Best Smartwatches (Updated 2020)

1. Garmin vívoactive 3

The Garmin vívoactive 3 is definitely a watch made for an athlete. Its design is ideal for training, has great media capabilities, and all of the conveniences of a modern smartwatch.

With over fifteen preloaded sports apps, including yoga, swimming, and running, the user can customize the watch to their workout of the day. The built-in GPS is fairly accurate when it comes to mileage, and while the watch is also equipped with a heart rate monitor, that can prove to be a bit more finicky.

For those who love music while they exercise, this watch is compatible with Bluetooth headphones and can hold up to 500 songs, which is perfect for runners who are out on the road for long stretches at a time. This watch seems to be a popular pick among marathoners and triathletes, so it’s great to hear that the quality holds up for some pretty dedicated athletes.

At right around $200, this watch seems to fall in the mid-range of name-brand watches with these capabilities. The battery does need to be charged after an advertised 13 hours of use, but users have reported having to charge it after ten or eleven.

Lastly, when wearing it just as a watch, the face is customizable. It’s great to know that style and personal preference are preserved even when it comes to smartwatches. The Garmin vívoactive 3 is also available in a few different stylish bands and watch face combinations, so this seems like it would be not only a great “treat yourself” opportunity but also a wonderful gift for the athlete in your life.

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• Bluetooth Compatibility for Headphones
• Built-In GPS
• Customizable Interface
• Preloaded Workouts and Sports Tracking

2. Samsung Galaxy Watch Active2

The Samsung Galaxy Watch Active2 has a fabulous variety of stylish colors: Black, Gold (more like a pink-ish rose gold), and Silver. With its long-lasting battery, variety of functions, and fitness tracker, this smartwatch cements itself as a great pick.

It’s important to mention that calls and texts can only be made from this watch if its connected to LTE, and the watch is available in both LTE and Bluetooth style. So, depending on what your primary desire is for purchasing the smartwatch, this is important to note.

This watch does not have a USB port and charges using a wireless charger. Its sleek, modern design is comfortable to wear and is furnished with an intuitive touch bezel to activate its screen. One of the most impressive features is its long-lasting battery, which can last for up to five days. Of course, if you’re someone who uses their smartwatch for everything, the time frame between charges may be a little shorter. But still, it’s pretty impressive!

Many reviewers have noted that while the heart rate monitor is fairly accurate, many of the other fitness tracking elements were not. So this may not be the best pick for someone looking for a tracker for marathon training or any other intense physical feat.

While some users noted that Bixby (Samsung’s AI Assistant) needs a little work, this smartwatch can also be paired with Alexa through some app-pairing.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch Active2 is a recommended pick for android users who would like a reliable smartwatch for casual use.

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• Battery Lasts Up to Five Days
• Equipped with Heart Rate Monitor
• Built-In Sleep Tracker
• Running Pace Coach

3. Willful Smart Watch

At under forty dollars, the Willful Smart Watch is an excellent budget pick for someone looking for a reliable fitness tracker with app compatibility and helpful smartwatch functions.

For those looking for a splash of color beyond the standard black, this watch is also available in green or pink.

The watch comes with a wireless magnetic charger and is advertised as being able to last on a single 2.5-hour charge for ten days, which many users have confirmed to be true. It is also both Android and Apple compatible with an accompanying app, which can be used to save fitness data and set alarms, among other functions. The only downside to its wide compatibility is that it can only be used to view incoming messages, not reply to them.

The fitness tracking capabilities are quite impressive for being a budget find. In addition to an accurate heart rate monitor (according to users), this small-but-mighty watch is equipped with multiple sports, including running, hiking, and yoga. While this watch can be worn while swimming, it’s a little disappointing that the watch itself can’t be used to track data on your swim.

When stacked up against the fancier picks on this list, it’s really impressive how well the Willful Smart Watch keeps up. For someone who is wondering if a smartwatch is right for them, this is a great watch to try.

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• Compatible with Both Apple and Android
• Multi-Sport Fitness Tracker
• Can Be Worn While Swimming
• Bluetooth Compatible

4. Apple Watch Series 3

It almost feels unfair to compare other devices to the Apple Watch Series 3, since Apple has such a pronounced presence in the world of smartwatches. That being said, Apple keeps the market competitive with constant innovation of their products. Even though they weren’t the first smartwatch to hit the market, they have cemented themselves as one of the best.

The Apple Watch Series 3 was released in August 2017, but since it is a slightly older model, the price is incredibly competitive, and the features are still great. In its reviews, it was lauded as being one of the most accurate fitness trackers, with users having switch from other brands over to Apple. This smartwatch is equipped with a heart rate monitor, GPS, and is “swim-proof.” With summer quickly approaching, this seems like a great watch for those who want to enjoy the pool but also stay connected with friends and family and–well– “working” from home.

With all of these features, this is the sort of device that needs a daily charge, so this may not be the device for you if you’re not great about consistent daily charging. And like many Apple products, screen fragility is always a topic of conversation. Many reviewers recommend purchasing a screen protector! Also, for those who love long runs in the backcountry, the GPS may not be entirely reliable.

But with all of those things considered, this is a top-quality product at an extremely competitive price for this brand.

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• Equipped with GPS
• Swimproof
• Heart Rate Monitor
• Can Store Music Podcasts, and Audiobooks

5. Fossil Men’s Gen 4 Explorist

The Fossil Men’s Gen 4 Explorist is a definitely a fashion-forward smartwatch. With the signature modern and polished look, this watch is definitely meant to be worn for its modern-day conveniences and less so for fitness tracking.

First off, this watch is currently available in five colors: Gunmetal, Black, Blue, Rose Gold, or Smoke Grey. Since this smartwatch was designed by a fashion company, the array of available colors is not surprising. The battery can be put in extended or custom mode to help preserve battery life, however, many users have reported that this smartwatch doesn’t have the greatest battery. It seems it was pretty common that it lost its charge fairly quickly.

On the fitness tracker front, this watch is more on the casual side. It has a fairly accurate heart rate monitor but doesn’t boast the wide range of activity options that the other more sport-oriented watches have advertised. This isn’t so much a downside as a recognition that this watch was designed for more day-to-day convenience.

The Google Pay and Google Assistant components of this watch are incredibly cool and help made paying for goods and looking up information a breeze. The addition of an untethered GPS was an upgrade from the Gen 3 version of this watch and seems to be well-liked by its users. Additional apps for this watch are also available on the Google Play store.

Overall, this is a very stylish and decently functioning smartwatch.

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• Untethered GPS
• Equipped with Google Pay
• Daily, Extended, and Custom Battery Modes
• Comes with Google Assistant

6. UMIDIGI Uwatch3

An impressive budget pick, the Umidigi Uwatch3 proves itself as a fitness tracker and smartwatch while only costing about forty dollars.

This watch boasts up to a ten-day battery life, which depends based on how much it is used. If you’re someone who can be particularly forgetful, or tends to leave their fitness tracker in a gym bag after a workout, this is the watch for you.

The water-resistant design can be worn while swimming but is noted as being heat-sensitive, so it’s advised to not wear this watch in the shower or in a hot sauna. Still, it is great to know that this watch can be worn to the beach or the pool and keep you connected while enjoying summer fun. While messages cannot be answered from this watch, it’s still helpful to be able to see notifications and deem if it’s necessary to pick up the phone.

As a fitness tracker, this watch is able to track heart rate pretty well but has been criticized as not being entirely intuitive when it comes to tracking steps.

This watch is available in three colors: Onyx Black, Cinnabar Red, and Rose Gold, making it a great unisex watch while also being customizable to personal style and preference.

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• Up to 10-Day Battery Life
• Water-Resistant
• Connects to Smartphone GPS
• iPhone and Android Compatibility

7. Fitbit Versa 2

The Fitbit Versa 2 is a great option for someone looking for basic fitness tracking capabilities and smartwatch functions with an eye for fashion.

Starting with the watch’s most basic functions, the manufacturer says that this watch is capable of lasting up to six days on a single charge. Depending on how much you use it, users have reported that this is mostly accurate, which is pretty impressive. The built-in Amazon Alexa is a useful special feature, allowing for all of Alexa’s functions to be made available through the watch itself. Android users can also rejoice, as texts can be replied to using quick reply or voice control directly through the watch as well.

The fitness tracking capabilities of the Fitbit Versa 2 are a little more basic than other options on this list, tracking things like distance, steps, and floors. What’s most impressive about the watch’s wellness capabilities would definitely be the sleep tracker, which tracks sleep through your heart rate and restlessness by movement throughout the night. As many have become more interested in wellness as a whole versus a more narrow concept of physical fitness, this is a great function to see in a watch.

The most impressive parts of this watch are its interchangeable bands and accessories that make this the perfect watch for any fashion-forward person.

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• Built-In Amazon Alexa
• Up to Six Day Battery Life
• Music App Control
• Sleep Score for Sleep Tracking

8. YAMAY Smart Watch

The Yamay Smart Watch is another good budget choice, providing basic smartwatch functions, fitness tracking, and modern watch conveniences.

The most impressive thing about this smartwatch is its long-lasting battery that can last for up to 10 days on a single two-hour charge. This might be a good pick for a kid who won’t necessarily remember to charge the watch each and every night. Then again, this would be a great pick for any adult who has a lot on their plate!

The Yamay Smart Watch is available in four colors, Black, Blue, Purple, and Red, and the bands are interchangeable. If you’re someone who really prioritizes a coordinated outfit, this is an important feature to note.

As far as the smartwatch features go, this watch is compatible with both iPhone and Android. This also makes it a great gift since it has a wide range of compatibility. While you can’t respond to messages from the watch, it will alert the user to texts and calls. A user reported this function as being particularly helpful at the office, where they couldn’t constantly be on their phone.

Above all, this is a reliable watch that performs all basic watch functions (alarms, stopwatch, etc.) while also utilizing some basic fitness tracking functions. Not the most advanced pick for an athlete looking to train, but has a few different preloaded activities for tracking.

All things considered, the Yamay is a great basic watch for someone who isn’t entirely tech-savvy but wants to up their smartwatch game.

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• 7-10 Day Battery Life
• Waterproof
• Compatible with Android and iPhone
• Multiple Exercise Modes

9. Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro

The Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro is a compact alternative to bigger, bulkier smartwatches. It has helpful fitness apps, music compatibility, and useful messaging capabilities.

The apps on this particular watch are powered by Under Armour, and include Map MyRun and MyFitnessPal, two popular fitness apps that track runs and daily calorie tracking, respectively. Continuous heart rate monitoring is available, however, it does drain the battery quite a bit. There have been several reviews criticizing the battery life of the Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro.

This watch is capable of music storage, perfect for runners or folks who want to listen to music during other outdoor activities. It can also be paired with the Spotify app to download playlists. This watch is water-resistant and can be worn in up to fifty meters of water.

While this watch can’t respond to messages in the way a voice-compatible smartwatch would, the user is able to pre-program responses to give quick answers on the fly. And no worries about what type of phone you own, as this watch is compatible with both Android and iPhone.

With a price point that ranges, this watch is a solid pick for those looking for a sleek design.

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• Water-Resistant Up to Fifty Meters
• Music Storage with Spotify Compatibility
• Compatible with Android and iPhone
• Variety of Fitness Apps

10. LG Electronics G Watch

If you’re looking for a true no-frills smartwatch, the LG G Watch is the accessory for you.

Exclusively compatible with Android, this smartwatch is capable of answering texts using its talk-to-text feature. By giving you your notifications on a small convenient screen, it helps you stay focused without being entirely distracted by pulling out your phone.

When paired with your phone’s GPS, this watch is able to give you turn-by-turn directions. Additionally, with the convenience of Google Assistant, this watch is able to find information with a simple “Ok, Google…”

The battery life of this smartwatch lasts about two days, though some users have reported faulty batteries. This watch doesn’t offer any advanced fitness tracking capabilities, so it’s great for someone who’s just looking for basic smartwatch capabilities.

The band on this watch can also be changed to fit your personal style. It is available to order in both black and white.

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• Compatible with Most Androids
• Voice Activated with Google Assistant
• GPS Directions When Paired with Phone
• Talk-to-Text