The Amazfit Bip 5 has a bright, beautiful screen, tons of features and impressive battery life, all for as low as $60 (when it's on sale). (Rick Broida/Yahoo)
What has your wrist done for you lately? If you said, "Tell time," I'll tell you what time it is: upgrade time. The best smartwatches do a lot more than report the hour; they can display incoming text messages, unlock your front door, monitor your heart rate, track steps and exercise, control music and on and on. Some double as miniature smartphones, able to make and take calls (paging Dick Tracy — if you're old enough). And while prices range from below $100 up to $800 or more, you can get a pretty great wrist-smartener without spending a fortune.
Now, I'll be the first to admit that replacing your "dumb" watch does mean dealing with a few new hassles. For example, many smartwatches need to be charged every day or two. Some can last longer — five days, 10 days or even a couple weeks — but it's something to keep in mind.
There's also the learning curve. Smartwatches have small screens that require a lot of swiping to find what you're looking for, whether it's apps, information or settings. I'm not saying you can't learn your way around, simply that it can get confusing: when to tap, when to swipe (and which direction), when to press a button (and which one), etc.
But I think the benefits definitely outweigh the challenges. User-interface gripes aside, I find my watch incredibly useful. Let me note, however, that I'm primarily an iPhone guy, so for the more Android-centric products I'm leaning on the expertise of my colleagues, including Cherlynn Low at Engadget. They've helped widen the scope of the buying advice here, having tested more of the Android-friendly products than I have. Their recommendations are marked accordingly.
Read on for our top smartwatch picks, then keep reading for answers to frequently asked questions and the models that didn't quite make the cut.
Update, July 14, 2025: We checked all product prices and availability. Our top picks for the best smartwatches remain unchanged, save for the addition of the Amazfit Bip 6.
Available sizes: 40mm, 44mm | Connectivity: Bluetooth, GPS, Wi-Fi, cellular (optional) | Health monitors: Exercise detection, heart rate (including Afib), sleep, steps | Rated battery life: 18 hours | Water resistance: 50 meters
You don't often hear "bargain" and "Apple" in the same sentence, but the Apple Watch SE is an undeniable bargain for iPhone users. Priced at $249 but routinely discounted (sometimes as low as $149), the 2nd-generation SE straps an abundance of features to your wrist — and outperforms all third-party watches when it comes to iPhone integration.
That means, for example, you can not only read incoming text messages, emails and the like, but respond to them as well. You can invoke Siri just by raising your wrist; use Apple Wallet to pay for things or show a boarding pass; and access a wealth of native and third-party iPhone apps. It really is a wearable extension of your phone.
There's a learning curve, though, and certain aspects of the interface can be overwhelming. The Watch app does include several helpful tutorials, but take note you need Apple's Tips app in order to access most of them.
Space doesn't permit me to list all the Apple Watch SE's features, so I'll spotlight a few favorites. I love it for reading and responding to text messages. I love that I can make my misplaced phone beep (provided it's within Bluetooth and/or Wi-Fi range) with just one tap.
I like that it automatically detects and logs things like walks, runs and bike rides (and can manually log most other exercises); monitors my heart rate (and would alert me of an irregular heartbeat); and can detect falls and car accidents, optionally notifying family and/or emergency responders. Those are some pretty impressive capabilities for a $250 watch.
I do have some nitpicks, though, including battery life and curiously slow walk-detection. But nothing major enough to change my overall opinion: The Apple Watch SE is the best option for most iPhone users. You can even get it with optional cellular capabilities for $50 extra.
Read my complete Apple Watch SE (2nd-generation) review to learn more.
Available sizes: 41mm, 45mm | Connectivity: Bluetooth, GPS, Wi-Fi, cellular (optional) | Health monitors: Exercise detection, heart rate, sleep, steps | Rated battery life: 24 hours | Water resistance: 50 meters
The third time's the charm for Google. In addition to sizing up to offer a more spacious 45mm face, the latest incarnation of the company's Pixel Watch incorporates a fair amount of Fitbit tracker DNA (now that Google has long since absorbed that brand).
Thankfully, all of Fitbit's sophisticated heart-rate and workout-tracking features are not just present, but well-executed. In our testing, the Pixel Watch 3 consistently beat the Apple Watch at automatically detecting workouts, while delivering more detail about your sleep stages and cardio performance. It's one of the prettiest smartwatches around, has a bright, smooth screen and respectable battery life that can take you from morning to the next morning after tracking a night of sleep. Those who also use Google phones and smart home products will appreciate the watch's easy integration with them.
Of course, the Pixel Watch isn't the only game in town when it comes to Android-friendly watches. While the Pixel Watch 3 and Samsung's latest Galaxy smartwatches offer similar software and activity-tracking, in general, you'll get better battery life from the Galaxy watches. Google, meanwhile, offers interesting differentiations like stress-tracking, but there's not enough data yet to determine how effective or accurate that is.
If you aren't committed to the Samsung family and want a good health and fitness tracker that also lets you access the Google Assistant and your texts and apps from your wrist, the Pixel Watch 3 is a well-rounded option.
Read Engadget's complete Google Pixel Watch 3 review to learn more. — Cherlynn Low, Engadget
Available sizes: 44mm | Connectivity: Bluetooth, GPS | Health monitors: Exercise detection, blood oxygen, heart rate, sleep, steps | Rated battery life: 10 days | Water resistance: 50 meters
You don't have to spend a lot to strap a really good smartwatch to your wrist. The Amazfit Active 2 is an amazing value — and a beauty to boot — with tons of features, and it works equally well with Android phones and iPhones. (Well, almost; iPhone users can read text messages but not respond to them.)
This is a watch designed with activity in mind. It can track over 160 exercises and automatically detect 25 of them. Along the way, it'll keep tabs on your heart rate and blood-oxygen levels, with GPS running in the background for distance monitoring and even positioning on downloaded maps.
There's also onboard AI, which no one will mistake for ChatGPT but is useful for controlling various watch functions and settings via voice commands. I especially love the huge library of available watch faces, which run the gamut from formal to fun.
Of course, you'd expect a few quirks from a $100 smartwatch, and the Active 2 definitely has some. Certain aspects of the interface can be confusing, and the only instruction available is a text-heavy online manual. Meanwhile, the aforementioned exercise-detection features are hard on battery life and not always accurate.
Annoyances aside, I can't help being impressed by this watch. Its battery should last you 5-10 days depending on usage, meaning you can use it as a sleep tracker without it dying in the middle of the night. And I think it's way prettier than the plasticky Pixel Watch 3.
Read my complete Amazfit Active 2 review to learn more.
Available sizes: 46mm | Connectivity: Bluetooth, GPS | Health monitors: Exercise detection, blood oxygen, heart rate, sleep, steps | Rated battery life: 14 days | Water resistance: 50 meters
With a feature set that closely rivals the Amazfit Active 2's but a price tag that's $20 lower, the Bip 6 is an undeniably compelling choice — especially if you prefer a square watchface to a round one.
Either way, you get a big, bright, colorful AMOLED screen, a beautiful aluminum casing, oodles of health- and workout-tracking features and a surprisingly robust battery. In fact, Amazfit promises up to 14 days of operation with "normal" use (which can be hard to quantify), whereas the Active 2 is good for just 10 days.
Alas, both models share the same usability flaws, most of which are attributable to the user interface and companion app. But you can learn to live with them; they're certainly not dealbreakers.
In fact, I consider the Bip 6 one of the most attractive and capable alternatives to pricier Apple and Samsung watches. At the ridiculously low price of $80, this watch is suitable for anyone who has a wrist.
Read my complete Amazfit Bip 6 review to learn more.
There are plenty of other options out there, many of them very good. Here are the ones that, for one reason or another, didn't earn a spot on our best list.
Amazfit Bip 5: Should you bother with the Bip 5 when the newer Bip 6 (see above) offers numerous improvements for not a lot more money? Probably not, though it's worth checking to see if Amazfit starts unloading inventory at an even lower price. (It was often on sale for $60; I'd consider snapping one up at $50 or less.) Indeed, as budget smartwatches go, this is tough to beat: big screen, tons of health and fitness features, a battery that's good for 5-10 days (depending on usage). If you're on the fence, read my complete Amazfit Bip 5 review to learn more.
Apple Watch Series 10: It's ironic, but the Apple Watch SE (2nd gen) is so good, it left barely any room for improvement. The Series 10 has slightly larger screens (42mm and 46mm), a slightly thinner design and a few extra features like ECG, an always-on display and faster charging. These are nice to have, no question, and if your budget can stretch to $399, the Series 10 is a superb smartwatch. And it, too, gets discounted fairly regularly, so you should be able to score a better deal.
Apple Watch Ultra 2: Starting at $799 (cellular capabilities included; there's no GPS-only option), Apple's splurge-watch has the largest screen to date (49mm) and the best battery life: up to 36 hours of regular use. It's also a decidedly chonky addition to your wrist, all ruggedized to better withstand the rigors of outdoor activities. (Scuba divers, for example, can use it in depths up to 40 meters.) My big design complaint: Its Action button — similar to the one found on current iPhones — is far too easy to press by accident when you press one of the opposite buttons. Mostly, though, it's the price: This is for only the most well-heeled (well-cuffed?) buyers. I'll stick with the Apple Watch SE, thank you.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 7: As noted above, the current Pixel Watch is our go-to choice for Android phone owners. But if you own a Samsung Galaxy phone — or have other Samsung devices in your home — the current Galaxy Watch series is worth a look. In addition to offering more seamless compatibility with, say, your Samsung smart TV, the Galaxy Watch offers a physical rotating bezel that’s a bit like a fidget spinner that allows you to scroll through apps and pages. — Cherlynn Low, Engadget
Garmin Forerunner 165: Garmin watches have a well-deserved reputation among runners. The Forerunner 165 delivers solid GPS route tracking, workout functionality and health tracking on both iPhones and Android phones for about the same price as an Apple Watch SE, or you can step up to more than a dozen other Garmin models with even more elaborate running-centric features. But — on the iPhone, at least — you'll lose that tight integration with Apple text messaging and apps, if that's important to you. On the other hand, the Forerunner can go more than 10 days without needing a recharge, which is an eternity compared to Apple's one-day power cycles. — John P. Falcone, Engadget
At the risk of stating the obvious, we tested these watches by wearing them. We walked, worked out and slept with them. We checked their brightness under direct sun and their ability to hold a charge for at least as long as advertised.
On that battery front, however, we didn't conduct any lab-style rundown tests. Here's why: Total runtime can vary dramatically depending on how you use the watch. Something as basic as how many notifications you get in a day can impact battery life. It would be impossible to produce meaningful numbers that factor in all the variables.
What's more, as a longtime Apple Watch user, I'm fully accustomed to dropping it on the charging dock every night, same as I do with my phone. As long as the battery can get me through the day, I'm fine. Of course, I don't use the watch for sleep-tracking, as I don't find that data particularly useful and don't like the feel of something strapped to my wrist all night. That kind of battery consideration is what we noted (where applicable) in the above reviews.
We also paid close attention to usability, and the results weren't always great: As mentioned earlier, a smartwatch can be surprisingly complex — at least until you learn your way around. And if you need help figuring things out, you're almost always consigned to an electronic instruction guide. (Bonus points to those watches that made it readily available within their companion apps.)
Yes, but where and how depend on a few things. Smartwatches that have speakers and microphones built in (which is most of them these days) let you make and take calls via the Bluetooth connection to your phone; as long as you have the latter close by and it has a signal, you can talk into your wrist. (Honestly this is less glamorous than it seems; it's not fun holding your arm in that position for long.)
But what if you've left your phone behind, like when you're out for a run? Some smartwatches — including select models from Apple, Garmin, Google and Samsung — have cellular capabilities, meaning they're phones in their own right. You'll need a separate service plan for the watch, but usually these are inexpensive — maybe $10-$15 a month on top of your existing plan. Just make sure your current phone carrier also supports watches; many smaller carriers do not.
Well, they're both worn on your wrist! Other than that, it really comes down to a difference in features. When I think of a smartwatch, I think of traditional-looking watch that's also an extension of your phone, something that relays notifications, runs apps and so on. A fitness tracker more often has a small, slim screen and is used primarily for, well, fitness tracking. It may have some basic smartwatch features (clock, notifications, etc.), but won't try to do too much.
Really, though, the lines have gotten pretty blurry. Fitbit, the big name in fitness trackers, was acquired by Google in 2021; there are now only two products remaining in the lineup, the Fitbit Inspire 3 and Charge 6.
Whereas traditional mechanical watches can run for decades, a smartwatch isn't likely to last you more than three to four years. That's primarily because their batteries (which aren't replaceable) will lose capacity, as all rechargeable batteries do over time. When it can no longer last a single day on a charge, that's when you should start shopping for a replacement. There's also the matter of software support and updates; the older a smartwatch gets, the less likely it is to be able to run the latest operating system.
The vast majority do, yes. That means, at a minimum, the watch can keep tabs on things like speed and distance if you're out running or biking. Some watches also let you download maps for offline viewing; the GPS can show your live position on the map, which is helpful for navigation.
As with anything else, it depends primarily on your needs and budget. Models like the Amazfit Active 2 prove that for as little was $100, you can get something very versatile (and attractive). I'm also very partial to the $250 Apple Watch SE, especially when it's discounted to $200 or less.
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