Each year for the EE Pocket-lint Awards, we assess the categories of the year before and decide if we need to adjust them in order to best represent the market and the devices we have reviewed over the last 12 months. For 2022, there was one change we implented compared to the 2021 Pocket-lint Awards, which was to change the Best Fitness Tracker category to Best Fitness Device.
We did this because fitness trackers aren’t the only things that should be commended for helping people to achieve their fitness goals, with machines like Peloton and Hydrow also delivering their weight in gold in this area.
There are some incredible fitness devices out there, all of which help to motivate, encourage and guide you towards your goals, whatever those goals may be. Only one can be crowned winner of the Best Fitness Device category, but all the nominations this year are exceptional.
Fitness device of the year: Garmin Forerunner 955
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The superb Garmin Forerunner 955 ticks almost every box we look for in a premium running watch, which is one of the reasons it was awarded the fitness device of the year by us and our elite team of judges.
Not only does Garmin deliver significant improvements to the design in the Forerunner 955, but it also expertly implements new features like HRV Status and Training Readiness into an already-comprehensive tracking experience. It’s a brilliant fitness device and one well worthy of its title.
Read the Garmin Forerunner 955 review
Highly Commended: Peloton Bike+
The Peloton Bike+ may have been pipped to the top spot by Garmin, but it was a very close call which would take the crown. The Peloton Bike+ gets 2022’s Highly Commended Fitness Device, coming in a very close second. There are some things in life that are difficult to understand or appreciate until you’ve experienced them first hand. Peloton is one such thing.
It’s very easy to question why people spend the – let’s be real – obscene amount of money the Peloton Bike and Bike+ cost, not just for the spin bikes themselves, but for the monthly membership they then require. However, having experienced the Peloton Bike+ for several months, we completely get it. We unequivocally understand why Peloton has the user base it has and why, despite the Bike+ costing a lot more than many other exercise bikes out there, it delivers above and beyond what many competitors offer, and why it was awarded Highly Commended this year.
The best of the rest
While the Garmin Forerunner 955 may have been crowned the winner and the Peloton Bike+ Highly Commended, the rest of the shortlist was made up of some truly brilliant devices. You often hear the phrase “the Swiss Army knife of X” referring to a product that does lots of things really well – and the Garmin Fenix 7 Solar definitely fits that description. Meanwhile, the Fitbit Sense 2 tracks activity accurately, offers excellent sleep tracking and has a range of health features like superb stress tracking, putting it in a world of its own.
The Amazfit T-Rex 2 is an affordable outdoor smartwatch, that has that all-important rugged build quality of a watch that can withstand some carnage – while also having the software smarts to make it useful on an adventure. Last but by no means least, the Withings ScanWatch Horizon is super-premium to wear, looks as good as anything on the market, and brings superb tracking to the table, making it a great proposition on its own two feet.
What are the Pocket-lint Awards?
The EE Pocket-lint Awards take place annually to celebrate the best of tech from the previous 12 months. Products need to be fully reviewed by the Pocket-lint team to be considered for the Awards, with judging taking place towards the end of the year. Through a process of longlisting and shortlisting, the panel of expert judges scores the devices to result in the overall winner and a Highly Commended runner-up.
The Pocket-lint Awards was run for 19th time in 2022.