A smartwatch is the first and the last companion of your smartphone when it comes to continuous pairing and sharing essential features to boost your productivity, while doing what a watch and a fitness band can do. Yet, many say it's not ready to be constantly sticking to your wrist and comes with a hassle of discharging with just one day of use.
Today's smartwatches can perform a ton of novel tricks, such as enabling you to search the internet with your voice, tracking your exercise over GPS, and letting you check-out at the grocery store without pulling out your wallet.
Today's smartwatches can perform a ton of novel tricks, such as enabling you to search the internet with your voice, tracking your exercise over GPS, and letting you check-out at the grocery store without pulling out your wallet.
1. Apple Watch Series 3
World's best smartwatch for a reason
OS: watchOS 4 | Compatibility: iOS | Display: 1.53" OLED | Processor: S2 dual-core | Band sizes: Varies drastically per watch size | Onboard storage: 8GB / 16GB (Non-LTE and LTE respectively) | Battery: 18 hours | Charging method: Wireless | IP rating: IPX7 | Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC
Accurate fitness tracking
Best interface
Battery is too short for sleep tracking
Similar design
The Apple Watch 3 is the most advanced smartwatch available in the market right now. Yes, we agree that it's very similar to the Apple Watch 2 visibly, but there are some incremental changes internally.
Apple did not launch the LTE variant in India, which was one of the key features this time and one which unnecessarily added up to the price of the watch. The non-LTE variant offers all the smarts of the Watch 2 but with a better battery ife and faster processing. It is still water resistant which means you can take it with you to swim or jog on a rainy day.
There's a GPS onboard to navigate and track your running, and it also has the latest watchOS 4 software.
Read the full review: Apple Watch 3
2. Ticwatch E
A fully-loaded Android Wear watch you’ve never heard of
Compatibility: Android 4.3+, iOS 8+ | Display: 1.4" 400 x 400 OLED | Processor: MediaTek MT2601 | Onboard storage: 4GB | Battery duration: Up to 24h | Charging method: Magnetic connecting pin | IP rating: IP67 | Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1
Accurate GPS and heart rate sensor
Fantastic value
Design won't suit everyone
Not-so-elegant charging method
You may not have ever heard of Ticwatch, and that's because it's a relatively small and new brand to the smartwatch world. This is the best Android Wear watch money can buy right now.
That's mostly because of the it is priced reasonably and the fact everything works really well. We also love the Ticwatch E for its built-in GPS, accurate heart rate sensor and great design.
All of the basic fitness features are available; you can even use it without having to take your phone out while you exercise, but you won't be able to receive phone calls like on the Apple Watch 3. The design is premium, but it won't be for everyone so be sure to properly study the photos above and in our review to work out if it's built for you.
The true highlight here is the low price considering it's generally around half the price of a lot of the other devices you'll find on this list.
Read the full Ticwatch E review
3. Fitbit Versa
A smaller and cheaper Fitbit Ionic
OS: Fitbit OS | Compatibility: Android, iOS | Display: TBC, 1000 nits | Processor: Dual-core 1.0GHz | Onboard storage: 2.5GB | Battery duration: 3-4 days | Charging method: Proprietary charger | IP rating: 50M water resistant | Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
Lightweight design
Relatively low price
No GPS
Feels a little cheap and childish
Fitbit has released Versa that is a touch smaller than the other one (that's the Ionic) but it comes with Fitbit Pay for contactless payments, 2.5GB of storage for music and battery life that'll last around three days.
It doesn't have GPS for tracking your runs and the design doesn't feel as premium as some of the other watches on this list, but we really like the Fitbit Versa and it's one of the more affordable choices on this list.
Read the full Fitbit Versa review
4. Ticwatch S
Another sophisticated smartwatch with a budget price tag
Compatibility: Android 4.3+, iOS 8+ | Display: 1.4" 400 x 400 OLED | Processor: MediaTek MT2601 | Onboard storage: 4GB | Battery duration: Up to 24h | Charging method: Magnetic connecting pin | IP rating: IP67 | Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1
Comfortable with a nice design
Lacks NFC
Can't change the strap
The Ticwatch S is remarkably similar to the Ticwatch E. The differences are limited, but this watch is a tiny bit heavier and a little larger because it comes with a thicker bezel around the sides to show you the exact time.
There's also a different strap on this version that comes with the GPS sensor inside. The makers of the Ticwatch claim this is more accurate than when it's inside the watch casing, but we didn't see any major differences.
It does mean you can't swap out the band on the Ticwatch S, like you can on the Ticwatch E, and that's a big shame.
It's a touch more expensive than the Ticwatch E too, but if you prefer the design you may want to go for this as it's still much more affordable than a lot of our other favorite smartwatches on sale right now.
Read the full Ticwatch S review
5. Fitbit Ionic
The fitness brand makes its first big smartwatch play
OS: Fitbit OS | Compatibility: Android, iOS | Display: TBC, 1000 nits | Processor: Dual-core 1.0GHz | Band sizes: Large | Onboard storage: 2.5GB | Battery duration: 2-3 days | Charging method: Proprietary charger | IP rating: 50M water resistant | Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
Bright display
Tons of fitness options
Slow interface
Severe lack of apps
The Fitbit Ionic was always going to be a tough move for the brand, trying to enter the world of smartwatches from fitness bands.
The effort succeeds in some places: namely fitness, as you might imagine, where you can track all manner of things, from running to weight lifting to swimming. There's also dedicated bodyweight coaching sessions in there, and you can pay for items on the go using Fitbit Pay.
When it first launched, the price was super high and it was a bit too expensive to wholeheartedly recommend. The good news is the price seems to have dropped in recent months so you can get it for at least $70/£70 cheaper than the RRP.
If you're a Fitbit fan looking to do more than you get on an average band, this is a nice option.
Read the full Fitbit Ionic review
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