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A few of the watches I tested. Clockwise from the top: Sony Smartwatch 3, Apple Watch, Pebble Time Steel, Samsung Gear S2, Asus ZenWatch 2, LG Watch Urbane.Business Insider / Ellen Hoffman
I believe in smartwatches. Yes, they look dorky. Yes, they’re luxury purchases for privileged people. Yes, most of them are overpriced for what they can do. Yes, strangers are going to stare at you for using one.
But those strangers aren’t playing music from their wrist. They still strap their phones to their arms whenever they work out. When it’s cold or their hands are full, they still fumble through their pockets to see that email they were expecting. When they go to check that email, they probably get sucked into another vortex of attention-mauling apps for 15 minutes.
But those strangers aren’t playing music from their wrist. They still strap their phones to their arms whenever they work out. When it’s cold or their hands are full, they still fumble through their pockets to see that email they were expecting. When they go to check that email, they probably get sucked into another vortex of attention-mauling apps for 15 minutes.
It’s easy to understand why people think smartwatches are silly. We’ve all been overexposed to tech for the last many years, and on a base level, the only "problem" a smartwatch solves is saving you the trouble of picking up your smartphone. That’s not worth hundreds to most people, and understandably so. Again, luxury and privilege.
At some point, though, I give in. To borrow an old Louis CK riff, being aggressively cynical about smartwatches is like getting irritated about a delayed flight. You can talk to your watch now, and it will respond to you. This is a Cool Thing. Even if the category hasn't reached its full potential, smartwatches work, and they’re getting better.
Yet, as always, some are better than others. So, to find which smartwatches are actually worth your trouble, I scoured the web for relevant reviews and tested out a bunch for myself. I then made a short list of the best ones, which you can find below. I calculated a BI Rating for each one after that.
There are a few more things to note before we jump in. First, the vast majority of smartwatches skew masculine. And by “skew masculine,” I mean “completely ignore many women.” Most of these machines are big and bulky, and very few manufacturers tailor their gear toward more feminine wrists. That’s dumb.
Second, for most people, a smartwatch won't be as stylish as a regular timepiece at the same price. I own a $40 Timex, for instance, and I’m pretty confident it looks better than all but a couple of the $250-400 smartwatches I’ve tested. They’re improving, but any high-end style you get from a smartwatch is a bonus at this point.
Finally, there are plenty more smartwatches on the way. I didn’t get to try every one on the market, so when new contenders come to light, I’ll update this guide accordingly.
What you’re looking for here is something that tells the time, looks and feels good on the wrist, and extends a smartphone’s abilities in some capacity. For the most part, they’re meant to be alternative watches, not alternative smartphones. Look at them as such and you'll have an easier time finding the value.
With all that said, here are the best smartwatches you can buy today.
My favorite smartwatch: Pebble Time Steel
$199.95
BI Rating: 7/10
Pebble Time Steel (Gold), $249.99, available at Amazon.Best Buy
The Time Steel isn’t terribly impressive from a technical standpoint, but, for now at least, I think Pebble still has the best approach to what a smartwatch should be. Of all the devices I tested, it’s the only one that felt like a smarter timepiece more than a dumber smartphone.
Before anything else, the Time Steel is just a good watch. It’s sturdy, light, and comfortable to wear. It’s small enough to fit well on most wrists. The colors on its e-paper display are much more muted than what you’ll find on any of the devices below, but the screen is always on, it’s clear, and it isn’t obnoxiously large. It doesn’t call attention to itself. It reads fine in sunlight, too.
The Time Steel isn’t ugly, either. It’s still got that nerdy, Casio-esque vibe that Pebble watches are known for, but I review tech for a living, so I go for that. Here, its aluminum frame is soft and polished, and its default leather strap is gentle. The whole timepiece is also water-resistant, which is comforting.
There’s no touchscreen, but the four-pack of side-mounted buttons are clicky and responsive, and using them doesn’t scream “GAZE UPON MY SCREENS” the way swiping through a bigger, brighter panel does.
The big thing is battery life. Whereas most smartwatches are lucky to get a couple of days of juice, that e-paper display lets the Time Steel last well over a week between charges. You should never have to doubt if your watch will be able to tell you the time, and that fear is non-existent here.
The Time Steel works with both iOS and Android devices, but it can’t do as much as most of its competitors. It isn’t as accurate at fitness tracking, it’s largely useless without your smartphone, and the apps it has typically aren’t as robust as their counterparts on other platforms.
What the Time Steel does very well is notifications, which are still any smartwatch’s bread and butter. It neatly presents your texts, emails, calendar events and the like, then lets you dismiss, open, or, in some cases, respond to them with a couple of button presses. It’s not fidgety about it. There’s also a mic built in that lets you respond to texts and such with your voice.
It has a truckload of custom watchfaces beyond that, as well as a useful “timeline” feature that culls your calendar, relevant sports scores, weather alerts, and the like into a tidy little schedule. It’s all simple to navigate, and the transitional animations in its UI are nice touches.
There’s just a low-key feel here that I appreciate. The Time Steel feels like it wants to fit into my day, not force me to make room for it. It reliably tells me the time and explains why my pocket just buzzed. It’s comfy and handsome enough on top of that. It understands it’s a watch. That’s all I really want.
The only significant issue is that the other Pebbles still exist, and they can do many of the same things the Time Steel does for far cheaper. The regular Time usually costs $50 less, but has flimsier hardware. A forthcoming Time Round costs the same and has a better-looking build, but drastically cuts down the battery life.
Meanwhile, the older Pebble Steel and original Pebble carry black-and-white displays, but have the same updated software and are way more affordable. Ultimately, the Time Steel is the best Pebble, but I wouldn’t fault you if you tried one of those less expensive options to see if smartwatches are for you in the first place.
Pros:
Pros:
- Top-notch battery life
- Comfortable and well-built
- Not ostentatious
Cons:
- Dim display
- Fitness tracking isn't fully reliable
- Older Pebbles are arguably better values
The best for iPhone owners: Apple Watch Sport$349.99
BI Rating: 8/10
Apple Watch Sport (Antique White), $349.99, available at Best Buy.Best Buy
For better or worse, the Apple Watch is really your only choice if you own an iPhone. Outside of its shape, Apple’s first wearable is about the total opposite of the Pebble. It tries to do, and can do, much more than the Time Steel, but its blend of style, functionality, and overall smoothness is superior to most other smartwatches with that mindset.
For one, the Watch just looks and feels nice. Its screen is crisp and vibrant, and its cool metal build feels like something that was pored over for many months. Even the flexible “Sport band” on this entry-level model refuses to feel cheap. It’s gorgeous, and it all comes in a huge range of colors, too.
As you might expect from an Apple product, the Apple Watch has lots and lots of third-party app support. Twitter, Google Maps, Instagram, Tinder, whatever — if you’ve heard of it being on a wearable, it’s probably here. Problem is, a good chunk of them haven’t been any good. This should keep getting better with time, especially with the changes that came with the recent watchOS 2 update. And the fact that its most developers’ first choice among wearables gives it a leg up in the future.
For now, though, you’re still best off using the Watch in conjunction with Apple’s own iPhone apps, to quickly check notifications, and as a basic fitness tracker. It works well for all of that — you can take calls, dictate texts and emails, use its surprisingly decent heart rate monitor, quickly buy stuff through Apple Pay, and so on. (Check out our review for more.) There’s a fair amount of attractive watch faces too. The “digital crown” and range of gestures needed to navigate watchOS has a bit of a learning curve, but once you get the hang of it it’s all smooth.
Outside of its still-improving app selection, there are a couple of other concerns. The first is battery life. It’s not great; I’d suspect you’ll have to charge yours every night if you take the plunge. The second is price. There’s no getting around the fact that this thing is expensive, especially for a device with obvious room to improve.
But while I can’t explicitly say anyone needs an Apple Watch, I can say that it’s supremely well-constructed, and that it’s hands-down the best choice if you’re an iPhone owner. That’s in large part because it’s the only choice, but I digress. If you know you’re down with smartwatches, and you’re not expecting a wrist-worn iPhone replacement, there’s still plenty to like here.
Pros:
- Superb design
- Deep integration with iPhones
- Widest app support
Cons:
- Pricey
- Middling battery life
- Requires iPhone 5 and up to work
The easiest to use: Samsung Gear S2
$299.99
BI Rating: 7/10
Samsung Gear S2 (Dark Grey), $299.99, available at Amazon.Amazon
Our friends at Tech Insider very much enjoy the recently releasedSamsung Gear S2, and I can only share their enthusiasm. It’s a wonderfully comfortable wearable, and while I wouldn’t call it outright stylish, it’s cleanly put together, with a classic round face and steel case setup.
Its 360x360 OLED display is sharp and colorful, and its battery lasts a little over two days per charge, which is decent. It also houses a capable heart rate monitor, which helps it serve as a serviceable fitness tracker, and an NFC chip, which lets you make easy mobile payments (through Samsung Pay, at least).
What’s most notable about the Gear S2 is that it runs on Tizen, Samsung’s oft-neglected OS, instead of the usual Android Wear. In hindsight, that was an excellent decision — this is the single most intuitive interface I’ve seen on a smartwatch yet.
The key is the Gear’s bezel, which cleverly rotates to move you between menus. You simply keep clicking it over to get to your music, notifications, weather alerts, step counter, and so on, then tap the screen when you want to dig deeper. And when you’re in, say, your calendar, that bezel allows you to scroll vertically as well as horizontally.
A back button returns you to your last screen, while a home button brings you back to the watch face. There’s a tidy app hub to access all your stuff at once, too. It all works, and it feels like you have more control here than you do in Google, Apple, or even Pebble’s alternatives. The watch itself runs briskly throughout all of this.
There are a couple things keeping me from recommending the Gear S2 over the Time Steel, though. For one, it doesn’t support iOS. It connects over Bluetooth 4.1 to any device running Android 4.4 and up, but if you have an iPhone, you’re out of luck.
Secondly, Tizen’s app support is mediocre. There are only a handful of worthwhile third-party programs here — there are zero for music streaming, for instance — so be prepared to get familiar with Samsung’s own software.
Regardless, Samsung has the frame of something wonderful here. If you have an Android phone and don’t plan on using your watch on its own, the Gear S2 is a pleasure.
Pros:
- Excellent interface
- Solid battery life
- Good display
Cons:
- Lacking app selection
- No iOS support
The best Android Wear watch: Huawei Watch
$349.99
BI Rating: 7/10
Huawei Watch (Stainless Steel/Black), $349.99, available at Amazon.Amazon
This was a nice surprise. Huawei isn’t a household name — though it’s getting there — but among the many like-minded Android Wear devices, its aptly-named 'Watch' was my favorite.
That’s mostly because it’s very good looking: Its round steel face, leather band, and simple crown give it the look of a higher-end product. "Classy" isn’t a word I’d use to describe most smartwatches, but that’s what this is. People won’t gawk at you here the way they do with an Apple Watch.
It’s big, but not huge, and it feels just as nice as it looks on your wrist. It has just the right amount of heft to it, for me at least, so it never comes off as an expensive toy. It’s splash-resistant as well. There's no GPS — and the heart rate monitor isn't automatic — but this is a luxury watch, not a fitness one, so I didn't mind.
Beyond that, 1.4-inch, 400x400 OLED display is super sharp, bright, vivid, and perfectly round. (There’s no auto-brightness functionality, though, which can be a pain.) Unless you do nothing for 30 minutes, it constantly stays on — no awkward wrist flicks or button presses just to see the time here. It’s also made of sapphire crystal, which makes it virtually impenetrable to everyday knocks and dings. Huawei has 40 mostly good-looking watch faces onboard as well.
Unlike regular Android, Android Wear is more or less identical on every device it’s on. It’s convenient enough most of the time, especially if you use Google’s app suite. You can fully read and respond to texts and emails, peruse a fair number of simplified third-party apps, control music playback, and the like. When you’re connected, you can give the usual “Ok Google” command and use your voice to take a note, set a reminder, tell you the weather, and so on. There are many nice watch faces to download through the Android Wear app, too.
A recent update allowed devices like Huawei’s to connect to WiFi on their own, which gives them a modicum of functionality independent of the phone. If your watch has storage space, for instance — and this one does — you can sync songs from your Google Play Music library and stream them through Bluetooth right there. Alerts will show up as well, but you’ll still want your phone on you most of the time. That update also added iOS support (for v8.2 and up) for newer devices like this, but it’s mostly limited to the basics.
My issue is that all of this isn’t implemented as cleanly as it could be. Android Wear reallywants Google Now to be the anchor of your day: Everything is presented through various “cards,” much like the ones you see whenever you swipe right on an Android phone. If you’ve used that before, you know that Now can be useful, but often too irrelevant for comfort.
So, as I keep swiping down on my Android Wear watch, I’ll see a text I haven’t checked yet, a Gmail, a bunch of calendar alerts, a step counter via Google Fit, and the weather in New York. That’s all fine! It’s all easily dismissable as well, though there’s a lot of swiping involved here.
But in between that, I’ll see a bunch of sports scores I don’t care about. Sure, I once told Google that I liked baseball, but I don’t need to know that the Mets beat the Cubs three days ago every time I check my email. You can dismiss cards like that repeatedly, but they’ll keep coming back until you go through Now and change your preferences.
Those cards are also huge, and they chew up a ton of screen space over your chosen watch face by default. Again, you have to go through your phone’s settings to make Android Wear get out of its own way.
Still, it’s functional enough, and the Huawei Watch runs it all with aplomb. That high-res screen means it can only do that for about a day and a half, though, which is eh.
There are alternatives in the high-end Android Wear bracket. The LG Watch Urbane is similarly stylish — our resident style guru Ellen Hoffman even said it “wasn’t too bad” — but it’s enormous and has a stiffer leather band. The new Moto 360, meanwhile, started the round-faced trend among smartwatches, but stubbornly refuses to make its display a perfect circle. Ultimately, style separates these things, and I think the Huawei Watch is the best-looking for the most people. Relatively speaking.
Pros:
- Elegant design
- Wonderful display
- Comfortable
Cons:
- Expensive
- Android Wear is a work in progress
- No auto-brightness
A solid budget choice: Asus ZenWatch 2
$129.99
BI Rating: 7/10
Asus ZenWatch 2 (Silver/Taupe), $129.99, available at Best Buy.Best Buy
Huawei's watch is pricey, though. The Apple Watch appears to have raised the cost of flagship smartwatches as a whole, and $350 might be too much for some to drop on a still-developing platform.
If you want a taste of Android Wear without breaking the bank, try the Asus ZenWatch 2. It doesn’t have the round display or all-metal build of more premium options, its leather band is a little stiff, and its bezel is bigger than I’d prefer. You’ll notice it when it’s on.
For $130, though, it’s perfectly serviceable. It’s thin and not-ugly, and while that rectangular display is a bit techy, I don’t think it’d look out of place on anyone’s wrist. Its 320x320 (or 280x280 on the smaller model) OLED screen is fine, and its battery got me a little over two days on average, which is good for a non-Pebble watch. It also charges quickly.
On top of that, the ZenWatch does all the same Android Wear things as models three times as expensive. The same issues remain, too, but at this price they’re easier to be patient with.
The other relatively affordable Android watch I like is Sony’s Smartwatch 3, which retails for about $170. It’s a bit boring, at least with its default rubber band, but it has built-in GPS, a solid two days of battery life, and a decent display. It’s comfortable and waterproof as well. That GPS is the key— it makes the Smartwatch 3 much more capable as a fitness tracker than the ZenWatch 2, and lets you track your jogs with accuracy. If you’re looking for a sportier option, that’s the pick.
Pros:
- Affordable
- Good battery life
- Same Android Wear as more expensive options
Cons:
- Stiff wristband
- Oversized bezel
- Unreliable as a fitness tracker
Disclosure: This post is brought to you by Business Insider's Insider Picks team. We aim to highlight products and services you might find interesting, and if you buy them, we get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners, including Amazon. Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon, is an investor in Business Insider through his personal investment company Bezos Expeditions. We frequently receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising sales team. We welcome your feedback. Have something you think we should know about?
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