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, supplying 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.

Likelihood is, when you’re studying this, you already know the entire advantages of a smartwatch. You’re prepared to speculate, or improve from an ageing 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 seem like smartwatches and multi-purpose units. Plus, you’ll wish 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 in the present day 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, 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. Nevertheless it has some new methods up its sleeve, and one shocking 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 every 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 sexy design, vibrant 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.

Execs

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

Cons

• Gemini wake gesture is finicky
• Should be related 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, 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 actually excels at making complete but pleasant GPS running watches in flavors that may go well with every kind of athletes, from newbie to professional. The Forerunner 165 stands out with its light-weight design, vibrant AMOLED touchscreen, easy button controls, correct built-in GPS and its skill to trace exercise stats simply in addition to all-day exercise knowledge.

Beginning a run with the Forerunner 165 is as straightforward 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, power, swim and extra. When working 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 cellular app. The beforehand clunky, complicated app has been properly 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 straightforward 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 stand up to 19 hours of battery life with steady GPS use, which must be sufficient for many runners and athletes competing in long-haul races. You can even 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 value spectrum for GPS working watches; you might 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 number of cheaper units, the Forerunner 165 strikes the suitable steadiness of characteristic set and worth that may attraction to seasoned runners and those that 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, 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 fully redesigned its wearable for 2025. The Galaxy Watch 8 seems to be cleaner and extra refined — 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 largest 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 straightforward. It additionally provides the help of Gemini, which can assist you management capabilities and full duties in your watch simply by saying, “Hey Google” (simply observe that you simply’ll want a Gemini-compatible telephone close by).

Well being and health additions embrace 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 skills and tailors a program that will help you run additional and sooner. We predict this may most likely profit newbie runners probably the most — these accustomed to teaching could not discover it as helpful.

After all, that is solely a good selection for Samsung telephone customers. And one other disadvantage is the raised glass display, which appears destined for injury. However we are going to observe you could keep away from that threat (and rating some critical heritage-watch type factors) by going with the Basic variant of the watch. — Amy Skorheim, Senior Reporter

Execs

• Remarkably comfy match
• Tiles interface is snappy
• New antioxidant stage and vascular load well being metrics could assist customers keep watch over their well being
• The working 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 might be extra personalised
• Notifications are straightforward to overlook

$315 at Amazon

Fashionable smartwatches: Fossil and extra

Sure, there are nonetheless firms on the market attempting to make “trendy” hybrid smartwatches. Again when wearables had 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 select up a “hybrid” smartwatch from firms like Withings and Garmin – these units seem like traditional wrist watches however incorporate some restricted performance like exercise monitoring and coronary heart charge monitoring. They continue to be good choices when you choose that look, however fortunately, wearables made by Apple, Samsung, Fitbit and others have gotten far more engaging 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. In case 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 alternative of colours and you’ll pay further for premium supplies like chrome steel for further sturdiness. When you resolve on a case, your band choices are infinite – 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.

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 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 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 typically 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 embrace perks like onboard GPS monitoring, music storage and NFC, AMOLED shows, and lengthy battery life, issues that funds units typically 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 normally paying for little greater than a model identify and a few needlessly unique number of construct supplies.

Battery life

Battery life stays certainly one of our largest complaints about smartwatches, however there’s hope as of late. You may 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 prepared to close off most options apart from, you already know, displaying the time. Different fashions can final 5 to seven days, however they normally 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 testing 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 lots 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 telephone 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 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 in the present day’s wearables have a coronary heart charge 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 waterproof, and fortunately most all-purpose units now can face up to no less than 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 reasonably priced the smartwatch, the much less seemingly 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 cannot solely observe your morning runs but in addition 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 telephone. People who don’t have onboard storage for music normally have on-watch music controls, so you possibly can management playback with out whipping out your telephone. 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 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 important positive factors with the latter, although, as a result of the additional battery basically will get used up when these units have always-on shows, as most flagship wearables do in the present day. Some smartwatches have this characteristic on by default whereas others allow you to allow it through tweaked settings. This good characteristic lets you look down at your watch to verify the time, well being stats or every other data you’ve set it to point out on its watchface with out lifting your wrist. This may little question have an effect on your gadget’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 received’t have this characteristic; as an alternative, their touchscreens will robotically 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 residence from a run. Remember that completely different watches use completely 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 completely different international locations, whereas Samsung and Google Pay work in fewer areas. It’s additionally necessary to notice that each NFC cost assist varies by gadget as properly 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, but it surely 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 on your common individual, it seemingly has extra options than they’d ever want. In case you’re significantly clumsy, nonetheless, its excessive stage of sturdiness might be an awesome 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 is going to most likely suffice for most individuals. We really regard the Watch SE as the perfect smartwatch choice for first-time consumers, or folks on stricter budgets. The hole has narrowed between the SE 3 and Apple’s most important flagship smartwatch, too, so you will not must make as many compromises.

Garmin Forerunner 745

Garmin watches usually will be nice choices for probably the most energetic amongst us. The Garmin Forerunner 745 is a superb 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 reduce. As a health tracker, it’s first rate, but it surely’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 a superb 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 vibrant and sharp. It’s not an always-on show, however lifting your wrist wakes it reliably.

The sleep monitoring knowledge 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 yesterday’s exertion to estimate how bodily ready you might be for the day forward — just like what Pixel Watches, Fitbit units and Garmin watches provide. And because the watch battery lasts for over every week on a cost, it’s possible 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 sophisticated interface (each on the app and on the watch itself) had been disappointing. Throughout every week of testing, I received a number of repeated notifications, even after they had been deleted, together with strategies to face once I was actively doing chores round the home. The watch faces usually are not customizable, so it was exhausting to get the data I wanted at a look (the Zepp app has a number of paid watch faces which 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 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 couple 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 completely 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 typically extra compact, have longer battery life and are constructed with exercise in thoughts.

A smartwatch, then again, is sort of a mini smartphone in your wrist. It affords health monitoring options, but in addition allows you to do issues like reply to texts, take calls, use apps and management good residence units. Many smartwatches assist voice assistants, cellular funds and even LTE connectivity, so you possibly can depart your telephone behind in some instances.

In case you primarily need well being and exercise monitoring with lengthy battery life, a health tracker is the way in which to go. If you’d like a extra related expertise with further options, a smartwatch is the higher alternative.

How lengthy do smartwatches final?

How lengthy a smartwatch lasts principally is dependent upon two issues: battery life and total sturdiness.

Smartwatch battery life varies lots relying on the model, options and the way you utilize it. Primary 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 normally want a cost every single day or two. In case you’re utilizing options like always-on show, GPS monitoring or LTE connectivity, anticipate the battery to empty sooner.

Bodily, a superb smartwatch ought to final a number of years earlier than you want to improve. Premium fashions with scratch-resistant glass, water resistance and powerful construct supplies have a tendency to carry up properly over time. Nevertheless, software program assist issues too — manufacturers like Apple and Samsung sometimes present updates for no less than a number of years, whereas some funds smartwatches could not get long-term software program assist.

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

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

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

In case you simply need the fundamentals — step monitoring, notifications, coronary heart charge 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 normally 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 standard fashions just like the Apple Watch SE and Fitbit Versa sequence. These provide a superb 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 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 assist. These are nice for critical athletes, outside adventurers, or anybody who desires the most recent and biggest options.

In case you simply need a easy smartwatch for notifications and health monitoring, a funds or mid-range mannequin will do the job. However in order for you 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 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 without having to be related to your telephone. It’s essential for critical athletes or anybody who desires correct location monitoring with out carrying a telephone.

Some funds and mid-range smartwatches (like some Fitbit and Amazfit fashions) don’t have built-in GPS however can use your telephone’s GPS when related through Bluetooth. This works effective when you normally carry your telephone whereas understanding, but it surely’s much less handy when you choose to depart it behind.

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

Can you allow your telephone at residence and nonetheless use a smartwatch?

Sure, but it surely is dependent upon the smartwatch and what you wish 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. Nevertheless, you’ll want a separate knowledge plan out of your service, which normally comes with an additional month-to-month value.

Even with out LTE, some smartwatches can nonetheless do lots 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), could contactless funds with options like Apple Pay and Google Pockets and management good residence units.

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

Can a smartwatch make calls with no telephone?

Sure, a smartwatch could make calls with no telephone — however provided that it has the suitable options.

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

In case your smartwatch doesn’t have LTE, it may well nonetheless make calls, however solely when related to your telephone through Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. It basically acts as a distant speaker and microphone on your telephone’s calls. Watches like the usual Apple Watch or Samsung Galaxy Watch (Wi-Fi variations) can do that. Nevertheless, in case your telephone isn’t close by or related 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 no telephone 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 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. When you’ve got an Android telephone, 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’ve got an iPhone, the Apple Watch is your best option. When you’ve got an Android telephone, go for a Put on OS or Samsung Galaxy Watch.

Apple Watch (watchOS) has the perfect app assist with seamless integration into Apple’s ecosystem (iMessage, FaceTime, Apple Pay, Apple Health+, Siri and so forth.). 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 completely different sizes and supplies. It’s modern, however your solely actual customization comes from bands and watch faces. Android smartwatches, then again, are available tons of kinds and types (Samsung, Google Pixel Watch, Garmin, Fossil and so forth.), that 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 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.