Buying guide for Best Samsung smartwatches

A Samsung smartwatch acts as an extension of your smartphone and allows you to attach a mini mobile computer to your wrist. While some smartwatches are made for specific uses like fitness tracking, many of them offer an assortment of standard features like GPS tracking, music and photo management, and apps. What makes the smartwatch such an amazing companion to your smartphone is its ability to receive your phone’s notifications, as well as accept and decline phone calls or send and receive texts.

Samsung has become a major player in the smartwatch arena over the last few years, and its smartwatch products stretch across the entire marketplace. We’ve put together a selection of the best Samsung smartwatches so you can find the one that’s just right for you.

If you still have questions, our shopping guide has the answers you need.

While it might not be the most convenient experience, you can watch videos, view pictures, and with the right app, even browse websites with your daily wear Samsung smartwatch.

Key considerations

Watch style

• Fitness: Most Samsung smartwatches feature fairly robust fitness tracking, so you can keep up with basic health data like heart rate, daily steps, and calories burned. However, there are some smartwatches that work much better for extremely active users. These watches focus less on a flashy face or stylish wristband and instead highlight features such as deep-dive water resistance or built-in applications that track biking and running routes.

• Daily use: Samsung smartwatches for daily wear mix all the cool features you get from a smartwatch with a classic or elegant design, sometimes making it impossible to tell if you’re wearing a smartwatch at all. Many of these watches have a customizable wristband that ranges from sporty to leather. You can enjoy all of the standard smartwatch features with the exception of some sport-specific features like deep-dive water resistance.

Size

There are two ways size is measured in a smartwatch. For styles with a round face, generally for everyday use, the face is measured in millimeters (mm). Sizes of Samsung smartwatches range from 42 to 49 millimeters (1.68 to 1.96 inches). The standard strap size is 22 millimeters wide (0.88 inch).

Most fitness-specific smartwatches with a slimmer bezel share the same face size but offer different band lengths that range from small, 125 to 170 millimeters (5.0 to 6.8 inches), to large, 155 to 210 millimeters (6.2 to 8.4 inches).

Android vs. iOS

All Samsung smartwatches are compatible with current Android smartphones.  While it’s impossible to sync an Apple smartwatch with an Android phone, if you own an iPhone and want to enjoy the stylish design of a Samsung smartwatch, you can – but with a catch. Samsung smartwatches will pair with Apple’s iPhone, but the functionality will be limited. Many useful features and applications require Android’s specific software to work. Outside of taking calls and sending texts, if you’re pairing an iPhone with a Samsung smartwatch, you’ll likely be left with a pretty basic (but good-looking) smartwatch.

One of the first things we look for in a Samsung smartwatch is how consistent and accurate its health and GPS sensors are.

We appreciate the fact that all of the most recent Samsung smartwatch models sport bold AMOLED screens that are easy to read in any conditions.

We consider Samsung smartwatches from each of the company’s varied lineups, noting the differing feature sets and sizes that are offered.

We keep an eye out for Samsung smartwatches designed specifically for active users. A highly rugged construction and effective water resistance are particularly valuable features.

We break down which Samsung smartwatches offer the right balance of size and functionality for casual wear as well as use with a variety of fitness regimens.

We appreciate Samsung smartwatches that are relatively slim and lightweight. These tend to be less cumbersome while the wearer is working out.

We look for Samsung smartwatches with convenient features that a wide range of consumers can take advantage of.

We look at Samsung smartwatches in various colors, sizes, and shapes to make sure we find items that appeal to various consumers with differing tastes.

We give special consideration to the most compact Samsung smartwatches, which directly compete with other industry-leading health and exercise monitors.

In our research, we place high value on Samsung smartwatches that look great, allowing for customizable faces and themes.

Samsung smartwatch features

Customization

The great part about Samsung smartwatches is the ability to customize not only the applications and what you see on the face but also the look. Many products allow you to replace the wristband to give you more options when it comes to how the watch feels and looks on your wrist.

Built-in speakers and mic

Built-in speakers and a microphone are very popular features on most Samsung smartwatches, but not all come equipped with them. Some fitness-specific smartwatches leave these out. While you’ll be able to answer calls, you’ll need to use your phone or a headset to listen and talk. This goes for music, too. You’ll be able to store and play music from your smartwatch, but if your device doesn’t have speakers, you’ll need to sync a Bluetooth headset to it. Most bluetooth headsets are compatible with Samsung smartwatches.

Samsung smartwatch prices

Inexpensive

You’ll find many Samsung fitness smartwatches in the $150 to $180 price range. These are durable and powerful exercise companions that when paired with your smartphone give you extra freedom to work out, listen to music, and take calls without thumbing through your larger device.

Mid-range

The most popular Samsung smartwatches for daily use can be found in the $200 to $250 range. These are simple designs with customizable bands. If you’re looking for a safe bet in a Samsung smartwatch, look to spend about this much.

Expensive

If you want the best smartwatch Samsung has to offer, you’ll likely have to spend $250 to $300. These smartwatches feature highly customizable faces and wristbands, waterproof bodies, and advanced tracking software. The products in this price range have all the features any smartwatch owner could ask for and are built to last.

Tips

Take advantage of your smartwatch’s digital nature and customize the face to your liking. You can give it a more digital feel or completely disguise it as a classic analog timepiece.

FAQ

Q. Do Samsung smartwatches have their own GPS module or does it use a phone’s?

A. Samsung smartwatches use their own GPS module and pair with your phone. This makes it useful for personal tracking along with keeping tabs on your phone’s location.

Q. What’s the difference between Bluetooth and LTE versions?

A. Bluetooth-only Samsung smartwatches require your phone to deliver information to you. LTE versions require you to sign up for a separate data plan so that the smartwatch can send and receive information independent of your phone. Your phone could be miles away or off and you’ll still receive data this way.

Q. Can I download videos, photos, or music directly to my smartwatch?

A. You’ll need download media to your phone first. From there, you can transfer your desired media to your smartwatch. The Samsung Gear s3 has four gigabytes of storage.