Buying a New Smartwatch? Ask Yourself These Questions First - CNET

Searching for the champion smartwatch -- whether it's made by Apple, Google, Samsung oregon different institution -- means taking galore antithetic factors into account. For example, are you an jock looking for a instrumentality to assistance with training? Do you conscionable privation to way basal enactment and spot notifications connected your wrist? Or bash you autumn determination successful between? 

But really, you tin constrictive down your options with conscionable 3 questions. Do you usage an iPhone oregon Android device? How overmuch are you consenting to spend? And however bash you program to usage it?

You'll besides privation to see comfort, size and style. After all, a smartwatch isn't precise utile if you don't bask wearing it. Comfort is particularly important if you're looking for a smartwatch to usage arsenic a slumber tracker.

Early smartwatches were clunky, costly and constricted successful functionality, but determination are plentifulness of worthwhile options connected the marketplace today. The champion modern smartwatches expertly equilibrium prime plan and wellness and fittingness tracking alongside astute features that instrumentality immoderate of the load disconnected your phone. They typically outgo anyplace betwixt $229 and $1,000 depending connected your needs.

Do you person an iPhone oregon Android device?

Answering this question volition dictate which choices are available. Brands similar Fitbit, Garmin, Withings, Fossil and Michael Kors marque smartwatches that are compatible with some iPhones and Android phones. But immoderate of our apical picks are lone compatible with 1 level oregon the other.

The Apple Watch, of course, lone works with the iPhone, portion Samsung's Galaxy Watch 5 and Google's Pixel Watch are lone compatible with Android devices. If you're considering the Galaxy Watch 5, cognize that the ECG diagnostic is lone supported connected Samsung's Galaxy devices, unless you broadside load Samsung's Health Monitor app onto a non-Galaxy phone. 

How overmuch bash you privation to spend?

Smartwatches mostly travel successful 3 antithetic terms brackets, and uncovering which 1 is close for you depends connected your fund and what you privation from a smartwatch.

General intent smartwatches

Google's Pixel Watch.

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Most mainstream smartwatches autumn astir the $300 to $400 range, though you whitethorn wage a higher terms for extras similar LTE connectivity oregon a fancier finish. These watches supply wellness monitoring tools, fittingness tracking and tin replicate immoderate of your phone's functionality. These are the close prime if you privation a well-rounded experience, particularly erstwhile it comes to wellness and wellness. The Apple Watch Series 8, Fitbit Sense 2, Google Pixel Watch and Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 autumn into this category. 

Below are immoderate examples of features you'll find connected smartwatches successful this terms range.

Features volition alteration depending connected the model, but that's the wide bundle you tin expect from watches astatine that price. Some watches person their ain circumstantial extras, too. 

The $399 Apple Watch Series 8, for example, has car clang detection and an ultra wideband spot that should marque it relation amended arsenic a integer cardinal for your car and home. Fitbit's $299 Sense 2 has sensors that tin passively show for signs of stress, portion Samsung's $279 Galaxy Watch 5 tin measurement assemblage composition. Garmin's $349 Forerunner 255 has much of a fittingness focus, with built-in programs for triathlon and duathlon training. Fitbit and Garmin's watches besides typically excel successful artillery beingness implicit watches from Apple, Google and Samsung. The latter, however, connection a larger enactment of third-party apps. 

Lower-priced smartwatches

The second-gen Apple Watch SE.

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You tin besides find smartwatches that outgo astir $250, springiness oregon take. These watches see galore of the features mentioned above, but not each of them. If you mostly privation to spot notifications connected your wrist, marque mobile payments, way workouts and don't attraction overmuch astir deeper wellness insights, this benignant of ticker is the close choice. Watches similar the Apple Watch SE and Fitbit Versa 4 are examples of value-priced smartwatches.

While watches successful this terms scope are usually the close prime for galore people, it's important to retrieve what you're missing. The $249 second-gen Apple Watch SE, for example, lacks an always-on display, ECG, humor oxygen measurements and somesthesia sensor. But it has the aforesaid software, precocious and debased heart-rate notifications, car clang detection, autumn detection and enactment of workout modes arsenic the Series 8. 

The $229 Fitbit Versa 4 has galore of Fitbit's astir notable fittingness features -- similar progressive portion minutes, slumber tracking, built-in GPS and the regular readiness people (which requires a Premium subscription). You tin besides get telephone notifications and entree Amazon's Alexa connected your wrist, and it'll soon enactment Google Maps and the Google Wallet. But you'll request the pricier $299 Fitbit Sense 2 to get Fitbit's much blase wellness capabilities, similar sensors that scan for imaginable signs of stress, ECG and a tegument somesthesia sensor. 

Garmin's $249 Venu Sq 2 offers a agelong artillery beingness (an estimated 11 days) and galore wellness and fittingness features for the terms (GPS, humor oxygen measurements and slumber tracking). But it doesn't person a talker oregon microphone for taking calls, onboard euphony retention (unless you bargain the $299 Music Edition) oregon entree to Google Play Store apps. 

It's hard to find caller smartwatches that outgo little than $200, though determination are immoderate options retired there. If you privation to wage little and don't needfully attraction astir utilizing apps, you mightiness privation to see a fittingness tracker instead. (Fitbit besides works with certain insurance companies to supply devices for members, truthful it's worthy checking if your supplier offers this benefit). 

High-end fittingness smartwatches

The Garmin Epix Gen 2.

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There's a 3rd large smartwatch class to consider: premium fitness-focused watches. These devices usually person everything you'd find successful regular flagship smartwatches, but with much rugged designs and further characteristics aimed astatine sports enthusiasts. If you're grooming for a marathon oregon enactment successful distant environments that whitethorn necessitate a much precise GPS signal, 1 of these watches whitethorn beryllium for you.  

You tin expect to wage betwixt $500 and $1,000 for these types of watches. Garmin's Epix Gen 2 and Fenix 7 Standard commencement astatine $899 and $699 respectively, and the new Apple Watch Ultra is disposable for $799. The $449 Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro falls successful betwixt the regular and high-end fittingness ticker categories. 

You whitethorn wonderment what makes these watches amended for fittingness buffs than their cheaper counterparts. While the specifics volition vary, costly fittingness watches thin to person amended durability, longer artillery life, much close determination positioning, customizable buttons and other features that people circumstantial sports, similar running, scuba diving oregon golf. 

The Apple Watch Ultra, for example, has a 36-hour artillery beingness compared to the Series 8's 18-hour artillery life, h2o absorption of 100 meters compared to the Series 8's 50 meters, a extent gauge with a h2o somesthesia sensor, dual-frequency GPS, a titanium build, a larger surface and a programmable Action button. 

Compared to the Forerunner 255, Garmin's Fenix and Epix watches besides person accrued h2o durability (100 meters versus 50 meters), lengthier artillery life, dual grid mode for showing determination coordinates successful antithetic formats, customizable hotkeys and an array of golf-oriented features. (The Forerunner 255 inactive has plentifulness of running-focused tools, similar a contention predictor to assistance with marathon training, since it's mostly aimed astatine runners.)

When is the champion clip to bargain a smartwatch?

The Fitbit Sense 2.

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The champion clip to bargain a smartwatch is mostly astir Amazon Prime Day oregon Black Friday and Cyber Monday erstwhile the astir discounts are available. Amazon Prime Day usually takes spot successful the summer, but the institution held a 2nd lawsuit successful October successful 2022. 

Several Garmin devices were connected merchantability during the past Prime Day, which occurred successful July, portion Fitbit wearables saw plentifulness of discounts during Amazon's 2nd lawsuit successful October. Black Friday deals are besides usually worthy considering; the first-generation Apple Watch SE was disposable astatine a $60 discount past year. The Fitbit Sense 2 was already connected merchantability for conscionable $80 connected Monday, a large markdown from its accustomed $299 price, arsenic portion of an aboriginal Black Friday deal. 

If you're buying astatine immoderate different clip during the year, the biggest origin you'll privation to see is erstwhile the caller mentation of the smartwatch you're funny successful mightiness launch. Doing truthful ensures that you'll debar paying a perchance precocious terms for a instrumentality that whitethorn beryllium outdated shortly. Plus, older models whitethorn spell connected merchantability erstwhile the caller mentation launches.

Here's a look astatine erstwhile the large smartwatch makers thin to merchandise caller smartwatches based connected erstwhile launches. 

The champion smartwatches successful 2022

Still not definite wherever to commencement erstwhile buying a smartwatch? Check retired CNET's usher to the champion smartwatches for our apical picks, which scope from beneath $300 each the mode up to $1,000. This year's apical picks truthful acold see the Apple Watch Ultra, Apple Watch Series 8, Google Pixel Watch, Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 and Garmin Epix 2 among others. 

We trial smartwatches by tracking workouts with them, wearing them overnight portion sleeping, investigating however good they automatically observe exercises, relying connected them for notifications erstwhile distant from our phones and moving the artillery down to spot however agelong they last. We besides instrumentality readings from the assorted wellness sensors and ascertain what they adhd to the wide experience. Our extremity erstwhile investigating smartwatches is to measure their wide worth by evaluating which features they offer, however good these watches execute those functions and however the full bundle compares to the competition. 

More smartwatch advice

• Apple Watch Series 8 vs. Apple Watch SE: How to Decide
• Pixel Watch vs. Galaxy Watch 5: Which Android Watch Is the Best Choice?
• Fitbit Tips: 12 Ways to Get More Out of Your Fitness Tracker oregon Watch
• Apple Watch Settings You Can Change to Make It Work Even Better