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 — with extra on the way in which quickly.
Very similar to Android telephones, this market is fragmented. Wear OS 5 is right here for Samsung’s Galaxy Watches, Google’s Pixel Watch 3, and shortly, the OnePlus Watch 3 when it lastly ships later this month after a typo debacle all the way in which again in February. A number of of those smartwatches will assist Wear OS 6 when it’s launched later this yr, though some might get left behind.
What we’re searching for
Smartwatches are meant that can assist you hold observe 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 towards long-term management units for coronary heart charge, 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 totally different telephone makers (i.e., do all of the Galaxy Watch options work if in case you have a Pixel telephone?) Some elements 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Android smartwatches have lengthy been foiled by outdated processors.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 below 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 you must purchase a brand new watch should you swap telephones?
Today, most wearables are succesful health trackers. Nonetheless, they’re not all able to controlling your sensible residence, contactless funds, or interacting with digital assistants.
Is that this system more likely to final you some time, or will you should improve ahead of you’d like? How communicative is the OEM about forthcoming modifications?
Are you able to get by means of the day with out reaching for a charger? If not, does it assist fast charging?
For those who’d quite wait till Put on OS settles down a bit, there are platform-agnostic smartwatches and health watches you should buy within the meantime. In any other case, you’ll need to concentrate on the Put on OS model powering your watch. Mobvoi, as an illustration, has usually been a step behind Google and Samsung in rolling out the digital currency model of Put on OS. You also needs to be aware of whether or not the watch you need is utilizing the digital currency processor, or a last-gen mannequin.
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 high picks, but when none of those is the fitting match, you’ll be able to at all times take a look at our fitness tracker buying guide.
Finest smartwatch for Samsung telephones
Sizes: 43mm, 47mm / Weight: 77g, 85g / Battery life: As much as 30 hours with AOD, 40 with out AOD / Show sort: 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
When you’ve got a Samsung telephone, 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 final July, there wasn’t a refresh for the Traditional. Meaning you must be seeing some good offers for the Traditional quickly, if not already. It’s not typically that I like to recommend a last-gen system, however such is my deep love for the bodily rotating bezel. For what it’s value, Android Central reports that that Samsung’s leaked Put on OS 6 plans embrace late 2025 updates for the Galaxy Watch 6 Traditional, in addition to the Galaxy Watch 7, Galaxy Watch Extremely, and Galaxy Watch FE.
If you need the digital currency 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 yr that requires having them. Largely, I like to recommend the 7 should you desire a smaller dimension, don’t care in regards to the rotating bezel, and wish one thing a smidge extra futureproof.
The Traditional’s rotating bezel is 15 p.c thinner than the Galaxy Watch 4 Traditional. The up to date design is sleeker than its predecessor, and the bigger show is less complicated 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 launched with Put on OS 4, however at the moment runs on Put on OS 5, which launched better battery life, and extra helpful watch face issues. Whereas I desire the Traditional, the bottom Watch 6 mannequin would be the higher possibility in order for you a smaller, lighter, sleeker, and cheaper smartwatch.
For extra outdoorsy people, the $649.99 Galaxy Watch Ultra is likely to be the extra good choice. Of all Samsung’s watches, it has the most effective battery life, lasting round three days in our testing. (Although, we by no means bought the complete 100-hour estimated battery life.) It’s bought 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 principally an Apple Watch Extremely for Android.
In the meantime, should you’re on a funds, there’s the $199.99 Galaxy Watch FE, which is basically a rebadged Galaxy Watch 4.
$650
The Good
- Longer battery life than the common Galaxy Watch
- Double pinch is helpful
- Provides dual-frequency GPS and sleep apnea detection
- Cheaper than the Apple Watch Extremely
The Unhealthy
- The place is Samsung on this?
- The squircle chonk doesn’t match small wrists
- Sleep apnea function is proscribed to Galaxy telephones
- AGEs metric is baffling
The Samsung Well being app additionally delivers an excellent total health monitoring expertise, particularly since you’ll be able to allow turn-by-turn navigation for climbing 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 charge notifications, fall detection, emergency SOS options, and EKGs. Most not too long ago, Samsung added a brand new Vitality rating, AI-powered wellness insights, FDA-cleared sleep apnea detection, and a complicated AGEs Index metric for metabolic well being. Whereas the Vitality 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 advocate the Galaxy Watches should you don’t have a Samsung telephone. EKGs and sleep apnea detection require the Samsung Well being Monitor app, which is proscribed to Samsung telephones. You possibly can work round it, however all Samsung watches work greatest with different Samsung units. Samsung announced a Galaxy Unpacked occasion on July ninth, and it might introduce new Galaxy Watches together with its rumored foldable telephones.
Finest 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 sort: 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 completed enjoying catch-up. It’s an annoying reality that if in case you have a Samsung telephone, a Samsung smartwatch might be the only option for you. Nonetheless, for everybody else, I extremely advocate 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. (For those who’re making an attempt to select between sizes, I desire 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 frame. 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 filled with type evaluation metrics in addition to the power to program customized exercises. As well as, you will get AI-generated urged exercises. And should you’re in Europe or the US, the Pixel Watch 3 can now detect should you no longer have a pulse and name emergency providers.
The Pixel Watch 3 additionally provides a bunch of nifty Google integrations. It’s wonderful if in case you have a Google-powered sensible residence as a result of now you can immediately view and work together together with your Nest Doorbell or digital camera feeds. You can too use the watch as a distant to your Google TV, and there are new Google House Tile / issues that make controlling your house out of your wrist a breeze. Additionally new are offline Google Maps, the power to unlock Pixel telephones, and a Name Help function that lets a caller know you want an additional minute to select up your telephone. A current software update introduced exact Bluetooth monitoring to the system, so you will discover it with “centimeter-level accuracy” with a tool that helps Bluetooth 6.0. Google has dedicated to offering the Pixel Watch 3 with at least three years of software program updates, the subsequent of which incorporates Put on OS 6 later this yr.
That mentioned, whereas the Pixel Watch was initially framed as a look ahead to any Android telephone, a number of updates this time round imply you’ll get the most effective expertise with a Pixel telephone. 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 could have a Fitbit account. Further excellent news: Google eliminated sure metrics, just like the Each day Readiness Rating, from the Fitbit Premium paywall. Largely, the options locked to Pixel telephones are the Recorder app and issues like the power to unlock your telephone with the watch.
One factor to be conscious of is sturdiness. Whereas the domed show is gorgeous, we cracked the display screen on the unique Pixel Watch and bought 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 well-liked Care prolonged guarantee if you wish to be ready ought to one thing occur. It’s not preferrred because it’s restricted to the US and Canada, however it’s a step in the fitting route.
In case you’re questioning if a Pixel Watch 4 will come out, it’s probably. As for when, we don’t know. Google hasn’t formally introduced a brand new smartwatch, and it was absent from this year’s I/O developer conference, however it’s value contemplating that this watch will in all probability get a follow-up within the coming months.
Finest various to Google and Samsung smartwatches
Sizes: 47mm with 22mm straps / Weight: 49g case, 80g with strap / Battery life: As much as 100 hours in sensible mode, 48 with AOD on, and 12 days in power-saving mode / Show sort: 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 — particularly, a viable various to Google and Samsung.
The 47mm case is huge for petite wrists, and sadly, it solely is available in one dimension, however it’s made from sturdy stainless-steel and sapphire crystal. Plus, it homes a 500mAh battery. That, plus a dual-chip structure and novel dual OS system, leads to tremendous lengthy battery life. How lengthy a smartwatch lasts will, in fact, rely in your particular person utilization, however I bought almost 4 days with regular use. That’s unimaginable for a flagship.
It additionally has Put on OS 4, making it the one third-party Put on OS watch working the digital currency software program (Watch 2 customers might receive Put on OS 5 updates earlier than September). 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 aspect of issues, OnePlus added dual-frequency GPS. That’s a plus should you’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 shortage of mobile is a bummer, because it means you actually ought to hold your telephone on you once you’re out and about. Nonetheless, the $300 price ticket is a aggressive one and could also be well worth the trade-off given battery life.
That mentioned, the OnePlus Watch 3 will ship with Put on OS 5, and can function a rotating crown that really scrolls, improved battery life, a greater GPS antenna, and a bunch of recent well being options. That mannequin will debut in early July. (Within the meantime, here’s my hands-on.) You may want to bear in mind, nonetheless, that the Watch 3 is $50 costlier. On the intense aspect, this additionally means we’ll in all probability see reductions on the remaining OnePlus Watch 2 stock.
Finest health smartwatch for Android
$130
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 charge zones
- Digital crown!
The Unhealthy
- 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 sort: 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 motive: tremendous lengthy battery life. The $349.99 TicWatch Professional 5 is not any exception. It’s bought an estimated 80 hours of battery life with customary use, a secondary ultra-low energy show, and an enormous (for a smartwatch you put on in your wrist, a minimum of) 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 a lot of the watches on this class (besides the OnePlus Watch 2) and is helpful for backpackers and endurance athletes. It may not maintain a candle to a top-of-the-line Garmin, however it’s additionally a wiser look ahead to a fraction of the value.
Battery life apart, the Professional 5 is an effective possibility for fitness-focused individuals who aren’t eager on giving up sensible 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 means of menus with sweaty fingers. The flatter aspect button additionally reduces the chance of unintended presses.
The Professional 5 additionally has an ingenious methodology of displaying coronary heart charge. While you elevate up your arm, the backlight modifications shade relying on which coronary heart charge zone you’re in. Meaning you’ll be able to immediately gauge whether or not to up the depth or sluggish 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 sorts, 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 offers you a fast take a look at 5 metrics (coronary heart charge, blood oxygen, stress, respiratory charge, 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 power to take calls. It runs on W5 Plus chip, which is a extra highly effective model of the chip contained in the Google Pixel 3 and OnePlus Watch 2. This can be a plus when it comes to {hardware} futureproofing. Nonetheless, the watch obtained an update to Wear OS 4 over a yr after its launch, and has not commented on whether or not it’s going to assist Put on OS 5, a lot much less Put on OS 6. Two different main issues are the 50mm case that won’t swimsuit smaller wrists and the dearth of a digital assistant.
The Professional 5 has additionally seen a gradual value drop because the begin of the yr, and it’s repeatedly accessible for below $150.
Sizes: 37mm with 18mm straps / Weight: 45g / Battery life: As much as 39 days / Show sort: OLED show / GPS: Tethered GPS / Connectivity: Bluetooth / Water resistance: 5ATM / Music storage: N/A
Hybrid smartwatches are a wonderful approach to hold issues easy and refined. The $249.95 Withings ScanWatch Gentle will get you the fundamentals like push notifications, timers, and alarms. On the well being entrance, you’ll be able to observe steps, sleep, menstrual cycles, and GPS exercises. (That mentioned, GPS is tethered out of your telephone, not inbuilt.) The design jogs my memory of a classier Swatch, significantly should you get the extra colourful choices in a minty inexperienced or pale blue. However the huge motive the Gentle 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 bought 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 may as well 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 each day step progress.
If neither matches your fashion, the Vivomove Sport remains to be an excellent possibility that will get you entry to Garmin’s in-depth platform. Its Vivomove Trend is a barely extra upscale possibility that additionally helps Qi charging.
Finest platform-agnostic health smartwatch
$445
The Good
- Good battery life
- Higher sleep monitoring and nap detection
- EKG and AFib options
- Can take calls and use your telephone’s voice assistant
- Audio meditation classes completed effectively
The Unhealthy
- Expensive 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 sort: OLED touchscreen / GPS: GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO / Connectivity: Bluetooth, Ant Plus, Wi-Fi / Water resistance: 5ATM / Music storage: 8GB
Garmin is greatest recognized for making rugged GPS watches which have wonderful health options however aren’t so sensible in any other case. However the $449.99 Venu 3 caters to individuals who need top-notch fitness tracking with out sacrificing productiveness options.
It’s bought 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’ll be able to take and make calls immediately 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 telephone. 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 most effective third-party app ecosystem, however 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 folk who wish to hold their choices open. It additionally has fall detection, dwell monitoring, and contactless funds.
As for well being options, it has Garmin’s digital currency coronary heart charge sensor, which permits its FDA-cleared EKG app to detect atrial fibrillation. In any other case, you get built-in GPS, steady coronary heart charge monitoring, all the 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 classes. There’s additionally a brand new wheelchair mode.
This isn’t essentially the most hardcore Garmin that cash should purchase, however it’s undoubtedly one of many smartest. The value is a bit excessive in comparison with most smartwatches, however by Garmin requirements, it’s middle-of-the-pack. For those who want an even bigger display screen, Garmin simply launched the Venu X1, a GPS smartwatch with a 51mm show. Garmin says it may well last as long as eight days per cost, and Pulse Ox sensor, however can not take an EKG. The Venu X1 is obtainable for $749.99 at Amazon and Best Buy.
Finest funds Android smartwatch
Measurement: 43mm w/ 20mm straps / Weight: 29.5g for traditional, 31.7g for premium / Battery life: As much as 10 days / Show sort: 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 is not any exception.
The Lively 2 is a surprisingly spiffy watch contemplating its value. The usual model has a chrome steel case with tempered glass, and should you shell out $50 further, you will get the premium mannequin with sapphire crystal and an additional leather-based strap at Amazon and Amazfit. Usually, I don’t get compliments whereas carrying funds smartwatches, however I bought a number of whereas carrying 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 charge monitoring, blood oxygen charge, coronary heart charge variability, stress monitoring, alerts for abnormally excessive and low coronary heart charge, and pores and skin temperature monitoring. You additionally get offline maps with turn-by-turn navigation, 160 totally different sport exercise profiles, and a brand new power coaching exercise that robotically tracks reps. The Lively 2 doesn’t have dual-frequency GPS, however it has the subsequent 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 bought 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 throughout the Zepp app. The Zepp Movement assistant (on wrist) is a bit of finicky, however you need to use it to regulate 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 a minimum of it’s well-integrated into the app, snappy, and most significantly, non-obligatory. Extra helpful is the Zepp Coach, which you need to 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 inexpensive it’s. It definitely delivers an outsized bang to your buck. Simply be sure to wipe off any sweaty fingers, since its touchscreen doesn’t deal with them effectively.
Replace, July 1st: Adjusted pricing/availability, and up to date the copy to mirror current happenings within the house. Brandt Ranj additionally contributed to this publish.