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The 23 best holiday Fitbit and fitness tracker deals | ZDNET

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The 23 best holiday Fitbit and fitness tracker deals | ZDNET

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It's the season of deals galore. Many popular retailers, such as Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart, are currently offering some of their best deals of the year. 

If you're looking for a tech wearable that tracks your health and fitness, now is the best time to shop since even the latest and greatest fitness trackers -- including the Fitbit Charge 6 , Apple Watch Ultra 2 , and Google Pixel Watch -- are on sale for the holiday season. 

Also: The best holiday deals: Apple products, TVs, laptops, and more

Wearables make great gifts for that friend who's impossible to shop for -- and with these best Fitbit and fitness tracker deals, you can snag a great discount on a capable health and fitness wearable that anyone will surely appreciate. 

The Apple Watch Series 9 display has increased from 1000 bits to 2000 nits of peak brightness. 

Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy have the latest Fitbit, the Charge 6, on sale for a $30 discount. ZDNET's best Fitbit overall incorporates all of Google's latest and greatest features within a Fitbit tracker, such as Google Maps, Google Wallet, Gmail, Google Calendar, YouTube Music controls, and more. 

Compared to older models, the Charge 6 has a built-in GPS, is made of 100% recycled aluminum, and includes an improved heart rate sensor. When ZDNET's wearables expert, Matthew Miller, tested the device, he found the Fitbit Charge 6 is best for people who want to "capture key health and wellness data in a comfortable form factor while minimizing the distractions of third-party apps and constant notifications." 

The Google Pixel Watch is available for $250, saving you a whopping $150 from its original price. The smartwatch has an elegant circular display that suits most wrists and tracks the basics -- stress, sleep, heart rate, and more -- in addition to offering Google's top features and favorite apps.

If you know someone who is ingrained in the Apple ecosystem of devices and has considered getting a fitness tracker, the Apple Watch SE is the perfect gift for them. Because it is an Apple Watch, it seamlessly integrates into the rest of the Apple device ecosystem and is intuitive to use since WatchOS mirrors what the iOS found in iPhones. 

Despite being the most budget-friendly model, it boasts many of the same health and safety features as the more advanced Apple Watch models, including fitness tracking, heart-rate monitoring, sleep insights, Crash Detection, water resistance, and a good battery. 

The Fitbit Sense 2 tracker comes with a physical button on the left side and utilizes a touch screen to control the device. While you can't place phone calls directly from the smartwatch, the Fitbit Sense 2 supports answering incoming calls, and with an Android phone, you can reply to texts and notifications. With the support of Fitbit Premium service, you can extend the capabilities of your smartwatch to help you improve your health. 

Apple's recent launch of the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and the Apple Watch Series 9 means its predecessor, the Apple Watch Series 8, is now on sale. For $79 less, you can get an Apple Watch with "80% of the functions of an Apple Watch Ultra, especially in the core health features," says ZDNET's editor-in-chief Jason Hiner.

You can find this top-of-the-line smartwatch at an 14% discount. The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro captures heart rate, blood oxygen levels, and more. With Samsung Health, you can also track workouts, menstrual cycles, and even skin temperature to predict when you might get sick. 

ZDNET only writes about deals we want to buy -- devices and products we desire, need, or would recommend. Our experts looked for deals that were at least 20% off (or are hardly ever on sale), using established price comparison tools and trackers to determine whether the deal is actually on sale and how frequently it drops. 

We also looked over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the deals we're recommending. Our recommendations may also be based on our own testing -- in addition to extensive research and comparison shopping. The goal is to deliver the most accurate advice to help you shop smarter. 

ZDNET's pick for the best Fitbit overall is the Fitbit Charge 6 due to its GPS connectivity, deep Google integration, and outstanding heart rate insights. This model is currently on sale for the holidays for $130. 

Other Fitbit models, such as the Fitbit Sense 2, Fitbit Inspire HR, and Fitbit Luxe, also make excellent options. With Fitbit's Premium subscription, you can upgrade these older models to provide some of the most advanced insights to date.

The 23 best holiday Fitbit and fitness tracker deals | ZDNET

Fitness Tracker ZDNET's experts have been searching for holiday deals across sites like Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, and more. Here are the top deals by category we've found so far.