Best smartwatches 2020 picked from our expert reviews

When it comes to the standout smartwatch in 2020, it’s undoubtedly the Apple Watch Series 5. But it's not right for everyone.

Those who don't have an iPhone, or don't want to spend big money, will need to choose something different. And there is now more choice than ever.

Since 2014 our expert team has reviewed every smartwatch on the market, so we know what makes a great smartwatch.

Wear OS vs Tizen vs the rest

Wear OS smartwatches (formally 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 both offer 14 day battery life – something Apple's watchOS 6 and Wear OS just can't offer.

Fitness smartwatches explained

Smartwatches are getting more complex, which is represented in our best smartwatch 2020 list – especially when it comes to health, fitness and activity tracker features.

For example, most fitness orientated smartwatches will have built in GPS – although we have seen accuracy issues on many devices.

All will have a heart rate monitor, and many smartwatches are looking at ECG, heart rate alerts and even blood oxygen tracking – which means wearing a smartwatch is more than just about style or getting messages: it could be a potential lifesaver.

Update: We updated this article in June 2020, to offer more insights from testing and remove the Samsung Galaxy Watch ahead of the rumored launch of the Galaxy Watch 2.

Best smartwatches 2020 – according to our reviewers

• Best all-round smartwatch - Apple Watch Series 5
  ($399) – worn by James Stables
• Best budget smartwatch - Amazfit GTS
  ($149.99) – worn by Conor Allison
• Best for Android - Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2
  ($299) – worn by Richard Easton
• Best for fitness tracking - Fitbit Versa 2
  ($199) – worn by Becca Caddy
• Best for sports – Garmin Vivoactive 4
  ($349) – worn by Michael Sawh
• Best Wear OS - Skagen Falster 3
  ($299) - worn by Paul Lamkin

Best smartwatches 2020 specs compared

• Pay less with our list of the top budget smartwatches
• Find out the best smartwatches for Android users and iPhone users
• Discover stylish options for slimmer wrists with our best smartwatches for women

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.

Apple Watch Series 5

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.

The Series 5 is a powerful and versatile wearable that offers a huge range of features, many fitness focused, including LTE and an always-on display – as long as you're an iPhone user.

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. As you'd expect 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

Fitbit Versa 2

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: $199.95 - 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 $199.99.

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

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: $279 - 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.

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.

Buyer beware: there's a Samsung Galaxy Watch 2 about to drop at any moment.

Skagen Falster 3

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: $299 - 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.

Apple Watch Series 3

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

Huawei Watch GT2e

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: $250 - 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 Huawei Watch 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.

If you’re in Europe the Huawei Watch GT2e is great value for money, but with the restrictions in the US, you’ll be made to pay through the nose, and the value just isn’t there.

Read our Huawei Watch GT2e review

Amazfit GTS

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: $149.99 - 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

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: $399.99 - 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

Amazfit GTR

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: $179 - 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 $179.

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

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: $159.99 - 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

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: $295 - 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

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: $199.95 - 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

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: $249.99

Michael Kors Access Bradshaw 2

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 $350 - Michael Kors Access Bradshaw 2 official

Tag Heuer Connected 2020

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: $1800 - Tag Heuer Connected official page