Smartwatches are imperceptibly from the category of toys for those who have nowhere to put their money into a useful companion.Model with
Rating of the best “smart” watches:
- Apple Watch 5
- Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2
- Fitbit Versa 2
- Apple Watch 4/3
- Honor Watch Magic
Apple Watch 5
Apple's best flagship watch for iPhone
The new generation of Apple Watch features an always-on display, noise analysis, and a magnetic compass.Despite the fact that the watch is significantly more expensive than any other smartwatch on the market with similar characteristics, it can definitely be called the best choice for iPhone owners.
Buy in Svyaznoy, 40 mm
Buy in Svyaznoy, 44 mm
Buy at M.Video, 40 mm
Buy at M.Video, 44 mm
In El Dorado, Nike 40 mm
In El Dorado, Nike 44 mm
Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2
Best smart watches for Android
Google doesn't seem to take it seriouslyWear OS’s own smartwatch platform, but Samsung has come to the rescue of Android users. Galaxy Watch Active 2 is one of the most functional watches on the market, in comparison with the first model, developers have added a touch bezel for quick navigation through various menus. Separately, it is worth noting the sensible S Health application for maintaining statistics of one’s physical activity and monitoring nutrition.
Buy at M.Video, 40 mm
Buy at M.Video, 44 mm
Buy in Svyaznoy, 40 mm
Buy in Svyaznoy, 44 mm
Buy in Eldorado, 40 mm
Buy in Eldorado, 44 mm
FitBit Versa 2
Exotic for Fitbit fans
Fitbit Versa 2 automatically recognize differenttypes of activity, but offer only basic smart features. This is the best choice for those who are tied to the Fitbit fitness gadget ecosystem and do not want to lose the accumulated data. It will be difficult for others to explain why they should spend money on a gadget without full localization.
Buy on Amazon
Apple Watch 4
Cheaper and not much worse
This is the first Apple watch to get thinnerframes around the screen and an increased diagonal (40 mm versus 38 mm, 44 mm versus 42 mm). It was in Series 4 that the ECG function first appeared. If you're on a budget, the Apple Watch 4 is still a better choice for iPhone than other manufacturers' devices. But if they also hit your wallet hard, take a closer look at the Apple Watch 3, which can still be found on sale.
Buy in Svyaznoy, 40 mm
Buy in Svyaznoy, 44 mm
Buy at M.Video, 40 mm
Buy at M.Video, 44 mm
In Eldorado, 40 mm
In Eldorado, 44 mm
Apple Watch 3
Honor Watch Magic
Reasonably priced modern smart watch with GPS
This is a round smart watch in a stylish9.8 mm waterproof case, GPS support and relatively high battery life. They are equipped with a 1.2-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 390x390, an NFC module for quick pairing with a smartphone (but not for contactless payment) and a large range of sports programs.
Buy in Svyaznoy
Buy at M.Video
Buy on Tmall
Best of the best and best for iOS: Apple Watch 5
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A smartwatch without compromises, except for its very low battery life. They even earned our most prestigious award – Editor's Choice.
Apple Watch 5 is perfect for working out– It’s convenient to launch them, all status information is displayed on the screen, you don’t need to scroll to the second or third screens, there are many sports in the database and there is automatic tracking of some types of activity. Thanks to the Always On display, it is convenient to monitor your progress during training. And in general – the necessary information is always at hand. The watch interface provides maximum personalization – There are dozens of watch faces in the database, most of which can be customized with widgets with quick access to the necessary functions.
Whatever you say, Apple knows a lot about design:The small screen space is used as efficiently and informatively as possible, while notifications from the smartphone to the Apple Watch – This is not a postcard, you can interact with them. Reply using emojis and voice messages.
There are already many third-party applications for the watch. Pros – there is room for any request, and many are localized. Minus – Almost everything cool is available only by subscription.
Another disadvantage of the watch – in my opinion, Apple skimps on the strength of the materials here, and they are really easy to break (as evidenced by my experience).
Well, the advantages – basically everything else. Apple Watch 5 – it is the benchmark for the entire industry today.
Reasons to buy Apple Watch 5:
- You have an iPhone and want the coolest smart watch on the market;
- Expensive appearance (even in the budget version);
- Convenient work with text (reading, the ability to reply to a message);
- A full-fledged assistant when a smartphone is not at hand;
- Very user-friendly interface and a huge number of functions for healthy and beginners;
- They are really “smart”;
- Access to applications, music and podcasts right from the watch;
- The best implementation of Always On Display on the market.
Reasons not to buy Apple Watch 5:
- Goes beyond your budget;
- You have an Android smartphone;
- High cost of ownership (almost all third-party applications and services are paid).
Read also: Apple Watch 5 review
Buy in Svyaznoy, 40 mm
Buy in Svyaznoy, 44 mm
Buy at M.Video, 40 mm
Buy at M.Video, 44 mm
In El Dorado, Nike 40 mm
In El Dorado, Nike 44 mm
</ p>Best for Android: Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2
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Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 for Android is the samethe same as Apple Watch 5 for iOS. You can, of course, look at the alternatives, but if you want a maximum of just one device, then there are no alternatives from other brands. By the way, Active 2 is presented not only with silicone, but also with a leather strap.
The advantage of the Samsung platform over competitors– localization and the presence of a database of third-party applications (important in pairs, because other manufacturers have them separately), an abundance of dials, support for all kinds of sports activities, Always On Display, the ability to respond to messages directly from the watch (and there is even a keyboard for long text replies, but this is a last resort). The applications section contains useful extensions to basic features from Samsung – a calculator and other little things, but there is also Uber and a number of other services. The watch can act as a headset and music player; it has all the standard functions like sleep monitoring, heart rate, and automatic tracking of physical activity. Moreover, unlike the Apple Watch, there is no need to confirm that you are really walking or running, but a false workout can be canceled (for example, when the watch decided that you were running along the bumps of the Kherson-Kalanchak highway at a speed of 30 km/h).
If we talk about shortcomings, then first of all– This is not a very text-friendly display. It's actually the strength of the watch. After all, the round form factor still looks more like a watch. But the small round display fits less information, and during training, all the important information does not fit on one screen.
The watch at full load works on onecharge a couple of days. More than the Apple Watch, but smaller than the Huawei smartwatch. They charge 100% twice as fast as Watch 5 and during charging they show how much is left. Also, the watch can be charged from a smartphone using the built-in wireless charging.
If we talk about the S Health platform, whichwas developed by Samsung and with which its watch works, I like that it already has an integrated service for tracking nutrition (calorie tracking is based on FatSecret, but Samsung has improved the interface), there is a calculation of the total number of calories burned and a function that Samsung calls “weight management” – this is the balance of calories consumed and burned, which is calculated based on the user's goals – lose weight, gain weight, maintain weight, etc. The only thing I was missing was information about calories burned from activity, but these are nuances. According to my observations, Samsung watches are more generous in calorie counting in normal mode and more stingy – during training. Compared with FitBit Versa 2 and Huawei Watch GT 2 Sport. But it’s difficult to say who is right, because the data for all watches differs slightly or a lot from each other.
If you use an iPhone and stillconsider this watch for purchase, comparing it with Apple Watch 5, I can say that the Apple Watch seemed more convenient to me because of the form factor and the logic of the interface as a whole, also do not underestimate the battery life and the depth of integration of the watch’s software into the smartphone’s software . They are useful not only in training, but also in life to develop good habits. For example, they have a cool function of reminding you to relax with breathing, there are many third-party meditation applications, the trend function (when the watch collects data on physical activity for 90 days) is more motivating for daily activity.
What features are available on the iPhone in comparison with Android - shown in the table:
Functions
Galaxy Watch/Galaxy Watch Active
Challenges
— Notifications for incoming calls
✔
- Accept / Reject a call
⚠
*Calling is only possible from a smartphone
Messages
— Notifications about incoming messages (including iMessage)
✔
- Reply to messages
✕
Email / Calendar
— Email — Calendar notifications
✔
- Reply to Email - Disable the alarm / calendar
✕
S health
— Fitness tracker — Heart rate monitor
✔
Player
- Music Control (iTunes)
* Requires Gear music manager (PC web version) to send music files to Gear devices
✔
Dial selection
— Download/Installation
⚠
*Downloading is only possible from free applications
On the Samsung side, price and cost of ownership (permost third-party Apple Watch applications will have to be paid, but here many are free), as well as the traditional form factor and support for standard straps.
Compared to the latest Huawei smartwatchesgeneration, this model wins over almost everyone – and smart functions, and the number of workouts, and third-party applications, and a more convenient interface, and the number of watch faces. In addition to the battery life, which the competitor will have two and a half times – three more.
Reasons to buy Samsung Watch Active 2:
- You have an Android smartphone;
- You want the most “smart” smart watches available;
- Your smartphone – also Samsung;
- You previously used smartphones and / or smart watches, brand fitness trackers, so you managed to accumulate the database in S Health.
Reasons not to buy Samsung Watch Active 2:
- You need even more autonomy;
- You have an iPhone;
- You have a limited budget.
Read also: Review of Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2
Buy at M.Video, 40 mm
Buy at M.Video, 44 mm
Buy in Svyaznoy, 40 mm
Buy in Svyaznoy, 44 mm
Buy in Eldorado, 40 mm
Buy in Eldorado, 44 mm
</ p>For Old School Artists: Fitbit Versa 2
Fitbit – one of the oldest manufacturerswearable electronics for lifestyle enthusiasts on the market. If you are buying your first smart watch, then I do not recommend considering this brand for purchase, despite the fact that they are useful in a healthy lifestyle. Today, this brand is developing slowly and in some things it is significantly inferior to competitors from the world of smartphones. In particular, they have poorly implemented smart functions – display calls, mail, SMS, you can add notifications from other applications, but the answer can only be prepared in advance from a smartphone, they are not localized for our market, this means that Fitbit brand watches and trackers are not suitable for those who do not know English. However, this does not mean that they have nothing to do in our selection.
The Versa line (and Charge update) is a thing of the pastyear helped Fitbit win the market a little from Apple. Versa 2 – it's a sequel to last year's hit that costs nearly half the price of the latest Apple Watch. The watch is worth paying attention to those who have been using Fitbit for a long time, have managed to accumulate a large amount of data about their lifestyle in the services of this manufacturer, and now can only think about moving with pain. In this case, it’s better to just upgrade to the top Fitbit model and accept that the synchronization speed with your smartphone leaves much to be desired.
Versa 2 has a nice design and styleApple Watch, although in direct comparison, the latter look more expensive due to the smoother metal and obedient strap. Personally, I really like the Versa 2 color scheme that came to us for a test (but the Lavender Golden Rose color model is available exclusively on Amazon). They also have only one control button (this is a minus), but it is on the left (this is a plus). That is, under no circumstances can it be touched or accidentally pressed at the wrong time. With other watches, this happens regularly. They also have a strap with a comfortable clasp.
Fitbit has all the popular training modes,watches can track many types of activity automatically. Unlike Samsung and Apple, they can’t be “told” that they in vain considered riding a bumpy race walking, this is a minus. The clock can monitor sleep, pulse, notice its abnormal activity, allow you to keep a food diary (alas, only in English) and monitor the cycle, monitor calories burned per day (without highlighting active calories separately), drinking water and coffee. In general, it seems that Samsung was inspired by this particular brand when they worked on S Health.
With Versa 2 you can listen to music – but herebad luck, you can only add it through the desktop application. There are third-party applications, there are many of them, and they install slowly. You can only download and log in from your smartphone. Almost everyone asks for money. In general, a feature of the Fitbit platform – This is a large number of paid additional functions. It seems to me more than the Apple Watch. Even the dials ask for money! However, there are really a lot of them here, and, in my opinion, Fitbit offers the craziest design solutions even in the free versions. And paid – space in general. On average, the watch lasts 2-3 days, and also charges quite quickly (100% in 1:20). The screen in Always On mode is monochrome and almost stupid. Nothing much works in the background on the watch. Therefore, such autonomy here does not come from a great mind, but from a small battery.
Reasons to buy Fitbit Versa 2:
- You have previously used trackers or watches from this manufacturer;
- You want a smart watch, not a tracker, but the budget does not allow you to spend money on Samsung or Apple;
- You have Android (because it’s still better to buy an Apple Watch under iOS).
Reasons not to buy Fitbit Versa 2:
- Do you prefer watches in a classic form factor;
- You do not know English;
- Your purchase budget is smaller / larger.
Review Fitbit Versa 2 will appear on our website in the near future.
Buy on Amazon
</ p>Cheaper for iOS: Apple Watch 3 or Apple Watch 4
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I don’t want to recommend a specific model,because it all depends on your budget. Enough for Apple Watch 4, but the “five” do not pull? Then take the four, without Always on display and analysis of noise around (if you are not a musician, of course) it is quite possible to live.
If the four are too burdensome forwallet, you can stay at the top three. The frames around the screen will be larger, there will be no ECG (such a loss), performance will be slightly lower, but all this is not so critical for watches to abandon the Apple Watch in favor of another brand paired with the iPhone.
Apple Watch Series 4
Buy in Svyaznoy, 40 mm
Buy in Svyaznoy, 44 mm
Buy at M.Video, 40 mm
Buy at M.Video, 44 mm
In Eldorado, 40 mm
In Eldorado, 44 mm
Apple Watch Series 3
Buy in Svyaznoy, 38 mm
Buy at M.Video, 38 mm
Buy at M.Video, 42 mm
In Eldorado, Nike+ 38 mm
In Eldorado, 42 mm
</ p>Budget Classic: Honor Watch Magic
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Huawei (and the Honor sub-brand) makes smart watchesEmphasis on design and long battery life. At the same time, the first generation of watches for both brands was more like a fitness tracker in a classic form factor. In the current generation (Huawei Watch GT 2, in particular), it has become possible to call from a watch, use it as a headset, listen to music, both through the speaker and from a connected wireless headset.
The capabilities of the watch have increased, but still in part“smart” ones are inferior to Samsung, but cost the same, so this is not the best purchase. At the same time, the twice more affordable Honor Watch Magic, although not so “smart,” is damn good in terms of sports and longevity. With the watch you can run, work out in the gym, swim, hike in the mountains, monitor your sleep and heart rate, and at the same time charge it once a week (ok, if you actively run and train, then twice as often, but still not as much as other watches manufacturers). Starting at $130, they also look like real classics. When I tested this model, I noticed a huge number of compliments on the watch from the outside. But you definitely won’t be able to call, write a message, or listen to music.
Read also: Honor Watch Magic review
Reasons to buy Honor Watch Magic:
- Cool classic design;
- Long battery life (up to a week) and quick charge;
- Favorable ratio of price / design / features (towards budget);
- Intelligent fitness tracker.
Reasons not to buy Honor Watch Magic:
- They are not very “smart”: you can’t listen to music, make calls, reply to messages, install third-party applications;
- You are ready to spend more money on hours.
Buy in Svyaznoy
Buy at M.Video
Buy on Tmall
Comparison of the characteristics of smart watches mentioned in the article
Model name
Apple Watch 5
Apple Watch 4
Apple Watch 3
Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2
Fitbit Versa 2
Honor Watch Magic
Compatibility
iOS
iOS
iOS
Android/iOS
Android/iOS/Windows
Android/iOS
Form factor
rectangular
rectangular
rectangular
round
rectangular
round
Screen type
OLED
OLED
OLED
Super AMOLED
Super AMOLED
AMOLED
Platform
watchOS
watchOS
watchOS
Tizen OS
Fitbit OS
Lite OS
Screen
40 mm, 44 mm
40 mm, 44 mm
38 mm, 42 mm
40 mm, 44 mm
34 mm
30 mm
Smart Opportunities
Incoming event notification, hands-free functioncommunications, listening to music, podcasts, calculator, third-party applications with games, organizer functions, voice recorder, notes, Always On Display, SOS function, contactless payments, Siri, dozens of free watch face designs (+ widget support)
Incoming event notification functionspeakerphone, listening to music, podcasts, calculator, third-party applications with games, organizer functions, voice recorder, notes, contactless payments, Siri, dozens of free watch face designs (+ widget support)
Incoming event notification, hands-free functioncommunications, listening to music, third-party applications with games, organizer functions, contactless payments, Siri, dozens of free watch face designs
Call and message notifications, functionsheadsets, player (you can connect headphones or control music from your phone), reply to messages using text, voice notes, emoji, organizer functions (including those available from third-party applications), services like Uber available as third-party applications, dozens of designs dial, SOS function, Always On Display
Notifications about incoming messages (mail includingincluding) and calls, third-party applications with games and organizer functions, a player (you can connect headphones or control music from your phone), Always On Display, dozens of free and paid third-party watch face designs
View notifications from user-selected applications from a smartphone, notifications about incoming calls, timer, stopwatch, alarm clock
Sporting opportunities
Counting steps, steps, running and walking outdoors andon the track, orbitrek and other activities, breathing exercises for relaxation, automatic activity tracking, counting calories burned from activity, cycle tracking, 90-day activity trends, heart rate monitoring, third-party applications with training programs and meditation programs, etc.
Counting steps, steps, running and walking outdoors andon the track, orbitrek and other activities, breathing exercises for relaxation, automatic activity tracking, counting calories burned from activity, cycle tracking, 90-day activity trends, heart rate monitoring, third-party applications with training programs and meditation programs, etc.
Counting steps, steps, running and walking outdoors andon the track, orbitrek and other activities, breathing exercises for relaxation, automatic activity tracking, counting calories burned from activity, cycle tracking, 90-day activity trends, heart rate monitoring, third-party applications with training programs and meditation programs, etc.
Running and walking outdoors, orbitrek, treadmilltreadmill, several types of workouts, third-party applications for running, yoga and various types of workouts, accounting for calories burned, sleep and heart rate monitoring, food diary. caffeine and water, advanced programs of varying levels of complexity aimed at achieving sports results or improving lifestyle, automatic activity tracking
Running and walking outdoors, orbitrek, treadmilltreadmill, several types of workouts, third-party applications for running, yoga and various types of workouts, accounting for calories burned, sleep and heart rate monitoring, cycle calendar, food and water diary, accounting for completed floors, advanced (paid) programs of varying levels of complexity aimed at achieving sports results or lifestyle improvements, automatic activity tracking
Running, running courses, walking, cycling, swimming, +GPS tracking and altitude measurement), accounting calories burned from activity, sleep and heart rate monitoring
Install additional applications
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Support for Russian and Ukrainian languages
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Autonomy
until 18 o'clock
until 18 o'clock
until 18 o'clock
2-3 days
up to 4 days
up to a week
Communications and sensors
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC (supportscontactless payments in Ukraine), optical heart rate monitor, ECG, magnetic compass, altimeter, accelerometer with the ability to assess overload up to 32 g, gyroscope, ambient light sensor, GPS
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC (support for contactless payments in Ukraine), optical heart rate monitor, ECG,
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC (support for contactless payments in Ukraine), optical heart rate monitors, GPS
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC (no support for contactless payments in Ukraine), optical heart rate monitor, GPS, accelerometer, altimeter, compass
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, accelerometer, altimeter
Bluetooth, GPS, optical heart rate monitor, accelerometer, altimeter
Housing protection
water resistant up to 50 meters
water resistant up to 50 meters
water resistant up to 50 meters
IP68
water resistant up to 50 meters
water resistant up to 50 meters
The amount of internal memory
32 GB
16 GB
8 GB
4 GB
n.d.
128 MB
How to choose a smart watch
At the moment there is already a large number ofnumber of models, platforms and generations of smart watches. Unlike, say, Android smartphones or Windows laptops, they are not so similar to each other. And the main difference – that the functionality of smart watches depends on the manufacturer, because there is no single platform on the market yet. Except for Google's incompetent Wear OS.
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Sales of smart watches in the world
Smartphone operating system
First of all, the choice will depend on whatsmartphone you use. In principle, iOS is supported by all manufacturers, but if the iPhone has it, then it’s strange to choose something other than the Apple Watch 5 – it is now an exemplary device on the market. If you don’t have the money for it, you can just stick with the simpler Apple Watch.
If you have Android, the choice extends toinfinity from which to subtract the Apple Watch. Then you can look at the manufacturer of the smartphone (because its branded watches are more deeply integrated with the smartphone software), you can look at the capabilities of various platforms on the market.
Budget
In general, prices for different models are differentmanufacturers are comparable within the same materials and functions. Apple Watch, of course, hovering over the market. And Garmin, which are more athletic than competitors. Or Xiaomi (Amazfit), which are generally somewhat cheaper than the market.
Savings in the case of choosing a smart watch will belie in the plane of choice of gadget generation. Thus, the norm for the market today has become a built-in player, the ability to connect headphones or control music from a smartphone, a compass, a barometer, at least a dozen exercises, sleep monitoring, a built-in speaker, GPS and improved autonomy. If the maximum (on Android) costs an average of $300, then good versions without some modern functions (most often a player and call answering) will cost about one and a half to two times cheaper.
Is it worth saving?Assess how much you need these features. If you would like to train to music and not carry a smartphone with you, or if you are a person who constantly gets calls – It's probably worth paying extra for them.
Form factor
In my opinion, this item is less significant thanfollowing. But unfortunately, usually manufacturers of wearable electronics prefer to stay within the same form factor, and if it really matters to you, a circle on your hand or a square will have to be based on this, and not on the watch’s capabilities.
The advantage of round – this is a form close toclassics. Models such as Huawei Watch GT and Watch GT 2, Galaxy Watch and Galaxy Watch 2, Honor Watch Magic are practically indistinguishable from analogue ones. Especially if you use a screensaver with an analog dial. There is only one drawback to such watches, but, believe me, it is worth thinking carefully about. Try placing text in a circle. Is it easy to read? Same thing. The best way to work with text and notifications is on the Apple Watch – The watch, on the one hand, uses the screen space as efficiently as possible, on the other – They don’t lump text together like Fitbit does.
The advantage of square in readability and quantityinformation that can fit on the display. This also applies to application icons (although Samsung somehow twists with its round screens in order to make the menu convenient).
Platform features
So we got to the very thing, in fact,important. To what your smart watch will be able to and who will store your data. In my opinion, this item is even more important than battery life. You only have to put up with her, so I did not include her in the aspects of choice.
The platform's capabilities can be divided into twocomponents – sports and smart functions in connection with a smartphone. And above all this there is a superstructure in the form of a more or less convenient interface. Apple has implemented the maximum today, which is why Watch 5 has become my favorite. Samsung – in principle, it’s also on par; the platform, like the watch itself, has some advantages over Apple. But in general, they don’t even compete with each other, since the Apple Watch 5 does not work with an Android smartphone, and the Galaxy Watch Active 2 (like other watch models of this brand) although it works with iOS, its functions are so limited that there is no point in buying.
iOS users are a little easier to choose becauseApple smart watches, although significantly more expensive than competitors, are generally better in terms of capabilities, and if the user is interested not only in fitness, but also in part as a smartphone, the choice lies only in the budget and different generations of Watch. If you first of all need a cool fitness tracker, not expensive, but with a decent appearance, then you can also take a look at Fitbit Versa 2 or Honor Watch Magic. But I have little idea of such a scenario in life.
More details on what can be expected from each of the platforms at maximum speeds are described above in the description of the respective models.
Special project
Artificial Intelligence on TVs: How It Works
And one more thing. All watches except the Apple Watch have a sleep monitoring mode. The Apple Watch feature is available through third-party applications. So, all watches give so different results that I don’t know which one to believe. For fitness trackers Honor and Xiaomi, the analysis is approximately similar. Honor / Huawei smart watches analyze in much the same way as trackers of these brands. But smart watches from other brands have a completely different picture. Between themselves a little more similar than with the platform Huawei / Honor, but still different. So I have big doubts about the accuracy and, accordingly, the value of this function.