The very best smartwatches for 2025

Smartwatches do extra than simply observe your steps and ship cellphone alerts to your wrist. The very 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.

Chances are high, for those who’re studying this, you already know the entire advantages of a smartwatch. You’re prepared to speculate, or improve from an getting older accent, however we wouldn’t blame you for those who for those who didn’t know the place to begin. There are dozens of smartwatches out there now, together with GPS running watches, fitness trackers that appear like smartwatches and multi-purpose gadgets. Plus, you’ll wish to take into account 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 at the moment 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: At all times-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. Nevertheless 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 system than some other 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 beautiful design, shiny curved show, extremely customizable watch faces and good battery life and the Pixel Watch 4 is definitely the most effective Android smartwatch you may get, particularly when you have a Pixel cellphone.

Execs

• Tremendous quick recharging
• Complete well being and health monitoring
• Vivid, 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 the planet of health watches and the Garmin Forerunner 165 is the watch I examined that I wished to put on essentially the most once I went out for a run. The experience of the Forerunner line is within the identify, and Garmin actually excels at making complete but pleasant GPS running watches in flavors that may swimsuit all types of athletes, from newbie to skilled. The Forerunner 165 stands out with its light-weight design, shiny AMOLED touchscreen, simple 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 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 wish to observe. Run is the primary choice, however you will have greater than 25 profiles to select from together with observe run, treadmill, stroll, energy, 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 vastly from the continual enchancment of the Garmin Join cellular app. The beforehand clunky, complicated app has been properly refined as a way to customise its homepage the exercise and exercise stats you care about essentially the most, together with issues like Physique Battery, Sleep Rating, menstrual cycle info and extra. It’s simple to dive into your most 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 may as well get the 165 with music storage inbuilt or not, with the previous permitting you to retailer music domestically on the watch so you possibly can 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 value spectrum for GPS operating watches; you would simply spend $500 or extra for those who’re not sure about what you want and what’s simply additional fluff. Whereas Garmin does have a number of cheaper gadgets, the Forerunner 165 strikes the correct stability of function set and value that may attraction to seasoned runners and people who 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: At all times-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 comfy. 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 sporting it.

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

Well being and health additions embrace an antioxidant ranges metric and vascular load, which can assist some individuals preserve higher tabs on their well being. An AI-fueled operating steerage “coach” takes an evaluation of your jogging skills and tailors a program that can assist you run additional and sooner. We predict it will in all probability profit newbie runners essentially 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 be aware which you can keep away from that threat (and rating some critical heritage-watch model factors) by going with the Basic variant of the watch. — Amy Skorheim, Senior Reporter

Execs

• Remarkably comfy match
• Tiles interface is snappy
• New antioxidant degree and vascular load well being metrics might assist customers control their well being
• The operating coach could be inspiring for freshmen
• Good Gemini integration
• Improved battery makes the AOD extra viable

Cons

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

$315 at Amazon

Trendy smartwatches: Fossil and extra

Sure, there are nonetheless corporations on the market making an attempt to make “modern” hybrid smartwatches. Again when wearables have been novel and customarily 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 corporations like Withings and Garmin – these gadgets appear like traditional wrist watches however incorporate some restricted performance like exercise monitoring and coronary heart fee monitoring. They continue to be good choices for those who favor that look, however fortunately, wearables made by Apple, Samsung, Fitbit and others have gotten far more enticing over the previous few years.

In the end, the one factor you possibly can’t change after you purchase a smartwatch is its case design. When you’re not into the Apple Watch’s squared-off corners, all of Samsung’s smartwatches have spherical instances that look just a little extra like a conventional watch. Most wearables are provided 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 alter 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 gadgets 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 can 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

The very best smartwatches usually price between $300 and $400. In comparison with price range smartwatches, which price between $100 and $250, these pricier gadgets have superior working programs, communications, music and health options. In addition they typically embrace perks like onboard GPS monitoring, music storage and NFC, AMOLED shows, and lengthy battery life, issues that price range gadgets usually don’t have.

Some corporations 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 can even attain sky-high costs, however we wouldn’t endorse any of them. These gadgets can price greater than $1,000, and also you’re often paying for little greater than a model identify and a few needlessly unique collection of construct supplies.

Battery life

Battery life stays certainly one of 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 gadgets. 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 — for those who’re keen to close off most options apart from, you realize, 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 value testing the watch’s specs beforehand to see what the producer estimates.

Communication

Any smartwatch value 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, take into account 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 system 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 for those who completely have to test your cellphone proper now.

Health monitoring

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

Many smartwatches’ health options embrace a built-in GPS, which is beneficial for monitoring distance for runs and bike rides. Swimmers will need one thing water-proof, and fortunately most all-purpose gadgets now can face up to a minimum of a dunk within the pool. Some smartwatches from corporations 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 gadgets can estimate blood oxygen ranges and measure ECGs. However the extra inexpensive the smartwatch, the much less probably it’s that it has these sorts of superior well being monitoring options; if amassing these sorts of wellness metrics is necessary to you, you’ll must pay for the privilege.

Music

Your watch can’t solely observe your morning runs but in addition play music whilst you’re exercising. Many smartwatches allow you to save your music domestically, so you possibly can join wi-fi earbuds through Bluetooth and hearken to tunes with out bringing your cellphone. Those 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 to 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 sooner 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 received’t see vital positive factors with the latter, although, as a result of the additional battery primarily will get used up when these gadgets have always-on shows, as most flagship wearables do at the moment. Some smartwatches have this function on by default whereas others allow you to allow it through tweaked settings. This good function lets you look down at your watch to test the time, well being stats or some other info you’ve set it to point out on its watchface with out lifting your wrist. This may little question have an effect on your system’s battery life, however fortunately most always-on modes dim the show’s brightness so it’s not operating at its peak unnecessarily. Cheaper gadgets received’t have this function; as a substitute, their touchscreens will robotically flip off to preserve battery life and also you’ll must deliberately test 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 info, you possibly can maintain your smartwatch as much as an NFC reader to pay for a cup of espresso in your approach residence from a run. Needless to say completely different watches use completely different fee programs: Apple Watches use Apple Pay, Put on OS gadgets use Google Pay, Samsung gadgets use Samsung Pay and so forth.

Apple Pay is without doubt one of the hottest NFC fee programs, with assist for multiple banks and credit cards in 72 completely different nations, whereas Samsung and Google Pay work in fewer areas. It’s additionally necessary to notice that each NFC fee assist varies by system as properly for each Samsung and Google’s programs.

Different smartwatches our consultants examined

Apple Watch Extremely 3

The Apple Watch Ultra 3 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 largest battery of any Apple Watch thus far. Apple designed it for essentially the most rugged amongst us, however in your common particular person, it probably has extra options than they’d ever want. When you’re notably clumsy, nevertheless, its excessive degree of sturdiness could possibly be a terrific 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 should in all probability suffice for most individuals. We really regard the Watch SE as the most effective smartwatch choice for first-time consumers, or individuals on stricter budgets. The hole has narrowed between the SE 3 and Apple’s fundamental flagship smartwatch, too, so you will not must make as many compromises.

Garmin Forerunner 745

Garmin watches on the whole could be nice choices for essentially the most lively amongst us. The Garmin Forerunner 745 is a superb GPS running watch for critical 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 respectable, 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 center fee and blood oxygen sensors, collects a great 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 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 — just like what Pixel Watches, Fitbit gadgets and Garmin watches supply. And because the watch battery lasts for over every week on a cost, you might be much more apt to put on it to mattress than a watch you must cost every day.

We weren’t anticipating an $80 system 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 every week of testing, I obtained a number of repeated notifications, even after they have been deleted, together with strategies to face once I was actively doing chores round the home. The watch faces will not be customizable, so it was laborious to get the data I wanted at a look (the Zepp app has plenty of paid watch faces that will have what I wished, however I didn’t wish to pay $3 for one thing that’s free elsewhere).

Advertising 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 capable of see the way it compares to the info my Apple Watch gathers. After every week of sporting the Bip 6, with no modifications to my every day routine, I averaged 400 fewer energy burned and a couple of.4 fewer miles tracked every day. That was probably the largest 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 completely 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 supply 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 in addition helps you to do issues like reply to texts, take calls, use apps and management good residence gadgets. Many smartwatches assist voice assistants, cellular funds and even LTE connectivity, so you possibly can go away your cellphone behind in some instances.

When you primarily need well being and exercise monitoring with lengthy battery life, a health tracker is the best way to go. If you need a extra linked expertise with additional options, a smartwatch is the higher selection.

How lengthy do smartwatches final?

How lengthy a smartwatch lasts principally is determined by two issues: battery life and general sturdiness.

Smartwatch battery life varies quite a bit relying on the model, options and the way you utilize it. Fundamental fashions with e-ink shows or monochrome screens can final every week or extra, whereas full-featured smartwatches just like the Apple Watch or Samsung Galaxy Watch often want a cost on daily basis or two. When you’re utilizing options like always-on show, GPS monitoring or LTE connectivity, anticipate the battery to empty sooner.

Bodily, a great smartwatch ought to final a number of years earlier than you must improve. Premium fashions with scratch-resistant glass, water resistance and powerful construct supplies have a tendency to carry up properly over time. Nonetheless, software program assist issues too — manufacturers like Apple and Samsung usually present updates for a minimum of a number of years, whereas some price range 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 for those who handle 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 you need to spend on a smartwatch is determined by what options you want and the way typically you propose to make use of it.

When you simply need the fundamentals — step monitoring, notifications, coronary heart fee monitoring and primary health monitoring — you’ll find some strong budget-friendly choices from manufacturers like Amazfit, Fitbit and a few Put on OS fashions. These often have respectable 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 standard fashions just like the Apple Watch SE and Fitbit Versa collection. These supply a great 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 supply superior well being monitoring, rugged designs, LTE connectivity and longer software program assist. These are nice for critical athletes, outside adventurers, or anybody who needs the most recent and best options.

When you simply need a easy smartwatch for notifications and health monitoring, a price range or mid-range mannequin will do the job. However if you’d like a premium really feel, superior well being monitoring or LTE connectivity, it’s value spending a bit extra. For most individuals, $200 – $350 hits the most effective 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 observe your runs, walks, bike rides and hikes while not having to be linked to your cellphone. It’s a must have for critical athletes or anybody who needs correct location monitoring with out carrying a cellphone.

Some price range 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 fantastic for those who often carry your cellphone whereas figuring out, but it surely’s much less handy for those who favor to go away it behind.

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

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

Sure, but it surely is determined by the smartwatch and what you wish to do with out your cellphone.

In case your smartwatch has LTE or mobile connectivity , you can also 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), might contactless funds with options like Apple Pay and Google Pockets and management good residence gadgets.

If going phone-free is necessary to you, search for a smartwatch with LTE and built-in GPS for the most effective expertise.

Can a smartwatch make calls with out a cellphone?

Sure, a smartwatch could make calls with out a cellphone — however provided that it has the correct options.

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

In case your smartwatch doesn’t have LTE, it could possibly nonetheless make calls, however solely when linked to your cellphone through Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. It primarily acts as a distant speaker and microphone in 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 linked to Wi-Fi, calling received’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 with out a cellphone is a should, be sure that 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. When you 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 forth.) principally work with Android telephones, however some additionally assist iPhones with restricted options. When you have an iPhone, the Apple Watch is your best option. When you have an Android cellphone, go for a Put on OS or Samsung Galaxy Watch.

Apple Watch (watchOS) has the most effective app assist with seamless integration into Apple’s ecosystem (iMessage, FaceTime, Apple Pay, Apple Health+, Siri and so forth.). 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.

By way of design, Apple Watch has a single design however is available in completely different sizes and supplies. It’s glossy, however your solely actual customization comes from bands and watch faces. Android smartwatches, however, are available tons of types and types (Samsung, Google Pixel Watch, Garmin, Fossil and so forth.), which means you possibly can decide a spherical watch, a rugged design or a luxury-looking mannequin.

If battery life is necessary to you, the Apple Watch lasts a couple of 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.