Smartwatches deals
The right smartwatch depends far more on which phone you own than on the spec sheet in the listing. Live smartwatch and fitness-tracker deals are below, with the compatibility and battery questions worth answering before you buy.
What to check before buying smartwatches
- Check phone compatibility first — some watches work fully only with iPhone, or only with Android, regardless of price.
- Battery ranges from one day to several weeks; decide whether nightly charging is acceptable, especially if you want sleep tracking.
- Built-in GPS matters if you run or cycle without your phone; otherwise a watch that borrows your phone's GPS is cheaper and lighter.
- Heart-rate and blood-oxygen readings from budget watches are useful for spotting trends, not for medical decisions.
- Standard strap widths (20 mm or 22 mm are common) let you swap bands cheaply; proprietary connectors lock you into the brand's own bands.
Frequently asked questions
Do smartwatches work with any phone?
No — many smartwatches, especially from Apple and some fitness-focused brands, only unlock their full feature set on one platform, so check compatibility before buying, not after.
Are budget smartwatch health readings accurate?
They're generally reliable for spotting trends over time (resting heart rate creeping up, say) but aren't validated as medical devices, so treat single readings as estimates.
How often do smartwatches need charging?
Anywhere from nightly (feature-rich touchscreen watches) to several weeks (simple fitness bands) — check the manufacturer's real-world figure, not just the marketing headline.