athletes and senior citizens.

If you are someone who is tracking their fitness goals, but not very frequently and you only find yourselves working out 1 or 2 days a week, then you can opt for a non-Bluetooth smartwatch, and if necessary can sync your data by occasionally turning on the Bluetooth sensor.

If you are a busy individual, who needs to keep everything up to date, and have quick access to your smartphone, then a smartwatch with necessary Bluetooth connectivity might be the right fit for you.

What to Look for in a Fitness Tracker?

Regardless of the tech and other specifications, there are some key factors you have to consider whenever purchasing a fitness tracker. These factors can help you make the right decision as your smartwatch is going to be a long-term investment.

1. Goal

Your fitness tracker is your fitness companion. And your fitness companion must be aware of your goals. For example, if you are a powerlifter who consumes calories in surplus and lifts heavy bars to increase your strength, a device that counts your steps accurately might not be the most necessary equipment for you.

But on the other hand, if you are an athlete training to be faster and leaner as you progress, you might want to keep an eye on your steps, heart rate, sleep cycle etc on a regular basis.

So make sure you are aware of your final destination.

2. Size and Style

Your watch is something you wear almost all the time, especially if you are going outdoors. Regardless of smart or not, you should be personally comfortable with the build of the device.

Smartwatches come in different shapes and sizes. Apart from making a fashion statement, it is also important that the size and style you choose is personally comfortable and not inconvenient for you while performing daily tasks.

3. Budget

And like any other product, you can always keep your eye on the budget. Luckily smartwatches are easily affordable these days and can be used by anyone, athlete or not.

Most expensive smartwatches have some extra features that honestly would not even be in your requirement. So it’s pointless to buy the most expensive smartwatch, thinking it will be the best in the market.

Technical Differences Between Fitness Trackers that Support Smartphone Connectivity

First of all, you might wonder “Why not go for a fitness tracker that requires a smartphone?”. It is a very valid question, but you must understand the core technical specification to get the answer.

Most smartwatches connect to your smartphone using Bluetooth connectivity. Bluetooth is undoubtedly one of the most powerful wireless connectivity tools and has helped technology evolve. But in order to connect your smartwatch to your smartphone, both your devices must have a Bluetooth sensor. This sensor, like most electronics we use daily, emits non-ionizing radiation frequently, and it may harm you in the long term.

Some people are so sensitive to the radiation that they have reported headaches and nausea after wearing the tracker for some time. Now that might not be the case for you, and you can use your fitness tracker to its full potential. But if you do not require constant synchronization of your fitness data, you might want to consider a fitness tracker that does not necessarily require Bluetooth connectivity to function properly.

So nowadays, you can find a variety of smartwatches - with Bluetooth connectivity, without Bluetooth connectivity, and optional connectivity. You can choose whatever fulfills your fitness goals.

Conclusion

The fitness tracker is where health and fashion meet. They are a great fitness tool, but also a convenient tool for your daily tasks. Now you understand why it is not always necessary to opt for smartwatches with Bluetooth connectivity. Further, you have also seen some of the best non-Bluetooth fitness trackers available in the market. Keep these points in mind and make the right decision for yourselves!