While smartwatches aren’t as common as smartphones quite yet, they’re no longer enthusiast-only items either. The best smartwatches make your life easier by providing alerts right on your wrist so you don’t have to constantly rummage around and pull out your phone. Many also provide a variety of fitness-tracking features and waterproof cases, while others double as music players, with support for popular services such as Spotify, Apple Music, and iHeartRadio.
Many analysts believe the smartwatch market will continue to grow as manufacturers add new features to their products and the technology becomes more affordable. So, if you’re ready to take the plunge into high-tech, hands-free tech and want to save some money, read on for the best smartwatch deals available online right now. These cheap smartwatches may not be featured in the Baselworld show, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t still great budget options.
The Best Deal
The exciting new Apple Watch Series 4 was recently introduced to the public, along with the iPhone XS, so now’s the time to score some savings on a previous-generation model from Apple. Although it may not be the company’s bleeding-edge model, the Apple Watch Series 1 is still one of the hottest smartwatches on the market. It’s fast, light, and robust, and it features a much snappier CPU than the first Apple Watch (somewhat confusingly, the Series 1 is actually a second-generation refresh of the original). This is a big improvement over its predecessor, which suffered from notably sluggish app performance.
You get voice control with Siri, activity tracking with a heart rate monitor, and customizable Apple Watch faces, along with a myriad of Apple Watch apps. Apple currently has professionally refurbished Apple Watch Series 1 models on sale for $189, saving you a pretty penny, but there are quite a few other Apple Watch deals out there to choose from. If you’re looking for an upgrade to your Apple Watch but don’t want to shell out $400 for the Series 4, then the Series 3 is also on sale for as low $279.
The Rest
When smartwatches were first released, the basic marketing pitch advertised them as essentially “a smartphone for your wrist.” Users were initially stoked but ultimately remained unconvinced, especially since the first generation failed to deliver on a lot of the promised convenience that smartwatches were said to provide. Lately, however, we’ve seen the growing popularity of great hybrid smartwatches like the Skagen Hagen Connected, which neatly closes the gap between old-school wristwatches and a high-tech smart watch.
The Hagen hybrid runs on super-accurate quartz movement and also features built-in smartwatch connectivity that allows this classic-looking watch to sync with your smartphone to provide activity tracking, call and text notifications, sleep quality analysis, and more. Most Skagen Hagen models run for around $150-$160, but you can now score the steel and black leather Hagen Connected for an affordable $99 from Amazon.
Movboi’s new Ticwatch E is one of the most affordable smartwatches that you can buy, and it’s been a surprise hit. This budget-friendly wearable costs less than some fitness trackers, yet boasts a full suite of Android Wear 2.0 functionality for use with a wide variety of great apps. It includes Google Assistant, which allows you to reply to messages, ask questions, set reminders, and more using easy voice commands. It also as a decent battery life, but you will have to charge it for at least two hours prior to use.
The Ticwatch also does double duty as a fitness smartwatch thanks to its built-in heart rate monitor and fitness tracker functions. At $130 from Amazon with a $30 discount, the Ticwatch E is the wearable to buy if you’re in the market for full-featured smartwatches that won’t leave you broke.
With a stainless steel case and wristband, watches don’t get much more traditional than the stylish Fossil Q Explorist. Don’t let the classic appearance fool you, though — the Explorist’s heart is fully modern. Thanks to Bluetooth technology, you can instantly get notified of important texts, calls, social media messages, and emails, which are delivered right to the color touchscreen face and connect to your smartphone and SIM card. With a unique, stylish look, Fossil’s hybrid watches are great timepieces for men and women. Though you can almost classify each one as a smart watch rather than a smartwatch.
It also has built-in activity tracker so you can monitor your everyday accomplishments — including steps, distance, calories burned, and other fitness metrics — when the watch is synced with your phone and SIM card. The three buttons let you control your connected device remotely for music playback and more. The all-steel Fossil Q Explorist smartwatch regularly goes for $275 but is currently marked down to $192.50 from Amazon, saving you $82.50. If you prefer the look of leather, then you can grab the leather strap model for a little cheaper at $175 ($80 off).
If you know a young techie who would love his or her own smartwatch, then VTech’s Kidizoom DX2 is just the ticket. This cheap smartwatch wearable comes loaded with 55 digital and analog watch faces to teach kids how to tell time. There are also wrist-based built-in features like a pedometer, gyroscopic motion sensor for games, and two cameras for taking videos and photos. The included USB cable can be used to charge the watch, download new games and clock faces from the VTech Learning Lodge, and upload pics and video clips to your computer or SIM card.
The Kidizoom DX2 boasts a metal and rubber housing that helps it stand up to daily “kid use” and the bumps and drops that come with that. It’s affordable, too: The VTech Kidizoom DX2 comes in at $40 from Amazon after a 33 percent discount, making it one of the best cheap smartwatches.
Our next deal is a treat from Samsung and a solid favorite of ours. The great-looking Gear S3 boasts a classic yet utilitarian build, thanks to its gunmetal gray steel case and thick rubber or leather wrist strap. Tough Gorilla Glass protects the touchscreen face, and the case features military-grade protection from dust, moisture, and impacts.
The Gear S3 also has a rotating bezel you can use to scroll through apps, notifications, and more. Like other options, it wirelessly syncs with your phone, and the S3 also has a heart rate monitor, along with a variety of health-tracking functions. The traditional-looking Gear S3 Classic is on sale for $277 while the rugged Gear S3 Frontier is available for $284, saving you as much as $73 off of their normal $350 price tag.
If you’re looking for a super-affordable, no-nonsense budget smartwatch, consider the new Amazfit Bip. The rugged Bip ditches most bells and whistles in favor of a low-cost, no-frills sports watch design that’s perfect for active users looking for something more than your standard digital watch (think G-Shock with a heart rate monitor, a customizable face, and smart connectivity).
This cheap smartwatch is compatible with Android and iOS devices and can sync wirelessly with your phone to upload and track fitness metrics via the Mi Fit companion app. The case is dustproof and water-resistant and, most impressively, the internal battery can last up to 45 days before needing a charge. The Amazfit Bip is one of the only truly cheap smartwatches on our roundup, coming in at just $80 on Amazon.
Get a great-looking analog smartwatch that you can adapt to your lifestyle with the Huawei Watch, which was named an awesome hybrid smartwatch in our hands-on review. This smartwatch allows you to use all your favorite apps on the go for a truly seamless experience. With these smartwatches, Google Now becomes your personal assistant. The watch also helps you stay on top of your health game with built-in fitness-tracking features including an enhanced heart rate monitor and sensors to track running, walking, and more with a decent battery life to boot.
Thanks to Bluetooth and Wi-Fi capability, it’s compatible with most devices with iOS or Android operating systems. The stainless steel case with leather wristband also offers a great classic look for casual wear. This analog watch is currently on sale for $200 from Amazon, saving you $100.
Here’s another great, classic-looking Fossil hybrid smartwatch that’s just for the ladies — the Q Venture. Like Huawei Watch and Fossil Explorist, this hybrid timepiece pairs a traditional analog watch face with smart features including fitness tracking and Bluetooth connectivity. Pair it with your iOS or Android device and the Venture will notify you when you receive calls, texts, social media updates, and more. It can also give you at-a-glance tracking of your daily activity progress.
If you like the traditional aesthetics of the Explorist but prefer something a bit more feminine, then the Q Venture is an equally affordable alternative: A tidy $80 discount lets you score this great-looking rose gold hybrid smartwatch for just $175 from Amazon.
For a solid and affordable no-frills fitness smartwatch, check out the health-based Garmin Vivosmart HR. This fitness tracker displays steps, distance, calories, and heart rate, along with text, call, email, calendar and social media alerts, and an alarm clock. This easy-to-use smartwatch reminds you to keep active via a move bar and vibration alert. It even has an integrated barometric altimeter that tracks when you take the stairs and measures your workout intensity so you can monitor your progress against weekly goals. You won’t be able to make phone calls with this particular model, however.
For detailed calorie tracking, you can create an account at MyFitnessPal and link it to your Garmin Connect account, which allows you to compare calories consumed to total calories burned, as well as compete in challenges with others. This pedometer smartwatch has a battery life of up to five days, as well as a convenient, non-intrusive touchscreen design. Pick up this budget smartwatch from Amazon for $75 after a nice 50 percent discount.
There are a lot of different reasons for wanting a smartwatch, but if fitness tracking is at the top of your list, then a Fitbit wearable is what you need. Unlike other more simplified options from this venerable brand, like the Alta and Flex 2, the Blaze is more than just an expensive pedometer. With this handy watch, you can track your resting heart rate, calories burned per day, flights of stairs, and even use the sleep monitor to better understand what your body needs. Fitbit offers a quick look at the day’s statistics and even allows you to track specific workouts like running, biking, weightlifting, and hamster-wheeling it on the treadmill.
As a Bluetooth smartwatch, the Fitbit Blaze is pretty standard. With a battery life of up to 5 days, built-in GPS, and smartphone functionality, it has all the tech you’d expect to see from one of the top brands on the market. Though this particular model has now been succeeded by its predecessors, the Fitbit Ionic and Fitbit Versa, it’s still one of those smartwatches you can be proud to wear. The Blaze is available on Amazon right now for just $170 after a $30 discount, and there are plenty of other Fitbit deals to peruse if you’re looking for a fitness tracker at a lower price point. You can also save a little extra by grabbing the certified refurbished Blaze for $130.
Looking for more great stuff? Find smart watch deals and more on our curated deals page, and be sure to follow us on Twitter for regular updates.
Update: Removed the Movado Bold Connected, Pebble Time, and Samsung Gear Sport. Added the new Apple Watch deals and Skagen Hagen Connected, and updated prices.
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