When it comes to the standout smartwatch in 2020, it’s undoubtedly the Apple Watch Series 5.

But competition is seriously hotting up, and the new Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 looks to be a true competitor.

Those who don't have an iPhone can't go for an Apple Watch, which means there's a huge array of choice – and there has never been so many great smartwatches to choose from.

Since 2014 the Wareable team has reviewed every smartwatch on the market, so we know what to look for. Here's the pick of our reviews.

OS wars: Apple Watch vs Wear OS vs Tizen vs the rest

Wear OS smartwatches (formerly known as Android Wear) haven't reached the heights of the Apple Watch, but there are still some great options out there – if you're not too big on fitness and health features which are weaker than rivals.

There are scores of stylish smartwatches from Fossil and its sub-brands like Skagen and Michael Kors.

Samsung uses its own operating system called Tizen, and now Huawei has also split from Google Wear OS and uses Lite OS.

A custom OS may seem like a turn-off, but often they have huge benefits. Amazfit and Huawei smartwatches offer up to 14 days battery life – something the Apple Watch and Wear OS just can't offer.

Fitness smartwatches explained

Smartwatches are getting more complex, which is represented in our list – especially when it comes to health, fitness and activity tracker features.

For example, most fitness orientated smartwatches will have built in GPS, heart rate monitor, and many smartwatches are looking at ECG, blood pressure heart rate alerts and even blood oxygen tracking.

Wearing a smartwatch is more than just about style or getting messages: it could be a potential lifesaver.

Update: We updated this article in August 2020, when we added our review of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 as our second placed smartwatch.

Incoming - new Apple Watch models

We have to caveat the below with the news the Apple has now announced its new smartwatch. And there are now two models to choose from.

The Apple Watch Series 6 adds blood oxygen tracking, which combines with the new sleep tracking in watchOS 7 to match the likes of the Fitbit Sense.

And there's now a new Apple Watch SE, which costs £269.99. It offers the same design and build, but with fewer health features and no always-on display.

We're working on our reviews, at which time they will be added to our list of best smartwatch reviews.

Our reviewer's favorite smartwatches

Best all-round smartwatch - Apple Watch Series 5

(£399) – worn by James Stables

(£399) – worn by James Stables Best for style - Samsung Galaxy Watch 3

(£449.99) - worn by Paul Lamkin

(£449.99) - worn by Paul Lamkin Best budget smartwatch - Amazfit GTS

(£109.99) – worn by Conor Allison

(£109.99) – worn by Conor Allison Best for Android - Huawei Watch GT2e

(£159.99) – worn by Richard Easton

(£159.99) – worn by Richard Easton Best for fitness tracking - Fitbit Versa 2

(£169) – worn by Becca Caddy

(£169) – worn by Becca Caddy Best for sports – Garmin Vivoactive 4

(£299) – worn by Michael Sawh

Best smartwatch 2020: specs compared

Price Case size GPS/HR Battery OS Apple Watch Series 5 £399 40/44mm Yes/Yes 1day watchOS 6 Apple Watch Series 3 £199 38/42mm Yes/Yes 1 day watchOS 6

Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 41mm: £419

45mm: £449.99

41/45mm Yes/Yes 2 days Tizen OS Fitbit Versa 2 £169 40mm No/Yes 5 days Fitbit OS Samsung Galaxy

Watch Active 2 £259 40/44mm YesYes 2 days Tizen OS Garmin Venu £299.99 43mm Yes/Yes 5 days Garmin OS Amazfit GTR £128 42/47mm Yes/Yes 12 days Custom OS Realme Watch £50 42mm No/Yes 4 days Custom OS Amazfit GTS £109.99 44mm Yes/Yes 5 days Custom OS Skagen Falster 3 £279 42mm Yes/Yes 1 day Wear OS Huawei Watch GT2e £159.99 42/46mm Yes/Yes 2 weeks Huawei OS Samsung Galaxy Watch £249.95 42/46mm Yes/Yes 2 days Tizen Ticwatch E2 £145.99 46mm Yes/Yes 1-2 days Wear OS Fossil Gen 5 £279 46mm Yes/Yes 1-2 days Wear OS Withings Steel

HR Sport

£189.95 40mm No/Yes 5 days N/A Ticwatch Pro 2020 £199.99 45mm Yes/Yes 2 days Wear OS MK Access Bradshaw 2 £339 44mm Yes/Yes 1 day Wear OS Tag Heuer Connected 2020 £1495 47mm Yes/Yes 1 day Wear OS

Best smartwatch 2020 – our reviews compared

We've run down the pick of our smartwatch reviews – and distilled them into one read. However, read the full in-depth testing to make sure you're getting the right device for your needs.

Credit: Wareable

Apple Watch Series 5 key features

Works with iPhone only

Always-on display

18 hours battery

LTE/4G options available

Fitness tracker

Suitable for swimming

Heart rate and ECG

Apple Pay

Notifications, make/take calls

Price when reviewed: £399.99 - Apple Watch Series 5 product page

The Apple Watch Series 5 is as close to smartwatch perfection as we’ve seen to date. It's been a fixture on our wrists, and in addition to the great feature set, it's a great watch that's a pleasure to wear.

But it's important to note that the Series 6 brings new features, at the same price as the Series 5 – rendering it obsolete.



The Series 5 is a powerful and versatile wearable that offers a huge range of fitness features, LTE and an always-on display – but only for iPhone users.

The Apple Watch Series 5 is able to morph between smartwatch, fitness tracker, sports watch and serious health device at will – and does so better than any other smartwatch on the market in our experience.

The Series 5 comes in 40mm and 44mm sizes, making it supremely unisex, with more screen space for the new 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. All the sensors are accessible by third party apps, so you can use the services you know and love.

Activity tracking analysis may lag behind Fitbit, but Apple’s unique goals – signified by the closing of Move, Stand and Exercise rings – are still a powerful motivator. There’s still no native sleep tracking here, but this can be done via a third-party app Apple Watch sleep apps.

And it's this app ecosystem that takes the superb build and feature set to the next level. The App Store is jam-packed with options that add nearly every conceivable feature.

There's an ECG monitor, unlocking the ability for medical-grade heart health monitoring and detection of Afib and irregular heart rhythms. This feature is available outside of the US, too, with Apple adding 19 more countries that can check in on their heart health from the new Watch.

Battery 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 review

Samsung Galaxy Watch 3





Credit: Wareable

Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 key features

41mm/45mm

Tizen OS

LTE versions available

1.2-inch/1.4-inch display

360 x 360 Super AMOLED

247mAh/340mAh

Exynos 9110 Dual core 1.15 GHz

ECG

Blood pressure

SpO2

Sleep tracking

Heart/rate VO2 max

Fall detection

Price when reviewed: £449.99 - Samsung official page

Samsung's new flagship smartwatch returns to a more classic wristwatch style, with a big feature list and premium price tag.

It comes in 41mm and 45mm case sizes, so there should be something to suit everyone. The size has shrunk since the original Galaxy Watch, and it's better for it, with a slim and light build that's big on all-day wearability.

Both use AMOLED displays that show off the vibrant Tizen OS.



There are stainless steel and black options in both sizes. However, the 45mm will come in black titanium, and the 41mm has a Mystic Bronze option too.



It's a classic looking smartwatch, with the rotating bezel returning to control the menu system, with its pleasing mechanical click.



Key upgrades are ECG and blood pressure (although both still to be switched on in the US and Europe) and SpO2 tracking of blood oxygen. There's also a new focus on VO2 max.

You'll get a couple of days battery life with "normal" use, and it's a shame that Tizen OS couldn't muster the week-long battery we've seen on the Huawei Watch GT2e and Amazfit GTS.

We found some inaccuracies with the heart rate monitor, but we were impressed with the swimming tracking and the plethora of running metrics.

Of course, you'll need to buy a replacement band as the standard leather strap isn't best suited to getting sweaty.

We found the Galaxy Watch 3 to be a superb smartwatch and one of the best Apple Watch alternatives out there.

It's pricey and the best health features aren't turned on yet, but it's great to wear and offers a great experience that's easy to recommend.

Read our full Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 review

Huawei Watch GT2e

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Huawei Watch GT2e key features

Works with Android and iOS

Runs on Huawei's Lite OS, not Wear OS

42mm and 46mm models

Waterproof up to 50 metres

Built-in GPS

Built-in music player (Android only)

SpO2

Stress tracking (Android only)

Speaker and microphone

15 sports tracking modes

Heart rate monitor

24/7 activity tracking

Two weeks battery (normal use)

Price when reviewed: £159.99 - Huawei Watch GT2e product page

The Huawei Watch GT2e doesn’t offer that much over its predecessor the GT2, bar a visual redesign that’s a little more sporty.

It runs Lite OS rather than Google’s Wear OS, but it’s a really capable smartwatch with some very smart fitness and wellness features, that comes recommended for users of Android smartphones in particular.

The 1.39-inch AMOLED display is bright and clear – and you get a bunch of sport profiles including swimming (thanks to 5ATM water resistance), cycling and an excellent running experience.

And that’s because the GT2e is actually really good for runners, thanks to loads of metrics, a clear screen, and Firstbeat’s VO2 Max and recovery stats.

The only downside is that due to a lack of third party plugs ins, so you can’t boot data out to Strava, and there’s no other apps to use.

Battery life is excellent at 14 days, heart rate accuracy was good at moderate levels, and workouts are well tracked within the app.

Sleep tracking was also excellent, and Android smartphone users can benefit from native music storage and stress tracking too. For iOS users the app feels a little under-cooked and bare, and we'd proceed with caution.

And now finally the Huawei Watch GT2e is actually listed on Amazon US, at a price of $160 – which makes it a good buy at this price. A no-brainer for Android users, but iOS people should pay a little more for the Apple Watch Series 3.

Read our Huawei Watch GT2e review

Fitbit Versa 2

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Fitbit Versa 2 key features

Works with Android and iOS

5-7 days battery

24/7 activity tracking

Automatic sleep monitoring

Swim tracking

Amazon Alexa smart assistant

Apps and customizable watch faces

Fitbit Pay

Price when reviewed: £179.99 - Fitbit Versa 2 product page

More affordable rate than the Apple Watch, the Fitbit Versa 2 is a fitness tracking focused smartwatch with a thin, light build that will suit a lot of users. You should be able to pick up one of these bad boys for around £149.99.

It's slim, light and unisex with a 1.34-inch AMOLED display which does the business, without feeling bulky on the wrist.

You can use the screen to cycle through goals, do guided breathing exercises, on-watch guided workouts, and get smartphone notifications. Fitbit now enables third party apps, but these have to be turned on manually.

The Versa 2 offers much of the same fitness and sports tracking features you’d expect from the Fitbit ecosystem, though there's no built-in GPS. That means 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 runners will find this irritating – particularly because the placement of phones can hamper GPS accuracy.

Fitbit's sleep metrics are top notch and the Versa 2 offers Fitbit Sleep Score and there's the SpO2 sensor that's now activated to offer Estimated Oxygen Variation readings from your blood through the night, which can be an indicator of sleep issues.

The inclusion of Amazon Alexa will turn heads, but we found to be a hit-and-miss experience in our initial review, though it's something we expect to improve as updates continue to roll out.

You can still download a smattering apps although none to get excited about, and plenty of watch faces. You can pay from your wrist using Fitbit Pay and tap into Fitbit Premium workouts and Guided Programs,

Battery is the huge selling point here. You can five or six days on a single charge, which means less hassle on weekends away, and around three days with the screen turned on full-time.

Read our Fitbit Versa 2 review

Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2

Credit: Wareable

Key features

Works with Android and iOS

40/44mm case size

Up to 2 days battery

24/7 activity tracking

Automatic sleep monitoring

Swim tracking

Spotify offline playlist support

Samsung Pay

Price when reviewed: £269 - Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 product page

The Watch Active 2 is a top sport-focused smartwatch, especially for Android smartphone users that can't access the Apple Watch.

The Active 2 is smaller and cheaper compared to the Galaxy Watch 3 – less smart and traditional looking – but with a silicon strap it's a more natural fit for sporty users.

With 40mm and 44mm size options, it will suit most wrists, and both have typical top-notch Samsung displays. It's touchscreen but there's a touch sensitive bezel to help navigate's Samsung's Tizen OS operating system.

It's more of the same on the sports tracking and fitness tracking front with a solid performing optical heart rate on board, built-in GPS and a new run coach to help you get moving faster and clocking up quicker times.

But it's the Active's fitness tracking skills that still really impress us with its ability to keep us moving in small, but purposeful ways.

Smartwatch features are solid too with notification support and impressive music features (offline Spotify playlists FTW). The selection of apps isn't fantastic, but if you're happy with the core experience, you might not need too many of those anyway.

Blood pressure monitoring, ECG and fall detection are all headed to the watch – but these are only due to land in Q3 2020 in South Korea, and there's no hint that medical regulators in the US or Europe are set to approve the features any time soon.

Battery life is also on-par with the Apple Watch, maxing out at about two days depending on what features you make use of.

Skagen Falster 3

Credit: Wareable

Key features

Works with Android and iOS

Runs on Google Wear OS

42mm case

22mm interchangeable watch straps

Google Pay

Built-in GPS

Heart rate monitor

Waterproof design

Up to 24 hours battery

Price when reviewed: £279 - Skagen Falster 3 product page

The Falster 3 is the latest generation of smartwatch in one of our favorite smartwatch designs – and it's now better than ever. It runs on Fossil Group's Gen 5 platform – with Google's Wear OS in the background – with an upgraded Snapdragon Wear 3100 processor, upgraded memory, water resistance and heart rate monitor. Battery life is still only 24 hours.

And despite the case size growing to 42mm (the Falster 2 was 40mm), it's still one of the best looking smartwatches out there. A premium case with great looking (if fiddly) straps, the 1.3-inch AMOLED has grown too, so it's easier to read and use. At 42mm we'd still consider it to be pretty unisex.

The beauty of the Falster 3 is still its thinness, and at 11mm there are few devices that look and feel so sleek on the wrist.

Performance of the watch itself is great, although the accuracy of the heart rate sensor isn't anywhere near good enough when working out. However, the design and strap are hardly suited to sweaty workouts – so this is one for general day-to-day wear.

The only real bugbear here is Wear OS. The platform is stagnating, with poor health and wellness features in particular, and it's not an ecosystem we'd heartily recommend. But we love the Falster 3 design, so it gets the nod for those who care about style more than features.

Read our full Skagen Falster 3 review.

Credit: Wareable

Apple Watch Series 3 key features

Works with iPhones only

Available with GPS and GPS/LTE

38mm and 42mm case options

Optical heart rate sensor

Built-in GPS

Speaker and microphone

Waterproof up to 50 metres

Apple Pay

Price when reviewed: £199.99 - Apple Watch Series 3 product page

As the newest Series 5 was announced, Apple announced that the Series 3 would remain on sale – and at a ridiculously low price of £199.99 (for the 38mm, GPS version).

It's astounding value for an Apple Watch – offering premium design, build and features for the price of budget Chinese tech. Put shortly, it's a steal.

So why's it such great value? Well, the Series 3 comes with GPS, gets the watchOS 6 update so it's packed with the latest features - and benefits from waterproofing, swim tracking, heart rate and low/high HR detection.

Read this: Apple Watch Series 5 v Series 3



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. The screen isn't always-on (no great loss in our honest opinion) and 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.

If you want an Apple Watch, but can't stomach paying top dollar for the newest model, the Series 3 still cuts it against most of the smartwatch competition.

Read our full Apple Watch Series 3 review



Amazfit GTS

Credit: Wareable

Key features

iOS and Android

1.65" AMOLED, resolution 348 x 442, 341ppi

GPS

20mm strap

43.25 x 36.25 x 9.4mm

Optical heart rate sensor

Waterproof up to 50 metres

5+ days of battery

Price when reviewed: £109.99 - Amazfit GTS product page

It’s an unashamed Apple Watch clone, but the Amazfit GTS gets a lot right – and at just $149 it’s a steal.



The watch itself has a slightly plastic and cheap-looking build, but the upside is that it's superbly thin and light.

It’s not eye-catching – no-one will ask about it admiringly – but many will just assume it's an Apple Watch.



There’s an always-on display and you’re looking at around a week of battery with all the advanced features turned on. It's water resistant to 50m and supports open water and pool swimming.



The Amazfit GTS is an absolute fitness and health powerhouse. The GPS is accurate, as is the heart rate unless you’re doing HIIT. The data insights within the app are top quality, with loads of data to review post workout. There’s Strava integration too, so your data isn’t stuck within the Amazfit app.

The app is well designed and fitness tracking elements are spot on. We should also make a special mention to the sleep monitoring which was pretty accurate, with detailed graphs charting stage and wake-ups properly recorded, and a sleep score feature.

The PAI score really works well. It’s a single number derived from all your weekly health and fitness activity – it's not Amazfit's tech, but a validated health score from Mio. We have a lot of respect for that technology and glad it’s seen the light of day here.

The silicone strap is bland, the whole thing is uninspiring visually – it’s not much of a fashion statement. But from a usability perspective it comes recommended for the price.

Garmin Venu

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Garmin Venu key features

iPhone and Android

43mm case size

Dedicated sports tracking modes

5ATM water resistance

Heart rate and Pulse OX

GPS

Garmin Pay

Price when reviewed: £299.99 - Garmin Venu product page

Garmin's first AMOLED smartwatch is still extremely sports-focused, with dedicated modes for running (indoor, outdoor, treadmill), cycling (indoor/outdoor), swimming (pool only thanks to 5ATM water resistance), golf, strength, cardio, elliptical, indoor rowing, yoga and more.

It's really the same watch as the Vivoactive 4, but with a glossy 390 x 390, AMOLED touchscreen display for those tempted by the Apple Watch.

It's a nice bit of kit and that screen is really punchy, making stats during runs in the dark easier to read, and notifications look crisp and sharp, too.

The fitness tracking experience is also excellent, and the Pulse Ox sensor adds more details to sleep tracking, helping feed into metrics like Body Battery and Stress Score.

You sacrifice some battery for the AMOLED screen, but you should still get five days of wear as a smartwatch, with one or two runs or workouts thrown in.

GPS lasts 8 hours – so significantly less than the Vivoactive – but this is no doubt the better looking watch for daily wear.

Check out our full Garmin Venu review

Realme Watch

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Realme Watch key features

Works with Android phones only

1.4-inch, 320 x 320 touchscreen display

Heart rate monitor

SpO2 sensor

Connected GPS

View phone notifications

7-9 days battery life

Price when reviewed: £49.99 - Realme Watch product page

A bit of an outlier here given it scored a very average 3 stars in our review, but the Realme Watch's £50 price tag makes it worthy of consideration – if you use an Android smartphone.

Not everyone is fortunate enough to find £200 price tags affordable, but if you're willing to accept the limited screen and boxy design, there is good value here.

The 1.4-inch, 320 x 320 touchscreen colour display but it doesn’t entirely fill up the space and had a large black surround – and lacks responsiveness when swiping. The Realme Watch is only splash-proof so you can't take it in the shower, there's no GPS and Android only.

That's the limitations out of the way. What you do get is a capable fitness tracker, and the sleep monitoring stood up well too. And it even has an SpO2 that lets you spot check blood oxygen, although this isn't done during sleep when it would be most useful.

There's 14 workout modes, and you can piggy-back your phones GPS if you want. The heart rate monitor stood up well in our tests, and was comparable to a chest strap in steady runs, although lost the plot during HIIT sessions.

And to top it all, we regularly managed 4 days of battery life.

The Realme Watch isn't nearly as stylish, complete or functional as most rivals on this list – but if you're trawling the horrible cheap options on Amazon wondering what to choose, you're much better off here.

Read our full Realme Watch review.

Amazfit GTR

Credit: Wareable

Key features

Works with Android and iOS

Proprietary OS

42mm and 47mm

20mm/22mm strap

Built-in GPS

Heart rate

Waterproof design

Battery life: 24 days (47mm) 12 days (42mm) – but testing was 50% of that

Price when reviewed: £128 - Amazfit GTR product page

We know that not everyone is able or willing to pay top dollar for the best smartwatches on the market, so if you're willing to make some sacrifices, the GTR could be for you.

Let's start with the good: a punchy 1.39-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 454x454 (for the 47mm version) looks superb, and there's a host of vibrant watch faces to choose from.

There's also a 42mm version for smaller wrists, and with 24 day battery stated on the larger model. There's GPS and heart rate, and you can get that all for just £128.

Now the bad. In our testing of the 47mm model the battery was half that stated – although still an impressive 12 days. This is achieved by the custom OS, but that means that third party apps aren't available as they are on Apple Watch or Wear OS.

The GPS took ages to lock and wasn't accurate, nor was the sleep tracking. Essentially, a Garmin replacement it is not – but that shouldn't stop those who don't covet supreme accuracy picking up a bargain.



Read our full review

TicWatch E2

Credit: Wareable

TicWatch E2 key features

Works with Android and iOS

Runs on Google's Wear OS

46mm watch case

1.39-inch, 400 x 400 AMOLED display

Built-in GPS

5ATM water resistance

Dedicated swim tracking

Heart rate monitor

1-2 days battery

Price when reviewed: £145.99 - TicWatch E2 product page

Another 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 has 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 Google Play Store, which hosts 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 swim-proof 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 review

Fossil Gen 5 Smartwatch

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Fossil Gen 5 Smartwatch key features

Works with Android and iOS

44mm case

Silicone, stainless steel & leather straps

3 ATM (Swim-proof) water resistance

Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 3100

8GB storage/1GB RAM

Built-in speaker to make calls

NFC for Google Pay

24 hours battery

Price when reviewed: £279 - Fossil Gen 5 product page

Fossil 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 fifth-generation smartwatches, it's setting the standard for what all of the watches it launches are capable of.

The Carlyle HR and Julianna HR are the successors to the Explorist HR and the Venture HR watches that still come in a host of bold, 44mm sized case options.

Everything we got on the Fossil's Gen 4 watches is here again, including built-in GPS, heart rate monitor, a swim-proof design and Google Pay to make contactless payments. A speaker has now been added into the mix letting you play music sans headphones, hear Google Assistant responses and make calls from your wrist.

Adding in a speaker isn't a groundbreaking addition by any stretch of the imagination, but it does swell the already decent smart capabilities of Fossil's watches.

The Julianna and Carlyle HR are some of the best looking Wear OS watches you can get, and the Gen 5 builds on all the good stuff that Fossil has already achieved with a platform that still needs some refining.

Read our Fossil Gen 5 Smartwatch review

Withings Steel HR Sport

Credit: Wareable

Withings Steel HR Sport key features

Works with Android and iOS

40mm size

Features OLED sub-display

Connected GPS

Heart rate monitor

VO2 Max estimates

Phone notification support

Up to 25 days battery

Price when reviewed: £189.95 - Withings Steel HR Sport product page

The majority of smartwatches in our list have been full-screen devices, but the Withings Steel HR Sport 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) and progress towards your step goal on the second dial – but there’s so much more going on than this.

The Withings Steel HR Sport 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 can track basic swim stats.

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 review

TicWatch Pro 2020

Credit: Wareable

TicWatch Pro 2020 key features

Runs on Google Wear OS

Works with Android and iOS

45mm case

22mm interchangeable straps

Dual-layer display

Google Pay

Built-in GPS and heart rate monitor

2 days battery life (smartwatch mode), 30 days (basic watch mode)

Price when reviewed: £199.99

If you’re looking for a great looking Wear OS watch that isn’t from the Fossil stable – the TicWatch Pro 2020 is worth a look.

It’s a little pricey for our money and doesn’t add much over the previous generation – but for those looking at Wear OS watches, which are dwindling in number, it’s one of the most powerful on sale.

You’re still getting the same sized 45mm watch case, which is available in black and silver. It still measures in at 12.6mm thick and has that big bezel surrounding the same 1.39-inch, 400 x 400 resolution touchscreen AMOLED display. That display though is quite challenging to read in bright sunlight, even with the screen cranked up to full brightness.

You get two days of battery life, although a new power saving mode will make it work for 30 days as a digital watch. The Ticwatch Pro has GPS built in which works well, and a heart rate sensor that didn’t fare too well in our tests – and won’t do the trick for anyone serious about fitness.

Michael Kors Access Bradshaw 2

Credit: Wareable

Michael Kors Access Bradshaw 2 key features



Works with Android and iPhone

44mm case

Water resistant up to 30 metres

Runs on Google’s Wear OS

Heart rate monitor and built-in GPS

Google Pay for payments

36 hours battery life

Price when reviewed £339 - Michael Kors Access Bradshaw 2 official

The Michael Kors Access Bradshaw 2 is an improvement on the first Bradshaw in so many ways. Performance has been given a much needed boost, new features have been added, all while retaining that familiar Bradshaw design.



Front and centre is the 1.28-inch AMOLED touchscreen display that delivers a resolution of 328 ppi. That does mean the screen size has dropped from the first Bradshaw (1.4-inch).



With the Bradshaw 2, that 44mm case finds room for a smaller 310mAh battery with the battery claim of 36 hours. On paper, that's better than its predecessor, but not by a huge amount.



There is a fully round black bezel surrounding that screen, which is well disguised when paired up with some of the darker Michael Kors watch faces. From a quality point of view, it’s a screen that’s bright, shows off those watch faces nicely and offers accurate colours.



Like the rest of the MK clan, the Bradshaw 2 runs on Google’s Wear OS operating system to bring in the smarts. That’s all powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor 3100 processor accompanied by 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage to help handle the demands of running the software.



They are clearly very different propositions on the looks front, but if you want a nicer mix of design and smartwatch features, you might be better looking elsewhere. If you can live with Wear OS and you are sold on that MK look and its watch faces, then you’ll enjoy living with the Bradshaw 2. If you want something more sporty but with that distinctive MK feel, the Michael Kors Access MKGO may well be a better fit for you.

Tag Heuer Connected 2020

Credit: Wareable Tag Heuer Connected 2020 key features



1.39-inch, 454 x 454 pixel (326ppi) OLED display

47mm case

Wear OS

Quick-change strap

24 hour battery life

GPS

Heart rate monitor

Price when reviewed: £1495 - Tag Heuer Connected official page

Tag Heuer has, once again, absolutely nailed the physical aspect of its smartwatch, with a superb build and design; and has kept Google's smartwatch OS in the background just enough.



It’s big and chunky, and built for those who love over-sized watches, with a 47mm case housing a 1.39-inch, 454 x 454 pixel (326ppi) OLED display is, as you'd expect, super clear and seems to almost sit on top of the scratch-resistant sapphire crystal screen.



For the first time Tag Heuer adds a heart rate monitor, along with a decent sports app that like its Golf app, shows the company is really taking the experience of its smartwatch just as seriously as the design.



It’s really easy switch between straps and digital faces, making the transformation from fashion statement to fitness tracker a cinch.



The trouble with Wear OS is it hasn't evolved quickly enough and, as such, has been left miles behind Apple's watchOS.

Of course the Tag Heuer Connected 2020 is expensive, but it's a well-built high-end watch from Tag Heuer - what did you expect? It’s a beautifully designed and built smartwatch, that’s in a league of its own. However, Wear OS does hold it back, but we’d figure that for those who can afford this watch, the choice is more than about the tech.

