Top Smartwatches in 2023
SMARTWATCH 2023 – Look through our top picks for the best smartwatches to fit all wrist sizes and budgets.
A smartwatch offers convenient shortcuts to calls, fitness tools, music, and more functions, extending beyond familiar choices like the Apple Watch and Samsung’s Galaxy Watch. Selecting the right smartwatch for you hinges on factors such as your phone model, budget, and your preferences for health and fitness tracking features.
While most smartwatches provide basic exercise tracking like to standard fitness trackers, the premium ones also encompass advanced features such as heart-rate monitoring, sleep tracking, GPS tracking, and the ability to display phone notifications on your wrist. Many of these watches also support contactless payments, and certain models even offer LTE or cellular connectivity, freeing you from the need to carry your phone.
Here’s a rundown of the top smartwatches in 2023
Apple Watch Ultra
The Apple Watch Ultra is an upgraded version of the Apple Watch Series 8, boasting a rugged titanium build, a larger 49mm case, and a new Action button for quick access to workouts and apps. Its exceptionally bright screen reaches 2,000 nits, ensuring excellent visibility outdoors. Safety features include a built-in siren and dual-band GPS for accurate route tracking. With LTE support, you can stay connected even without your phone. While designed for adventurers and athletes, it excels as an all-around smartwatch. It offers health and fitness tracking, including a blood oxygen sensor, ECG app, fall detection, and SOS, but it’s only compatible with iPhones.
Apple Watch Series 8
The Apple Watch Series 8 is not as adventure-oriented as the Ultra, yet it provides durability against dust and cracks, houses a blood oxygen and ECG sensor, and comes in 41mm and 45mm sizes. Cellular or LTE models enable call and message management from your wrist. It introduces a temperature sensor for applications like ovulation tracking. However, its battery life lasts around 18 hours, which is less than many competitors.
Garmin Venu 2
Known for its fitness tracking capabilities, the Garmin Venu 2 combines a sleek round design with a sunlight-readable screen. It’s compatible with both Android and iOS, offering detailed fitness features such as workout tracking and body battery monitoring. Noteworthy features include blood oxygen measurement and multi-day battery life, though it lacks certain smart features like LTE connectivity.
Google Pixel Watch
Google’s inaugural Pixel Watch rivals the Apple Watch, offering a curved design, health sensors (including ECG app and blood oxygen tracking), Fitbit-based fitness tracking, and heart rate monitoring. Its battery life is shorter, necessitating daily charging, especially during outdoor GPS workouts and sleep tracking. It’s available in a single 41mm size.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 5
Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 5 and Watch 5 Pro stand out in the Wear OS category. They feature longer-lasting batteries than their predecessors, robust fitness tracking, and access to Google apps. Samsung has partnered with Natural Cycles to introduce cycle tracking. ECG functionality requires a Galaxy phone, but other features seamlessly integrate with Android phones.
Apple Watch SE
The Apple Watch SE is an excellent option for newcomers to Apple Watches. As the second-generation version, it offers a more budget-friendly alternative to the Series 8. Despite its lower price, it retains many of the Series 8’s standout features, such as crash detection, heart rate tracking, and water resistance. It lacks advanced health sensors like ECG, blood oxygen, and temperature tracking found in the Series 8. The most noticeable distinction is the absence of an always-on display. However, if you haven’t experienced this feature before, you might not even notice its omission.
Fitbit Versa 3
Compatible with both iOS and Android phones, the Fitbit Versa 3 offers flexibility in choosing between Alexa and Google Assistant as your preferred voice assistant. While it doesn’t offer as many apps and smart features as some competitors, it delivers a well-rounded smartwatch experience with a strong emphasis on health and fitness. This includes onboard GPS, live heart rate zone notifications, and exceptional sleep-tracking capabilities. The watch also provides health insights such as SpO2 and overnight body temperature data for Fitbit Premium users.
Garmin Epix 2
The second-generation Garmin Epix 2 stands out with its robust titanium build and an extensive range of athlete-focused features, including comprehensive mapping capabilities. Its AMOLED display sets it apart from various other sports watches, even within Garmin’s Fenix line. Despite its size and features, the Epix 2 boasts impressive battery life, lasting nearly a week under regular conditions. However, it lacks LTE capabilities and an ECG app, which could be a significant drawback considering its high price tag of $1,000.
Polar Grit X Pro
Designed for outdoor enthusiasts, the Polar Grit X Pro is built to withstand rugged conditions, with water resistance up to 100 meters and a scratch-resistant sapphire glass watch face. Equipped with onboard maps, turn-by-turn navigation, and recovery tools, the watch helps assess your readiness for workouts. While it leans more towards being a sports watch, it can still display phone notifications, control music playback, and provide 24/7 heart rate monitoring. Its touchscreen is less responsive than some others on the list, using a transflective display instead of AMOLED, but navigation is effective through button controls.
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