These are the best Android smartwatches you can buy - Android

Right now, the best smartwatch for Android users is the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2. It's optimized for Samsung phones but runs well on all the best Android phones and has all the smartwatch and fitness features you'd expect. It's compact and lightweight but still offers good battery life. But if you're not into that one, the good news is that there are so many other amazing options from Fossil to Garmin to Fitbit and more.

What are the best Android smartwatches?

Best Android Smartwatches 2021

• 1. Galaxy Watch Active 2 — from $199
• 2. Fossil Gen 5E — from $180
• 3. Galaxy Watch 3 — from $318
• 4. Garmin Forerunner 245 Music — from $314
• 5. TicWatch Pro 3 — from $300
• 6. Fitbit Versa 3 — from $229
• 7. Garmin Venu Sq — from $200
• 8. Skagen Falster 3 — from $222
• 9. Galaxy Watch Active — from $149
• 10. Suunto 7 — from $399
• 11. Fossil Hybrid HR — from $139
• 12 Amazfit GTS 2 Mini — from $100

If you're currently in the market for the best Android smartwatch, your choices should include our two best overall picks, the Galaxy Watch Active 2 and the Skagen Falster 3. These watches may come from two different companies, but they're both loaded with many of the features that users are looking for these days while still maintaining attractive designs. If you don't mind spending a bit more on a premium watch, you should consider the Galaxy Watch 3. These are some of the most impressive Android wearables to date.

What makes the Galaxy wearables so great is the fluid Tizen OS mixed with beautiful hardware. Unlike the original Galaxy Watch, which had a physically rotating bezel, the Watch Active line uses a "virtual" bezel that lets you move around the software by rotating around the edge of the vivid AMOLED display.

Samsung Health has also improved immensely over the last couple of years and features a well-rounded selection of workout tracking options as well as a built-in GPS for monitoring outdoor runs or bike rides. Battery life on both watches is measured in days, not hours and the included sports bands are comfortable enough that you'll forget you're wearing anything on your wrist at all — until a notification comes in, which is easy to activate or dismiss.

Additionally, Galaxy wearables are optimized for Samsung phones but can be worn with Android or iOS devices (yes, they work great with iPhones, too). Samsung has done a fantastic job keeping older models updated with new features years after their release.

If you're not interested in a Samsung smartwatch or you simply prefer how Google does things, we recommend the Skagen Falster 3, which sits near the top of our best Wear OS watch roundup. Its exposed metal lugs are very Skagen, but the included side-mounted digital crown lets you navigate around the software without covering up what's on the screen. It runs the Qualcomm 3100 chip paired with 1GB of RAM for fluid performance.

1. Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2

The best Android smartwatch for most people

Bottom line: The Galaxy Watch Active 2 has all of Samsung's best wearable ideas rolled up into one smartwatch. It's stylish, comfortable, has great battery life, and has plenty of health tracking features to make you happy and keep you motivated.

Pros:

• Compact and well-designed
• Easy to use
• Capacitive bezel
• Excellent performance and battery

Cons:

• Third-party app support could be better
• Health tracking not as accurate as Garmin

Today's best deals

You don't have to use a Samsung phone to enjoy the benefits of owning a Samsung smartwatch, and the Galaxy Watch Active 2 provides the most well-rounded wearables experience for Android users right now. It's compact and lightweight but features an extremely sharp and vivid touch display that's easy to navigate and fun to use, thanks to the new capacitive bezel. The Tizen OS is smooth and battery-friendly, unlike Google's own Wear OS, and while the app selection isn't massive, the core tenets are there, like Spotify, Strava, and more.

The Galaxy Watch Active 2 contains its primary purpose in its name: exercise tracking. The watch comes with GPS built-in and features automatic workout-tracking, along with sleep tracking, water, food, and caffeine consumption tracking, and more. The Running Coach feature is improved, which now gives you real-time pace metrics and a rundown of what to expect from your workout before you start. You'll receive audio cues that can be heard through the watch speaker or Bluetooth headphones.

If you mainly wear a smartwatch for notifications, the Galaxy Watch Active 2 delivers there, too, with excellent support for Android's notification system, letting you reply using your voice, the built-in keyboard, or with one of the many quick answers.

Finally, we have to consider battery life. While not quite as good as some of the other larger watches on the list, it is still pretty impressive, and the watch can be topped up with select Qi wireless pads or with the Galaxy's Wireless PowerShare feature.

Read the full Galaxy Watch Active 2 review.

Best Smartwatch Overall

Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 Smartwatch

$199 at Amazon $200 at Best Buy From $200 at Walmart

The Active 2 offers a pretty display, onboard GPS, ample activity tracking, and a unique capacitive bezel for easy navigation.

2. Fossil Gen 5E

Our top pick for a Wear OS watch

Bottom line: As one of the latest releases to hit the market, the Fossil Gen 5E is one of the best Wear OS watches out there. It isn't the most affordable option on the market, but you simply can't beat the combination of these luxurious designs and Wear OS features. You also get heart-rate monitoring, basic activity tracking with Google Fit and Google Pay.

Pros:

• Sleek, stylish design
• Voice-activated Google Assistant
• 3 ATM water resistance
• Heart-rate tracking
• Google Pay

Cons:

• Only 4GB of storage
• Lacks onboard GPS

It's worth noting that the Fossil Gen 5E is available in different models that come in an array of masculine and feminine designs. They're packed with all the same great features, with the design being the only difference. The men's version comes in a slightly larger 44mm case that's compatible with 22mm interchangeable bands. The women's version comes in a 42mm case and is compatible with 18mm interchangeable bands.

It might look like nothing more than a lifestyle watch, but there's a lot under the hood. This Wear OS smartwatch is running the Snapdragon Wear 3100 processor. When you combine that with 1GB of RAM, you can expect ultra-smooth performance for a seamless experience.

There are many features to love here. The Fossil Gen 5E offers music storage and controls, Google Fit, voice-activated Google Assistant, Google Pay, heart-rate monitoring, activity/sleep tracking, VO2 max estimates, and more. It has both a microphone and speaker, enabling you to take Bluetooth calls from your wrist. While the battery will last for a day, it comes with rapid charging that can juice up to 80% battery in under an hour.

It might be a lite version of the original Fossil Gen 5, but it's not exactly cheap given the high-quality design. The price tag makes sense given the superior performance, new features, and premium design.

Read our full Fossil Gen 5E smartwatch review.

Best Wear OS watch

Fossil Gen 5E Smartwatch

From $180 at Amazon $249 at Best Buy

Pretty and smart

Smartwatches can be fashionable, too. The Fossil Gen 5E is looks and smarts, from taking calls to fitness tracking to payments.

3. Samsung Galaxy Watch 3

For those who want more features

Bottom line: If you're looking for the latest tech, the new Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 is a worthwhile pick. It's a premium lifestyle wearable packed with some new health and fitness features that allow users to enjoy the best of all worlds.

Pros:

• Built-in GPS
• Optional LTE connectivity
• Activity/sleep tracking
• 5 ATM water resistance
• MIL-STD-810G durability
• Music Storage & Samsung Pay

Cons:

• Expensive starting point
• Battery life isn't great

One of Samsung's latest releases, the Galaxy Watch 3, is more than just a lifestyle wearable. The predecessor wasn't the best pick for fitness fans since it was more of a fashionable smartwatch with some bonus features sprinkled in. Now, the Galaxy Watch 3 is back and better than ever. It's an excellent upgrade pick for those who want a premium smartwatch with advanced health and fitness tracking. It comes in two sizes and offers optional LTE connectivity, built-in GPS, heart-rate monitoring, 5 ATM water resistance, and military-grade durability.

Two of the new health features include SpO2 and VO2 max readings. A SpO2 reading measures your blood oxygen saturation levels, while the VO2 max tells you how much oxygen your body consumes during a workout. These two new features are also accompanied by an electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor and blood pressure monitoring, which will soon be available in the U.S. Other new features include built-in run coaching and recovery tools, along with access to over 120 home workout videos on the Samsung Health app.

If you're new to the scene, you might experience some sticker shock when you notice the price tag on the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3. Sure, it's got some impressive features, but this price point may be out of the question for some people. If you're an experienced wearable user with confidence in Samsung wearables, this upgrade might be worth considering. It's an especially good choice if you're looking for the best smartwatch with LTE.

Read our full Galaxy Watch 3 review.

Best Upgrade Pick

Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 Smartwatch

$318 at Amazon $320 at Best Buy $320 at Walmart

Worth the upgrade

The new Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 is a worthy upgrade with a stunning design, optional LTE, and improved health/fitness features.

4. Garmin Forerunner 245 Music

A great watch for the fitness-focused individuals

Bottom line: If running is the name of your game, the Garmin Forerunner 245 Music is easily the best choice. It has a transflective display that is easy to read in direct sunlight. It comes with a comfortable band, stellar battery life, and unmatched workout tracking.

Pros:

• Advanced workout tracking and guidance
• Incredible battery life
• Sunlight-friendly transflective display
• Music streaming
• Extremely comfortable strap

Cons:

• Limited smartwatch features
• Basic design may not be for everyone

There's a smartwatch for every Android user type, and the Garmin Forerunner 245 Music is an outstanding choice for anyone who runs bikes or swims. It's not the best smartwatch, but it does receive notifications from your phone. If you don't need much more than that — and who does these days? — the Forerunner 245 makes up for it with incredible 7+ day battery life, or six hours with GPS enabled, which is more than enough for a marathon (or two if you're really good).

Better yet, the transflective screen means that the Forerunner 245 is easily visible in direct sunlight, making it perfect for extended outdoor excursions. There's also music storage and the option to stream from Spotify or Deezer, which is seriously great if you're trying to hit those personal bests. Add in 24/7 heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, advanced workout capture, and advanced features like VO2 max estimation, a recovery advisor, and more, which becomes a wonderful option.

Be sure to check out the full Garmin Forerunner 245 Music review and some of our other top fitness smartwatches right now.

Best for Runners

Garmin Forerunner 245 Music Smartwatch

$319 at Amazon $350 at Best Buy $300 at Walmart

A solid, slim GPS tracker.

Garmin's GPS tech is paired with a reliable heart-rate tracker in a slim watch that syncs to its own app and other popular apps.

5. Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 3

Best for Premium Performance

Bottom line: As we've come to expect from Mobvoi, the new TicWatch Pro 3 is large and in charge. This device offers smoother performance, longer battery life, and some new health features. The company's signature two-in-one display lets you see it in direct sunlight.

Pros:

• Built-in GPS
• Improved performance
• Lightweight design
• Dual-layer display
• Better battery life
• Google Pay

Cons:

• Expensive
• Only one color option
• Bulky on small wrists

If you prefer big things in big packages, you'll appreciate what the TicWatch Pro 3 is bringing to the table. This smartwatch comes with a dual-layer display, which you may recall from previous models. This time, the Dual Display 2.0 has received some helpful style improvements, including a live seconds counter and a handy backlight. The battery is expected to last for 3 days in Smart Mode, depending on your usage. You'll also enjoy built-in GPS, activity tracking, heart-rate monitoring, new blood oxygen (SpO2) sensor, and Google Pay.

While there's no denying that 47mm is a pretty big smartwatch, Mobvoi notes that it has redesigned the TicWatch Pro to be around 30% lighter. As you can imagine, this makes it much more comfortable to wear despite its huge case size. While the improved performance is the star of the show (here's to you, Snapdragon Wear 4100), other upgrades deserve attention. The TicWatch Pros 3 has refreshed its existing apps, including TicExercise and TicPulse. Now, you'll also have TicOxygen for SpO2 tracking, TicHearing for noise detection and alert, TicZen to monitor stress levels using heart-rate data, and TicBreathe for breath training.

If you don't mind just how gigantic this wearable is, the TicWatch Pro 3 is an excellent upgrade with tons of improvements. Some people may feel that the 47mm case size is overkill. However, if you want snappy performance thanks to the new Snapdragon Wear 4100 processor, it just might be worth it. As of now, the TicWatch Pro 3 is still working on the old version of Wear OS. Hopefully, the performance will only continue to improve when the operating system is