Three types of watches to cover all the needs of athletes. In this guide, we wanted to represent them all, but with an eye to saving. The market is constantly evolving.
But it does not always make sense to chase updates without asking whether the price at which they are offered corresponds to an actual qualitative leap. We propose some general criteria, which we hope will help those who compare prices and reviews on the net.
Right here we are providing you the latest and the most advanced smart sports watches that present below.
- 【ALEXA & GPS BUILT-IN】You can talk to Amazon Alexa on your Amazfit Bip U Pro smartwatch, Ask questions, get translations,...
- 【60plus SPORTS MODES & 5 ATM WATER RESISTANT】Featuring 60plus sports modes to help you exercise at a higher level....
- 【MORE HEALTH TRACKING METRICS】The Amazfit Bip U Pro smart watch can provide all-around health tracking, allowing you to...
- 【LONG 9-DAY BATTERY LIFE】When fully charged you can relax and enjoy more than a full week of travel or work without worrying...
- 【DESIGN FOR ALL-DAY COMFORT】Amazfit Bip U Pro fitness tracker only weighs 31 grams, An ultra-light design you can barely feel...
- 【TOUGHNESS FROM THE INSIDE OUT】The Amazfit T-Rex Pro comes with a 1.3" HD AMOLED always-on color screen; The outer bezel...
- 【YOUR PARTNER IN EXPLORATION】The Amazfit T-Rex Pro smartwatch is high-level exploration partner, supporting four global...
- 【Ultra-long 18 Day Battery Life】When fully-charged, you can relax and enjoy up to 18 days of activity and progress with...
- 【10 ATM WATER RESISTANT】With a 10 ATM grade, the Amazfit T-Rex Pro smartwatch is water-resistant to a depth of up to 100...
- 【OVER 100 SPORTS MODES】The Amazfit T-Rex Pro fitness watch features over 100 sports modes and can be used to monitor critical...
- Watchbands ONLY for S2 PRO, ONLY Compatible with TOZO S2 PRO 44MM 1.69inch Smartwatch. S2 Pro, S2, S2mini are different models....
- Stretchy Elastic Nylon Loop: It fits wrist in circumference: Minimum 7inch and Maxim 12inch; you MUST to use a ruler to measure...
- Stepless Adjustable Buckle: it is very easy to adjust the length of the strap to fit your wrist through the buckle, to let you get...
- Soft Nylon Fabric material is ventilated, it will bring your warm, dry and smooth feeling during sporting time
- Elegant and Fashion Patterns: there are several beautiful patterns for your choice, you can wear different pattern loop to fit...
- Premium Multisport GPS watch with Elevate wrist heart rate technology. Physical size 1.8 x 1.8 x 0.6 inches. Cockpit watch band...
- Fit for adventure with a rugged design that features stainless steel bezel, buttons and rear case. Display type: sunlight visible,...
- Put key stats at your fingertips with the performance widget that shows the effects and progress of your workouts. Case material :...
- Connected features include smart notifications, automatic uploads to Garmin Connect online fitness community and personalization...
- Outdoor sensors, including GPS and GLONASS satellite reception and 3 axis compass with gyroscope and barometric altimeter. Battery...
- Garmin Pay contactless payment solution lets you pay for purchases with your watch (available for supported cards from...
- Personalize your watch with thousands of free watch faces, apps and widgets from our Connect IQ store
- More than 15 preloaded GPS and indoor sports apps, including yoga, running, swimming and more
- Monitor your fitness level with VO2 max and fitness made estimates, plus keep an eye on how you handle stress
- Get connected features such as smart notifications, automatic uploads to Garmin Connect, Live Track and more when paired with a...
- Perfect Fit: ONLY compatible with iTouch Air 3 Smartwatch & iTouch Sport 3 Smartwatch,NOT suitable for other watch models
- Nightstand Charger: Charger rack with a comfortable 45-degree tilt viewing angle, convenient to read and check the message during...
- Easy to Use: With a 3.3 ft charger cord, just simply plug your smartwatch into a USB port on your PC, laptop, wall charger or car...
- Stable Charger: Made of durable ABS plastic and TPE cable to ensure a long service time, advanced safety design,built with...
- Please Notes: It is recommended that you use 5V/1A adapter, otherwise it may cause the watch to heat up.
- An impressive 15-day battery, this watch can keep up with anything your week throws your way. Utilize the Citizen Connected app to...
- Stay on track with the convenience of information at a glance on your hybrid smartwatch display. You can choose the dial that fits...
- All the activity tracking you want. Whether you’re at the gym, hitting the trails, or running into the office, heartrate and...
- Personalization, notifications, and customization: Bluetooth connectivity allows you to quickly glance at notifications on your...
- Compatible with Android 5.0+ or iOS 5.0+. Watch must be within 30 Feet Bluetooth 5.0 LE range of the phone to receive...
- 【BUILT IN AMAZON ALEXA & GPS】You can talk to Amazon Alexa on your Amazfit GTS 2 Mini Smart Watch. Ask questions, get...
- 【14-DAY LONG-LASTING BATTERY】A fully-optimized battery management system provides up to 14 days of battery life for the...
- 【70+ SPORTS MODES & 5 ATM WATER RESISTANT】The Amazfit GTS 2 mini features over 70 built-in sports modes, allowing to cover...
- 【ALL-ROUND HEALTH MANAGEMENT】This smart watch can provide heart rate monitoring, blood-oxygen saturation measurement, sleep...
- 【SUPER LIGHT AND THIN & BUILT IN AMOLED DISPLAY】The Amazfit GTS 2 mini adopts a borderless design. Featuring carefully curved...
- Patents Product! Flowers and Leaf Plants Print Engraved Design: Floral Engraving bands compatible with Apple watch smartwatch band...
- Adjustable Size: Adjustable clasp made the waterproof silicone band suitable for most of wrist size. The sport strap band...
- Secure and Easy to Install: Premium Soft Silicone with Exquisite Floral print engraved carving pattern. This beautiful and cute...
- Unique Boho Flower Engraving Bands Women’s Choice: Personality Adorve Cool Print Wristbands with posh embossed engraved pattern...
- Suitable for occasions: This soft silicone straps are Perfect for men, women, girls, boys to gym, picnic, yoga, swim, climbing,...
- Solar charging capabilities allow you to extend battery life beyond traditional charging, Strap material: silicone
- Rugged GPS Watch is water-rated to 100 meters and constructed to U.S. military standard 810 for thermal, shock and water...
- Built-in 3-axis compass and barometric altimeter plus multiple global navigation satellite systems (GPS, GLONASS and Galileo)...
- Track your activities for running, biking, swimming, strength and more. Memory/History 16 MB
- Help understand your health and wellness better with all-day health monitoring and Pulse Ox (this is not a medical device and is...
- 【Compatible Model】Specially designed for Cosmo JrTrack / Cosmo Jrtrack 2 Kids Smartwatch, perfect fit for kids. (Note: NOT...
- 【Adjustable Range】Fit 5.1 inches ~ 7.1 inches (128mm–180mm) wrist, won't be too loog for kids, easy to adjust the length of...
- 【Easy to Replace】The connection between the band and watch is a quick-released pin, easy to change the band without any tool.
- 【Breathable & Durable】This smartwatch bands made of premium nylon, Durable breathable and lightweight design, strong and easy...
- 【Excellent After-sales service】Free Replacement or Full Refund without return for any quality issues within 12 months, 24-Hour...
- New Sleek Design: The Moto 360 smartwatch is carefully crafted to complement your fashion sense; Parts are developed with premium...
- Use for Longer: Extend your style and comfort with this long-lasting timepiece; The Moto 360 smartwatch is made from premium...
- Quick Charge In 60 Minutes: Save more time and get your smartwatch from 0 to 100% in 60 minutes with industry-leading ultra-fast...
- Connect to Favorite Apps: The Moto 360 smartwatch runs on the latest version of Wear OS by Google. It offers optimum performance...
- Track your workouts - Built in with the latest GPS, heart rate and step count technology means seamless compatibility with Google...
- Small stylish smartwatch complements your look with a unique decorative lens that reveals a bright touchscreen display with a tap
- Battery life: up to 5 days
- Understand your body by monitoring your respiration, Pulse Ox (this is not a medical device), energy levels, menstrual cycle,...
- When paired with a compatible smartphone, stay connected with smart notifications for incoming calls, text messages, calendar...
- Tracks yoga, Pilates, cardio, mindful breathing and more with sports apps; connects to your compatible smartphone's GPS to...
Smart Sports Watches Buying Guide
Watch or Bracelet?
The difference between a bracelet and a Smartwatch catches the eye: the former is designed to annoy as little as possible, perhaps to the detriment of the readability of the dial.
The latter are small computers in all respects, with a pleasant and customizable design, but still bulkier. To find your way among the buying advice, you need to choose the right questions to ask yourself. And the first is: what do I need?
If the imperative is to measure, but not overdo it, and the incoming and outgoing messaging functions are of interest to you, then it is better to aim for bracelets.
If, on the other hand, you are looking for an object that can accompany you in training as a small wrist instructor, high-end sports watches are for you.
Finally, if the measurement of athletic performance is only one of the functions you want to find in a Smartwatch, and you don’t want to neglect all the daily activities of leisure and work, which usually pass by a smartphone, perhaps you should think of a complete watch.
So far, it is a matter of pure academy because, as mentioned, the markets tend to evolve towards a junction point, even if structural differences will always remain evident.
A smartwatch costs on average more, but even a bracelet, if it is of good quality, can have a significant price. As with any digital object, quality is measured on both the programs and the hardware front.
Watch out for those three.
Let’s see in more detail the features to check before deciding which sports watch to buy. When doing sports, everything we have on us must offer the maximum possible comfort, even a wristwatch, and the bracelets seem unbeatable on this front.
And yet, the most advanced products can make workouts simpler and more effective. A 4 or 5 cm screen with a weight of about 50 grams, after all, should not be a particular nuisance for runners, cyclists, and swimmers, especially after a short break-in period.
If we carry out outdoor activities, it is better to check that the screen is backlit and easily readable in different light conditions. At the same time, for pool lovers, real impermeability to water is essential: resistance to 5 atmospheres, about 50 meters deep,
it should be a total guarantee. A Smartwatch that will become in all respects our watch in everyday life must adapt to our aesthetic taste, on average different for men and women, as well as guarantee reliable energy autonomy.
Integrated Gps
The presence of an integrated GPS significantly improves the step counting function, as well as accurately measuring the distances traveled and providing altitude in the absence of an altimeter.
Be careful though, the use of the GPS, during a workout or a race, reduces the battery life: if normal use of the watch, with the exchange of messages and emails, allows autonomy of at least 4 or 5 days, the locator satellite can reduce this value to a few hours.
Since these devices often rely also on external apps loaded on mobile phones, it is necessary to check their compatibility with the models in our possession, and of course, the efficiency and ease of use.
The calculation of the heart rate is not yet as precise as that obtained with a chest strap, which, however, has the disadvantage of being more annoying and less plastic.
Finally, some watches interface with specific sensors for those who swim or, for example, cycle, to accurately time strokes and pedal strokes.
Even golf enthusiasts can find the model tailored for them, capable of showing the green on display. Even a detail can reveal how to choose a good sports watch …
How It Works and How to Use a Sports Watch
Bracelets or Smartwatches that are, “auscultate” our body when it is in motion and, thanks to the software, measure the calories we burn, the kilometers we grind, the speed we reach, the lactic acid that we produce.
But how do they do it? And above all, are they reliable? Let’s try to answer, on the trail of the best sports watch.
The Pedometer, or The Accelerometer
It is not at all useless, even for a fair comparison between the products on the market, to ask how a wristwatch can count our steps. The “magic” occurs thanks to an accelerometer, a device that can perceive and record the oscillations of our arm on different axes.
From a mechanical point of view, it is a small sphere, whose movements are captured by sensors and translated into data. These data are often crossed with the information of a GPS capable of calculating, with a defect of a few meters, our displacements.
For these measurements to be more accurate, some information must be entered manually, such as the length of our stride (sometimes extracted from our height).
If it works? It depends on the quality of the accelerometer and the software, but in general, this combination of data gives a plausible result. In the absence of a GPS, the values can be more fraudulent: it is quite clear that even when stationary, our arm performs a series of oscillatory movements.
Not surprisingly, there is a fair number of apps that measure steps and running, with which sports watches can interface. These programs usually provide users with a series of progressive goals, thus serving as a digital personal trainer.
Beware of The Heart
Wrist heart rate monitors, including Smartwatches, measure the speed of your heartbeat thanks to green LEDs and sensors, positioned on the strap. The blood, notoriously red, repels the frequency of the green color.
The sensors are thus able to measure how much blood we are pumping based on the quantity of green that is “reflected.” It looks like science fiction, but it works pretty well.
The system can be put at risk by particular wrist rotations or by specific pigmentation of the skin, natural or due to tattoos. For these reasons, it is considered differently reliable, depending on the sport practiced.
It can be considered efficient for running or cycling, but not too much for activities such as tennis or boxing (we always talk about training) and of course for swimming.
Calorie consumption is often combined with heart rate. This data, however, needs more information: the average speed at which our heartbeats.
The most advanced smartwatches, including models recommended by us, detect the heart rate at regular time intervals, creating an archive of information that will be useful for calculating stress.
It is a common opinion that heart rate monitors combined with a chest strap (and a Smartwatch can also be) are more precise. It is important to check that the beat frequency is constantly provided and readable on display, and not only at the end of the training.
Training Software
It is clear, also in this guide to the best sports watches of 2020, that the specific software with which they mate can enhance or depress their qualities. Software that can be the athletes’ delight or their hell, depending on what they hope to achieve.
The complete applications, among those offered by the market, allow you to plan a workout in all its aspects. You can establish a distance and the times in which you want to travel.
The clock should warn us, by buzzer or vibration, when we have achieved the result, or “scold us” for missing it. In some software, and with some watches, it is possible to establish parameters such as the maximum heart rate you want to reach during a specific stretch or effort.
If you need motivation, there is software that will put you in competition with a digital athlete, based on customizable parameters, or with your best performances.
One of the watches recommended in this guide has been designed specifically for triathlon: a discipline that includes running, swimming, and cycling.
In such cases, it should be possible to jump from one sport to another and, therefore, from one scheduled workout to another, quickly and comfortably.
Most people don’t know what to do with most of the features made available by training software, but the same could be said of programs used by everyone, such as Word. Garmin Connect, for example, is particularly suited to the needs of runners and cyclists.
Thanks to the data collected by the GPS, it is possible to review the entire route, perhaps to reproduce it later. The information of the heart rate monitor can be compared to the different training phases, and the results obtained (times and distances) are comparable with those of other users who make them available online.
Polar Flow, the application associated with Polar watches, also guarantees these digital scenarios to all its users. It is a software designed to support athletes in every training phase: tracks, repeated, lightenings, fatigue peaks.
You can upload the program to mobile phones with iOS and Android systems, or computers. If you have software that you have used for a long time and with which you feel particularly comfortable, make sure that the device you are about to buy can talk to us.
Frequent Questions
What Is the Best Brand of Sports Watches?
As for the “pure” and high-end sports watches, there is a curious coincidence with the brands we used to associate with car GPS, now standard on all models: watches with the Garmin and TomTom brands are always excellent products, together with Polar.
If we talk about smartwatches not specialized in sports, we can venture that Apple continues to make the most interesting objects. Still, we should not underestimate the competition from Samsung, Asus, or LG.
The market has not exploded as someone thoughtlessly expected, and many companies have reduced expectations and investments in this sector.
What Do the Abbreviations Ip67 and Ip68 Mean for Some Smartwatches?
The acronym IP stands for International Protection: it is an internationally recognized certification that measures the resistance of electronic devices (from cell phones to watches) to dust or water.
The first digit, which follows the letters IP, measures protection from solid bodies of different sizes, for example, from dust (level 6), while the second defines the impermeability to water.
The measurement scale starts from 0 and goes up to 9. A watch classified as IP68 can be considered very resistant to water since the number 8 is assigned to devices that can remain immersed in water for over an hour, even at 3 meters of depth.
The corrosive effect of sea salt, however, is not considered by this measuring meter.
What Do the Abbreviations Glonass and Galileo Mean Next to The Gps One?
The abbreviation GPS (Global Positioning System) specifies the NAVSTAR satellite tracking system, created and managed by the United States Army. Although we all take it for granted, there is a remote possibility that it will be blocked by the US authorities, perhaps for security reasons.
No fear, in any case, since the Glonass system, based on Russian satellites, and that of the European Union, Galileo, is already active in Europe.
The systems currently connected to GPS are, in many cases, perfectly compatible with European alternatives. In some models of sports watches, it is already possible to “tune in” to one or the other.
What Are the Most Suitable Sports Watch Models for A Woman?
From a practical point of view, you must always pay attention to the size of the case, which would be better if it did not exceed 4 cm, and to its weight.
If you want some suggestions, you could evaluate, for Garmin, the Forerunner 245 music and Forerunner 45s models, or the competitors Polar m200 and Polar m370 (bracelet).
Straps in different colors can be easily purchased, and the digital layout of the dial is always available in different versions.
Is It True that Payments Can Be Made with Smartwatches?
Many sports watches integrate payment systems, usually proprietary, such as Garmin Pay, Samsung Pay, Android Pay, and Apple Pay, to allow sportsmen to be autonomous from their mobile phones.
It should be sufficient to place the monitor display on the merchant’s pos, as is now done with all new ATMs.