Sports & Fitness Best value smartwatch

Hi,
I have a Fitbit Charge 3, I quite like it but the only real drawback is that it doesn’t have an integrated GPS, so it has to pair with the phone if it is to record my riding/running. When I run on my hill, I never take my phone. I also don’t carry my phone when I play unicycle hockey either, but it would be nice to see the distance and what ground I actually covered during play.

Anyway, the next version, the Fitbit Charge 4 has GPS, but the GPS only lasts 5 hours.

I quite like the small form factor of the Charge Fitbits. Though, maybe, if I get a second one, maybe a bigger screen could be a consideration/plus?

Wondering if anybody has suggestions of other smart watches I can use, balancing price with function. I’ve scratched and slightly cracked my screen on my Fitbit Charge 3 thanks to my giraffe unicycle dismount accident, which indicates I shouldn’t really immerse the watch in water but the unit would have originally been waterproof.
I know the Charge 4 can be bought right now for $200.

 

Recently got a Garmin f245 music for $400. I love it. Possibly a bit more serious than the fitbit and more fitness metrics and statistics so might be overkill for your needs but I can’t recommend it enough. My friend got one as well and she loves it.

 

I'm currently using a Garmin Vivoactive 3, battery life with GPS is variable but it does sync activities by Bluetooth/ANT+ to your phone.

Has been used for hikes, skiing, cycling, swimming, cardio & runs - so pretty versatile.

I'd probably look at something a little further up the model range for my next one.

Alternatively have a look at Suunto, they're a pretty robust unit as well.

Polar look bulky so I passed.

 

Go to ebay and put them all the contenders on your watchlist.

 

I had a Samsung smartwatch and it was crap. Buggy as anything when it came to things it was designed to do.

I got a Garmin Venu start of August and it's been quite good. Not very inconspicuous though but I use it as a fitness tracker and smartphone cross over.

I think you'll be hard pressed finding something that has it's specs of long GPS use as it really sucks the battery but so far I have been impressed with the Venu, especially considering it has the amoled screen.

 

There are two different types of watch which everyone calls "Smart watches":

1) A smart watch - These are connected devices that perform a variety of tasks one of which is "some" fitness functions. The best Smart Watch is the Apple Watch (This is coming from someone who has a VERY strong dislike for Apple and their devices)

2) A fitness tracker - These are primarily focused around the fitness tracking and have "some" smart functionality (SMS, alerts, etc). I don't have any experience with these personally but the consensus seems to be the FitBit's. I don't know why as my missus has broken 3 in the time I have had my Apple Watch and it's still going very strong. I hear the Garmins are pretty good for cyclists due to their experience with GPS tracking.

If you want a smart watch get the Apple, if you want a fitness device then it seems to be either Garmin or FitBit.

 

I was just about to say the opposite. It might have been your experience and I don't know how far back that was, but my Samsung Active 2 is excellent! Battery life is two days, which is good for a real smartwatch (Fitbits and Garmins don't offer nearly as much functionality as far as I'm aware).
I previously had a Fossil Sports smartwatch and while that looks nicer (in my opinion) and on paper is great, the battery lasts less than 24 hours and Wear OS is far too demanding for the processors that they have. Google is just trying to squeeze too much in. This causes the battery issues and just makes it so laggy that it's unusable much of the time. It would be by far watch OS if it wasn't so resource intensive.

But back to the Active 2, here are a couple of reasons I love it:

• Decent battery life
• Responsive
• Nice screen
• Can answer phone calls on it. The speaker isn't great, but the microphone is fine, so at least it's only bad for me and not the other party.
• Google assistant can be installed
• A reasonable number of apps (though nowhere near as many as Wear OS)
• LTE (haven't used it yet, and didn't know it had it when I bought it, as it wasn't specified)
• "Find your phone" function. Use it every day
• Wireless charging
• ECG and blood pressure monitoring (one of the main reasons I got it, but it's not activated yet)
• I paid $200 for it

 

Absolutely!

While I'm a bit of an apple hater (not really hater, I just think they are extremely overpriced), I would agree that if you have an iPhone, that will be the best watch for you. If you have Android though, I'm not sure. I believe that there are some issues?

 

It was a Galaxy smart watch, the predecessor of the new one released in the last fortnight or so.

Maybe I had a dud as it didn't reliably do the things I got it for.

The Venu (and latest Vivoactive) is a good crossover where I haven't found it lacking in anything that my Samsung watch did other than being 4g connected.

 

Garmin Vivoactive 4 or 4s are a good mix of price and functionality
If you can stretch a bit the Garmin Fenix 5 or Fenix 6 are very good
The answer probably comes down to what your budget is.

 

Thanks everybody... so many things to consider....

 

Yeah I absolutely hate Apple, as a coder any locked down closed system is a frustration to me.

Unfortunately I have no choice in my work phone (iPhone). I miss my old Android from my last company .

 

Wellll, l was gonna ask wtf does a smart watch even do anyway but there ya have it eh, isn't a phone enough?
Who could b bothered with all that on a tiny little watch screen anyway on top of phones and computers already.
l'm wishing l bought an 70s or 80s classic car atm instead of what l have . The computers running cars now are insane and if one tiny tiny thing gets upset , your screwed.They worked just fine 30yrs ago without any of it and were easy to fix, so did we, l miss it all.

 

If price, gps and smart notifications are the priority, I’d buy a Garmin Forerunner 35 off gumtree for $100. They’re a fantastic watch.. i bought one for myself and wife and simplicity wise, they’re hard to beat.

I’ve since picked up a Garmin Vivoactive 3 (free with frequent flyer points) and I’m a bit disappointed with the battery life.. 4-5 days if I’m lucky with all the settings toned down vs 2 weeks for the forerunner 35.

 

Guessing buying it for $200 is an offer not open to the general public?

 

Mine seemed slow a while back but is now on track by the time I get my shoes on.

 

Was a second-hand purchase. Took some lowballing to quite a few people to get it at that price. As I said, I didn't know it was going to be the LTE version, so I got lucky there.
Happy to sell you my Fossil Sports for $100, if you're interested in that, but I reckon Wear OS is about two years away from making a compelling watch.

Edit: If you're happy with second-hand, have a look here, you should be able to find similar deals on Facebook marketplace or Gumtree.

 

I thought exactly the same..... then I got one.

Now however, I get it, it's actually really good. Phone stays in my pocket and texts or emails flash up on my watch, I only get my phone out for what I need to.

Text message whilst I am busy? No probs, tap the microphone icon on the message in my watch and say my response. It converts it to text and sends. GREAT whilst driving, not breaking the law by simply talking to your watch. It's not like you need to put the watch to your mouth either, it can be far enough away that your hand stays on the wheel.

Taking a photo? No problem, stick your phone against something then everyone can get in the photo, you see the camera through the watch, hit the button and wait 3 seconds for that perfect group photo to go off .

Think of it as a remote control for your phone.

 

One of the reasons that I initially got one is actually that my phone was lacking in one area. I've got a Huawei Mate 20 Pro and while it's a fantastic phone, its vibration is absolutely terrible and way too weak (something Apple do much better, grr). I like to have my phone on vibrate, so it doesn't disturb me in meetings and I'd frequently miss calls or notifications because I didn't feel them, especially while walking.
But beyond that, it has actually made me more productive. If I get a notification now, I quickly glance at it and let about three quarters go through to the keeper, as they're not urgent and I don't have to stop whatever I'm doing and I can just attend to them later. If you feel your phone vibrate, not only does it take longer to pull it out of your pocket and check what the notification was, but since you have it in your hand already, you're much more likely to reply then and there and get distracted from whatever you're doing.