I walked 3,000 steps with my Apple Watch, Google Pixel, and Oura Ring - this tracker was most accurate

Nina Raemont/ZDNET

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ZDNET's key takeaways

I tracked my steps with three health trackers.

This included the Apple Watch, Google Pixel Watch, and Oura Ring.

Of the three trials, the Pixel Watch was the most accurate.

It's been over a decade since the original Fitbit, with its step-tracking functionality, stepped onto the scene. Still, people are as obsessed with getting their steps in as ever.

Tracking your steps with a health tracker is one way to monitor your activity levels and make sure you're moving enough throughout the day. By wrapping around the wrist or finger, these devices can also serve as helpful reminders to keep activity up, thanks to pings that encourage movement or screens that display daily activity progress.

Also: The best smartwatches of 2026: Expert tested and reviewed

The greater question, though, is: do these step counters actually work? The companies behind your favorite smartwatch have spent millions of dollars on research and development, honing their step counters and calorie trackers to monitor every footstep you take and log it in their operating system.

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