Top 5 compared
The best smartwatches for Android
Messages and alerts from your Android phone on your wrist, with workouts and sleep tracked in the background.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. It costs you nothing extra. How this works
The top 5 at a glance
A smartwatch puts your phone’s notifications, calls, music and maps on your wrist, and quietly keeps track of steps, heart rate, sleep and workouts. Samsung’s and Google’s watches run apps from Google Play and need a charge every day or two; fitness-led watches from other makers do a little less and go a week or more between charges.
Most watches made for Android pair with any recent Android phone, but a phone maker’s own watch can keep a few features for its own phones: some of Samsung’s health and AI features want a Galaxy phone. Samsung’s and Google’s watches don’t pair with an iPhone at all, and iPhone owners have a list of their own: the best smartwatches for iPhone.
What matters
- Battery life, and whether a nightly charge suits you.
- Tap-to-pay, if you’d like to leave the wallet at home.
- A speaker and mic, to answer calls on the wrist.
#1Samsung Galaxy Watch7 (44mm, Bluetooth, Silver)
$200–$300
Its sleep tracking can flag signs of moderate to severe sleep apnea, by Samsung’s account, and an Energy Score each morning sums up last night’s sleep, heart rate and activity. Around that sit a round, bright 2,000-nit screen, built-in GPS, Samsung Wallet and calls on the wrist.
What owners say: Owners like the look, trust its step, heart-rate, workout and sleep tracking, and say it pairs seamlessly with a Samsung phone. Needing a charge about every two days is the common complaint, and opinions differ on value and on how well it stays connected.
Heads up: It pairs with Android phones only, and the Galaxy AI features need a Samsung Galaxy phone, the Samsung Health app and a Samsung account. Samsung has since brought out the Watch8 and Watch9; the Watch7 is still sold new.
A closer look: Wear it to bed from the first week: the sleep coaching needs seven nights in a month to build its advice, and the sleep apnea check runs over two nights for adults 22 and over, by Samsung’s note. The 44mm case suits larger wrists, and a 40mm version is sold for smaller ones.
- Flags signs of sleep apnea
- 2,000-nit round screen
- Morning score sums up sleep
- Sleep coaching after seven nights
Best for: Samsung Galaxy phone owners
- Works with
- Android only
- Battery (maker’s figure)
- Up to 40 hours
- Built-in GPS
- Yes
- Contactless payments
- Samsung Wallet, Google Wallet
- Calls on the watch
- Yes
- Water resistance
- 164 ft (50 m)
#2Garmin Venu 4 GPS Smartwatch (45mm, Slate with Black Band)
Over $300
Up to 12 days between charges, a stainless steel case and a speaker and mic for calls, and it works the same with any Android phone instead of saving features for one maker’s. Garmin’s name blends those of its founders, Gary Burrell and Min Kao, who started the company in 1989.
What owners say: A charge lasts five or six days for most owners, who also praise the heart-rate accuracy, a display that’s easy to read in bright sun and the polished metal case; pairing with Garmin Connect is painless. Value is where they part ways, fairly priced to many and overpriced to others.
A closer look: Health status keeps an eye on heart rate, heart-rate variability and skin temperature for changes from your normal, a nudge to take it easy when something’s off. Sleep coaching suggests how much sleep you need each night, and the 45mm case fits wrists from about 5.3 to 7.9 inches around.
- Built-in flashlight
- Stainless steel case, AMOLED screen
- Flags heart and temperature changes
- Sleep coaching each night
- Full features on any Android
Best for: Skipping the nightly charge
- Works with
- iPhone and Android
- Battery (maker’s figure)
- Up to 288 hours (12 days)
- Built-in GPS
- Yes
- Contactless payments
- Garmin Pay
- Calls on the watch
- Yes
- Water resistance
- 164 ft (50 m)
#3Samsung Galaxy Watch8 Classic (46mm, Bluetooth, Black)
Over $300
Samsung’s dressier watch, with a rotating bezel for scrolling through apps and a 46mm case that looks like a traditional watch, plus Samsung Wallet, built-in GPS and calls on the wrist. Running Coach and Advanced Sleep Coaching are built in, and it can check blood pressure, by Samsung’s account, once calibrated with a cuff.
What owners say: Owners find it looks premium and does more than their last Galaxy Watch, with health alerts and tracking they rely on and no trouble connecting to the phone. Battery life is the sticking point: long-lasting for some, disappointing for others.
A closer look: The bezel turns to scroll through tiles and apps without smudging the screen, and the new lug system makes swapping bands quick. Blood pressure checks need calibrating against a cuff, sold separately, before the first reading, and Running Coach sets its pace from your age, weight and heart rate.
- Rotating bezel for scrolling
- Bands swap quickly
- Blood pressure, after cuff calibration
- Running Coach sets your pace
- Sleep coaching built in
Best for: A classic look on Android
- Works with
- Android only
- Battery (maker’s figure)
- Up to 40 hours
- Built-in GPS
- Yes
- Contactless payments
- Samsung Wallet, Google Wallet
- Calls on the watch
- Yes
- Water resistance
- 164 ft (50 m)
#4Google Pixel Watch 5 (45mm, Wi-Fi, Obsidian)
Over $300
Google’s own watch, with a domed screen under scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass, Gemini on the wrist, Google Wallet for tap-to-pay and health tracking from Google Health. It’s the only smartwatch with Loss of Pulse Detection, by Google’s account, which can prompt a call to emergency services if your pulse stops.
What owners say: Owners praise how fast it charges, the heart-rate and sleep readings and how comfortable it is to wear all day, and most are happy with what they paid. Connectivity and durability draw mixed reports.
A closer look: Its quick-charge dock takes it from empty to half in about 15 minutes, so a charge while showering covers most of a day. The 45mm case holds the bigger battery, up to 40 hours by Google’s figures against 30 for the 41mm.
- Detects loss of pulse
- Domed Gorilla Glass screen
- Gemini on the wrist
- Quick-charge dock
Best for: Pixel phones and Gemini fans
- Works with
- Android only
- Battery (maker’s figure)
- Up to 40 hours
- Built-in GPS
- Yes
- Contactless payments
- Google Wallet
- Calls on the watch
- Yes
- Water resistance
- 164 ft (50 m)
#5Amazfit Active 3 Premium Smart Watch (Apex Silver, Black Band)
$150–$200
Steel and sapphire, up to 12 days between charges and built-in GPS with free offline maps. Paired with an Android phone it also sends speech-to-text replies and takes voice commands through Zepp Flow, on top of Bluetooth calls on the wrist.
What owners say: Owners find it good value, praising the steel-and-sapphire build, a battery that goes for days and workout tracking that spots exercise by itself. Heart-rate readings and the slim design win them over too.
A closer look: Zepp Coach builds running plans from a 5K to the marathon and measures running power and ground contact, worth setting up a few weeks before a race. Rain and swims are fine at 5 ATM, and nothing in the Zepp app sits behind a subscription.
- Free offline maps
- Measures running power
- Voice replies on Android
- Running plans, 5K to marathon
- No subscription in the app
Best for: Hikes and runs with offline maps
- Works with
- iPhone and Android
- Battery (maker’s figure)
- Up to 288 hours (12 days)
- Built-in GPS
- Yes
- Contactless payments
- –
- Calls on the watch
- Yes
- Water resistance
- 164 ft (50 m)
How they compare
Swipe sideways or rotate device to see all 5.
| Feature | #1Galaxy Watch7 | #2Garmin Venu 4 | #3Galaxy Watch8 Classic | #4Pixel Watch 5 | #5Amazfit Active 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Best premium | Best budget | |||
| Picked Rating | 9.0 | 8.9 | 8.9 | 8.9 | 8.9 |
| Price | $200–$300 | Over $300 | Over $300 | Over $300 | $150–$200 |
| Works with | Android only | iPhone and Android | Android only | Android only | iPhone and Android |
| Battery (maker’s figure) | Up to 40 hours | Up to 288 hours (12 days) | Up to 40 hours | Up to 40 hours | Up to 288 hours (12 days) |
| Built-in GPS | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Contactless payments | Samsung Wallet, Google Wallet | Garmin Pay | Samsung Wallet, Google Wallet | Google Wallet | – |
| Calls on the watch | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Water resistance | 164 ft (50 m) | 164 ft (50 m) | 164 ft (50 m) | 164 ft (50 m) | 164 ft (50 m) |
| Best for | Samsung Galaxy phone owners | Skipping the nightly charge | A classic look on Android | Pixel phones and Gemini fans | Hikes and runs with offline maps |
| Buy now | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
Photos are illustrative, some computer-generated. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. It costs you nothing extra. How we pick · How this works.
