Not interested in an Apple Watch? No problem. These are the top-rated Android-compatible smartwatches we've tested.
I’m PCMag’s expert on fitness and smart home technology, and I’ve written more than 6,000 articles and reviews in the 10-plus years I’ve been here. I unbox, set up, test, and review a wide range of consumer tech products from my home in Florida, often with the help of my pitbull Bradley. I’m also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade.
The selection of Android-compatible smartwatches has never been better. Hot on the heels of Samsung’s latest launches, the Galaxy Watch 5 and Watch 5 Pro, Google entered the market this fall with its first-ever smartwatch, the Pixel Watch.
Similar to how the Apple Watch only works with iPhones, recent Samsung and Google models are exclusive to Android phones. They run Wear OS and feature preinstalled Google apps like Maps and the Play Store, though each model offers a unique design and features.
In addition to these models, appealing options abound from fitness-focused brands such as Fitbit, Garmin, and Polar. Wearables from these companies typically last multiple days on a charge and work with both Android and iOS.
Needless to say, with all this choice comes confusion. If you need some help narrowing down your options, read on for the best Android smartwatches we’ve tested.
With a sleek design, an ample app selection, and a competitive price, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 is the best smartwatch for most Android users. It builds upon its excellent predecessor with a bigger battery that lasted for 30 hours with the always-on display enabled in testing (6 hours longer than the Watch 4) and a more durable sapphire crystal glass display. It also adds an infrared sensor that’s capable of measuring your body temperature, but we’re still waiting for software support on that front. Starting at $279.99, the Watch 5 comes in small (40mm) and large (44mm) sizes, four different aluminum case colors (black, silver, blue, or pink), and two connectivity options (with or without LTE), thus accommodating a wide range of buyers.
The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro is the rugged model in Samsung’s current lineup. Meant for adventurers, it offers all the features of the standard model, as well as a significantly better battery (it ran for 57 hours with the always-on display enabled in testing), a more durable titanium case, and an even harder sapphire crystal glass display. It also boasts several exclusive outdoor-specific features, including the ability to import cycling and hiking routes for turn-by-turn directions. The Pro model is available only in a 45mm case size, which is a shame for people with slim wrists. At $449.99 (or $170 more than the standard model), it’s a good choice for mountain bikers, trail runners, hikers, and those who work outdoors, as well as anyone who wants a fully featured Android-compatible smartwatch that lasts more than a day on a charge.
The Pixel Watch is the first smartwatch with Google hardware and software. Aesthetically, it’s a breath of fresh air, with a domed face that looks like a puddle of water on your wrist. On the software side, it augments Wear OS with a heavy dose of Fitbit features (remember, Google owns Fitbit). It also includes all the preinstalled lifestyle and fitness options you would expect from a premium smartwatch. And with access to the Play Store, you can customize the experience with lots of third-party apps. We faced some minor syncing issues and iffy call quality in testing, but the Pixel Watch otherwise performed well and lived up to Google’s claim of 24-hour battery life. The Galaxy Watch 5 retains our Editors’ Choice award because it costs $70 less, offers similar functionality and performance, and has a more durable design, but the Pixel Watch is a compelling alternative for Pixel phone owners.
The Sense 2, Fitbit’s top-of-the-line wearable, makes it easy to monitor your health and manage your stress. Its new sensors monitor for physical signs of stress all day and help you track your moods to stay mindful. Fitbit lowered the price this generation and removed several lifestyle apps, steering it more toward wellness to differentiate it from Google’s Pixel Watch. We don’t like the look of the new transparent display border for the heart rhythm sensor, but the second-generation Sense offers some usability improvements over the original, including a more responsive touch screen, a physical (vs. haptic) button, and slightly better battery life (around five days on a charge in our testing). The more affordable Fitbit Versa 4, which also tracks key health metrics like breathing rate, heart rate variability, and skin temperature variation, is the better choice for most people, but if you want all the wellness-focused bells and whistles, including an ECG sensor and a more robust stress management experience, the Sense 2 is superior.
Fans of Samsung’s smartwatches might be bummed that both the Watch 5 and the Watch 5 Pro lack a physical rotating bezel, a feature available on many of the company’s older wearables. Fortunately, the Watch 4 Classic from 2021 remains on sale for those who want this feature. The rotating bezel is a pleasure to use, allows for quick scrolling, and gives the wearable a rugged look. Like its newer siblings, the Watch 4 Classic runs Wear OS, so it has access to Google Maps, the Play Store, and a better selection of third-party apps than any of Samsung’s previous Tizen watches.
The Garmin Lily is a fitness-focused smartwatch with a dainty, jewelry-inspired design. More than just attractive, the Lily can track your blood oxygen saturation, breathing, heart rate, stress, and more, plus run for around four days on a charge. Although it is primarily a health wearable, it offers some useful lifestyle features such as phone notifications, music playback controls, and calendar and weather widgets. It’s not quite as value-rich as the similarly priced Fitbit Versa 3, which has an always-on display and a built-in GPS, but the Lily is a top choice if you want a smartwatch with style.
If you like the look of the Lily, but want a more feature-rich smartwatch, check out the Garmin Venu 2. On the fitness front, it boasts a built-in GPS, more than two dozen sports profiles, preloaded workouts with on-screen form animations, and running and cycling training plans. It offers storage for up to 650 songs, makes it easy to download Spotify playlists, and connects seamlessly to Bluetooth headphones, so you can track a run and listen to music at the same time, all without your phone. It comes in two sizes and several color options, uses a gorgeous always-on AMOLED display, and sports a classy stainless steel bezel. It’s one of the most fashionable wearables we’ve tested, and its battery runs for six days on a charge.
Polar’s products stand out for their accuracy, but the Ignite 2 also has style. On the design side, this GPS fitness watch features a bright color touch screen, an engraved metal bezel, and Swarovski crystal-embellished accessory bands (sold separately) for those who like a bit of bling. It supports up to 20 sports profiles at a time from a list of 100—everything from baseball to rollerskating—and also offers smartwatch features like music controls and weather forecasts.
Although most wearables can handle some sweat, particularly harsh conditions might cause them some issues. The Amazfit T-Rex, on the other hand, has military-grade certifications that should protect it from even accident-prone individuals. Amazfit calls it a smartwatch and it does offer smartphone app notifications and basic music controls, but it lacks features like mobile payments and downloadable apps. The trade-off is amazing battery life: It promises up to 20 days of power on a charge or 40 hours with the GPS active. It’s more of a fitness tracker in our book, however, and, from that angle, it’s a solid option for the price.
If you’re in the market for a budget-friendly smartwatch, the third-generation Versa from late 2020 is still a strong contender. On the lifestyle front, it supports Amazon Alexa, app notifications, Fitbit Pay mobile payments, Deezer and Pandora music and podcast storage, and Spotify music controls. It also offers all the excellent fitness and health features that have made the Versa line a favorite of ours, including 24/7 heart rate monitoring, guided breathing exercises, and automatic exercise recognition. You also get a GPS for pace, distance, and route tracking without your phone, as well as an SpO2 sensor to measure blood oxygen saturation while you sleep. With six-day battery life and an always-on color display, it’s the best Android-compatible smartwatch in the sub-$200 range.
Before purchasing any smartwatch, be sure to check whether it’s compatible with your phone.
Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 5 lineup and the Pixel Watch require a smartphone running at least Android 8.0. Keep in mind that while you can pair the Watch 5 with Android phones of a different brand, some features, including ECG measurements, work only with Samsung handsets. The Pixel Watch, meanwhile, doesn’t have any limitations when you pair it with non-Pixel handsets. Check out our in-depth smartwatch reviews for phone compatibility details.
Also keep in mind that the coming year is sure to bring new iterations of pretty much every watch on this list, not to mention completely new ones. But if you’re looking for the finest Android smartwatch available today, you can’t go wrong with any of our picks above.
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I’m PCMag’s expert on fitness and smart home technology, and I’ve written more than 6,000 articles and reviews in the 10-plus years I’ve been here. I unbox, set up, test, and review a wide range of consumer tech products from my home in Florida, often with the help of my pitbull Bradley. I’m also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade.
Before becoming an analyst in 2020, I spent eight years as a reporter covering consumer tech news. Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.
Read Angela’s full bio
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