Top 6 compared
The best smartwatches for Android
Calls and messages at a glance and every workout counted, from a watch that gets along with your Android phone.
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The top 6 at a glance
A smartwatch pairs with your phone and shows its notifications, calls, music and maps on your wrist, while it counts steps and tracks sleep, heart rate and workouts in the background. Wear OS watches run apps from Google Play and need charging every day or two; fitness-led and simpler watches do less and go a week or more between charges.
Most watches made for Android pair with any Android phone, but a phone maker’s own watch saves some features for its own phones, and one or two brands’ companion apps come from the maker’s own app store rather than Google Play. Watches with a speaker and mic take calls on the wrist; others only show who’s calling. iPhone owners have a separate list: the best smartwatches for iPhone.
What matters
- Built-in GPS, so runs and rides don’t need the phone.
- Tap-to-pay, if you’d like to leave the wallet at home.
- Water resistance of 5 ATM (50 m) or more, for the pool.
#1Google Pixel Watch 4 (45mm, Wi-Fi, Polished Silver with Porcelain Band)
Over $300
On most phones running Android 11 or newer, not only Pixels, Google’s own Wear OS watch brings Gemini, apps from Google Play, Google Wallet, phone calls and dual-frequency GPS to a bright domed screen. The Huawei below has the higher score, yet as a smartwatch this one does far more.
What owners say: Owners love its round, watch-like design and how much it lets them do from the wrist; battery life, the connection to the phone, accuracy and durability get mixed reports.
Heads up: Google also makes the newer Pixel Watch 5; the Pixel Watch 4 is still sold new.
A closer look: Fifteen minutes on the side-mounted charging dock gives up to 15 hours by Google’s figures, so a forgotten night’s charge is soon put right. The 45mm case has the bigger screen; the 41mm suits a slimmer wrist. Setup needs a Google account and the Pixel Watch app on the phone.
- Gemini built in
- Apps from Google Play
- Bright domed screen
- Side-mounted charging dock
Best for: A full smartwatch on Android
- Works with
- Android only
- Battery
- Up to 40 hours
- Built-in GPS
- Yes
- Contactless payments
- Google Wallet
- Calls on the watch
- Yes
- Water resistance
- 50 m (5 ATM), IP68
#2Huawei Watch FIT 4 (1.82-inch AMOLED, Black)
$150–$200
A slim, light square watch, 9.5 mm thick and 27 g without the strap, with a bright 1.82-inch AMOLED screen, built-in dual-band GPS, a barometer for hikes and climbs, and a speaker and mic for calls. It runs up to 10 days a charge, and 10 minutes on the charger gives a full day, by Huawei’s figures.
What owners say: Owners rave about the features and the built-in apps that cover the essentials, and about a battery that spares them charging every other day; the interface wins them over too, though how well it works with their phone varies.
Heads up: Its Huawei Health app isn’t on Google Play: Android owners install it from Huawei’s AppGallery, which takes a few extra steps.
A closer look: With the screen set to always on, Huawei puts the battery at about four days rather than ten. The barometer tracks climbs and air pressure, so stair sessions, hikes and ski days come back with height gained as well as distance.
- Barometer tracks height gained
- 9.5 mm thin, 27 g
- 1.82-inch AMOLED screen
Best for: Hikers who want a light watch
- Works with
- iPhone and Android
- Battery
- Up to 240 hours (10 days)
- Built-in GPS
- Yes
- Contactless payments
- No
- Calls on the watch
- Yes
- Water resistance
- 50 m (5 ATM)
#3fixwink Smart Watch with Calls (1.83-inch, Black)
$30–$50
A big 1.83-inch square screen with calls and text alerts on the wrist, plus heart rate, blood oxygen and sleep tracking. It pairs with an Android phone, or an iPhone, through the VeryFit app and runs up to seven days between charges, an easy first smartwatch.
What owners say: Owners rate the value, and find it simple to get going and easy to learn, with good stamina between charges, a handy app and readings they can rely on.
A closer look: Rain, sweat and splashes are fine (IP67), but the maker says to keep it out of the pool, the shower and the hot tub, so swimmers need a watch made for the water. Walks and runs are mapped through the phone’s GPS, so the phone needs to come along.
- 1.83-inch HD screen
- Tracks heart rate, oxygen, sleep
- 120+ sports modes
- Pairs via the VeryFit app
Best for: Trying a smartwatch for the first time
- Works with
- iPhone and Android
- Battery
- Up to 168 hours (7 days)
- Built-in GPS
- No
- Contactless payments
- No
- Calls on the watch
- Yes
- Water resistance
- Splashes only (IP67)
#4Garmin vívoactive 6 GPS Smartwatch (42mm, Slate with Black Band)
Over $300
A week and a half between charges, built-in GPS, Garmin Pay and music storage, and it works with any Android phone, not just one maker’s, so it suits anyone who’d rather not charge a watch every night. Garmin was founded in 1989, and its name blends those of its founders, Gary Burrell and Min Kao.
What owners say: Owners praise the design, the range of tracking and how rarely it needs the charger, about every ten days; whether it holds up, how accurate it is and its value divide them.
A closer look: Everything it records, from sleep scores to Body Battery and workouts, builds up in the free Garmin Connect app, so it’s worth setting up on the first day. With the screen left always on, the battery falls to about five days. Calls and messages show on the wrist, but calls are answered on the phone.
- Music storage on the watch
- 80+ sports apps
- Daily energy and sleep scores
- Smart wake alarm
Best for: Fitness and long battery
- Works with
- iPhone and Android
- Battery
- Up to 264 hours (11 days)
- Built-in GPS
- Yes
- Contactless payments
- Garmin Pay
- Calls on the watch
- No
- Water resistance
- 50 m (5 ATM)
#5Amazfit Bip Max Smart Watch (2.07-inch AMOLED, Silver)
$100–$150
Up to 20 days between charges on a big, bright 2.07-inch AMOLED screen, with built-in GPS, offline maps with turn-by-turn directions and a speaker and mic for calls. It pairs with an iPhone or an Android phone through the free Zepp app, which has no subscription.
What owners say: Everyday features are all there, owners report, and the battery drains so slowly they barely notice; the large display and health monitoring please them, though how it fits depends on the wrist.
A closer look: Before a hike or a ride somewhere new, load the map onto the watch in the Zepp app and it gives turn-by-turn directions with no signal. There’s no tap-to-pay, so cards stay in the wallet, and the large screen makes long messages easy to read at a glance.
- Offline maps, turn-by-turn directions
- 2.07-inch AMOLED screen
- No-subscription Zepp app
- 150+ sports modes
Best for: Finding your way somewhere new
- Works with
- iPhone and Android
- Battery
- Up to 480 hours (20 days)
- Built-in GPS
- Yes
- Contactless payments
- No
- Calls on the watch
- Yes
- Water resistance
- 50 m (5 ATM)
#6Samsung Galaxy Watch8 (40mm, Bluetooth, Silver)
Over $300
Samsung’s own Wear OS watch, made for owners of Galaxy phones, which unlock its Samsung Wallet and extra Samsung Health and Galaxy AI features. It has apps from Google Play, calls and built-in GPS on a bright round screen, and each morning an Energy Score sums up sleep, activity and heart rate.
What owners say: Plenty of useful features and a handsome design, say owners, who also rate the Samsung Health app; most wish the battery lasted longer, and views differ on the screen size, accuracy, value and how it works day to day.
A closer look: Expect to charge it every day or two: Samsung puts the battery at up to 40 hours, and the always-on screen uses it up faster. Wear it to bed for the first few nights so the sleep coaching and Bedtime Guidance have something to go on.
- Energy Score each morning
- Running Coach, 5K to marathon
- Sleep coaching and bedtime advice
- Apps from Google Play
Best for: Galaxy phone owners
- Works with
- Android (extras with Galaxy phones)
- Battery
- Up to 40 hours
- Built-in GPS
- Yes
- Contactless payments
- Google Wallet, Samsung Wallet
- Calls on the watch
- Yes
- Water resistance
- 50 m (5 ATM), IP68
How they compare
Swipe sideways or rotate device to see all 6.
| Feature | #1Pixel Watch 4 | #2Huawei Watch FIT 4 | #3fixwink | #4Garmin vívoactive 6 | #5Amazfit Bip Max | #6Galaxy Watch8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Best value | Best budget | Longest battery | Best for Galaxy phones | ||
| Picked Rating | 9.0 | 9.1 | 8.9 | 8.8 | 8.8 | 8.7 |
| Price | Over $300 | $150–$200 | $30–$50 | Over $300 | $100–$150 | Over $300 |
| Works with | Android only | iPhone and Android | iPhone and Android | iPhone and Android | iPhone and Android | Android (extras with Galaxy phones) |
| Battery | Up to 40 hours | Up to 240 hours (10 days) | Up to 168 hours (7 days) | Up to 264 hours (11 days) | Up to 480 hours (20 days) | Up to 40 hours |
| Built-in GPS | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Contactless payments | Google Wallet | No | No | Garmin Pay | No | Google Wallet, Samsung Wallet |
| Calls on the watch | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Water resistance | 50 m (5 ATM), IP68 | 50 m (5 ATM) | Splashes only (IP67) | 50 m (5 ATM) | 50 m (5 ATM) | 50 m (5 ATM), IP68 |
| Best for | A full smartwatch on Android | Hikers who want a light watch | Trying a smartwatch for the first time | Fitness and long battery | Finding your way somewhere new | Galaxy phone owners |
| Buy now | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
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