Best Smartwatches of 2023

What is a Smartwatch and how does it work?

A smartwatch is a device that, in addition to the standard functionalities of a wristwatch, provides other features that you would normally find on a smartphone. Many smartwatches allow you to install certain applications and perform functions such as taking photos, record videos, read messages, and make phone calls.

Other features may include a compass, a heart rate monitor, a barometer, a step counter, and an altimeter. Some advanced smartwatches also contain a GPS, a loudspeaker, a microphone or a slot for an external memory card. Smartwatches can usually be connected to your smartphone via WiFi, Bluetooth or NFC.

What are the types of Smartwatches?

As previously stated, smartwatches can be broadly split into two main categories: sports watches and casual watches. The two types of smartwatches differ in the features they offer and the physical design. Sports smartwatches tend to have a better battery life, GPS and specialized applications for measuring distances traveled, heart rate, and calculating the number of calories burned.

Casual smartwatches often contain specific sports functions as well, however, these functionalities usually do not perform very well. The design of casual smartwatches tends to be more elegant in comparison to sports smartwatches.

Casual

Their dimensions are smaller and lighter. They are also far more stylish. Common applications allow users to read messages, emails, social networks and use a camera. In general, the battery life is shorter.

Sports

They have a more rugged design as they are made to be used while exercising or playing sports. They Include applications to measure distances, heart rate, and calories burned. The battery life is better, but they are also bulkier to accommodate a larger battery.

Advantages and disadvantages of a Smartwatch

One of the reasons why smartwatches are gaining so much popularity is due to the advantages they offer. Being able to use many of your smartphone apps directly from your wrist is a huge benefit. In addition, having the ability to accurately monitor your physical condition when you practice sport is a major drawcard for most people.

However, on the flip side, smartwatches still have some limitations that you should be aware of. As most smartwatches need to be connected to a smartphone, you’ll always need to have your smartphone close by for it to work. In addition, the battery life of smartwatches is not well advanced, so you’ll need to charge it frequently.

Advantages

They allow you to access some of the functionalities of your smartphone on your wrist.
With a smartwatch you can accurately monitor your physical condition while you train.
With a smartwatch you have much faster access to notifications as you don’t have to take your phone out of your pocket.
They help to reduce the consumption of the mobile phone battery.
Some models allow you to make payments in stores.

Disadvantages

In general, they depend on a smartphone to perform most of their functions.
The battery life is much worse than a normal wristwatch.
You may feel like you can never get away from messages, emails or social networks.

Shopping Criteria for Smartwatches

Once you’ve decided that you want to purchase a smartwatch, we recommend a few aspects in order to make a successful purchase. To help you out with this, we have selected the criteria that we think are the most important. We hope that the following section serves as a guide to you so that you can purchase the most suitable smartwatch.

Intended Use

As you are aware, there are two main types of smartwatches on the market: sports smartwatches and casual smartwatches. Thinking about how and when you will use your smartwatch will be decisive for selecting one or the other. In general, you should be aware that casual smartwatches are lighter and have a more attractive design.

If you have decided that you want a smartwatch for sports, you should think about the functions that it performs in order to find a product that does everything you want it to do. We recommend choosing a sports smartwatch that has a GPS and applications that allow you to measure the distance you travel, plan your training session, calculate the calories burned and measure heart rate.

Operating System and Synchronization

Currently, the two most popular operating systems are watchOS (Apple) and Wear OS (Android). If you don’t like any of these options, you can opt for one of the manufacturers that has developed its own operating system, such as Fitbit. Their devices are highly recommended if you are looking for a sports smartwatch.

If you do opt for a watchOS or WearOS devices, you should choose the operating system that you have on your smartphone (iOS or Android). This will ensure that the synchronization between your smartphone and smartwatch is smoother and notifications will work correctly. By doing so you will be able to receive notifications of received calls, WhatsApp messages, and many other functions.

Did you know that the first smartwatches could only perform very basic tasks such as translations, calculations, and very simple games?

Connectivity

All smartwatches have the ability to connect via WiFi and Bluetooth, however, recently, some models started using 4G LTE connectivity such as the Apple Watch Series 5. By doing this, a SIM card can be connected to the device to receive calls and messages directly from the smartwatch.

Most people will agree that paying with your smartphone is more convenient than paying with a debit or credit card. Well, paying with a smartwatch is even more convenient! To be able to pay for things directly with your smartwatch you need to purchase a device that has an NFC connection.

Design, Weight, and Shape

Design is a fundamental aspect to be taken into account when talking about smartwatches. You won’t wear your smartwatch as often if you don’t like the design or it doesn’t fit in with your style. Thankfully, smartphone manufacturers are forever striving to improve the designs of their products.

Weight is another important factor to consider, as this is a product that you’ll wear on your wrist all day long. When it comes to the shape of a smartwatch, there are square-shaped models like the Apple Watch, which look more like technological gadgets than watches, and there are others with a more traditional, rounded design.

Battery Life

The battery life is undoubtedly one of the key aspects when choosing a smartwatch and one of the most talked-about aspects among tech bloggers. Having an amazing smartwatch with multiple functions is no use if you have to charge it every day. Luckily, there are already models, such as the Fitbit or Garmin sports models, that only need to be charged once a week.

The battery life is critical if you want to take advantage of applications that track your sleep. You won’t be able to wear your smartwatch at night while you sleep if it needs to be charged every night. An equally important aspect to the battery life is the charging time. Our advice is to opt for fast-charging models.

IP Rating

Unlike a smartphone, that you carry in your pocket or leave in your purse or backpack when you don’t use it, a smartwatch is a device that goes with you everywhere. This means wearing it in the pool, at the beach, while you take a shower or while you wash the dishes.

That’s why we highly recommend choosing an IP68-certified model as you can be sure that it is completely waterproof and that you can always wear it, even while showering. Generally speaking, the top-of-the-range models are IP68-certified, but you should read the product description to confirm this.

Screen Type

When it comes to the screen of a smartwatch, there are three things to consider: the size, the type of screen, and the screen protection. The type of screen influences the quality of the display of images, the ability to remove reflections, and battery consumption. The best type of screen for smartwatches is considered to be the OLED. When it comes to protecting your smartwatch screen, devices that use Corning Gorilla Glass will be well protected against knocks or scratches.

FAQ

Why do I need a smartwatch?

A smartwatch is ideal if you want access to many of the features of your smartphone directly from your watch. As an example, if you are wearing a smartwatch in a business meeting, you can read a text message or an important email, without having to take your phone out of your pocket and disrupt the meeting. You may also find a smartwatch very useful when practicing sport or training, either at a professional or amateur level. By wearing a smartwatch while you train, you can control, plan and accurately monitor your body and how well it is performing. You can also review the results after your workout such as the distance traveled, top speed, average heart rate, and much more.

Who should buy a smartwatch?

Smartwatches are highly recommended for those who practice sport regularly and would like to use the health applications that measure heart rate or the distance traveled. They are also perfect devices for anyone who needs the motivation to work out or someone who wants to monitor their sleep patterns. Smartwatches are also ideal for people who don’t want to carry their smartphone absolutely everywhere. With a smartwatch, you can stay connected with your friends and family while your smartphone is sitting in another room of the house. By wearing a smartwatch you can read and respond to messages straight from your wrist.

What operating systems do smartwatches use?

Currently, there are two main operating systems that dominate the smartwatch market: watchOS and Wear OS. WatchOS is the operating system of the Apple Watch, developed by Apple Inc. As the Apple Watch is the best selling model, it is the most common operating system. Wear OS is Google’s Android operating system and this is used by many other smartwatch manufacturers.

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