Buying a smartwatch can get a little tricky, especially with the plethora of budget options available in the market today. While that might sound good for consumers on a tight budget, there is more than what meets the eye. To make things easier, we have simplified the process and listed some key points that you should consider before buying a new smartwatch.
Ecosystem/Compatibility
The most important factor that you should consider while buying a smartwatch is the ecosystem or in easy word you can say compatibility. If you are owner of an iPhone, then it is probably best to get an Apple Watch. The reason for that is pretty simple – you get the best compatibility as it is made for the Apple ecosystem, and every single feature will work as intended. There are a few third-party smartwatches that can be used with an iPhone, and surprisingly work well but when it comes to compatibility no other watch can match like Apple Smart Watch do.
An Android smartphone, have multiple options. Firstly, the WEAR OS, which is Google’s own dedicated platform for smartwatches. While earlier versions of Wear OS had their problems, the newest version fully updated, more stable and can be inferred, as ‘usable’ in every aspect. In case you are buying a Wear OS-based smartwatch, better double-check whether it can be updated to Wear OS 3.0 as a large number of existing products do not make the cut. Again Samsung with its Galaxy Watch series that has been running on its own Tizen-based software. However, the recently launched Galaxy Watch4 series now comes with a forked version of Wear OS 3.0 with some bits of Tizen baked in. It is currently the only Wear OS 3.0 based smartwatch that you can buy, and also the best smartwatch for Android users.
Lastly, there are various budget-focused smartwatches like OnePlus, Xiaomi, Huawei, Realme, Amazfit, and some local brands like Boat, Noise, and so on. While some of these are ok in terms of design and features, it is the ecosystem where they fail to impress. Sure, they will do all the basics like tracking your health, delivering notifications, receiving calls, and much more. But they do have certain caveats which may hamper your experience, especially when it comes to third-party app support.
Compatibility
Apple Watches are made to work with iPhones only, while the Wear OS devices play well with both iOS and Android. Surprisingly smartwatches made by Samsung, Garmin, Fitbit, and others are compatible with Android and iOS, but for that, you required a companion app.
The smartwatch OS will guide the type and number of on-watch apps you’ll have access to.
Design and build
Primarily only two dial options are found, at the time of buying a smartwatch – a round shape dial or a square or rectangular shape. Consumers have to decide based on their preferences. Personally, I love a rectangular shape dial.
When the point of building or making a smartwatch with quality material, cheaper smartwatches come with cheaper materials and they compromise with like high-quality leather for the straps or metal for the casing. They usually have a plastic finish with silicone straps that don’t usually last very long. You have to pay more to get premium build quality.
Brand comes with
1. Smartwatch with Stainless Steel is one of the main points to remember in the case of a premium quality watch.
2. Similarly, there are different qualities of leather, protective glass, plastics, and so on.
3. Due to daily use, rugged protection is a must so that they can take on minor knocks and bumps, while others offer IP certification ensuring that they can withstand dust and water. These ratings are a must before buying a smartwatch if you are planning to buy one for tracking sports activities, especially swimming.
Display
One of the most important things to consider before buying a smartwatch is the quality and capabilities of the display. The display is a core component of any smartwatch as it shows you all the information as well as lets you interact with the watch itself. Thus, it is recommended to choose a smartwatch with a good display that can work well indoors as well as outdoors.
Ecosystem
The most important factor that you should consider while buying a smartwatch is the ecosystem. If you own an iPhone, then it is probably best to get an Apple Watch. The reason for that is pretty simple – you get the best compatibility as it is made for the Apple ecosystem, and every single feature will work as intended. There are a few third-party smartwatches that can be used with an iPhone, and surprisingly work well when paired with their dedicated apps, but nothing can compare with the seamless experience that is delivered by the Apple Watch.
On the other hand, if you have an Android smartphone, there are multiple options. First of all, we have Wear OS, which is Google’s own dedicated platform for smartwatches. While earlier iterations of Wear OS have had their problems, the newest version is far more stable and dare we say, ‘usable’ in every aspect. If you are interested in buying a Wear OS-based smartwatch, we suggest that you double-check whether it can be updated to Wear OS 3.0 as a large number of existing products do not make the cut. Then we have Samsung with its Galaxy Watch series that has been running on its own Tizen-based software. However, the recently launched Galaxy Watch4 series now comes with a forked version of Wear OS 3.0 with some bits of Tizen baked in. It is currently the only Wear OS 3.0 based smartwatch that you can buy, and also the best smartwatch for Android users.
Lastly, there are numerous budget-focused smartwatches. These are from brands like OnePlus, Xiaomi, Huawei, Realme, Amazfit, and some local brands like Boat, Noise, and so on. While some of these are not bad in terms of design and features, it is the ecosystem where they fail to impress. Sure, they will do all the basics like tracking your health, delivering notifications, receiving calls, and much more. But they do have certain caveats which may hamper your experience, especially when it comes to third-party app support.
Compatibility
Apple Watches only work with iPhones, while Wear OS devices play nice with both iOS and Android. Smartwatches made by Samsung, Garmin, Fitbit and others are also compatible with Android and iOS, but you’ll need to install a companion app.
The smartwatch OS will also dictate the type and number of on-watch apps you’ll have access to. Many of these aren’t useful, though, making this factor a fairy minor one in the grand scheme of things.
Design and build
Primarily you are going to find two dial options while buying a smartwatch – a traditional round one or a square or rectangular one. There is no better option here and it is entirely up to the consumer to decide based on their preferences. Personally, I love a round dial, but a square or rectangular dial can offer slightly more screen real estate.
When it comes to the build, cheaper smartwatches rarely offer materials like high-quality leather for the straps or metal for the casing. They usually have a plastic finish with silicone straps that don’t usually last very long. The more money you pay, the more premium build quality you can expect, and this goes much deeper than you think. There is bound to be a difference between a smartwatch that offers just a metal casing compared to Stainless Steel or Aluminum. Similarly, there are different qualities of leather, protective glass, plastics, and so on. Since these smartwatches are meant for everyday use, most brands offer rugged protection. While some have a very solid build of their own that can take on minor knocks and bumps, others offer IP certification ensuring that they can withstand dust and water. Make sure you look out for these ratings before buying a smartwatch if you are planning to buy one for tracking sports activities, especially swimming.
Display
It is very important to consider the quality and capabilities of the display. Like smartphones, the display is a core component of any smartwatch as it shows you all the information as well as lets you interact with the watch itself. Thus, it is recommended to choose a display that can be seen under direct sunlight. Make sure it has high-quality protective glass and a responsive touch system. The latter is extremely important and worth considering as a poor touch response can completely hamper the user experience.
Apart from the above, one should also check the type of display panel that has been used. An AMOLED display is usually superior compared to an LCD as it offers better contrast, colors, as well as better power efficiency.
Battery
Really it’s the main point which we can’t ignore. Battery life tells the ultimate pleasure for an owner as if it has low power then it will be the biggest pain owning a smartwatch. Since smartwatches are almost tiny little smartphones for our wrists, smartwatches offer limited battery life. Features like built-in GPS, cellular support, continuous heart rate tracking, and other biometric sensors, usually need to be charged overnight, otherwise, battery life will end soon. Mid-range and budget smartwatches tend to offer longer battery life with some models claimed to stay up for multiple days. These watches compromise on high-end features thus are not the most advanced options on the market.
In terms of charging, most smartwatches come with their own cradles or docks. In rare cases, you might find models that support Qi wireless charging, which is a universal standard allowing you to buy third-party chargers in case you end up losing or damaging the bundled charging unit.
App support
This is something that is often overlooked when considering a good smartwatch. Apple’s WatchOS and Google’s Wear OS both support a wide range of third-party apps, with some that can be installed on the watch itself using their dedicated app stores. Essentially apps can directly run on the watch, rather than relying on a paired smartphone to push notifications.
Beyond these two, there is no smartwatch platform that offers an app store that can be deemed reliable, thus limiting quite a few features. In fact, this is also one of the biggest reasons for cheaper smartwatches not having the ability to add new watch faces, unless the OEM pushes a firmware update.
Connectivity
One of the most common smartwatches today offers connectivity features such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and built-in GPS. The high-end smartwatch also offers optional cellular LTE connectivity, wherein you can configure an eSIM in parallel with your original SIM card. A smartwatch with both GPS and cellular connectivity gives you the ability to use it without being connected to a smartphone. Due to this, one can go for walks and runs, make phone calls or navigate using the built-in GPS using the smartwatch rather than relying on the smartphone. Of course, these features eat a portion of the battery to run smoothly.
Health tracking
Another important feature offered by smartwatches today is the ability to track your health. Step count is a very common feature where you can keep a track of how many steps you’ve taken thereby calculating the amount of workout you did. With improvements in technology, health tracking on smartwatches has gone way beyond just counting steps. Features like ECG heart-rate monitoring, SpO2 meter, activity tracking, sports tracking, and many more are now available on a variety of smartwatches.
Brands like Amazfit and Garmin offer some of the best health features, while Apple takes charge in heart monitoring with the Apple Watch reportedly saving quite a few lives by alerting users of potential heart attacks. If you are serious enough, then high-end smartwatch will be better for you to consider.
Music
Some smartwatches track your morning runs as well as also play music while you’re exercising. Saved your music locally, so you can connect wireless earbuds and listen to tunes without bringing your phone. Those that don’t have onboard storage for music usually have on-watch music controls, so you can control playback without whipping out your phone. With the help of LTE based smart watch , one even listen to music without saving it.
Always-on displays
Most flagship smartwatches today have some sort of always-on display, be it a default feature or a setting you can enable. It allows you to glance down at your watch to check the time and any other information you’ve set it to show on its watchface without lifting your wrist. This will no doubt affect your device’s battery life, but thankfully most always-on modes dim the display’s brightness so it’s not running at its peak unnecessarily. Cheaper devices won’t have this feature; instead, their screens will automatically turn off to conserve battery and you’ll have to intentionally check your watch to turn on the display again.
Price
Due to this, the premium smartwatch is more expensive for a reason. Apart from offering top-of-the-line build quality and design, it also offers the most advanced technology features, something that budget smartwatch fails to provide. Now, this doesn’t mean that a cheap smartwatch is going to lack basic functionality. In fact, most affordable models today have managed to offer lot of features that were impossible to have a few years ago.
The most premium smartwatches offered in India are available from Apple, Garmin, and Samsung. As you lower your budget, you can find various options from Fossil, Amazfit, OnePlus, Xiaomi, and many more. While we wouldn’t really recommend going for the ultra-low-budget smartwatches priced under Rs 5,000, they are more or less similar to fitness bands only with a larger screen. Similarly do not buy something overly expensive, like an Apple Watch, just because everyone is buying it. Understand the features, look at your requirements, set a budget, and then choose the right smartwatch.
Speaking of which, make sure you go through our list of the best smartwatches for 2022 to find your next smartwatch.
Best budget: Fitbit Versa 2
Dropping $400 on a smartwatch isn’t feasible for everyone, which is why we recommend the Fitbit Versa 2 as the best sub-$200 option. It’s our favorite budget watch because it offers a bunch of features at a great price. You get all of these essentials: Fitbit’s solid exercise-tracking abilities (including auto-workout detection), sleep tracking, water resistance, connected GPS, blood oxygen tracking and a six-day battery life. It also supports Fitbit Pay using NFC and it has built-in Amazon Alexa for voice commands. While the Versa 2 typically costs $150, we’ve seen it for as low as $100.
Buy Fitbit Versa 2 at Amazon – $150
Best for Android users: Samsung Galaxy Watch 5
Samsung may not have brought many upgrades to the latest version of its popular Galaxy Watch, but that doesn’t mean the Watch 5 isn’t still the best smartwatch for Android users. Improvements like a more durable screen and refined curvature don’t sound exciting, but they make the Watch 5 more resilient and reliable. Plus, the Galaxy Watch offers the most comprehensive health and fitness tracking on Wear OS, and the company added a sleep coaching feature this year that is meant to help guide you towards better rest.
If you don’t mind oversized watches, consider the Watch 5 Pro. It’s more expensive at $450, but comes with a larger 45mm titanium case, a more durable screen and a larger battery. Though Samsung markets it as an outdoor-oriented device, you’re better off thinking of it as a big timepiece that lasts longer than the standard model. It has all the same features as the 40mm and 44mm versions, except it supports the GPX route format for workouts so you can get turn-by-turn directions while you hike and bike.
All three watches are also water-resistant so they can track swims or survive a sudden storm, and last more than a day (without the Always On Display enabled). They also run Wear OS 3.5, which is so similar to Samsung’s previous Tizen OS that longtime wearers won’t need to worry about adjusting to a new system. Ultimately, the Galaxy Watch 5 series is a capable, well-rounded set of smartwatches that will serve most Android users well.
Buy Galaxy Watch 5 at Amazon , Buy Galaxy Watch 5 Pro at Amazon –