One of the best smartwatches for 2025

Smartwatches do extra than simply monitor your steps and ship cellphone alerts to your wrist. One of the best smartwatches go even additional, supplying you with the power 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, when you’re studying this, you already know all the advantages of a smartwatch. You’re prepared to take a position, or improve from an getting old accent, however we wouldn’t blame you when you when you didn’t know the place to begin. There are dozens of smartwatches accessible now, together with GPS running watches, fitness trackers that appear to be smartwatches and multi-purpose units. Plus, you’ll need to think about 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 accessible immediately and these are our high picks.

Desk of contents

Greatest smartwatches of 2025

Cherlynn Low for Engadget

Tracks: Sleep, exercise, energy, stress | Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Mobile (non-obligatory) | GPS: Sure, inbuilt | Water-resistant: Sure | Assistant assist: Google Assistant | Show: All the time-on Actua touchscreen | Weight: 31 grams | Battery life: As much as 30 hours

Learn our full Google Pixel Watch 4 review

With its Google and Fitbit heritage, the Pixel Watch 4 continues in its predecessor’s footsteps of being a well-rounded smartwatch with strong well being options. However it has some new tips up its sleeve, and one stunning benefit it has over the competitors is its extremely quick charging. In mere minutes, the Pixel Watch 4 can go from barely any energy to prepared for half a day of labor.

We additionally love that its repairable design means you possibly can substitute the show or battery in future if wanted, which makes this a way more futureproof gadget than another smartwatch available on the market. Plus, Google added a raise-to-talk to Gemini gesture that makes hands-free use of the Pixel Watch 4 a lot simpler.

It additionally comes with emergency satellite tv for pc communication capabilities so that you’ll have some added peace of thoughts when going off the grid. Throw in a sexy design, shiny curved show, extremely customizable watch faces and good battery life and the Pixel Watch 4 is definitely the very best Android smartwatch you may get, particularly you probably have a Pixel cellphone.

Execs

• Tremendous quick recharging
• Complete well being and health monitoring
• Brilliant, stunning show
• Repairable design

Cons

• Gemini wake gesture is finicky
• Have to be linked to web for Gemini to work

$350 at Amazon

Photograph 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 non-obligatory 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 this planet of health watches and the Garmin Forerunner 165 is the watch I examined that I wished to put on probably the most once I went out for a run. The experience of the Forerunner line is within the identify, and Garmin really excels at making complete but pleasant GPS running watches in flavors that may swimsuit every kind of athletes, from newbie to knowledgeable. The Forerunner 165 stands out with its light-weight design, shiny AMOLED touchscreen, simple button controls, correct built-in GPS and its means to trace exercise stats simply in addition to all-day exercise information.

Beginning a run with the Forerunner 165 is as simple 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 possibly can select the train you need to monitor. Run is the primary possibility, however you may have greater than 25 profiles to select from together with monitor run, treadmill, stroll, energy, swim and extra. When operating outdoors, 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 significantly from the continual enchancment of the Garmin Join cell app. The beforehand clunky, complicated app has been effectively 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 simple 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 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 needs to be sufficient for many runners and athletes competing in long-haul races. You too can get the 165 with music storage inbuilt or not, with the previous permitting you to retailer music regionally on the watch so you possibly can pay attention 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 possibly can simply spend $500 or extra when you’re not sure about what you want and what’s simply further fluff. Whereas Garmin does have a couple of cheaper units, the Forerunner 165 strikes the correct stability of characteristic set and value that may attraction to seasoned runners and those that are simply diving right into a extra regimented operating routine.

$250 at Garmin

Amy Skorheim for Engadget

Tracks: Sleep, exercise, energy, dozens of exercises, antioxidant ranges, vascular load | Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, LTE (non-obligatory) | GPS: Sure, inbuilt | Water-resistant: Sure, 5 ATM + IP68 | Show: All the time-on, 3000 nits peak brightness | Battery life: 30+ hours

Learn our full Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 review

Samsung utterly redesigned its wearable for 2025. The Galaxy Watch 8 appears to be like cleaner and extra subtle — however extra importantly, it’s much more snug. One other {hardware} enchancment bumps up the battery measurement, fixing one of many Galaxy Watch 7’s greatest flaws. With that watch, the always-on show tanked the battery, however now you may get a full day after which some whereas carrying it.

With Put on OS 6, the watch good points a brand new tiles-based interface that makes navigating fast and straightforward. It additionally provides the help of Gemini, which may also help you management capabilities and full duties in your watch simply by saying, “Hey Google” (simply observe that you simply’ll want a Gemini-compatible cellphone close by).

Well being and health additions embody an antioxidant ranges metric and vascular load, which can assist some folks preserve higher tabs on their well being. An AI-fueled operating steering “coach” takes an evaluation of your jogging skills and tailors a program that will help you run additional and quicker. We expect it will in all probability profit newbie runners probably the most — these accustomed to teaching might not discover it as helpful.

In fact, that is solely a good selection for Samsung cellphone customers. And one other disadvantage is the raised glass display, which appears destined for harm. However we’ll observe you can keep away from that danger (and rating some critical heritage-watch model factors) by going with the Basic variant of the watch. — Amy Skorheim, Senior Reporter

Execs

• Remarkably snug match
• Tiles interface is snappy
• New antioxidant stage and vascular load well being metrics might assist customers regulate their well being
• The operating coach will be inspiring for novices
• Good Gemini integration
• Improved battery makes the AOD extra viable

Cons

• The raised glass display will be simply broken
• AI-running coach could possibly be extra customized
• Notifications are simple to overlook

$315 at Amazon

Trendy smartwatches: Fossil and extra

Sure, there are nonetheless firms on the market making an attempt to make “modern” hybrid smartwatches. Again when wearables have 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 select up a “hybrid” smartwatch from firms like Withings and Garmin – these units appear to be traditional wrist watches however incorporate some restricted performance like exercise monitoring and coronary heart fee monitoring. They continue to be good choices when you favor that look, however fortunately, wearables made by Apple, Samsung, Fitbit and others have gotten far more engaging over the previous few years.

Finally, the one factor you possibly can’t change after you purchase a smartwatch is its case design. Should you’re not into the Apple Watch’s squared-off corners, all of Samsung’s smartwatches have spherical circumstances that look slightly extra like a conventional watch. Most wearables are provided in a selection of colours and you’ll pay further for premium supplies like stainless-steel for further sturdiness. When you resolve on a case, your band choices are limitless – there are dozens of first- and third-party watch straps accessible for many main smartwatches, and for each bigger and smaller wrists, permitting you to alter up your look everytime you please.

Components 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 suitable with Android and iOS, however you’ll want to put in a companion app in your smartphone.

The smartwatch OS will 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.

Value

One of the best smartwatches usually value between $300 and $400. In comparison with funds smartwatches, which value between $100 and $250, these pricier units have superior working programs, 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 funds units usually don’t have.

Some firms make specialised health watches: These can simply run north of $500, and we’d solely suggest them to critical athletes. Luxurious smartwatches from manufacturers like TAG Heuer and Hublot may attain sky-high costs, however we wouldn’t endorse any of them. These units can value greater than $1,000, and also you’re often paying for little greater than a model identify and a few needlessly unique number of construct supplies.

Battery life

Battery life stays one among our greatest complaints about smartwatches, however there’s hope as of late. You’ll be able to anticipate 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 — when you’re keen to close off most options apart from, 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 trying out 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 so much 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 gadget 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 when you completely must verify your cellphone proper now.

Health monitoring

Exercise monitoring is an enormous cause why folks flip to smartwatches. An all-purpose timepiece ought to operate as a health tracker, logging your steps, energy and exercises, and most of immediately’s wearables have a coronary heart fee monitor as effectively.

Many smartwatches’ health options embody a built-in GPS, which is beneficial 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 at the very least 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 possible it’s that it has these sorts of superior well being monitoring options; if amassing these sorts of wellness metrics is essential to you, you’ll must pay for the privilege.

Music

Your watch cannot solely monitor your morning runs but additionally play music when you’re exercising. Many smartwatches allow you to save your music regionally, so you possibly can join wi-fi earbuds through Bluetooth and hearken to tunes with out bringing your cellphone. People who don’t have onboard storage for music often have on-watch music controls, so you possibly can 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 suggest 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 circumstances, longer battery lives.

You gained’t see important 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 immediately. Some smartwatches have this characteristic on by default whereas others allow you to allow it through tweaked settings. This good characteristic means that you can look down at your watch to verify the time, well being stats or another data you’ve set it to indicate on its watchface with out lifting your wrist. It will little doubt have an effect on your gadget’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 routinely 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 possibly can maintain your smartwatch as much as an NFC reader to pay for a cup of espresso in your means house from a run. Remember that totally different watches use totally different cost programs: Apple Watches use Apple Pay, Put on OS units use Google Pay, Samsung units use Samsung Pay and so forth.

Apple Pay is without doubt one of the hottest NFC cost programs, with assist for multiple banks and credit cards in 72 totally different international locations, whereas Samsung and Google Pay work in fewer areas. It’s additionally essential to notice that each NFC cost assist varies by gadget as effectively for each Samsung and Google’s programs.

Different smartwatches our specialists examined

Apple Watch Extremely 3

The Apple Watch Ultra 3 might be overkill for most individuals, nevertheless it has a ton of additional options like further waterproofing to trace diving, an much more correct GPS and the most important battery of any Apple Watch up to now. Apple designed it for probably the most rugged amongst us, however to your common individual, it possible has extra options than they’d ever want. Should you’re significantly clumsy, nevertheless, its excessive stage of sturdiness could possibly be an excellent cause to contemplate the Apple Watch Extremely 3.

Apple Watch SE 3

The Apple Watch SE 3 is much less feature-rich than the flagship mannequin, however it can in all probability suffice for most individuals. We really regard the Watch SE as the very best smartwatch possibility for first-time consumers, or folks on stricter budgets. The hole has narrowed between the SE 3 and Apple’s predominant flagship smartwatch, too, so you will not must make as many compromises.

Garmin Forerunner 745

Garmin watches normally will be nice choices for probably the most energetic amongst us. The Garmin Forerunner 745 is a wonderful GPS running watch for critical athletes or those that prize battery life above all else. Once 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 guts fee and blood oxygen sensors, collects a very good quantity of knowledge 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 is shiny 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 every day readiness rating that compares your sleep high quality and the day past’s exertion to estimate how bodily ready you’re for the day forward — much like what Pixel Watches, Fitbit units and Garmin watches provide. And because the watch battery lasts for over per week on a cost, chances are you’ll be much more apt to put on it to mattress than a watch it’s important to cost every day.

We weren’t anticipating an $80 gadget to be a critical Apple Watch challenger, however the Bip 6’s glitches and overly difficult interface (each on the app and on the watch itself) have been disappointing. Throughout per week of testing, I received a number of repeated notifications, even after they have been deleted, together with ideas to face once I was actively doing chores round the home. The watch faces will not be customizable, so it was arduous to get the data I wanted at a look (the Zepp app has a lot of paid watch faces that 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 in a position to see the way it compares to the info my Apple Watch gathers. After per week of carrying the Bip 6, with no adjustments to my every 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 fee, sleep and exercises, and a few even provide 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, however, is sort of a mini smartphone in your wrist. It presents health monitoring options, but additionally enables you to do issues like reply to texts, take calls, use apps and management good house units. Many smartwatches assist voice assistants, cell funds and even LTE connectivity, so you possibly can depart your cellphone behind in some circumstances.

Should 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 linked expertise with further options, a smartwatch is the higher selection.

How lengthy do smartwatches final?

How lengthy a smartwatch lasts principally depends upon two issues: battery life and general sturdiness.

Smartwatch battery life varies so much relying on the model, options and the way you employ 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 day by day or two. Should you’re utilizing options like always-on show, GPS monitoring or LTE connectivity, anticipate the battery to empty quicker.

Bodily, a very good smartwatch ought to final a number of years earlier than you might want to improve. Premium fashions with scratch-resistant glass, water resistance and robust construct supplies have a tendency to carry up effectively over time. Nevertheless, software program assist issues too — manufacturers like Apple and Samsung sometimes present updates for at the very least a couple of years, whereas some funds smartwatches might not get long-term software program assist.

You’ll be able to anticipate to cost most smartwatches every day or each few days, and when you care for them, they need to final 3-5 years earlier than an improve is critical.

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

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

Should you simply need the fundamentals — step monitoring, notifications, coronary heart fee monitoring and primary health monitoring — you will discover 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 might lack premium options like LTE, superior well being monitoring or third-party apps.

Within the mid-range smartwatch value bracket, you’ll discover well-liked fashions just like the Apple Watch SE and Fitbit Versa collection. These provide a very good mixture of health monitoring, good options and design high quality. You’ll get higher construct supplies, extra correct sensors and app assist, however battery life would possibly 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 provide 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 desires the most recent and biggest options.

Should you simply need a easy smartwatch for notifications and health monitoring, a funds or mid-range mannequin will do the job. However if you need a premium really feel, superior well being monitoring or LTE connectivity, it’s price spending a bit extra. For most individuals, $200 – $350 hits the very 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 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 monitor your runs, walks, bike rides and hikes while not having to be linked to your cellphone. It’s vital for critical 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 linked through Bluetooth. This works nice when you often carry your cellphone whereas understanding, nevertheless it’s much less handy when you favor to go away it behind.

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

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

Sure, nevertheless it depends upon 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. Nevertheless, you’ll want a separate information plan out of your provider, which often comes with an additional month-to-month value.

Even with out LTE, some smartwatches can nonetheless do lots on their very own, together with monitor 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), might contactless funds with options like Apple Pay and Google Pockets and management good house units.

If going phone-free is essential to you, search for a smartwatch with LTE and built-in GPS for the very 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 correct options.

Some smartwatches have built-in LTE connectivity, that 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 may have a cell information plan for the watch. Nevertheless, 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 might nonetheless make calls, however solely when linked to your cellphone through Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. It primarily 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. Nevertheless, in case your cellphone isn’t close by or linked 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 most important 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 possibly can’t use an Apple Watch in any respect. Android smartwatches (Put on OS, Samsung Galaxy, Garmin and so on.) principally work with Android telephones, however some additionally assist iPhones with restricted options. You probably have an iPhone, the Apple Watch is the only option. You probably have an Android cellphone, go for a Put on OS or Samsung Galaxy Watch.

Apple Watch (watchOS) has the very best app assist with seamless integration into Apple’s ecosystem (iMessage, FaceTime, Apple Pay, Apple Health+, Siri and so on.). Android smartwatches provide extra selection, with entry to Google providers (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, however, are available in tons of kinds and types (Samsung, Google Pixel Watch, Garmin, Fossil and so on.), that means you possibly can 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.