The perfect smartwatches for 2025

Smartwatches do extra than simply observe your steps and ship cellphone alerts to your wrist. The perfect smartwatches go even additional, providing you with the flexibility 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, if you happen to’re studying this, you already know the entire advantages of a smartwatch. You’re prepared to speculate, or improve from an growing older accent, however we wouldn’t blame you if you happen to if you happen to 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 contemplate elements 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 as we speak and these are our prime picks.

Desk of contents

Finest smartwatches of 2025

Google / Engadget

Tracks: Sleep, exercise, energy, stress | Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Mobile (optionally available) | 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 obtained it proper with the Pixel Watch 3. It’s essentially the most absolutely realized Pixel Watch but, and one which any Android fan would get numerous 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 might attain as much as a 60Hz refresh price. It may possibly additionally drop down to only 1 nit of brightness if 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 stand up to 24 hours out of the Pixel Watch 3, which is an enormous enchancment over the earlier technology and extra in keeping with competing units from Apple and Samsung.

The Pixel Watch 3 can also be a terrific exercise monitoring machine, with options like auto exercise detection and customized operating 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 lined in relation to day by day exercises, steps, sleep and extra. The one draw back to that is that if you happen to’re fascinated with 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 helpful so you should use voice instructions to verify 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’ll be able to go from 0 to 100 in a bit much less time than earlier than. That’ll come in useful if you happen to’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 choose 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 optionally available always-on mode | Weight: 39 grams | Battery life: 11 days in smartwatch mode, 19 hours in GPS mode

Garmin is thought for its prowess on the earth of health watches and the Garmin Forerunner 165 is the watch I examined that I needed to put on essentially the most after I went out for a run. The experience of the Forerunner line is within the title, and Garmin really excels at making complete but pleasant GPS running watches in flavors that can swimsuit 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 capability to trace exercise stats simply in addition to all-day exercise information.

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’ll be able to select the train you wish to observe. Run is the primary choice, however you’ve got greater than 25 profiles to select from together with observe run, treadmill, stroll, power, swim and extra. When operating outdoors, the GPS took a mean 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 cellular app. The beforehand clunky, complicated app has been nicely refined so that you could customise its homepage the exercise and exercise stats you care about essentially the most, together with issues like Physique Battery, Sleep Rating, menstrual cycle data and extra. It’s straightforward 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 as well get the 165 with music storage inbuilt or not, with the previous permitting you to retailer music regionally on the watch so you’ll be able to 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 operating watches; you can simply spend $500 or extra if you happen to’re uncertain about what you want and what’s simply additional fluff. Whereas Garmin does have a couple of cheaper units, the Forerunner 165 strikes the best stability of characteristic set and worth that can attraction to seasoned runners and people who are simply diving right into a extra regimented operating routine.

$250 at Garmin

Fashionable 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 usually 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 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 if you happen to choose that look, however fortunately, wearables made by Apple, Samsung, Fitbit and others have gotten way more enticing over the previous few years.

Finally, the one factor you’ll be able to’t change after you purchase a smartwatch is its case design. In the event you’re not into the Apple Watch’s squared-off corners, all of Samsung’s smartwatches have spherical instances 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 infinite – 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 contemplate 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 even 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 perfect smartwatches typically price between $300 and $400. In comparison with funds smartwatches, which price between $100 and $250, these pricier units have superior working techniques, communications, music and health options. Additionally they typically embrace perks like onboard GPS monitoring, music storage and NFC, AMOLED shows, and lengthy battery life, issues that funds units typically don’t have.

Some firms make specialised health watches: These can simply run north of $500, and we’d solely advocate them to severe athletes. Luxurious smartwatches from manufacturers like TAG Heuer and Hublot may also 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 title and a few needlessly unique collection of construct supplies.

Battery life

Battery life stays one in all our largest complaints about smartwatches, however there’s hope as of late. You may count on 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 — if you happen to’re prepared to close off most options other than, 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 quite a bit to you, contemplate a watch with LTE. They’re costlier 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 all the way down to the watch face and see if you happen to 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 as we speak’s wearables have a coronary heart price monitor as nicely.

Many smartwatches’ health options embrace a built-in GPS, which is helpful 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 no 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 over time. Each Apple and Fitbit units can estimate blood oxygen ranges and measure ECGs. However the extra inexpensive the smartwatch, the much less seemingly it’s that it has these sorts of superior well being monitoring options; if gathering these sorts of wellness metrics is essential to you, you’ll must pay for the privilege.

Music

Your watch cannot solely observe your morning runs but in addition play music whilst you’re exercising. Many smartwatches allow you to save your music regionally, so you’ll be able to join wi-fi earbuds through Bluetooth and take heed to tunes with out bringing your cellphone. People who don’t have onboard storage for music often have on-watch music controls, so you’ll be able to 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 straight 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 quicker response instances 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 vital good points with the latter, although, as a result of the additional battery primarily will get used up when these units have always-on shows, as most flagship wearables do as we speak. Some smartwatches have this characteristic on by default whereas others allow you to allow it through tweaked settings. This sensible characteristic lets you look down at your watch to verify the time, well being stats or every other data you’ve set it to point out on its watchface with out lifting your wrist. This may little doubt have an effect on your machine’s battery life, however fortunately most always-on modes dim the show’s brightness so it’s not operating at its peak unnecessarily. Cheaper units gained’t have this characteristic; as a substitute, their touchscreens will mechanically flip off to preserve battery life and also you’ll must 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’ll be able to maintain your smartwatch as much as an NFC reader to pay for a cup of espresso in your manner dwelling from a run. Remember the fact that totally different watches use totally different cost techniques: Apple Watches use Apple Pay, Put on OS units use Google Pay, Samsung units use Samsung Pay and so forth.

Apple Pay is likely one of the hottest NFC cost 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 essential to notice that each NFC cost assist varies by machine as nicely for each Samsung and Google’s techniques.

Different smartwatches our specialists examined

Apple Watch Extremely 2

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 might be overkill for most individuals, but it surely 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 thus far. Apple designed it for essentially the most rugged amongst us, however on your common particular person, it seemingly has extra options than they’d ever want. In the event you’re notably clumsy, nevertheless, its excessive stage of sturdiness might be a terrific purpose to contemplate the Apple Watch Extremely 2.

Apple Watch SE

The Apple Watch SE is much less feature-rich than the flagship mannequin, however it’s going to in all probability suffice for most individuals. We truly regard the Watch SE as one of the best smartwatch choice 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 must 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 typically may be nice choices for essentially the most lively amongst us. The Garmin Forerunner 745 is a wonderful GPS running watch for severe 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 reduce. As a health tracker, it’s first rate, but it surely’s a irritating smartwatch. For exercises, the built-in GPS tracks runs and rides with out your cellphone and, mixed with the guts price and blood oxygen sensors, collects a very good quantity of information 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 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 units and Garmin watches supply. And for the reason that watch battery lasts for over per week on a cost, you could be much more apt to put on it to mattress than a watch it’s important to cost day by day.

We weren’t anticipating an $80 machine 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 per week of testing, I obtained a number of repeated notifications, even after they had been deleted, together with strategies to face after I was actively doing chores round the home. The watch faces aren’t customizable, so it was exhausting to get the data I wanted at a look (the Zepp app has a lot of paid watch faces which will have what I needed, 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 couple of 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 in a position to see the way it compares to the information my Apple Watch gathers. After per week of carrying the Bip 6, with no modifications to my day by day routine, I averaged 400 fewer energy burned and a couple 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 targeted 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 typically 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 permits you to do issues like reply to texts, take calls, use apps and management sensible dwelling units. Many smartwatches assist voice assistants, cellular funds and even LTE connectivity, so you’ll be able to depart your cellphone behind in some instances.

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

How lengthy do smartwatches final?

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

Smartwatch battery life varies quite a bit relying on the model, options and the way you utilize it. Primary fashions with e-ink shows or monochrome screens can final per week or extra, whereas full-featured smartwatches just like the Apple Watch or Samsung Galaxy Watch often want a cost each day or two. In the event you’re utilizing options like always-on show, GPS monitoring or LTE connectivity, count on the battery to empty quicker.

Bodily, a very good smartwatch ought to final a number of years earlier than it’s worthwhile 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 no less than a couple of years, whereas some funds smartwatches could not get long-term software program assist.

You may count on to cost most smartwatches day by day or each few days, and if you happen to maintain 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 you must spend on a smartwatch relies on what options you want and the way typically you propose to make use of it.

In the event you simply need the fundamentals — step monitoring, notifications, coronary heart price monitoring and fundamental health monitoring — you could find some strong budget-friendly choices from manufacturers like Amazfit, Fitbit and a few Put on OS fashions. These often 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 worth bracket, you’ll discover common fashions just like the Apple Watch SE and Fitbit Versa sequence. These supply a very good 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 supply superior well being monitoring, rugged designs, LTE connectivity and longer software program assist. These are nice for severe athletes, outside adventurers, or anybody who desires the newest and biggest options.

In the event you simply need a easy smartwatch for notifications and health monitoring, a funds or mid-range mannequin will do the job. However in order for you a premium really feel, superior well being monitoring or LTE connectivity, it’s price spending a bit extra. For most individuals, $200 – $350 hits one of the best stability 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 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 will observe your runs, walks, bike rides and hikes while not having to be related to your cellphone. It’s vital for severe athletes or anybody who desires correct location monitoring with out carrying a cellphone.

Some funds and mid-range smartwatches (like some Fitbit and Amazfit fashions) don’t have built-in GPS however can use your cellphone’s GPS when related through Bluetooth. This works fantastic if you happen to often carry your cellphone whereas figuring out, but it surely’s much less handy if you happen to choose to go away it behind.

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

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

Sure, but it surely relies on the smartwatch and what you wish 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 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 a lot 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 units.

If going phone-free is essential to you, search for a smartwatch with LTE and built-in GPS for one of the best expertise.

Can a smartwatch make calls and not using a cellphone?

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

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

In case your smartwatch doesn’t have LTE, it will possibly nonetheless make calls, however solely when related to your cellphone through Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. It primarily acts as a distant speaker and microphone on 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 related 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 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 all the way down to compatibility, options and ecosystem integration.

Apple smartwatches (Apple Watch) solely work with iPhones. In case you have an Android cellphone, you’ll be able to’t use an Apple Watch in any respect. Android smartwatches (Put on OS, Samsung Galaxy, Garmin and so on.) 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 cellphone, go for a Put on OS or Samsung Galaxy Watch.

Apple Watch (watchOS) has one of the best app assist with seamless integration into Apple’s ecosystem (iMessage, FaceTime, Apple Pay, Apple Health+, Siri and so on.). 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.

When it comes to 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 so on.), which means you’ll be able to choose a spherical watch, a rugged design or a luxury-looking mannequin.

If battery life is essential 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.