Guide to finding the best smartwatch for women

Posted on April 13, 2021 at 4:01 pm.

Ladies, if you think a smartwatch is designed solely for exercising, then read on and we’ll prove you wrong.

In fact, modern features on smartwatches make them just as beneficial to your general health and wellbeing than for exercising alone.

The newest generation of smartwatches can give you all the technology you need or want, along with all the panache that will make you stand out from the crowd, with slim profiles for smaller wrists, sleek designs and bold colour palettes.

With that in mind, this blog will take the hassle out of buying and help you find the best smartwatch for women, whatever your lifestyle or goals.

Plus, as well as all the exercise-focused features covered in our best smartwatch for running blog, our recommended watches boast useful features like:

Menstrual tracking
Stress, heart rate and sleep monitoring
Breathing exercises
ECH sensors and skin temperature readers
Electrodermal activity sensors

Interested?

As you might have read in our ultimate guide to choosing the best smartwatch blog, Garmin and Fitbits are a bit like Facebook and Instagram, built for the same purpose but appeal to two very different people.

At Intersport Elverys, we believe that Fitbits might just be the best smartwatch for women, but hey, that’s just our opinion.

If you value it, here’s why:

Best smartwatch for women (overall): Fitbit Versa

The Fitbit Versa is elegant, beautiful and packed full of wellness and exercise features to suit every budget and every need.

It’s also available in a variety of colours with interchangeable bands to match whatever outfit you choose – so don’t worry about your style being cramped!

And with a multi-day battery life, you won’t be wasting loads of time searching the house top to bottom for the charger on a regular basis!

Versatility is the name of the game when it comes to the Versa; catering for your athlete with plenty of sports features, but really coming into its own with its wellness options:

Guided breathing sessions to help you find moments of calm throughout your busy day
Female health tracking to log periods, track your cycle and gauge ovulation
24/7 heart rate tracking
Google Assistant, and Amazon Alexa Built In plus built in music experience
Interchangeable straps allowing you to find a colour that suits your outfit
Fitbit Pay, allowing quick and easy contactless payments

Best smartwatch for women (premium): Fitbit Sense

While the Fitbit Sense is the most expensive watch of the brand’s range, it offers the best options for both fitness tracking and health and wellbeing features.

Not only does it have an FDA-approved ECG sensor and blood oxygen reading, but the Sense can also measure electrodermal activity and skin temperature too – amazing!

Plus, it has a built-in GPS if you decide to go for a spontaneous run and it’s waterproof if you decide to venture for a dip.

There’s more too:

Stress management tools give a more holistic approach to your lifestyle
Your skin temperature sensors logs and tracks your results each night
Heart rate notifications to inform you when your heart rate is high or low
Sleep Stage and Sleep Score to give in-depth sleep analysis
Notifications for calls, texts, calendar events and apps
Voice assistant software and hands-free calling

Best smartwatch for women for value: Fitbit Inspire

While not packed with the top-tech like its big sisters, the Fitbit Inspire is still punching way above its weight in terms of what it offers.

As well as tracking steps, sleep and heart rate using the built in PurePulse sensor, it has accurate lifestyle features like menstrual and sleep tracking and a whopping 10-day battery life.

Plus, it has the neat little feature where it doesn’t have to be worn on your wrist and can be clipped onto your clothes instead.

What about these:

Menstrual health tracking
Guided breathing sessions for daily mindfulness sessions
Friendly reminders to get up and move throughout the day
Smartphone notifications
All day activity tracker, sleep score and swim tracker

Final thoughts

We hope you found this blog informative and goes to helping you pick the right smartwatch for you.

We’re also eager to hear your thoughts on what you think is the best smartwatch for women. So let us know if you’ve taken the plunge and purchased a smartwatch on Elverys.ie.

There’s a whole range of leading brands to choose from, and they’re almost guaranteed to change your life. So check them on the graphic below and find one that works for you.

The best smartwatch for running?

Posted on April 2, 2021 at 11:16 am.

Written by Ger Flanagan

Finding the best smartwatch for running will help you achieve that PB you’ve been aiming for all season. Or, it will help you get back on your fitness journey if you’ve fallen off the horse in recent months (don’t be worrying, it happens to us all!).

So, whether you’re that seasoned runner chasing those fine margins, or the person who enjoys a leisurely run just to clear the head, we hope this blog will help you and your fitness journey.

As discussed in our previous blog – our guide to finding the best smartwatch for you – Fibit and Garmin smartwatches cater for different people, with the latter being the preferred option for sportspeople.

If you’re wondering why, read on:

- - Highly accurate GPS monitors
  - Heart rate monitors that even work underwater
  - Water and swim resistant, if you want to cool down after a run
  - Lightweight
  - Long-lasting battery life
  - Access to lots of running data, like VO2 Max

Here’s the kicker:

Garmin smartwatches might not have the aesthetic appeal of their Fitbit counterparts, but that’s not what they’re trying to do. These are all about arming you with the right features, be it pre-run, during your run, or post-run.

We know that running can benefit your health in so many ways, but you might not have know that a smartwatch can benefit your running.

So here’s our picks.

The best smartwatch for running: Garmin Forerunner 45

Simple, elegant and affordable, the Garmin Forerunner can satisfy the beginners, bargain hunters and the more experienced runners.

For less than €200, you get a sleek design with all the frills and spills needed for your running, as well as some neat features to help off the track or trails.

Here’s the lowdown:

- - Built in GPS with optical heart rate from your wrist
  - Adaptive training plans, VO2 max as well as activity and sleep tracking
  - Body battery energy level monitoring, stress tracking, incident detection and music controls
  - Battery life that last up to seven days
  - Waterproof up to 50 metres and swim proof

In our humble opinion, the Forerunner is the best smartwatch for running, whatever your ability.

Best smartwatch for running (Elite): Garmin Venu

If you’re willing to splash the cash, then the Garmin Venu is for you.

It has a brilliant AMOLED display, impressive battery life and a full suite of fitness features that make it one of the best all-round fitness trackers on the market.

It is definitely venturing more into the smartwatch territory, as opposed to the fitness trackers, but it’s sleek style allows it to float under the radar but still pack a massive bunch in terms of features.

Here’s what it packs:

- - Stainless steel bezel with Corning Gorilla Glass protecting its AMOLED display
  - Quick release bands
  - Water resistant up to 50m and swim proof
  - Body Battery Energy Monitoring that tracks your energy levels throughout the day and finds the optimum time for your workouts
  - Pulse Ox Sensor gauges your blood oxygen Saturday during and the day and during your sleep
  - Stress, hydration and respiration tracking as well as advanced sleep monitoring
  - Built in sports apps, Garmin Coach, custom workouts, Garmin Pay and much more

Best smartwatch for running (novice): Garmin Vivofit

This everyday wear tracker proves that Garmin doesn’t just cater for serious athletes and offers a more affordable range which gives its users an everyday option instead.

While the Vivofit lacks some of the more high-tech features its more expensive cousins offer, it still has plenty of advantages such as solid activity tracking and an unbeatable battery life. It doesn’t, however, have a built in GPS, heart-rate sensor or touch screen, but it works perfectly with the Garmin Connect app.

It’s also a band-style tracker, meaning the strap isn’t interchangeable. But because it’s small and subtle, it won’t cramp the style of your shiny timepiece that you might also want to wear.

Here’s the story:

- - Coin cell battery that last up to a year
  - Water proof and swim proof
  - Enough memory to store four weeks of activity data
  - Can track time, date, steps, distance, calories burned, weekly intensity minutes and weather through Garmin Connect
  - Boasts a ‘Find My Phone’ option

Final Word

At Intersport Elverys, we stock a full range of smartwatches, some of which you can check out in the visual below.

While we focused on an athlete’s preference in this blog, there are so many more options available to you, so do you research.

If you’re out for a run this week, make sure to let us know your thoughts on the best smartwatches for running. And don’t forget to enjoy it too!

Let us know what you think in the comment section below.

Guide to finding the best smartwatch for you: Fitbit or Garmin?

Posted on March 25, 2021 at 4:57 pm.

Written by Intersport Elverys

Smartwatches are all the craze right now, however, deciding on the best smartwatch for you and your fitness journey isn’t always straightforward.

Thankfully, the Intersport Elverys team is here to help you choose the right smartwatch for your needs from our range of leading brands, such as Fitbit and Garmin.

We’ll try and answer all the initial questions you may have before you take the plunge and purchase a smartwatch, such as…

What is the best smartwatch for your sport?
what is the best smartwatch for lifestyle?
what is the best smartwatch for battery life?
what is the best smartwatch for your budget?

There are so many choices to pick from, so before you do, read on to find out some of the most important aspects you should consider before taking the plunge.

What do you want from your smartwatch?

While Fitbit and Garmin smartwatches are quite similar, there are some significant differences between the two.

So, what are they, you might be wondering:

if you’re a dedicated sports person or athlete and want a smartwatch that will give you large amounts of accurate data during your running, swimming or cycling workouts, then a Garmin smartwatch may be best for you.
However, if you’re a casual sportsperson, or someone with little interest in sport but is eager to try and live a better lifestyle with the help of technology to track your steps, heart rate or sleep, then a Fitbit might be the best smartwatch for you.
If you’re a woman looking to buy a smartwatch, our blog on finding the best smartwatch for women might be of interest

What is the best smartwatch for your sport?

As mentioned above, if you’re an athlete and you’re buying a smartwatch, it is important to factor in what data you want access to.

Because Fitbit and Garmin smartwatches can track a lot of data, which varies across their devices and ranges, delving into exactly what you want might save you a headache down the line. Our guide to finding the best smartwatch for running might help you save time too.

Here’s the deal:

Fitbit made their name with fitness tracking and it underpins all their devices, meaning every model will track your steps, monitor your heart rate 24/7, monitor your sleep and give you inactivity alerts throughout the day. Their sleep feature insights are excellent, too.

Garmin, of course, offers similar features, but when it comes to sports and sport tracking, they come into their own.

They primarily cover…

Running
Cycling
Swimming

That means Garmin’s are also water resistant in the pool and the sea, while more niche sports like skiing, climbing and hiking are also offered on the more premium models.

External heart rate monitor connectivity and a Body Battery monitor can come in handy for the right athlete too.

So do your research, because the last thing you want to do is go open-sea swimming with a smartwatch that is not swim resistant!

At Intersport Elverys, we’re committed to helping your fitness journey, whatever the sport. So consider reading our ultimate beginners guide to running if this year is when you intend on starting.

Which is the best smartwatch for battery life?

Imagine you’re out for a run, moving well and have your 5k or 10k PB in your sight, but then your battery runs out! Or, you’re a person who likes to track their steps, sleep or heart rate religiously, and right when you go to check your metrics, find your smartwatch battery died because you forgot to plug it in the night before.

These are just some of the reasons why researching what smartwatch has the best battery life to suit your needs is crucial before making a purchase.

Want to know the best part?

Garmin pride themselves on producing fitness trackers and smartwatches that deliver battery life that last up to a week, sometimes greater. Fitbit is not far behind and is closing the gap all the time.

But don’t forget, using power-hungry applications can drain the battery life of most smartwatches, and the more active you are, the faster it will drain.

So too do the ‘always on’ modes on your smartwatch display.

Fitbit and Garmin are constantly working to improve battery life and have developed some interesting power-saving modes and fast-charging features on their product ranges to help alleviate any concerns you may have.

Find the best smartwatch for your lifestyle

If you’ve read this far and are starting to think that a smartwatch might not be for you because you’re not a sportsperson or athlete, then fear not, we’ve got you covered.

That’s because Fitbit and Garmin watches extend way beyond usage in the gym or during exercise and can actually be really helpful in day-to-day activities.

The release of the Fitbit Versa and Sense allows its users to access cool features like:

push notifications
make payments
a wide variety of apps, watch faces and music players
compatible to other external music devices, such as Spotify

There are also some cool features available that might answer the question as to what is the best smartwatch for women, such as stress monitoring, guided breathing exercises and female health tracking, which allows the user to log periods, track their cycle and gauge ovulation.

For any females out there interested in purchasing a Fitbit or Garmin and taking a step into your fitness journey, our guide to finding the best leggings might provide you with further help.

What style smartwatch do you want?

If you’re thinking of investing in a smartwatch but already own a nice shiny wristwatch that you’re hesitant to depart ways with, then you should consider a band-style smartwatch.

Fear not:

Both Fitbit and Garmin offer trendy band-style fitness trackers such as the Inspire or the Vivofit.

These two smart watches are simple and elegant and will tick all the boxes for someone looking for simplicity, practicality and the best budget smartwatch. While they’re also available in a choice of colours, so they won’t cramp the style of your precious timepiece.

What is the best smartwatch for your budget?

Both Fitbit and Garmin produce smartwatches to suit all budgets.

So, whether you’re looking for the best budget smartwatch or the more premium models, both brands have smartwatches that tick those boxes.

It gets better:

While features and capabilities are obviously limited with the budget options, Fitbit and Garmin still offer very impressive value for money smartwatches.

Both the Fitbit Inspire and the Garmin Vivofit are available for under €100 and provide plenty of bang for your buck.

But if you want to splash out that bit more, the Garmin Venu and the Fitbit Sense, or similar premium models, go for over €300 and beyond. But remember, it’s all down to your needs. Sometimes the best smartwatch for you might not be the more expensive option. Or vice versa; you might need to spend that bit more to find the smartwatch that works for you.

FAQ’s

Are all smartwatches compatible with iPhone’s and Androids?

Most, if not all, Fitbit and Garmin smartwatches will work with both Android and iPhone devices and will offer core features, like being able to view notifications, check the time etc.

However, it is important to ensure that your phone is fully compatible with the smartwatch before you make a purchase, so you can find the best smartwatch for Android or the best smartwatch for iPhone.

Are all Fitbit & Garmin smartwatches water resistant?

Most Fitbit and Garmin watches offer water-resistance, meaning you can wear it in the shower or in the pool and not worry about destroying the electronics.

But not every smartwatch is swim-proof, meaning they aren’t suitable for long distance, open-sea swimming and it is usually recommended to avoid swimming to prevent long-term damage.

Final thoughts

We hope this guide has given you plenty of food-for-thought before you make your smartwatch purchase.

If it has, you can check out our diverse range of wearable technology that will make you stand out from the crowd, like the hugely popular Fitbit Inspire, Fitbit Versa and Fitbit Sense, as well as the Garmin Forerunner, Garmin Vivofit and the Garmin Vivosmart.

Happy training, folks!