I tracked 3,000 steps on my Apple Watch, Google Pixel, and Oura Ring - this one was most accurate

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Close Home Tech Wearables I tracked 3,000 steps on my Apple Watch, Google Pixel, and Oura Ring - this one was most accurate Just how reliable is that smartwatch or smart ring? I tested three of the most popular health trackers to find out. nina-raemont-headshot

Written by Nina Raemont, Editor, Wearables & Health TechEditor, Wearables & Health Tech May 3, 2026 at 5:30 p.m. PT

Smartwatches on hand and smart ring on finger — 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.

More than ten years have passed since the first Fitbit arrived to kickstart the step-counting craze, yet our collective obsession with hitting that daily goal hasn't faded.

Using a wearable is a practical way to keep tabs on your movement and ensure you don't stay sedentary for too long. Whether worn on your wrist or as a ring, these gadgets act as constant nudges to stay active, using haptic alerts to prompt a walk or digital dashboards that track your momentum in real time.

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.

My 3,000-step experiment

I tested the step-tracking functionality of my top three health trackers to see whether they're up to snuff. I used the Oura Ring, the Apple Watch Series 11, and the Google Pixel Watch 4 for the job.

To do this, I went to Brooklyn's Prospect Park and recorded a walking and running workout on each device simultaneously. Then, while exercising, I counted to 1,000. Once I reached 1k, I stopped the trackers. I did this twice while walking and once while running. I wore all the trackers on the same arm

Before we get into the results, I'll caveat all of this by saying that my three exercise trials, while helpful in understanding how these devices compare in a real-world setting, were nowhere near as extensive as the time and endless trials these companies have used in developing these products. This test is not nearly scientific enough to be definitive, but it's fun to compare.

How to find step-tracking on each device

Apple Watch Series 11 on wrist — Nina Raemont/ZDNET

It's easy to see the overall steps taken per day on an 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 workouts on the Apple Watch, specifically. Both Oura and Google readily offer this information after you've finished logging a workout. Simply tap into the details of that logged workout to find your steps.

Also: Are AI health coach subscriptions a scam? My verdict after testing Fitbit's for a month

But Apple... not so much. I had to dig through sub-tabs of Apple's Health app -- not even the exercise app -- to get this information for my three logged exercises. This is one feature I hope Apple pays further attention to in future software updates.

The results

Walk	Apple Watch (steps)	Error	Google Pixel (steps)	Error	Oura (steps)	Error
Walk 1	977	−23	964	−36	909	−91
Walk 2	1091	91	1018	18	949	−51
Walk 3	1092	92	992	−8	1013	13
Mean error		53.3		18		−43.0
Mean abs. error		53.3		18		51.7*

*Chart data calculated with help from Claude.

On the first walking trial, Oura recorded 909 steps, the Apple Watch recorded 977 steps, and the Google Pixel Watch recorded 964 steps. On the second trial (where I ran), Oura recorded 949 steps, Google Pixel recorded 1,018 steps, and Apple Watch recorded 1,091 steps. On the final walking trial, Oura recorded 1,013 steps, Apple Watch recorded 1,092, and Google Pixel recorded 992 steps.

The health tracker with the lowest mean absolute error out of these three trials is the Google Pixel Watch 4, which was on average 18 steps off per walk. Apple Watch came in second, with an average of 53.3 steps off per walk, and Oura came in last, with an average of 56.3 steps off per walk.

As I said earlier, three trials aren't enough to make any deterministic evaluations. But this quick test shows the variation in data aggregation across these three popular health-tracking devices.

Writer's verdict

The Google Pixel recorded the most accurate steps among the three devices during my trials. I have already sung the Pixel Watch 4's praises, and this quick test adds another to the list. The Oura Ring and Apple Watch are still competitive devices, and I'd still easily recommend them to iOS users and anyone uninterested in purchasing a smartwatch.

Also: I found 4 tech gadgets that actually helped me sleep better (and ditch the alarm)

The Oura Ring 4 is more known as a general wellness wearable with extensive sleep-tracking and illness-detection features. It's not the best choice for activity tracking, but recent advancements by Oura have improved its step- and activity-tracking algorithms.

The Apple Watch Series 11 and Google Pixel Watch 4, on the other hand, are geared more toward activity tracking, with less discreet designs for sleep tracking. I much prefer the Oura Ring 4 for sleep and the Apple Watch or Pixel Watch for exercise.