The most effective smartwatches for 2025

Smartwatches do extra than simply monitor your steps and ship telephone alerts to your wrist. The most effective smartwatches go even additional, supplying you with the power to pay for a cup of espresso, take calls and hook up with apps like Spotify all with out whipping out your smartphone.

Likelihood is, for those who’re studying this, you already know the entire advantages of a smartwatch. You’re prepared to speculate, or improve from an growing old accent, however we wouldn’t blame you for those who for those who didn’t know the place to start out. There are dozens of smartwatches out there now, together with GPS running watches, fitness trackers that appear to be smartwatches and multi-purpose units. Plus, you’ll wish to take into account components like sturdiness, battery life and working system earlier than you spend some huge cash on a brand new wearable. We’ve examined and reviewed most main smartwatches out there right now and these are our prime picks.

Desk of contents

Greatest smartwatches of 2025

Google / Engadget

Tracks: Sleep, exercise, energy, stress | Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Mobile (elective) | GPS: Sure, inbuilt | Water-resistant: Sure | Assistant assist: Google Assistant | Show: All the time-on Actua touchscreen | Weight: 31 grams | Battery life: 24 hours

Learn our full Google Pixel Watch 3 review

It solely took three iterations, however Google lastly received it proper with the Pixel Watch 3. It’s probably the most totally realized Pixel Watch but, and one which any Android fan would get a variety of use out of. The most recent mannequin, which now is available in 41mm and 45mm sizes, has a barely bigger round show that’s brighter than ever and may attain as much as a 60Hz refresh price. It will possibly additionally drop down to only 1 nit of brightness once you’re sporting it to sleep, which not solely makes for a greater expertise general, but additionally contributes to its longer battery life. You’ll stand up to 24 hours out of the Pixel Watch 3, which is a giant enchancment over the earlier era and extra in step with competing units from Apple and Samsung.

The Pixel Watch 3 can be a terrific exercise monitoring system, with options like auto exercise detection and customized working plans, plus the power to trace metrics like Cardio Load. There’s Fitbit smarts in right here, similar to in earlier Pixel Watches, so that you’re coated on the subject of every day exercises, steps, sleep and extra. The one draw back to that is that for those who’re excited by extra in-depth teaching, these options are hidden behind the Fitbit Premium paywall.

Whereas Put on OS 5 might use a bit extra polish, the mixing with the Google Assistant on the Pixel Watch 3 is useful so you should use voice instructions to examine on issues like climate forecasts, calendar alerts, map instructions and extra. We additionally recognize the addition of quicker charging on the Pixel Watch 3, so you possibly can go from 0 to 100 in a bit much less time than earlier than. That’ll come in useful for those who’re actually eager on utilizing the watch as a sleep tracker. General, the enhancements Google made on this version of the Pixel Watch helped push it over the sting as a worthy competitor to the Apple Watch and a prime decide for Android customers in search of their subsequent wearable.

$350 at Amazon

Picture by Valentina Palladino / Engadget

Tracks: Sleep, exercise, energy, stress, dozens of exercises | Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, ANT+ | GPS: Sure, inbuilt | Water-resistant: Sure | Assistant assist: None | Show: 1.2-inch AMOLED with elective always-on mode | Weight: 39 grams | Battery life: 11 days in smartwatch mode, 19 hours in GPS mode

Garmin is understood for its prowess on the planet of health watches and the Garmin Forerunner 165 is the watch I examined that I wished to put on probably the most once I went out for a run. The experience of the Forerunner line is within the identify, and Garmin actually excels at making complete but pleasant GPS running watches in flavors that can go well with every kind of athletes, from newbie to professional. The Forerunner 165 stands out with its light-weight design, vivid AMOLED touchscreen, easy button controls, correct built-in GPS and its means to trace exercise stats simply in addition to all-day exercise information.

Beginning a run with the Forerunner 165 is as simple as urgent a single button — the top-right button on the case actually has “run” embossed onto it, and it takes you to the exercise profile menu the place you possibly can select the train you wish to monitor. Run is the primary choice, however you’ve got greater than 25 profiles to select from together with monitor run, treadmill, stroll, energy, swim and extra. When working exterior, the GPS took a median of 15-20 seconds to lock onto my location, however you don’t have to attend for it to take action — press the run button once more to start and the GPS will catch up by itself.

The Forerunner expertise has benefited tremendously from the continual enchancment of the Garmin Join cell app. The beforehand clunky, complicated app has been properly refined in an effort to customise its homepage the exercise and exercise stats you care about probably the most, together with issues like Physique Battery, Sleep Rating, menstrual cycle data and extra. It’s simple to dive into your most just lately tracked exercise and get within the weeds with tempo, cadence, coaching impact (cardio or anaerobic), energy and stamina stats.

Garmin places the battery lifetime of the Forerunner 165 at 11 days in smartwatch mode, and I discovered that to be largely correct even with a handful of GPS-tracked runs thrown in. The corporate claims you’ll stand up to 19 hours of battery life with steady GPS use, which needs to be sufficient for many runners and athletes competing in long-haul races. You may also get the 165 with music storage inbuilt or not, with the previous permitting you to retailer music regionally on the watch so you possibly can hear with a pair of Bluetooth headphones.

The Garmin Forerunner 165 will set you again $250 with out music storage, or $300 for the mannequin with music storage inbuilt. That’s on the decrease finish of the worth spectrum for GPS working watches; you could possibly simply spend $500 or extra for those who’re not sure about what you want and what’s simply additional fluff. Whereas Garmin does have just a few cheaper units, the Forerunner 165 strikes the fitting stability of function set and value that can enchantment to seasoned runners and people who are simply diving right into a extra regimented working routine.

$250 at Garmin

Trendy smartwatches: Fossil and extra

Sure, there are nonetheless firms on the market attempting to make “trendy” hybrid smartwatches. Again when wearables had been novel and customarily ugly, manufacturers like Fossil, Michael Kors and Skagen discovered their area of interest in trendy smartwatches that took cues from analog timepieces. You even have the choice to choose up a “hybrid” smartwatch from firms like Withings and Garmin – these units appear to be basic wrist watches however incorporate some restricted performance like exercise monitoring and coronary heart price monitoring. They continue to be good choices for those who favor that look, however fortunately, wearables made by Apple, Samsung, Fitbit and others have gotten way more engaging over the previous few years.

Finally, the one factor you possibly can’t change after you purchase a smartwatch is its case design. Should you’re not into the Apple Watch’s squared-off corners, all of Samsung’s smartwatches have spherical instances that look slightly extra like a conventional watch. Most wearables are provided in a selection of colours and you may pay additional for premium supplies like chrome steel for additional sturdiness. When you resolve on a case, your band choices are limitless – there are dozens of first- and third-party watch straps out there for many main smartwatches, and for each bigger and smaller wrists, permitting you to vary up your look everytime you please.

Elements to think about earlier than shopping for a smartwatch

Compatibility

Apple Watches solely work with iPhones, whereas Put on OS units play good with each iOS and Android telephones. Smartwatches made by Samsung, Garmin, Fitbit and others are additionally appropriate with Android and iOS, however you’ll want to put in a companion app in your smartphone.

The smartwatch OS may also dictate the sort and variety of third-party apps you’ll have entry to. Many of those aren’t helpful, although, making this issue a reasonably minor one within the grand scheme of issues.

Worth

The most effective smartwatches typically price between $300 and $400. In comparison with finances smartwatches, which price between $100 and $250, these pricier units have superior working techniques, communications, music and health options. Additionally they usually embrace perks like onboard GPS monitoring, music storage and NFC, AMOLED shows, and lengthy battery life, issues that finances units typically don’t have.

Some firms make specialised health watches: These can simply run north of $500, and we’d solely suggest them to severe athletes. Luxurious smartwatches from manufacturers like TAG Heuer and Hublot can even attain sky-high costs, however we wouldn’t endorse any of them. These units can price greater than $1,000, and also you’re often paying for little greater than a model identify and a few needlessly unique number of construct supplies.

Battery life

Battery life stays one in every of our largest complaints about smartwatches, however there’s hope as of late. You may anticipate two full days from Apple Watches and most Put on OS units. Watches utilizing the Snapdragon Put on 3100 processor assist prolonged battery modes that promise as much as 5 days of battery life on a cost — for those who’re keen to close off most options except for, you already know, displaying the time. Different fashions can final 5 to seven days, however they often have fewer options and lower-quality shows. In the meantime, some health watches can final weeks on a single cost. If lengthy battery life is a precedence for you, it’s price testing the watch’s specs beforehand to see what the producer estimates.

Communication

Any smartwatch price contemplating delivers name, textual content and app notifications to your wrist. Name and textual content alerts are self explanatory, but when these imply rather a lot to you, take into account a watch with LTE. They’re dearer than their WiFi-only counterparts, however mobile connectivity permits the smartwatch to take and obtain telephone calls, and do the identical with textual content messages, with out your system close by. So far as app alerts go, getting them delivered to your wrist will allow you to look right down to the watch face and see for those who completely have to examine your telephone proper now.

Health monitoring

Exercise monitoring is a giant purpose why folks flip to smartwatches. An all-purpose timepiece ought to perform as a health tracker, logging your steps, energy and exercises, and most of right now’s wearables have a coronary heart price monitor as properly.

Many smartwatches’ health options embrace a built-in GPS, which is beneficial for monitoring distance for runs and bike rides. Swimmers will need one thing water-resistant, and fortunately most all-purpose units now can face up to not less than a dunk within the pool. Some smartwatches from firms like Garmin are more fitness focused than others and have a tendency to supply extra superior options like heart-rate-variance monitoring, restoration time estimation, onboard maps and extra.

Well being monitoring on smartwatches has additionally seen advances through the years. Each Apple and Fitbit units can estimate blood oxygen ranges and measure ECGs. However the extra reasonably priced the smartwatch, the much less possible it’s that it has these sorts of superior well being monitoring options; if gathering these sorts of wellness metrics is necessary to you, you’ll should pay for the privilege.

Music

Your watch cannot solely monitor your morning runs but additionally play music when you’re exercising. Many smartwatches allow you to save your music regionally, so you possibly can join wi-fi earbuds by way of Bluetooth and hearken to tunes with out bringing your telephone. Those who don’t have onboard storage for music often have on-watch music controls, so you possibly can management playback with out whipping out your telephone. And in case your watch has LTE, native saving isn’t required — you’ll be capable of stream music straight from the watch to your paired earbuds.

Shows

Most wearables have touchscreens and we suggest getting one which has a full-color touchscreen. Some flagships just like the Apple Watch have LTPO shows, which stands for low-temperature polycrystalline oxide. These panels have quicker response occasions and are extra energy environment friendly, leading to a smoother expertise when one interacts with the touchscreen and, in some instances, longer battery lives.

You gained’t see important features with the latter, although, as a result of the additional battery basically will get used up when these units have always-on shows, as most flagship wearables do right now. Some smartwatches have this function on by default whereas others allow you to allow it by way of tweaked settings. This sensible function lets you look down at your watch to examine the time, well being stats or every other data you’ve set it to indicate on its watchface with out lifting your wrist. This may little doubt have an effect on your system’s battery life, however fortunately most always-on modes dim the show’s brightness so it’s not working at its peak unnecessarily. Cheaper units gained’t have this function; as a substitute, their touchscreens will routinely flip off to preserve battery life and also you’ll should deliberately examine your watch to activate the show once more.

NFC

Many new smartwatches have NFC, letting you pay for issues with out your pockets utilizing contactless funds. After saving your credit score or debit card data, you possibly can maintain your smartwatch as much as an NFC reader to pay for a cup of espresso in your approach house from a run. Take into account that totally different watches use totally different fee techniques: Apple Watches use Apple Pay, Put on OS units use Google Pay, Samsung units use Samsung Pay and so forth.

Apple Pay is among the hottest NFC fee techniques, with assist for multiple banks and credit cards in 72 totally different nations, whereas Samsung and Google Pay work in fewer areas. It’s additionally necessary to notice that each NFC fee assist varies by system as properly for each Samsung and Google’s techniques.

Different smartwatches our consultants examined

Apple Watch Extremely 2

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 might be overkill for most individuals, however it has a ton of additional options like additional waterproofing to trace diving, an much more correct GPS and the most important battery of any Apple Watch to this point. Apple designed it for probably the most rugged amongst us, however in your common particular person, it possible has extra options than they’d ever want. Should you’re notably clumsy, nonetheless, its excessive stage of sturdiness could possibly be a terrific purpose to think about the Apple Watch Extremely 2.

Apple Watch SE

The Apple Watch SE is much less feature-rich than the flagship mannequin, however it is going to in all probability suffice for most individuals. We really regard the Watch SE as the most effective smartwatch choice for first-time consumers, or folks on stricter budgets. You’ll get all of the core Apple Watch options in addition to issues like fall and crash detection, noise monitoring and Emergency SOS, however you’ll should do with out extra superior {hardware} perks like an always-on show, a blood oxygen sensor, an ECG monitor and a pores and skin temperature sensor.

Garmin Forerunner 745

Garmin watches basically might be nice choices for probably the most lively amongst us. The Garmin Forerunner 745 is a superb GPS running watch for severe athletes or those that prize battery life above all else. After we examined it, we discovered it to offer correct distance monitoring, a killer 16-hour battery life with GPS turned on (as much as seven days with out it) and assist for onboard music storage and Garmin Pay.

Amazfit Bip 6

The Amazfit Bip 6, an $80 smartwatch from Zepp Well being, didn’t fairly make the reduce. As a health tracker, it’s respectable, however it’s a irritating smartwatch. For exercises, the built-in GPS tracks runs and rides with out your telephone and, mixed with the guts price and blood oxygen sensors, collects an excellent quantity of knowledge to create correct photos of your exertion ranges, cadence and tempo. It’s remarkably light-weight however doesn’t really feel low-cost and the AMOLED display is vivid and sharp. It’s not an always-on show, however lifting your wrist wakes it reliably.

The sleep monitoring information is on par with what we measured on different smartwatches and there’s even a every day readiness rating that compares your sleep high quality and the day prior to this’s exertion to estimate how bodily ready you’re for the day forward — much like what Pixel Watches, Fitbit units and Garmin watches provide. And for the reason that watch battery lasts for over every week on a cost, it’s possible you’ll be much more apt to put on it to mattress than a watch it’s important to cost every day.

We weren’t anticipating an $80 system to be a severe Apple Watch challenger, however the Bip 6’s glitches and overly sophisticated interface (each on the app and on the watch itself) had been disappointing. Throughout every week of testing, I received a number of repeated notifications, even after they had been deleted, together with solutions to face once I was actively doing chores round the home. The watch faces should not customizable, so it was arduous to get the data I wanted at a look (the Zepp app has a lot of paid watch faces which will have what I wished, however I didn’t wish to pay $3 for one thing that’s free elsewhere).

Advertising and marketing particulars state that the Bip 6 can auto-detect exercises, together with strolling and bike using. Throughout testing, I walked a few times per day for over one mile and went on two bike rides, however no exercise was ever detected. The watch integrates with Apple Well being, so I used to be capable of see the way it compares to the info my Apple Watch gathers. After every week of sporting the Bip 6, with no modifications to my every day routine, I averaged 400 fewer energy burned and a couple of.4 fewer miles tracked every day. That was probably the most important disappointment of all. — Amy Skorheim, Senior Reporter

Smartwatch FAQs

Is there a distinction between a smartwatch and a health tracker?

Whereas smartwatches and health trackers share some similarities, they’re designed for barely totally different functions.

A health tracker is primarily centered on well being and exercise monitoring. It retains tabs in your steps, coronary heart price, sleep and exercises, and a few even provide superior metrics like blood oxygen ranges and stress monitoring. Health trackers are typically extra compact, have longer battery life and are constructed with exercise in thoughts.

A smartwatch, then again, is sort of a mini smartphone in your wrist. It affords health monitoring options, but additionally enables you to do issues like reply to texts, take calls, use apps and management sensible house units. Many smartwatches assist voice assistants, cell funds and even LTE connectivity, so you possibly can go away your telephone behind in some instances.

Should you primarily need well being and exercise monitoring with lengthy battery life, a health tracker is the way in which to go. In order for you a extra linked expertise with additional options, a smartwatch is the higher selection.

How lengthy do smartwatches final?

How lengthy a smartwatch lasts largely will depend on two issues: battery life and general sturdiness.

Smartwatch battery life varies rather a lot relying on the model, options and the way you employ it. Fundamental fashions with e-ink shows or monochrome screens can final every week or extra, whereas full-featured smartwatches just like the Apple Watch or Samsung Galaxy Watch often want a cost every single day or two. Should you’re utilizing options like always-on show, GPS monitoring or LTE connectivity, anticipate the battery to empty quicker.

Bodily, an excellent smartwatch ought to final a number of years earlier than that you must improve. Premium fashions with scratch-resistant glass, water resistance and powerful construct supplies have a tendency to carry up properly over time. Nonetheless, software program assist issues too — manufacturers like Apple and Samsung sometimes present updates for not less than just a few years, whereas some finances smartwatches could not get long-term software program assist.

You may anticipate to cost most smartwatches every day or each few days, and for those who deal with them, they need to final 3-5 years earlier than an improve is critical.

How a lot must you spend on a smartwatch?

How a lot you must spend on a smartwatch will depend on what options you want and the way usually you intend to make use of it.

Should you simply need the fundamentals — step monitoring, notifications, coronary heart price monitoring and fundamental health monitoring — you could find some stable budget-friendly choices from manufacturers like Amazfit, Fitbit and a few Put on OS fashions. These often have respectable battery life however could lack premium options like LTE, superior well being monitoring or third-party apps.

Within the mid-range smartwatch value bracket, you’ll discover well-liked fashions just like the Apple Watch SE and Fitbit Versa sequence. These provide an excellent mixture of health monitoring, sensible options and design high quality. You’ll get higher construct supplies, extra correct sensors and app assist, however battery life may nonetheless be restricted to a day or two.

Excessive-end smartwatches just like the Apple Watch Extremely, Samsung Galaxy Watch Extremely and Garmin Fenix/Epix sequence provide superior well being monitoring, rugged designs, LTE connectivity and longer software program assist. These are nice for severe athletes, outside adventurers, or anybody who needs the most recent and best options.

Should you simply desire a easy smartwatch for notifications and health monitoring, a finances or mid-range mannequin will do the job. However if you’d like a premium really feel, superior well being monitoring or LTE connectivity, it’s price spending a bit extra. For most individuals, $200 – $350 hits the most effective stability of options and worth.

Do all smartwatches have GPS?

Not all smartwatches have built-in GPS. Some depend on your telephone’s GPS, whereas others have it built-in for unbiased monitoring.

Excessive-end and fitness-focused smartwatches, just like the Apple Watch, Samsung Galaxy Watch and Garmin fashions have their very own built-in GPS. This implies they’ll monitor your runs, walks, bike rides and hikes with no need to be linked to your telephone. It’s vital for severe athletes or anybody who needs correct location monitoring with out carrying a telephone.

Some finances and mid-range smartwatches (like some Fitbit and Amazfit fashions) don’t have built-in GPS however can use your telephone’s GPS when linked by way of Bluetooth. This works superb for those who often carry your telephone whereas understanding, however it’s much less handy for those who favor to go away it behind.

Some very fundamental or finances smartwatches skip GPS totally and rely solely on step monitoring or movement sensors. These are superb for informal customers who don’t want location monitoring.

Can you allow your telephone at house and nonetheless use a smartwatch?

Sure, however it will depend on the smartwatch and what you wish to do with out your telephone.

In case your smartwatch has LTE or mobile connectivity , you can also make calls, ship texts, stream music, use maps and even entry apps with out your telephone close by. Nonetheless, you’ll want a separate information plan out of your service, which often comes with an additional month-to-month price.

Even with out LTE, some smartwatches can nonetheless do loads on their very own, together with monitor exercises and GPS routes (if they’ve built-in GPS), play music offline (in the event that they assist downloads from Spotify or Apple Music), could contactless funds with options like Apple Pay and Google Pockets and management sensible house units.

If going phone-free is necessary to you, search for a smartwatch with LTE and built-in GPS for the most effective expertise.

Can a smartwatch make calls and not using a telephone?

Sure, a smartwatch could make calls and not using a telephone — however provided that it has the fitting options.

Some smartwatches have built-in LTE connectivity, that means they’ll work independently out of your telephone. You may make and obtain calls, ship texts, stream music and use apps so long as you’ve got a cell information plan for the watch. Nonetheless, you’ll have to pay for a separate mobile plan and battery life drains quicker when utilizing LTE.

In case your smartwatch doesn’t have LTE, it may nonetheless make calls, however solely when linked to your telephone by way of Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. It basically acts as a distant speaker and microphone in your telephone’s calls. Watches like the usual Apple Watch or Samsung Galaxy Watch (Wi-Fi variations) can do that. Nonetheless, in case your telephone isn’t close by or linked to Wi-Fi, calling gained’t work.

Some fitness-focused smartwatches (like sure Garmin, Fitbit and Amazfit fashions) don’t have a built-in speaker or microphone, to allow them to’t make or obtain calls in any respect — solely present notifications.

If calling and not using a telephone is a should, make sure that to decide on an LTE mannequin with a built-in mic and speaker.

What is the distinction between an Android and Apple smartwatch?

The most important distinction between Android and Apple smartwatches comes right down to compatibility, options and ecosystem integration.

Apple smartwatches (Apple Watch) solely work with iPhones. In case you have an Android telephone, you possibly can’t use an Apple Watch in any respect. Android smartwatches (Put on OS, Samsung Galaxy, Garmin and so forth.) largely work with Android telephones, however some additionally assist iPhones with restricted options. In case you have an iPhone, the Apple Watch is your best option. In case you have an Android telephone, go for a Put on OS or Samsung Galaxy Watch.

Apple Watch (watchOS) has the most effective app assist with seamless integration into Apple’s ecosystem (iMessage, FaceTime, Apple Pay, Apple Health+, Siri and so forth.). Android smartwatches provide extra selection, with entry to Google providers (Google Assistant, Google Pockets and Google Maps), and a few assist Amazon Alexa or Samsung’s Bixby.

When it comes to design, Apple Watch has a single design however is available in totally different sizes and supplies. It’s smooth, however your solely actual customization comes from bands and watch faces. Android smartwatches, then again, are available tons of kinds and types (Samsung, Google Pixel Watch, Garmin, Fossil and so forth.), that means you possibly can decide a spherical watch, a rugged design or a luxury-looking mannequin.

If battery life is necessary to you, the Apple Watch lasts a couple of day or two per cost, relying on utilization and mannequin. Many Android smartwatches (particularly Garmin, Amazfit or Mobvoi TicWatch) final a number of days and even weeks on a single cost.

Georgie Peru contributed to this report.