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The 4 Best Smartwatches For Women, According To Reviewers
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Today, watches can do a whole lot more than tell you the time. Any great watch is a great watch for women, and the best smartwatches for women are both fashionable and functional. They’re equipped with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, as well as features designed to help you track (and meet) your sleep, fitness, and other lifestyle goals. While models can vary in style and price, your smartwatch should offer compatibility with your phone, insights into your routine, and a battery that will last all day so you don’t have to worry about it dying when you’re out and about.
Additionally, if you think your watch might be regularly exposed to water or sweat, it’s a good idea to check if it has a water-resistance rating, often presented as an IP code or on another proprietary scale. The smartwatches on this list range from models that are safe to wear in water up to 1.5 meters deep to those that are water-resistant in pressures equivalent to 50 meters deep.
Most smartwatches on the market have adjustable brightness settings, and some models even offer an always-on display setting that allows you to view the screen without touching it or moving your wrist. Just keep in mind that keeping the screen on all the time typically drains the battery faster than having it automatically shut off when you’re not using it. Voice-assistant technology (such as Alexa, Siri, and Google Voice), microphones, and speakers can also be helpful for hands-free operation and playing music. For those who want to track their movement, some also feature built-in GPS that works even when you don’t have access to the internet.
If you’re not sure you’d use all the features of a full-blown smartwatch, consider opting for a hybrid smartwatch. These watches look like traditional watches with functioning mechanical hands, but they also incorporate some smart features such as heart rate, step, and sleep tracking.
Read on for a few of the best women’s smartwatches you can buy online.
1. The Overall Best Smartwatch For iPhones
- Compatibility: iPhone
- Water-resistance rating: Up to 50 meters
- Battery life: Up to 18 hours
Thousands of users swear by the Apple Watch Series 6, which seamlessly syncs with iPhones and offers Siri voice assistance. In addition to a microphone and speaker, this smartwatch has a user-friendly touch-screen display with dimmable brightness. Its always-on retina display, which can adjust to up to 2.5 times brighter when you go outside, offers an extra level of convenience. Not only can you see incoming calls and messages, but you can even answer calls and dictate text replies. Connect the smartwatch to Bluetooth headphones or a speaker to stream your favorite music, podcasts, and audiobooks straight from your phone.
This Apple Watch makes it easy for users to track and view daily activity (including workouts and sleep), which is automatically stored on the corresponding iPhone fitness app. You can also use the device to monitor your heart rate, blood oxygen levels, and location (via a built-in GPS). It’s even safe to swim in. Plus, it’s available in nine different colors across two size options and two models, one of which (GPS + Cellular) can be hooked up to a cell plan so that you can make calls and text without having your phone on hand.
Promising Amazon review: “LOVE THIS WATCH!!! I had broken my Apple Watch 2 and tried a series of other brands to see what was out there and you absolutely can’t beat this series 6 if you’re an iPhone user. Every bit of functionality is there, almost mirroring your phone.”
2. The Overall Best Smartwatch For Androids
- Compatibility: Android, iPhone
- Water-resistance rating: Up to 50 meters
- Battery life: Up to 6 days
This Garmin smartwatch features a convenient LCD touch-screen display with three different brightness settings. An always-on display can make it easier to read the screen at a glance — although this setting can drain battery life, you have the option of turning it off whenever you don’t need it. Pair it with your phone to receive text, call, or social media notifications, or use it track your heart rate, stress levels, sleep, and hydration, as well as up to 20 preloaded workouts and activities (including walking, swimming, and what Garmin calls “mindful breathing”) via the Garmin Connect app.
In addition to a built-in GPS and compass sensor, this smartwatch is equipped with neat safety features that can automatically send your live location to designated contacts in the event of an emergency.
While this smartwatch can be paired with Androids and iPhones, many reviewers have reported that it offers more seamless integration with Android devices. Garmin offers two pricier models in the Venu line: the Venu (which features a higher-quality display but shorter battery life), and the Venue Music Sq (which can store and play music).
Promising Amazon review: “It was easy to setup and sync with my Android phone and healthcare platform. The face is large and easy to read. I use it primarily to track my steps and treadmill workouts. [...] The mobile app is great and helps to track my activity over time and other measures like my weight and menstrual cycles. I don't wear my watch at night, but there is an option for sleep activity. I charge my watch once a week and it is typically around 40-50% battery life so it could likely last almost another week without charging.”
3. The Best Budget Smartwatch
- Compatibility: Android, iPhone
- Water-resistance rating: Up to 1.5 meters
- Battery life: Up to 10 days
If you’re in the market for a cheap smartwatch, it’ll be tough to go wrong with this under-$40 pick from Willful. With more than 30,000 positive ratings, it’s a fan-favorite — and for good reason. In addition to the budget-friendly price, it offers three brightness levels plus touch-screen operation that one reviewer noted is “very easy” to set up and use.
The watch tracks up to nine sports, as well as steps, distance, calories, sleep, and heart rate. It can also be used as an alarm clock, stopwatch, or timer. This watch does not offer GPS tracking or a built-in microphone or speaker — which are trade-offs for the low price tag. And while you can view text, call, and app notifications, you can’t respond to them directly from the watch. Choose from seven colors.
Promising Amazon review: “Love this watch! For the price it's works great. The app is easy to use and understand. Works as well as a more expensive watch. You can't respond to messages but that's not an issue for me.”
4. The Best Smartwatch For Fitness Tracking
- Compatibility: Android, iPhone, Windows 10
- Water-resistance rating: Up to 50 meters
- Battery life: Up to 6+ days
The Fitbit Versa 3 is designed with exercise in mind. It has more than 20 exercise modes, and the built-in GPS allows you to view your pace and distance in real time without having to rely on your smartphone. It’s safe to wear in the shower, at the beach, or in the pool, and it can even track laps as you swim. You can use the corresponding Fitbit app to check your workout history, and upgrading to a Fitbit Premium subscription unlocks additional information including more personalized insights, a Health Metrics dashboard, and extra workouts. One reviewer summed it up: “This watch is perfect if you want a solid fitness/health tracker with some nice smart features.” Another fan confirmed, “Customizable and comfortable for working out. I don’t regret upgrading from a tracker to a smart watch.”
The built-in speaker, microphones, and voice-assistant technology (Google Assistant and Alexa) help you easily set alarms, view notifications, and accept Bluetooth calls without lifting a finger. You can also toggle the brightness of the display between four settings. The watch, which comes in three colors, can also sync with your Spotify and Pandora accounts so you can play tunes from your wrist when it’s connected to your phone.
Promising Amazon review: “I have loved my a narrow fitbit for years, using it especially for sleep tracking and steps motivation. I just upgraded to the Versa 3 and love it — tracking runs with GPS and time; tracking all types of exercise; tracking level of effort (great!) and of course sleep. It was worth the upgrade for sure! And the band is very comfortable and the face doesn’t seem so big (I’d preferred the much smaller, narrow face but now prefer this one.)”
Also Great: The Best Hybrid Smartwatch
- Compatibility: iPhone, Android
- Water-resistance rating: Up to 50 meters
- Battery life: Up to 14 days
This Fossil hybrid smartwatch combines the look of a traditional watch (with functioning mechanical hands) with basic smart features. The corresponding app is “easy to download and use,” according to one reviewer. While it doesn’t feature adjustable brightness settings, a speaker, or a microphone, it does have an incredibly long-lasting battery (up to two weeks!), a backlit face, and a heart rate sensor. The watch connects to Bluetooth and syncs with the app to track steps, heart rate, and sleep. Plus, the watch can display some of your phone notifications, the current weather, and your calendar front and center. Instead of a touch-screen display, you operate the watch using buttons on the side of the watch’s face.
Although it doesn’t have some of the functionality of a true smartwatch, this device is a great choice for someone who enjoys the look and feel of a traditional watch but could benefit from a few smart perks. This hybrid watch comes in eight different styles, with a range of color and band options to choose from.
Promising Amazon reviews: “Classic look with smart functionalities. Simple and minimal. Enough PPI to provide realistic custom dials. Sure it lacks some features of a full smartwatch, but in return you get always on display like a traditional mechanical watch and without battery life concerns.”
