TOP 5 affordable smartwatches

Tags: Selection of the best | Men's | Smart

11.10.2021 | 4 MIN

We have selected 5 of the best smartwatches, which don't exceed the price of 200 EUR. At the same time, we have answered some questions to help you choose the one for you.

The models we chose:

• Garmin Venu SQ
• Garmin Forerunner 55
• Amazfit GTS 2
• Amazfit T-Rex PRO
• Xiaomi Mi Watch

All watches from the selection have:

• price tag under 200 EUR
• GPS to record your route
• pedometer
• heart rate sensor
• battery life of at least 6 days
• water-resistance of at least 50 M
• notifications
• music control in a phone

Do you want to see some bigger fish? Check our article where we didn't set any price cap.

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Will these smartwatches be pairable with your phone?

There are no smartwatches in this selection that don't work with a certain phone brand.

From time to time, there can be some issues with Huawei phones, but that can usually be settled with a correct phone setting.

A nd what about Apple users? There is no reason to worry. I have tested all of the watches and never had any problem. The only limitation comes with Garmin watches. With an iPhone, you can't respond to notifications with preset answers.

The best choice for sports?

Garmin Forerunner 55, for sure. This model was created to sit on a sweaty wrist of an athlete. Everything is adjusted to it – battery life of 14 days, a weight of 37 grams, button control (touch screen makes mistakes in combination with water, sweat, or gloves), transflective display (you can see the display in direct sunlight), or the VO₂ Max value.

In addition, the watch shows you what to train each day, calculates regeneration time, and it also has a very fine PacePro feature, which can calculate the ideal pace based on an elevation profile of the route.

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But if you are more of a hiker or trail runner, I recommend Amazfit T-Rex PRO. It has all the sensors, such as a barometer (to record altitudes), a compass, or a pulse oximeter. Plus, it has some advanced training functions like training load, regeneration time, VO2 Max estimation, and more.

As a golden mean, I would talk about Garmin Venu SQ and Xiaomi Mi Watch. These watches can record a lot, but their results are not as detailed as they are in the previously mentioned models. Also, they both have a touch screen, which makes it harder to control while doing sports activities.

I consider the Amazfit GTS 2 to be the smallest sporty. Both visually and functionally, the watch is styled to city streets rather than to the race track or the mountains. But the basic monitoring is sufficient enough.

• The best choice for athletes: Forerunner 55, Amazfit T-Rex PRO
• Great choice for athletes: Venu SQ, Mi Watch
• For recreational athletes: Amazfit GTS 2

Do you want your watch to act as an extended hand of your phone?

The winner? Amazfit GTS 2. The only one (from this selection) to allow you to make calls, which is a feature that is required by more and more users. In addition, it also has a built-in music player (up to 600 songs).

A close second is the Garmin Venu SQ. It won't let you make a call, but it offers contactless payments, which is a very nice feature. If you pay extra for a more expensive version (starting at 220 EUR), you also get a music player with streaming services (Spotify, Deezer, etc.). It also has, as the only one from this selection, the option to preset quick responses to notification (doesn't work with an iPhone).

The other models are limited to displaying notifications and music control on the phone. Nothing more, nothing less.

• The smartest choice: Amazfit GTS 2, Garmin Venu SQ
• A smart foundation: Forerunner 55, T-Rex PRO, Mi Watch

Is battery life the most important thing for you?

The winner of this race is the Xiaomi Mi Watch with its battery life of 16 days. But it is important to note that the display of this watch goes out (but it is AMOLED, so it has nice colors).

Xiaomi Mi Watch (Navy blue)

127,00 € The sale is over

A close second is the Garmin Forerunner 55 with a battery life of 14 days, which has a display that stays turned on the whole time. The fact that we are still talking about watches under 200 EUR, battery life of 14 days is breathtaking.

Another great battery life is owned by the Amazfit T-Rex PRO, which can survive 9 days in the smartwatch mode. But as an added value, I would like to mention that the watch meets several military standards. What does it mean? It will take a lot to break this watch.

The lower places are occupied by Amazfit GTS 2 (a week) and Garmin Venu SQ (6 days). Is this not enough? It is. Personally, I follow the rule that everything over 4 days is decent. :)

• Battery life Supermen: Mi Watch, Forerunner 55
• Great battery life: Amazfit T-Rex PRO
• Decent battery life: Amazfit GTS 2, Garmin Venu SQ

Which smartwatch from the selection do you like the most, and what would convince you to buy it? Or do you think that another model should be there? Let us know in the comments. :)