Right now, the best smartwatch for Android users is the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2. It's optimized for Samsung phones but runs well on all Android devices and has all the smartwatch and fitness features you'd expect. It's compact and lightweight but still offers good battery life. But if you're not into that one, the good news is that there are so many other amazing options from Fossil to Garmin to Fitbit and more.
No matter which watch you decide on, there's a good chance you can snag a great Black Friday deal on it — and the best part is, you likely don't even need to wait until Black Friday to find a good sale. There are so many great deals on every brand of smartwatch, from Samsung to Fitbit to Garmin — just beware the trackers you shouldn't buy.
Best Overall — Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2
You don't have to use a Samsung phone to enjoy the benefits of owning a Samsung smartwatch, and the Galaxy Watch Active 2 provides the most well-rounded wearables experience for Android users right now. It's compact and lightweight but features an extremely sharp and vivid touch display that's easy to navigate and fun to use thanks to the new capacitive bezel. The Tizen OS is smooth and battery-friendly, unlike Google's own Wear OS, and while the app selection isn't massive, the core tenets are there, like Spotify, Strava, and more.
The Galaxy Watch Active 2 contains its primary purpose in its name: exercise tracking. The watch comes with GPS built-in, and features automatic workout-tracking, along with sleep tracking, water, food and caffeine consumption tracking, and more. The Running Coach feature is improved, which now gives you real-time pace metrics and a rundown of what to expect from your workout before you start. You'll receive audio cues that can be heard through the watch speaker or Bluetooth headphones.
If you mainly wear a smartwatch for notifications, the Galaxy Watch Active 2 delivers there, too, with excellent support for Android's notification system, letting you reply using your voice, the built-in keyboard, or with one of the many quick answers.
Finally, battery life, while not quite as good as some of the other larger watches on the list, is still pretty excellent, and the watch can be topped up with select Qi wireless pads or with the Galaxy S10's Wireless PowerShare feature.
Pros:
- Compact and well-designed
- 2-3 days of battery life
- Automatic workout tracking
- Water-resistant up to 5ATM
- Built-in GPS and NFC
- Capacitive bezel
- Optional LTE
Cons:
- Third-party app support could be better
- Tizen OS learning curve
Best Overall
Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2
$280 at Amazon $280 at Samsung
Smooth, elegant, and smart(watch).
The Active 2 offers a pretty display, onboard GPS, ample activity tracking, and a unique capacitive bezel for easy navigation.
Best Value — Mobvoi TicWatch E2
Without breaking the bank, Mobvoi's TicWatch E2 is a killer smartwatch that doesn't cost an arm (you're not wearing your smartwatch around your leg, are you?). It's got a big 1.4-inch display that looks way better than its price would suggest, along with all the fixings a smartwatch should have: great touch response, awesome battery life, waterproofing, a heart-rate monitor and automatic workout detection, and decent 1+ day battery life.
This smartwatch runs Google's Wear OS, which is great for a lot of things, including notification support and Google Assistant. And while Wear OS doesn't have amazing native fitness support, the TicWatch E2 supersedes Google here with its own TicMotion layer that automatically detects workouts and monitors swim performance and provides stroke analysis.
So why's it cheap? Well, it's not the most stylish or skinny smartwatch on the planet, so it's more for the person who wants utility more than aesthetics.
Pros:
- Solid construction
- Waterproofing
- Automatic workout detection
- Excellent notification support
- Built-in GPS
Cons:
- Not exactly stylish
- Did we mention it was pretty chunky?
- Built-in watch strap is kind of gross (but easily replaceable)
- No navigation crown
Best Value
Mobvoi TicWatch E2
Gets the job done
This no-frills Wear OS-powered smartwatch does everything you need it to do — for a lot less than you'd expect to pay.
Most Stylish — Skagen Falster 2
Sometimes you just want a smartwatch to look like a ... watch. Simple design, excellent quality strap, and a finish that doesn't scream, "This is a piece of technology!" Well, the Falster 2 from well-known Danish watch brand Skagen is precisely that.
One of the Falster 2's main benefits is its three-button layout, which includes a rotating crown that helps to scroll through Wear OS without having to touch the screen — an enormous benefit once you start using it. You also get a beautiful stainless steel body, well-constructed straps in either leather, metal, or silicone in a variety of colors, and all the essential features you'd expect, like water resistance, GPS, a heart rate monitor, NFC, and more.
Pros:
- Attractive, classic design
- Digital crown is fantastic
- GPS, NFC, water-resistance and heart-rate tracking
- Excellent quality display
- Built-in GPS and NFC
Cons:
- Some performance issues with Wear OS
- Battery life is limited to one day
- Expensive
Most Stylish
Skagen Falster 2
Day and night ready
The Skagen 2 is a perfect blend of style and sophistication in a smartwatch. It's one of our favorite versatile Wear OS watches.
An Oversized Masterpiece — Samsung Galaxy Watch
If you love everything about the Galaxy Watch Active but want it in a larger size with Samsung's incredible rotating bezel to get around the Tizen interface, the Galaxy Watch is going to be your best friend. Samsung's spent a long time perfecting its smartwatch design, and the Galaxy Watch is an amalgam of all of the company's best ideas. A beautiful AMOLED screen available in either 42mm or 46mm sizes, the Galaxy Watch offers all of the tracking features you'd expect, including 24/7 heart rate monitoring, GPS, NFC for Samsung Pay, and more.
The main difference between the Galaxy Watch and our best overall choice, the Galaxy Watch Active, is the included rotating bezel and its larger battery, which adds a few extra hours to the uptime. The downside, though? It's considerably bigger and not quite as universally accessible from a design perspective.
Pros:
- Well-built and nicely designed
- Beautiful AMOLED display
- Rotating bezel is super useful
- Excellent multi-day battery life
Cons:
- Large and a bit utilitarian-looking
- Expensive
Best Oversized
Samsung Galaxy Watch
$304 at Amazon $350 at Best Buy
A big hunk of smartwatch on your wrist
Available in 42mm and 46mm sizes, and a variety of colors, the Galaxy Watch is an outstanding smartwatch for any Android user.
Best for Long-Distance Runners — Garmin Forerunner 245 Music
There's a smartwatch for every type of Android user, and the Garmin Forerunner 245 Music is an outstanding choice for anyone who runs, bikes, or swims. It's not the best smartwatch, but it does receive notifications from your phone. If you don't need much more than that — and who does these days? — the Forerunner 245 makes up for it with incredible 7+ day battery life, or 6 hours with GPS enabled, which is more than enough for a marathon (or two if you're really good).
Better yet, the transflective screen means that the Forerunner 245 is easily visible in direct sunlight, making it perfect for extended outdoor excursions. There's also music storage and the option to stream from Spotify or Deezer, which is seriously great if you're trying to hit those personal bests. Add in 24/7 heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, advanced workout capture and advanced features like VO2 max estimation, a recovery advisor, and more, this is an excellent option.
Pros:
- Advanced workout tracking and guidance
- Incredible battery life
- Sunlight-friendly transflective display
- Music streaming
- Extremely comfortable strap
Cons:
- Limited smartwatch features
- Basic design may not be for everyone
Best for Long-Distance Runners
Garmin Forerunner 245 Music
$340 at Amazon $340 at Walmart
A solid, slim GPS tracker.
Garmin's GPS tech is paired with a reliable heart-rate tracker in a slim watch that syncs to its own app and other popular apps.
Best for Casual Athletes — Fitbit Versa 2
Fitbit has gone to great lengths to convince the world that it's more than just a fitness tracker company. The Versa 2 is a fantastic, colorful product that combines the best of the company's athletic DNA with solid smartwatch features, a bevy of useful apps, and nearly a week of battery life. The new Versa 2 also has a sleek modern design, a faster processor for smoother performance, a microphone so Android users can dictate replies to incoming notifications, and built-in Alexa support for when you need to know the weather or who won last night's game.
The best part of Fitbit is how seamlessly it interacts with your Android phone. You just wear it — to work, to bed, in the shower — and it uploads your results in the background, syncing with your phone and, potentially, your group of friends who are constantly keeping you challenged. Yes, that's the other best part of Fitbit: its social network. Enjoy weekly challenges, or compete with the company's many experts in pre-made discovery challenges and adventures.
While the Versa 2 lacks GPS, it makes up for it by including on-screen workouts and collecting plenty of useful data. Plus, if you're into sleep tracking, no one beats Fitbit for insights and accuracy.
Pros:
- Low-profile, attractive design
- Excellent battery life
- Solid smartwatch features
- Lots of different colors
- Built-in Alexa support
Cons:
- Limited app selection
- Installing new bands can be tricky
Best for Casual Athletes
Fitbit Versa 2
A fitness tracker that's good at everything
The Versa 2 improves on everything over the original, including a sleeker design, better battery life, and built-in Amazon Alexa.
Simply Great — Samsung Galaxy Watch Active
The Galaxy Watch Active has already been replaced by the Watch Active 2, but the original only came out six months ago, and is still a great choice for anyone who wants a compact smartwatch with amazing capabilities.
The main draw here is the beautiful AMOLED display which is readable in all lighting conditions including bright sunshine. The watch is light and comfortable to wear all day — which is good, because the battery lasts that and then some. While it lacks the capacitive "rotating" bezel of its more expensive counterpart, the original Watch Active has everything you'd need to stay, well, active: GPS, NFC, storage for music, and wireless Qi charging through Samsung's Wireless PowerShare feature.
Best of all, it's been heavily discounted since the sequel was released, so you can get it for much less than its original price.
Pros:
- Compact and well-designed
- 2 to 3 days of battery life
- Automatic workout tracking
- Water-resistant up to 5ATM
- Built-in GPS and NFC
- Relatively inexpensive
Cons:
- Third-party app support could be better
- Tizen OS learning curve
Simply Great
Samsung Galaxy Watch Active
Smaller, cheaper, and nearly as good
If you don't need the capacitive "rotating" bezel of the Galaxy Watch Active 2, the original Watch Active is a great choice.
A Fantastic Wear OS Choice — Fossil Sport
The Fossil Sport is probably the best-looking "sport" watch running Wear OS. It's also one of the few on this list running Qualcomm's newest Snapdragon Wear 3100 platform, which gives it in an edge in battery life and some much-needed future-proofing for when Google roles out significant updates to its wearables platform.
While it has the same features as the more-expensive Skagen Falster 2 (GPS, 24/7 heart rate tracking, NFC, waterproofing), it's set in a lighter, slimmer and more versatile aluminum and plastic body. Fossil has also added several attractive sporty watch faces that you'll love, as well.
Pros:
- Lots of colors
- Attractive, sporty design
- Included silicone band is very comfortable
- Has all the features you want in a smartwatch
- Affordable
Cons:
- Wear OS is still buggy
- Battery life is limited to around a day
A Fantastic Wear OS Choice
Fossil Sport
A rainbow of useful features
The Fossil Sport is super comfortable to wear all day, and it has a versatile design to be attractive under any circumstance.
Best for Women's Fashion — Fossil Gen 5 Julianna
Fossil has always been about fashion watches, which makes the Julianna, its latest smartwatch aimed at women, one of the most fashionable yet. Fortunately, the Julianna stands out for more than looks. It's built on the same modern platform as the Fossil Sport but has even more features. In addition to being waterproof and supporting 24/7 heart-rate monitoring, there's also GPS for tracking runs and a versatile digital crown for easy scrolling.
Then there are the features you'll barely see anywhere else in the Wear OS ecosystem: a built-in speaker for taking phone calls when connected to an Android device or iPhone, as well as an improved battery that provides up to three days of moderate usage. Finally, the 1GB of RAM ensures the fastest performance in the Wear OS ecosystem. (Fossil also has a Gen 5 smartwatch aimed at men called the Carlyle.)
It's not cheap, but the Julianna is one of the best Android smartwatch options out there.
Pros:
- Fashionable and functional
- Excellent performance thanks to 1GB of RAM onboard
- Able to take phone calls with built-in speaker
- Supports any 22mm watch band
- Outstanding battery life for a Wear OS watch
Cons:
- Expensive
Best for Women's Fashion
Fossil Gen 5 Julianna
Does it all
Fossil's latest smartwatch for women does it all, from fitness tracking to taking calls to using apps — and looks good doing it.
Best for Men's Fashion — Michael Kors Access Bradshaw 2
Michael Kors continues to be one of the leaders when it comes to fashion smartwatches. The new Access Bradshaw 2 is no exception. It comes in a generous 44mm case and is available in silver, gold, gunmetal, and rose gold variants. It might be hard to believe that a watch this beautiful does more than look pretty, but it does. This Wear OS smartwatch is running the new Snapdragon Wear 3100. When you combine that with 8GB of storage and 1GB of RAM, you can expect ultra-smooth performance.
There are many features to love here, including music storage and controls, Google Fit, voice-activated Google Assistant, Google Pay, onboard GPS, heart-rate tracking, and more. It has both a microphone and speaker, enabling you to take calls from your wrist. While the battery will last for a day at best, it comes with rapid charging that'll reach 80% battery in under an hour.
Given all of these updates, the Michael Kors Access Bradshaw 2 certainly isn't cheap. The price tag makes sense given the superior performance, new features, and premium design.
Pros:
- Sleek, stylish design
- Voice-activated Google Assistant
- 3 ATM water resistance
- Heart-rate tracking
- Onboard GPS
- Google Pay
Cons:
- Very pricey
- Only one day of battery
Best for Men's Fashion
Michael Kors Access Bradshaw 2
Pretty and smart
Men can be fashionable, too. The Access Bradshaw 2 is looks and smarts, from taking calls to fitness tracking to payments.
The Amazing Hybrid — Withings Move
Sometimes you don't need a screen — you just want to tell the time, track steps and sleep, and not charge your watch every night. The Withings Move is an outstanding value product — it offers a battery that lasts nine months while tracking steps, swims, and sleep in a fun, lightweight body. Given that it's so cheap, it's made of plastic, but the materials are hardy enough to withstand everyday life. The Android app that it syncs to is also excellent.
You should come for its simplicity but stay for one of the five color combinations.
Pros:
- Lots of fun colors options
- Inexpensive
- Simple, practical step and sleep tracking
- Months-long battery life
Cons:
- Lacks a screen
- Doesn't support notifications or apps
The Amazing Hybrid
Withings Move
Cheap and cheerful
If you want a regular watch that can take a beating while also offering activity tracking, the Withings Move is your best bet.
Bottom Line
The good news about wearing a smartwatch in 2019 is that while there are plenty of options on the Wear OS side of things, you have fantastic options from companies like Samsung, Fitbit, and Garmin, too.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 is an outstanding choice for most people and has received our most coveted Best Overall recommendation. You can even enjoy it if you don't own a Samsung device. You'll have built-in GPS, activity, sleep, and heart-rate tracking, music storage, smartphone notifications, Samsung Pay, and more. It doesn't get much better than this.
Of course, everyone has their preferences. If you're not a fan of Tizen OS or Samsung Health, your choices don't stop there. You'll have your pick of many other wearables, whether it be from Fitbit, Garmin, Fossil, or any other brand that has captured your attention.
How to find the best Black Friday deals on a smartwatch
There are plenty of factors to consider when you're shopping for a smartwatch. First and perhaps most importantly, you'll need to figure out what size of watch you're after. Smaller watches are often a bit cheaper than their larger counterparts, and some watches may by too large or small for your wrist, which will quickly thin out the herd. You'll also need to weigh the importance of features like fitness and sleep tracking, cellular connectivity, and of course, aesthetics — you're still shopping for a watch, after all, and it should be compatible with your style!
As far as finding a good Black Friday deal goes, you can expect a lot of deals to pop up all through November. Vendors like Amazon, Best Buy, and B&H are known to put their best deals up weeks ahead of Black Friday, and some manufacturers like Samsung often put up deals of their own. In particular, we're already seeing deals on the Fossil Sport and Skagen Falster 2. Don't expect crazy deals on newer smartwatches like the Galaxy Watch Active 2, although you might find some discounts.
Of course, we'll be tracking Black Friday deals and discounts on each of these smartwatches as they crop up, so be sure to check back from time to time to see the latest prices. You can also check out more of Android Central to find the best deals on other products.
Credits — The team that worked on this guide
Daniel Bader is the Managing Editor of Android Central. As he's writing this, a mountain of old Android phones is about to fall on his head, but his Great Dane will protect him. He drinks way too much coffee and sleeps too little. He wonders if there's a correlation.
Hayato Huseman is a recovering trade show addict and video editor for Android Central based out of Indianapolis. He can mostly be found complaining about the cold and enthusing about prog metal on Twitter at @hayatohuseman.
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