To ensure an informed decision when considering purchasing a smartwatch, it’s essential to determine your requirements, such as the need for advanced sports features, the ability to make phone calls or payments, or if a simple fitness tracker will suffice for tracking your movements.
To assist you in making a well-informed purchase, this guide will provide advice on buying the best smartwatches and important considerations to keep in mind before making a purchase.
Firstly, it’s crucial to differentiate between three types of smartwatches
- smartwatch
- fitness watch
- fitness tracker
What is a smartwatch?
A smartwatch is an electronic device that resembles a traditional watch in shape and size. It features a larger screen that displays all its functions, allowing users to check messages and emails, answer calls, make wireless payments (NFC), and access other features. The smartwatch is a part of the wearable device category and uses technologies like Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to connect with smartphones or tablet computers for sending and receiving information and data.
What is a fitness watch?
A fitness watch is a wearable electronic device used for monitoring and tracking sports activities and exercises. These watches come with preset sports programs, including fitness and exercise applications, walking and running modes, bicycles, and more. Some watches also measure heart rate, track sleep, and calories burned, and provide accurate data and statistics for users during exercise. Although it can be worn during daily activities, it is more noticeable than a smartwatch.
What is a fitness tracker?
A fitness tracker is a wearable electronic device used for tracking and monitoring physical activity and fitness levels. It is distinguished by its simple and comfortable design, smaller size, and may not necessarily have a display screen. Usually, it is a rubber or plastic band worn around the wrist. Its basic functions include measuring the number of steps walked, heart rate, monitoring sleep, calculating calories consumed, and other features related to physical activity. A fitness tracker is a useful tool for people interested in tracking their fitness levels and taking care of their general health.
Important questions before buying your new smart watch??
- Right price?
- phone operating system?
- battery life?
- What information is displayed?
- Which version is right for you?
- What sports programs are available?
- Water resistance?
When considering purchasing any of the above options such as a fitness tracker, fitness watch, or smartwatch, it is important to make an informed decision based on several key factors by answering the following questions:
What is the appropriate price range?
While all devices are available in different price categories, lower price does not necessarily mean worse quality. Some manufacturers like Xiaomi offer cheaper models, while a fitness watch with unique features may be more expensive than a visually appealing fitness tracker designed for a wider audience.
What is my phone’s operating system?
Compatibility is an important consideration, especially for Apple Watch users because these watches only work with iPhones. However, any fitness watch, fitness tracker, or smartwatch can be used with an Android smartphone as long as the phone has a newer Android version, generally at least Android 5.0. For iPhone users, any smartwatch can be used with at least iPhone 5s.
What is the battery life?
Battery life is an important factor to consider before buying, as it can vary greatly between different wearables. While the Apple smartwatch has around 18 hours of battery life, the Fitbit fitness tracker can last several days. Generally speaking, the longer the battery life, the better, although smartwatches tend to have lower battery life due to their larger screens.
What information is displayed?
With the right device, you can view emails, WhatsApp messages, or even answer calls. However, a fitness watch may not display emails, but it can display SMS or notifications. A fitness tracker may indicate that a notification has been received, but the entire message may not be visible. In contrast, a smartwatch displays every notification and enables you to send SMS or make phone calls directly from the watch. Some smartwatches like the Apple Watch even allow you to access websites. If you like to see notifications and have the ability to respond to them, then a smartwatch is the right choice. A fitness watch is a good compromise between a smartwatch and a fitness tracker.
Which version is right for you?
Manufacturers often offer different versions of the same watch. For example, Apple offers the Apple Watch as a sports version in partnership with Nike, as well as a watch version made of high-quality materials. Similarly, Samsung, Fitbit, and Huawei offer different versions of their wearables. Make sure to choose the version that best meets your needs and budget.
What sports programs are available?
If you enjoy activities such as jogging or cycling, it is recommended to use any wearable device as these programs are usually combined. However, for less common activities such as rowing, dancing, or swimming, the choice of wearable devices that can perform the necessary functions is limited. If the fitness watch is only intended as a daily companion, it can also count steps and does not require the installation of separate sports programs.
How water-resistant is the watch?
Most smartwatch users like to keep their wearable on their wrist at all times, including during activities such as showering or swimming.
It is important to pay close attention to the specific water resistance or splash protection in these situations.
ATM standard refers to the ability of the smart or fitness watch to withstand the pressure caused by water, where 1 ATM means that the device can withstand the pressure of 10 meters of water depth or a pressure equivalent to 1 bar, and this standard is mainly used in smart watches and fitness.
As for the IP (Ingress Protection) standard, it indicates the extent of the device’s resistance to dust and splashing of water, as the resistance is evaluated in the form of two numbers, the first number indicates the amount of protection against dust and the second number indicates the amount of water resistance of the device. For example, the IP68 rating means that the device is fully protected against prolonged immersion in water for up to 30 minutes, and this standard is commonly used in smartphones, tablets, and smartwatches.
Smart wearable manufacturers offer a maximum water depth of 50 meters. However, due to the rapid movements and possible currents in the water, this pressure can increase rapidly. While regular swimming training is usually not a problem for an Apple Watch or a watch that has a water resistance of 5 ATM, 5 bar, or 50 meters, diving, water skiing, and water skiing are not recommended for most smartwatches. It is also important to ensure that the shower gel does not come into contact with the wearable device.
What health features are included?
Most wearables include a heart rate sensor to measure your pulse, which can determine both your resting heart rate and your training pulse. Some of them, like Samsung’s smartwatch, even measure blood pressure. Other features include sleep tracking and calorie counting.
Apple Watch provides the ability to create an echocardiogram (ECG) to prevent arrhythmias. While not all features are essential, the sleep tracking functionality is particularly useful for monitoring sleep and stress levels.
The most famous manufacturers of smart watches
Similar to smart phones, a variety of smart watch manufacturers offer multiple versions.
Here are some of the most popular wearable devices:
Apple Watch
The Apple Watch Series 8 dominates its competitors as the best-selling smartwatch by a large margin. It comes in two sizes, 45mm and 41mm, and is available in a variety of colors and case materials. The entry-level models are sporty and made of aluminum, stainless steel, and titanium, while the new Apple Watch Ultra offers excellent protection specifications above all others on the market. Additionally, the cellular/LTE version allows greater autonomy from the smartphone, and there are numerous sports programs available that include dance workouts.
The only real drawbacks are the price tag of €400-plus for the current model and the limitation of pairing with an iPhone only. However, the watch operates smoothly, and text messages and notifications display clearly on the large screen. There are also many models and bracelets to choose from.
Although the Apple Watch Series 8 has only marginal improvements over the Apple Watch 7, it costs more. Therefore, it is recommended to purchase the Apple Watch 7 or 6. For more information on the Apple Watch 8 and Apple Watch Ultra, refer to our Buyer’s Guide by clicking here (Apple Watch 8 Buying Guide).
WatchOS is the operating system used by the Apple Watch. Similar to Apple’s iPhone OS, WatchOS is easy to use. In always-on mode, the screen displays the time and selected apps, which helps save battery life without limiting functionality. The home screen provides a wide variety of watch faces to choose from, each with a broad range of apps and features, offering users the choice between sporty or everyday watch faces.
Furthermore, the watch has its app store, which can be accessed via the app drawer by pressing the crown. The side button allows for multitasking, enabling users to switch between different applications with ease.
Samsung Galaxy Watch
The Samsung Galaxy Watch is a smartwatch that serves as Samsung’s answer to the Apple Watch. It boasts a round case that resembles a traditional watch, and is available in 40 or 44mm sizes, making it suitable for both small and large wrists. The Galaxy Watch 5 is equipped with NFC, LTE, and Wi-Fi versions, making it a versatile and reliable companion for everyday use. It offers a range of features that are similar to those found on the Apple Watch, including various sports programs, blood oxygen measurement, sleep analysis, and body composition calculation such as body fat and water percentage.
It’s worth noting that while the Galaxy Watch is compatible with any Android smartphone, its full feature set is only guaranteed when paired with a Samsung smartphone. Unfortunately, the watch is not compatible with iPhones.
The Galaxy Watch operates on WearOS, which has an intuitive interface and enables easy access to apps and functions through swipe gestures. The main feature of WearOS is its highly customizable watch faces, which can be tailored to individual preferences. Additionally, WearOS offers Google Pay integration, allowing users to make contactless payments directly from their watch. However, WearOS faces a common Android flaw in that it has to work across multiple watch brands, which can result in hardware and software mismatches that may affect performance, such as reduced battery life or incompatibilities with certain apps.
Huawei Watch GT 3
The Huawei Watch GT 3 surpasses Samsung in terms of battery life, lasting up to two weeks. While the watch emphasizes broad sports software like the Apple Watch, its operating system is cumbersome and lacks innovation.
Fitbit
Fitbit is an American company that specializes in manufacturing health and fitness trackers, including daily activity trackers and fitness trackers. Founded in 2007, the company offers a wide range of products such as smartwatches, fitness trackers, heart rate monitor straps, fitness assessment platforms, and health apps. Fitbit utilizes wireless technology to connect users with mobile apps, enabling them to track data and information, monitor daily activity, and analyze public health-related data.
The Fitbit Charge 5 is the latest addition to Fitbit’s lineup of fitness trackers, and is one of the most popular models available. The device features a rectangular and narrow design that looks sporty and comes with a variety of sports programs and exercise reminders. It has built-in sleep tracking and a small screen, which helps to extend its battery life, lasting for several days. However, the downside of having a smaller screen is that the content may be less visible, and the operating system may be more complex to use.
Garmin
Garmin is a US-based company that produces a wide range of electronic products, including fitness watches and GPS receivers for various modes of transportation such as cars, planes, boats, motorcycles, and sports cars. Since its founding in 1989, Garmin has earned a solid reputation in the navigation and portable technology industry and its products are used by many individuals and companies worldwide.
Garmin offers a variety of fitness watches that are designed for specific sports such as running or swimming. These watches are water-resistant or lightweight, and do not interfere with sports activities. However, they may not be as suitable for everyday use as they are primarily designed to be worn during one or more sporting activities.