More than a decade after Fitbit kickstarted our collective obsession with hitting an arbitrary daily step goal, the question remains: do these things actually work? ZDNet's intrepid reviewer strapped on an Apple Watch Series 11, a Google Pixel Watch 4, and an Oura Ring 4 and headed to Brooklyn's Prospect Park to find out, because nothing says journalistic rigor like walking in circles while counting to 1,000.
The test involved three trials - two walks and one run - where the reviewer manually counted 1,000 steps and then compared each device's tally. The Google Pixel Watch 4 emerged as the most accurate, averaging just 18 steps off per walk. The Apple Watch Series 11 took second place with an average error of 53.3 steps, while the Oura Ring 4 brought up the rear at 56.3 steps off. The reviewer concedes this is hardly a scientific slam dunk - three trials is a rounding error in the grand scheme of R&D budgets - but it's fun to watch gadgets squirm.
A quirk discovered along the way: Apple buries workout-specific step data deep in the Health app, while Google and Oura surface it with a simple tap. It's a small annoyance, but one that might make you wonder why Apple's $400+ watch can't just tell you how many steps you took during a walk without requiring a treasure hunt. The reviewer ultimately recommends the Pixel Watch 4 for step accuracy, the Oura Ring 4 for sleep tracking, and the Apple Watch for anyone who enjoys a good sub-tab spelunk.