Here are the best smartwatches available for iPhone and Android users
The best smartwatches do more than just notify you when you get a call or receive a text message on your wrist. They’re a fitness tracker that counts your steps, a digital wallet, and, in certain circumstances, a phone that can be used even if your smartphone isn’t nearby.
These days, smartwatches include health features that could save your life. Many of the top smartwatches we’ve tested can detect increased heart rate alerts and connect you to emergency services automatically if you fall. Certain models also include electrocardiogram (ECG) and blood oxygen (SpO2) readings. The former detects atrial fibrillation symptoms, while the latter is a good measure of respiratory health.
The greatest smartwatches, on the other hand, excel at all of these tasks. Some have a large number of apps available for download, and some have batteries that last only a day, while others can last nearly a week. And, of course, there’s fashion: the greatest smartwatches can be customized to match your personality, from the straps to the faces.
See all of the best smartwatches below, as well as our smartwatch buying guide for more information on how to select the perfect wearable for you, and our collection of the best cheap smartwatches if you’re on a budget.
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The Apple Watch 7 is the most advanced Apple Watch model to date. In terms of features, it isn’t a significant advance over the Apple Watch 6, although it does have a larger display in the new Apple Watch 7 sizes. For the first time, the Apple Watch is available in two sizes: 41mm and 45mm, which complement the huge screen. Apple’s seventh-generation iPhone gets various unique watch faces as well as a full QWERTY keyboard.
While we wish the Apple Watch’s 18-hour battery life could be extended, the Series 7 does benefit from speedier charging. It takes around an hour to fully charge, allowing it to spend less time connected to the new USB-C Magnetic cord and more time with you on the go. This is the finest smartwatch for you if you want to use it for working out, answering calls from your wrist, or using the top Apple Watch apps. Of course, as long as you have an iPhone.
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Limited compatibility–
That means you get the best of both worlds, with Wear OS’s functionality and apps combined with Tizen’s look and feel.
With superb performance, a comfortable fit, a lightweight build, and intriguing new body composition assessment tools, this is a top smartwatch, particularly for those interested in tracking their health and fitness.
However, because some of its capabilities require a Samsung phone and there is no compatibility for iPhones, we can’t recommend the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 to everyone. If you already own a recent Galaxy Watch, it’s also debatable whether it’s worth upgrading to.
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Long battery life
Comprehensive fitness/health features
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No Spotify storage
The Fitbit Sense is the company’s top-of-the-line smartwatch, offering more advanced health and wellness capabilities than the Versa series. The Sense can monitor electrodermal activity and skin temperature, in addition to having an FDA-approved ECG sensor and blood oxygen readout.
The Fitbit Sense, which is one of the greatest Fitbits, works with both iOS and Android and includes onboard GPS, a native app store, Alexa, and more. Fitbit is no longer just a company that makes gadgets for tracking our steps: devices like Fitbit Sense demonstrate what it means to adopt a holistic approach to our health. If you’re interested in the Sense, you should also look into the greatest Fitbit discounts to see if you can save money.
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Stunning AMOLED display
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The Garmin Venu 2 was already a fantastic fitness tracker. It’s one of the best Garmin watches since it’s a capable training partner as well as a fashionable lifestyle accessory. The Garmin Venu 2 Plus, which costs $449, features on-wrist calls and voice assistants. The Venu 2 Plus is now a better sell for people who want their smartwatch to work as an extension of their smartphone while maintaining Garmin’s reputation for complete fitness tracking and reliable GPS.
Embracing new communication features is a huge step toward nailing the whole smartwatch experience, even if Garmin still lacks a robust third-party software store and continues to avoid LTE compatibility. The battery life of 10 days is the icing on the cake.
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Slimmer design than the original
The physical rotating bezel is back
FDA-approved ECG readings
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Shorter battery life than original
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 is still available for purchase and remains one of the most stylish smartwatches on the market, despite being replaced by the Galaxy Watch 4. It comes in two sizes and with LTE capabilities. The rotating bezel of the Galaxy Watch 3 makes navigating the watch’s interface simple, and access to thousands of watch faces allows you to personalize the display.
Although the Galaxy Watch 3 has a 2-day battery life, it adds greater music storage, FDA-approved ECG tracking, and trip detection to the original Samsung Galaxy Watch. You’ll get Samsung Pay for contactless purchases, as well as some useful fitness features.
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The Fitbit Versa 3, the next generation of the famous Fitbit Versa 2, is the best wristwatch for advanced sleep tracking. On-board GPS is the Versa 3’s most notable upgrade. Even if you leave your phone at home, the Versa can now (finally) track your location when exercising outside. Also welcome is a curvier, larger display.
In addition, Active Zone Minutes, a wonderful motivational workout tool, has been added to Versa 3. Active Zone Minutes, which debuted with the Fitbit Charge 4 and is now a standard feature on all Fitbit devices, tracks how much time you spend exercising in the fat-burning, cardio, or peak heart-rate zones. Your goal is to complete 150 Active Zone Minutes every week, as suggested by the AHA and WHO.
You may use your Fitbit Versa 3 to make phone calls and ask voice assistants questions once more, but keep in mind that you can only use one voice assistant at a time.
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Feels limited compared to Samsung’s and Apple’s smartwatches
The older Wear OS is simply not developed enough to compete with Apple and Samsung’s top smartwatches. If you must have a Wear OS gadget, Fossil’s Gen 5 smartwatch is the one to choose, thanks to its elegant and sophisticated appearance. Thanks to 1GB of RAM, the Gen 5 eliminates the most noticeable performance slowdown we’ve seen in previous Wear OS devices, and adjustable battery settings make this wristwatch worth a look.
You won’t receive the fitness and heart health capabilities that the Apple Watch and the Galaxy Watch Active have. Furthermore, the Spotify app for Gen 5 does not support offline music storage, which is a drawback. In either case, the Fossil Gen 6 would be a better option, as it is a newer model that will ultimately run the updated Wear OS. However, the new model does not include LTE.