Best Samsung smartwatch: helping you find the perfect Samsung wearable

Samsung has emerged as the biggest smartwatch brand after Apple, and one of the best choices for Android users.

It’s been a staple of the smartwatch world since the beginning, and its line-up splits two ways: the Galaxy Watch 3 and its classic wrist-watch styling to the more sporty Galaxy Watch Active devices.

There are also two Galaxy Fit fitness trackers.

The smartwatch market is getting pretty busy. The Huawei Watch GT2e has emerged as a serious, cheap alternative, and new Wear OS devices such as the Oppo Watch and of course the Fitbit Versa 2.

Read on to see what’s currently on offer.

Update: We updated this article in August 2020 to remove obsolete devices such as the Gear S3 Frontier and include the latest Galaxy Watch 3.

Just announced: Samsung Galaxy Watch 3

Samsung Galaxy Watch 3

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 is now official, and while we caveat this with the fact we haven’t yet reviewed the latest smartwatch, it’s a huge upgrade and one that should be of serious consideration for anyone buying a new smartwatch.

It replaces the Galaxy Watch launched in 2018, and offers a dress watch style, that apes regular timepieces.

It comes in two sizes, a unisex 41mm available in black, silver and bronze and a larger 45mm that comes in black/silver. The 45mm also has a black titanium option.

In terms of specs you get a 1.2-inch or 1.4-inch 360×360 super AMOLED display. There’s 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage for things like Spotify offline playlists.

But while it’s certainly more of a formal looking smartwatch than the Galaxy Watch Active 2, it’s no slouch when it comes to fitness and health. You get GPS, heart rate, automatic workout detection, ECG (which is now FDA cleared) SpO2 blood oxygen readings and blood pressure (which is only for South Korea right now).

And the Galaxy Watch 3 also brings fall detection and stress monitoring into the mix.

Prices start at $399 for the 41mm Galaxy Watch 3, and rise to $429.99 for the bigger 45mm.

Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2

Buy now: Amazon | $279

Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2

The Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 is a surprisingly quick followup to our previous pick for the best Samsung smartwatch, the Galaxy Watch Active.

It continues the streak, taking its place as the Samsung wearable we’ve enjoyed using the most.

The Galaxy Watch Active 2, much like the first version, feels like a natural successor to the Samsung Gear Sport.

It’s all about keeping you moving, offering many of the same features as the Galaxy Watch.

So you’re getting built-in GPS, a heart rate monitor, swim tracking, 24/7 fitness tracking and mindfulness features like guided breathing exercises. There’s also an ECG, although it’s not yet active due to regulatory systems.

It’s significantly smaller than both Galaxy Watch models, featuring a gorgeous 1.2-inch 360 x 360 touchscreen Super AMOLED display. Samsung has also brought back a software solution replacing the rotating bezel you’ll find on the Galaxy Watches and the more recent Samsung Gear models. Instead, you can swipe around the edge of the watch to the same effect, something the first Watch Active didn’t offer.

Samsung’s Tizen OS runs the show, here. It handles notifications well, offers solid music features including Spotify offline playlist support and there’s a decent collection of high profile apps you can download from the Galaxy Store. You also get good fitness support, with features like automatic swim tracking and fairly reliable automatic activity detection.

With the drop down in size comes a drop in battery performance, so it’ll manage one to two days, but it’s likely to be closer to one and a half days based on our experience. Still, in terms of overall quality, we can’t look past the Galaxy Watch Active 2 – and if you can find the first version on a cut-price deal, that makes a really good choice, too.

Wareable verdict: Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 review

Bands: Best Samsung Galaxy Watch Active bands

Buy it if you want… a smaller alternative to the Galaxy Watch and Wear OS watches.

Samsung Galaxy Watch Active

Price when reviewed: Amazon | $199

Samsung Galaxy Watch Active

Samsung updated the Galaxy Watch Active before a year was even up, but it’s still available to buy and not to be overlooked.

The Active2 added bells and whistles such as LTE and ECG (which has never launched outside of Korea) but actually the smart money for most people is the original Galaxy Watch Active.

It’s a lot cheaper for starters. The screen is smaller than the Active 2 in the same unisex 40mm case size, but for most people the 1.1-inch AMOLED will be more than large enough.

And you still get heart rate monitoring, GPS, 5ATM water resistance and all that good stuff. It runs the same Tizen OS as the Active2, and most of the features are the same, including offline Spotify.

Yes it’s dating, but if you’re determined to save money, this is a great budget fitness smartwatch.

Read in-depth: Samsung Galaxy Watch Active review

Buy it if you want… More basic fitness features at a bargain price

Samsung Galaxy Watch

Buy now: Amazon | $259.99

Samsung Galaxy Watch

Now (finally) replaced by the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3, the original is looking a tad dated. It’s also bigger with 42mm and 46mm options.

You’ve got a 1.3-inch (46mm) or 1.2-inch (42mm) AMOLED display with a resolution of 360 x 360. There’s 5 ATM water certification so you can take it swimming, NFC for contactless payments, GPS and – of course – a heart rate sensor.

This was the debut device for Tizen 4.0, which brought with it a new My Day watch face that gives you a lovely overview of your day. There are also new wellness features like stress and sleep tracking. Plus, 21 new workouts for those of you who want to track the likes of lat pulldowns.

Plus, like other Samsung smartwatches, it’s still got Spotify support, offline music support with 4GB of storage and a healthy selection of apps – though not quite to the level of Wear OS or Apple Watch. There’s also a 4G/LTE model if you want that extra hit of connectivity support.

All of this is in a package that’ll last you two to three days on a single charge. Plenty for a couple of nights of sleep tracking without having to worry.

We’re uncertain what will happen to the Samsung Galaxy Watch, but there could be some excellent deals around as retailers clear stock for the new model. However, it would take a seriously low price to tempt us to recommend it above the new Galaxy Watch 3.

Wareable verdict: Samsung Galaxy Watch review

Bands: Best Samsung Galaxy Watch bands

Buy it if you want… a classy smartwatch packed with features.

The best Samsung fitness tracker: Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro

Buy now: Amazon | $166.17

The best Samsung fitness tracker: Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro

While the Galaxy Fit and Fit e fitness trackers are now on the scene, they are not actually replacements for the still solid Gear Fit2 Pro.

Think of the Fit2 Pro as Samsung’s answer to the Fitbit Charge 3. You get a 1.5-inch curved AMOLED display, which is one of the best in the business for brightness and vibrancy. However, the headline act here is the waterproofing up to 5 ATM.

With swimming allowed, there are also some new abilities for swim tracking. Expect the Fit2 Pro to record lap time, lap count and stroke type. You can also link it up to the Speedo On swimming platform.

Almost everything else is the same. You’ve still got GPS and GLONASS support, Tizen is still under the hood to power apps, the Fit2’s automatic exercise tracking makes a return, and there’s 4GB of storage for music. Samsung also partnered with Under Armour, which means its suite of apps, which include MyFitnessPal, Endomondo, UA Record and MapMyRun, are all pre-loaded.

Wareable verdict: Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro review

Buy it you want… a fitness tracker and a smartwatch but haven’t got money for both. There are Garmin and Polar devices that tick this box, too, but none with such an awesome display.

The best budget Samsung fitness tracker: Samsung Galaxy Fit

Buy now: Amazon | $97.92

Samsung Galaxy Fit

The newest Samsung fitness trackers ought there are the Galaxy Fit (the one in the white) and the Galaxy Fit e (the one in yellow). Both are sub-$100 devices, and while we enjoyed using both, it’s the Galaxy Fit we think stands out more.

The Fit at $99.99 is going up against Fitbit’s Inspire series, though it’s gone for a slimmer design and significantly more punchy 0.95-inch AMOLED touchscreen display.

In the fitness tracking department it does all the basics including step counting and distance covered, and it offers strong sleep monitoring features. It will track sports like running, cycling and swimming, though the lack of GPS (or connected GPS) means outdoor activities are tracked using the onboard motion sensors.

There’s a decent array of smartwatch features here too, with notification support and the ability to switch out watch faces. There’s no music player controls, payment features or Bixby support, but the features that are there work well.

Battery life is around the seven-day mark depending on usage. We found maxing out on all features including having the screen nice and bright still meant it hit that week target. You will have to some software quirks in the companion app, but overall it’s a solid little tracker.

Wareable verdict: Samsung Galaxy Fit review | Samsung Galaxy Fit e review

Buy it you want… a fitness tracker that’s affordable and does the core tracking features well, with a few smartwatch features thrown in for good measure too.


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