BEST SMARTWATCHES

 BEST SMARTWATCHES

BOTTOM LINE

PROS

CONS

BEST OF THE BEST

Garmin

Garmin Instinct

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Most Rugged

If you need the ultimate rugged smartwatch for globetrotting or tracking your dog’s location, this military-grade Instinct will easily survive any adventure.

Military-grade durability. Pairs with smartphone for text alerts. Accurate satellite global tracking. Incredible 14-day battery life. Heart rate tracker and fitness apps.

Its monochrome screen isn’t for everyone.

BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK

Fitbit

Sense

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Feature-Packed

Perfect if you're looking for an all-encompassing way to closely and precisely observe the overall health of your body.

Watch accurately tracks a wealth of health information, including stress, heart rhythm, sleep, and skin temp. Offers over 6 days of battery life. Features voice controls and is available in 2 colors.

Advanced monitoring makes this a fairly pricey smartwatch.

Samsung Electronics

Galaxy Watch 4 with ECG, GPS

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High-End Model

Combines uncomplicated fitness data collection, smartphone integration, and versatility in a high-end smartwatch.

Automatically tracks common exercises like cycling and jogging. Other fitness trackers include heart, breath, and sleep. Many great apps available for download. Assortment of colors available.

Clearer “first-time user” instructions would have been appreciated.

HOW WE TESTED

We recommend these products based on an intensive research process that's designed to cut through the noise and find the top products in this space. Guided by experts, we spend hours looking into the factors that matter, to bring you these selections.

Buying guide forBEST SMARTWATCHES

The wearable technology revolution is here! Smartwatches are now everywhere, ready to be the device that strikes the perfect balance between fitness tracker and smartphone. And while you may not think you need yet another screen in your life, it’s worth reconsidering because the right smartwatch can help you reduce your overall daily screen time by streamlining the key information you need.

Smartwatches come in all shapes, sizes, and colors — and are often designed to add functionality to specific smartphones. For example, most smartwatches are built to be used with Android-based devices, and the Apple Watch works best with iOS devices, although many smartwatches (like Garmin’s extensive product line) are agnostic and compatible with any mobile device.

Whether you’re looking to track key health metrics, conveniently communicate with friends and colleagues, or extend your smartphone’s battery life by redirecting your most important notifications to your wrist, a smartwatch is the best way to make it happen.