Top 5 Smartwatches for 2018
All of these work with both Android and Apple devices. All except for the last one are round, which is my personal preference. I did leave off the Apple Watch just because it only works with Apple devices so didn’t really make my requirement for this list. Not saying it’s a bad watch since it does do some things really well. The version 3 you can see here https://amzn.to/2Q4ZQ9W
So these are my top 5 smartwatches for 2018 so far. The first two have watch faces that are fully digital so can do a lot of things, but the battery life takes a hit because of it. The next two are hybrids so they look more like traditional watches with smaller digital displays for showing notifications, alarms, steps, etc… The last one is the Fitbit Versa, which is more like the first two except it has a square screen.
Garmin does make a more sturdy smartwatch geared more towards someone that either works or plays in the outdoors a little more. It has the sapphire screen option that makes the screen virtually unbreakable and very hard to scratch. I didn’t include it mostly because it is pretty expensive compared to all of these upwards of $500. If interested in that one you can find that here https://amzn.to/2oHrygw
| Smartwatches |
Samsung Galaxy Watch (46mm) Silver, SM-R800NZSAXAR |
TicWatch Pro Bluetooth Smart Watch, Layered Display |
Nokia Steel HR Hybrid Smartwatch |
Garmin vívomove HR, Hybrid Smartwatch |
Fitbit Versa Smartwatch One Size (S & L Bands Included) |
| Display | 42mm(Midnight Black or Rose Gold) or 46mm (Silver)
1.3 Inch sAMOLED 360x 360 military-grade durability, swim-ready water resistance and Corning Gorilla Glass DX+ that prevents the display from getting scratched. |
45mm diameter and 14.6mm thick
Display is 1.39″ AMOLED 400×400 pixels Has both a high resolution AMOLED screen and a power saving FSTN LCD screen to empower you with unprecedented control over extending battery life up to 30 days |
36mm (Rose Gold/Black, Rose Gold/White, Silver/White, Silver/Black) or 40mm (Silver/Black)
36mm model: 36.3mm diameter (1.4’’), 13mm thickness (0.51’’), 39g (watch only) |
chemically strengthened glass
43 x 43 x 11.6 mm 64 x 128 pixels |
Width 1.34″
diagonal Screen Size 0.9478″ x 0.9478″
|
| Bands | v4.2Strap: 22mm silicone. Can use standard 22mm | Can use standard 22mm | Easy to customize bands
36mm model: 18mm wristband width (0.71’’) 40mm model: 20mm wristband width (0.79’’) |
Several sizes to choose from as well as colors.
20mm, Industry standard Sport: silicone Premium: leather Small/medium fits wrists with a circumference of 107-177 mm One size fits most fits wrists with a circumference of 127-204 mm |
One Size (S & L bands included) The minimum and maximum circumference range between 140 – 206 millimeters |
| Charger | Wireless | Magnetic with pins | Magnetic | Clip style with pins | Base with pins |
| Battery Life | Up to 4 days | 5-30 days on a single charge due to layered display with two modes. Minimum 5-day battery life is possible if Auto switch to Essential Mode is turned on. 415mAh | Steel HR is the first activity tracker with heart rate monitoring to offer a long-lasting battery life of up to 25 days.
+20 days if in power reserve mode (time and activity tracking only) 5 days if in workout mode the whole time. |
up to 5 days in smart mode; up to 2 weeks in watch mode | 4+ days |
| Internals | Processor: 1.15 GHz Dual-Core Memory: 0.75GB RAM 4GB internal storage |
Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 Memory RAM: 512MB / Storage: 4GB |
N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Sensor Type | Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyro Sensor, HR Sensor, Light Sensor | Accelerometer, Gyro, Magnetic Sensor, PPG Heart Rate sensor, Ambient Light Sensor, Low Latency Off-Body Sensor | Heart rate infrared sensor Day & Night motion sensor High precision MEMS 3-axis accelerometer Low power consumptionAlexa Integration |
Garmin Elevate™ wrist heart rate monitor
Barometric altimeter Accelerometer Ambient light sensor |
3-axis accelerometer 3-axis gyroscope Optical heart rate monitor Altimeter Ambient light sensor Vibration motor SpO2 sensor NFC (in special editions) |
| Tracking | Automatically tracks select workouts, monitors heart rate and detects when you switch activities. Get credit for up to 40 workouts, plus GPS capabilities when you go for a run | GPS tracker, heart-rate monitor, step counter, calories burned counter, speed & cadence monitor, sleep monitoring | Steel HR is a comprehensive activity tracker that automatically recognizes walk, run, swim, and sleep and delivers in-depth reporting right to your smartphone.
Steel HR helps you wake up at the optimal point in your sleep cycle. Simply set a window of time, and Steel HR will wake you via a silent vibrating alarm during your lightest sleep stage within this range. Steel HR includes a screen that shows the information you want at a glance, but with no compromise on style: heart rate, number of steps, distance, calories burned, alarm time, and smartphone alerts. |
24/7 heart rate monitoring with Elevate wrist heart rate technology
Wellness monitoring tools, such as all-day stress tracking and a relaxation timer, help you manage stress Displays steps, calories, distance, heart rate and intensity minutes 7 timed activities; 14 days of activity tracking data |
Track your all-day activity, 24/7 heart rate, & sleep stages — all with a 4+ day battery life (varies with use and other factors)
Take your favorite music phone-free by storing 300+ songs or downloading stations from Pandora or playlists from Deezer Use 15+ exercise modes like Run or Swim (Fitbit Versa is water-resistant to 50 meters) to record workouts and connect to smartphone GPS for more precise real-time pace & distance Easily fit in workouts with personalized on-screen coaching that play on your wrist and coach you through each move |
| Water Resistent | Swim Ready (50m submerge) | IP68 (up to 1.5 meters for up to 30 mins; swimming not recommended) | Steel HR is a heart rate monitor that can accompany you to the pool, hit the showers, and survive a downpour. | SWIM rated, 5 ATM | Up to 50 meters. (Some reviewers say it’s not however) |
| Mobile Payment | Samsung Pay (NFC) | Google Pay (NFC) | No | No | Special Edition versions include a built-in NFC chip to make secure payments without your wallet and an additional black classic accessory band. |
| Connectivity | 802.11 b/g/n 2.4GHz Bluetooth.
Mobile connectivity through places like Verizon, Sprint, At&t and T-Mobile |
Bluetooth: 4.2 / Wi-Fi: 802.11bgn 2.4GHz | Bluetooth | Bluetooth® Smart and ANT+® | WiFi antenna (802.11 b/g/n)
Bluetooth 4.0 |
| OS | Tizen | Wear OS (Formerly Android Wear) | Nokia Proprietary | Garmin Proprietary | Fitbit Proprietary |
| Release Date | August 24th 2018 | July 10th 2018 | April 2017 | Q1 of 2018 | April 16th 2018 |
This post contains affiliate links, meaning, if you click through and make a purchase or sign up for a program, I may earn a commission. This is at no additional cost to you.