Final weekend, I strapped on 5 health smartwatches, drove to Mount Diablo State Park in California, and hiked about 2,100 ft to the summit. Why? To resolve which smartwatch model — Apple, COROS, Garmin, Polar, or Samsung — was most correct for monitoring elevation.
Most high-end smartwatches sport a barometric altimeter to guage your elevation achieve throughout outside exercises. Altimeters use air stress adjustments to calculate elevation adjustments in coordination with GPS knowledge. However some are extra correct than others, and most manufacturers do not allow you to calibrate your beginning place manually.
I’ve wished to check this for a while, ever since my experiment final yr after I wore six smartwatches for six,000 steps to see which got here closest to the true quantity. Since then, I’ve additionally accomplished a number of multi-watch GPS accuracy checks for critiques, however these have all been two-dimensional checks: I’ve by no means recognized how correct my watch is when it tells me I’ve climbed X ft or Y flights of stairs.
For my take a look at, I selected three watches I’ve already reviewed — the COROS PACE 3, Garmin Forerunner 965, and Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Traditional — together with two I am presently reviewing, the Apple Watch Extremely 2 and Polar Vantage V3.
Apologies to the hikers with favourite manufacturers I did not carry alongside; my arms, skinny as they’re, solely have a lot room. Charging and becoming on 5 watches was greater than sufficient to handle, they usually obtained me loads of facet glances on the path because it was.
Plus, a few of my favourite wearables (just like the Fitbit Cost 6) haven’t got altimeters in any respect, which means they can not be trusted for elevation knowledge, except for GPS estimates.
Fortunately, you may simply take a look at your individual smartwatch’s accuracy if you would like!
Merely select a hike on a website like Alltrails, such because the Mount Diablo through Summit Path hike, and observe the minimal and most elevation, together with whole elevation achieve. Then, hike it your self and evaluate your watch’s outcomes to the truth.
The desk beneath exhibits the outcomes of my smartwatch elevation accuracy take a look at:
| Gadget identify | Beginning elevation | Max elevation | Whole elevation achieve |
|---|---|---|---|
| Actual GPS knowledge (AllTrails) | 1,770 ft | 3,849 ft | 2,139 ft |
| Apple Watch Extremely 2 | 1,779 ft | 3,873 ft | 2,147 ft |
| COROS PACE 3 | 1,736 ft | 3,825 ft | 2,231 ft |
| Garmin Forerunner 965 | 1,761 ft | 3,841 ft | 2,231 ft |
| Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Traditional | 1,509 ft | 3,606 ft | 2,026 ft |
Observe: You probably observed a lacking knowledge row. That is as a result of someday on the best way down Mt. Diablo, my Polar Vantage V3 crashed, exhibiting an infinite loop of the Polar emblem, then manufacturing facility reset itself after I obtained residence. The Polar subreddit exhibits other people have had related points up to now.
Fortunately, I snapped a photograph close to the height exhibiting my elevation (3,729 ft) and whole achieve (2,018 ft) on the time. Add one other 100 ft or so of climbing, and the Vantage V3 was in all probability fairly near what my different watches confirmed; I simply cannot give precise knowledge, particularly with out the beginning elevation. I am actually disenchanted that this glitch tousled my take a look at!
Figuring out the ‘greatest’ smartwatch altimeter
Now we have three metrics to assist decide which smartwatch is greatest for elevation accuracy. Let’s begin with minimal elevation, which is the preliminary auto-calibrated end result the smartwatch makes while you begin a exercise.
Garmin and Apple miraculously tied right here, each 9 ft off. COROS was 34 ft brief, or 25 worse than Garmin, however that is nothing in comparison with Samsung’s end result, which fell 261 ft brief.
Trying subsequent at max elevation, Garmin fell eight ft in need of the official summit quantity. Mainly, although Garmin was off by a couple of yards every time, the hole between the minimal and most (2,080 ft) was simply one foot totally different from the official knowledge (2,079 ft).
COROS’ max end result, 3,825 ft, was 24 ft brief; once more, although, in the event you take a look at the whole distinction (2,089 ft), that is simply 10 ft off the satellite tv for pc knowledge, which most hikers will fortunately settle for.
Apple’s max-elevation knowledge had me floating about 24 ft above Mt. Diablo, and its whole distinction (2,094) is 15 ft above. Contemplating all of the smarts you get with an Apple Watch Extremely 2 in comparison with most health smartwatches, that is a minor discrepancy that watchOS followers in all probability will not thoughts.
You might additionally name the Galaxy Watch 6 Traditional’s whole elevation distinction (2,097 ft) completely respectable, however the max elevation was simply as absurdly in need of the mark because the minimal elevation. Samsung had an Alti-Barometer app on the Galaxy Retailer that might have mounted this, but it surely was designed for Tizen OS and would not work correctly with Put on OS.
Lastly, we will take a look at whole elevation achieve, which (to make clear) is totally different from the subtracted sums above since you achieve further elevation each time the path goes up and down.
At first look, the Apple Watch Extremely 2 crushed this metric, solely overreporting by eight ft. The issue is that I did go up and down the steps on the summit a few occasions, in addition to took some facet paths with mini-hills that added pointless ups and downs.
So although the Garmin Forerunner 965 and COROS PACE 3 each measured an additional 92 ft of climbing, I’m wondering if my precise end result was someplace in between these two and the Extremely 2. The truth that they each had the very same end result was one other shock.
The benefit of the most recent Garmin Forerunner watches, the PACE 3, and the Apple Watch Extremely 2 is that all of them have dual-band GPS monitoring. If the mountain you are climbing is obstructing the road of sight to the closest GPS satellite tv for pc, they will use one other satellite tv for pc to calibrate your place. And since watches use GPS to enhance altimeter outcomes, meaning you are very prone to get one thing shut to an correct end result.
If you happen to’re utilizing a GPS-only watch just like the Galaxy Watch 6 Traditional, your elevation outcomes might find yourself extra of a crapshoot regardless of the built-in altimeter. The improper beginning elevation could not matter from a sensible standpoint, however the truth that it underreported my elevation achieve by not less than 100 ft is much less forgivable.
I am hoping that Samsung will repair its health points in 2024 and that the Galaxy Watch 7 Professional is extra reliable. Within the meantime, although, I am actually pleased with how Garmin, COROS, and Apple carried out in my take a look at. Garmin received for particular elevation numbers, Apple received (possibly) for elevation achieve, and COROS got here shut on each counts.
Somewhat than rooting for one clear winner, I need as many manufacturers as doable to present you correct outcomes so hikers and cyclists have a wealth of decisions.
If you are presently on the hunt for a brand new smartwatch, bike laptop, or handheld GPS, my suggestion is that you do not take it without any consideration that an altimeter within the specs sheet is a certain signal of reliability. Preserve your receipt, take your new be careful on the path ASAP, and just remember to get outcomes which are moderately correct.
