The best of smart watches

Tags: Selection of the best | Smart

13.9.2022 | 6 MIN | 1x comment

We have selected the 5 best smart watches as well as some questions that will help you to choose the perfect match for you.

When it comes to choosing the best, it must also have the best user interface. That's why all models from our selection have a music player, support contactless payments and all notifications will be displayed.

They all keep track of your heart rate, blood oxygenation, they track your route using GPS and they also have a barometer to record the meters climbed. But also... There's the most important thing... They're pretty damn good.

In this article, we did not limit ourselves in terms of price. The article in which we set the price limit can be found below:

11.10.2021
The best smartwatches under 200 EUR. TOP 5 of the year 2021

Now let's find you the perfect smart watch.

Want a sport buddy?

There is no point of discussion here, the best watch for sport is definitely the Garmin Fenix 6. Were you to spectate a running race, you will see this icon on the wrist of almost every other runner.

The Fenix 6 combines a huge number of training functions with a truly admirable battery life. This watch will tell you everything about your fitness and training and won't hide anything from you. The biggest charm is the large and clear display and the topographical maps, for example. The sporty soul is also expressed in appearance. Simply outdoor watches on first glance.

In general, all Garmins have a soul made for sport. It evaluates each workout in detail, you can set up a virtual trainer and get data about your condition and whether you are training correctly. That's why all the Garmins from our selection are right next to each other.

In fact, you can do sports with all these smart watches from this selection. However, it has its BUT. I would compare it to a mountain hike in flip-flops. You probably will manage, but why would you do that when there are hiking shoes? The sports functions are of course present in the Apple Watch 7 and Samsung Galaxy Watch 4, but there are not as many of them as in competing Garmins.

Battery life is also important for athletes, which you simply will not get with these two models.

• Athlete's best choice: Fenix 6
• Not-so-bad choice: Vívoactive 4, Venu 2
• For recreational athletes: Apple Watch 7, Galaxy Watch 4

Check out this video.

Do you want a watch as a wrist mini-phone?

Make a call, reply to an email or message, search for something on the Internet, download a bunch of applications directly to the watch... Is this exactly what you want? Consider the Apple Watch 7 or the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4. It can do all these things. Apple lovers will definitely reach for Apple Watches and those with an Android phone for Samsung watches.

Additionally, these watches excel at analyzing health data. So if you ever feel like you're going to have a heart attack from stress, no problem, both watches can measure EKG and the Samsungs can even measure blood pressure.

All Garmins are smart, but they certainly cannot match the aforementioned pair. You can pay with all of them, you play music, but you don't make a call and you are limited by preset answers. So you cannot dictate word for word what you want your reply to be.

However, I would still highlight the Fenix 6, which has one extra smart/sports function and that is topographic maps. The watch can navigate, create a circular route for you or find the nearest gas station.

• The smartest choice: Apple Watch 7, Samsung Galaxy Watch 4
• Golden mean: Fenix 6
• Smart basis: Vívoactive 4, Venu 2

Do you find battery to be the most important?

This question might also be "Do you want a watch with decent battery life?", but it's deliberately not. And why? Only a fool wouldn't. But it is important to realize that long battery life often comes with a fair share of compromises. Models with a long battery life sometimes have a simpler display, a more minimalist user interface... Well, or maybe a bigger case to fit a bigger battery.

And if you don't care all that much for a smart watch full of animations, various transitions, 16 million colors and you just want to squeeze as much as possible out of the battery life? Feel free to reach for Garmin. Back in the lead with the Fenix 6.

In contrast, Samsung and Apple build their philosophy a little differently. They want a user interface that's a pleasure to look at, a perfect display, lots of animations, and god forbid the watch crashes! And then the battery life looks like that too. And here we are again at compromises... But this time from a slightly different angle.

For me, the golden middle ground is the Garmin Venu 2. This model has a beautiful user interface, a very nice AMOLED display and a respectable 11-day battery life. Vívoactive 4 has a battery life of about a week, but uses a slightly dull LCD display, which is economical and easily visible in direct sunlight, but not so beautifully colored. But... It has a very nice price tag.

• The best battery life: Fenix 6 (24 days)
• Great battery life: Venu 2 (11 days),  Vívoactive 4 (8 days)
• Acceptable battery life: Apple Watch 7 (1-2 days), Galaxy Watch 4 (1-2 days)

Are you after a watch with the best price/performance ratio?

Do you want the best at the lowest possible price? Then it's definitely the Garmin Vívoactive 4.

This model has absolutely everything important - contactless payments, a music player, plenty of sports functions, a decent battery life and combines all this with a very pleasant price tag.

It may seem that the Fenix 6 is a bit out of line with the price tag, because it is quite a bit more expensive than the rest, but it compensates with a really great equipment and processing that matches the given price tag.

The other three watches are at a fairly similar level. Although the Venu 2 is more inclined towards sports and the Apple Watch 7 and Galaxy Watch 4 more towards the smartness.

• Great price/performance ratio: Vívoactive 4
• Good price/performance ratio: Fenix 6, Venu 2, Apple Watch 7, Galaxy Watch