Best Smart Watches 2022

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Smart watches have really come into their own in last few years. The best smart watches today offer full functionality of a smartphone and much more in a very compact package that you can carry with you always – even during swim or while running. A huge range of smart watches are now available for both Apple iPhones and Android phones that offer cutting edge features such as EKG monitoring and alerts, fall detection and alerts, full call function with in-built 4G cell connectivity, besides the functions such as GPS tracking, music player, and fitness tracking etc.

We have picked the best smart watches across multiple categories to help you select the most suitable smart watch for your smartphone, use pattern as well as price range.

Best Smart Watch Overall and Best Smart Watch for iPhones

Apple Watch Series 6

Apple Watch 6 is the latest smart watch launched by Apple with many updated and new remarkable features. It comes in two variants (in terms of material) which are slightly different from each other.

iPhone watch
Apple Watch 6 is available in cellular and non-cellular variants

Apple has launched its Watch 4 in two different shell materials. One features an aluminium shell and the other one has a stainless steel shell. On comparison, we recommend the Watch 4 with aluminium shell, because it has an upper hand over the stainless steel version. The aluminium smart watch allows you to choose between a cellular or non-cellular variant of the watch, whereas, all the watches in the stainless steel variant are cellular. The aluminium shell watch has almost the same features and is much more lighter than the stainless steel watch. The stainless steel watch is more durable than the aluminium watch and features a sapphire crystal display which is more premium than the ion-x strengthened glass in case of the aluminium variant. The aluminium shell Watch 4 is much cheaper than the stainless steel variant.

Apple Watch 6 has ceramic and sapphire crystal back which allows the radio waves to pass through it.

In terms of dimensions, Apple has two models of the Watch 4, one has a height of 40 mm and a width of 34 mm with a display area of 759 sq mm, other one has a height of 44 mm and a width of 38 mm with a display area of 977 sq mm. Both of the variants have the same thickness of 10.7 mm. The 44 mm aluminium shell watch weighs 1.29 oz (36.7gm), and the stainless steel shell watch weighs 1.68 oz (47.9 gm). The 40 mm aluminium watch weighs 1.06 oz (30.1 gm), and the stainless steel watch weighs 1.4 oz (39.8 gm). The Watch 4 is waterproof and can be submerged in water up to 50 metres, making it swim proof.

The Apple Watch 6 is not much changed in terms of appearance, compared to Watch 3. Watch 4 has a larger display and multiple shell options available. In Watch 4, the speaker have been upgraded and is now around 50% louder than the one in Watch 3. The placement of the speaker has also been changed, it is now placed on the opposite side of the microphone. This helps in increasing the call clarity and makes it echo-free.

The Apple Watch 6 features the next gen S4 chip with a 64-bit dual-core processor, which is up to twice as fast as the previous one. Watch 4 was launched with WatchOS 5, and is upgradable to the latest WatchOS launched by Apple. It is Wifi enabled and features Bluetooth 5.0 for wireless connectivity.

Apple Watch 6 is available in two options – cellular and non-cellular. It provides LTE and UMTS cellular connectivity. Both the variants are GPS enabled. It enables you to make calls, read or send messages even when your iPhone is not close to you. Watch 4 also has the Walkie-Talkie feature. It features an improved accelerometer up to 32 g-forces and gyroscope which have increased efficiency and is much faster than the previous version.

iPhone smart watch
Apple Watch 6 has a built-in ECG and heart-rate monitoring feature

The battery life of Apple Watch 6 is about 18 hours and has an internal storage of 16 GB with 512 MB of RAM, which is unchanged from Watch 3. The smart watch also features Apple pay for digital payment and the watch can be used to access detailed and graphical information such as scores, stocks, heart rate, etc.

A new feature in this watch is that, Siri can be activated just by lifting your wrist. It is more convenient than the previous methods of activating Siri. The smart watch also supports Apple Music and Apple Podcast.

The Apple Watch 6 has numerous features related to health. Apple Watch 6 has an ECG feature which is FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approved, the users can take an electrocardiogram (ECG) from the watch itself. However, this ECG was found inaccurate in young people but was quite accurate to the 12 leads ECG machine in older people. This smart watch can also sense if the user falls by inspecting the wrist trajectory and bump acceleration. If you are stationery for one minute then it will automatically send messages and initiate calls to your emergency contacts employing the SOS feature.

Like its predecessors, Apple Watch 6 will monitor and show the heart rate, calories burnt, etc. It will also show notification, in case your heart rate seems to be on the lower side. It will monitor your heart rate all day and will alert you if there is any irregularity observed. It is claimed that it can also detect previously undiagnosed health conditions.

The Breathe app will be available in Apple Watch 6 . It is used to meditation and to lower heart rate of the user. The app will guide you through the deep breaths all by the watch itself. Watch 4 also reminds you of up to 12 daily routine activities. Sleep tracker is expected to be launched in year 2020 in this watch with the new update.

The Apple Watch 6 is available in aluminium shell and stainless steel shell with two options in dimension – 44 mm and 40 mm. Watch 4 comes in three elegant colors – gold, silver, and space grey (only in aluminium). There is space black colour available only the stainless steel shell.

Apple Watch 6 Pros

  • Still the best looking smart watch out there
  • ECG feature
  • Available in cellular and non-cellular variants
  • Built-in GPS
  • Large display
  • Fall detection
  • Upgraded hardware
  • Health monitoring
  • Fitness monitoring
  • Large internal storage
  • Voice assistant – Siri
  • Loud speakers
  • Waterproof and swim proof
  • Wireless charging
  • Premium build quality

Cons

  • A bit overpriced
  • Low battery life
  • No sleep tracker
  • Not compatible with Android

Best Smart Watch for iPhones (Runner-Up & Value for Money)

Apple Watch  SE

Apple Watch SE is the latest value for money edition smart watch from Apple and is an excellent option, considering its price. This smart watch is available in three variants (in terms of material).

Men's smart watch
Apple Watch SE is also available in cellular variant

Apple Watch SE was launched in three different case material – aluminium, stainless steel, and white ceramic case. Like in the case of its successor, we would recommend aluminium case Watch 3 to you. The aluminium case Watch 3 is much lighter than the other two and is considerably cheaper as well. The aluminium watch is available in cellular and non-cellular options, while the other two variants do NOT provide an option as they are only available in cellular option. There is a drawback of the aluminium shell, it is not as durable and premium build as the other two. The stainless steel and ceramic cases come with a sapphire crystal display, whereas, aluminium shell watch comes with a ion-x strengthened glass which is inferior. However, aluminium case smart watch provides a better deal over the stainless steel and ceramic case smart watch.

In terms of dimensions, there are two models with dimensions of 42 mm and 38 mm. The shell which has a height of 42 mm has a width of 36.4 mm and a display area of 740 sq mm, the watch with height 38 mm has a width of 34 mm and a display area of 563 sq mm. Both the variants have a thickness of 11.4 mm.

The 42 mm aluminium shell Apple Watch SE weighs 1.23 oz (34.9 gm) in GPS + cellular variant and 1.13 oz (32.3 gm) in GPS variant. The ceramic case and stainless steel case Watch 3 having a 42 mm display weighs 1.63 oz (46.4 gm) and 1.86 oz (52.8 gm) respectively. The 38 mm aluminium shell watch weighs 1.01 oz (28.7 gm) in GPS + cellular variant and 0.94 oz (26.7 gm) in GPS variant. The ceramic case and stainless steel case Watch having a 38 mm display weighs 1.41 oz (40.1 gm) and 1.49 oz (42.4 gm) respectively.

The Apple Watch SE is waterproof and can be submerged in water up to 50 metres, making it swim proof.

Comparing it to its predecessor, Apple Watch 2, we found that there is not much difference in the appearance of both. The Apple Watch 3 is more dedicated to monitor the health of the user, whereas, Watch 2 was more dedicated to workout and movement. Watch 3 has a much more powerful processor which is 70% faster than that of Watch 2. Also, the older one did not have cellular connectivity, which is available in Watch 3.

Phone watch
Apple Watch SE is GPS enabled

Apple Watch SE features a dual core processor with S3 chip which makes it fast enough to carry out multiple functions. It was launched with the WatchOS 4, which is upgradable to the latest WatchOS launched by Apple. This smart watch is Wifi enabled and features Bluetooth 4.2.

Apple Watch SE is available in two options – cellular and non-cellular. It provides LTE and UMTS cellular connectivity. Both the variants are GPS enabled. It enables you to make calls, read or send messages even when your iPhone is not close to you. Watch 4 also has barometric altimeter, accelerometer, gyroscope, ambient light sensor and Walkie-Talkie feature.

However, the call clarity is an issue in Watch 3 as the microphone and speaker are placed in the same side of the watch body, which results in echo.

The Apple Watch SE has a 18 hour battery life, 512 MB of RAM and comes in two memory options – 16 GB in GPS + cellular variant and 8 GB in GPS variant. It does not have a raise to activate Siri feature. The user has to either tap on the digital crown on watch display or say “Hey, Siri” to activate Siri on the watch. The smart watch also provides access to iTunes music and Apple Podcast support.

As it is mentioned, the Apple Watch SE is more dedicated to the health of the user. The smart watch will monitor and show the heart rate, calories burnt, etc. It will also show notification, in case your heart rate seems to be on the lower side. It will monitor your heart rate all day and will alert you if there is any irregularity observed. It is claimed that Watch 3 can also detect previously undiagnosed health conditions and update the user about it.

Apple Watch SE comes in aluminium case, white ceramic case and stainless steel case with two options in dimension – 42 mm and 38 mm. Watch 3 is available in two colors – silver and space grey.

Apple Watch SE Pros

  • Available in cellular and non-cellular variants
  • Built-in GPS
  • Waterproof and swim proof
  • Large internal storage
  • Health monitoring
  • Fitness monitoring
  • Voice assistant – Siri
  • Wireless charging
  • Premium build quality

Cons

  • Low battery life
  • Echo on voice calls
  • No sleep tracker
  • A bit overpriced
  • Not compatible with Android

Best Smart Watch for Android Phones

Samsung Galaxy Watch 3

Galaxy Watch 3 is Samsung’s latest launched smart watch. It is considered to be the best smart watch for Android users due to its remarkable features. It is compatible with both Android and iOS.

Men's smart watch
Galaxy Watch 3 has a rotating bezel to navigate through the watch

Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 has followed the same concept in design like in case of Gear S3. It has a round dial watch which is controlled by a rotating bezel instead of touch screen. This feature helps to enable the user to have a smudge-free view of the screen. Also, it has a circular super AMOLED display with Corning Gorilla Glass DX+.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 is offered in only one shell material. The stainless steel shell of the watch provides it with durability and toughness in extreme conditions. Galaxy Watch 3 was launched with an option of two variants in terms of dimension, a 42 mm dial and a 46 mm dial.

The 42 mm Samsung Galaxy Watch 3, which weighs 1.72 oz (49 gm), has a height of 45.7 mm and a width of 42 mm with a display 3.2 cm, whereas, the 46 mm smart watch, which weighs 2.22 oz (63 gm), has a height of 49 mm and a width of 46 mm with a display of 3.29 cm. Both variants have the same thickness of 13 mm.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 is rated as IP68 dustproof and waterproof, which means that it can be submerged up to 50 metres in water. This watch is swim proof. It is also claimed that it can withstand 5 ATM of water pressure and can resist a drop from a height of 4.9 feet.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 features Samsung’s in-house Exynos 9110 64-bit dual core 1.15GHz processor. This processor has a sufficient clocking speed to carry out the processes of the smart watch with ease. It has 768 MB of RAM with 4 GB of internal storage. The internal storage of the watch is a bummer to the users.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 gets charged via WPC based wireless charging that charges the watch faster and provides hassle-free charging. The 46 mm Galaxy Watch features a battery with capacity of 472mAh, and 42 mm watch has a battery backup of 270mAh. The battery life of the 46 mm cellular variant is around 4 days.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 is available in two options – cellular and non-cellular. Both variants are GPS enabled. The cellular variant provides 4G LTE connection only. This smart watch runs on Tizen Based Wearable Operating System 4.0. It is Wifi enabled, supports NFC and has Bluetooth 4.2. Galaxy Watch also features an accelerometer, gyroscope, barometer, heart rate sensor, and an ambient light sensor. It also has Samsung Pay for digital mode of payment.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 is a perfect composition of workout, movement, and health monitoring. It features numerous apps to monitor the daily routine of the user. This smart watch works as an assistant to the user, providing an overview of the day ahead and a review of the day passed. The user can access information such as sports score, graphical information, stocks, etc.

Samsung smart watch
Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 is waterproof and swim proof

Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 keeps a track of the total calories burnt in a day and projects it in the screen. The GPS location tracker will track your route throughout your jogging period. It also monitors your sleep and provides you with an overview of your sleep. This smart watch monitors your heart rate constantly without any breaks, even at night. There are dozens of health apps compatible with the Tizen operating system.

Like other tech giants, Samsung has also introduced its voice assistant in this watch. The voice assistant is recognised by the name Bixby. To us, this voice assistant seemed to be quite responsive and was able to recognise different frequencies of voice. So Bixby does not seem to be much of a concern to the user.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 is available in two variants – 46 mm and 42 mm. Galaxy Watch comes in midnight black and rose gold in the 42 mm smart watch, and only in silver color in the 46 mm watch with a black bezel.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 Pros

  • Available in cellular and non-cellular variants
  • Built-in GPS
  • IP68 rated dustproof and waterproof
  • Swim proof
  • Supports NFC
  • Samsung Pay
  • 4 day battery life
  • Rotating bezel prevents smudged screen
  • Health monitoring
  • Fitness monitoring
  • Voice assistant – Bixby
  • Wireless charging
  • Compatible with Android and iOS
  • Premium build quality

Cons

  • Charges very slowly
  • Average internal storage

Best smart watch for Android Phones (Runner Up)

Samsung Gear S3

Samsung Gear S3 is a feature-rich smart watch mainly designed for people who like to have the overview of the day at their disposal. It is compatible with both Android and iOS.

Samsung watch
Samsung Gear S3 provides you on-screen workout

Samsung has opted a unique concept in design in case of Gear S3. It has a round dial watch which is controlled by a rotating bezel instead of touch screen. This feature helps to enable the user to have a smudge-free screen. It has a round super AMOLED display with Corning Gorilla Glass SR+.

The Samsung Gear S3 is rated as IP68 dustproof and waterproof, which means that it can be submerged up to 1.5 metres in water for about 30 minutes. This smart watch is not swim proof, which is a disappointment to the user. It also has an in-built SOS feature. If the user presses the home screen button on the watch thrice, then an emergency message would be sent to the SOS contacts of the user.

Samsung Gear S3 features Samsung’s in-house Exynos 1GHz dual-core processor. The clocking speed of the processor is a bit of a concern for the user. It has 768 MB of RAM with 4 GB of internal storage. The internal storage of the watch is a disadvantage to the users.

The Samsung Gear S3 gets charged by the conventional wired charging system as well as wireless charging. This smart watch has a battery backup of 380mAh, which takes about 60 minutes to get charged to 50% and nearly 130 minutes to get charged to 100%. The battery life of the watch is about 3 to 4 days on average use.

The Samsung Gear S3 is available in two variants – cellular and non-cellular. The cellular variant is known as Samsung Gear S3 Frontier which provides 4G LTE connection and the non-cellular variant is known as Samsung Gear S3 Classic. Both variants are GPS enabled. This smart watch runs on Tizen Wearable Operating System 2.3.2. It is Wifi enabled, supports NFC and has Bluetooth 4.2. Gear S3 also features an accelerometer , altimeter, speedometer, barometer, gyro sensor, heart rate sensor, and a light sensor. It also features Samsung Pay for digital mode of payment.

Both variants have the same dimensions of 46 mm width, 49 mm height and 12.9 mm thickness. However, the Frontier variant is heavier than the Classic variant. The Frontier variant weighs 2.18 oz (62 gm), and the Classic variant weighs 2.01 oz (57 gm).

Android smart watch
Samsung Gear S3 is waterproof and has built-in GPS

On comparing it with its predecessor, Samsung Gear S2, we can say that there is not much of change in design. It seems like Gear S3 is bulkier version of Gear S2. The rubber strap on the Gear S2 is swapped by a 22 mm leather strap in Gear S3, giving it more of an elegant look. Gear S3 has a larger battery than that of Gear S2 (250mAh) and it has approximately 50% more RAM than its predecessor. The software of both the smart watches remains the same.

Just like its predecessor, Samsung Gear S3 makes a perfect balance between tracking the health, movement and workout progress of the user. This smart watch works as an assistant to the user, providing an overview of the day ahead and a review of the day passed. The user can access information such as sports score, graphical information, stocks, etc.

Samsung Gear S3 keeps a track of the total calories count of the user throughout the day and shows it in the screen. The GPS location tracker will track your route throughout your jogging period. It also monitors your sleep constantly throughout the night. This smart watch monitors your heart rate constantly without any breaks, even at night. There are dozens of health apps compatible with the Tizen operating system.

The Samsung Gear S3 has the S Voice assistant. It is of much use to the user but it is not as responsive as the latest Samsung assistant, Bixby. S Voice can be accessed by pressing the home button and then touching the S Voice. This procedure needs to be followed only for the first time, after that you can wake up S Voice by saying “Hi Gear”. A certain set of voice command needs to be followed by the user to have a good experience using S Voice.

The Samsung Gear S3 is available in two variants – cellular and non-cellular. Gear S3 comes in black color and classic color only.

Samsung Gear S3 Pros

  • Available in cellular and non-cellular variants
  • Built-in GPS
  • IP68 dustproof and waterproof
  • Swim proof
  • SOS feature
  • Rotating bezel prevents smudged screen
  • Health monitoring
  • Fitness monitoring
  • Supports NFC
  • Samsung Pay
  • Fast charging
  • Upgraded hardware
  • Voice assistant – S Voice
  • 4 day battery life
  • Compatible with Android and iOS
  • Premium build quality

Cons

  • Average internal storage
  • No new processor

Best Fitness Smart Watch for Android Phones

Samsung Galaxy Watch Active

Samsung Galaxy Watch Active is the latest smart watch launched by Samsung after the Galaxy Watch. It won’t be wrong to say that Galaxy Watch Active is a lighter version of the Galaxy Watch. This smart watch is compatible with iOS and Android phones.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 2
Samsung Galaxy Watch Active is available only in non-cellular variant

The Galaxy Watch Active has a circular dial like any other Samsung smart watch. The new thing in this smart watch is that Samsung has incurred touch screen to navigate through the watch, instead of the rotating bezel. It has a 1.1 inch super AMOLED display with screen resolution of 360 x 360 pixels and sharpness of 424 ppi. The screen is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch Active is offered in one size and one shell material. The aluminium case smart watch has dimensions of 39.5 x 39.5 x 10.5 mm and it weighs 0.88 oz (25 gm).

The Samsung Galaxy Watch Active is rated as IP68 dustproof and waterproof, which means that it can be submerged up to 50 metres in water. This watch is swim proof. It is also claimed that it can withstand 5 ATM of water pressure.

Samsung Galaxy Watch Active features Samsung’s in-house Exynos 9110 64-bit dual core 1.15GHz processor. This processor has a sufficient clocking speed to carry out the processes of the smart watch with ease. It has 768 MB of RAM with 4 GB of internal storage. The internal storage of the watch sometimes feel inadequate to the users.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch Active gets charged via WPC based wireless charging that charges the watch faster and provides hassle-free charging. It features a battery of capacity 230mAh which can last up to 2 days on an average. The battery takes about 2 hours to get charged from zero to 100% via the wireless charging pad which comes with the smart watch.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch Active is available only in a non-cellular version, which feels like a liability to the user. However, the smart watch is GPS enabled, but it uses the phone’s GPS to track and route. This smart watch runs on Tizen Based Wearable Operating System 4.0. It is Wifi enabled, supports NFC and has Bluetooth 4.2. Galaxy Watch Active also features an accelerometer, gyroscope, barometer, heart rate sensor, and an ambient light sensor. It also has Samsung Pay, which is compatible with limited cards, for digital mode of payment.

Fitness smart watch
Samsung Galaxy Watch Active is GPS enabled and supports NFC

Samsung has taken a step forward in terms of creating a perfect combination of a health, workout, and movement monitoring smart watch. The Galaxy Watch Active is has access to multiple apps for the perfect health monitoring and workout mapping of the user. This smart watch works as an assistant to the user, providing an overview of the day ahead and a review of the day passed. The user can access information such as sports score, graphical information, stocks, etc.

Samsung Galaxy Watch Active keeps a track of the total calorie count in a day and projects it in the screen. The GPS location tracker will track your route throughout your movement/jogging period. It also monitors your sleep quality and provides you with an overview of your sleep. This smart watch monitors your heart rate constantly without any breaks, even at night. This smart watch also detects the stress level of the user and provides adequate suggestions, such as breath control, to balance it. There are dozens of health apps compatible with the Tizen operating system.

Samsung’s voice assistant, Bixby, is available in the Galaxy Watch Active. However, the Bixby seems to be quite dull in this watch. It does not respond well to the commands of the user and takes a lot of time to react. Thus, Bixby is a concern in this watch.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch Active is available with an aluminium case in 4 colors – black, green, silver, and rose gold.

Samsung Galaxy Watch Active Pros

  • Built-in GPS
  • IP68 dustproof and waterproof
  • Swimproof
  • Health monitoring
  • Fitness monitoring
  • Supports NFC
  • Samsung Pay
  • Fast charging
  • Voice assistant – Bixby
  • Premium built quality

Cons

  • No cellular variant
  • Overpriced
  • Average internal storage

Best Smart Watch for Women

Fitbit Versa

Fitbit has introduced Versa smart watch in three different models, which are collectively known as the Fitbit Versa Family. The Versa family includes Fitbit Versa, Fitbit Versa Lite, and Fitbit Versa Special Edition. This smart watch is compatible with Android, Windows and iOS.

Pebble watch
Fitbit Versa is compatible with Android and iOS

The Fitbit Versa has a rectangular dial and a durable 1.34 inch (3.35 cm) LCD display which has a resolution of 300 x 300 pixels. The smart watch uses touch screen to navigate through the apps. However, the watch lacks the Corning Gorilla Glass, thus, the user needs to use a screen protector to ensure the safety of the display.

The Fitbit Versa is offered in one size and one shell material. The aluminium case smart watch has a 34 mm diagonal, 24.07 mm high, and 24.07 mm wide, it weighs 1.34 oz (38 gm). The Versa is water resistant, and it is claimed to be swim proof and can be submerged in water up to 50 metres.

Fitbit has not revealed the details of the processor in the Versa family. The capacity of the Random Access Memory is also not mentioned. However, Fitbit Versa runs on the Fitbit OS 2.0. The internal storage of the smart watch is 4 GB, out of which 2.5 GB is available for songs only. There is no free hand access to apps in this smart watch and there is only 1.5 GB storage available for apps.

The Fitbit Versa gets charged by the conventional wired charger. It features  a battery of capacity 145mAh which can last up to 4 days on average use. It takes about 3 hours to charge from zero to 100%. The battery life of the watch is incredible considering its battery capacity.

There are different variants in the Versa family, these variants differ in features from each other. All the variants of the Versa family are non-cellular. The most premium smart watch in the Versa family is the Fitbit Versa Special Edition watch, the basic of all is Fitbit Versa Lite watch. There is only difference in the features and not in dimensions and weight of the watch.

The Fitbit Versa Special Edition is a combination of health and workout monitoring. The smart watch features an ambient light sensor, an accelerometer, gyroscope, altimeter, and heart rate monitor. This smart watch can also track your sleep quality and provide you with the overview of your sleep. The Special Edition Versa can also count your calorie intake and calories burned throughout your course of the day. It will count the number of steps you have travelled and will also measure the number of floors climbed. There is an activity/inactivity count in the smart watch which will help you assess your day to day activities. It also features the swim lap tracking.

The most interesting feature in the Fitbit Versa Special Edition is that it has an on-screen workout coach and a SpO2 sensor which will tell you about the SpO2 level in your body. The smart watch also has a built-in NFC chip for cashless payments and it also has in-built navigation system. The watch does not have a GPS connection of its own but it connects to the GPS of the smartphone it is paired with. The Special Edition Versa also features Bluetooth 4.0 and is Wifi enabled. The watch alerts the user of the calls and messages received on the smartphone paired to it.

Fitbit watch
Fitbit Versa Special Edition supports NFC

The Fitbit Versa and Fitbit Versa Special Edition watch are alike and there is only one difference between them, which is that the Fitbit Versa does not have access to woven and classic bands.

The Fitbit Versa Lite is quite inferior to the Special Edition Versa. The Versa Lite does not have the calorie counter and it cannot count the number of floors climbed. There is no NFC in this variant and it not even Wifi enabled. Also, this smart watch lacks the gyroscope and altimeter. It does not have the on-screen workout coach.

None of the smart watches in the Versa family have a speaker or a microphone. Thus, the smart watches do not feature a voice assistant.

In our opinion, the Fitbit Versa is priced a bit high considering its features. Also there is not much of access to the apps on this smart watch considering its limited storage for apps. The only impressive thing in the watch is its battery life.

The Fitbit Versa is available in in three colors – black, rose gold, and silver. The Fitbit Versa Special Edition is available in two colors – graphite and rose gold. The Fitbit Versa Lite is available in three colors – silver , mulberry, and marina blue.

Fitbit Versa Pros

  • Available in three variants – Versa, Versa Lite, and Versa Special Edition
  • Health monitoring
  • Fitness monitoring
  • Supports NFC (only in Special Edition and Versa)
  • Waterproof and swimproof
  • 4 day long battery life
  • Fast charging
  • Premium build quality
  • Compatible with Android and iOS

Cons

  • No built-in GPS
  • Low internal storage
  • Not available in cellular variant
  • No voice assistant
  • Overpriced

Fitbit Ionic

The Fitbit Ionic was launched before the Versa series of Fitbit. This smart watch is far more superior than the Versa family and it is compatible with Android and iOS.

Waterproof smart watch
Fitbit Ionic has built-in GPS

The Fitbit Ionic has a rectangular dial with a 1.4 inch (3.56 cm) display. The watch uses touch screen to navigate through the apps. The capacitive touch screen display has a resolution of 348 x 250 pixels and sharpness of 306 ppi. The display is protected by the Corning Gorilla Glass 3.

The Fitbit Ionic is offered in one size and one shell material. The aluminium case smart watch has a width of 38.59 mm and thickness of 12.2 mm, it weighs 1.76 oz (49.89 gm). The Ionic is IP certified water resistant. It is claimed to be swim proof and can be submerged in water up to 50 metres, also it can withstand a pressure of 5 ATM underwater.

Under the hood, the Fitbit Ionic has a Toshiba ARM Cortex 32- bit processor which has a clocking speed of 120 MHz and it runs on the Fitbit OS. The capacity of the Random Access Memory is not specified by Fitbit. The watch is capable of storing songs in it and has a storage capacity of 2.5 GB for it.

The Fitbit Ionic gets charged by a wired charger and has a magnetic contact point charging technology. It has a pretty long battery life of 5 days when GPS is not being used and 10 hours when GPS is being used. The charging time for this battery is about 2 hours from zero to 100%. The long battery life of the watch is a boon to the users.

The Fitbit Ionic smart watch is a perfect combination of health, movement, and workout monitoring. There are various in-built sensors and apps which are of much use to the user to track his daily activities, workout schedule, daily routine, etc. One of the most exciting features in the watch is that it has movement reminder for the user. The user can set a goal of minimum number of steps to be walked in a day and the watch will softly remind the user about the user is running short from achieving the goal.

The Fitbit Ionic has an in-built activity tracker which keeps a record of all the activities and routine of the user. The watch also tracks the workout of the user and provides personalised workouts to the user which play on the screen. Basically, it acts as a personal coach to the user. It can sense when you are running and it automatically turns on the run mode on the screen. The watch stores all the workout data in the Fitbit app automatically.

The Fitbit Ionic is capable of recording your heart rate 24×7. It even helps you with guided breathing sessions on the basis of your heart rate to help you cool down. The watch is enabled to keep a track of your sleep and it provides you with the overview of the sleeping stages right on the screen. It can also keep a track of your cardio fitness level, and like any other smart watch, it counts the number of steps walked by you in a day. During swimming, Ionic is capable of measuring your swim laps, stroke style, calories burned, etc

Android compatible smart watches
Fitbit Ionic supports NFC

The watch has a SpO2 sensor, and it will indicate you about the SpO2 level in your body. This smart watch has built-in NFC chips which can store your card details for contactless/cashless payments. The Ionic does not have a large access to the third-party apps, it has its own Fitbit OS store for access to various apps.

The Fitbit Ionic is available only in the non-cellular variant, which is GPS enabled. It features a 3-axis accelerometer, 3-axis gyroscope, an altimeter, and an ambient light sensor also. The smart watch is Wifi enabled and has Bluetooth 4.0. It is capable of giving alerts to the user if a call or message is received on the phone it is paired to.

As the Fitbit Ionic does not feature a speaker and microphone, it cannot be used to answer calls, and it does not have a voice assistant.

The Fitbit Ionic is available in three colors – blue gray, slate blue, and charcoal.

Fitbit Ionic Pros

  • Built-in GPS
  • IP certified waterproof
  • Swim proof
  • Supports NFC
  • Health monitoring
  • Fitness monitoring
  • 5 day long battery life
  • Fast charging
  • Premium build quality
  • Compatible with Android and iOS

Cons

  • No cellular variant available
  • Low internal storage
  • No voice assistant

Fossil Gen 4

Fossil launched its fourth generation smart watch in November 2018. Two smart watches were launched under the Fossil Gen 4 family – Explorist and Venture. It has been enhanced in terms of features from the third generation Fossil smart watch. Fossil Gen 4 is compatible with Android and iOS.

Fossil watches
Fossil Gen 4 features a small LED flashlight that can be used in emergencies

The Fossil Gen 4 has 2 variants which differ in size. The Explorist has a 45 mm circular dial, whereas, Venture has a 40 mm circular dial. The Gen 4 family has a capacitive touch screen to navigate through the watch. Both the variants feature an AMOLED display which has a resolution of 454 x454 pixels. However, it is not protected by Corning Gorilla Glass.

The Fossil Gen 4 smart watch is offered in only one shell material. The stainless steel case watch has two sizes, which are identical in features and technical specifications. The Gen 4 Explorist has a 45 mm circular dial and is 13 mm thick, while the Gen 4 Venture has a 40 mm circular dial which is 13 mm thick. Fossil Gen 4 is IP67 rated dustproof and waterproof. The smart watch is claimed to be swim proof as well and can withstand a pressure of 3 ATM underwater.

Under the hood, the Fossil Gen 4 has the Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 processor, which has a clocking speed of up to 1.2 GHz. The Gen 4 runs on the Google Wear OS 2.0. Thus, this watch has access to the Google Playstore for apps. This smart watch has an internal storage of 4 GB with 512 MB of RAM.

The Fossil Gen 4 smart watch gets charged by the Rapid charger provided with the watch. The user needs to align the magnetic strips on the watch to the Rapid charger for fast charging. It gets charged from zero to 80% in about 1 hour. The battery life of the smart watch is estimated to be 24 hours on average use. This smart watch has a small built-in LED flashlight, which can be used in emergencies.

Fossil Gen 4 smart watch is available only in non-cellular option. However, the Gen 4 smart watches have built-in GPS tracking. This smart watch is an amalgamation of health, movement, and workout monitoring. The incorporation of GPS in Gen 4 has made it class apart from the other Fossil smart watches.

The user can get the weather updates from the pre-installed app in the watch. There is an option of using the watch with customised buttons, as per the convenience of the user. This watch adjusts the time automatically, for the user who travel in different time zones. Also, the access to multiple apps from Google playstore has made up for the limited number of pre-installed apps in this watch.

The Fossil Gen 4 smart watch has a built-in activity tracker which keeps a record of the calories burned and steps moved, also there is a fitness tracker that records the physical activity of the user. It has a feature of custom goal tracking in which the user can feed his personal fitness goals and can track them on day-to-day basis. There is a heart rate tracker in this smart watch which monitors the heart rate of the user 24×7. It always has the access to Google Fit workout apps for those who are not satisfied by the built-in apps.

Fossil smart watches
Fossil Gen 4 supports NFC and features Google Pay

Fossil Gen 4 is Wifi enabled and has Bluetooth 4.1 for hassle-free wireless connectivity. It features an accelerometer, gyroscope, and an ambient light sensor. The Gen 4 smart watch also supports NFC and Google Pay for cashless and digital modes of payment. The watch also provides the user with text, e-mail, and social media apps alert.

On comparing it with its predecessor, Fossil Gen 3, we find that there is no change in the design of the watch. Gen 3 had only one button with touch screen, whereas, Gen 4 has one digital crown and two pushable buttons with touch screen. The Gen 3 smart watch was not enabled with GPS and it was incapable of monitoring the heart rate of the user. These features have been included in the Gen 4 smart watch, making it a superior to its predecessor.

As Fossil Gen 4 is supported by Google’s Wear OS, it also features the Google Assistant. There is a built-in microphone in the watch through which the Google Assistant can be put on alert by saying “Ok Google”. The Google Assistant is quite responsive, but the smart watch lacks a speaker so the user has to wait until the results are displayed on the screen.

The Fossil Gen 4 Explorist and Venture are available in many eye-catching colors with different straps according to preference of the buyer.

Fossil Gen 4 Pros

  • Built-in GPS
  • IP67 rated dustproof and waterproof
  • Swim proof
  • Fast charging
  • LED flashlight
  • Health monitoring
  • Fitness monitoring
  • Google Assistant
  • Premium build quality
  • Access to many third party apps
  • Supports NFC
  • Google Pay
  • Compatible with Android and iOS

Cons

  • No new processor
  • Average internal storage
  • No cellular variant available

Best Low-Cost Smart Watch / Best Cheap Smart Watch

Xiaomi Amazfit Bip

Xiaomi has stepped into the world of fitness with various smart watches solely dedicated to fitness. The Amazfit Bip is one of the smart watches from Xiaomi which can be used to the purpose of fitness and outdoor activities. This smart watch is compatible with Android as well as iOS.

Fitness smart watch
Xiaomi Amazfit Bip has a battery life of 30+ days on smart mode

The Xiaomi Amazfit Bip has a rectangular single point touch display. The display is curved around the edges giving it an elegant look. The resolution of the screen is 176 x 176 pixels and sharpness of 207 ppi. It features a 1.28 inch color touch display which is protected by 2.5 D Corning Gorilla Glass 3 and also has an AF coating on it making it one of the most durable smart watch in the business.

The Xiaomi Amazfit Bip is available in only one shell material and one size. The case of the smart watch is made of polycarbonate. The dimensions of the watch are 39.4 x 34.1 x 9.5 mm and it weighs 0.63 oz (18 gm) without the strap and 1.1 oz (32 gm) with the strap. The Amazfit Bip is IP68 dustproof and waterproof, which means that it can be submerged in 5 feet of water up to 30 minutes. This watch is claimed to be swim proof and can be worn to showers as well.

Xiaomi Amazfit Bip features the ADI dual-core processor, which has a clocking speed of up to 1.2 GHz. The smart watch runs on a proprietary operating system. This smart watch has 128 MB of Random Access Memory and there is no internal storage. There is no option to insert an external memory in the smart watch. Like its competitors, Amazfit Bip does not have a dedicated app store to it. Thus, it has limited access to third party apps.

The Xiaomi Amazfit Bip features a battery of capacity 190mAh which is charged by a wireless charger. It takes about 2.5 hours to charge the battery from zero to 100%. The battery life of this smart watch is 30+ days. However, while using GPS, the maximum battery life is 22 hours. The long battery life is of good use to the users.

The Xiaomi Amazfit Bip is a non-cellular smart watch. It has built-in GPS tracking system to keep a track the movement of the user. As it is mentioned that the Amazfit Bip is a smart watch which is more dedicated to fitness than health monitoring. It has a lot of features to help you keep a track of your fitness. The watch has a MiFit app, in which the workouts and fitness level of the user is recorded for reference.

The Xiaomi Amazfit Bip is NOT Wifi enabled but it features Bluetooth 4.0 for wireless connectivity. There is no NFC in this watch. However, it features Alipay, which is a China Based third party mobile payment app for cashless payments. It can receive emails, text messages, calls and app notifications, which the user can access on the watch display.

This smart watch can measure the distance travelled by you, even if the GPS is not in use. There is a calorie counter in the watch which keeps a tracks of the total calories burned throughout the day. The Amazfit Bip has a optical heart rate monitor which tracks your heart rate throughout the day, which is a common feature among smart watches nowadays.

Best cheap smart watch
Xiaomi Amazfit Bip has built-in GPS

The watch keeps a count of the number of steps walked by you in a day. However, this step tracker is not much accurate. The Xiaomi Amazfit Bip features an inactivity sensor, which gives you alerts on the watch display if you remain inactive for a long period of time. There is a sleep tracker in this watch as well that measures the quality of your sleep and for how much time you have been asleep. This sleep tracker is sometimes a little bit inaccurate.

Xiaomi Amazfit Bip has some features which may be of much use in outdoor activities, such as a barometer, geomagnetic sensor, and a 3-axis accelerometer. It also has a built-in weather forecast app which can forecast for up to five days in advance.

The Xiaomi Amazfit Bip is available in four spectacular colors – onyx black, cinnabar red, white cloud, and kokoda green.

Xiaomi Amazfit Bip Pros

  • Built-in GPS
  • IP68 dustproof and waterproof
  • Swimproof
  • 30+ days battery life
  • Fast charging
  • Fitness monitoring
  • Pre-installed Alipay app – China based application for third party payments
  • Compatible with Android and iOS

Cons

  • No cellular variant
  • Limited access to third party apps
  • No NFC
  • Low internal storage
  • Average build quality

Best GPS Smart Watch for Outdoors

Garmin Vivoactive 3

Garmin launched its Vivoactive 3 smart watch in June 2018. Garmin is single handedly capable of giving a tough competition to its competitors in whatsoever criteria. This watch is compatible with Android as well as iOS.

Garmin smart watch
Garmin Vivoactive 3 has built-in GPS

The Garmin Vivoactive 3 has a circular dial with a stationary bezel. It has a 1.2 inch (30.4 mm) transflective memory-in-pixel LCD color display. The resolution of the screen is 240 x 240 pixels and a sharpness of 283 ppi. The watch uses touch screen to navigate through the apps. The display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3.

Garmin Vivoactive 3 is available in one size and one shell material. The watch has a stainless steel bezel, which is stationary. Overall, the case material of the watch is a combination of fibre-reinforced polymer and stainless steel. The Vivoactive 3 has dimensions of 43.4 x 43.4 x 11.7 mm and its weight is 1.51 oz (43 gm). This smart watch is claimed to be waterproof and can withstand a pressure of 5 ATM underwater. It is swim proof and can be worn while having showers as well.

Under the hood, Garmin has not revealed any details of the processor used in this watch. The watch runs on a proprietary operating system. The Random Access Memory and internal storage of the watch are unknown. Also, there is no slot to add external memory in the watch. The Vivoactive 3 has a lots of built-in apps also, it has access to the Connect IQ store, which is a dedicated app store for Garmin smart watches. Thus, there is a free-hand access to apps on this watch.

The Garmin Vivoactive 3 features a battery of capacity 300mAh and it takes about 3.5 hours to charge it from zero to 100%. This smart watch is charged via conventional USB wired charger. The battery life of the Vivoactive 3 is around 7 days when “smart mode” (GPS is not used) is turned on and about 13 hours when GPS is used.

The Garmin Vivoactive 3 is a non-cellular smart watch. It has built-in GPS tracking system to keep a track the movement of the user. Although, a cellular version of Vivoactive 3 has been launched under the name of Garmin Vivoactive 3 Music. This smart watch is solely dedicated to fitness and movement tracking. However, there are several features which monitor the health of the user.

The health feature in the Garmin Vivoactive 3 are Garmin Elevate heart rate monitoring that monitors your heart rate 24×7. There is a stress monitor as well in the watch, which senses the stress levels in the body and alerts the user if the stress is higher than the recommended level. The smart watch also has a built-in thermometer that indicates the temperature of the body to the user. However, the thermometer is not too reliable as it senses the body temperature from the wrist, which may be different from the actual body temperature. There is a sleep monitor in the watch as well, which keeps a record of the sleep quality and the sleeping stages, but the sleep monitor in this watch is not accurate. It also has a menstrual cycle tracking app for women.

Smart watch phone price
Garmin Vivoactive 3 has a free-hand access to playstore apps

This smart watch has a lot of built-in apps for tracking the movement, workouts, and fitness of the user. There is a steps tracker in the watch that keeps a count of the number of steps moved in a day by the user. The watch also keeps a record of the floors climbed and distance travelled by the user on feet. The inactivity sensor in the watch alerts you if you have been inactive for a long time. There are pre-installed workouts in the watch from which the user can select his workout according to his needs. The smart watch tracks the day to day activities of the user and suggests a automatically generated goal on daily basis to the user. The watch is capable of estimating the fitness age of the user and also it can find out the VO2 levels in the body. The smart watch keeps a track of the calories burned in a day. It also keeps a track of the intensity minutes of the body throughout the day.

The Garmin Vivoactive 3 has some outdoor features as well which the user may find handy, such as it has an altimeter, a compass, and an accelerometer. Also, there is weather forecast in the watch. Garmin has introduced NFC in this smart watch for access to cashless payments. It also features the Garmin Pay, but it is quite unreliable. The watch can show you notifications and alerts received on the smartphone it is paired to. However, there is an option of text response and call rejections which is only available for Android devices. The smart watch features Bluetooth Smart and ANT+ for wireless connectivity.

The Garmin Vivoactive 3 is available in many eye-catching colors such as black with stainless steel hardware, granite blue with rose gold hardware, black silicon with slate, white silicon with stainless steel, black silicon with stainless steel, and white silicon with rose gold bezel.

Garmin Vivoactive 3 Pros

  • Built-in GPS tracking
  • Waterproof and swimproof
  • Access to many third party apps
  • Fitness monitoring
  • Health monitoring
  • Supports NFC
  • Google Pay
  • Garmin Pay
  • Many relevant pre-installed apps
  • Premium build quality
  • 7 day long battery life
  • Compatible with Android and iOS

Cons

  • No cellular variant available
  • A little bit overpriced
  • Long charging time

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