Final weekend, I strapped on 5 health smartwatches, drove to Mount Diablo State Park in California, and hiked about 2,100 toes 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 evaluate your elevation achieve throughout out of doors exercises. Altimeters use air strain modifications to calculate elevation modifications in coordination with GPS information. However some are extra correct than others, and most manufacturers do not allow you to calibrate your beginning place manually.
I’ve needed to check this for a while, ever since my experiment final yr once I wore six smartwatches for six,000 steps to see which got here closest to the actual quantity. Since then, I’ve additionally executed a number of multi-watch GPS accuracy assessments for opinions, however these have all been two-dimensional assessments: I’ve by no means identified how correct my watch is when it tells me I’ve climbed X toes or Y flights of stairs.
For my check, 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 at the moment reviewing, the Apple Watch Extremely 2 and Polar Vantage V3.
Apologies to the hikers with favourite manufacturers I did not convey alongside; my arms, skinny as they’re, solely have a lot room. Charging and becoming on 5 watches was greater than sufficient to handle, and so they bought me loads of aspect glances on the path because it was.
Plus, a few of my favourite wearables (just like the Fitbit Cost 6) do not have altimeters in any respect, which means they can not be trusted for elevation information, other than GPS estimates.
Fortunately, you possibly can simply check your personal smartwatch’s accuracy if you would like!
Merely select a hike on a web site like Alltrails, such because the Mount Diablo through Summit Path hike, and notice the minimal and most elevation, together with whole elevation achieve. Then, hike it your self and evaluate your watch’s outcomes to the fact.
The desk under exhibits the outcomes of my smartwatch elevation accuracy check:
| Gadget title | Beginning elevation | Max elevation | Whole elevation achieve |
|---|---|---|---|
| Actual GPS information (AllTrails) | 1,770 toes | 3,849 toes | 2,139 toes |
| Apple Watch Extremely 2 | 1,779 toes | 3,873 toes | 2,147 toes |
| COROS PACE 3 | 1,736 toes | 3,825 toes | 2,231 toes |
| Garmin Forerunner 965 | 1,761 toes | 3,841 toes | 2,231 toes |
| Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Traditional | 1,509 toes | 3,606 toes | 2,026 toes |
Notice: You possible seen a lacking information 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 brand, then manufacturing unit reset itself after I bought house. The Polar subreddit exhibits other people have had comparable points previously.
Fortunately, I snapped a photograph close to the height exhibiting my elevation (3,729 toes) and whole achieve (2,018 toes) on the time. Add one other 100 toes or so of climbing, and the Vantage V3 was in all probability fairly near what my different watches confirmed; I simply cannot give actual information, particularly with out the beginning elevation. I am actually upset that this glitch tousled my check!
Figuring out the ‘finest’ smartwatch altimeter
We have now three metrics to assist decide which smartwatch is finest for elevation accuracy. Let’s begin with minimal elevation, which is the preliminary auto-calibrated consequence the smartwatch makes while you begin a exercise.
Garmin and Apple miraculously tied right here, each 9 toes off. COROS was 34 toes brief, or 25 worse than Garmin, however that is nothing in comparison with Samsung’s consequence, which fell 261 toes brief.
Wanting subsequent at max elevation, Garmin fell eight toes wanting the official summit quantity. Mainly, though Garmin was off by just a few yards every time, the hole between the minimal and most (2,080 toes) was simply one foot totally different from the official information (2,079 toes).
COROS’ max consequence, 3,825 toes, was 24 toes brief; once more, although, in case you take a look at the entire distinction (2,089 toes), that is simply 10 toes off the satellite tv for pc information, which most hikers will fortunately settle for.
Apple’s max-elevation information had me floating about 24 toes above Mt. Diablo, and its whole distinction (2,094) is 15 toes 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 possibly can additionally name the Galaxy Watch 6 Traditional’s whole elevation distinction (2,097 toes) completely respectable, however the max elevation was simply as absurdly wanting the mark because the minimal elevation. Samsung had an Alti-Barometer app on the Galaxy Retailer that may have fastened this, nevertheless it 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 additional elevation each time the path goes up and down.
At first look, the Apple Watch Extremely 2 crushed this metric, solely overreporting by eight toes. The issue is that I did go up and down the steps on the summit a few occasions, in addition to took some aspect paths with mini-hills that added pointless ups and downs.
So though the Garmin Forerunner 965 and COROS PACE 3 each measured an additional 92 toes of climbing, I’m wondering if my precise consequence was someplace in between these two and the Extremely 2. The truth that they each had the very same consequence was one other shock.
The advantage 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’ll use one other satellite tv for pc to calibrate your place. And since watches use GPS to reinforce altimeter outcomes, meaning you are very prone to get one thing shut to an correct consequence.
Should you’re utilizing a GPS-only watch just like the Galaxy Watch 6 Traditional, your elevation outcomes may find yourself extra of a crapshoot regardless of the built-in altimeter. The mistaken beginning elevation could not matter from a sensible standpoint, however the truth that it underreported my elevation achieve by a minimum of 100 toes 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 check. Garmin received for particular elevation numbers, Apple received (possibly) for elevation achieve, and COROS got here shut on each counts.
Relatively than rooting for one clear winner, I would like as many manufacturers as doable to offer you correct outcomes so hikers and cyclists have a wealth of decisions.
If you are at the moment on the hunt for a brand new smartwatch, bike pc, or handheld GPS, my advice is that you do not take it with no consideration that an altimeter within the specs sheet is a certain signal of reliability. Hold your receipt, take your new be careful on the path ASAP, and just remember to get outcomes which are fairly correct.
