The Accuracy of Fitness Trackers

More and more people are turning their fitness and well-being over to the data and reporting of smartwatches and fitness trackers. These gadgets can record anything from steps taken, heart rate, sleep amount and quality, calories burned, and much more.

This feedback, to so many, is incredibly valuable – but is it accurate? LiveScience breaks down three of the main metrics for wrist or arm-worn trackers in terms of calories burned, step count, and heart rate to help you decide how accurate your information is, and if accuracy is even the most important factor at play.