Whats a good smart watch to buy

MSE_Laura_F

In case it's useful, this MSE blog compares fitness trackers and smartwatches and gives some MoneySaving tips, including best time to buy:

Fitbit MoneySaving tips & tricks
Including save £60 choosing the right colour and how to turn your phone into a free 'Fitbit'

EssexHebridean

I looked at the Apple watch when I was looking for a smartwatch last year - I was looking to replace a Fitbit which had never worked properly, and which FitBit refused to do anything more than continually replace. (Side note - don’t buy a FitBit!) I dismissed the Apple option fairly swiftly based on both price and battery life- bad enough to have to have a phone that needs charging daily - I’m blowed if I’m faffing around like that with a watch too! I’d previously had a Garmin Forerunner basic model for running use - so began looking at their other models - one of the biggest criteria for me was that it wasn’t too big and chunky - I have small wrists so anything huge both looks ridiculous and feels uncomfortable. I liked the fact that Garmin offer several of their models in a smaller size. 

In the end I opted for a Vivoactive 4S - it is technically a smart watch but effectively crosses over as a fitness tracker too - and it’s superb for tracking runs, walks, cycles and swims. You can also record strength training on it, and all manner of other activities. I’ve had mine since September and absolutely love it - I’ve genuinely not really found any snags with it, so would happily recommend it to others. 

tempus_fugit

EssexHebridean said:- don’t buy a FitBit! 

I think that's a bit of a sweeping statement as many people have no issues with Fitbits. My wife has one and it works fine with her iPhone. I have had one too and I particularly liked the software although it would sometimes stop syncing with my Android phones and it was often difficult to get it to connect again. I eventually went to Samsung as they obviously work better if with a Samsung phone.

maxfield034

In my experience, since you are new to Smart Watches, I would recommend you to first have any budget smartwatch. There are lots of there - Samsung, Boat, Letsfit, Fitbit versa 2, Garmin, Amazfit and so on.

Why to spend £300? When we have the cheapest smartwatches. 

Grey_Critic

Eldest bought me one for my 80th birthday last year - fun but personally prefer the Sekonda my wife bought me years ago

a_car_person

dllive said:

Thanks guys - this is useful.

I have an iPhone. Regards budget, I dont really have one, but happy to pay £300 for a watch if I use the features. What I want to avoid is paying £300 for something I only use 5% of its features. (I know this may be unavoidable seeing as how much smart watches do).

My Apple Watch SE does everything you have said (and a few things on the side) and it is probably one of the best pieces of technology I own. Battery life is good (I finish the day with around 85%) even with heavy use. For WhatsApp, if you are in a group, sometimes all the messages don’t come up and you are behind in a conversation. Mine was £269 for the 40mm screen (I don’t think you need bigger).

HampshireH

sobi1 said:

It depends on what your expectation are from a smart watch. If you are unsure you can try a budget smart watch first, these days budget smart watches do offer quite a few different features from activity tracking to heart rate monitoring and sleep tracking. You can try Ruimen Watch 3 active which costs less than £50 or the newer model which is active 5. Another entry level smart watch which cost less than £100 and offers large AMOLED display along with plenty of other features is Amazfit BIP 5. 

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