I walked 5,000 steps with the Fitbit Edge vs Apple Watch SE 3 — and the winner surprised me

I recently tested the fitness tracking performance of the Fitbit Edge vs. Apple Watch 12, and much to my surprise, the more affordable Fitbit came out on top against one of the best smartwatches in 2026.

But can the Fitbit Edge pull a repeat win against the Apple Watch SE 3? It is, after all, a more direct competitor to the Edge, both in terms of price and features, compared to the Series 12.

To find out, I walked exactly 5,005 steps (manually counted) with the Fitbit Edge logging my efforts from my left wrist and the Apple Watch SE 3 recording the workout from my right wrist. As a control for distance, climb, and pace, I also recorded the walk in the Strava app on my iPhone 16 Plus.

You can find the results of my Fitbit Edge versus Apple Watch SE 3 walk test below, along with the five biggest takeaways from the data, including an overall winner declared at the end.

Fitbit Edge vs. Apple Watch SE 3

But first, here's a quick rundown of the key differences between these two popular wearables. The Apple Watch SE 3 starts at $249, is iOS-only, and balances impressive health and fitness features with smart features galore.

The Fitbit Edge starts at $179, works with Android and iOS devices, and also boasts comprehensive holistic and workout-logging chops, but few smart features. That said, the more petite Fitbit Edge gets roughly a week of battery compared to about a day for the Apple Watch SE 3.

When it comes to logging a basic walking workout, both devices are evenly matched with onboard GPS and barometric altimeters for precise location and elevation tracking, along with continuous heart rate monitoring.

Now, for the results:

I walked 5,000 steps with the Fitbit Edge vs Apple Watch SE 3

1. Fitbit's step count is closer than Apple's

The Fitbit Edge logged 5,016 steps during my roughly 45-minute walk, just eleven steps off from my actual total. The Apple Watch SE 3 didn't do too shabby either, logging 109 step fewer than my manual count.

As always, my rule of thumb for these tests is that any step count within roughly 100 steps of my actual total is considered excellent and well within a reasonable margin for error. While the SE 3 is just a hair outside this threshold, this is still a solid result for the entry-level Apple Watch.

2. Fitbit's climb data is also a near match with the control

One of the biggest differences between the Fitbit Edge and its predecessor, the Fitbit Charge 6, is that the newer model has an altimeter for logging climb data; the older model doesn't. More importantly, the Edge logs uphill efforts with proven accuracy, from my testing, and this demo only adds to that conclusion.

The Apple Watch SE 3, meanwhile, inflated my climb by a similar margin to the Apple Watch 12 in my previous walk test versus the Edge.

3. Fitbit noted more calories burned; Apple record a higher max heart rate

The Apple Watch SE 3 (worn on my right wrist) logged higher heart rate data than the Fitbit Edge; however, the Fitbit Edge calculated more calories burned during the walk.

Could this discrepancy in heart rate be a result of the devices tracking my workout from different wrists? Probably not. After all, the best Apple Watches and best fitness trackers, including the Edge, are designed to be worn on the wrist of your choice.

That said, it's up to you to set your chosen wrist preference in the settings/companion app, as I did for this test, to ensure the best possible data.

4. Both wearables burned through similar amounts of battery

The Fitbit Edge has the Apple Watch SE 3 easily beat when it comes to overall battery performance; the former lasts up to a week per charge compared to 18-24 hours per charge for the latter.

However, when it comes to GPS battery life, the two are apparently quite evenly matched. Both devices burned through 6% battery during my ~45-minute walk, an outcome I wasn't expecting.

5. The Fitbit Edge wins

Ultimately, the Fitbit Edge outperformed the Apple Watch SE 3 in this 5,005-step comparison of fitness tracking performance.

The Edge calculated nearly the same amount of steps taken as the manual tally and nearly identical elevation gain data too. That said, the SE 3 was a tiny bit closer to the control distance-wise.

However, even with the Edge coming out on top, I'd still happily use either of these modern wearables as my go-to health and fitness tracker, which begs the question: which do you prefer, the Apple Watch SE 3 or the Fitbit Edge? Let me know in the poll below.

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