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I've swapped to a smart ring for health tracking – and won't be going back Health & Fitness I used the Garmin Instinct 3, Whoop MG, Apple Watch Ultra 2, and AllTrails all at once on a hike – here's how they compare Smartwatches Apple Watches are useful, but don't look cool – here are 4 Prime Day deals on discreet wearables for fashion-conscious fit people Smartwatches The next Galaxy Watch will read antioxidant levels, give you useful bedtime guidance, and become the running coach you always wanted Health & Fitness Samsung Galaxy Watch8 vs Garmin Venu X1: which one logged my run better? Health & Fitness Smartwatches I'm a smartwatch expert, and I can tell you the "useless smartwatch" headlines doing the rounds are pretty much baseless Matt Evans 14 August 2025 There are a few key factors to consider When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Future) Researchers from the American Psychological Association recently published findings from 781 Garmin Vivosmart 4 users, collected over three months, reporting no correlation between the stress levels shown on the watch and the self-reported feelings of stress by the participants. Typically, this has been jumped on by the media, quick to write headlines like "Smartwatches offer little insight into stress levels" and "Your smartwatch is lying to you about stress levels" and so on. However, as someone whose job it is to test the best smartwatches and fitness trackers on the market, I think there's more to this than meets the eye. At first glance, the research seems pretty damning: in the three-month window, participants were asked to regularly self-report how they felt they were sleeping, along with information about their perceived tiredness and stress levels. You may like I test smartwatches for a living, but I'm sick of screens on my wrist – here are 5 discreet fitness trackers I'd recommend I've been wearing the Whoop MG for four days, and there's one thing I love about it – and one thing I really don't Kiss my ring, Apple Watch! I've swapped to a smart ring for health tracking – and won't be going back The study, published in the Journal of Psychopathology and Clinical Science, had this to say regarding the results: "Self-report and wearable measures of sleep-related variables showed robust associations, while associations were weaker for tiredness, and measures of stress did not overlap for most individuals. These findings suggest that wearable data and their corresponding self-report measures may not necessarily measure similar constructs." So while the Vivosmart 4 is good for sleep tracking and lines up with self-reported sleep quality, it struggles to tell when you're tired and stressed. The researchers were aiming to see if wearable technology can provide a "warning system" for depression in students, using the above biomarkers. Most headlines have largely ignored this or buried the lede, conflating stress with excitement and high heart rate. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. The stress Garmin watches refer to is physiological stress, which happens to your nervous system when your heart beats faster and you start to sweat. Exercise, excitement, arousal, and other emotional factors can cause this to happen to your body. It's impossible for LED heart rate and body temperature sensors to read your mood, so it's all logged as 'stress'. I'm currently testing the WHOOP MG, and its app also contains a stress metric. On asking its AI coach – what a time to be alive – whether stress meant emotional or physiological, my app had this to say: "The Stress metric in the WHOOP app is physiological – it's based on signals from your body, not how you feel emotionally." "While emotional stress (like anxiety or pressure at work) can show up in your score, so can things like a tough workout, poor sleep, or even fighting off a cold. The Stress Score is a window into how your body is handling all types of stressors, not just your mood." (Image credit: Future) It's easy to see how people get confused, and there is a grain of truth in that the headlines would be correct in assuming smartwatches aren't very good at calculating people's moods. However, that's because they weren't designed to actually record mood, rather than any failing on their part. The whole study was testing whether smartwatches could be used as a depression predictor, and while indicators such as lack of sleep can be accurately measured, they can't do moods – especially if people are recording themselves as feeling stressed out, rather than reporting physiological sources of stress. My tip? Use the stress metric in tandem with other metrics, such as sleep and calories burned, to understand when it's time to take a rest if you're able to do so. If your stress is high and your sleep is low, but you feel otherwise happy, you might want to skip the bars or the gym this Friday night and have a relaxing evening with a book to bring that stress score down. You might also like I review fitness trackers for a living – here's the best one I've tried in 2025 My biggest marathon regret was not paying attention to my training plan, and it cost me my time – twice Do you struggle on hikes? Here are 5 essential gym moves to strengthen your legs, glutes and core Social Links Navigation Senior Fitness & Wearables Editor Matt is TechRadar's expert on all things fitness, wellness and wearable tech. A former staffer at Men's Health, he holds a Master's Degree in journalism from Cardiff and has written for brands like Runner's World, Women's Health, Men's Fitness, LiveScience and Fit&Well on everything fitness tech, exercise, nutrition and mental wellbeing. Matt's a keen runner, ex-kickboxer, not averse to the odd yoga flow, and insists everyone should stretch every morning. When he’s not training or writing about health and fitness, he can be found reading doorstop-thick fantasy books with lots of fictional maps in them. You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name. I test smartwatches for a living, but I'm sick of screens on my wrist – here are 5 discreet fitness trackers I'd recommend I've been wearing the Whoop MG for four days, and there's one thing I love about it – and one thing I really don't Kiss my ring, Apple Watch! I've swapped to a smart ring for health tracking – and won't be going back I used the Garmin Instinct 3, Whoop MG, Apple Watch Ultra 2, and AllTrails all at once on a hike – here's how they compare Apple Watches are useful, but don't look cool – here are 4 Prime Day deals on discreet wearables for fashion-conscious fit people The next Galaxy Watch will read antioxidant levels, give you useful bedtime guidance, and become the running coach you always wanted Latest in Smartwatches Blood Oxygen tracking is back on the Apple Watch in the US, but it's now a two-device experience Fresh Google Pixel Watch 4 leaks may give us our best look yet at the upgraded sensors and charging system Garmin Venu X1 review: The most innovative Garmin watch in years, and a genuine Apple Watch Ultra rival Google’s Pixel Watch 4 reportedly revealed in a massive leak just weeks ahead of launch Apple just made this classic Apple Watch obsolete, but it might not be the one you think The Google Pixel Watch 4 price and promo deals just leaked – and we could escape price hikes Latest in Opinion Godfather of AI says chatbots need 'maternal instincts' – but what they really need is to understand humanity I tested Panasonic and LG flagship OLED TVs side-by-side, and even though they use the same panel, the results were surprising When cloud growth outpaces control, waste follows Harnessing AI's potential on the mainframe Native capture: why it’s non-negotiable for modern compliance teams Turning creators into curators: AI implementation in DevOps LATEST ARTICLES I hate scrolling endlessly on Netflix to find something to watch – these are 5 apps I use to find new movies and shows worth streaming Google unveils another huge AI spending spree - tech giant is splashing out $9 billion in Oklahoma Feel like snapping your phone charger in two? 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