/ Smartwatches stopped being accessories, now they are everyday essentials.
Nora West is the Best Pick manager at TheTweaks so she has the bulk of best picks. Here at TheTweaks she covers the buying guides, gift guides and all the travel tech gadgets as well. She has to monitor hundreds of products in every category, keep picks up to date, change their pricing, check the availability but she is doing her job brilliantly. Nora has a research background and worked on product analysis in a company for five years prior to joining editorial.
Buying the right smartwatch for someone seems more difficult than it is. Walk into any store or open Amazon for five minutes and your brain shuts-off. Every smartwatch claims a long life battery and health tracking that changes everything. By the time you’ve read three listings, they all sound the same until you try them.
We have had the chance to wear four of these smartwatches for a few days at each of the price points, from one that we were surprised to wear for a mere $50, to the $300 budget that we almost couldn’t live without. If your guy is a workout enthusiast, an Android fan, just moving from a FitBit, or a true fan of the trails who desires a “casual hike” of 15 miles, there’s a watch on this list for them. This is what you need to know before making your purchase.
Price: $59.99 – $89.99
Available at Amazfit
Who is it for: The person who desires a smartwatch but does not want to spend much on a smartwatch.
The first thing you’ll notice while unboxing the Bip 5 is that it is lighter than expectation. Wearing it for extended periods of time is never a burden, as it only weighs 26 grams, without the strap. The 1.91-inch screen is the real headline for a watch that costs this much, the display is surprisingly bright and readable in the daylight.
I used it for a whole week of exercise, commuting and late night binging. It’s just one thing that sets it apart from half of the competition in this price range. The battery lasted 10 days even though I didn’t have to supervise it. When switched to battery saver mode it extends the battery life to 26 days, the equivalent of nearly unbelievable value.
The Bluetooth calling ability is adequate enough to reply to calls via the watch speaker and communicate from the wrist. It’s not that it’s not “private” in a coffee shop, but it’s certainly “handy” when your phone is across the room. It’s equipped with Amazon Alexa, and has 120+ sports modes including outdoor running, yoga and more.
What it doesn’t offer: No NFC for contactless payment and the GPS is not as accurate as some serious runners will want, adding up to the lane level. However, if it’s a gift for a person who is new to smartwatches? It’s a very good value for money!
Price: $249 or $20.75/mo
Available at Apple
For whom: The iPhone user looking at the Apple Watch without the price tag of the Series 11.
Apple has improved on the SE line with the SE 3 and it’s our pick for anyone already a part of the Apple universe. Based on the same S10 chip used in the flagship Series 11, it is fast, responsive and not going to feel outdated in a year.
The health stack includes all you need: heart rate, sleep apnea notifications, sleep score, temperature and cycle tracking. This does not include app ECG and blood oxygen monitoring, which are available on the Series 11, but for most people, those features are rarely used. You do get fall detection, crash detection and emergency SOS, all valuable safety features that iPhone users rely on more than they would like to admit.
The battery life is 18 hours on normal use, which means that if most people charge it at night and forget about it. The Always-On Retina display can reach up to 1000 nits, which means it won’t be a squint fest when checking it out in bright sunlight.
The Apple Watch SE 3 comes in 40mm and 44mm, in Midnight and Starlight aluminum, and it’s 5G capable on cellular models. It only takes about 10 minutes if the recipient already has an iPhone. It will be as if it is an extension of the phone they already carry.
Price: $249.99 or 10.42/mo
Available at Samsung
Who will it appeal to: Android wearers who want a serious, in-depth health-tracking experience.
Samsung has gone all out on health monitoring with the Galaxy Watch7. This watch features the BioActive Sensor which tracks heart rate, blood oxygen and body composition, including body fat percentage, and skeletal muscle and BMI right from the wrist. We tried it against the gym grade scale and the numbers matched fairly close that would be useful for trend monitoring over time
The 44mm size fits medium to large wrist size. Overall, Samsung’s OneUI Watch interface is sleek and easy to use. The Galaxy AI features on compatible Samsung smartphones provide a degree of health coaching that is more than a mere checkbox.
One of the more comprehensive features we’ve seen in this price range is the sleep tracking on the Watch7, which rates sleep cycles, records snoring patterns (when you connect it to the health app) and provides you an energy score in the morning. If you’re one who has been wondering about the quality of your sleep, this information is addictive.
It is compatible with Samsung and other Android smartphones. The battery life is in the order of 40 hours, so you have to charge after every two days. Not the end of the world but just something to be aware of. This 44mm model features a green color model that is not loud, but still looks sharp.
Price: From $399.99
Available at Garmin
For whom it’s for: The person who hikes, goes camping, trail runner and someone who hates to think of charging.
The Instinct 2S Solar is designed for those that want to avoid electronics that get wet, hit rocks, or don’t find a wall socket for weeks. Made to US Military standards for thermal, shock and water resistance. So you can feel the durability the moment you put it on.
Solar charging is the one thing that is talked about a lot. We have tried it for weeks and weeks of outdoor use, and in ideal sunlight it really does bring the battery to the level where charging is more of an option. One of our team members reported using it for 45 days without internet, without charging. The 40mm case size has a smaller wrist fit than most Garmin wrist watches and looks more like a watch than a hockey puck.
Health tracking includes everything from heart rate, stress, SpO2, sleep, and menstrual tracking. Syncs to Garmin Connect for further analysis. The navigation tools such as breadcrumb mapping, GPS with multi-constellation support, altimeter, barometer and compass are accurate even when your phone signal was lost an hour ago.
The screen is monochrome, this is a surprise to those who expect the screen to be all color. It’s a good thing in that regard. Monochrome transflective screens are easier to read in direct sunlight than OLED, and they don’t consume battery power. When your gift recipient prefers a watch for practical purposes only, this is the one you won’t regret giving.
| Spec | Amazfit Bip 5 | Apple Watch SE 3 | Samsung Galaxy Watch7 | Garmin Instinct 2S Solar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $59.99 – $89.99 | $249 or $20.75/mo. | $249.99 or 10.42/mo | $399.99 |
| Sizes | 46mm only | 40mm · 44mm | 40mm · 44mm | 40mm, 45mm, 50mm |
| Colors | Soft Black, Cream White, Pastel Pink | Midnight, Starlight | Green, Cream | Graphite, Moss, Mist Grey, Flamingo, Camo |
| Weight | 26g (no strap) | ~26g (40mm) · | 33.8g | 53g |
| Dimensions | 45.94×38.09×11.2mm | 40mm: 38.7×33.3×9.7mm | 44.4 x 44.4 x 9.7 | 45 x 45 x 14.5 mm |
| Battery Life | 300mAh Up to 26 days | 18 hrs, 32 hrs Low Power | 40 hrs, 48 hrs Power Saving | 21 days smartwatch, Unlimited (solar) |
The Amazfit Bip 5 is truly a show-stopper for its price tag; it won’t let the first-time smartwatch wearer down. The Apple Watch SE 3 is the logical choice for those who are bound to an iPhone, and that’s because it simply works and works really well. For Android users who are serious about keeping tabs on their health, there is no denying that the Galaxy Watch7 does a lot with this BioActive sensor. If that’s for the person who tends to go into the woods on weekends, then the Garmin Instinct 2S Solar is the only one that makes sense, as it’s designed for that very purpose.
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