The very best smartwatches for 2025

Smartwatches do extra than simply observe your steps and ship cellphone alerts to your wrist. The very best smartwatches go even additional, providing you with the flexibility to pay for a cup of espresso, take calls and connect with apps like Spotify all with out whipping out your smartphone.

Chances are high, in case you’re studying this, you already know the entire advantages of a smartwatch. You’re prepared to take a position, or improve from an getting old accent, however we wouldn’t blame you in case you in case you 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 like smartwatches and multi-purpose gadgets. Plus, you’ll need to think about 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 at the moment and these are our high picks.

Desk of contents

Greatest smartwatches of 2025

Google / Engadget

Tracks: Sleep, exercise, energy, stress | Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Mobile (optionally available) | GPS: Sure, in-built | Water-resistant: Sure | Assistant assist: Google Assistant | Show: At all times-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 acquired 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 plenty of use out of. The newest 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 may additionally drop down to simply 1 nit of brightness once you’re carrying it to sleep, which not solely makes for a greater expertise total, but in addition contributes to its longer battery life. You’ll rise up to 24 hours out of the Pixel Watch 3, which is an enormous enchancment over the earlier era and extra according to competing gadgets from Apple and Samsung.

The Pixel Watch 3 can be an awesome exercise monitoring machine, with options like auto exercise detection and customized working plans, plus the flexibility to trace metrics like Cardio Load. There’s Fitbit smarts in right here, similar to in earlier Pixel Watches, so that you’re coated in the case of day by day exercises, steps, sleep and extra. The one draw back to that is that in case you’re inquisitive about extra in-depth teaching, these options are hidden behind the Fitbit Premium paywall.

Whereas Put on OS 5 may use a bit extra polish, the mixing with the Google Assistant on the Pixel Watch 3 is helpful so you need to use voice instructions to verify on issues like climate forecasts, calendar alerts, map instructions and extra. We additionally recognize the addition of sooner charging on the Pixel Watch 3, so you may go from 0 to 100 in a bit much less time than earlier than. That’ll turn out to be useful in case you’re actually eager on utilizing the watch as a sleep tracker. Total, 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 high choose for Android customers searching for their subsequent wearable.

$350 at Amazon

Photograph by Valentina Palladino / Engadget

Tracks: Sleep, exercise, energy, stress, dozens of exercises | Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, ANT+ | GPS: Sure, in-built | Water-resistant: Sure | Assistant assist: None | Show: 1.2-inch AMOLED with optionally available 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 after I went out for a run. The experience of the Forerunner line is within the title, and Garmin actually excels at making complete but pleasant GPS running watches in flavors that can go well with all types of athletes, from newbie to knowledgeable. The Forerunner 165 stands out with its light-weight design, brilliant AMOLED touchscreen, easy button controls, correct built-in GPS and its potential to trace exercise stats simply in addition to all-day exercise knowledge.

Beginning a run with the Forerunner 165 is as straightforward 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 may select the train you need to observe. Run is the primary possibility, however you’ve gotten greater than 25 profiles to select from together with observe 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 enormously from the continual enchancment of the Garmin Join cell app. The beforehand clunky, complicated app has been nicely refined to be able 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 straightforward to dive into your most 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 principally correct even with a handful of GPS-tracked runs thrown in. The corporate claims you’ll rise up to 19 hours of battery life with steady GPS use, which must be sufficient for many runners and athletes competing in long-haul races. You may as well get the 165 with music storage in-built or not, with the previous permitting you to retailer music regionally on the watch so you may 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 in-built. That’s on the decrease finish of the worth spectrum for GPS working watches; you may simply spend $500 or extra in case you’re not sure about what you want and what’s simply additional fluff. Whereas Garmin does have a couple of cheaper gadgets, the Forerunner 165 strikes the precise steadiness of function set and value that can attraction to seasoned runners and those that are simply diving right into a extra regimented working routine.

$250 at Garmin

Trendy smartwatches: Fossil and extra

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

In the end, the one factor you may’t change after you purchase a smartwatch is its case design. When you’re not into the Apple Watch’s squared-off corners, all of Samsung’s smartwatches have spherical circumstances that look somewhat extra like a standard watch. Most wearables are supplied in a selection of colours and you may pay additional for premium supplies like stainless-steel for additional sturdiness. When you resolve on a case, your band choices are countless – 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 alter 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 gadgets 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 kind 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 very best smartwatches usually value between $300 and $400. In comparison with finances smartwatches, which value between $100 and $250, these pricier gadgets have superior working methods, communications, music and health options. Additionally they usually embody perks like onboard GPS monitoring, music storage and NFC, AMOLED shows, and lengthy battery life, issues that finances gadgets usually don’t have.

Some corporations make specialised health watches: These can simply run north of $500, and we’d solely advocate them to critical 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 gadgets can value greater than $1,000, and also you’re normally paying for little greater than a model title and a few needlessly unique number of construct supplies.

Battery life

Battery life stays one in every of our greatest complaints about smartwatches, however there’s hope as of late. You possibly can count on two full days from Apple Watches and most Put on OS gadgets. 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 — in case you’re keen to close off most options apart from, you understand, displaying the time. Different fashions can final 5 to seven days, however they normally 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 value trying out the watch’s specs beforehand to see what the producer estimates.

Communication

Any smartwatch value 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, think about a watch with LTE. They’re dearer than their WiFi-only counterparts, however mobile connectivity permits the smartwatch to take and obtain cellphone calls, and do the identical with textual content messages, with out your machine 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 in case you completely must verify your cellphone proper now.

Health monitoring

Exercise monitoring is an enormous purpose why individuals flip to smartwatches. An all-purpose timepiece ought to perform as a health tracker, logging your steps, energy and exercises, and most of at the moment’s wearables have a coronary heart price monitor as nicely.

Many smartwatches’ health options embody a built-in GPS, which is helpful for monitoring distance for runs and bike rides. Swimmers will need one thing waterproof, and fortunately most all-purpose gadgets now can stand up to not less than a dunk within the pool. Some smartwatches from corporations 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 over time. Each Apple and Fitbit gadgets can estimate blood oxygen ranges and measure ECGs. However the extra reasonably priced the smartwatch, the much less doubtless 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 need to pay for the privilege.

Music

Your watch can’t solely observe your morning runs but in addition play music when you’re exercising. Many smartwatches allow you to save your music regionally, so you may join wi-fi earbuds by way of Bluetooth and take heed to tunes with out bringing your cellphone. People who don’t have onboard storage for music normally have on-watch music controls, so you may management playback with out whipping out your cellphone. And in case your watch has LTE, native saving isn’t required — you’ll be capable of stream music instantly from the watch to your paired earbuds.

Shows

Most wearables have touchscreens and we advocate 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 sooner response occasions and are extra energy environment friendly, leading to a smoother expertise when one interacts with the touchscreen and, in some circumstances, longer battery lives.

You received’t see important features with the latter, although, as a result of the additional battery basically will get used up when these gadgets have always-on shows, as most flagship wearables do at the moment. 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 verify the time, well being stats or some other data you’ve set it to point out on its watchface with out lifting your wrist. It will little question have an effect on your machine’s battery life, however fortunately most always-on modes dim the show’s brightness so it’s not working at its peak unnecessarily. Cheaper gadgets received’t have this function; as a substitute, their touchscreens will routinely flip off to preserve battery life and also you’ll need to deliberately verify 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 may maintain your smartwatch as much as an NFC reader to pay for a cup of espresso in your method dwelling from a run. Understand that totally different watches use totally different cost methods: Apple Watches use Apple Pay, Put on OS gadgets use Google Pay, Samsung gadgets use Samsung Pay and so forth.

Apple Pay is likely one of the hottest NFC cost methods, 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 cost assist varies by machine as nicely for each Samsung and Google’s methods.

Different smartwatches our specialists examined

Apple Watch Extremely 2

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 might be overkill for most individuals, nevertheless 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 to your common particular person, it doubtless has extra options than they’d ever want. When you’re notably clumsy, nonetheless, its excessive stage of sturdiness might be an awesome 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 truly regard the Watch SE as the most effective smartwatch possibility for first-time patrons, or individuals 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 need to 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 on the whole will be nice choices for probably the most lively amongst us. The Garmin Forerunner 745 is a wonderful GPS running watch for critical athletes or those that prize battery life above all else. After we examined it, we discovered it to supply 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 minimize. As a health tracker, it’s first rate, nevertheless it’s a irritating smartwatch. For exercises, the built-in GPS tracks runs and rides with out your cellphone and, mixed with the center price and blood oxygen sensors, collects a superb quantity of information to create correct footage of your exertion ranges, cadence and tempo. It’s remarkably light-weight however doesn’t really feel low cost and the AMOLED display screen is brilliant and sharp. It’s not an always-on show, however lifting your wrist wakes it reliably.

The sleep monitoring knowledge is on par with what we measured on different smartwatches and there’s even a day by day readiness rating that compares your sleep high quality and the day gone by’s exertion to estimate how bodily ready you’re for the day forward — just like what Pixel Watches, Fitbit gadgets and Garmin watches supply. And for the reason that watch battery lasts for over every week on a cost, you might be much more apt to put on it to mattress than a watch you must cost day by day.

We weren’t anticipating an $80 machine to be a critical Apple Watch challenger, however the Bip 6’s glitches and overly sophisticated interface (each on the app and on the watch itself) have been disappointing. Throughout every week of testing, I acquired a number of repeated notifications, even after they have been deleted, together with options to face after I was actively doing chores round the home. The watch faces usually are not customizable, so it was arduous to get the information I wanted at a look (the Zepp app has plenty of paid watch faces which will have what I wished, however I didn’t need 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 carrying the Bip 6, with no adjustments to my day by day routine, I averaged 400 fewer energy burned and a pair of.4 fewer miles tracked every day. That was presumably 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 supply superior metrics like blood oxygen ranges and stress monitoring. Health trackers are usually extra compact, have longer battery life and are constructed with exercise in thoughts.

A smartwatch, alternatively, is sort of a mini smartphone in your wrist. It provides health monitoring options, but in addition helps you to do issues like reply to texts, take calls, use apps and management sensible dwelling gadgets. Many smartwatches assist voice assistants, cell funds and even LTE connectivity, so you may depart your cellphone behind in some circumstances.

When you primarily need well being and exercise monitoring with lengthy battery life, a health tracker is the way in which to go. If you’d like a extra linked expertise with additional options, a smartwatch is the higher selection.

How lengthy do smartwatches final?

How lengthy a smartwatch lasts principally relies on two issues: battery life and total sturdiness.

Smartwatch battery life varies rather a lot relying on the model, options and the way you utilize it. Primary 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 normally want a cost every single day or two. When you’re utilizing options like always-on show, GPS monitoring or LTE connectivity, count on the battery to empty sooner.

Bodily, a superb smartwatch ought to final a number of years earlier than you want to improve. Premium fashions with scratch-resistant glass, water resistance and robust construct supplies have a tendency to carry up nicely over time. Nonetheless, software program assist issues too — manufacturers like Apple and Samsung usually present updates for not less than a couple of years, whereas some finances smartwatches could not get long-term software program assist.

You possibly can count on to cost most smartwatches day by day or each few days, and in case you deal with them, they need to final 3-5 years earlier than an improve is important.

How a lot do you have to spend on a smartwatch?

How a lot it is best to spend on a smartwatch relies on what options you want and the way usually you propose to make use of it.

When you simply need the fundamentals — step monitoring, notifications, coronary heart price monitoring and fundamental health monitoring — you’ll find some strong budget-friendly choices from manufacturers like Amazfit, Fitbit and a few Put on OS fashions. These normally have first rate 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 in style fashions just like the Apple Watch SE and Fitbit Versa collection. These supply a superb 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 collection supply superior well being monitoring, rugged designs, LTE connectivity and longer software program assist. These are nice for critical athletes, out of doors adventurers, or anybody who needs the most recent and best options.

When you simply need 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 value spending a bit extra. For most individuals, $200 – $350 hits the most effective steadiness of options and worth.

Do all smartwatches have GPS?

Not all smartwatches have built-in GPS. Some depend on your cellphone’s GPS, whereas others have it built-in for impartial 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 will observe your runs, walks, bike rides and hikes while not having to be linked to your cellphone. It’s a must have for critical athletes or anybody who needs correct location monitoring with out carrying a cellphone.

Some finances and mid-range smartwatches (like some Fitbit and Amazfit fashions) don’t have built-in GPS however can use your cellphone’s GPS when linked by way of Bluetooth. This works wonderful in case you normally carry your cellphone whereas figuring out, nevertheless it’s much less handy in case you want to go away it behind.

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

Can you permit your cellphone at dwelling and nonetheless use a smartwatch?

Sure, nevertheless it relies on the smartwatch and what you need to do with out your cellphone.

In case your smartwatch has LTE or mobile connectivity , you may make calls, ship texts, stream music, use maps and even entry apps with out your cellphone close by. Nonetheless, you’ll want a separate knowledge plan out of your provider, which normally comes with an additional month-to-month value.

Even with out LTE, some smartwatches can nonetheless do loads on their very own, together with observe 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 dwelling gadgets.

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 with out a cellphone?

Sure, a smartwatch could make calls with out a cellphone — however provided that it has the precise options.

Some smartwatches have built-in LTE connectivity, which means they will work independently out of your cellphone. You can also make and obtain calls, ship texts, stream music and use apps so long as you’ve gotten a cell knowledge plan for the watch. Nonetheless, you’ll must pay for a separate mobile plan and battery life drains sooner when utilizing LTE.

In case your smartwatch doesn’t have LTE, it may possibly nonetheless make calls, however solely when linked to your cellphone by way of Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. It basically acts as a distant speaker and microphone to your cellphone’s calls. Watches like the usual Apple Watch or Samsung Galaxy Watch (Wi-Fi variations) can do that. Nonetheless, in case your cellphone isn’t close by or linked to Wi-Fi, calling received’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 with out a cellphone is a should, be certain to decide on an LTE mannequin with a built-in mic and speaker.

What is the distinction between an Android and Apple smartwatch?

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

Apple smartwatches (Apple Watch) solely work with iPhones. You probably have an Android cellphone, you may’t use an Apple Watch in any respect. Android smartwatches (Put on OS, Samsung Galaxy, Garmin and many others.) principally work with Android telephones, however some additionally assist iPhones with restricted options. You probably have an iPhone, the Apple Watch is your best option. You probably have an Android cellphone, 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 many others.). Android smartwatches supply extra selection, with entry to Google companies (Google Assistant, Google Pockets and Google Maps), and a few assist Amazon Alexa or Samsung’s Bixby.

By way of design, Apple Watch has a single design however is available in totally different sizes and supplies. It’s glossy, however your solely actual customization comes from bands and watch faces. Android smartwatches, alternatively, are available tons of types and types (Samsung, Google Pixel Watch, Garmin, Fossil and many others.), which means you may choose a spherical watch, a rugged design or a luxury-looking mannequin.

If battery life is necessary to you, the Apple Watch lasts a few 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.