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If you’re a busy professional on the move, an athlete who needs a fitness tracker, or a student who wants to screen messages during class, you need a smartwatch. The ability to glance at your wrist to see who’s calling you is just the beginning of what makes wearable tech so exciting!
Let’s break down the hottest smartwatches you can buy right now to figure out which is the best for you.
There’s no debate: the best smartwatch you can buy is the Apple Watch Series 7. The newest Apple smartwatch is 20 percent larger than its predecessor, but it barely seems larger on your wrist thanks to its smaller bezels. Its big, bold screen makes images and text pop. If you’re a fan of bleeding-edge tech that just looks cool, you’ll love Apple’s stylish option.
Of course, you need an iPhone to unlock all the features that make the Apple Watch so great. If you’re an Android user, you can just avoid the Apple Watch altogether and opt for a more operating system-agnostic wearable phone companion. If you use an Apple iPhone, though, you’ll find a robust suite of fitness features and quality-of-life improvements over its predecessors.
On the other end of the corporate spectrum, you’ve got the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4. This Wear OS-powered wearable gadget is one of the most interesting Android-compatible watches on the market. It sports a stylish round face that makes it look like a standard wrist watch until you look closer and see it’s actually a screen!
Sadly, the Galaxy Watch 4 is only a great option for Galaxy users. It’s not amazing for other Android phones, so it’s as narrow as the Apple Watch in a sense. However, if you’re looking for the best pairing for your Samsung phone, this is the watch for you.
If you’re not an Apple or Samsung fan, you’re not totally out of luck. The FitBit Versa 3 is more than just a fitness tracker: it’s a robust, fully-featured smartwatch. It’s got built-in GPS for those long runs, and it’s also very lightweight and understated compared to its competitors.
The Versa is a bit underpowered compared to some other smartwatches, though. Also, it’s a bit frustrating to use its music features: the Versa offers no offline version of Spotify, which seems like a glaring oversight for runners who want to leave their phones at home while they work out.
