As feature packed as smartwatches can be, there is a tendency for battery life to be their achilles heel. It features an attractive, patterned face and a 14mm band that's much slimmer than most smartwatch straps, so you can wear it alongside other jewelry. The heart rate monitor was effective, capturing a reliable resting rate and picking out any high heart reading rates from that day. While the battery hasn’t been changed over its predecessor, the Series 8 does now come with a ‘Low Power Mode’ that shuts off features like the always-on display and fall detection, but in doing so it can bump the battery life from 18-hours to a whopping 36-hours. Based on our experience, it’s only up close that most people will notice it’s not an Apple Watch, due to the slightly larger bezel surrounding the screen.

However, we would note that the likes of the Garmin Fenix 7 offer better mapping support if you’re a keen hiker, and the Apple Watch Ultra is a large and relatively bulky watch to wear on your wrist especially if you want to use it for sleep tracking. However, now with the fifth version available Apple Watch is a significantly matured product compared with the initial release, both in hardware terms and the suit of fitness and health-related applications available. Similarly, the Vertix 2 doesn’t lead the pack in terms of smart features, as there’s no digital assistant or third-party apps to bolster the wearable experience. Many standard smartwatches, like the Apple Watch, can monitor heart rate and keep a step count, but other products are designed to go beyond those abilities and provide a link to support services in the event of a problem. In addition to blood pressure records, the HeartAdvisor also monitors sleep patterns and physical activity.Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. You can even track your stress through heart rate variability measurements and respiration tracking; ideal for those who like to use real-life stats to keep an eye on their wellness. Outdoor adventurers might prefer the still-available Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, which offers longer battery life, a more durable titanium case, an even stronger sapphire crystal glass display, and a few outdoor-specific navigation features. The Vertix 2 also offers excellent mapping support which, in conjunction with its dual-frequency GPS connectivity, makes it ideal for tracking outdoors runs and hikes.

You can see a full breakdown of all the smartwatches in this lists specifications in the table below. These let the watch offer reliable fitness tracking without the need to lug your phone along, as you have to on many other affordable wearables, such as the Garmin Vivosmart 5 we reviewed earlier this month. The biggest upgrade for the SE 2 is the included S8 chipset, which is the exact same processor found within the far pricier Apple Watch 8. The Apple Watch still has the largest number of high-quality apps and big-name developers, but Google's Wear OS platform is catching up. As the Active2 title hints, this is a smartwatch designed for those who like to improve their fitness and want some technology to track their progress.

The Vivomove Trend puts its focus on being a health, wellness and fitness tracker, and it definitely thrives in that area. Most of the smartwatches on our list feature GPS connectivity, which means they can record your runs without the help of a companion device (the Garmin Lily is an exception).

Although the information it gathers could be invaluable to anyone with heart issues, and those who want to track personal fitness. It also offers key lifestyle features such as phone notifications, music playback controls, and calendar and weather widgets.All aluminum Series 9 models paired with a new Sport Loop band are carbon neutral, as denoted by a green leaf logo on the packaging. Smartwatches can be very expensive, but that doesn't mean you need to spend a lot of money to get a good one. After the undisputed success of the iPhone and iPad, Apple hoped the Apple Watch would be the next big product for them, and it never quite achieved that status. It includes Apple's S9 SiC chip, which enables features like on-device Siri processing, precise directional device tracking (with an iPhone 15), and a double-tap gesture. The infamous calculator watch has been around since the 1970s, but watches have finally reached the point that they're, well, smart.