Smartwatches are still a very new thing to a lot of people. You don’t absolutely need one to get through the day, and some of the best smartwatches are much too expensive for many folks out there. With that said, they are good for a lot of things. They can provide you with an easy way to get information, allow you to dismiss or reply to new messages without having to pull out your phone, and much more.

With so many smartwatches on the market, choosing the right one can be a bit daunting. We’re here to help! Here are the best smartwatches you can buy right now.

The best smartwatches:

Editor’s note: We will update this best smartwatches list as more devices come to market.

Apple Watch Series 6: The best smartwatch overall

The Apple Watch Series 6 is the best smartwatch you can buy. It has unmatched first- and third-party app support, receives regular major software updates, and has tight integration with Apple’s messaging apps. It’s really the gold standard for what a smartwatch should be.

It’s also one heck of a fitness tracker. Heart rate monitoring is unmatched compared to other wrist-based heart rate sensors, and GPS performance is solid too. We do think Apple’s new sleep tracking metrics are too basic, but you can always download a third-party sleep tracking app if you need.

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Check out our full review to learn more about the Apple Watch Series 6.

Apple Watch Series 6 specs

Samsung Galaxy Watch 3: The best smartwatch for Android

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 is one of the best smartwatches you can buy if you don’t use an iPhone. The hardware is top notch, the rotating bezel is useful and intuitive, battery life is good, and it has plenty of fitness- and health-tracking features.

Samsung’s GPS and heart rate sensors can be quite off at times, though, and those coming from a Wear OS or Apple Watch will likely find the lack of third-party apps to be a letdown.

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Check out our full review to learn more about the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 specs

Apple Watch SE: The best cheap smartwatch

Sure, the Apple Watch Series 6 is the new hotness, but what if you don’t need the ECG, an SpO2 monitor, or the always-on display? That’s where the Apple Watch SE comes in. Available for $279, Apple’s new budget-friendly smartwatch offers just about 90{652344f324e607afb926ee4e256931fddd7f2413ab8be67a07ff8f3969f7c7a6} of the overall Apple Watch experience for a few hundred dollars less.

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

Apple Watch SE specs

Fitbit Sense: The best Fitbit smartwatch

For as much complaining as we’ve done about the Fitbit Sense, it does get a lot right. The basics are all here: accurate heart rate monitoring with Fitbit’s new PurePulse 2.0 heart rate sensor, onboard GPS that’s quite accurate, fantastic sleep tracking (as always), and a much-improved design.

Fitbit has slowly been improving its smartwatch feature set, too. The Fitbit Sense has built-in Amazon Alexa support and will receive Google Assistant support soon. Bluetooth calling support will also roll out in the coming months.

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

Fitbit Sense specs

Don’t miss: Fitbit Premium: Is it worth it?

Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 3: The best Wear OS smartwatch

Mobvoi’s new TicWatch Pro 3 is the first smartwatch with Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon Wear 4100 chipset. This, coupled with 1GB of RAM, makes for overall good performance and stellar battery life.

While some of the materials seem a little cheap, the Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 3 is still our pick for the best Wear OS watch you can buy.

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Check out our full review to learn more about the TicWatch Pro 3.

Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 3 specs

Also read: The best Wear OS watch faces

Garmin Venu: Garmin’s best smartwatch

The Garmin Venu is the most smartwatch-y wearable Garmin has ever put out. With its crisp OLED display and long battery life, it’s also one of the best smartwatches you can buy today.

All Venu models come with Garmin Pay support, onboard storage for offline music, roughly five-day battery life, and of course plenty of great fitness features.

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

Garmin Venu specs

Fossil Gen 5: An old favorite

While the TicWatch Pro 3 is considered the best Wear OS watch due to its hardware, but Fossil’s Gen 5 smartwatch is still one of our favorites. Yep, it’s running on the last-gen Qualcomm processor, but our unit has not slowed down much at all. It’s still an all-around solid smartwatch in 2020.

It has plenty of RAM, a decent battery, a great display, and a design that goes well in many situations. If you’re not feeling the Fossil Gen 5, the Skagen Falster 3 — another Fossil Group smartwatch — is essentially the same thing with a different design.

Check out our full review to learn more about the Fossil Gen 5.

Fossil Gen 5 specs

Fossil Hybrid HR: The best hybrid smartwatch

Fossil nailed the look of the Hybrid HR. It’s a beautiful hybrid watch with a useful e-ink display, wrapped up in an affordable package. The heart rate sensor and sleep tracking proved to be unreliable, though. If you’re interested in buying the Fossil Hybrid HR, do so for the looks, not for the fitness or health tracking.

Check out our full review to learn more about the Fossil Hybrid HR.

Fossil Hybrid HR specs

Why you should trust the editor

Not only does Jimmy Westenberg love wearables, he loves helping people find the right devices to suit their needs. He’s been our resident fitness reviewer at Android Authority since 2016, and in that time has reviewed dozens of fitness products and other wearables.

Through his rigorous testing of fitness products and deep knowledge of health devices and services, you can rest assured knowing Jimmy will give you honest recommendations. Looking for more brand-specific recommendations? Check out the following guides:

• Withings ScanWatch review: A watch that’s after your heart
• The best heart rate monitors and watches
• Whoop Strap 3.0 review: Plenty of problems, so much potential
• The most common Fitbit problems and how to fix them

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