After an extended stretch of slim pickings, the final couple of years have been big for Android smartwatches. Now there are extra good choices than ever.
However the market is fragmented. Put on OS 5 is right here for Samsung’s Galaxy Watches, Google’s Pixel Watch 3, and shortly, the OnePlus Watch 3 when it ships later this month. Nonetheless, the bigger ecosystem is catching up. Some options, like Google Assistant, aren’t but accessible on sure Put on OS 3 smartwatches, and Put on OS 4 nonetheless isn’t broadly accessible. Even so, the Android wearable ecosystem is barreling forward.
$230
The Galaxy Watch 6 Traditional is an iterative however welcome replace, with a rotating bezel, higher battery life, and a bigger show than earlier fashions.
$350
The Pixel Watch 3 provides a bunch of latest health options, brighter screens, and nifty Google integrations.
$140
Mobvoi’s TicWatch Professional 5 has superior battery life, glorious health monitoring, and a speedy Snapdragon W5 Plus chip.
What we’re in search of
Smartwatches are meant that will help you preserve monitor of your notifications, in addition to your well being and exercise. We do a mixture of benchmark testing and experiential, real-life testing. Meaning snoozing with them, taking them out on GPS actions like runs and hikes, working up a sweat in a number of exercises, and evaluating how they do in opposition to long-term management gadgets for coronary heart fee, sleep, and GPS accuracy. It additionally means evaluating how straightforward they’re to pair, how annoying are notifications, and within the case of Android watches, checking to see if options are universally accessible throughout completely different cellphone makers (i.e., do all of the Galaxy Watch options work if in case you have a Pixel cellphone?) Some components we think about in our rankings are sturdiness, efficiency, accuracy versus consistency in metrics, and naturally, battery life.
Android smartwatches have lengthy been foiled by outdated processors. Is the chip beneath the hood highly effective sufficient to run Put on OS or the platform’s personal proprietary working system easily?
Does a watch work higher inside one firm’s product ecosystem versus one other? Will it’s important to purchase a brand new watch if you happen to swap telephones?
As of late, most wearables are succesful health trackers. Nonetheless, they’re not all able to controlling your good house, contactless funds, or interacting with digital assistants.
Is that this machine prone to final you some time, or will you’ll want to improve prior to you’d like? How communicative is the OEM about forthcoming modifications?
Are you able to get by the day with out reaching for a charger? If not, does it help fast charging?
If you happen to’d quite wait till Put on OS settles down a bit, there are platform-agnostic smartwatches and health watches you should purchase within the meantime. In any other case, you’ll need to pay attention to the chip and Put on OS model powering your watch. Mobvoi, as an example, has typically been a step behind Google and Samsung in rolling out the most recent model of Put on OS. In the meantime, you may wish to take note of whether or not a watch is working the most recent Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 Plus or the bottom W5 chip. The W5 Plus has some further processing benefits, however for the report, the bottom chip isn’t unhealthy. The Pixel Watch 3 and OnePlus Watch 2 each sport the W5 and have notably improved efficiency and battery life.
As long as you retain the aforementioned caveats in thoughts, Android customers have extra smartwatch choices than ever earlier than. I’ve rounded up my prime picks, but when none of those is the proper match, you possibly can at all times take a look at our health tracker shopping for information.
Greatest smartwatch for Samsung telephones
Sizes: 43mm, 47mm / Weight: 77g, 85g / Battery life: As much as 30 hours with AOD, 40 with out AOD / Show kind: All the time-on OLED / GPS: Constructed-in GPS / Connectivity: LTE (non-obligatory), Bluetooth, Wi-Fi / Water resistance: As much as 50 meters, IP68 / Music storage: 16GB
If in case you have a Samsung cellphone, you’ll get essentially the most mileage out of a Samsung smartwatch. And of the 4 watches Samsung has in its present lineup, I like to recommend the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Traditional. Though Samsung launched the Galaxy Watch 7 in August, there wasn’t a refresh for the Traditional. Meaning you should be seeing some good offers for the Traditional quickly, if not already. It’s not typically that I like to recommend a last-gen machine, however such is my deep love for the bodily rotating bezel.
If you need the most recent and biggest, the Galaxy Watch 7 affords an upgraded 3nm Exynos W1000 chip and a brand new 3-in-1 BioActive Sensor. It’s a marginal enchancment over the 2023 fashions, however I don’t really feel like Samsung launched something final 12 months that requires having them. It additionally has Put on OS 5 and One UI 6 Watch, although Samsung is rolling out the newer OS to older watches (together with the Galaxy Watch 6). Largely, I like to recommend the 7 if you happen to want a smaller dimension, don’t care in regards to the rotating bezel, and need one thing a smidge extra futureproof.
The Traditional’s rotating bezel is 15 % thinner than the Galaxy Watch 4 Traditional. The up to date design is sleeker than its predecessor, and the bigger show is simpler on the eyes and is simply barely larger at 43mm and 47mm. I’ve small wrists, however the 47mm was nonetheless fairly snug for on a regular basis put on. It’s launching with Put on OS 4, which provides prolonged battery life, and — lastly — cloud backups. One UI 5 Watch additionally provides some minor well being and sleep monitoring enhancements, however this may finally make its option to older fashions. Whereas I want the Traditional, the bottom Watch 6 mannequin stands out as the higher choice in order for you a smaller, lighter, sleeker, and cheaper smartwatch.
For extra outdoorsy people, the $649.99 Galaxy Watch Extremely could be the extra good selection. Of all Samsung’s watches, it has the perfect battery life, lasting round three days in our testing. (Although, we by no means acquired the complete 100-hour estimated battery life.) It’s acquired dual-frequency GPS, a brand new multisport exercise, an emergency siren, elevated sturdiness, 10ATM of water resistance, and a Fast Button, which acts as a customizable shortcut button. It’s mainly an Apple Watch Extremely for Android.
In the meantime, if you happen to’re on a funds, there’s the brand new $199.99 Galaxy Watch FE, which is actually a rebadged Galaxy Watch 4.
$379
The Good
- Longer battery life than the common Galaxy Watch
- Double pinch is beneficial
- Provides dual-frequency GPS and sleep apnea detection
- Cheaper than the Apple Watch Extremely
The Dangerous
- The place is Samsung on this?
- The squircle chonk doesn’t match small wrists
- Sleep apnea function is restricted to Galaxy telephones
- AGEs metric is baffling
The Samsung Well being app additionally delivers total health monitoring expertise, particularly since you possibly can allow turn-by-turn navigation for mountaineering and biking actions. We weren’t too impressed with nightly SpO2 readings, however Samsung’s total sleep monitoring continues to enhance. You additionally get built-in GPS, physique composition evaluation, irregular coronary heart fee notifications, fall detection, emergency SOS options, and EKGs. Most lately, Samsung added a brand new Power rating, AI-powered wellness insights, FDA-cleared sleep apnea detection, and a complicated AGEs Index metric for metabolic well being. Whereas the Power rating is broadly correct, I discovered the AI-generated options to be hit and miss and the AGEs Index to be extra gimmicky than helpful. The latter function can be restricted to the Galaxy Watch 7 and Extremely.
We don’t essentially suggest the Galaxy Watches if you happen to don’t have a Samsung cellphone. EKGs and sleep apnea detection require the Samsung Well being Monitor app, which is restricted to Samsung telephones. You’ll be able to work round it, however all Samsung watches work finest with different Samsung gadgets.
Greatest Android smartwatch for non-Samsung customers
Sizes: 41mm, 45mm / Weight: 31g for 41mm, 37g for 45mm / Battery life: Roughly 24 hours with AOD enabled / Show kind: All the time-on OLED / GPS: Constructed-in GPS / Connectivity: LTE (non-obligatory), Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Security Sign with Fitbit Premium / Water resistance: 5ATM / Music storage: 32GB
The $349.99 Google Pixel Watch 3 is finished taking part in catch-up. It’s an annoying reality that if in case you have a Samsung cellphone, a Samsung smartwatch might be the only option for you. Nonetheless, for everybody else, I extremely suggest the Pixel Watch 3.
There are a number of updates to the Pixel Watch 3, however the gist is that it’s a extra refined watch that additionally expands into new territory. One main replace is that there are actually two sizes: 41mm and 45mm. You get further display screen actual property on the bigger watch, however the bezels are additionally smaller on the 41mm mannequin. (If you happen to’re making an attempt to choose between sizes, I want the 45mm.) The shows are brighter as effectively, starting from a minimal of 1 nit to a most of two,000 nits.
Well being and health additionally get a number of updates, particularly for runners. There’s a brand new Cardio Load metric that gauges the cardiovascular depth of the workout routines you’ve been doing over a set time period. It’s much like Garmin’s Coaching Load metric. You’re additionally given a Cardio Load goal primarily based in your health targets, readiness, and present exercise. Runners additionally get a brand new dashboard stuffed with type evaluation metrics in addition to the flexibility to program customized exercises. As well as, you will get AI-generated recommended exercises. And if you happen to’re in Europe or the US, the Pixel Watch 3 can now detect if you happen to not have a pulse and name emergency companies.
The Pixel Watch 3 additionally provides a bunch of nifty Google integrations. It’s glorious if in case you have a Google-powered good house as a result of now you can instantly view and work together along with your Nest Doorbell or digicam feeds. You may also use the watch as a distant on your Google TV, and there are new Google Residence Tile / issues that make controlling your private home out of your wrist a breeze. Additionally new are offline Google Maps, the flexibility to unlock Pixel telephones, and a Name Help function that lets a caller know you want an additional minute to choose up your cellphone.
That mentioned, whereas the Pixel Watch was initially framed as a look ahead to any Android cellphone, a number of updates this time round imply you’ll get the perfect expertise with a Pixel cellphone. However in comparison with Samsung, there isn’t fairly as a lot lock-in. Well being options, for instance, can be found to everybody as long as you’ve got a Fitbit account. Additional excellent news: Google eliminated sure metrics, just like the Day by day Readiness Rating, from the Fitbit Premium paywall. Largely, the options locked to Pixel telephones are the Recorder app and issues like the flexibility to unlock your cellphone with the watch.
One factor to be aware of is sturdiness. Whereas the domed show is gorgeous, we cracked the display screen on the unique Pixel Watch and acquired deep scratches on the Pixel Watch 2. (Fortunately, we haven’t tousled the Pixel Watch 3.) Google doesn’t provide any restore choices, however you will get the Most popular Care prolonged guarantee if you wish to be ready ought to one thing occur. It’s not excellent because it’s restricted to the US and Canada, nevertheless it’s a step in the proper course.
Greatest different to Google and Samsung smartwatches
Sizes: 47mm with 22mm straps / Weight: 49g case, 80g with strap / Battery life: As much as 100 hours in good mode, 48 with AOD on, and 12 days in power-saving mode / Show kind: OLED touchscreen / GPS: Twin-frequency GPS, Beidou, GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, QZSS / Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi / Water resistance: 5ATM / Music storage: 32GB
The $299.99 OnePlus Watch 2 is what a glow-up appears to be like like. Whereas the unique OnePlus Watch was horrible, this watch helps fill the void that Fossil left when it mentioned it was pulling out of Android smartwatches — specifically, a viable different to Google and Samsung.
The 47mm case is huge for petite wrists, and sadly, it solely is available in one dimension, nevertheless it’s made from sturdy chrome steel and sapphire crystal. Plus, it homes a 500mAh battery. That, plus a dual-chip structure and novel twin OS system, ends in tremendous lengthy battery life. How lengthy a smartwatch lasts will, in fact, rely in your particular person utilization, however I acquired practically 4 days with regular use. That’s unbelievable for a flagship.
It additionally has Put on OS 4, making it the one third-party Put on OS watch working the most recent software program (Watch 2 customers may also count on to obtain OS 5 updates in Q3). It has Google Assistant from the get-go — a giant achievement since that’s been an issue with different third-party Android watches. Plus, you get entry to the Google Play Retailer for a sturdy app ecosystem. On the health facet of issues, OnePlus added dual-frequency GPS. That’s a plus if you happen to’re outdoorsy and frequent difficult GPS environments like dense forests or crowded cities.
The principle stuff you’re giving up are LTE connectivity and a few options like EKGs, atrial fibrillation detection, native interval monitoring, and fall detection. The dearth of mobile is a bummer, because it means you actually ought to preserve your cellphone on you while you’re out and about. Nonetheless, the $300 price ticket is a aggressive one and could also be definitely worth the trade-off given battery life.
That mentioned, OnePlus additionally lately introduced the OnePlus Watch 3, which may have Put on OS 5, a rotating crown that really scrolls, higher battery life, an improved GPS antenna, and a bunch of latest well being options. I’m nonetheless within the means of testing it, so keep tuned for that evaluation. (Within the meantime, right here’s my hands-on.) You may want to bear in mind, nonetheless, that the Watch 3 is $30 dearer. On the intense facet, this additionally means we’ll in all probability see reductions on the remaining OnePlus Watch 2 stock within the coming weeks.
Greatest health smartwatch for Android
$140
The Good
- Really multiday battery life
- W5 Plus chip helps to futureproof
- Good well being monitoring updates
- The ULP show has an ingenious approach of displaying coronary heart fee zones
- Digital crown!
The Dangerous
- Why so many apps??
- W5 Plus doesn’t get you an enormous efficiency bump
- No digital assistant
Sizes: 50mm with 24mm straps / Weight: 44.3g / Battery life: As much as 80 hours / Show kind: OLED touchscreen and secondary ultra-low energy show / GPS: GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, Beidou / Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi / Water resistance: 5ATM / Music storage: 32GB
Mobvoi’s TicWatch lineup has its devoted followers for a purpose: tremendous lengthy battery life. The $249.99 TicWatch Professional 5 isn’t any exception. It’s acquired an estimated 80 hours of battery life with commonplace use, a secondary ultra-low energy show, and a large (for a smartwatch you put on in your wrist, at the very least) 628mAh battery. I didn’t fairly get 80 hours in my testing, however I did get a strong 48-60 hours with heavy GPS use. That outclasses many of the watches on this class (besides the OnePlus Watch 2) and is beneficial for backpackers and endurance athletes. It may not maintain a candle to a top-of-the-line Garmin, nevertheless it’s additionally a better look ahead to a fraction of the value.
Battery life apart, the Professional 5 is an effective choice for fitness-focused individuals who aren’t eager on giving up good capabilities for a Garmin or Polar. It’s additionally extra sturdy. This time round, Mobvoi has additionally added a digital crown so that you don’t have to fret about scrolling by menus with sweaty fingers. The flatter facet button additionally reduces the danger of unintended presses.
The Professional 5 additionally has an ingenious methodology of displaying coronary heart fee. If you carry up your arm, the backlight modifications coloration relying on which coronary heart fee zone you’re in. Meaning you possibly can immediately gauge whether or not to up the depth or gradual your roll. The Professional 5 additionally provides new coaching metrics, like VO2 Max and restoration time.
The TicWatch helps stress monitoring, all-day blood oxygen monitoring, fatigue assessments, in addition to atrial fibrillation and irregular heartbeat detection. For outdoorsy varieties, it additionally has entry to a number of GNSS methods, and there’s a brand new barometer and compass app, in addition to a one-tap measurement app that provides you a fast take a look at 5 metrics (coronary heart fee, blood oxygen, stress, respiratory fee, and total coronary heart well being).
It’s additionally fairly succesful on the productiveness entrance. You get contactless funds, entry to the Play Retailer, notifications, and the flexibility to take calls. It’s additionally the one Android smartwatch accessible within the US with the most recent Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 Plus chip, which is a plus by way of futureproofing. The one main issues are the 50mm case that will not go well with smaller wrists and the dearth of a digital assistant.
And excellent news! Mobvoi introduced the rollout of Put on OS 4 in September, which means all Professional 5 gadgets ought to be working the newer working system at this level.
Sizes: 37mm with 18mm straps / Weight: 45g / Battery life: As much as 39 days / Show kind: OLED show / GPS: Tethered GPS / Connectivity: Bluetooth / Water resistance: 5ATM / Music storage: N/A
Hybrid smartwatches are a superb option to preserve issues easy and refined. The $249.95 Withings ScanWatch Mild will get you the fundamentals like push notifications, timers, and alarms. On the well being entrance, you possibly can monitor steps, sleep, menstrual cycles, and GPS exercises. (That mentioned, GPS is tethered out of your cellphone, not in-built.) The design jogs my memory of a classier Swatch, significantly if you happen to get the extra colourful choices in a minty inexperienced or pale blue. However the huge purpose the Mild has dethroned our earlier choose, the Garmin Vivomove Sport, is its extra-long battery life. Withings estimates it lasts as much as 30 days on a single cost, and I acquired fairly near that in testing with 25 days. Regardless of the Vivomove’s extra interesting $180 price ticket, it solely lasts about 5 days.
If you need a bit extra out of a hybrid, you too can go for the ScanWatch 2. It’s an additional $100, however you get EKGs and atrial fibrillation detection, temperature sensors, SpO2 readings, and an altimeter for measuring elevation. It additionally appears to be like a bit extra elegant on the wrist, partly due to a secondary dial that tracks your day by day step progress.
If neither matches your fashion, the Vivomove Sport continues to be choice that will get you entry to Garmin’s in-depth platform. Its Vivomove Pattern is a barely extra upscale choice that additionally helps Qi charging.
Greatest platform-agnostic health smartwatch
$398
The Good
- Good battery life
- Higher sleep monitoring and nap detection
- EKG and AFib options
- Can take calls and use your cellphone’s voice assistant
- Audio meditation periods performed effectively
The Dangerous
- Dear in comparison with different life-style smartwatches
- Restricted third-party app ecosystem
- No LTE functionality
Sizes: 41mm with 18mm straps; 45mm with 22mm straps / Weight: 40g for the 3S; 47g for the three / Battery life: As much as 10 days for 3S; 14 days for 3 / Show kind: OLED touchscreen / GPS: GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO / Connectivity: Bluetooth, Ant Plus, Wi-Fi / Water resistance: 5ATM / Music storage: 8GB
Garmin is finest identified for making rugged GPS watches which have glorious health options however aren’t so good in any other case. However the $449.99 Venu 3 caters to individuals who need top-notch health monitoring with out sacrificing productiveness options.
It’s acquired a colourful and vibrant always-on OLED show and is available in two sizes: 41mm and 45mm. Like its predecessor, the Venu 2 Plus, it additionally has a microphone and speaker so you possibly can take and make calls instantly from the wrist. It additionally has a intelligent workaround for digital assistants — it makes use of Bluetooth to work with no matter assistant is already in your cellphone. You’d suppose extra health trackers would do that, however they don’t. It labored effectively in testing, although digital assistants aren’t at all times the neatest at understanding instructions.
The Venu 3 doesn’t have the perfect third-party app ecosystem, nevertheless it has Spotify, Deezer, and Amazon Music for offline playback. Android customers may also ship fast responses for texts, and the watch works with both iOS or Android for people who wish to preserve their choices open. It additionally has fall detection, reside monitoring, and contactless funds.
As for well being options, it has Garmin’s newest coronary heart fee sensor, which permits its FDA-cleared EKG app to detect atrial fibrillation. In any other case, you get built-in GPS, steady coronary heart fee monitoring, the entire superior teaching options within the Garmin Join app, and Garmin’s well-known in-depth well being information. The Venu 3 additionally improves sleep monitoring with nap detection and provides audio-guided meditation periods. There’s additionally a brand new wheelchair mode.
This isn’t essentially the most hardcore Garmin that cash should buy, nevertheless it’s undoubtedly the neatest. The value is a bit excessive in comparison with most smartwatches, however by Garmin requirements, it’s middle-of-the-pack.
Greatest funds Android smartwatch
Dimension: 43mm w/ 20mm straps / Weight: 29.5g for traditional, 31.7g for premium / Battery life: As much as 10 days / Show kind: OLED touchscreen / GPS: 5 GNSS methods / Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi / Water resistance: 5ATM / Music storage: N/A
Amazfit’s made a reputation for itself making funds wearables that punch far above their weight. The $99.99 Amazfit Lively 2 isn’t any exception.
The Lively 2 is a surprisingly spiffy watch contemplating its value. The usual model has a stainless-steel case with tempered glass, and if you happen to shell out $30 further, you will get the premium mannequin with sapphire crystal and an additional leather-based strap. Usually, I don’t get compliments whereas sporting funds smartwatches, however I acquired a number of whereas sporting this one.
Whereas it doesn’t run Put on OS, its proprietary Zepp OS makes for a platform-agnostic smartwatch. Characteristic-wise, you get all of the fundamentals after which some. That features issues like steady coronary heart fee monitoring, blood oxygen fee, coronary heart fee variability, stress monitoring, alerts for abnormally excessive and low coronary heart fee, and pores and skin temperature monitoring. You additionally get offline maps with turn-by-turn navigation, 160 completely different sport exercise profiles, and a brand new energy coaching exercise that robotically tracks reps. The Lively 2 doesn’t have dual-frequency GPS, nevertheless it has the following smartest thing: entry to all 5 of the foremost GNSS satellite tv for pc methods. So far as well being monitoring goes, it additionally emphasizes fashionable metrics like a readiness rating and has a revamped sleep monitoring algorithm. Battery life is estimated at about 10 days, although as a heavy consumer, I acquired round eight to 9 in my testing.
One thing that units the Lively 2 aside at this value vary is entry to an AI assistant on wrist and AI chatbots inside the Zepp app. The Zepp Movement assistant (on wrist) is somewhat finicky, however you should use it to manage your watch’s on-device settings and primary queries like asking for the climate. The Zepp Aura AI bot prices an additional $77 yearly, and you may ask it to ship insights into your readiness and sleep scores. I discovered it hit and miss, however at the very least it’s well-integrated into the app, snappy, and most significantly, non-obligatory. Extra helpful is the Zepp Coach, which you should use to generate customized coaching plans.
All in all, I don’t have a lot to gripe about this watch, which is wild given how reasonably priced it’s. It definitely delivers an outsized bang on your buck. Simply be sure to wipe off any sweaty fingers, since its touchscreen doesn’t deal with them effectively.
Replace, April sixth: Adjusted pricing/availability, added a number of associated hyperlinks, and up to date the copy to mirror that Google’s Lack of Pulse Detection function is now accessible within the US, in addition to Europe.