Top Best Smartwatches Of 2022
Choosing the best smartwatch isn’t always easy, as there are a lot of factors to consider, from battery life to health and fitness tracking, operating system, compatibility with your phone, and more. And that’s before you start thinking about price. (Top Best Smartwatches)
The best smartwatches do more than let you know if you’re getting a call or text message on your wrist. They’re everything in one: a fitness tracker for counting your steps, a digital wallet and in some cases, it can act as a phone, even if your smartphone is nowhere nearby.
Some smartwatches also look very similar on paper but perform quite differently in practice. But you’re in luck, because at we’ve tested just about every available smartwatch, including those from big brands and smaller companies. With the knowledge we’ve gained we’ve ranked the available options, so you can see at a glance which is best.
Smartwatches these days have health features that can even save your life. Many of the best smartwatches we’ve tested can detect elevated heart rate alerts and automatically connect you to emergency services if you take a hard fall. Electrocardiogram (ECG) and blood oxygen (Sp02) readings are perks of certain models, too. The former detects signs of atrial fibrillation, while the latter is a good indicator of respiratory health.
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Still just 18-hour battery life
The Apple Watch 7 is a flagship smartwatch that’s in some ways more of the same, as this isn’t a whole lot different to the Apple Watch 6.
It has essentially the same chipset and little in the way of new features, but what new stuff the Apple Watch 7 does have is useful, especially its larger screen, which is 20% bigger and yet only a tiny bit larger on your wrist, thanks to smaller bezels.
That extra size makes all the difference when interacting with the Apple Watch 7, and the wearable also charges faster than ever. With those things added to the still-excellent Apple Watch 6, the Apple Watch 7 is undeniably a great smartwatch.
Our reviewer noted that better battery life and improved fitness features would have made this wearable even better, but what’s here still seriously impresses.
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Inconsistent battery life
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 is a wearable that had a lot of hype around it. This sees Samsung return to Wear OS, having used Tizen for recent models. But this isn’t Wear OS as you might know it – it’s a new take on the operating system, designed alongside Samsung, and with a very Tizen-like skin on the top.
That means you get the best of both worlds, with the functionality and apps of Wear OS, coupled with the look and feel of Tizen.
Add to that great performance, what we found to be a comfortable fit, a lightweight build, and interesting new body composition measurement tools, and this makes for a top smartwatch, especially for those interested in tracking their health and fitness.
But with some of its features requiring a Samsung phone, and no support for iPhones, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 isn’t something we can recommend to everyone. It also arguably isn’t worth upgrading to if you already own a recent Galaxy Watch.
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The Apple Watch SE is one of the best smartwatches money can buy right now, but it’s only the right choice for you if you own an iPhone.
If you do have an iPhone, you may wonder why the Apple Watch 6 doesn’t rank above this? That’s because the Apple Watch SE does almost everything that smartwatch can, but for a much lower price.
The Apple Watch SE comes with some top-end specs, a high-end design and a great range of features that you can’t get on every other smartwatch right now.
The battery life isn’t the best on the market based on our tests, and there isn’t an always-on display, but if you’re after a great value for money choice for your next wrist companion you should opt for the Apple Watch SE.
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The Galaxy Watch 3 from Samsung is one of the best smartwatches for andriod owners. It also works with an iPhone though. It’s a sequel to the Galaxy Watch from 2018, and it keeps a lot of that device’s design elements but refines them.
The Galaxy Watch 3 features a unique rotating bezel that makes navigating around the smartwatch a joy. We find that a lot easier than trying to use the display, which is something you have to do on a lot of the other best smartwatches in this list.
Apps available on the watch are more limited than Wear OS or watchOS – two rival smartwatch operating systems – but it still offers the core basics and Samsung has provided a watch that’s good at fitness as well as sporting a great design and lots more functionality too.
Features are more limited if you’re using this with an iPhone, but it’s still compatible with those devices. We’d recommend considering an Apple Watch though if that’s your phone of choice. Overall, the Galaxy Watch 3 is the full package if you’re looking for a smartwatch to track your fitness, look good on your wrist and a whole lot more.
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The Fitbit Sense is both stylish and impressive, packing in advanced health and fitness features like an ECG, stress monitoring, heart rate zones, and skin temperature measurements.
It’s an interesting feature set, and it’s paired with all the basics you’d expect from a fitness-focused smartwatch, including tracked workouts, GPS, a voice assistant (with the choice of Alexa or Google Assistant), and meditation tools.
With a stainless-steel case and a sharp screen too, the Fitbit Sense really feels like the full package, except that sadly some of its tools are hidden behind the Fitbit Premium paywall. If you’re happy to subscribe to that then this is a top option, but if you’d rather just make a one-off purchase then be aware that you won’t be able to access everything this watch has to offer.