Best Smartwatches
Best Smartwatch for Women
Best Smartwatch for Men
Best Smartwatch for Fitness
Best Smartwatch for Kids
The must-haves for smartwatches
Compatibility
You need to be sure to pick a smartwatch that is compatible with your phone type. For example, Apple Watches only work with iPhones, while smartwatches made by Samsung, Garmin, or Fitbit are compatible with Android and iOS via an app you have to download.
Battery life
Smartwatches have been notorious for lacking in battery life in past years, but thankfully some work has been done recently to improve this.
Your average smartwatch doesn’t usually last more than 1-2 days, with new models of Apple Watches and most Wear OS devices lasting two full days. Some devices can last even longer, but they usually have fewer features and lower-quality displays.
A few smartwatches also support faster charging, sometimes called “lightning charging” or using a “lightning cable”. Depending on the model you have, you may be able to use these chargers to get full charge in less than 90 minutes. So even if you lose power quicker than you’d like, at least you can charge it back up reasonably quick.
Features/Apps
Depending on the model, every smartwatch comes with preloaded apps and features and there are hundreds or thousands of other apps to choose from for download.
Activity and fitness tracking is one of the most popular apps that comes pre-downloaded on a variety of smartwatch devices. They can measure a range of health and fitness metrics, from the number of daily steps you take, your heart rate, different sport or fitness activities (running, yoga, swimming, etc), sleep patterns, and even stress levels.
Most smartwatches let you play and control music through their interface, whether its touchscreen or toggle, making it easy to flip through songs without taking out your phone. Some models even let you download and store a certain number of songs, so you don’t even need to have your phone on you in order to listen.
Communication has gotten easier by using smartwatches since some models come with text and call capabilities using Wi-Fi. Alerts can conveniently be delivered to your smartwatch to let you quickly check if you absolutely need to answer or if it can wait, without the hassle or rudeness of pulling out your phone (especially when in a meeting or at lunch with a friend). Some devices let you send short text replies directly from your wrist or even let you answer calls, and those that have built-in LTE cellular connection let you send texts and make calls even when your phone is off or not with you.
Another popular feature is having NFC technology that lets you pay for things using your smartwatch. Set-up is easy — just save your credit or debit card info into your watch — and you can start paying by holding your smartwatch up to an NFC reader (most places have them now, but not all so keep that in mind). Also remember that different devices come with different payment systems. For example, Apple Watches use Apple Pay, Samsung uses Samsung Pay, Fitbit uses Fitbit Pay, and so on and so forth. Not every payment system will be supported by every reader.
Best Smartwatch for Women
The Apple Watch SE is one of the best smartwatches on the market, but only if you have an iPhone. It essentially does everything that the Apple Watch 6 can do, at a much lower price. It comes with a great range of features — built-in LTE for any time texts and calls, emergency SOS and fall detection, easy access to Siri, tons of health or fitness tracking — and a high quality retina display and overall design. You can easily change the band and display face for unique personalization that’s totally your own!
Best Smartwatch for Men
Fits wrists with a circumference of 125-190 millimeter
See everything clearly on a bright color display that includes an always-on mode, perfect for quick glances
Health is important to you, so monitor everything from your Body Battery energy levels, respiration, hydration and stress to sleep, your menstrual cycle, estimated heart rate and more
Find new ways to keep moving with more than 20 preloaded sports apps, including walking, running, cycling, mindful breathing, swimming, golf and many more
Use preloaded workouts that include cardio, yoga, strength and even Pilates, create your own in the Garmin Connect app (requires app on a compatible smartphone)
Never miss a call, text or social media alert with smart notifications delivered right to your wrist (when paired with a compatible smartphone)
Leave your cash and cards at home; Garmin Pay contactless payments (with a supported payment network) let you pay for purchases on the go
Best Smartwatch for Fitness
The Fitbit Versa 2 is a great option for anyone with an iPhone or Android, especially people who want to focus on fitness features. It uses Amazon Alexa to gather all news, check the weather, set timers and alarms, and much more by using voice activation. It also controls your Spotify or Pandora apps and you get texts, calls, and other smartphone apps if your phone is nearby and you’re on WiFi or Bluetooth. The fitness features are top-quality (daily steps, distance, calories burned, floors climbed, etc) and the larger display gives this smartwatch an upper hand.
Best Smartwatch for Kids
The VTech KidiZoom is a stylish smartwatch perfectly designed for kids. The touchscreen and multi-function buttons are easy for kids to use, plus there’s a camera to take photos and add fun filters to them. It includes a pedometer and a motion sensor for game challenges, encouraging kids to play and stay active. Parents don’t have to worry thanks to the waterproof, durable design and kids will love that they can customize the watch face with over 50 options.
FAQ about smartwatches
What’s the best charger for my smartwatch?
This is highly dependent on the model you bought. Most have a USB charging port, some have a magnetic cable, while others are compatible for wireless charging. Be sure to check with the manufacturer when you buy it to check.
Does a smartwatch need a SIM card like a phone?
Most of today’s smartwatches don’t need a sim card — they connect to your smartphone using WiFi, bluetooth, or built-in LTE cell service to get app information from. If you’re curious if your smartwatch model needs a SIM card, check with the manufacturer.
Can a smartwatch work without a phone?
A smartwatch will never replace a phone. But technically, it can work without one if it offers built-in LTE cell connection. A range of models, like most recent Apple watch and Samsung watch versions, offer cellular connectivity at an extra cost and allow the smartwatch to function on its own. The downsides are that you have to pay for it (literally) with your provider and the LTE will drain the battery even faster.