Best smartwatch 2019: Stylish options for iPhone and Android compared

Wareable may receive an affiliate commission if you click a retailer link and make a purchase. Read moreThere are best smartwatches to buy right now, whether you’re looking for a top wearable to work with your iPhone, Android smartphone; or you’re looking for a standalone 4G smartwatch.
When it comes to the standout smartwatch in 2019, it’s undoubtedly the, just launched, Apple Watch Series 5. But Apple’s top watch comes at a cost, and there are so many great looking, stylish smartwatches, for both men and women, at cheaper prices and with equally good features.
Whether you’re looking for a great smartwatch for fitness tracking, running or even just taking calls and receiving notifications, there are plenty of great options for every budget. What’s more, smartwatches are getting more stylish too thanks to fashion brands coming in and offering alternatives to the usual tech players.
With all that in mind, here’s our rundown of the best smartwatch models of 2019.
rev=”7283″>£399.99 (GPS), rev=”7283″>Amazon | apple.comThe Apple Watch Series 5 is as close to smartwatch perfection as we’ve seen to date; it’s a powerful and versatile wearable that can offer a huge range of features.
While not hugely different to the Apple Watch Series 4, the newest version has an always-on display that finally overcomes the biggest bugbear of Apple smartwatch’s design.
The Apple Watch is able to morph between fitness tracker, sports watch and serious health device – and does so better than any other smartwatch on the market.
The Series 5 Apple’s comes in 40mm and 44mm sizes (in comparison to 38mm and 42mm on the Series 3, which remains at a cut price). That means more space to show off all the latest software features introduced in watchOS 6.
It has all the same core fitness and sports tracking as the Series 3, including built-in GPS for tracking of outdoor workouts and a swim-proof design.
Fitness tracking analysis may lag Fitbit, but Apple’s unique goals – signified by the closing of Move, Stand and Calorie rings – are still a powerful motivator. There’s still no native sleep tracking here, but this can be done via a third-party app.
The headline feature is the ECG monitor, unlocking the ability for medical-grade heart health monitoring. It’s been FDA cleared, so can be used to detect heart rhythm irregularities. It’s available outside of the US, too, with Apple adding 19 more countries that can check in on their heart health from the new Watch.
You also don’t have to do that manually, and the Apple Watch continuously monitors for low and elevated heart rates, as well as atrial fibrillation. There’s also a Fall Detection mode that can let users access Siri to contact emergency services or an emergency contact.
The Series 5 comes packing LTE once again – if you buy that option, so you can take it out sans iPhone and still make and receive calls, get texts and all other notifications you would on your phone. A new speaker also makes Siri chats and phone calls sound louder and clearer.
Battery life is the main gripe still, and, for all the improvements, Apple can still only offer 24 – 48 hours, which for many simply isn’t good enough.
Read our Apple Watch Series 5 reviewFitbit Versa 2£179.99, Amazon | fitbit.comThe Fitbit Versa is the company’s fourth smartwatch and, along with a slight tweak in design direction from the two older Versa models, it’s crucially available at a more affordable rate than the Apple Watch. You should be able to pick up one of these bad boys for around £199.99.
The Fitbit Versa 2 also comes in a host of different finishes and with a big collection of bands to mix up the look. And, handily, old straps will still work with the new model.
It offers much of the same fitness and sports tracking features you’d expect from the Fitbit ecosystem, though there’s still a lack of GPS. If you want to track runs and rides, you’ll need to take your smartphone with you, and the watch can piggyback your phone’s data. For many this won’t be a massive issue, but serious exercisers will likely want like to avoid for this reason.
With the Versa 2, the big improvements are mostly software based, despite the improved outer casing. The headline upgrade is the inclusion of Amazon Alexa, which we found to be a hit-and-miss experience in our initial review, though something we expect to improve as updates continue to roll out, while the smartwatch is one of many to now offer improved sleep metrics, including Fitbit Sleep Score.
You can still download apps and plenty of watch faces, pay from your wrist using Fitbit Pay (no matter what model you own, unlike with older Versa devices) and tap into Fitbit Coach. Women’s Health Tracking, too, is available through this model.
All that would likely be enough to sway you, but, despite the ramp up in features, which also includes an always-on display option, battery life is still a huge selling point here. You can five days on a single charge, which means less hassle on weekends away, and around three days with the screen turned on full-time, in our experience. Again, that’s all better than what the Apple Watch can currently provide.
Read our Fitbit Versa 2 reviewSamsung Galaxy Watch Active£225, Amazon | SamsungThe Samsung Galaxy Watch Active may have only been launched earlier in 2019, but it already has a successor, the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2. For now, the original is still a great smartwatch to pick up (likely at a reduced rate), and we’ll be recommending it until our full review of the new model (available now) is published.
To give you the rundown, the watch has a 1.1-inch, 360 x 360 screen, 20mm interchangeable straps and weighs just 25g. The 40mm case makes it smaller than the Galaxy Watch and the Gear Sport, but it sacrifices the rotating bezel. Despite the drop in size, it’s one of the most comfortable Samsung smartwatches we’ve worn and still has a high-quality display. That bezel is missed in places (particularly for selecting apps), but on the whole there’s a lot to like about this dinky watch.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch Active still runs Tizen and introduces OneUI from Samsung’s phones. It doesn’t radically change the software experience, but it’s zippy at swiping through screens and launching apps.
There’s still GPS on board and the swim tracking really impressed us in terms of accuracy. The same can be said about the heart rate monitor, which even delivered in the high-intensity tests. But it’s the Active’s fitness tracking skills that really impressed us with its ability to keep us moving in small but purposeful ways.
Samsung also includes mindfulness features like stress tracking and guided breathing. It did also promise us blood pressure monitoring, but in our experience it’s clearly not working as promised.
Battery life is around a day and a half, but can stretch to two days with a power saving mode that still lets you receive notifications.
If you can live with some of its shortcomings and you’re looking for a fitness-focused smartwatch that’s smaller than most of the competition, this could be the one for you. As we mentioned in our Upcoming section, there is a Galaxy Watch Active 2 now that brings a host of improvements. You will have to pay more for the newer Active though.
Read our Samsung Galaxy Watch Active reviewrev=”7283″>£199.99 (GPS, 38mm), rev=”7283″>Amazon | apple.com£229.99 (GPS, 42mm), rev=”7283″>Amazon | apple.comAs the newest Series 5 was announced, Apple announced that its Series 3 would remain on sale – and at a ridiculously low price of £199.99 (for the 38mm version).
It’s astounding value for a smartwatch – offering premium design, build and features for the price of a Chinese-knock off equivalent. Apple tech at Amazfit prices – it’s a steal.
So why is it such great value? Well, the Series 3 comes with GPS, is getting the watchOS 6 update – so it’s packed with the latest features. Waterproofing, swim tracking, heart rate and low/high detection. It’s all in this incredibly low-priced device.
But you don’t get everything. ECG is off the menu as is fall detection as those two require hardware that was subsequently introduced in Series 4. You’re also lumped with the slightly boxier design – although it’s fairly subtle to the untrained eye.
Of course, the main problem is that the Series 3 will still only pair with iPhone.
Skagen Falster 2£245, Amazon | fossil.comDesigner smartwatches are catching on, but the majority of options out there likely come from Fossil Group’s ranks – and one of the finest among them is the excellent Skagen Falster 2. It’s a unisex watch that comes in a unisex size, although it’s undoubtedly one of the more masculine finishes in the Fossil Group line-up.
Slim and light, the Skagen challenges those who complain that smartwatches are too chunky, packing a full 1.19-inch OLED touchscreen. In terms of size, the case has been shrunk to 40mm, which is small as any smartwatch out there – and it’s extremely light too. At 0.8mm thick it’s no Daniel Wellington, but it’s as comfortable as any full-screen Wear OS watch out there.
It takes a standard 20mm strap, so you can pretty much choose anything from the analogue watch world to pimp out your smartwatch.
There are downsides for a tech perspective. It uses older Qualcomm technology so battery life is mired around a single day’s use and we did notice some performance issues. But if you’re looking for style first and tech second – and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that – the Skagen Falster 2 is well worth your time.
Read our Skagen Falster 2 reviewHuawei Watch GT£139.99, Amazon | huawei.comHuawei is still going with the old Watch 2, but in 2018 it came back to the table with something completely different. And this September, we’re expecting the announcement of the Huawei Watch GT 2 – which we expect to run on the company’s new Harmony OS – so make sure to watch out for that.
If you’d prefer to go with the original model, you won’t be disappointed – the Huawei Watch GT packs a huge set of features but on top of a custom operating system, Lite OS, those are words we usually utter with a huge amount of trepidation, but the Watch GT offers two weeks of battery life, which is a compelling sell.
And it doesn’t scrimp on tech. Huawei has packed in a 1.39-inch, 454 x 454 AMOLED screen which is among the best we’ve played with, comfortably matching up with the vibrancy and sharpness found on the Galaxy Watch and Apple Watch Series 4.
Lite OS may take away some of the deeper elements previously found in Huawei smartwatches, but it’s still an impressive activity tracker with heart rate monitoring and sleep tracking.
Sports tracking on the whole is good, but there is one gripe we do have: data cannot be shared with third-party apps. All of your data can only live inside of Huawei’s companion Health app. We also found the heart rate data to lag way behind accomplished sports tracking rivals.
Huawei makes big promises in the battery department: up to two weeks with normal use, a complete day of GPS tracking and up to a month with features like always-on display and GPS turned off. And it delivers. Even with continuous heart rate monitoring turned on, we’ve only had to charge the Watch GT once during our three weeks of use.
There’s now new Huawei Watch GT Active and Elegant editions that offers a less sporty look but comes with all of the same features adding a new Triathlon tracking mode. For those looking for Pebble-esque longevity, but who are willing to forgo the glitz and lure of a fully formed operating system and all the apps and glamour, the Huawei Watch GT is an interesting choice.
Read our Huawei Watch GT reviewSamsung Galaxy WatchFrom £249.95, Amazon | samsung.comThe Samsung Galaxy Watch is the successor to the Gear S3 and is still one of the best watches around. Compatible with Android and iOS, it now comes in both 42mm and 46mm models.
Samsung walks the line between smartwatch and fitness tracker, also packing in a heart rate sensor alongside the GPS and its much-improved Samsung Health software. There’s also the option of LTE, if you wish for an untethered connection, with a standalone speaker for taking calls on the watch. It’s now waterproof too, adding swim tracking skills that are on a par with the Watch Series 4.
The Galaxy Watch runs on Samsung’s Tizen OS 4.0 and feels like a better alternative to Google’s Wear OS right now. You get that rotating bezel and one of the best displays you can find on a smartwatch. However, the app selection still lags way behind the Apple Watch and Wear OS devices – that said, the Spotify app is great and offers offline playback.
Battery life, we should say, is also solid, getting you 2-3 days on the 42mm model and more on the 46mm version. If you’re not a fan of Wear OS and don’t want an Apple Watch, this is the top option to consider instead.
Read our Samsung Galaxy Watch reviewTicwatch E2£145.99, Amazon | mobvoi.comAnother top budget option, the Ticwatch E2 offers access to the benefits of Wear OS in a stylish and wallet-friendly package.
The 46mm watch measures in at around 13mm thick and is only available in black. You do get a choice of interchangeable bands to make it less sporty though.
The fitness tracking as been “inspired” by the Apple Watch, and offers a neat and well-designed tracking experience. And when it comes to real sport, you can tap into Wear OS’s range of apps from the likes of Strava, Runkeeper and more.
There’s GPS built in and a heart rate monitor too, although we found the latter lacking in our stress tests. The headline feature is that it’s now swimproof and does offer decent swim tracking skills in the pool too.It’s by no means a complete fitness experience, but we like the Ticwatch’s funky design and bargain price. For casual users, this is an interesting smartwatch option.
Read our Ticwatch E2 reviewFossil Q Venture HR£218, Amazon | fossil.comFossil Group may be holding the umbrella over a bunch of fashion houses producing smartwatches, but that doesn’t mean it’s not competing in the arena itself. And with its fourth-generation smartwatches, it’s produced perhaps the most attractive smartwatch on the market, from a fashion perspective.
Sharing some similarities with the older Michael Kors Access Sofie (our previous best fashion watch pick), the Fossil Q Venture HR wants to stand out, and fans of a more dressy watch will probably find it a better fit than those who like to keep their wrist wear understated.
Fossil is still keeping screen resolution and other specs under wraps, but we do know that this generation (which includes the men’s Fossil Q Explorist HR) is the most feature-packed we’ve seen from the company. Building on the design improvements of the third-gen devices, which saw the flat tyre removed and a slimmer form factor, the Q Venture HR now also harbours some serious tech under the bezel.
There’s now a heart rate monitor, as the name suggests, for tracking beats throughout the day and during exercise, a GPS monitor to keep up with your workouts, and an NFC chip to enable Google Pay. Add to that the ability to take this underwater up to 50 metres, all on the top of the refreshed Wear OS, and it all rounds out as a very complete smartwatch experience.
As we mentioned, Fossil’s Gen 5 watches are out now too, so if you want the latest, you’ll need to cast your attention towards the Julianna HR and Carlyle HR.
Read our Fossil Q Venture HR reviewMontblanc Summit 2£845, montblanc.comLuxury smartwatches are a thing and some of them are actually very good. It started with Tag Heuer’s smartwatches, then the likes of Louis Vuitton joined the connected party too. Now Montblanc wants in.
Its first smartwatch was underwhelming but, in its second coming, the Summit 2 is a watch that delivers on design and on features.
Montblanc has modelled its second generation watch on its 1858 collection, offering sleek original watch faces, a high grade construction and a top notch 1.2-inch, 390 x 390 resolution touchscreen display.
Google’s Wear OS runs the show, but Montblanc manages to leave its mark with additional apps and those watch faces we mentioned to help things feel more unique. It’s now packed with more hardware features including built-in GPS, a heart rate monitor and a fully waterproof design to add an extra layer of durability.
This is also one of the first Wear OS smartwatches to run on Qualcomm’s new smartwatch tech, which offers performance improvements across the board including battery life. You’re not going to get a week out of it, but it should make it through the day and maybe a little extra.
The new fitness features might not be perfect, but it’s nice for the casual gym goer. When you’re not sweating it out, it’ll sit there looking beautiful.
Read our Montblanc Summit 2 reviewWithings Steel HR£140.95, Amazon | withings.comThe majority of smartwatches in our list have been full-screen devices, but the Withings Steel HR approaches things a little differently – yet is still a powerful connected watch in a package that weighs just 49g.
The analogue display shows the time on the main dial (with a month of battery life) and progress towards your step goal on the second dial – but there’s so much more going on than this.
The Withings Steel HR has a 24/7 heart rate monitor that will keep tabs on VO2 Max and it will pair up with a smartphone to track outdoor workouts via GPS, although the tech isn’t built into the watch itself. It’s also swimproof to 50m and isn’t too shabby in the pool either, tracking laps and lengths.
What’s more, Withings Health Mate app is one of the best out there for keeping tabs on all your assorted health data.
It’s no slouch as a connected watch either, and will alert you to notifications on your smartphone using vibrations and the tiny OLED screen build into the bezel. This is capable of offering quick and fairly crude alerts, but can show you when a message/call/calendar alerts are coming through using quick icons.
It’s a stripped back smartwatch experience but one that’s packed into a stylish, small and comfortable hybrid that doesn’t make as many compromises as you’d think.
Read our Withings Steel HR reviewGarmin Forerunner 645 Music£379, Amazon | garmin.comGarmin has been putting out go-to smartwatches for sports lovers for a while now. Running, cycling, swimming, golf – Garmin has had us well and truly covered. Despite the Forerunner name, the 645 Music is more in the mould of the Vivoactive 3 Music. It’s got a similar look and also brings the music this time. This helps make the Garmin more of a smartwatch rival to the Apple Watch, Samsung Gear or Fitbit Ionic than before.
Not only are you getting enough storage for 500 songs, but you’re also getting offline playlist support for Spotify, Deezer and iHeartRadio. For transferring your own tracks, boot up Garmin Express on your computer, select the Music tab and choose from your own music to port over.
That same attractive stainless steel design is here. The 240 x 240 pixel display at the heart of the body is by no means the brightest or most vibrant you’ll find, but crucially delivers strong visibility in most workout conditions, whether you’re sweating it out indoors or outside. However, there is no touchscreen or touchpad here, so you’ll have to resort to pressing some buttons.
As far as the number of sports available to track is concerned, while it’s more of the same, there are some notable exclusions – like golf tracking and open water swimming (pool swimming is there though). Heart rate monitoring is decent if not class-leading, and it won’t keep you waiting around for a GPS signal. There’s also all the stress tracking goodies from Garmin’s fitness trackers. As multi-sport smartwatches go, this is the best in our eyes, and builds on all the good work Garmin did with its previous iterations.
Of course, we’re listing the Forerunner here as a smartwatch, and Garmin has added decent smarts. Fitness tracking is fantastic and Garmin Connect is a decent ecosystem for wellness data from steps and sleep to workouts and stress. You can get everything happening on your smartwatch mirrored to your Forerunner, including calls and alerts, and it will suck in information on weather and the like. And battery life is seriously impressive, with a couple of weeks even for power users.
Read our Garmin Forerunner 645 Music reviewUpcoming smartwatches 2019It’s been a busy time for smartwatches as we approach the holiday season. IFA 2019 saw a load of brand new smartwatches drop – and a new Apple Watch is expected any time now. Here’s a run-down of some new hardware: