The 8 Best Smartwatches for Everyday Wear

Although it’s difficult to determine exactly when the first “smart” watch came onto the scene, one thing is certain: smartwatches will soon be as indispensable to our daily routine as their smartphone siblings. Once little more than novelty-item movie props, these wearable devices are becoming exponentially more powerful and also increasingly specialized. As such, choosing the best smartwatch for your needs can be a daunting task — especially when there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to navigating the wearable market.

Ultimately, finding the best smartwatch is something of a balancing act. There are some smartwatches that will do most everything well, and there are others that will excel at a few specific tasks. Regardless of where your priorities lie, there are plenty of capable watches coming in at a range of price points. As the wearable market has continued to grow, brands have sought to increase their stake as much as possible. Such a competitive space demands perpetual development, meaning that smartwatches are seeing ever-briefer shelf lives. So, if there’s one important takeaway here, it’s that you should buy a smartwatch expecting its obsolescence, be it aesthetic or technological. But that’s not to say that every model year brings with it an improvement — some are little more than a visual update, muddying the waters even further. To help weed through the noise of this ever-changing market, we’ve put together a guide featuring the best smartwatches.

Types of Wearables

When it comes to choosing a smartwatch best suited for your needs, it’s important to understand the semantics of wearable tech, and what exactly it is that you’re looking for: a smartwatch, an activity tracker, or a hybrid. Oft-used interchangeably, these are actually very different beasts offering varying levels of functionality. In order to make sense of the division, we’ve defined them for the purposes of this guide as follows.

Smartwatches: These are wearable devices that act as an extension of your phone. As squares are to rectangles, smartwatches are to fitness trackers. Thus, while most smartwatches can handle the functionality of a fitness tracker, the opposite is not true. The key difference between these two types of wearable tech lies in their processing power — smartwatches include a slew of advanced features that enable them to be used for much more than calorie counting or sleep tracking.

Activity Trackers: Once little more than stylish digital pedometers, over the years, activity trackers have rapidly improved in functionality. In many ways, the current crop of activity trackers resembles pared-down smartwatches. What they lack in features — like Bluetooth connectivity or voice assistant — they make up for in size and battery life. Activity trackers are made with the express purpose of recording fitness metrics like heart rate and daily steps.

Hybrid Smartwatches: These offer a fusion of old and new, pairing the timeless aesthetics of their analog forbears with the technological capabilities of their digital peers. Hybrid smartwatches don’t usually feature the touchscreen of fully-fledged smart options, meaning they’re typically a bit more limited when it comes to their features. Depending on their capabilities, they can lean towards either smartwatches or activity trackers.

What to look for in a Smartwatch

Connectivity: One of the key features that sets smartwatches apart from activity trackers is their range of connectivity. Much like their cellular counterparts, smartwatches possess varying degrees of connectivity — from short-range Bluetooth and ANT+ applications to far-reaching 3G and 4G cellular networks. Although the former deals mostly with pairing to smartphones and wireless sensors, the development of near-field communication (NFC) technology has allowed for smartwatches to hold contactless forms of payment. Similarly, while 3G networks were once the gold standard for cellular data transfer, they’ve been nearly eclipsed by their faster 4G successor, and we’re already well on our way to widespread 5G adoption.

Operating Systems: Just like computers and smartphones, smartwatches depend on their operating system for their functionality. Apple’s watchOS and Google’s Wear OS are the most widely-used operating systems in the wearable market, but there are plenty of other brands with proprietary software specifically suited to their products. It’s important to note that while some smartwatches offer cross-compatibility, it doesn’t always work both ways. For instance, Android’s Wear OS and Garmin’s Watch OS play nice with Apple smartphones, however, the Apple watchOS software is not compatible with Android smartphones. While there are some workarounds (getting a 4G Apple Watch, for instance), they don’t provide anything nearly the same interconnectivity of a properly paired setup.

Battery: Battery life varies widely in the wearable world and is largely dependent upon active use. Though some smartwatches on this list require a daily recharge, others offer an incredible battery life and rarely need to leave your wrist. For example, the Apple Watch is rated for only 18 hours of use, whereas the Withings Steel HR multisport watch boasts an impressive 25-day battery life. Some watches like the Solar Edition of Garmin’s Fenix 7 feature a solar-charging function for extended battery performance between charges.

Storage: With an increase in smartwatch processing power comes an increase in storage requirements. Though some smartwatches are limited in the number of applications (apps) and activity recordings that they can hold, others such as the 64GB Apple Watch pack plenty of storage potential. Ultimately, smartwatch storage capacity determines how much data can be saved locally on the device. To put it another way, smartwatches with more storage are more capable as standalone devices, because they are inherently less dependent on smartphone pairing for functionality.

HR Monitoring/Sleep Tracking: Although heart rate monitors were once limited to activity trackers, their continued refinement has meant that they come standard on most smartwatches. Optical heart rate monitoring (OHRM) is the most widely used form of heart rate tracking, a technology utilizing LEDs to measure the amount of light scattered by one’s blood flow and, in turn, estimate pulse rate in beats per minute. With heart rate monitoring, so too comes sleep tracking, a metric designed to assess both the quantity and the quality of your sleep based on resting heart rate. Sleep tracking is an important factor to consider when looking at fitness-focused smartwatches.

Music: Whereas some smartwatches offer onboard music storage, others are reliant on streaming services like Spotify for their music capabilities. Still, others neglect music connectivity entirely. When choosing a smartwatch for its ability to play music, consider how likely you are to keep your smartphone (or other music-playing device) on you. For instance, if you’re a runner looking to pare down the equipment you bring with you, it’d be advisable to look into a smartwatch with onboard music storage or streaming.

Navigation: GPS navigation features are still mostly limited to fitness-focused smartwatches, however, models like the Apple Watch and the Samsung Galaxy Watch now include built-in GPS. GPS is primarily used in conjunction with an accelerometer for tracking training metrics such as speed and distance, but some smartwatches offer capable wrist-based mapping and navigation. Bear in mind that GPS applications are heavily taxing on a smartwatch’s battery life.

Sport Profiles: With the rise of fitness-focused models like the Fitbit Versa and the Garmin Fenix, smartwatch multisport capability is becoming increasingly common. Once limited to simple step counts and calorie estimates, you can now have on-the-fly access to your training metrics in real time. Specialized sports profiles like running or cycling cater the experience to the individual even further, allowing for customized displays and relevant data recording.

Withings Steel HR

Best Budget Smartwatch Hybrid: Despite sitting at the lowest price point on this list, the Withings Steel HR is no slouch in the smartwatch world. Featuring a unique hybrid design, the Steel HR is great for those looking for an analog unit with a little extra oomph under the hood. On the surface, it looks much like a traditional timepiece, sporting a classy stainless-steel case and a pair of analog hands. But there’s more to it than meets the eye: It also comes packed with infrared heart rate monitoring, support for 30 different sports profiles, connected GPS recording, and fitness level assessment. The digital “smart” display is minimal but provides just enough feedback for a lot of people out there wanting a simple health monitor.

Fitbit Versa 4

Best Budget Fitness Tracker: Fitbit’s had a stake in the wearable tech market for a while now, first releasing a range of immensely popular fitness trackers, and more recently expanding into the smartwatch segment. As such, they’re seasoned pros when it comes to building capable, user-friendly products. The Versa 4 is one of their latest smartwatch offerings, gaining tons of built-in functionality like Amazon Alexa, music storage, and wireless payment support, and at a reasonable price. The battery also lasts for 6 days, with a 24-hour resurge in just 12 minutes of charging. But what sets Fitbit apart from much of the competition is its commitment to wellness. Among a long list of health-focused features, the Versa 4 includes on-screen workouts with its 40 exercise modes, real-time fitness stats, and detailed sleep analysis.

Apple Watch Series 9

Best Overall: Although Apple was slow on the draw when launching its smartwatch line, it’s quickly become the gold standard for wrist-based functionality and smartphone interconnectivity. Now in its ninth iteration, with both aluminum and titanium case versions made available, the Apple Watch includes everything you’ve come to expect from previous generations, but it also gains new wrist motions and gestures, such as new double-tap features to play music or answer calls, blood flow detection, and offline Siri requests. Whether you’re using this as an everyday lifestyle watch or a fitness companion, Apple Watch is always a great pick. Now, the Series 9 sports the brand’s most powerful watch chip yet, with a GPU that’s 30% faster than the previous model and upgraded iPhone tracking that’s more precise than ever before. The 18-hour battery life is the same, but MagSafe charging is so prevalent these days that it shouldn’t be a problem.

Samsung Galaxy Watch6

Best for Android Users: Where there’s an Apple smartwatch, Samsung is soon to follow. Android users have to get their fix too, especially if they want to take full advantage of OS compatibility. In addition to its responsive touchscreen interface, the Samsung Galaxy Watch6 brings back the rotating bezel for scrolling. It also features the line’s largest screen (by 20%) and thinnest bezel so far. Like many other smartwatches on this list, the Galaxy Watch6 displays a variety of training metrics during activity recording. However, it also comes equipped with a music streamer, improved sleep metrics, and IP68 dust- and waterproof rating, and an 18% faster processor for overall better performance. Like the Apple Watch, the Galaxy Watch3 comes preloaded with a variety of apps to get you started, and there’s a Galaxy Store to customize the experience to your heart’s delight.

Garmin Fenix 7

Best for Active Lifestyles: Garmin’s range of smartwatches is easily the most impressive in the game for its impressive array of sports apps and delineation between models. However, there’s one model that stands atop its mountain, and that’s the Fenix. With its latest seventh-generation iteration, the smartwatch includes provisions for tons of customization, great mapping, and a wide variety of sports modes, whether for hiking, lifting, skiing, golfing, cycling, running, or anything in between. The Fenix 7 takes the best of popular offerings like the Fitbit Versa and the Apple Watch Series and manages to squeeze in even more functionality. With advanced metrics like running dynamics, real-time stride length, and functional threshold power (FTP), the Fenix 7 is ready to revolutionize the way you train. As an added bonus, the smartwatch has three case sizes and even a Solar version that adds an additional four days of battery life to its 18-day average.

Apple Watch Ultra 2

Best for Adventurous Lifestyles: Apple really got people paying attention when it debuted its Apple Watch Ultra last year, a smartwatch for the most rugged lifestyles. With an increased 49mm case, the Ultra is the most capable Apple Watch yet and just debuted its second generation. For the first time, the Ultra 2 features a larger face that can reach the outer edge of the display to show the user as much info as possible at once and has the brightest screen ever on an Apple product. You can now connect Bluetooth accessories to enhance your activities and there’s also a handy Night Mode feature that goes on automatically in the dark. For extra ruggedness, the smartwatch is built with a lightweight titanium case and comes with an array of sporty strap options. On top of meeting MIL-STD 810H standards and having 100m of water resistance (with depth gauge) and IPX6 rating, the watch also benefits from Apple’s latest S9 chip for new double-tap controls and voice activation.

Suunto D5

Best for Aquatic Lifestyles: Some of us spend a lot of time in and around the water, whether we frequent the beach or local pool, work as a lifeguard, or have taken on swimming or diving as a major extracurricular. And simply put, it’s nice to have something on our wrists that can keep us connected worry-free. While Suunto’s multisport watch lineup is experiencing a bit of a reorganization, its D5 dive watch remains a capable option. In addition to its 100m water resistance rating, the D5 comes with a number of other features that make it an ideal companion for underwater exploits. For instance, it includes an impressive 200 hours of logbook time, a detailed decompression planner, and a real-time gas consumption monitor. It’s also compatible with Suunto’s Tank POD, a wireless sensor that delivers a readout of your available air supply.

Tag Heuer Connected

Best Luxury Smartwatch: As the only smartwatch on this list backed by more than 160 years of brand history, the TAG Heuer Connected offers something perfect for those looking for a luxury timepiece with the added benefit of smart connectivity. At first glance, the Connected smartwatch sports many of the details characteristic of a classic racing-inspired TAG watch, such as a handsome titanium case, a ceramic bezel, a rubber racing strap, and even a default chronograph display. Although you won’t find a Swiss-made movement hidden in this smartwatch, TAG Heuer has preloaded the Connected with a series of faces paying homage to some of their classic pieces. But the TAG Heuer Connected doesn’t skimp on connectivity — when paired with the TAG Heuer Sports app, it unlocks an array of training data in order to take control of your workouts.

The Best GPS Watches for Hiking

Still looking for a smartwatch but need some more navigation-focused options for the outdoors? Check out our guide to the best GPS hiking watches for some capable go-anywhere wearables.