Best 2022 Smartwatches for activity auto-detection

#1 Polar Pacer Pro
5.0

Automatic hill detection through Hill Splitter received direct praise from one reviewer who said it worked perfectly.

Pros: workout tracking variety, activity auto-detection

Cons: onboard music storage, blood oxygen tracking

#2 Garmin Forerunner 255
4.6

Activity auto-detection had limited but positive support, with one reviewer saying it suited interval training well.

Pros: durability, cross-platform compatibility

Cons: stress tracking, app ecosystem

#3 Garmin Vivomove Sport
4.5

Automatic activity detection drew positive evidence, especially Move IQ detecting even short bike errands and reviewers appreciating hands-off tracking.

Pros: pairing reliability, reliability

Cons: contactless payments, onboard music storage

#4 Garmin Forerunner 955
4.5

Auto-detection evidence was limited but positive for pool tracking, where automatic length and interval detection was described as working well.

Pros: outdoor visibility, charging speed

Cons: LTE connectivity, call handling

#5 Garmin MARQ Gen 2
4.0

Activity auto-detection received limited but mixed-positive evidence: Free Train movement detection was pretty accurate, though some edits were still needed.

Pros: pairing reliability, reliability

Cons: size options, call handling

#6 Fitbit Versa 4
3.5

Automatic activity detection was split, ranging from reliable walk detection to completely missed auto-logged workouts and delayed detection.

Pros: pairing reliability, user interface

Cons: third-party app support, music controls

#7 Garmin Venu Sq 2
3.5

Activity auto-detection received qualified praise because the watch can credit elevated activity, but without the detail of a manually started workout.

Pros: charging speed, coaching features

Cons: ECG functionality, call handling

#8 Fitbit Sense 2
3.1

Auto-detection is useful when it catches walks or workouts, but reviewers split between improved background tracking and cases where automatic sessions were inaccurate, lacked GPS, or even failed to save.

Pros: pairing reliability, durability

Cons: music controls, Wi-Fi connectivity

#9 Polar Pacer
1.8

Activity auto-detection is a weakness because one reviewer specifically missed automatic workout detection.

Pros: third-party app support, comfort

Cons: contactless payments, onboard music storage