I tracked 3,000 steps on my Apple Watch, Google Pixel, and Oura Ring – this one was very accurate
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Highlights taken by ZDNET
- I tracked my steps with three health trackers.
- These include the Apple Watch, Google Pixel Watch, and Oura Ring.
- In three tests, the Pixel Watch was the most accurate.
It’s been more than a decade since the first Fitbit arrived to start the counting craze, yet our obsession with hitting that daily goal hasn’t ended.
Using a vest is an effective way to keep track of your movements and ensure you don’t sit still for long periods of time. Whether worn on your wrist or as a ring, these gadgets act as constant nudges to stay active, using haptic alerts to inform movement or digital dashboards that track your pulse in real time.
Also: The best smartwatches of 2026: Expert tested and reviewed
The big question, however, is: do these calculations really work? The companies behind your favorite smartwatch have spent millions of dollars in research and development, perfecting their step counters and calorie trackers to monitor every step you take and embed them into their operating systems.
My 3,000 step test
I tested the tracking performance of my top three health tracks to see if they accept snuff. I used the Oura Ring, Apple Watch Series 11, and Google Pixel Watch 4 at work.
To do this, I went to Brooklyn’s Prospect Park and recorded a workout and a run on each machine at the same time. Then, when I was exercising, I counted to 1,000. When I got to 1k, I stopped the trackers. I did this twice while walking and once while running. I had all the trackers on one arm
Before we get into the results, I’ll preface all of this by saying that my three exercise tests, while useful in understanding how these devices compare in a real-world setting, were nowhere near as good as the time and endless tests these companies put into developing these products. This test isn’t scientific enough to be definitive, but it’s fun to compare.
How to get step tracking for each device
It is easy to see all the steps taken per day on the Apple Watch, but after testing these three devices, I was surprised to learn how difficult it is to see how many steps I took during my recorded activity on the Apple Watch, in particular. Both Oura and Google provide this information easily after you finish logging a workout. Just click on the details of that included training to get your steps.
Also: Is the AI health coach subscription a scam? My verdict after testing Fitbit’s for a month
But Apple … not so much. I had to dig through the little tabs of the Apple Health app — and even the Exercise app — to find this information for my three logged exercises. This is one feature that I hope Apple will pay more attention to in future software updates.
Results
| Go away | an apple View (steps) | It’s a mistake | Google Pixel (steps) | It’s a mistake | Oura (steps) | It’s a mistake |
| Go 1 | 977 | -23 | 964 | -36 | 909 | -91 |
| Go 2 | 1091 | 91 | 1018 | 18 | 949 | -51 |
| Go 3 | 1092 | 92 | 992 | -8 | 1013 | 13 |
| A trivial error | 53.3 | 18 | -43.0 | |||
| It means abs. error | 53.3 | 18 | 51.7* |
*Chart data calculated with help from Claude.
In the first walking test, the Oura recorded 909 steps, the Apple Watch recorded 977 steps, and the Google Pixel Watch recorded 964 steps. In the second test (where I ran), the Oura recorded 949 steps, the Google Pixel recorded 1,018 steps, and the Apple Watch recorded 1,091 steps. In the final walking test, the Oura recorded 1,013 steps, the Apple Watch recorded 1,092, and the Google Pixel recorded 992 steps.
The health tracker with the lowest mean error in all three tests is the Google Pixel Watch 4, with an average of 18 steps per movement. Apple Watch came in second, with an average of 53.3 steps per walk, while Oura came in last, with an average of 56.3 steps per walk.
As I said at the beginning, three tests are not enough to make any decisive test. But this quick check shows the differences in data aggregation across these three popular health tracking devices.
Author’s decision
The Google Pixel recorded the most accurate steps among the three devices during my tests. I have sung it Pixel Watch 4‘s praises, and this quick review adds another to the list. I Oura Ring again Apple Watch they’re still competitive devices, and I can still easily recommend them to iOS users and anyone not interested in buying a smartwatch.
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Oura Ring 4 is well known as a general health wearable with many sleep tracking and disease detection features. It’s not the best option for activity tracking, but recent improvements to Oura have improved its tracking and activity algorithms.
The Apple Watch Series 11 and Google Pixel Watch 4, on the other hand, are aimed more at activity tracking, with designs that have less sleep tracking capabilities. I much prefer the Oura Ring 4 for sleep and an Apple Watch or Pixel Watch for exercise.
