Smart watches have grown in popularity over the years. These wearables can be called an extension to your smartphone on your wrist. Many of these new smartwatches are also capable of functioning as standalone devices when the need arises. Manufacturers have been constantly innovating to bring new features to these smartwatches, and they have also acquired new health and activity tracking features. With so many smartwatches on the market, which one should you choose? In this guide, we help you choose the best smartwatch to suit your needs.
Best smartwatch in India
| Smart watches in India | Gadgets 360 Rating (out of 10) | Prices in India (according to recommendations) |
|---|---|---|
| Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 | 8 | Rs. 11,990 yen |
| Oppo Watch | 7 | Rs. 14,990 won |
| Classic Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 | 8 | Rs. 34,999 |
| Apple Watch SE | 8 | Rs. 29,900 |
| Apple Watch Series 7 | 9 | Rs. 41,900 |
Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2
NS Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 is one of the most affordable smartwatches on this list. It has been launched with a starting price of Rs. 26,990, but has gradually dropped to a reasonable Rs. 11.990 makes it accessible to a wider audience. The Galaxy Watch Active 2 comes in only one dial size and comes in GPS-only as well as LTE-enabled variants. The case is made of aluminum or stainless steel depending on the model you choose.
Samsung used the Exynos 9110 dual-core SoC to power the Galaxy Watch Active 2. It has 1.5GB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage. It runs Samsung’s TizenOS, which sets it apart from some of the other smartwatches on this list. TizenOS has limited support for third-party apps, but you get most of the functionality you need.
Since the original Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 was launched a few years ago, it doesn’t have any blood oxygen (SpO2) monitoring capabilities. The Galaxy Watch Active 2 can track activities quite well. It also offers good battery life but the charging speed is not impressive.
Oppo Watch
NS Oppo Watch runs Google’s Wear OS and is available in two case sizes, 41mm and 46mm. This smartwatch has a rectangular dial with rounded corners and resembles the older Apple Watch to some extent. It has an AMOLED display and depending on the case size you choose, it will have a 300mAh or 430mAh battery.
The Oppo Watch is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 3100 SoC and has a secondary Ambiq Micro Apollo 3 SoC for background tasks. It also has 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage. The watch supports the Google Assistant, so it can listen to your queries and display results, or even respond to messages by dictation. Oppo Watch can be paired with Android phones as well as iPhones, but the experience is much better than before.
With Oppo Watch, you can track your steps, heart rate, walking distance and sleep. Step tracking has a slight bias in our experience, but the Oppo Watch tracks other parameters quite well. The battery life on the Oppo Watch isn’t the best, but it charges quickly.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 4 Classic
NS Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 The series was developed in partnership with Google, making them the company’s first smart devices to run Wear OS. The Galaxy Watch Series 4 comes in 40mm and 44mm case sizes, both with Bluetooth and LTE-only options. Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 has a sporty look while Galaxy Watch 4 Classic designed more like a traditional watch.
Samsung has powered the Galaxy Watch 4 series with an Exynos W920 SoC, and all models come with 1.5GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. You can use the internal memory to store music that you can listen to with a Bluetooth headset. An important point to note is that the Watch 4 series can only be paired with Android devices and does not support iOS, at least not yet. Also, even though they run Google’s Wear OS, Bixby is the only virtual assistant available on the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic, at least when we tested it.
In addition to the usual health parameters, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 series can also track body composition using the electrodes on its buttons. It is capable of monitoring SpO2 throughout the day, even while you are sleeping. Steps, distance, sleep and SpO2 are tracked by the Watch 4 Classic quite accurately. These devices are also technically capable of taking electrocardiograms but this feature is not currently supported in India. Charging is slow, so you’ll need at least a full hour to fully charge each model. Those who are looking for an affordable alternative can also consider Samsung Galaxy Watch 3, which is still available.
Apple Watch SE
Apple Watch SE was launched alongside the Apple Watch Series 6 as a more affordable model. The Apple Watch SE comes in two case sizes, 40mm and 44mm. It has an LTPO OLED display and has a digital dial for navigating the user interface.
The Apple Watch SE can only be paired with an iPhone. It is powered by the Apple S5 SiP and runs watchOS. You get 32GB of internal storage, which is the highest capacity on this list (and the same as on the Apple Watch Series 7). You can also save music on your Watch SE for offline listening.
The Apple Watch SE is capable of tracking a wide range of fitness parameters but without SpO2 tracking. If you’re looking for a smartwatch that can track SpO2, you’ll have to look at the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 or Apple Watch Series 7. In our tests, the Apple Watch SE was pretty accurate at tracking steps. and distance. Sleep tracking offers very limited information and isn’t the best. The Watch SE also charges slowly, taking over an hour to fully charge.
Apple Watch Series 7
NS Apple Watch Series 7 was launched in September 2021 and is Apple’s flagship wearable. It’s offered in aluminum, stainless steel, and titanium finishes, and you’ll have a range of color options to choose from. You can also choose between GPS-only and cellular variants.
Apple Watch Series 7 has a larger screen with thinner bezels than Line 6and charging is also faster. However, in India, this fast charging feature is not yet available. The Apple Watch Series 7 is powered by the new Apple S7 SiP. Apple also claims to have improved the thickness of the front glass for better crack resistance (aluminum models have Ion-X glass, while stainless steel and titanium models have sapphire glass). The Apple Watch Series 7 can monitor a wide range of metrics such as SpO2 and ECG, in addition to the usual performance parameters.
In our experience, the Apple Watch Series 7 accurately tracked every metric except sleep mode. Apple still needs to work on improving sleep tracking to make the Apple Watch unbeatable. The Apple Watch Series 7 already offers good battery life but the lack of fast charging in India is disappointing.
