Sarah Tew/CNET
The Apple Watch Series 5 may be the most
expensive one our list, but it's the gold standard when it comes to
smartwatches. It has everything we loved about its predecessors,
including the seamless compatibility with other Apple devices, advanced
fitness tracking and potentially
lifesaving health features like a built-in EKG and fall detection.
The
biggest downsides to the Apple Watch: It's iPhone-compatible only, and
it has shorter battery life than most of its competitors.
Read our Apple Watch Series 5 review.
It's been nearly three years since the Apple
Watch Series 3 made its debut, but it continues to hold its own. It may
not have the always-on display, EKG or fall detection feature that the
Series 5 has, but it has everything else for half the price. And with
the update to WatchOS 7 coming in the fall, the Series 3 will also be
adding sleep tracking to its long list of health and fitness features.
One
potential drawback of the Series 3 is that the older watch may stop
getting updates before the Series 5 does. This year's WatchOS 7 update
for example, left out the Series 2, Series 1 and original Apple Watches.
Read our Apple Watch Series 3 review.
Angela Lang/CNET
The Versa 2 is the best Fitbit you can buy if
you're looking to do more than just track steps. With a battery that
lasts longer per charge than those of most other wearables on this list,
the Versa 2 also works with Android or iPhone and has Alexa on board.
You don't get built-in GPS (unlike Fitbit's latest tracker, the Charge
4) so you will need to take your phone with you to track route and
distance on runs.
But the Versa 2's biggest strength is the Fitbit
app, which presents your workout details clearly so you can easily
interpret your efforts.
Read our Fitbit Versa 2 review.
Angela Lang/CNET
There's no question that the Galaxy Watch
Active 2 is Samsung's sleekest smartwatch to date, with two sizes to fit
more wrists. The combination of a touch bezel and touchscreen makes
navigating the interface a breeze and you can also get an LTE edition so
you can receive calls on the go, without needing your phone nearby.
Battery life can be inconsistent, however, and the ECG isn't active
outside of Korea just yet.
Read our Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 review.
If you're looking to get more bang for your
buck, you'll be hard-pressed to find a better deal than the Amazfit Bip
S. This $70 smartwatch is compatible with both Android and iOS devices
and checks most of the boxes when it comes to features: always-on
display, built-in GPS and the best battery life of any device on this
list. You can get up to 40 days of use on a charge, or about two weeks
of heavy usage with the GPS on and brightness up (a time that's still
above and beyond the rest).
You may have to make some sacrifices
when it comes to aesthetics, though, as it has a plastic casing and the
screen isn't as bright or responsive as the ones on the Galaxy and Apple
Watch.
Read more about the Amazfit Bip S.
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