Apple Watch SE Fitbit Versa 3, and more

See also: Best Cheap Fitness Trackers

Buying the best budget smartwatch for your needs

The landscape of smart watches continues to expand. These days, there is a worthwhile device for every budget. Want to put on a basic smartphone companion or track your progress while you sweat? Regardless of what your smartwatch needs, you can find something that ticks the right boxes without breaking the bank.

A budget Apple Watch offers tons of app compatibility. Our choice of Mobvoi offers a hopeful future. Meanwhile, a Fitbit option strikes the perfect balance between price and features. Can You Live Without Advanced Health Sensors But Do You Need Built-in GPS? Maybe fitness tracking isn’t a priority, but you’re interested in Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant support. Deciding what you can and can’t live without is the best way to save money without sacrificing too many essentials.

With large screens, apps, and notifications, smartwatches tend to be more expensive than activity trackers. The devices below break the mold with many smartwatch features and much more palatable price tags. Now you just have to figure out which is the best option for you.

Best cheap smartwatches

• Apple Watch SE – This is the best overall budget smartwatch and hands down the best choice for iOS users. The Apple Watch SE has most of Apple’s core features at an affordable price.
• Mobvoi TicWatch E3 – This is the best option for Wear OS users with a promising update ahead. This is the only inexpensive wearable currently eligible for Wear OS 3 in 2022.
• Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 – Samsung’s Fitness Watch 2019 is the best Wear OS alternative for Android users. Still running Samsung’s platform, the Galaxy Watch Active 2 is a one-of-a-kind choice for Tizen loyalists.
• Fitbit Versa 3: This is Fitbit’s smartwatch with the best value for money. The Fitbit Versa 3 goes for some advanced features for a very solid Fitbit device at a great price.
• Garmin Venu Sq: The best cheap smartwatch for Garmin enthusiasts, the Venu Sq brings back most of what made the original Venu such a great wearable.
• Xiaomi Mi Watch: Xiaomi’s Mi Watch is the best budget smartwatch for even tighter budgets. At a price of $ 100, this device offers the basics and does it well.

To stay affordable, the Apple Watch SE bypasses the always-on display, ECG, and pulse oximeter from other models. These are features that most users can live without, especially to keep some money in their pockets. Like all Apple watches, the SE also has unpleasantly insufficient battery life.

Check out our full review to learn more about the Apple Watch SE.

More importantly, the TicWatch E3 is scheduled to receive the Wear OS 3 update sometime in 2022, so it’s a worthwhile investment. Until now, no other budget option has included the list of devices eligible for the latest software.

Check out our full review to learn more about the Mobvoi TicWatch E3.

Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2: Best Cheap Tizen Smartwatch

In our review, we ran into some health and fitness tracking issues, so we wouldn’t suggest this option for someone especially interested in a training tool. The heart rate monitor and GPS were especially inconsistent and can be a hindrance for athletes looking for detailed statistics.

Check out our full review to learn more about the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2.

Certainly there are cheaper options when it comes to the stable Fitbit, but compared to the Fitbit Sense, the Fitbit Versa 3 is the option with a phenomenal value. Similar to the Apple Watch SE, the Versa 3 has pretty much all the necessary features of its higher-priced sibling. Users can expect accurate health tracking, sleep tracking, SpO2 monitoring, built-in GPS, assistant assistance, and more. Plus, you can usually find the Versa 3 around the $ 200 mark.

If that still feels a bit out of reach, the Fitbit Versa 2 is still a strong contender. However, with Versa 2, users will miss out on some of the Versa 3 advanced health tracking, as well as Assistant support.

Check out our full review to learn more about the Fitbit Versa 3.

The Garmin Venu Sq is the $ 200 version of Garmin’s top smartwatch, the Venu 2. As shown above, it swaps out the Venu’s OLED display for a square LCD and features a lightweight plastic case. Inside, it’s a multisport smartwatch with independent GPS, an optical heart rate sensor, a pulse oximeter, Body Battery, training modes, and much more. For the outdoor enthusiast, it’s a home run.

However, if you are configured for music support, you will need to choose Venu Sq Music Edition. The price jump is not insignificant, but we know that for some brokers, music can be a deal breaker.

Check out our full review to learn more about the Garmin Venu Sq.

We would not count on finding a better option than the Xiaomi Mi Watch for less than € 100. It’s a no-frills device with a variety of sports tracking features, including over 100 sports profiles, built-in GPS, an optical heart rate sensor, an SpO2 sensor, and sleep tracking. You won’t find an app store, but the preloaded apps offer basic smartwatch features in addition to support for Amazon Alexa.

Meanwhile, for even tighter budgets, the Xiaomi Mi Watch Lite is another ultra-cheap smartwatch from the Chinese brand that is priced at just € 50. To say that this smartwatch option is basic is to say it well, but it is a good fitness tracker and a good option for the price.

Check out our full review to learn more about the Xiaomi Mi Watch.

Honorable mentions

That’s it for our list of the best cheap smartwatches you can buy, but it’s only a fraction of what’s out there. We also want to give an honorable mention to the following products:

• Amazfit Bip U ($ 60): For around $ 60, with a 1.43-inch screen, SpO2 sensors, heart rate monitoring, and more than 60 sports modes, the Amazfit Bip U is well worth its price.
• Amazfit Bip U Pro ($ 70): For just $ 10 more, the Amazfit Bip U Pro offers built-in GPS. It is also supported by Amazon Alexa, but the results are mixed.
• Amazfit GTR 2e ($ 100): Huami’s $ 100-priced device, the Amazfit GTR 2e, is another solid entry-level smartwatch with a focus on fitness. In addition to deep sleep tracking, limited notifications, and music playback, it also has 90 sport modes, so you can likely keep track of any physical interests you might have.