The Apple Watch 7 is the best smartwatch and the ultimate iPhone accessory, but it is also a fitness tracker with wellness features like GPS and a heart rate monitor So how does it compare to the best fitness trackers on the market?

While many of the Apple Watch's better apps can take activity tracking to the next level, Apple's native workout apps support dozens of different exercises, as my father discovered when he tried the Apple Watch With the Apple Watch, you can run, cycle, swim, dance, HIIT, paddleboard, etc; if you upgrade to watchOS 8, the Apple Watch can even track tai chi

Like most fitness wearables, the Apple Watch 7 tracks elapsed time, calories burned, heart rate, and distance traveled, as needed I put these metrics to the test in a week's worth of workouts wearing the latest Apple Watch From daily dog walks to weight training and even an attempt at automatic outdoor cycling detection, the Apple Watch 7 became my exercise buddy

Below are the main takeaways from my Apple Watch 7 workout tests My experience may differ from working out on the Apple Watch SE or Apple Watch 3 I've created a guide to help you find the Apple Watch that's right for you, so if you're interested in purchasing an Apple smartwatch, please take a look

I started with cycling, as it is the type of workout Apple has most enhanced this year With bike-specific fall detection, auto-detection, and auto-pause features, watch OS 8 could be a game changer for cyclists Fortunately, I didn't have to use the first of these new tools I didn't have to ride off a cliff like I did in Apple's Series 7 launch video

Instead, I went for a leisurely outdoor ride on a brisk fall afternoon I purposely did not activate the workout from my wrist, hoping that the automatic detection would notice that I had started cycling Sure enough, a buzzer sounded, prompting me to ask if I wanted to record an outdoor cycling ride that lasted less than five minutes and traveled less than half a mile

I also remembered a discrepancy I dealt with during workout testing on my Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 and enabled auto pause (it is not automatically enabled) When I got off the bike to take a picture of a nearby bay, the Apple Watch 6's recorded distance went haywire Fortunately, using auto pause while cycling on the Apple Watch 7 produced almost identical readings to my bicycle odometer

Back at the gym, the Apple Watch offers traditional and functional strength training workout options I opted for functional and incorporated a variety of movements into my session, although it does not track individual exercises like the Galaxy Watch 4 does I'm not the type to do 100 reps of the same movement in a row, so I didn't miss out on niche choices like arm curls, bench presses, lateral raises, and pull-ups Still, I imagine it would be beneficial for users to have on-screen guidance on form and rep counts, such as you get with the Galaxy Watch 4 and some of the better Fitbit devices

I alternated between upper body, lower body, and core exercises with dumbbells, all the while checking my metrics on the Apple Watch 7's redesigned screen The notable differences between the Apple Watch 7 and the Apple Watch 6 are that the display is 20% larger and the always-on mode is 70% brighter, making it easier to see more exercise information at a glance During a workout, it is nice to be able to see your heart rate in large, easy-to-read text Additionally, the heart rate readings on the Apple Watch 7 matched the heart rate readings on my Polar OH1 strap

While I took my dog to the park twice a day and walked anywhere in New York City within an hour, most of my exercise experience with the Apple Watch 7 came from walking When I didn't know where I was going, I used the Apple Maps feature in iOS 15 to lead the way, and the workout app buzzed every mile to give me a pace update

However, walking the dog slowed the pace I wish the Apple Watch auto pause option worked for walking workouts (it only works for outdoor cycling and outdoor running) I miss this feature on the Galaxy Watch 4

GPS-based workouts drain the battery life of the Apple Watch 7 faster than non-GPS-based workouts, but my smartwatch survived all day, even after an hour of regular walking Of course, many of the best sports watches and best Garmin watches get better battery life with GPS

For fitness enthusiasts, a fitness tracker with longer battery life or more workout-specific features may be preferable Otherwise, the Apple Watch 7 is an all-in-one smartwatch with adequate exercise features