Wondering what you should wear on your wrist?
It’s time to upgrade your traditional timepiece by switching to a smart watch.
A smart watch is a touch-screen enabled wristwatch that can be connected to your phone through either Bluetooth or Wifi. But smart watches do more than just notify you when you get a call or text. They are all-in-one devices that combine the best that modern technology has to offer — a fitness tracker, a digital wallet and can even act as a spare smartphone.
But which one should you buy? We’ve rounded up our picks for the top 5 best smart watches on the market today:
1. Apple Watch Series 7
The Apple Watch Series 7 is the brand’s most full-featured, high-end smartwatch to date. This one builds on the design of the previous Series 6 model, but with a more rounded design, a larger display, and faster charging. But this watch’s main highlight comes in the form of its modern health features. It has a second-generation optical heart rate sensor that not only detects abnormal heart rates but also calculates metrics like calorie burn and can even be used for taking ECGs.
Key Features:
- Always-on retina display
- IP6X Certification dust resistance
- WR50 water resistance rating
- Black ceramic and sapphire crystal backing
- Digital crown with haptic feedback
- LTE and GPS-only options
- Blood oxygen monitoring
- ECG
- Sleep tracking
- Fall and loud noise detection
Pros
- Large display screen
- Durable construction
- Lots of health-related features
Cons
- No Android support
Verdict: Focusing primarily on fitness tracking and jampacked with other health-related features, the Apple Watch Series 7 is the ideal companion for every person enjoying an active lifestyle. This smart watch has a stronger, redesigned build and a display that is 20% larger than the previous models. It is also dust-resistant and features a WR50 waterproof rating — it can be immersed in water as deep as 50 meters, so it’s safe to bring with you to the beach.
Price: $369
2. SAMSUNG Galaxy Watch Active2
With its sleek design and updated fitness features, the SAMSUNG Galaxy Watch Active2 is a great accessory to have when working out. It allows you to track over 39 workouts and see the breakdown of your data via the Samsung Health app or even directly on the watch face itself. This smart watch also features an updated running coach that assists by giving both audio and visual cues across seven different running programs.
Key features:
- Super AMOLED display
- 50m water resistance
- ECG certified
- Touch sensitive bezel
- Always-on retina display
- Accelerometer
- Heart rate monitor
- Barometer
- Blood oxygen monitor
- Samsung Pay
- 40mm display size
Pros
- Lots of fitness features
- Comfortable strap
- Lots of colors to choose from
Cons
- Limited app support
Verdict: More than just your regular smart watch, the SAMSUNG Galaxy Watch Active2 caters to its user’s personal fitness needs. Aside from the built-in fitness tracker, this smart watch focuses on monitoring your health with a full eight photodiodes on each side of the watch face. It has modern health upgrades like ECG and trip detection as well as an LTE option.
Price: $249.99
3. Fitbit Sense
Struggling with stress? The Fitbit Sense is a stylish watch with a main focus on your mental well-being. Its standout feature is a built-in EDA scan app that detects electrodermal activity for better stress monitoring — indicating your body’s response to stress and comes up with a detailed graph so you can easily interpret the results. It also comes with a free 6-month premium membership that includes tools for stress management like meditation sessions and mindfulness tutorials.
Key features:
- Custom AMOLED display
- ECG app to asses atrial fibrillation
- On wrist Biosensor skin temperature sensor
- EDA scan app fro stress management
- Oxygen saturation monitoring
- 50m water resistance
Pros
- Lots of features for stress monitoring
- Long battery life
- Comfortable strap
Cons
- Step count is not accurate
Verdict: Like many of the best smart watches today, the Fitbit Sense doubles as a fitness tracker in addition to its many health-related features. Aside from stress monitoring, it comes with a SmartTrack app that allows you to choose from 20+ exercise modes to get real-time stats during your workout, as well as a daily readiness score — so you can decide whether exercise or recovery should be on your agenda for the day.
Price: $264.95
4. Garmin Venu
Looking for a good running companion? Then the Garmin Venu is your best bet. This multisport smart watch can track more than 25 activity types — including running, cycling, climbing, and even high-intensity training. Its fitness metrics are completely customizable and its GPS easily locks into a signal so you never get lost when taking a run outdoors.
Key Features:
- Corning gorilla glass
- Always-on AMOLED display
- 20 preloaded GPS and indoor sports apps
- Sleep sensing monitors
- Smart notifications
- All-day health monitoring
- 6-day battery life
Pros
- Stylish design
- In-depth fitness metrics
- Long battery life
Cons
- No speaker or mic for calls
Verdict: The Garmine Venu allows you to focus on your workout with all-day health monitoring that tracks your heart rate, blood oxygen, breathing, calorie count, as well as stress levels. This smart watch also allows you to check your sleeping pattersns, as it monitors your bodily movements and heart rate while sleeping — allowing you to reflect on your sleep quality and work on ways to improve it.
Price: $269
5. Fossil Sport
Looking for a smart watch that won’t break the bank? The Fossil Sport is a budget-friendly entry level smartwatch that doesn’t trade off any of its quality features despite its price range. It is a lightweight option especially for avid runners, as it comes with heart rate tracking as well as GPS. Its design is also a major upgrade compared to previous watches from the same brand, with customizable faces and variety of silicone strap colors.
Key Features:
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 3100 processor
- Heart rate sensor
- Accelerometer
- Gyroscope
- Altimeter
- Grey plated aluminum case
- Untethered GPS
- Swimproof
Pros
- Budget friendly
- Customizable design options
- Lightweight and comfortable
- Full color display
Cons
- Lacks more detailed metrics
Verdict: Combining performance with value, the Fossil Sport smart watch is the brand’s latest and most advanced model. This watch comes with a larger display size at 41mm and is 40% lighter than other smart watches — making it a great option for outdoor enthusiasts.
Price: $192.57
THE BEST SMART WATCHES -- WHY BUY ONE ANYWAY?
Smart watches may look similar to your traditional digital watch, but they do more than just tell the time.
Smart watches offer more functions that are more akin to a smartphone, some of which include:
1. Make and receive calls
The best smart watches provide an extension to your smartphone -- so you can open texts and calls without having to reach for your phone.
This is especially useful if you're driving or working out, where carrying a phone would be too much of a hassle. Some smart watches even have a sim card port so you can make calls directly, without having to connect to your smartphone.
2. Fitness and health
A smart watch is like having a personal fitness tracker right on your wrist.
These watches are equipped with lifestyle-enhancing features like pedometers that count the number of steps you take and you daily calorie intake. Aside from aiding you in your fitness journey, they also have several health features that could even save your life -- they can detect elevated heart rates and can even read Ectrocardiogram and blood oxygen levels.
3. Navigation
Smart watches are convenient and compact travel companions.
When you're driving or on a bike, stopping to check directions can take up too much time. Smart watches not only alert you if you should turn right or left, but they also eliminate the danger of having to suddenly stop in the middle of the street to check your map or phone.
4. Instant access to entertainment
With your smart watch, you are just a click away from checking your social media notifications.
With a cellular or Wifi connection, you can watch videos and music on the go. More modern models even allow users to download and play music directly on your watch without connecting to your smartphone.
THE BEST SMART WATCHES -- BUYING GUIDE
So how do you decide if a smart watch is right for you?
It’s a tough decision to make — as there are loads of great options available, and the best for some users may not necessarily meet your needs.
To help you find the right fit for your wrist, here are a few important factors to consider:
1. Design and Comfort
The best smart watches should be sturdy and look good on your wrist.
Modern units different sizes available for both men and women, as well as customizations in the form of straps. Remember that your you'll be wearing your smart watch on your wrist for hours on end, so make sure that the straps are comfortable to wear as well.
2. Compatibility
Remember to look at what platform the smart watch runs.
If you own an iPhone which runs on iOS, they are compatible with any smart watch but work best with Apple watches. If you own an Android phone, you can choose from any smart watch except the Apple watch.
Choosing your smart watch OS is an important consider because it also dictates the type and number of on-watch apps you can access.
3. Battery Life
Smart watches have relatively small batteries, so energy efficiency is important to juggle between app usage.
Wear OS watches and Apple watches typically have a battery life of up to two days, but you can make it last for a maximum of 5 days if you shut off most of the features. Other lesser known brands can last longer, but they usually have fewer features and lower-quality displays.
4. Smart Features
Look at the kind of features that lets you do the most as well as the kind of customization options available.
Some of the most common include:
- Showing incoming calls
- Email and social media notifications
- Reminders and virtual assistant features
- Navigation
- Contactless payment
- Sports and fitness features (step and calorie counter)
- Health related features (sleep and heart rate measurement, ECG, blood pressure)
