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Whether you’re just counting calories or training for a marathon, there are a number of reasons why you should invest in a smartwatch. Once reserved for elite athletes, smartwatches have become almost de rigueur these days for anyone who cares even remotely about their health and fitness, and with production costs lowered and access to technology more readily available than ever before, smartwatches have also become more affordable to own.
While the Apple Watch may have set the standard, a number of competitors have stepped up their game in recent years with solid smartwatches that deliver impressive battery life, enhanced tracking metrics and surprisingly useful new features, all designed to help you stay active and alert throughout the day, and restful and stress-free at night.
Improving your workout or monitoring your health is now as simple as strapping one of these watches around your wrist. Here are five of our favorites.
What Are the Best Smartwatches?
There are many factors to consider when choosing the best smartwatch for you; below are the most important ones, which we considered while we were researching this list.
Watchband size: A smartwatch can have all the features in the world, but that won’t matter if it doesn’t fit. Our picks have bands between 20mm and 22mm, which should fit the average wrist. Thankfully, third-party bands are available for many of the watches in this guide.
Face Size:You’re going to be glancing down at your watch dozens of times a day, so we only chose models that had a screen size of around one-inch or above. We also made sure to pick a mix of round and rectangular screens.
Smart Features: All of these watches are smart, but their features vary pretty widely. Some have access to full app stores, support wireless payments, and integrate with smart assistants. Our baseline was that you should at least be able to get notifications on your wrists, so you don’t have to look at your phone.
Health Features:Modern smartwatches have sensors that allow them to pull double duty as fitness trackers. These features range from basic (counting calories burned) to very advanced (tracking four distinct levels of sleep).
Battery Life:Nobody wants another gadget they have to charge every single night, so we made sure our picks can last at least two or three days ofactual use (but usually much more).
