UPDATE: 10/18/2023 11:00 EST BY ROLAND UDVARLAKI
We included some of the best and latest smartwatches from Google, Apple, HUAWEI, and Samsung.
The smartwatch market hasn’t changed much in the past few years, and Apple has dominated the market with its Apple Watch. There hasn’t been a large selection of exciting smartwatches, but a renewed hope from device makers have introduced a few new changes and innovative devices in the past two years. OEMs are now back at the drawing board, developing new smartwatches and ensuring they can meet the new, higher demand with innovative designs, impressive new features, and a deeper focus on health and outdoor activity.
New smartwatches are now arriving every year, and they feature bigger and more updates than before. Garmin has started pushing its devices even harder, and some can now also offer unlimited battery life. Samsung’s devices are better than ever, and we’re even hearing rumors of Google working on a second generation for its Pixel Watch. If you’re in the market for a brand-new smartwatch, you’ve come to the right place.
We have an excellent article showcasing all of the smartwatches that can let you take an ECG, and we also have another guide showing you all the smartwatches that work with both iOS and Android smartphones.
Best Premium Smartwatches
Best Overall from Apple
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is powered by the new Apple S9 chip, and comes with improved tracking. It’s rugged, powerful, and it can last for up to 72 hours in Low Power Mode. It has the brightest display on any smartwatch, and it provides advanced metrics and views for you to track workouts.
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is a slight upgrade over the Apple Watch Ultra (1st Gen). The Ultra 2, similar to the original Ultra, is a durable and rugged smartwatch with a titanium chassis. It’s tested to military-grade MIL-STD 810H, and features IP6X dust resistance and WR100 (100m water resistant) certificate. The watch also carries the EN13319 certification, meaning that it can be used by divers up to 40m, and for swimming.
The Ultra 2 comes in a single 49mm Titanium case with GPS and cellular connectivity by default. The watch is equipped with the latest Apple S9 chip, and the new and more precise UWB chip (Ultrawide Band). The watch has a large 1.92-inch LTPO OLED display with up to 3000 nits of peak brightness.
As you would expect, the Ultra 2 has all of the unique health and fitness features from the original Apple Watch Ultra and has a heart rate sensor, ECG, and more. It’s precise and great for those who want to get in shape, and stay healthy.
The Ultra 2 has a longer battery life yet, and the watch is usually reported to last from anywhere between two to three days on a single charge. Casual users can get more, while power users often achieve two years with heavy workouts.
Best Premium Watch from Apple
Apple Watch Series 9 is the latest smartwatch from the Cupertino giant. It offers a whole day of battery life, a faster processor, and fresh ways to use the smartwatch with gestures.
The Apple Watch Series 9 is a modest upgrade over the Apple Watch Series 8. Similar to its predecessor, it starts at $399, and it’s one of the best premium smartwatches for people who want a stylish, and excellent smartwatch to go with their iPhones. The watch is available in several colors, including Midnight, Starlight, Silver, and (PRODUCT) RED. The watch also comes with Stainless Steel, including Silver, Graphite, and Gold finishes.
The 41mm model sports a 1.69-inch display, while the larger 45mm watch comes with a 1.9-inch LTPO OLED, Crack Resistant screen. Both models feature slim bezels, and have up to 2,000 nits of peak brightness, making them easily visible in direct sunlight.
The watch is powered by the latest Apple S9 chip, and it can track blood pressure, heart rate, sleep, and hundreds of sports activities. It’s also IP6X dust waterproof and WR50 water resistant for up to 50 meters, which means that diving and swimming shouldn’t be an issue. It’s a highly accurate smartwatch, and it can usually last between 12-48 hours on a single charge, depending on how many tracking and GPS services you rely on.
The rotating bezel is back
The Galaxy Watch 6 Classic returns the beloved physical rotating bezel, and is the latest smartwatch from Samsung. It’s available in 43mm and 47mm sizes. Depending on the size, you get a 1.3-inch or a 1.5-inch display, respectively, a new and more powerful Exynos W930 chip, an up to 40-hour battery life, fast wireless charging, and many new features in One UI 5 Watch based on Wear OS 4.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic is available in 43mm and 47mm models, retailing from $400 in the US. The Watch 6 Classic returns the iconic rotating bezel, and while it has a smaller battery than the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, it has nearly all of the same features and quirks.
The Watch 6 Classic comes with a 1.3-inch or 1.5-inch AMOLED display, depending on the model you choose. The watch is equipped with the Exynos W930 chipset, coupled with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. Both smartwatches can comfortably last a full day, and come with all the health features you’d expect, including the Samsung BioActive Sensor, temperature sensor, and heart rate. The watch can automatically recognize sports activities, and can track your sleep.
The Galaxy Watch 6 Classic comes in Stainless Steel, in Black and Silver colors for both models, and it’s available with Bluetooth-only and Cellular connectivity. If you loved the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic and the original smartwatch from Samsung, you’ll feel right at home.
Best Premium Watch from Samsung
The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro comes with a host of new features and a design that’s geared to the rugged lifestyle and is worth considering for your outdoor activities.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro has the largest battery yet, which can be found in a Samsung-made smartwatch. The 45mm Titanium casing feels premium and elegant, and it sports the Exynos W920 chip, and a 590mAh battery. Early reviews indicate that it can last anywhere from one day to three days on a single charge, depending on the activities tracking, and how often the GPS is enabled. That’s very respectably for a Wear OS running smartwatch, and it’s one of the best we’ve seen so far.
Like the Apple Watch, the Watch 5 Pro can track all heart-elated activities. There’s a blood pressure sensor, temperature sensor, and more. It lets you track your sleep, fitness, and other essential activities to keep you in shape. It’s highly accurate, and while the watch works best with Samsung devices, it works great with most Android smartphones.
The watch sports 16GB of storage, enabling users to store music and applications, and it also has NFC with support for Samsung Pay and Google Pay. The watch is running One UI Watch 4.5, based on Wear OS 3.5. The watch is also 5ATM, IP68, and MIL-STD-810H certified, meaning that it can withstand swimming, rain, sweat, and dust.
The Best from Google
The new Google Pixel Watch 2 features a 1.2-inch AMOLED display, the more powerful Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 chipset, and new sensors. The wearable comes with more advanced tracking, enabling users to accurately measure their heart rate, ECG, blood pressure, sleep, and various sports activities.
The Google Pixel Watch 2 is an excellent smartwatch, and i brings major upgrades over the original Pixel Watch, announced in 2022. The watch runs the latest Wear OS 4 operating system, and it features all of the features from its predecessor, including ECG, accurate sports activity tracking, seamless Fitbit integration, and more.
The Pixel Watch 2 comes with a 1.2-inch AMOLED display with AoD (Always-on Display). The screen has a peak brightness of 1000 nits, and while it’s not as bright as other competing devices, it’s enough in most use cases in direct sunlight. The watch is also 5 ATM and IP68 rated, meaning that dust and up to 50m water shouldn’t cause any issues.
Unlike the original Pixel Watch, the Watch 2 is powered by the slightly old Snapdragon W5100 chipset thats more efficient than last year’s Exynos 9110 SoC. The watch still comes with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, making it ideal to offload songs and download plenty of third-party apps and watch faces.
The battery has also improved, going from 294 mAh to 306 mAh, but the watch can perform much better mainly thanks to the newer chipset. Google says the Pixel Watch 2 can last for up to a day with AoD enabled, or more than a day with it disabled. The watch can go from 0% to 80% in 45 minutes, and it’s available in three colors, Polished Silver, Champagne Gold, and Matte Black and it starts at $399.
Best for Outdoor users and fitness tracking
$420 $470 Save $50
The Garmin Instinct 2 Solar is one of the best smartwatches for those who live a healthy and very active lifestyle and often wander outdoors, in bright, sunny environments. The more sunlight the watch receives, the longer it will stay topped up, essentially providing unlimited battery life.
Unlimited Battery Life
The Garmin Instinct 2X Solar smartwatch provides a rugged feel and design with all the fitness features you need. It has unlimited battery life with solar charging, and it can seamlessly connect with any smartphone using the Connect IQ app.
The Garmin Instinct 2 Solar and the Instinct 2X Solar are unique smartwatches, and they offer an unlimited battery life – assuming you always have plenty of sunlight around you. Both smartwatches feature a rugged design and can be submerged for up to 100 meters. They’re shock and thermal-resistant and reinforced with a polymer case. There’s also a Gorilla Glass screen protector to protect the screen from scratches.
The watches feature plenty of smart features, allowing you to sync and display notifications, calendar information, track activities, and measure various sports and other actions. There’s also Garmin Pay, which lets users make contactless payments, and it can also seamlessly sync with the Garmin Connect app to save all progress across all mobile operating systems. The watch also has GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo satellites built-in for more precise tracking.
The solar technology allows the watch to have an unlimited battery life, assuming the person spends at least 3 hours outside in 50,000 lux condition (for reference, it can go over 100,000 lux over summer at noon), which is very impressive. If you’re someone who spends a lot of time outside, it’s a great smartwatch that lets you forget that charging exists. The Instinct 2 was succeeded by the Instinct 2X, but if you have a lower budget, the previous generation will offer most of the same functionality for less.
Best for most people
The Best from Samsung
$261 $300 Save $39
The Galaxy Watch 6 is the latest smartwatch from Samsung, and it’s available in 40mm and 44mm sizes. Depending on the size, you get a 1.3-inch or a 1.5-inch display, respectively, a new and more powerful Exynos W930 chip, an up to 40-hour battery life, fast wireless charging, and many new features in One UI 5 Watch based on Wear OS 4.
The Galaxy Watch 6 is similar to the Galaxy Watch 5 and the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic when it comes to features. It mostly borrows the looks from the Watch 5, which is still an excellent smartwatch. Despite the Watch 6 bringing minor improvements over the previous generation, it’s still an excellent smartwatch.
It’s available in 40mm and 44mm sizes, and the screen features a 1.3-inch and 1.5-inch Super AMOLED displays, depending on the size you pick. It’s powered by the Exynos W930 chip, coupled with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage, making it excellent for storing songs locally on the watch itself.
The watch comes with all the usual heart rate and tracking features that you’d expect, and the 40mm has a 300 mAh, while the 44mm has a 425 mAh battery, providing a comfortable one to two days worth of power on a single charge. The Watch 6 uses Armor Aluminium, and the smaller model comes in Graphite and Gold colors, while the larger 44mm model is available in Graphite and Silver colors.
The Best Galaxy Watch from 2022
$220 $280 Save $60
Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 features iterative changes that improve the package sold previously. If you’re looking for an affordable WearOS-based smartwatch, this is the best option to consider. It comes with improved battery life and faster-charging capabilities.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 is one of the best smartwatches for Android, especially for Samsung users. The Watch 5 runs Wear OS 3 by default, and it can be customized to your liking and sync up with your Samsung smartphone seamlessly. If you’re feeling fancy, you can also customize your own watch faces using the desktop application.
The 40mm version comes with a 1.2-inch, while the 44mm sports a 1.4-inch Super AMOLED display with Always-on functionality. It’s powered by the Samsung Exynos W920 chipset, and it has 1.5GB of memory, and 16GB of storage to store your favorite songs, applications and system files. It’s 5ATM, IP68, and MIL-STD-810H rated, so swimming, dust, and sweat will be the last of your worries.
The Galaxy Watch 5 features all the health measurement features you expect, including blood oxygen levels, sleep tracking, steps, heart rate, and more. ECG is also possible; however, you’ll be required to have a Samsung-branded device for that to work. The battery is also larger than last year’s Galaxy Watch 4 and supports faster charging speeds.
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Affordable Smartwatch from Apple
$219 $249 Save $30
The affordable Apple Watch SE (2nd Generation) looks the same as its predecessor; it features improved fitness tracking and is powered by the latest and most powerful Apple S8 chip. It’s available in three colors and supports the same bands as the last generation.
The Apple Watch SE 2nd Generation was unveiled in September, alongside the new iPhone 14 series of flagships, the Apple Watch Series 8, and the Apple Watch Ultra. It’s a more affordable option when compared directly to the Apple Watch S8. While it sports most of the same functionalities and a similar design, there are a few rather apparent ways Apple made it look more budget-friendly.
For starters, the smartwatch starts at just $249 for the 40mm GPS variant, while the 44mm GPS model will only set you back $279. It’s available in three colors, Starlight, Midnight, and Silver, and it supports most of the same bands as the standard Apple Watch S8.
The 40mm watch a 1.57-inch OLED display, while the 44mm variant sports a 1.78-inch panel. There are some noticeable bezels on all sides, and the battery can only last for about a day before it has to be recharged. There’s no fast charging, and using the GPS for longer workout sessions could kill the watch even faster. That being said, if you don’t want the Always-on Display feature, and more advanced sensors, then the Apple Watch SE 2 is an excellent option on the budget. We recommend it for those who want to get in shape or live healthier lives.
Stylish Design
The Fossil Gen 6 smartwatch comes with Wear OS and a Qualcomm 4100+ chipset. The watch can track activity goals, SPO2, sleep, and many more. It has a 3ATM waterproof design, and it has a fast charge feature to keep you on the go.
The Fossil Gen. 6 smartwatch is one of the best-looking devices on the market. It will also be one of the first smartwatches to receive the new Wear OS 3 update, which should significantly improve the smartwatch’s performance and usability. The device is powered by the Snapdragon Wear 4100+ chipset, and it’s capable of tracking most of the important fitness activities you would need.
The watch also sports a continuous heart rate monitoring sensor, which can track your sleeping activities, and workouts. It has a large 1.28-inch display with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage, and it even has a microphone to help you take calls on-the-go. It has GPS, NFC, and just about all the features you need, including a 3ATM water resistance level.
The Fossil Gen 6 is available in 42mm and 44mm stainless steel cases and sizes. It will start at $299 and $319, depending on your chosen model.
Stylish & Comes with ECG
The HUAWEI Watch 4 Pro is the latest smartwatch from the company, featuring a beautiful 1.5-inch LTPO AMOLED display, ECG and temperature tracking, and many other sports features to help you stay healthy and fit. It’s customizable and looks stylish.
The HUAWEI Watch 4 Pro has a beautiful, stylish design made of premium materials. It comes with a 1.5-inch LTPO AMOLED display with crisp and accurate colors. The Watch 4 Pro also features an ECG sensor, and it’s an excellent alternative for Europeans who might be able to get their hands on it the watch, although it does come at a fairly steep price tag.
The HUAWEI Watch 4 Pro features improved sensors that let users track heart rate, body temperature, and many other readings with ease. It has an ECG sensor, and many sports modes built-in to help users track their activity and workouts. It’s accurate, and it’s 5 ATM rated, meaning that even divers can use it for up to 30 meters deep. The watch can be used to sync notifications, use supported third-party apps, and more. It has GPS, NFC, and this particular model even comes with LTE, so you’re always connected.
Most Stylish HUAWEI Watch
The new HUAWEI WATCH GT 4 series comes in two sizes, 41mm and 46mm. It’s available in eight different colors with various stylish straps. The watches feature improved fitness and location tracking and can last for up to two weeks on a single charge.
The HUAWEI Watch GT 4 is a stylish smartwatch in two unique styles and sizes, 41mm and 46mm. The image above shows the 46mm smartwatch. The 46mm comes with a Stainless Steel design, supporting 22mm straps. It has a 1.43-inch AMOLED display, and a 50m water resistance certificate.
It’s fast, smooth, and elegant. It also has plenty of health-tracking features, including sleep tracking, heart rate, SpO2, and more. However, it’s worth noting that it misses out of the ECG feature, which remains exclusive to higher-end HUAWEI smartwatches.
The HUAWEI Watch GT 4 can last for up to two weeks on a single charge, and we recommend it to everyone looking for a stylish and unique smartwatch with all the essentials built in at an affordable price tag.
A small but mighty refresh
$280 $350 Save $70
The Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 5 smartwatch is powered by the Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 chipset and Wear OS 3. It can last for up to 80 hours on a single charge, and it has 5ATM water protection, many built-in sports tracking features, NFC for contactless payments, and the same dual-screen technology that extends the battery life further.
The Movboi TicWatch Pro 5 is the latest smartwatch from the company, and it comes with the new Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 wearable platform. It’s powerful, and it still comes with the proprietary dual display technology that conserves battery, providing users with up to an 80-hour battery life. It’s stylish, elegant, and includes fast charging that lets users go from 0-65% in just 30 minutes.
The TicWatch Pro 5 features several new features, and many classic ones with improved capabilities. The watch can track your heart rate, a wide variety of sports activities, sleep, and many more. It can sync up with your smartphone, enable you to control music, see the weather and calendar, and so much more.
If you’re after a rugged smartwatch that runs Wear OS, the TicWatch Pro 5 might be worth considering, especially if you want something unique that stands out and has a long battery life.
Best for fitness and casual users
Stylish
The Garmin Venu 2S is a smaller alternative to the Venu 2 Plus and Venu 2, featuring a 40mm watch face. It maintains the extensive Garmin health monitoring feature-set plus has preloaded workouts for yoga, HIIT, golf, and more.
The Garmin Venu 2 Plus and Venu 2S are made of stainless steel casing, and feature an industry standard 20mm, quick-release bands. It sports a 1.3-inch AMOLED display with an optional always-on mode, weighing just 51 grams. The watch has a built-in GPS, and it’s also 5 ATM water certified.
The Venu 2 Plus provides 24/7 health monitoring features, including heart rate, advanced sleep-tracking, breathwork activities, fitness age, respiration, Pulse OX, stress monitoring, women’s health, and many more. It supports more than 1,400 exercises, and the Garmin Coach planner can help you improve your health.
The Garmin Venu 2 Plus supports Siri, Google, and Bixby voice assistants and lets users use Garmin Pay for contactless payments. Those looking for an all-around excellent fitness tracker can find the Venu 2 Plus for about $450 in the US, and £400 in the UK.
11-day battery life
The Fenix 7S is the wearable to get from Garmin if you’re someone with a smaller wrist and want a watch that doesn’t look out of place. It offers the exact feature set found on the standard Fenix 7 and only has lesser battery life.
The new Garmin Fenix 7 series comes in three sizes and variants: 42mm Fenix 7S, 47mm the standard Fenix 7, and 51mm Fenix 7X. The larger 7X sports an LED flashlight with adjustable red or white lights while doing activities at night. All three models have improved solar charging, and Garmin claims they can last for up to 578 hours with GPS, using the 7X model. The Fenix 7S and 7 get up to 162 and 289 hours, respectively, which is still a lot, and great to see.
The Fenix 7 comes with a 1.3-inch display, and it also has a 10ATM water rating certificate, and 32GB of built-in storage. The watch can track all sports activities and 24/7 respiratory rate, alongside other more advanced features.
The Garmin Fenix 7 series aren’t cheap. We have included it in the “Best for fitness and casual users” because it’s an excellent fitness tracker with all the essentials built in, and even more, albeit, at a premium price tag. If you’re looking to step up your game and live a very active health style, this is one of the best smartwatches on this list.
Fitness Tracker & Smartwatch
$279 $299.95 Save $20.95
The Fitbit Sense 2 fitness tracker acts as a smartwatch, allowing you to sync notifications and monitor your health measurements. It lets you track sports activities inside and outside, sleep, and heart rate. The watch also lets you take an ECG.
The Fitbit Sense 2 is an excellent wearable and fitness tracker. The watch supports electrocardiogram (ECG) functionality and it’s approved by the FDA. It can track your fitness activities on your wrist, and a wide variety of sports modes. The watch is also compatible with both Android and iOS smartphones, and it’s available in three color options.
The Sense 2 has a 1.58-inch display. It’s sharp, colorful, and it’s bright enough to be used outside, even in direct sunlight. It’s water-resistant for up to 50 meters, meaning it’s safe to swim with it in a pool or at the beach. It supports fast charging and can provide a full day’s worth of charge in just 12 minutes, while a 10-80% charge will only require about 40 minutes. The watch can track your oxygen saturation levels (SpO2), heart rate, ECG, skin temperature, GPS, sleep, and many more. It’s one of the best smartwatches on the market, it can last for up to six days on a single charge.
A Budget-Friendly Fitbit
Fitbit Versa 4 comes with features such as Daily Readiness, GPS, 24/7 Heart Rate tracking, 40+ Exercise Modes, Sleep Tracking and much more.
The Fitbit Versa 4 is great for fitness enthusiasts who are looking for a Fitbit on a budget. The Versa 4 has built-in GPS, a 1.58-inch bright display, and an Always-on display feature. It’s available in four different colors and straps, and it’s water-resistant for up to 50 meters, making it excellent for swimmers. It’s also worth mentioning that even though the Fitbit brand is now owned by Google, the watch still works the same way on Android and iOS, and you can even use Google Assistant as your voice assistant for reminders.
The Versa 4 can last for about five to seven days on a single charge, and Fitbit claims it can give you a day’s worth of power relatively quickly. The watch can track all the sports activities you need, and it’s one of the most accurate trackers on the market at this price tag. If you’re looking for a budget-friendly option, then the Fitbit Versa 4 is right up there among one of the best wearables don’t the market.
The latest from Amazfit
The Amazfit GTR 4 smartwatch is an excellent deal for $199, and it comes with excellent health and activity tracking features, a long battery life, Amazon Alexa, and other common smartwatch features in an elegant package.
The new Amazfit GTR 4 and GTS 4 are the latest smartwatches from Amazfit. They’re already available in the United States and will soon be available in Europe and other parts of the world at affordable prices. The main difference between the two devices is the battery life and the display. The GTR 4 features a 1.43-inch rounded HD AMOLED display, while the GTS 4 sports a 1.75-inch square HD AMOLED display. Both devices have Always-on Display features, and can track more than 150+ sports activities.
The Amazfit smartwatches work with both iOS and Android smartphones, and it can seamlessly track all of your activities using the Zepp applications, and other third-party apps. It has Amazon Alexa built-in, and the GTR 4 can last for up to two weeks on a single charge, while the GTS 4 will give you more than a week’s worth of battery in just a single charge.
If you’re looking for an all-around beautiful and simple smartwatch that can do it all, then the Amazfit GTR 4 and GTS 4 smartwatches are some of the best on the market at this price tag. We also have an excellent article comparing the Galaxy Watch 5 vs the Amazfit GTR 4.
