The perfect smartwatches for 2025

Smartwatches do extra than simply observe your steps and ship telephone alerts to your wrist. The perfect smartwatches go even additional, providing you with the flexibility 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, if you happen to’re studying this, you already know all the advantages of a smartwatch. You’re prepared to take a position, or improve from an growing old accent, however we wouldn’t blame you if you happen to if you happen to didn’t know the place to begin. There are dozens of smartwatches obtainable now, together with GPS running watches, fitness trackers that appear like smartwatches and multi-purpose units. Plus, you’ll need to contemplate 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 obtainable immediately and these are our prime 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, in-built | Water-resistant: Sure | Assistant help: 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. 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’ll be able to substitute the show or battery in future if wanted, which makes this a way more futureproof machine 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 perfect Android smartwatch you will get, particularly when you have a Pixel telephone.

Professionals

• Tremendous quick recharging
• Complete well being and health monitoring
• Vivid, lovely show
• Repairable design

Cons

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

$350 at Amazon

Picture by Valentina Palladino / Engadget

Tracks: Sleep, exercise, energy, stress, dozens of exercises | Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, ANT+ | GPS: Sure, in-built | Water-resistant: Sure | Assistant help: 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 thought for its prowess on this planet of health watches and the Garmin Forerunner 165 is the watch I examined that I needed to put on probably the most after I went out for a run. The experience of the Forerunner line is within the title, and Garmin really excels at making complete but pleasant GPS running watches in flavors that may swimsuit every kind of athletes, from newbie to professional. The Forerunner 165 stands out with its light-weight design, shiny AMOLED touchscreen, simple button controls, correct built-in GPS and its potential 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’ll be able to select the train you need to observe. Run is the primary choice, however you could have greater than 25 profiles to select from together with observe run, treadmill, stroll, power, swim and extra. When working 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 tremendously 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 not too long ago 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 largely correct even with a handful of GPS-tracked runs thrown in. The corporate claims you’ll stand up to 19 hours of battery life with steady GPS use, which ought to be sufficient for many runners and athletes competing in long-haul races. You too can get the 165 with music storage in-built or not, with the previous permitting you to retailer music domestically on the watch so you’ll be able to 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 in-built. That’s on the decrease finish of the value spectrum for GPS working watches; you can simply spend $500 or extra if you happen to’re uncertain about what you want and what’s simply additional fluff. Whereas Garmin does have a couple of cheaper units, the Forerunner 165 strikes the appropriate steadiness of function set and worth that may attraction to seasoned runners and people who are simply diving right into a extra regimented working 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, in-built | 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 seems to be cleaner and extra subtle — however extra importantly, it’s much more comfy. One other {hardware} enchancment bumps up the battery dimension, fixing one of many Galaxy Watch 7’s greatest flaws. With that watch, the always-on show tanked the battery, however now you will get a full day after which some whereas carrying it.

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

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

In fact, that is solely a good selection for Samsung telephone customers. And one other downside is the raised glass display, which appears destined for injury. However we’ll be aware that you may keep away from that threat (and rating some severe heritage-watch type factors) by going with the Basic variant of the watch. — Amy Skorheim, Senior Reporter

Professionals

• Remarkably comfy match
• Tiles interface is snappy
• New antioxidant degree and vascular load well being metrics could assist customers regulate their well being
• The working 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 may very well be extra customized
• Notifications are simple to overlook

$315 at Amazon

Fashionable smartwatches: Fossil and extra

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

Finally, the one factor you’ll be able to’t change after you purchase a smartwatch is its case design. For those who’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 standard watch. Most wearables are provided in a selection of colours and you’ll pay additional for premium supplies like stainless-steel for additional sturdiness. When you determine on a case, your band choices are countless – there are dozens of first- and third-party watch straps obtainable for many main smartwatches, and for each bigger and smaller wrists, permitting you to vary up your look everytime you please.

Elements to think about 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 appropriate with Android and iOS, however you’ll want to put in a companion app in your smartphone.

The smartwatch OS may even dictate the sort 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.

Worth

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

Some corporations make specialised health watches: These can simply run north of $500, and we’d solely suggest them to severe athletes. Luxurious smartwatches from manufacturers like TAG Heuer and Hublot may also 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 title and a few needlessly unique number of construct supplies.

Battery life

Battery life stays considered one of our greatest complaints about smartwatches, however there’s hope as of late. You possibly can anticipate two full days from Apple Watches and most Put on OS units. Watches utilizing the Snapdragon Put on 3100 processor help prolonged battery modes that promise as much as 5 days of battery life on a cost — if you happen to’re prepared to close off most options apart from, you understand, 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 so much to you, contemplate a watch with LTE. They’re dearer than their WiFi-only counterparts, however mobile connectivity permits the smartwatch to take and obtain telephone calls, and do the identical with textual content messages, with out your machine 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 if you happen to completely have to examine your telephone proper now.

Health monitoring

Exercise monitoring is an enormous motive 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 charge 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-proof, and fortunately most all-purpose units now can stand up to no less than 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 through the years. Each Apple and Fitbit units can estimate blood oxygen ranges and measure ECGs. However the extra reasonably priced the smartwatch, the much less doubtless it’s that it has these sorts of superior well being monitoring options; if amassing these sorts of wellness metrics is vital to you, you’ll need to pay for the privilege.

Music

Your watch can’t solely observe your morning runs but additionally play music when you’re exercising. Many smartwatches allow you to save your music domestically, so you’ll be able to join wi-fi earbuds through Bluetooth and hearken to tunes with out bringing your telephone. People who don’t have onboard storage for music often have on-watch music controls, so you’ll be able to management playback with out whipping out your telephone. And in case your watch has LTE, native saving isn’t required — you’ll have the ability to stream music straight 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 instances, longer battery lives.

You gained’t see vital positive factors 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 function on by default whereas others allow you to allow it through tweaked settings. This good function permits you to look down at your watch to examine the time, well being stats or another data you’ve set it to indicate on its watchface with out lifting your wrist. This can little question have an effect on your machine’s battery life, however fortunately most always-on modes dim the show’s brightness so it’s not working at its peak unnecessarily. Cheaper units gained’t have this function; as a substitute, their touchscreens will robotically flip off to preserve battery life and also you’ll need to deliberately examine 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’ll be able to 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 techniques: 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 techniques, with help for multiple banks and credit cards in 72 totally different international locations, whereas Samsung and Google Pay work in fewer areas. It’s additionally vital to notice that each NFC cost help varies by machine as effectively for each Samsung and Google’s techniques.

Different smartwatches our consultants examined

Apple Watch Extremely 3

The Apple Watch Ultra 3 might be overkill for most individuals, however it has a ton of additional options like additional waterproofing to trace diving, an much more correct GPS and the most important battery of any Apple Watch so far. Apple designed it for probably the most rugged amongst us, however to your common individual, it doubtless has extra options than they’d ever want. For those who’re notably clumsy, nonetheless, its excessive degree of sturdiness may very well be an important motive to think about 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 perfect smartwatch choice for first-time patrons, or folks on stricter budgets. The hole has narrowed between the SE 3 and Apple’s important flagship smartwatch, too, so you will not need to make as many compromises.

Garmin Forerunner 745

Garmin watches basically could be nice choices for probably the most lively amongst us. The Garmin Forerunner 745 is a superb GPS running watch for severe 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 help 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 first rate, however it’s a irritating smartwatch. For exercises, the built-in GPS tracks runs and rides with out your telephone and, mixed with the center charge and blood oxygen sensors, collects quantity of knowledge 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 gone by’s exertion to estimate how bodily ready you’re for the day forward — just like what Pixel Watches, Fitbit units and Garmin watches provide. And for the reason that watch battery lasts for over every 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 machine to be a severe Apple Watch challenger, however the Bip 6’s glitches and overly sophisticated interface (each on the app and on the watch itself) had been disappointing. Throughout every week of testing, I acquired a number of repeated notifications, even after they had been deleted, together with recommendations to face after I was actively doing chores round the home. The watch faces aren’t customizable, so it was exhausting to get the information I wanted at a look (the Zepp app has plenty of paid watch faces that will have what I needed, however I didn’t need 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 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 information my Apple Watch gathers. After every week of carrying the Bip 6, with no modifications to my every day routine, I averaged 400 fewer energy burned and a pair of.4 fewer miles tracked every day. That was probably 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 targeted on well being and exercise monitoring. It retains tabs in your steps, coronary heart charge, 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 gives health monitoring options, but additionally allows you to do issues like reply to texts, take calls, use apps and management good house units. Many smartwatches help voice assistants, cell funds and even LTE connectivity, so you’ll be able to depart your telephone behind in some instances.

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

How lengthy do smartwatches final?

How lengthy a smartwatch lasts largely 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. 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 each day or two. For those who’re utilizing options like always-on show, GPS monitoring or LTE connectivity, anticipate the battery to empty quicker.

Bodily, smartwatch ought to final a number of years earlier than you must improve. Premium fashions with scratch-resistant glass, water resistance and robust construct supplies have a tendency to carry up effectively over time. Nonetheless, software program help issues too — manufacturers like Apple and Samsung sometimes present updates for no less than a couple of years, whereas some price range smartwatches could not get long-term software program help.

You possibly can anticipate to cost most smartwatches every day or each few days, and if you happen to maintain them, they need to final 3-5 years earlier than an improve is important.

How a lot must you spend on a smartwatch?

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

For those who simply need the fundamentals — step monitoring, notifications, coronary heart charge monitoring and fundamental health monitoring — yow 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 could lack premium options like LTE, superior well being monitoring or third-party apps.

Within the mid-range smartwatch worth bracket, you’ll discover common fashions just like the Apple Watch SE and Fitbit Versa sequence. These provide mixture of health monitoring, good options and design high quality. You’ll get higher construct supplies, extra correct sensors and app help, however battery life may 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 sequence provide superior well being monitoring, rugged designs, LTE connectivity and longer software program help. These are nice for severe athletes, outside adventurers, or anybody who needs the newest and best options.

For those who simply need a easy smartwatch for notifications and health monitoring, a price range 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 value spending a bit extra. For most individuals, $200 – $350 hits the perfect steadiness of options and worth.

Do all smartwatches have GPS?

Not all smartwatches have built-in GPS. Some depend on your telephone’s GPS, whereas others have it built-in for unbiased 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’ll observe your runs, walks, bike rides and hikes while not having to be linked to your telephone. It’s essential for severe athletes or anybody who needs correct location monitoring with out carrying a telephone.

Some price range and mid-range smartwatches (like some Fitbit and Amazfit fashions) don’t have built-in GPS however can use your telephone’s GPS when linked through Bluetooth. This works fantastic if you happen to often carry your telephone whereas figuring out, however it’s much less handy if you happen to choose to go away it behind.

Some very fundamental 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 telephone at house and nonetheless use a smartwatch?

Sure, however it depends upon the smartwatch and what you need to do with out your telephone.

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 telephone close by. Nonetheless, 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 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 help downloads from Spotify or Apple Music), could contactless funds with options like Apple Pay and Google Pockets and management good house units.

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

Can a smartwatch make calls with out a telephone?

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

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

In case your smartwatch doesn’t have LTE, it could possibly nonetheless make calls, however solely when linked to your telephone through Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. It primarily acts as a distant speaker and microphone to your telephone’s calls. Watches like the usual Apple Watch or Samsung Galaxy Watch (Wi-Fi variations) can do that. Nonetheless, in case your telephone 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 with out a telephone 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 largest distinction between Android and Apple smartwatches comes right down to compatibility, options and ecosystem integration.

Apple smartwatches (Apple Watch) solely work with iPhones. If in case you have an Android telephone, you’ll be able to’t use an Apple Watch in any respect. Android smartwatches (Put on OS, Samsung Galaxy, Garmin and many others.) largely work with Android telephones, however some additionally help iPhones with restricted options. If in case you have an iPhone, the Apple Watch is the only option. If in case you have an Android telephone, go for a Put on OS or Samsung Galaxy Watch.

Apple Watch (watchOS) has the perfect app help with seamless integration into Apple’s ecosystem (iMessage, FaceTime, Apple Pay, Apple Health+, Siri and many others.). Android smartwatches provide extra selection, with entry to Google companies (Google Assistant, Google Pockets and Google Maps), and a few help Amazon Alexa or Samsung’s Bixby.

By way of 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 tons of kinds and types (Samsung, Google Pixel Watch, Garmin, Fossil and many others.), which means you’ll be able to choose a spherical watch, a rugged design or a luxury-looking mannequin.

If battery life is vital 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.